~3~

As soon as Catalina had reached the Palace, she made her way to the stables through the deep snow. "Oh Hestûr, the Palace is so beautiful in winter, isn't it?" She sighed. "If only I could see it from the outside more often..."

Once they arrived at the entrance of the stables the Princess had to be careful, for everything had to go exactly as she'd planned it to go. "Dynmar!" She whispered as she knocked on the wooden door. She repeated the stableboy's name once more, knocking louder. The door opened and the tired-looking but friendly boy appeared. Beneath all the dirt and other filth was the face of a handsome young man hidden. Catalina had known him since they were young, he was her best friend, her only friend. Once Dynmar's gaze fell on the young man whose body hung limp over my saddle, his eyes widened and he asked the Princess: "Who- Who is that?"

"Dyn, I found him in the frozen river! He's injured and I want to help him!"

"You went to Andar Skógur again?! What were you thinking?! The guards could've found you!" The stableboy exclaimed worriedly.

"But there are no guards in Andar Skógur!" Catalina replied confused.

"Yes, there are, Cata! They've been scouting the woods for a few weeks now. Something's happening..." He told his friend with frowned eyebrows.

"I- I didn't know!" The Princess replied as she looked at the ground. She felt guilty, because Dynmar had told her often that she shouldn't go to the woods.

"Cata," Dynmar began as he took her soft hands in his rough ones. "You must promise me that you won't go back there again! I can't let something happen to you! I care too much for you!"

"I'm sorry, Dyn... I won't go again, but will you now help me get this stranger to my chambers?"

"To your- Are you serious? How?"

"What time is it?" Cata asked him with a mischievous grin drawn on her face.

"Around lunchtime... Why do you want to know?" Dynmar asked curiously.

"Oh, I have a plan!" She told him smiling and with confidence.

And so, not much later, they were walking through the halls of the Palace, disguised as two of Cata's servants, but the Princess had given the real ones a day off in case she wouldn't return before lunch and the servants would find her chambers without the Princess herself. Now she and Dynmar found themselves pushing a cart with 'food' covered with a white tablecloth on top of it towards the highest tower. It was a tradition to make the highest tower the royal successor's tower, not only because it was the most beautiful and you could see whole Pirithnyn from the balcony, but also because it was the best protected one. Every heir to the throne carried something with him or her what could not be stolen or harmed. In Cata's case it was a silver pendant with in the middle an Icecrystal, a piece of the frozen Fire. This too was one of the reasons why the Princess wasn't allowed to leave Pirithnyn or even the Palace unprotected. But she knew there was something more... Maybe it had something to do with the discovery she had made earlier that day?

Catalina was woken from her thoughts by Dynmar's voice: "Where exactly are your chambers?"

"You don't know?"

"No, as a matter of fact I don't... And to be honest, I've never been in the Palace..."

"What?!" Cata exclaimed as her jaw dropped. "But you're a servant of the Royal house! Who told you that you couldn't come in?"

"The King and Queen I suppose," Dynmar murmered hesitatingly. "But I'm not sure though, because I've heard that your parents chose some sort of a Servantmaster who has the power to order servants to do something, but I heard from others in the sleeping quarters that their Servantmaster abused that power and only used it for his own good."

"I never heard anything about a Servantmaster! Probably because my parents don't talk about public affairs when we're dining together."

"Can't you ask them another time, when you're not dining?"

"Well, I actually never see them anymore except for when we have dinner..."

"You NEVER see your parents beside the moments you- I mean... Really?" Dynmar looked at her as if he didn't believe what she just said.

"No," Cata murmered as she her face fell. "We used to see each other all day long when I was young. We shared every meal and they played with me whenever they had time, but over the years it became less usual and now... Well, you know how it goes now."

"Why?" He asked, his face looking like he didn't understand how she could still be alive.

The Princess raised her eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"Why didn't your parents have time for you anymore?"

"Ever since the Smoke came, things have become busier for all of the Royals, but me however, they keep locked up, but you already knew that."

"I wish I could help..." Dynmar said with a sad smile on his face.

"I know that." Cata returned the smile and suddenly noticed how close they already were to her chambers. "Dyn, to the right!"

The closer they came to the entrance of Cata's chambers, the more nervous the stableboy became and at one moment he even started thrilling. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead and he looked at his friend with an understandable fear in his pretty eyes.

"We're never getting in with all those guards watching us!" He whispered worriedly as he noticed a guard standing against the wall and another one in front of the two doors of his friend's chambers.

"Yes, we are," the Princess said, more trying to convince herself than her friend. Her spell had to work, because if it didn't... She didn't know what would be the consequences. Her parents couldn't find out that she used her magic without their permission. They would double the guard outside the doors and with just some simple magic tricks she wouldn't be able to escape from her chambers.

"Haetta! Kennsl?" The guard ordered.

"What is he saying?" Dynmar asked softly, but loud enough for Catalina to hear. He was just a farmer's son, so he didn't know Old Jeevikan. He just knew a few words Cata had teached him whenever they had some time together.

"He wants us to stop and identificate ourselves." Dyn's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to say something, but before his words were spoken Cata interrupted him. "Let me handle it." She focused on the guard again.

"Myrdan og Lanitaca, pjónar af Prinsessunni." Cata replied in fluent Jeevikan.

For one second the two friends thought it didn't work and the guard wouldn't let them through, but he just frowned and opened the doors. The two 'servants' walked past him with neutral expressions and when he closed the doors behind them Dynmar turned to his friend with a broad grin spread over his face.

"Myrdan and Lanitaca?" He laughed.

"Servants of the Princess!" Cata laughed with him and stood proud with her legs wide and her fists in her side.

"Seriously? That's the best you can do?" Dyn grinned mockingly as he poked her jokingly in her side.

"Stop it!" She giggled, protecting her side with her hand. "We don't have time for this, Dyn!" She walked over to the cart and pulled the white tablecloth off of the table. Immediately her smile faded and she hurried over to the young warrior who was still frozen.

"Dyn!" She motioned him to help her. He walked over to the limp boy and lifted him from the table.

"Where shall I put him?" The stableboy asked.

"Here! You can lay him on my bed!" Cata smoothed her bed and threw open the sheets. Dyn carefully laid him down on his friend's bed. She started to take his boots off as she discovered how cold he really was. "My god! Could you please get some clean towels and a bowl of hot water?" Her friend nodded and walked over to the Princess' bathroom. She slowly and carefully took off his armour and as soon as she had removed all of it he was only wearing a red loose shirt and tight black leather pants. Unfortunately she still couldn't make out his facial features clearly, because of the much filth on his face. Finally Dynmar returned with the things she had asked for and handed it over to the Princess.

"Thanks, Dyn!" She smiled at her best friend. "I think you better go back to the stables before that Servantmaster discovers you aren't there!" He gave a short nod in reply and walked over to the door.

"I'll come over and check on you tomorrow! Please be careful with our guest over there. You don't know who he is..."

Cata nodded slightly and smiled. "I will! See you tomorrow!"

Just before he closed the door she heard him say to the guard: "The Princess wanted Lanitaca to stay some longer." Cata chuckled at the cleverness of the stableboy.

The next hour she was busy with cleaning up the foreigner on her bed. Behind the filth the warrior had a pretty handsome face. His hair was raven black and he had a slightly tanned skin. He had almond-shaped eyes which made him look friendly. Earlier that hour she had discovered a beautiful golden ring around his ring finger which had a red ruby on it. It had almost the same shape as the Icecrystal in her own silver pendant, which was strange. His skin was getting warmer already and he could wake up every moment now. Just as the Princess was rubbing the dirt off his face he suddenly opened his eyes, but before she could say a word he sat up straight and grabbed her throat. He stood up and pushed her against the wall. His intimidating stature scared her and the wed cloth fell out of her hand as she desperately tried to pull his hands off her throat and get some air.

"P- Please!" The Princess whispered.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" The young man yelled at her.

"I- I don't want to hurt-" She gasped and tears rolled down her pretty face. His grip loosed a bit and he inspected the girl in front of him. She however, took advantage of this moment and poked him not too hard in his side on a wound she hadn't taken care of yet. The warrior cried out in pain and fell on the ground.

"I'm so sorry!" Catalina breathed as she dragged him back to her bed by his arm. He suddenly seemed to discover that there was taken care of him and that the only person who could have done that was the girl he had just threatened to kill.

"Did you-" He started hesitatingly.

"Yes, yes I did." She replied, trying to get him back under the sheets.

"Oh my- I'm so sorry, I really am!" The young man apologized as he climbed back in the bed voluntarily. He looked at his clean body and felt his smooth skin before he gratefully looked at the Princess.

"And... Thank you, fair maiden!" He smiled and Cata returned his smile. "But who are you, if I may ask?"

"I am Catalina, Princess of Jeevika, the great Waterkingdom!" She answered blushing. "And what is your name?" Immediately his broad smile disappeared from his handsome face.

"I am Zuko," He told her. "Prince of Lasairiona, the Firekingdom."

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I really hope you like it! I tried to make this chapter some longer, but it probably has more grammar mistakes than the previous chapter (if you see one please tell me so that I can correct it)! Please comment, vote and follow! Thank you so much! :D