In his mad rush to get to safety, Orion somehow managed to lose his way. So instead of basking in the gentle shade of a budding peach tree, he now found himself clinging anxiously to the edge of a set of stone steps. Down below, clusters of men and women sparred around the edges of a flat square of land as the sound of clashing metal and tired grunts filled the air. Orion blanched, his eyes drifting freely until they landed on several propped-up targets and battered straw figures. Then it dawned on him—he'd stumbled upon the training grounds.

Orion inched his way back up the step, ignoring the burning prickle that now marched steadily down his spine. Those training may be far away, but he didn't want to risk them seeing him transform back into a human because, if Laurel was correct, they would not hesitate to kill him for breaking a law he had yet to understand.

He peered over his shoulder and hoped that his bearings and senses would return to him soon. They did not, and Orion realised that he was thoroughly lost. The prickles had now moved to the edge of his toes, and when he tried to move them, he realised they'd gone numb. Orion groaned and desperately scanned the scene before him. He was quickly running out of time, and it seemed that now his best hope was to find a way to wait out the last tendrils of Romril's spell before sneaking back to their agreed-upon meeting point.

But perhaps there was hope, for beyond the edge of the training grounds lay a mottled dirt path leading through a stone arch and into what looked like a forested area. Several men chortled loudly, some clapping a young, dark-haired man on the back as he fired arrow after arrow into a crooked target. None of them landed in the centre, but still, the men cheered and Orion frowned. Surely so many misses were deserving of a lesson, not praise?

But seeing no other way out of his problem other than to go towards the target and the arch beyond, Orion took a wild leap of faith and threw himself squeaking down the steps. He landed with a rough thud, the dull pain briefly jolting the growing headache from his skull, and he took off racing. With each step, the pressure built on his spine, and so Orion, remembering Niamh's teachings, took a deep breath and focused on pushing the air deep within his bones. For all the magic that she refused to teach, his aunt had been surprisingly willing to instruct him on how to soothe certain pains.

To his relief, it worked, and while the respite was brief, it was more than enough to allow him to fling himself past the cheering men, who, for some reason, had fallen into contemplative silence, and into the inviting shadows beyond the lichen-covered arch.

Orion took a few breaths to gather his thoughts and shifted deeper into his chosen shrub. His headache roared once again, and Orion briefly considered stopping to let the spell completely wear off. It seemed that the arch had led into an empty courtyard filled with nothing but a fountain and speckled trees. Why it was located so close to the training grounds, he had no idea, but when he was separated from the trainees with nothing but a thin stone wall, he felt the need to move on quickly.

However, when he took one step towards locating an exit, discomfort crept through his bones and sent an ache thundering within his joints. Orion hissed, the growing sensation quickly mounting into total discomfort, and his mind flitted towards memories of helping Niamh pull apart deer bones for her latest projects and spells. He grunted and let out a quiet squeak.

He had finally run out of time.

A searing sensation arched through his back, and Orion's head reared up in pain. He stumbled backwards and hit the wall with a thud as creaking filled his skull once again. The pressure built along the end of his spine, and he gasped, momentarily out of breath and unable to breathe. Once again, he wondered if the transition had to be so painful or if Romril had found a way to get another stab at his resolve.

But the thought was quickly interrupted as the image of turquoise scales raced through his mind along with the distant sound of a woman crying. Orion gagged, his fear of being heard quickly swallowed by another flicker of memory he didn't know he had, and this time he heard his name, a thousand apologies, and the thundering of hooves.

His discomfort reached the bottom of his skull, and before he could stop himself, Orion let out a sneeze, and with that, the vision vanished. He scrambled to his feet and was relieved to find that he had his hands and feet back once again. Fog muddled through his mind, but Orion sighed and brushed himself off. Romril may have wanted to cause him excess pain, but there was no explanation for the visions. However, confusion would have to come after. For now, he needed to find an exit quickly.

Orion spun on his toes only to freeze upon noticing the raven haired brat-prince from the day before. The young man stood half hidden in the shadows, eyes narrowed, with a beautifully polished bow hanging lazily in his hands. Orion took a step back as his thoughts tumbled freely through his head. For all their careful planning, the elves had not accounted for Orion accidentally stumbling across the prince. He coughed, mustered a sheepish smile, and prepared to bluff his way to safety, only to be interrupted when the prince stepped forward and waved his hand.

"If this was some attempt on my life, then you aren't very quiet."

The prince's voice was softer than Orion expected. Each word rounded with a gentle touch, something that Orion could also assume came with a careful royal upbringing. And yet, beneath that softness, Orion felt a brittleness like thin ice on a new winter's day. He eyed the prince's bow and the arrow, carelessly nocked but ready for flight. Slowly, he held both hands above his head in hopes that their emptiness would soothe the prince's worries and preserve his life.

"Why would I want to kill you?"

A flash of indignation sparked across the prince's face, and he stepped towards Orion with a whisper of a snarl forming on his lips. But between the hammering of his heart and Laurel's warning about her eye-concealing potion potentially wearing off, Orion could not help but spout the first thing that sprang into his mind.

"If you think I'm such a threat, why are you coming towards me?" Orion took two steps backward, only to stop when the backs of his hands came into contact with a bush. "You'd have to be an idiot—no, a moron—to come so close; most people would have shot me by now."

The prince paused and held his weapon level with Orion's chest with a frown. "Are you saying that you want an arrow through your chest?"

"No, I'd rather stay alive long enough to bury my aunts, but in all honesty—"

The prince cut him off with a laugh. "You don't seem like a threat, that's why I haven't disposed of you yet."

Orion blinked. The mixture of blind fear and confusion churning in his stomach had mounted an unfortunate attack on the contents of his breakfast, so swallowing, he focused on the gleaming tip of the prince's arrow. His aunts had always told him not to underestimate or trust those within the king's citadel, but perhaps the prince's crown shielded him from dangers.

By now Orion's arms had started to ache, but in an effort to remain unthreatening, he lowered them until they were level with his shoulders. Then suddenly, the prince snorted.

"I know you—you're that boy who offered to spit in my face yesterday! Are you here to make good on your promise?"

Orion blanched. "I was never serious about that offer, and once again, I offer my apologies and–"

"Well then, why are you here?" The prince's gaze had taken on a particular hardness, and it flicked to Orion's palms before returning to his face with the sharpness of a hawk.

Orion gulped, "I beg your pardon."

"I asked, why are you here? I want to know how someone like you breached our barriers without setting off alarms."

"Someone like me?" Orion spluttered, and with his mind reeling, he reached for the first excuse that raced through his mind. "Do you mean to say that your people aren't allowed within the walls of your home? I simply got lost."

The prince scowled. "You don't think I'm stupid, do you? You didn't get lost, and since you're finding it so difficult to tell me the truth, I'll cut right to the chase. How did you lose your tail?"

"My tail?"

"I'm warning you," The prince's voice hardened, and he advanced, bringing the arrow back to Orion's chest. "I came in here the minute I heard all that infernal rustling, and imagine my surprise when I watched a spotted lizard turn into the idiot who stumbled into me yesterday afternoon."

"I am not an idiot, and what you saw was a horrible—"

"A horrible mistake. What I saw was a horrible mistake on your part because I've caught you using magic that my father has expressly forbidden. I have a good mind to report you to the guards."

"And yet you have not." Orion eyed the bow once again. It was curious that this prince, for all his bluster, had yet to do anything except question him. But when the iron-tipped arrow glinted in the sunlight, it hit him that he had yet to successfully escape. Desperation hounded his mind. The elves would be looking for him, and if he died, no one, not even his aunts, would be able to find him again.

Then it struck him, his aunts had always told him that pride was an easy trait to soothe and rile up, and what better source of pride than one that came from a royal brat? So, in a last effort to buy himself some time, Orion looked the prince in the eye and said, "You can go ahead and do that, but if we're talking about idiocy, then you have to know that you shoot like a child."

The prince stiffened, and Orion hoped he'd only managed to irritate rather than outright offend. A flash of emotions crept across the young man's face, the prince's bow faltered once again, and Orion stole a quick glance behind him. The courtyard was thankfully still empty, and if he lightly strained his neck, he could just make out the edges of another stone archway hidden behind a short tree. Unease gnawed at Orion's legs, begging him to make a move, to run while his princely keeper was distracted. He had no idea where he was, and blind hope whispered that his confusion might aid him in losing the prince, who more than likely knew the castle grounds like the back of his hand.

Orion took a step back, keeping his eyes trained on the prince, who seemed completely lost in thought, when suddenly, the young man's eyes locked onto his and a grim smile spread across his face. Sharp fear congealed in Orion's muscles as the prince looked him up and down before settling on his hands.

"I do believe that I never caught your name."

Orion coughed, then spluttered, "I beg your pardon?"

"Your name—what is your name?"

A curious sharpness had crept into the prince's voice, and not wanting to push his luck too far, Orion swallowed and uttered his name, only to regret it immediately. There had been nothing stopping him from lying, save for his churning stomach and desperation to get away. The prince, on the other hand, seemed satisfied with his answer. He lowered his weapon and turned to point at the target just on the other side of the arch.

"If you truly believe that I shoot like a child, Orion, then I propose that we strike a deal." He clamped his hand around Orion's arm and pulled him towards him, undoing the retreat he'd worked so carefully to hide.

"If you can beat me in an archery contest, I will let you go free."

"I don't believe that it is that simple." Orion tried to wrench his arm free from the prince's iron grasp, but with each squirm, it only seemed to tighten.

The prince swallowed and said, "I am a man of my word. Don't you dare question that."

"And what about the magic? What's stopping you from reporting me the minute I step off your castle grounds?" Orion scoffed, folded his arms, and pushed aside the sinking in his stomach. He had been caught. There was no question about that, and it made no sense for the son of a magic fearing king to let him go without consequence.

But the prince only sighed and ran his finger through his hair. "Lizards don't pose a threat. But if I catch you doing it again, then know that I won't hesitate to turn you in."

Orion narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady his pounding heart. Niamh had been firm about training him in multiple weapons, and while archery wasn't his favourite, all he could do was hope that the prince's earlier performance was representative of his skills. So, seeing no way out of his current predicament, he nodded and hoped that the prince's true motives for hiding his secret would not amount to further trouble.

"You have yourself a deal."