Thethia: Royal Palace

• Rowan •

Rowan spent the whole of the afternoon walking with the Princess of Thethia as she showed him around the Palace.

She politely engaged him every now and then, seemingly trying to get to know him better. They would occasionally stop somewhere for a while to enjoy tea and the view. While Rowan presented himself to be enjoying the moment, he was bored out within. 

To him, well-mannered royalties and nobles were plainly uninteresting. They simply repeated the same topics all over each time. Books, hobbies, and parties.

The day was getting late and Elizabeth was finally done with showing him around. He politely bowed towards her, "It has been a pleasant day. Thank you for showing me around."

"It's my pleasure," she blushed shyly. "Please have a good rest."

Rowan left the Royal Palace and wandered off on his own.

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Thethia: Heather Palace, In the Woods

• Elianna •

The sun had set and Elianna went towards the woods again for her combat training. Thunder arrived as usual at the training grounds in the woods, waiting for her. 

"You know the rules, Thunder." She signalled and he quickly disappeared into the darkness surrounding the woods.

She threaded through the woods nimbly with swift and accuracy. Blinded by the night, she could only rely on her other senses as she moved ahead. Thunder was a predatory animal and his movements were silent, lethal and without a trace. Even so, she could sense his presence and when he pounced forward from the darkness attempting to strike, she successfully dodged him by rolling backwards. Elianna got up and grabbed the wooden dagger tied to her thigh, holding it in front of her. But Thunder didn't attempt to attack, he chose to retreat back into the dark. She bent her knees slightly and was about to proceed until a sudden rustling of leaves nearby alerted her.

Other than her own footsteps, there shouldn't be anyone else in the woods. Elianna raised her hand as a signal for Thunder to stop.

Someone's here.

Her heart began pounding, she moved silently to where the sound came from. She reached to her thigh to keep the wooden dagger and grab for her own dagger, gripping the hilt tightly and holding it defensively when she was unsure if the person in the dark would be a friend or a foe. Whatever it was, nobody was supposed to know about her and these training. 

She lunged forward, ready to attack her unknown visitor but only to know that she was outplayed. A hand gripped the back of her neck and swung her head up before she felt two hands pushed her shoulders forcefully, throwing her off balance. She fell to the ground on her back and before she could attempt anything, a weight settled on her, immobilising her. A cold sharp edge was held firmly against her throat and Elianna quickly ceases her movement. Behind the boy, Thunder leapt from the dark and she watched as the boy raised his arm, ready to throw his dagger.

"Stop!" she shouted, her voice filled with panic. The boy halted his action and turned sharply to face her. When their eyes met, she got lost immediately in the depths of his startling blue eyes. She raised her hand slightly, trying to reach them.

"Elizabeth?" The boy asked, confused. 

At the sound of the name, she snapped out of her daze and demanded, "Who are you?"

"And who are you?" The boy asked, his voice colder this time.

Annoyed, Elianna replied, "Elizabeth, as you have said."

"You're not her." The boy spoke as a matter-of-factly.

"What's your deal?" she replied rudely. From her peripheral vision, she spotted Thunder crouching down and ready to strike. She moved her hand to the side and kept her eyes on him, trying to make a gesture.

The boy caught her hand immediately and warned in a low tone, "If you do not want it to be hurt, stop now."

Elianna dropped her hand instantly. Thunder moved silently into sight and settled just beside her. His emerald eyes stayed locked on the unknown visitor.

"A panther as a pet?" The boy smirked.

"It is very rude of you to trespass into someone else's place and hold a knife against the owner, isn't it?" she confronted. "And Thunder is not a pet."

"I meant no harm. I will drop my weapon if you promise to drop yours," the boy said.

"Deal." Elianna released her hand and her dagger dropped to the ground. The boy did the same before pulling his weight off her as he stood up. She could sense that this boy was way stronger than her, so she did not attempt to attack him again. Judging from his looks, she had also assumed for him to be at least a few years older than her and if he had a gift, she wouldn't even be a match to him. 

"Who are you?" Elianna asked again.

"Surprised to know that you don't know something the whole entire Thethia knows."

"What?"

He observed her as she frowned in annoyance, he let out a burst of laughter before introducing himself, "I am the First Prince of Iftia, Rowan Alvraz. You can call me Rowan."

"Rowan," she said his name.

"In exchange, tell me yours."

Elianna held her name at the tip of her tongue but didn't have enough courage to say it audibly for him to hear. She felt compelled to tell him about her name but knew better to keep it to herself. Bluntly, she replied, "I can't."

"Why?" Rowan asked, seemingly curious.

"Can I even trust that you would not tell anyone you saw me today?" Elianna tested him.

"I do not have to tell anyone anything if I don't want to. If you wish for our meeting to be a secret, then so be it." Rowan said, crossing his arms as he leaned against the tree.

"I am going to trust you. Please don't tell anyone," she gripped her hands tightly, hoping that she made the right decision.

Jason reminded her to finish off anyone if they were to pose a threat to her. She hadn't killed anyone before, and she didn't want to. Definitely not him. Not when for the first time in her life, she met someone almost of the same age as her. Even when this boy seemed a little arrogant, he was sort of nice to her. 

"Alright, you can trust me," he grinned. "Since you can't tell me your name, I shall just give you a random name and call you Amber."

"What?"

"Your eyes. They're pretty, so I will remember you as Amber." Rowan looked right into her eyes.

Elianna flushed at the sudden praise. She immediately broke off the eye contact. As compared to her eyes, she would admit that his eyes are way prettier. Feeling awkward, she did not know what to say in return except that she already blurted out something. "Then am I supposed to call you Blue instead?"

Elianna wanted to punch herself for the terribly stupid reply and Rowan stared at her for a moment before he burst out laughing. Elianna thought how ungraceful this prince actually was, but she enjoyed seeing him laugh to his heart's content. It felt all warm and fuzzy.

Then, a familiar voice sounded from far, "Your Highness!"

It was Lylia's voice and she must've came looking for her since she hadn't returned to the palace well after her training time.

Elianna stood up, ready to leave. He noticed that Rowan was looking at her with an expression filled with curiosity but she dismissed him quickly, "I have to go. Please return to where you're supposed to be."

"It was nice meeting you, Amber." Rowan smiled.

"Same here," Elianna admitted.

"I hope we meet again," Rowan added.

"I don't think so," Elianna shrugged. 

"I will take my leave now." Rowan reached out to hold onto Elianna's hand. He gave a little squeeze before letting go and disappeared into the trees.

Elianna watched him leave. 

"My name is Elianna," she whispered her name in a voice that was barely audible. Then, she turned around and made her way back to find Lylia.

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• Rowan •

"Elianna," Rowan repeated as he grinned in satisfaction.

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