The cave was dank. That was the first thing Mynera noticed about it. But when they got the fire going, made from sticks and stones they'd found within, she noticed that not only was it dank but the cave floor was also covered in bat droppings. A large colony of bats loomed over their heads.

Madeline looked ready to pass out. The fire blazed prettily against the walls, illuminating the huge expanse of the cave's interior, casting dancing shadows across the walls. Mynera wondered if that only made the queen feel more uneasy.

"They're everywhere," Madeline whispered. She was sitting quite close to Mynera, on a dusty, droppings free spot on the floor. Mynera didn't think Madeline cared that she was hiding behind her. Even if she did, it was clear her fear overrode her hatred for Mynera. The queen was more focused on the bats over her head to care about anything else, her eyes so wide they looked ready to pop right out of her skull.

"You can sit over there, Madeline," Saenar said, adding more sticks to the fire. He and Hale had brought in two fallen logs from outside. He pointed to the log that was against the wall, farthest away from the bats and their smelly droppings.

Madeline inched her way closer and closer to the fire, bringing Mynera with her as a shield. Mynera wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. She didn't like Madeline any more than Madeline like her, and she certainly did not care to be used as a shield. But the fear in Madeline's eyes, and the constant way she looked around at any sudden thought, kept Mynera from saying anything. Instead, she allowed Madeline to pull her over to the log. 

The queen's hands were shaking. That was enough to make Mynera shove all her annoyance for her to the side.

Saenar dropped a few more sticks into the fire. He glanced up at Hale, who was sitting on the opposite log watching the interaction between Mynera and Madeline.

"We need to go catch our dinner," he told the blond man. 

Hale looked at him in confusion before it dawned on him. "Dinner, yes. Yes, we haven't eaten all day." He got to his feet. The orange fire seemed to make him glow. "Are we going to leave the ladies in here?"

"No!" Madeline screeched before shrinking back behind Mynera when her outburst caused the bats to stir. "You can't leave me here with her alone!"

"You don't seem to mind using me as your shield," Mynera muttered dryly.

"Madeline, we need to go get some food," Saenar said calmly. "We have not eaten since morn."

"Then take her with you." Madeline pushed Mynera away roughly away from her. Mynera whirled back to her, surprised. The queen looked as if she'd never worked a day in all her twenty-six years, but there had been a lot of strength in that push.

Madeline quickly grabbed Hale's hand and pulled him towards her. "Take Mynera with you," she ordered. "That way we ladies will both get protection." She lifted her fearful eyes to the ceiling again.

Mynera knew she should be irritated by Madeline's actions, but she couldn't. Madeline had latched on to Hale's chest,  still shaking at the sight of the bats above them. Hale obviously didn't know what to do with himself, his hands held awkwardly out in front of him. 

He met Mynera's gaze, eyes screaming for help. Mynera held her hands up, shaking her head. She had no plans to exchang places with him. Catching wild rabbits in the dead of night was something she could do. Comforting the fearful queen was something she definitely could not. She pitied Hale. But the pity was short-lived.

"She's right," Mynera said quickly, turning to face the prince who still sat stoking the fire. "You said you were going to protect us, Saenar. You can't protect us by leaving us in here with those ..." she pointed above her, "bats."

Saenar looked over up at her. Mynera hated the fact that it was fast growing more and more difficult to read him. Anger she could sense. Anything other than that left her confused. "Are you afraid, as well? You didn't seem to be a moment ago."

She quickly thought of a lie. "I was just putting on a brave face, Saenar. It would not do to have us both to worry about. But ... I cannot stand those furry little things. Quite creepy, I must say."

"Don't they?" Madeline agreed from her post behind an uncomfortable Hale.

Saenar was obviously not buying one word she said. He rose, lifting a brow at her. Mynera stared back, refusing to break eye contact. After a moment, he sighed as if he really couldn't be bothered. "Fine."

A fleeting feeling of accomplishment shot through her. She glanced at Hale to see that he'd brought to an uncomfortable spot on the log, Madeline's arms wrapped around his arm. The queen looked completely unaware of his discomfort as she stared up at the bats. In any other situation, she would never have clung to him so, Mynera knew. It wasn't ladylike. But manners and ladylike actions didn't matter anymore. Nothing else mattered anymore except surviving the night.

Without a word, Saenar went back to the entrance of the cave, vaulting himself up with a low grunt. Odd heat spread through the pits of her stomach of her sight, but she was distracted from the feeling when stuck his hand back in. Mynera took ahold of it and allowed him to pull her out.

"Where to?" she asked once she came to a stand.

Saenar rested his somber eyes on her. "Are you certain you can handle this?"

"What do you mean?"

He started off, heading past the horses. She walked by his side, grateful that he was not trying to leave her behind. "This won't be easy, Mynera, and I'm sure you've never done this before."

Mynera scoffed. "Oh please. I've done this countless times."

"You've hunted game countless times before?" Saenar looked over at her. There was no surprise in his voice. Just simple curiosity. "Did your father...?"

"Did he teach me how to hunt?" She shook her head. She was lying, of course, but necessary ones. She couldn't very well tell him that she'd learned it all in Arcadia. "No, I learned it on my own. I taught myself how to catch rabbits and wild lizards."

"What would possess a young noble girl to think of catching rabbits and wild lizards?"

Mynera shrugged. She tried catching a glimpse of his face, surprised that he seemed to be believing her. But it was too dark to see anything but the outline of his face. "I was a very adventurous child. I just decided one day that I wanted to try it"

Saenar stopped walking too and cocked his head to the side. He was trying to figure her out, she realized suddenly. Perhaps he really didn't believe her.

"You do not seem convinced. Would you like for me to show you just how good I am?" she asked Saenar.

Saenar stared at Mynera a while longer before looking away. "You are right. I'm not."

"Then why did you let me come with you?"

"You seem antsy to be out of the cave. If you do not hinder me, then I do not see why you shouldn't."

Mynera gritted her teeth at that. She told herself that he had every reason to doubt her, so she tucked the annoyance aside. "Then would you like for me to prove it?" 

"There's no time for such childish games," Saenar rejected instantly. "We need to get the food back before we're caught out here."

"Don't worry," she assured. "Trust me when I say, we'll move much faster this way"

This time he frowned. "I'd rather not play any games with you, Mynera. If you hadn't already noticed, we are in a very serious situation."

"I know more than anyone the situation we're in, Saenar," she spat, her frustration mounting suddenly. "Do you think I want to sit and dwell on it? Do you think I want to run around this forest looking for food, all the while thinking that I need only sneak back to the castle and kill those red enemies in their sleep? I want nothing more than to see them dead and everything back to normal. But, that won't happen. Not for now. Now, we just need to find ourselves a decent meal before we sleep. And for once, I'd like to keep my head above that red cloud I keep finding myself sinking into when I think about all that happened. Now, will you let me help you or not?"

Saenar was silent, his expression unmoving despite her small rant. His eyes danced over her face, her words sitting uncomfortably in the air between them. Mynera had been doing fine for the past few hours. Pushing onward, keeping the tears at bay. But she'd just let him know just how much pain she was struggling to keep contain and she'd never felt more vulnerable. She had the distinct urge to run, but she would never allow herself that small reprieve. 

Finally, he responded, "Very well, Mynera. Go ahead."

"Good." Mynera picked up a stick, pushing down those dark, depressing thoughts. "You head northeast and I will go northwest. We meet back here," she pushed the stick down into the ground, jutting it upright, "when the moon breaks through those trees." Mynera pointed to a cluster of trees to her left, much to Saenar's surprise.

"Sounds simple enough." He frowned at her, sounding slightly surprised.

Mynera nodded. Without another word, she turned and disappeared around the corner in the direction she'd stated.

It went exactly the way she thought it would. Those dark thoughts melted to the back of her mind as she fell into the practice of hunting. Even without her bow and arrows, Mynera outdid herself and was beaming by the time she returned to the stick. She held two iguanas in one hand, and three hares in another. The moment she arrived, Mynera spotted Saenar emerging from the cover of the trees from the other side. Their eyes met before Saenar looked down at the game in her hands.

"You actually caught all that?" he asked in surprise.

Mynera nodded, looking at the iguanas and hares in his own hands, hiding a smile. "We caught the same things," she muttered.

"I never thought you would be able to do it."

"You just didn't have any faith in my abilities, that's what." They turned and made their way back to the entrance of the cave. "I would have finished earlier if it hadn't tripped and fell."

To her absolute surprise, Saenar released a short sound of surprise. It almost sounded like a laugh, which had Mynera's eyes snapping towards him. Those brown eyes of his were wide and alight with something she couldn't place. Not humor, she knew now, but something else, something quite close to it. It brought a hint of a smile to her face. It was enough for her to see with her own two eyes that he was not so depressed, not so overrun with odd, frigid grief that, he was immune to other emotions.

"You tripped and fell?" he asked incredulously.

Mynera sighed, though the sound was more lighthearted than weary. "There was a risen root in my path and I didn't see it. It took me a while to search for the game when I dropped it."

Saenar made that sound again and this time when she looked at him, that shadow of a smile grew minutely bigger.

The sound led them into silence and soon, Mynera's smile fell away. She lingered on the outside of the cave, still keeping a hold of her game. Saenar bent and threw his game in through the hole. Then he took Mynera's and threw it through the hole as well. Mynera almost wished that they didn't have to go inside, that they could hold on to that sliver of companionship budding between them. But no more words were spoken as they crept back into the cave. 

"You're back!" Madeline exclaimed. She had not moved from her spot on the log and still did not release her vice-like grip on Hale.

Hale looked relieved to see them. He pried himself away from Madeline, much to her chagrin, and made over to them.

"That didn't take very long. Did all fare well?" The question was directed at Mynera, like most of his questions were. Saenar didn't seem bothered by it. He'd already picked up most of the game, while Hale reached for the rest. Mynera stared into his back as he made his way back to the fire.

Mynera only nodded at Hale as she too went up to the crackling fire. "Those bats are staring us down," Madeline whispered. "They want to kill us."

"Is she all right?" Mynera whispered to Hale, eyeing Madeline.

"She's been whispering those things over and over since you two left." Hale looked a tad worried. "I think the queen's gone mad."

Had it been a few days earlier when hell hadn't broken loose, Mynera would have laughed. Instead, she allowed herself to smile slightly Hale's obvious attempt to make her giggle and sat on the opposite log. Hale sat beside her. Saenar had no choice but to sit beside Madeline. Mynera picked up one rabbit and pushed the knee joint through the skin, then took that small skin flap and began skinning the rabbit.

"The Queen of the Five Nations?" she mused, her eyes on the task before her. "Mad? I never thought I'd hear such words."

There was no reply. Mynera looked up at Hale to see him staring at her with raised brows. That was when she noticed that they were all staring at her. She looked back down at the rabbit.

"What is it now?" she asked with a sigh. Her deft fingers didn't falter. "If I know how to catch them, then did you not think I would know to skin one without a knife, as well?"

"Where do you learn all this?" Hale asked in wonder.

She shrugged. No one but the priestesses of Arcadia could know the truth. If it came down to it, she was just going to lie as she did to Saenar outside.

"Why does that matter?" Mynera asked. She didn't meet their stares. She just continued to skin the rabbit, allowing the blood onto the dusty floor by the log. Then she picked up one of the sticks they'd gathered for the fire and rammed it down its throat. The end of the stick escaped through the other end of the hare and Mynera was painfully aware of the fact that they were watching her every move. She continued to ignore them however as she crept up to the fire and leveled the stick over it.

After a while, she couldn't stand the silence any longer. "Could you two strapping young men stop staring at me like I've grown two horns, and go fetch those rocks over there? Thank you."

Hale and Saenar seemed to be too dumbstruck to protest the order. They got up from their seats and fetched the rocks without a single word.

"Seems you're not as incompetent as I thought you were," Madeline said from behind her, her tone thoughtful.

"Oh?" Mynera glanced at her. "You only thought I was an aspiring court maiden who lived in a mining cave."

Madeline sniffed and crossed her legs. "You seem to be taking your time in proving me wrong."

"If you haven't already noticed, Madeline--thank you, Saenar, Hale," Mynera accepted the rocks and proceeded to set up the spit, "we are under attack," she continued to say to Madeline. "We are fugitives, running for our lives. So proving to you that I do indeed know the ways of court is not of much importance right now. What is important is getting to safety and we won't be safe as long as we are in the capital."

"Lord Ingstad will provide us with safety," Saenar cut in. He seemed to have recovered from his initial shock and began skinning his own game, but he kept an eye on Mynera.

"So you say," Mynera muttered. "But we'll see."

Hale picked up and stick and began stoking the fire. She believed it was because he had nothing better to do with his hands since Saenar and herself were already taking care of the food. "I must say, Mynera," he said, his tone light. "You manage to surprise me time and time again."

"Oh?" Mynera said, pulling the skin from yet another hare. "What was the first surprise? Please, enlighten me."

"When you noticed that I had paid the bard to repeat the song so that our dance could be longer. I hadn't expected you to notice that at all."

"You didn't?" If he thought that was surprising, then he had plenty more headed his way. "I found it quite obvious."

"You think so? I don't know" Her idle tone calmed her, comforted her. Like a warm blanket on a winter's night "When people are dancing, they don't really focus on what's going on around them. Especially when they have me for a dancing partner."

"You think quite highly of yourself, don't you, Hale?" Mynera lifted her brow at him, watching his grow light with humor. "I suppose that it's best I don't say what's on my mind, lest I damage your ego."

"No, do tell. I would love for my ego to get a little damage from time to time. It would be a nice change of pace."

Mynera didn't smile, but she flashed her eyes at him, showing him that she was enjoying the light banter. "Perhaps a next time. When I'm very certain I'm sure that you're ready to hear it."

"Ah, well I look forward to it." Hale's blue eyes twinkled at her.

"Will you two save it for when you are alone?" Madeline's voice cut in. Mynera glanced over at her. The queen was switching from looking at the two with disgust and at the ceiling with fear.

Mynera simply raised her brows, but Hale leaned back immediately, his nose growing red. Mynera continued on with her task. Right now, she couldn't care less what the queen said. The mundane task of skinning hares, with idle chatter with Hale, settled her mind. She clung to the feeling.

But it dissipated the moment she glanced up at Saenar. His burning brown eyes bore into her with such an intensity, it almost scorched her skin. She raised a brow in question. He said nothing, only continued to turn the meat over the fire.

Mynera returned her attention to her task, trying not to focus on him. It shouldn't' surprise her that their camaraderie growing between them was already gone. She'd long given up understanding him.

It didn't take long for the meat to be cooked and they ate in silence. As soon as they were finished, exhaustion fell over Mynera like a wave and she chose to lie under the mouth of the cave. Madeline surprisingly had fallen asleep long before the others did, which was odd given the fact that the things that hung overhead.

Mynera laid there for a long while, unable to sleep. Hale was stretched out beside her, already snoring softly. She knew Saenar was the only one still awake. She sat up and saw that he was sitting on the log. His face was cast downward and he stared into the dying embers of the fire like a lost man. 

Something hit her in her chest, and suddenly, her heart hurt. It was all beginning to take its toll. She saw it in the way his eyes bore into the fire, the anguish she witnessed so distinct, the sight brought tears to her eyes.

For a moment, Mynera wondered if she could console him before deciding against it. She shouldn't bother him. It was best if he just had a little time for himself, to think for himself. Gods knew he might need it for tomorrow.

So she rolled over and went to sleep, hoping that Saenar would be able to. At least for tonight.