Astra

I winced as the bright sunlight of the morning sun pierced through my tired eyelids.

Groaning as I sat up, I felt all my joints aching and I was sure dark bags were under my eyes. I faintly wondered if it would have been possible to take a palace mattress along with me, but shook the thought away.

Crawling out my tent, I nodded to my guards, who were already up and putting together some semblance of a breakfast.

"Good morning, Princess." Crence smiled in greeting, old map in hand, "We should reach Xylia by evening if we make haste now."

I covered a yawn, trying to blink my tiredness away, "Let us get on track then, I believe we are almost over the Crestarian mountain range?"

"Yes, it seems that they are located in the forests past the mountains."

Chewing on the hard jerky for my 'breakfast', I watched two guards pack up my tent and sighed.

I turned around, untying Ruce's reigns from around a branch, feeling the ache and pains of travel as I climbed atop his back. The ebony stallion snickered and eased into a canter at my nudge.

"I'll go on ahead!" I called back to Crence, the map already memorized in my mind. Not caring for a reply, I urged Ruce into a gallop and smiled as wind whipped through my hair.

The rhythmic sound of the stallion's hooves pushed off the last dregs of sleep and my eyes widened as I stared at the vast forest spread out before me.

The leaves of the tallest trees waved in the wind, and the sound of birds created a sweet melody. It was beautiful.

"-our Highness," Crence's voice cut through my reverie. "You should really decide against taking off like that. We are still not certain if Xylia will heed our aid or see us as an enemy-"

"Oh Crence, you worry too much," I laughed, pushing his concerns away. "look at the beautiful woods."

Hopping off Ruce, I led the party towards the edge of the dense forest.

A guard next to me cleared his throat, "We may have to leave the horses behind, Princess."

I peered through the dancing shadows, frowning. From the dense undergrowth and the lack of a trail, it was obvious that no one came this way.

Was this really the right place?

A glance at the map told me that we were but all I could see were trees, bushes and more trees.

"Are you certain that this is the correct way, your Highness?" Crence asked, scratching his head as he seemed to reach the same conclusion.

I nodded, glancing at the map once more. "The kingdom should be just within these trees."

Finding a sturdy branch, I led Ruce over and looped his reigns through. "Just stay here and be a good boy."

I pat his head reassuringly and scattered some oats on the grass beneath.

The guards shared a look before following my lead, taking the leads of their horses to some trees nearby.

"If we want to reach Xylia by sundown, I propose we only take a few supplies with us," Crence said, hefting a rather large bag onto his shoulders, before one of my guards took it from him.

I nodded my agreement, gesturing for the guards to return some of the supply bags back onto the horses. They did so, and I turned back to stare at the dense leaves of the forest.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped into the cool shade of the trees, wincing as a stray branch snagged my hair. I reached a hand back to pat my hair back down, gasping as my foot got caught in a vine. I stumbled a few steps, glaring at the impertinent plant that had dared to hurt me.

"Guards, clear a path through the forest. It's too dense to walk through safely," I ordered, and they complied hastily.

Crence sent me an uneasy glance. "Should we be doing this, Princess? We are in another nation's territory..."

It took everything I had to keep the poised smile on my face as a flying insect landed on my arm. "Well, do you propose any other ideas?"

A frown made its way onto his elderly face, and I felt guilt run through me. "No, your highness."

I inclined my head towards the guards, "Then it is decided."

Two of the guards pushed through the undergrowth to walk before me, slashing any protruding branches and undergrowth while the rest stayed behind to guard our backs.

We walked in silence for a few moments, before the low mutter of the guard behind us reached my ears.

"It's like those damned trees are watching us."

I said nothing in reply, choosing to ignore it, but I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

The guard in front came to a sudden stop and I barely stopped myself from crashing into his back.

"What is the hold up? Why have you stopped?" I frowned, feeling annoyed at my dull-witted men.

"Uh, we are very sorry, your Highness, but the foliage is too dense. We... cannot cut through any more."

I felt a rush of frustration but kept a calm mask over my face. Not only did I have aches all over my body from sleeping on uneven ground for almost a week, I was also feeling the beginnings of a headache from the humidity of the forest.

Time was running out and it would be foolish to waste it arguing.

"Step aside," I ordered, raising my hand. "I'll just use my lightning to cut through it."

"Your highness, I do not think that is advisable-"

Ignoring Crence, I placed a hand to my collarbone where the Xealite necklace my mother gave me hung and focused.

"Let me borrow your sword, soldier," I held my hand out, fingers closing over the smooth hilt of the weapon.

I felt the buzz of electricity grow through my body, and channeled it towards the blade. It sparked white-hot, charged with my power and I raised my arms to swing it down. Just before the sword sliced through the thick undergrowth, a loud boom echoed through the forest.

Startled, I whirled around to see all my men fall to the ground, unconscious. I only had time to let loose a scream before everything faded to black.

I winced, feeling my head throb with pain as I attempted to survey my surroundings. The surface beneath me was soft and bouncy, a drastic change from the past week that left me breathing out a sigh of comfort.

"I see that you have awoken, milady," a voice said. A young woman was rinsing a cloth next to me, a soft smile on her face.

About to speak, I stopped short as the last part of the sentence caught up to me.

Milady?

I frowned and cleared my throat, "I will have you know that I am the Crown Princess of Rowana and I demand the respect that I deserve."

The woman's eyes grew wide, startled by the venom in my voice, and for a moment I regretted my harsh words.

"M-my apolog-" She started, jumping when the door slammed open with a crash.

My breath caught in my throat as a man with icy, pale blue eyes walked through, and for a moment I wondered if my hair was smoothed down in the right places. With a glance to the young woman, she blushed and gave a small curtsy before hurrying out of the room.

I barely refrained from letting a blush cross my cheeks as I avoided contact with his eyes, choosing instead to look at the bridge of his nose.

"So, 'Crown Princess of Rowana'," he said, pulling out the chair beside the bed, "did anyone ever teach you any manners?"

"W-what?" I managed to gasp out, shocked that he had the audacity to insult me.

"Cutting down innocent trees in the forest that protects this kingdom, as well as attempting to burn everything down, isn't exactly what you'd expect from a princess, much less one who is requesting help from said kingdom."

I could only stare at him in horror as the high hopes that I had for Xylia slowly dwindled away. It was evident that I had not cast a favourable first impression on our neighbours.

Exhaling, I pushed off the soft cushions of the bed, wincing as sharp jolts of pain ran through my body. There was a soft knock on the door as I gritted my teeth in pain. Just what had they used to knock me out?

The young woman from earlier peeked her head into the room, looking slightly scared of me. "The Queen seeks an audience with the Princess," she curtseyed, head bowed low.

I inclined my head in response, internally feeling a spurt of victory. I would turn things around with this magical country during the meeting and gain their alliance. The man nodded and got off the chair, following the woman out the door.

I pushed off the covers and swung my legs onto the floor. Murmurs of conversation drifted through the open door, and I strained my ears to catch any interesting information.

"... she's awake now..."

"Who is she?"

"Crown Princess, or at least that's what she said."

I frowned indignantly at that comment, creeping closer to the door.

"Do you think she's a spy? Or maybe-"

The door swung open just as I leaned on it, in an attempt to hear the conversation better, and I stumbled forwards. Closing my eyes, I winced, preparing myself to meet the cold, unforgiving floor, when instead two strong arms wrapped around me.

"Need some help there, Princess?" A strangely familiar voice asked, and I opened my eyes meeting clear green ones.

"... Sage?" I gaped, feeling my breath leave my chest.

"Eve?" Shock, almost with a hint of horror, crossed his face and his hold on me loosened. I squeaked as I landed unceremoniously on the marble floor.

"You two know each other?" A voice interrupted, reminding me of the third presence in the hallway.

I felt a blush bloom over my face as I stood up and dusted myself off.

"No!" We both replied at the same time with vigor and insistence, albeit I was a little hurt at Sage's outright denial.

Blue Eyes smirked as if he knew something I didn't and turned away, walking down the hallway and whistling a tune.

"Hey," Sage shouted a little too loudly, making me wince. "What do I do with her?"

I scowled slightly, affronted at being referred to as a 'her'.

"Take her to the Throne Room," Blue Eyes called over his shoulder with a shrug, and I couldn't help but notice the large muscles rippling underneath his shirt.

Sage sighed, but thoughts were still running through my head a mile a minute. Sage was here? Why? Was he affiliated with this... Magic country?

...did that mean he snuck across our borders every time we met?

"Let's go." He said, walking off and leaving me on the floor.

I scoffed, but I could feel my heart break in my chest.

Sage was like a completely different person. 

a.n

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