The next morning came quickly and Warren was awoken by a knock on the door.

“Sir Warren!” A familiar voice called. “Are you awake?”

He groggily stood, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and unlatching the chain on the door before opening it.

“Princess Devri,” he said, simultaneously confused and surprised. She was dressed in pale blue today and her long hair was adorned with a crown of flowers. They were brightly colored and smelled sweet, but Warren couldn’t name them.

“Good morning, Sir Warren. I hope you slept well.”

“I did,” he replied, welcoming her into the room. As he said the words, he realized he meant it; there had been no nightmares this time. “And you?”

The princess nodded, smoothing her skirt as she sat on the chair beside the bed. It was at this point that Warren noticed she was holding something that looked like a bundle of cloth.

“Quite well, thank you.” She reached over and handed the bundle to him. “The servants were supposed to deliver this to you, but I insisted that I would like to do it.” She giggled. “I think I may be responsible for every gray hair a servant gets.”

Warren eyed what he’d been given; a purple tunic, black pants, and a thin silvery-gray tunic. He gave the princess a confused look.

“My parents thought it would be best if you were seen in our colors during your stay here so no one would…assume the worst, I suppose.”

“Or try to have me killed,” Warren said, rolling his eyes.

Princess Devri laughed nervously. “That too. And we will have something suitable prepared for Prince Rei once he has…returned.” She stood up and curtsied. “Once you are ready, meet me in the hall; I’ll wait for you, alright?”

Warren quickly bowed. “Thanks, I-I mean, thank you, Your Highness.”

Princess Devri laughed. “Oh, I like you, Sir Warren,” she said as she left, her eyes twinkling.

With a sigh, Warren hurriedly changed clothes and splashed water on his face from a bucket that had been set out for him. He pulled the tiny flask from his pack and looked at it for a few moments before wrapping it in cloth and slipping it back into his rucksack.

I’ll have to apologize to Duncan once he gets here, Warren thought with a shake of his head. All these nice clothes he made for me and Rei are gonna go to waste.

After fumbling with his boot laces, Warren stepped into the hallway to join the princess.

“Hello!” she said with a smile that reached her eyes. “Perfect; you look wonderful.”

Warren certainly didn’t think so but he wasn’t about to disagree with her.

“Follow me,” she said. “We shall have breakfast, and then you and I have something important to tend to.”

She turned and started down the hall, her chunky strapped shoes clicking as she went.

“What, exactly?” he asked as he hurried to catch up.

The princess’ smile wavered momentarily. “Something else I chose to do in place of the servants,” she said without looking at him. There was a strange sadness in her eyes that convinced Warren not to say anything.

Breakfast, much to Warren’s relief, was quick. He was asked to dine with the royal family as their “esteemed guest” and both he and Princess Devri stifled laughs upon hearing this. The room was decorated with portraits of past rulers along the walls surrounding the long table. The food, which included a variety of breads, meat, eggs and fruits was delicious, but the servants’ constant disapproving glances reminded him all too much of the other knights back home. He ate with his head down for most of the meal so he wouldn’t have to see them. At one point Princess Devri, who sat to his left, gently nudged his arm with hers.

“Is something the matter?” she whispered, holding her teacup up to her mouth so her parents couldn’t see her speaking.

Warren said nothing and shook his head. Thankfully, the princess didn’t push and instead struck up a conversation with her father, who laughed heartily at his beloved daughter’s stories. There was an empty seat across from Warren and the queen eyed it with a small frown.

“Is someone supposed to be there, Your Majesty?” Warren asked, blushing as he realized his mouth was full of food.

“My son,” she replied simply.

“He’s the heir,” Princess Devri explained, “so he’s always busy studying or training.” She rested her chin in her hands and pouted. “I don’t see him much anymore.”

“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that,” Warren said awkwardly, tempted to pat her shoulder but deciding against it.

Thankfully, things weren’t awkward for long because the princess soon finished eating and left the table, motioning for Warren to follow her.

Princess Devri was surprisingly silent for a while, not saying a word to Warren as they descended the stairs to the ground floor. She led him towards the back of the castle, pushing open a large wooden door. They were hit with a gust of wind that caused Warren to shiver but the princess seemed unfazed. Somewhere along the way a servant had handed her a cloak and now she pulled the hood over her head, shielding her eyes from view. She stepped forward into the ankle-high snow with Warren following hesitantly. There was a tall stone wall around this yard, reminding Warren of the one that surrounded the castle town.

“What are we doing exactly?” he asked after several more minutes of uncomfortable silence. As far as he could tell, there was nothing out here aside from an empty weapons rack and several arrows scattered about the ground.

“Here.” Princess Devri stopped suddenly and Warren nearly bumped into her. He tilted his head in confusion but she didn’t meet his eyes or respond. In front of them was a large wooden box, and despite its simple appearance, seeing it still sent a chill down Warren’s spine.

“Sir Warren.” Princess Devri finally looked at him, her eyes beginning to water and her mouth trembling. “I am not sure how exactly to explain this to you but-”

Warren’s eyes grew wide. “W-Wait. Is this…? Is he…?”

The princess managed a nod. “Many Edrians refused to allow any sort of proper burial or have him sent home with the retreating Fay knights but my parents still wished to respect his memory in some way, so they…” her voice trailed off and she covered her mouth with her hands. “I…I am sorry,” she said after a few moments, wiping her eyes but still shaking. Warren wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders, feeling close to tears himself. “It’s going to be okay,” he said hoarsely. “Maybe not right now, but sometime soon.”

Princess Devri nodded, a hint of a smile on her lips.

“Remember the balloon thing?” he continued despite feeling a bit ridiculous. “We’re balloons trying not to burst, which is perfectly normal.” He laughed nervously. “You explained this way better.”

This prompted a giggle from the princess. “I wasn’t sure if you had really taken what I said to heart.”

Warren laughed. “Of course I did. You’re pretty cool, princess.” He slapped his palm against his forehead. “Sorry, I guess that’s not something people normally say about princesses.”

Princess Devri was still giggling. “No, but we can make an exception for you.”

Warren laughed again, agreeing to race the princess back to the door. He glanced back at the box, feeling his smile fade slightly. He turned away from it, squeezing his eyes shut and running as fast he could.

Princess Devri caught up to him and frowned. “Maybe…Maybe we shouldn’t run anymore,” she said. Warren breathed a heavy sigh, slowing down so they could walk back together.

“I’m tired of running,” she told him with a sad smile.

Warren wrapped his arms around himself, glancing back one last time. “Yeah, me too.”