She walked down the hall in a daze as the memory of Vestin's last words repeated in her mind. Gazing out the window she saw a purple baby chim-chim perched itself on a branch facing her and began to sing. She watched it and sighed to herself. Normally, a sight like this would bring a smile to her face, but she couldn't bring herself to do such a thing. It felt wrong to even be walking down the hallway with such a peaceful aura surrounding her. Why did it feel like any other day? She knew he wasn't there, that he had gone to Serenity to confront Jayel. So why despite how she felt on the inside her outer appearance looked calm and composed.

"This is so frustrating," she watched the bird fly off towards another branch further from her growls and sighed, "Why does he think running straight into a trap is the way to save everyone? Is he that determined to die? He didn't even care to listen to any of our pleads for him to stay. He is still stubborn as ever."

She let her head collapse into her hands and covered her face. The urge to cry grew and she fought back the tears that were piling up in the corners of her eyes. Remembering the day he showed up in front of her after so many years and how she thought it to be a dream. She had come to terms that the crush she had on him as a child was merely just that. After that night in the woods, it all became clear that her attraction towards him was mostly based on a childish crush. She didn't yearn for him the way she did Robert, but there was still a piece of her heart that raced whenever he came near her. It was something she couldn't explain. Maybe instead of love it was just lust, but if that were the case then having given into her desire that night should have satisfied her curiosity. Yet it also gave false hope to him and almost cost her a dear friend in the process.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around. She felt a sharp stinging pain across her face and the heat from the palm of a hand. She looked over at the person who struck her.

"Do you have some kind of unfinished business with me?"

Jensek glared at her. If not for her he'd still be back at Serenity awaiting orders with his comrades while watching his captain practice his bow skills. Because of her they were all gone and his captain was about to join them. The selfish princess that stood before him was the reason why Vestin suffered and sacrificed so much of who he really was. She was the reason why Serenity suffered so much.

"Selfish. You princess have to be the most selfish person I have met to date. I was told you had a humble upbringing, but how can that be when all you have done is think of what benefits you."

Loraz stared at Jensek her fist balled up at her side as she tried to keep her calm. She was selfish, the word didn't seem to fit her at all. She had to lose what she loved in order to save the lives of people she did not know. The memory of how she had to leave everything she had ever known to grow up in the shadows flooded her mind. She endured countless assassination attempts on her life. The mother she never got to see off to Paradise properly, her whole life thrown up in the air and she left to catch what she could and bring back just a little bit of normalcy. She never complained to anyone about any of it. All that mattered was that she freed her people and fulfill the wish of her dead mother. She took in a deep breath and released it slowly.

"So you strike me across the face like some coward? If my words have offended you they were not meant to be heard by your ears. It is your fault for listening to a conversation that didn't concern you. Have you no sense right now that you blindly strike a princess? Had anyone seen you we would not be talking right now."

Jensek's eyes narrowed as he stared a hole into her face. His glare normally sent people running, but in front of him he saw a tiny princess looking as if she were ready to attack.

"Your face is not my worry. I lost my team because of you and now I'm about to lose my captain. If he dies his blood, along with the others, is on your hands."

She sighed then smiled a bit as his words played over in her head. Now his attitude towards her made sense. Why she never noticed before was a mystery, but she could see it as the sun in the sky. The reason why he held such malice towards her when Vestin was involved. The fool was in love with Vestin himself. So to him she was a rival in the battle for Vestin's heart. He was just a bitter man who couldn't get what he desired.

"You speak like a young girl in love for the first time. Do you see me as your rival? If so, let me make this clear to you, I may be of royal blood, but that was not how my life started. Hit my face again and I will not hesitate to bring you to your knees."

Jensek bit at his bottom lip. He took a step back from her and went to walk away then paused. He dropped his head into his hand and sighed, a heaviness surrounded him. It was the same type of feeling one got after they had lost on the battlefield.

"How could I even think for a second that I could be your rival? Do you have any idea how much he's gone through just to find you? How many people he had to torture and how much blood he spilled in the name of a king he held no loyalty to. All for the sake of finding a girl he has loved since childhood." He turned to face her tears in his eyes, "You more than captured his heart, princess. You stole it, ran away with it, broke it, then hid the pieces so that no one could ever repair it."

Loraz let his words sink in then walked up to him and stared at him in the eyes. She took out a piece of cloth from the inside of her sleeve and pressed it to his cheek. The emotions that he was feeling she knew all too well. The desire to want to hold something you can only wish to have, such a heavy and empty love. She did not pity him nor was her action out of sympathy. It was merely the only way she could show she understood and give his feelings the respect they deserved. She hadn't ever held any ill wishes towards Jensek and now that she understood why he disliked her it made everything so much clearer.

"No, I didn't take his heart as you described. While it's true that we both have an unexplainable love for each other that was not the only reason why he came to me. He sought me out for a promise he made to my dying mother, to always be by my side. The man who stood before me the day we reunited, while I was familiar with him, was a stranger," She placed a handkerchief into his hand, "I don't know anything about him anymore. I was twelve when I left him in that village. The young lad I knew is no longer there. His eyes held the same glossed over glint of life mine did when I laid eyes on him that day. His innocence was lost on his way to me and when we finally met it was as if everything went back to the last day we saw each other. Do you really think that I want to lose him? It is the very reason I do not act on my love for him."

Loraz paused for a moment as she let the memory of her and Vestin in their youth play through her head. She then hung her head and sighed.

"We cannot rewind time and he still sees me as the twelve year old girl who held silly dreams of becoming a teacher and being his bride. Because we cannot leave the past where it is we cannot move forward. Robert taught me that..."

Jensek closed his hand on the cloth and looked at her. Such a simple jester, but he couldn't force himself to hate her as much as he wanted to. His anger lashed out at the wrong person because she was the only one there for him to be angry with. He slapped her face and she helped him clean his face. She could probably tell what his true feelings for Vestin were and yet she didn't look down on him like many others would have had they found out. In her eyes, she still saw a man. Being accepted by someone felt nice.

"Then why do you still cling on to him? You chose to be with Robert, so why do you still need Vestin? We saw the two of you in his chamber...it was clear what was about to happen."

Loraz held up her hand and shook her head. Her eyes softened as she remembered that night and the morning after. She felt terrible about how Vestin found out. No one should be rejected in such a fashion.

"I know what I have done, but I still love Vestin. I believe a part of me always will. Vestin is all I have left of a life I won't ever get back, my last bit of family. He knows a side of me that Robert may never get to see. I wish to hold onto that for as long as I possibly can."

Jensek scoffed, then smiled a bit.

"That is the very reason you are selfish...you can't have them both, princess. You've slept with one once you enter their room and I know what happened on the way here to Mossca. I won't say it out loud, but just know the walls of that inn were thin. You cannot fool people like this."

"That night wasn't my intention. We both happened to have a weak moment. I did tell him afterwards to forget it ever happened."

"So what you think because you didn't plan it that makes it right. What happens if that weak moment is found out by Robert? I'm pretty sure you haven't let him know about it. You will have to make many tough decisions in the future, princess. When we get him back please let him go...he deserves so much more than this."

Loraz looked down at her hands as she twisted them together. She thought of all the stories they shared with each other and the lessons with a bow and sword he gave her. The thought of them all truly being over sent a chill through her. Her face went pale and her eyes watered.

"Jensek, he'll come back to us alive, right?"

Jensek walked up to her and pulled her into him. He didn't agree with how she was handling the situation, but he realized that she too was struggling with everything. No matter the title or what her status, she was merely a young lady trying to take on a world she knew nothing about.

"Use my shoulder to hide that hideous face of yours and cry. I will stand watch for now. Repayment for helping me. Just make sure to cry my share, too."

Loraz held onto the back of his vest and cried until her eyes were swollen and red. The release of so much frustration and tension felt refreshing.

Some time passed by and they sat on window seats and stared out into the vast open space of the horizon. She looked over at Jensek who had eyes similar to hers and giggled.

"You are oddly nice when you wish to be."

Jensek shrugged his shoulders. He flicked a piece of wood he'd been fiddling with to the floor then sat forward a bit and looked at her.

"I still don't like you all that much, but I can understand how it must feel. You are with the prince, but a part of you is with Vestin. The part that still is frozen in time. It was selfish of me to push my feelings on you and for me to call you selfish was wrong of me."

Loraz got up from her seat and walked up to him then kissed his cheek. She felt that if any of them had it worse it would be him. Vestin would forever be a fantasy for Jensek to dream about. An unfortunate desire that would forever be unfilled.

"If you ever wish to talk again let us have tea. While I know we are rivals I am not aiming for anything to advance between us. So you needn't worry about me."

Jensek's face grew red and he pushed her away from him.

"Are you mad, woman? One keeps your voice down, others may hear you. I haven't made my romantic performances public yet. Another thing you are to be queen soon don't go around kissing random men it may cause a misunderstanding."

Loraz rolled her eyes and kissed his other cheek then she ran away from him and paused. Sticking her tongue out at him then she laughed.

"I am not your average queen, you will learn this quickly. Go tend to your face and rest up. Come see me later, we must figure out a plan to bring him back to us."

Jensek smiled then clicked his tongue.

"Don't think this means we're close. I still don't think highly of you."

Waving him off she giggled at how red his face had become. He was trying so hard to concentrate on hating her.

"Okay. Okay. Don't worry I won't let this go to my head. Anyway I should go and tend to my face before I meet Robert. See you later, rival."

Jensek watched her as she made her way down the hall. His plan was to hate her and blame her for everything that had happened until then, but he couldn't damn her with the sins of the world. He looked back out the window and saw a baby chim-chim perched upon the branch right outside of it. It sat there singing as if it held no worries at all. A weary smile crossed his lips, and he heaved a sigh.

"I'm beginning to understand how he became bewitched by such a princess. Although, I won't ever fall under her spell," The chim-chim turned its head to face him, chirped, then flew off in the direction of Serenity and he watched as his face became hot, "Maybe..."