I've never seen anything as beautiful as a stretch of flower meadows as far as the eye can see. These meadows are the staple to Esaria, most of their land is farms and meadows for livestock and wild animals to graze. One of our destinations, Ducoria, is completely surrounded by those grasslands and maintained by the scandalous farmers that care more about their booze than they do their crops.

We're bearing southwest of the capital, dodging Fosux and the platoons of guards headed out to that area to hunt for rebellion. To reach Flitsea, we have to cut through the flower meadows that the king recently vacated, leaving behind blood and guts for birds to pick through. Once we're through, we'll travel along the side of Illbre Lake. Past the lake of glimmering water and looming pine trees, there's nothing left for us to find but the fishing town off the coast, Flitsea.

Renit and I have been traveling for merely a couple days, our horses doing most of the work. My skin is burnt from the exposure to the summer sun, my hair is dry and cracked, and I can barely keep my eyes open.

The prince is the same, except he has the strength not to complain every few minutes compared to myself. I try to keep it in but with every passing hour, I find I'm more and more impatient. But the flower meadows are a beautiful sight.

We've been riding through them since early this morning, when the sun crested over the hills and the abundant flowers jumbled in with the tall grasses perked up their petals and shimmered, almost appearing to smile at the rising heat of day.

For as far as the eye can see, we're surrounded by those flowers and tall grasses. I'm reminded of the cliffsides outside of Arego, the only thing missing is the mist kissing my face and the smell of salted water from the ocean below. This is still beautiful. When I least expect it, breezes will pull the scent of those flowers towards me, brushing past my hair, and swirling around our horses.

The prince, who seems to find joy in nothing, smiles at the reds, blues, purples, and oranges throughout the scattered trees and distant farmlands. The farm the king killed those rebels at is nowhere near here, we won't run into anyone fleeing, but to know destruction took place not too far is enough to unsettle my stomach.

Instead of handing our fate to the rebels this time around, we're well stocked with weapons. The lack of a titanium band helps as well, my only entertainment to pass this time on the empty dirt trail is to shift the rocks and dirt. Renit has told me repeatedly to keep my power fresh and after what happened when my power wasn't fresh, I wouldn't miss a chance to take down someone else that threatens to hurt him. There's a chance we come across a different group of rebels this time, one not let by Bren and if their leader shows us no mercy—we'll have to fight out way out. With my power, that will be easy.

The grasslands to my right open up to rock and thicker clumps of trees. Past those trees with the sun setting, I let out a gasp of surprise as the lake comes into view. I thought those grasslands were beautiful but with the twinkling sun glimmering off the surface of the lake water, I've found something even more magnificent about this kingdom.

Out of the corner of my eye, I catch the slight turn of Renit's lips into a gentle smile as he too, takes in the beauty of the lake. I squint into the distance, never finding the end of that dark water tattooed with tender waves. Water laps against the shore and the trail twists to follow the water's edge, surrounded by pine and juniper trees.

I want so badly to jump into the freezing abyss of the lake and wipe off the grime from the past two days. I'm covered in it, my clothes smell like it, and I've been waiting to wash the pair I have and change into the spare for another couple days before I have to wash off the stink again.

Renit has to do the same, his clothes are dirtier than mine and his hair is greased and unkempt after running his hands through it over and over again. A nervous habit, I suppose.

We've encountered only merchant wagons on this trail. They're passing from Flitsea to Mailan, delivering fish and ocean goods to the capital. Although their journey is long, the strain is worth it when witches in the capital pay the highest price for those imports. They're not available elsewhere, only Flitsea can provide those with the high-quality fish, crab, and other salty delights.

"It's getting dark. We'll stop for the night," Renit orders.

He steers his horse to the side of the trail, stopping underneath a tree, and dismounts. Immediately, he stretches and I do the same with my sore muscles. My joints crack, my legs shaking, and I swallow down my groan of relief. Riding a horse does not bode well for long distances, my ass has never hurt so much in my life.

I unload the packs from the saddle and yank out a spare change of clothes. I will not go another second as dirty as I've become. That's why I brought spare soap—rather Mani forced me to pack it. I wasn't allowed to travel without the proper necessities.

Renit starts a fire and I walk to the waters edge, dipping my finger underneath the surface. It's chilled, freezing, but once I'm inside the water, I'll warm up. Renit is distracted by striking flint against steel so I strip down to my undergarments quickly and wade into the water. I shiver immediately, my toes scraping against the rock underneath, but keep walking until I'm completely covered except for my chest up.

When the prince hears the water lapping, he turns quickly and furrows his brows. "You'll freeze if you're in there long," he calls out.

"Then it's a good thing I won't be in here for long," I say.

He rolls his eyes, shaking his head, but manages to light a spark and quickly turns his focus to the fire. Smoke from the pine needles catching is what he crouches down to, blowing with such a gentle caress that I wonder if it's strange for him to not scream at something so it'll do what he says.

I clean my clothes in a matter of minutes, shivering all the while, but Renit has a fire going and he's cooking the rabbit we managed to catch on our way here.

"Bring me that shampoo," I order him. He obliges, tossing it into the water. "Aren't you going to come in?"

He keeps his eyes on my face, not daring to look any lower. I have to remind myself that he's seen me naked before, even if he hadn't looked at anything in particular. "I'd rather not freeze tonight. Although it is summer, the nights are still chilled."

I roll my eyes. There's no sense in arguing with him, he'll always win because he's so damn persistent. The patience he has is something I'll never grow to understand. Instead of wasting my time in the ever-freezing water, I wash my hair and relish in the dirt colored shade of the water. At least now I'll smell a little better.

Renit hangs my clothes for me against a low tree branch while I dress and sit next to the fire. The cooked rabbit is already waiting there for me with a golden crust and juices leaking from the bottom. Now that I'm cleaned and dressed, I feel comfortable enough to eat something other than the nuts and berries packed for us by the castle staff. Dalis managed to sneak in a few pastries but those were eaten after the first day. Who knew Renit had such a sweet tooth?

"No matter how many times I tell you I hate that shampoo, you still use it," Renit sighs as he sits down and props himself against a boulder. He crosses his ankles together and using his satchel as a pillow, rests his head back. This is the most relaxed he's looked in days.

"That's because Mani said you loved it," I confess around a bite of delicious tasting rabbit. Renit rips off a piece of skin from his own and digs a piece from his teeth once he's done chewing.

He smacks. "Mani is wrong. Darlene used to wear that. I used to love that scent but once she died, I couldn't stand it."

I nod, considering. Mani must have overheard stories about Darlene. There's no way he could have tended to her, he's a mortal witch and Darlene died over one-hundred years ago. That man has always been more focused on gossip than anything so I'm not surprised. The whole servant staff must know the truth about the love of the prince and the girl who happened to snatch his heart.

"When we get back, I'll wear something different," I offer. A quick jerk of his chin is the only thanks he'll give as he tears off another bite. "Do you have any other scents you like?"

Renit drags his tongue over his teeth and stares into the fire. I doubt he would like anything other than the smell of death but he's evolved more than that since we've met. "Citrus."

I raise my eyebrows at him. "Citrus? You like citrus?" I cackle.

In return, Renit frowns his disappointment. "If you're going to laugh, then I'm not going to tell you anything else I like."

"Fine," I groan.

Renit twists the rabbit in his hands and finds a new chunk of thick meat on the other side. Juices run down his wrist and disappear underneath the sleeve of his tunic, coating at the cinched fabric, slowly leaking to soak in. "What about you? What's your favorite scent?" He asks.

The prince has never asked me a personal question such as this. He's never gotten past the formalities of our relationship, despite all the times I've tried to console him. Every single one ended with him pushing me away instead of giving into the relationship we could have. Not loving each other, necessarily, but just having a friendship worthy of appreciation from our powers.

Without hesitation, I say, "Peppermint."

At least he doesn't laugh at my scent choice. Instead, he purses his lips together and nods like he agrees. Although there are no peppermint scented shampoos, I imagine he has something in mind.

We finish our rabbit in silence, the only bit of conversation in this silent area near the lake being the crackle of the fire. Embers float into the starry sky that casts darker and darker with each minute. This is what it feels like to be free. I've heard stories about this lake and the flower meadows but nothing would have prepared me for this.

Although the castle in Mailan proves there are terrors in this kingdom, there is beauty everywhere else. The places the king has not touched, the silent and empty places in this kingdom are what makes me proud to live here. If I ever live to see Silas on the throne, this kingdom will only get better from there.

I lay down, using my satchel as a pillow, and look up through the tree branches. The clear sky and stars greet me, twinkling through the embers still rising from the dying fire. Sleeping outside, against the presence of the wilderness, will never grow old. It's another step in this freedom I've been trying to achieve. No walls, no ceilings. Just...air.

I stare at those stars for as long as it takes for my eyes to become heavy. By that time, Renit is already asleep and I know that if I don't sleep soon, I'll lose myself in the rest of the beauty around me. With the strips of moonlight casting against the surface of Illbre, I'll find it's even more difficult to find something to hate about this place.

That thought carries me into sleep and into my dreams.