It was strange how quiet it was out here.

The forest is never supposed to be silent. It's supposed to be loud with the sound of wind brushing past the trees and the chirping of the wild birds. There was a predator in these parts, stalking the undergrowth.

Stephan was ahead of me on his black horse, one hand on the reins and the other on his bow. His eyes were scanning the tree line for movement.

I spotted a white sack hanging from one of the tree branches. I pulled Daisy to a stop and disembarked. Daisy toed the muddy ground with her hoof nervously, snorting as I picked it up.

"Why are the merchants In Florentia?" Stephan asked.

"They come in every two weeks," I informed him. "Although it isn't surprising they came this week. After all, there is the banquet tomorrow."

Stephan went still. "What banquet?"

I looked up. "My Lord, have you forgotten?" He shook his head, a little annoyed by my answer. "His Grace has organised a banquet in your honour."

"When?"

I smirked a little at his flustered expression. "Tomorrow night, My Lord? I thought you were well informed about the matters of Florentia. Did you perhaps not notice how busy the village and manor are in preparation for your banquet?"

Stephan was glaring at the trees as if they had offended him. "And why would my father organise such a useless event for an equally useless son?"

His ire for his father was getting predictable.

I rolled my eyes and returned to inspecting the base of the tree. I had many skills but dealing with the father and son duo along with their many issues was not one of them.

I look up at the branches hanging over me. They block out the sunlight leaving us in their shadows.

"I think you keep forgetting that your father loves you."

Stephan went quiet and I returned to my peace.

"This makes no sense," I said, examining the sac of now empty food. It had the merchant guild mark on it but it was empty. I reached my hand in pulling out a few seeds of grain. "Why would they leave this here?"

Stephan dismounted his horse. I couldn't hear him shuffling through the wild shrub until he was standing right next to me.

"Perhaps it would be easier to take their loot in altogether as one rather than in pieces." He kicked the ground, scattering the dirt. "Look over here. There were four of them and they were frantic. Something was chasing them..."

I glanced around me, noticing the blood sprayed on the surrounding leaves and the paw prints on the rain-soaked ground. I could see footprints heading deeper into the forest.

Stephan had a keen eye.

"A bear perhaps?" I dropped the sack now that it was no longer useful. "There have been reports of them in the area."

"No. It's too chaotic for that." Stephan crouched down to examine the footprints in the mud. I could see the paw prints leaning over his shoulder. "They were ambushed. Several animals, maybe wolves were picking them off and dragging them away." He pointed at the skid marks and blood. "One group must've taken everything while the other hunted wolves."

"Wolves shouldn't be here."

He shook his head, turning his neck to retrieve his horse. "That's stupid. Winter will start soon."

I untied Daisy's reins from the branch. "Wolves?" I intoned. "They stopped coming to this part of the woods. We had hunted the ones who stole the livestock. It's strange to see them here again. What could've triggered it?"

"You know an awful lot about this forest for someone who's never lived here." He said from atop his horse.

His face was impassive as usual, there was no hostility or malice like the last time we came face to face but I could tell that he was observing me. I wasn't sure if Stephan was trying to make an underlying comment or not. It could've been a genuine surprise on his part. I swung myself up into the saddle, making sure that Tomas's sword and my knives were secured to my wrists and waist.

We were alone and the forest was deathly quiet. I had none of my men and neither did Stephan. If we wanted to kill each other, then we could. Both of us could claim that we'd fallen off our horses and snapped our necks. Or perhaps we'd fallen prey to the wolves. It's not that hard to stage an accident. The unfortunate thing is that Stephan and I had experience with killing, sometimes unjustly.

I shook off that uneasy feeling but I didn't turn my back on him.

"I had to hunt when food was scarce," I said, pulling on Daisy's reins. "The previous three winters were harsh. There was no other choice."

"How so?" He asked curiously.

I gave him a hard look, hiding my confusion. Even if he had been away from home, he must've heard some sort of news.

"My lord, you must be joking?"

His nostrils flared. "Do I look like I'm trying to be amusing?"

"But how could you not know?!"

Stephan opened his mouth and then closed it with a clack, gritting his teeth. He turned his head away to hide his frustration.

He didn't know.

He really didn't know.

"Fauna nearly starved to death because the capital refused to send relief ships. The knights and I hunted to keep them alive." I said, urging Daisy forward. "Bandits from the forests and pirates from the sea. I had no choice. It was either risking getting eaten by the wolves or..."

I trailed off.

I didn't want to think about those days. The first few months were not the best. I could still feel the cold as it sank into my fingertips and the sharp fangs of a hungry wolf.

"Why would you risk your life?" He asked, his voice laced with slight disbelief. "Aren't these people strangers to you? What have they done for you?"

It was simple really. Florentia, even in its most depraved and ruined state, had sheltered me when I felt as if my life was worthless. All Charles had to do was declare me his new heir and the people flocked to me.

There's a saying that my father taught me when I was young: Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.

It was strange to stare into their eyes and see a glimmer of hope when I felt wretched.

I was barely seventeen, a child nearing adulthood when I was asked to do something impossible. When someone holds your cold hands and begs you to save them, how can you look away? How could you call yourself anything but a Coward?!

I stayed silent. I could feel Stephan glaring at me for not answering him. It's fine. Let him be moody. He had no right to my thoughts.

Stephan and I followed the trail of the bandits, in silence.

I wasn't a particularly impressive tracker other than the basic training I had received from my father. Stephan was better than me. I had no choice but to follow him, keeping a wary eye out. We didn't have to strain ourselves for clues. They left traces easily. Footprints and broken tree branches from their cutlasses. It was as if they were a wild herd of boars that had rampaged towards the woods.

How could they be so careless?

Or maybe...that was their intent?

It was my job for the past five years to avoid getting caught in traps and here I was possibly walking into one with my mortal enemy.

I glanced up towards the sky. The gods had a funny way of expressing their will.

As a response to my blasphemous thoughts, the sky lit up with lightning and the sudden booming sound of thunder. Daisy reared back her head, nearly hitting me as she started herself. Stephan reached over, grabbing my reins to keep Daisy calm.

"We'll be caught in this storm if we keep going." He said. "I suggest you listen to me, imposter."

I swatted his hands away. "I'm not one of your soldiers to command, My Lord."

Stephan smiled slowly, the corners of his mouth lifting into a malevolent grin. "And yet you accepted my help. Doesn't that me you should listen to me? Or do you not respect the chain of command?"

I bristled at the implication of his words.

"Help?" I scoffed. "You practically forced yourself to come with me."

A downpour had started suddenly. I slowed down Daisy and dismounted, walking on foot through the brush. With the rain, we would be losing our trail.

I couldn't allow that.

If it rained, any trace of the bandits would be gone and I'd have no new leads. They were a scourge on our land that should be purged. Preferably in a bloody way.

Stephan grabbed the back of my cloak, stopping me from proceeding further.

I whipped around and tore my cloak away from his grasp. "We'll lose them!"

The rain turned his hair into a soggy mess, dark strands of hair pressed against his forehead. I remember the two girls in the bakery, I wondered how they would react if they saw him now, all wet and miserable. He no longer resembled a prince but a hermit.

I scowled, pushing the image from my mind.

"We need to stop," he said, pushing the wet strands of hair out of his face. "Unless you want to break your neck in the middle of the night, I suggest we find shelter."

"You'd like that wouldn't you?" I muttered under my breath.

If Stephan heard what I said, he didn't react to it. It was as if his temper from the past few days had suddenly simmered down. It was odd and unsettling. I looked around us. I could see the mountain looming over us through the break in the trees.

"We're near the mountain," Stephan said, pulling the hood of his cloak up. "I know a place we can wait out the storm."

I was soaked to the bone, my hair a soggy mess, and my clothes were coated in dirt. I was the most miserable creature in these woods. Aside from Stephan.

"Well," he said, pulling on his horse's reins. "Are you coming? We can make it to my banquet if both of us are dead."

-.-.-

Stephan was right about finding shelter and here I thought he found a place to slit my throat instead.

He had a fire going that staved the cold away long enough. To him magic was easy, a simple snap of his fingers and sparks flew. I could feel his magic. It was like sandpaper on my skin, coarse and rough, grating on my already sensitive nerves. I placed my hand over my necklace, feeling it warm slightly.

He sat as far away from me as he could, wrapped in his cloak that was soaked as well. He wasn't shivering like I was.

I stared into the fire, remembering something I shouldn't be. Brown eyes and Sandy hair, hands lit with a flame that was aimed at my heart. I looked away, the warmth on my face cooling. Memories were like shards of glass digging into your skin. They left scars that didn't heal.

"You should sleep," Stephan got up, strapping his sword to his belt. "I'll take the first watch."

I leapt up to my feet, my soggy cloak was forgotten on the floor. "I'll do it."

"Why?"

I put my hand on my hip and gave him a hard look. "My Lord, I don't trust you."

He scoffed, giving me an almost boyish grin. "As if I trust you, imposter."

"You say that but you're so eager to pull your sword out."

"If you're choosing to insult me rather than counter me then I'm afraid I'll have to take the first watch," he grinned, waving his hand over the fire so that it burned brighter. "Sleep well."

"As I said," I said, my voice dangerously low. "I'll do it."

He glanced down at my hand resting atop the hilt of my sword. "Will you now, imposter?"

"I think you've forgotten that if His Grace wasn't in the way, I would've landed a blow on you."

Stephan's mood had been moody all evening and I had gotten underneath his skin again. He pulled out his dagger, pressing the tip against the hollow of my neck.

I was wet, tired, and hungry. I titled my head, searching his face for confirmation.

In other words, I was very much done with everything.

"If you want to kill me, you would've done it by now," I said, placing my exposed left hand on the blade. The steel was sharp and well-kept, if I pushed more it would slice my hand open. It was good steel. "The next time you make a threat, my lord, have the decency to follow through."

I whipped my leg out, kicking him in the knee. Hard.

His face twisted in pain, pulling his blade from my neck just a bit so I could duck away to safety.

I pulled my sword out of my sheath just in time. He swung again and the tip of the blade sliced into my arm. I hissed and brought Tomas's sword to block his blow. I could feel my left arm tremble as he bared his entire weight down on me.

"Why you?" He asked through gritted teeth. "What's so special about you?"

"Nothing!" I spat out. "I just have nothing to lose, unlike you."

I pushed him away, ducking underneath his arm and coming up behind him. I arced my sword down, aimed for his back but aimed for his side instead.

Stephan avoided me, spinning around.  He grabbed me by the wrist and pulled hard, sending both of us into the mud. I growled and pushed him off, pinning him down with my knees. Stephan was underneath me, his blade pointed towards my chest. My blade was at his neck. We were both breathing hard, eyes wide and thoughts racing to survive. This was another draw. Either I killed him or he killed me.

"You have everything to lose," he said gravely. "You forget that I'm the one who can take everything from you."

He looked up at me with absolute hatred. It was almost overwhelming. He was holding back from killing me, just barely. I leaned forward, letting his blade kiss my throat and daring him to do it.

I knew he was eager to see if I bled red or ice.

"I'm well aware," I said, easing my grip on my sword just a bit. "We need to pull ourselves together, My Lord. This isn't the time to fight."

"And yet your blade is still pointed towards me." He spat out. "Where's your honour, imposter?!"

"Better me than a bandit, my lord." I get up, glaring down at him.

He braced himself on his forearms, returning my glare. "I suppose you have a tiny bit of honour, after all."

"Of course," I said. "I'm not totally black of heart."

I stomped back over to my side of the fire, plopping down to absorb its warmth. "New rule, let's kill each other after we find the bandits.

We were both silent after that. I was immersed in wrapping my wound. Stephan was cooking a rabbit he had caught, the scent of fresh meat made my mouth water. Outside the rain poured heavily, and I could smell mud and smoke. Somewhere in the distance, the thunder crackled across the sky, briefly illuminating the forest.

"Who taught you to fight?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"Why does it matter?" I ask.

Stephan knocked down a tower of pebbles he was stacking. One of them skidded and landed near my boot. I picked it up, running my thumb over the rough edges.

"You fight with experience." He said, picking up another pebble and started stacking it. "You're calculating with your attacks, testing your opponent and then attacking with ruthlessly once you find a weakness. You waste no time, just straight to the point. You're not looking for a duel, imposter, you just want to kill your enemy as fast as you can and move on to the next."

I hummed, "Impressive. But you missed one important thing."

"And what's that?"

"Myself," I remarked. "I've been trained By a few others. Most of them are dead but I'm still here. What does that tell you?"

"That you use underhand tactics."

"Underhand tactics?" I laughed. "Seriously, My Lord. For a man who's been in so many battles, it's a little ridiculous to hear that. 'Underhand tactics' are what have kept me alive for all these years. Are all the emperor's men as honourable as you? Because if they were, I doubt they would've survived on the battlefield for long."

"I'm exceptional," he said. "Clearly."

"As am I." I rolled the pebble between my fingers and tossed it into the flames. "I had no choice but to be this way. His Grace wouldn't have us compete against each other if we weren't...exceptional."

"So one of us must die, then? Is that it then?" Stephan leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs spread out. "It seems like a waste."

"Will you kill me?" I asked, tying my messy hair back. My arm throbbed in pain. "I mean trying to kill me. Not just threatening to." I snorted. "It would be convenient for you if I was out of your way."

"You wouldn't kill to secure your position?" Stephan got up and stoked the fire. "You should kill me. It's only logical. I'm a threat to you."

"That's a given. Of course, I'll kill you."

"Sometimes...I wonder...." He trailed off. Stephan ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes were drawn to the cut on my arm, bright red blood stained the sleeve of my tunic. I placed my hand over it, hiding the ugly wound away.

"You're imagining things," I said, lifting my chin to the fire. "That rabbit is going to burn if you keep it there any longer."

"It'll be fine. You on the other hand are not." He got up and sat down next to me. "Give me your arm."

I could feel the warmth emanating from his clothes. I pulled away on instinct. "I can take care of this myself. It's a small cut. No need to dirty your hands with my blood.."

"Do you know how many soldiers I've seen die on the battlefield because of a small cut?" He took the bandage from my hands and unrolled it. "You have great skill with a sword but not healing."

"You exaggerate," I said in a flat tone.

"You should be familiar with battle wounds. I know you've been in enough skirmishes based on how you fight.." He said, holding his hand out. "I'm not going to poison you and even if I did, I prefer a more direct way of disposing of you."

I narrowed my eyes at him. He smiled back at me, eyes shining with mirth. I felt goosebumps on my skin. It was strange to see him smile. I've only seen him scowl or glare at me. This was new.

"Fine," I sighed, knowing that I'd lost another battle. "Just do it."

I lowered the sleeve of my shirt, exposing my shoulder and upper arm to the slightly warm air of the cave. The cut wasn't deep but there was fresh blood crusting at the edges.

He pushed my braid out of the way and got to work. Stephan's hands were large and calloused, filled with scars all over his knuckles. Mine were similar too from years of training. I wore gloves for as long as I remember. They kept others from seeing my hands, especially my right hand with its strange scars. If Stephan had seen the scars on the left part of my body, how would he react? They weren't normal scars caused by fire or blade, anyone could tell.

What surprised me the most was how gentle his hands were on my skin. He wiped away the blood with tentative swipes. I could feel him behind me. Every breath, every twitch of his muscles, even the weight of his gaze on my neck.

It made me feel self-conscious.

"You're too stiff."

I looked up from my hands. "That's hardly the word I'd use. I'm on edge as of the moment."

He chuckled behind me. "Do I look so deplorable to you?"

I rolled my eyes, my tone scathing, "You did try to kill me." I reminded him.

"As did you." He fired back. "For someone so cold, you have quite the temper."

"I was trying to avoid you. You're the one who decided to make a mess of things."

He pulled a little tight on the bandage making me hiss. That earned him a glare which he returned with an innocent look. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did that hurt?"

"I can't believe you are so childish." I got up, slipping my shirt back into place to cover the bandage.

"You know if you were one of my men, I'd have you executed for that," he said in a lightly teasing tone.

"It's a good thing that I'm not one of your men, My Lord."

"It's a pity," he said as he watched me gather my sword and knives. "Given your skills, you would have been a remarkable knight."

I smiled sweetly but my eyes remained cold. "I have no intention of ever being beneath you."

Stephan said nothing.

"You should sleep," I said, heading towards the entrance of the cave where the rain fell harder. "I'll awaken you once the rain stops."

I felt something warm and heavy cover my shoulders. I could smell the scent of worn leather and pinewood wrapped around me. I turned to look at Stephan who had his hands on my shoulders.

"It's cold." That is all he said before turning around and staring at the fine.

It roared to life with a wave of his hand, the orange glow of the flames casting shadows over the prominence of his jaw and neck. It could've been my imagination but his eyes seemed to glow.

I didn't dare look back towards the fire, keeping my eyes towards the darkness instead.

For now, we had some sort of peace.

-.-.-

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