Darrius quietly observed the young man seated across from him in the carriage. They had been traveling together for a few weeks now, and, in all that time, his traveling partner had not said a word to him.

His gaze was on the greenery that flitted by as they bumped down a well-worn stretch of dirt road, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. He’d look to Darrius every now and then, but never said anything.

Darrius gave him a friendly smile, intent on dispelling the silence. “You look like you want to say something.”

He said nothing, not even bothering to acknowledge him.

“Has the novelty of trees worn off already?” Darrius teased. “You were so cute back at the docks.”

Still nothing.

Darrius’s smile dissolved. “You know, I was taught that it’s very rude to ignore people.”

The older boy finally broke his silence. “‘Let them flap their lips’ my mother would say.'” His native tongue Senol seemed foreign in the sea of green around them, but he spoke it anyway. “‘They don’t care what you have to say. They just need cues to know they can keep going’.” He looked to Darrius, indifference radiating off him. “My mother never told me how to handle children, my apologies.” Nothing in his tone was apologetic.

Darrius’s gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Well, I suggest you learn quickly. This ‘child’ is not known for their patience. My brother, on the other hand, is another story.”

The other’s expression turned sour. “There’re more of you?”

“There’s no one like me, but there should be more people like my brother in this world.” Darrius’s features softened at the thought of his older brother. “He may be stern, but he’s also caring, adorable, and very, very dear to me.”

“Is he helping with your ‘project’?”

Darrius thought it over. He hadn’t considered it before. He shrugged. “Haven’t decided.”

◊◊◊◊◊◊◊◊

Afternoon turned to dusk, to dawn, and back to dusk again. Before long, the young Senosolvian found himself waking for what he assumed to be another stop at another inn where he would barely understand the language being spoken by what he assumed to be the commoners his Master had once spoken so crudely of.

It was strange. The last thing he expected to cross his mind was his Master. He had run away willingly, even if it was with another person who intended to control his life.

He looked to Darrius. He seemed eager about something.

“Perfect timing!” he beamed. “You can see where I live the best from here.”

He looked out the window, and the view gave him a start.

They were traveling along the side of a cliff surrounded by trees. Soon though, the view opened up to revel a city next to a sweeping coast. The setting sun touched the water and set the otherwise blue surface ablaze. The city was alight and, atop it all, was a castle.

“Beautiful right? It’s as if the castle’s floating on a bed of fire bulbs.”

“You live in the castle?”

Darrius nodded. “My full title is Darrius of House Lidelle, the Second Prince of Mahalia.” He locked eyes with the older boy, “My brother is, of course, the First.”