It was still dark when a hand over his mouth startled him awake. And it was a good thing, too, because he let out a startled noise. His eyes focused on Aspen who knelt beside him, his finger to his lips. Phoenix nodded, telling him he understood and the Prince removed his hand. It was then Phoenix became aware of the sound of something moving through the trees not far off. He hadn’t even been aware that he’d fallen asleep. Thankfully, it seemed, Prince Aspen had kept watch. The sound of the movement washed away his tiredness with fear and he found himself scooting back towards Aspen more, pulling the fur cloak tighter around him. Of course the Autumn soldiers would still be looking for them. He didn’t think they would have given up this soon. Aspen had his knife out, the steel barely noticeable in the darkness. He hated how defenseless he was in this moment. Prince Aspen was in this position all because of him. He didn’t think he was worthy enough to protect like this. Even if what King Midas said wasn’t true, wouldn’t it just be beneficial to let him go to Autumn so the truth could be found out? Why was Prince Aspen trying so hard to keep him away from the autumn soldiers?

And that was when it hit him, why Prince Aspen was running. The Autumn Court would believe King Midas over the Winter Court any day and if they believed it had been Winter Court who had stolen the original heir, the things they would do to Prince Aspen and his mother… War was inevitable simply because he existed. 

Before them, the sound grew louder and Phoenix could feel his heart hammering his chest. Finally, white poked through the underbrush and Prince Aspen’s Chepi limped towards them. The knife was gone as Prince Aspen hurried from under the overhang, coming to the beast like a pet returned home. The beast’s white fur was stained dark red with blood and the ankle of one of his front legs looked horribly swollen. Despite the horrendous appearance, the beast still managed a content huff into the Prince’s hair when they were close enough. 

Phoenix sagged in relief. With the Chepi returned to them, escape seemed easier. He didn’t think he could make it through this forest on foot. He certainly hadn’t lived a life that could prepare him for that and he didn’t want to be anymore of a burden on Prince Aspen than he already was. He felt awkward watching the Prince and the beast reunite. It was almost an intimate moment that he didn't feel privy to. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Aspen rested his forehead against the Chepi’s his eyes closed as he murmured something to it. Then, he bent and examined the swollen ankle. He touched it gingerly and the beast made a noise of protest and shifted his leg away from him. 

Aspen rose with a frown before returning to their little alcove. “We won’t be able to go fast but it’ll be easier than walking.” He spoke in a rushed whisper. “I’m sure those Autumn soldiers are still patrolling, looking for us. Let’s go.” It wasn’t a request and Phoenix was quick to do as Prince Aspen instructed, managing to get to his feet despite the heaviness of the fur cloak. He offered it back to the prince once he was standing but the Prince only turned away from him. “Keep it. It’s going to get a lot colder.” 

A warmth of excitement burned through him and he had to restrain himself from nuzzling into the warmth, and scent, of Aspen’s cloak. Growing up as a slave, he wasn’t given the curtesy of experiencing an Alpha’s scent like this. Sure, they came and went through the Court all the time, swirling around the entire place like a disgusting cloud. But to have one singled out and… attractive, was something new to him. Even if he was as cold as ice. 

Trekking through the wild undergrowth and thick heavy snow was slow going, but not because of the Chepi or Prince Aspen. He was chilled to the bone, the fur cloak barely doing much to keep the cold out as it soaked into his shoes. With each panted beg for a break, Prince Aspen seemed more and more annoyed but he stopped nonetheless, finding a place they could sit for a few moments without being easily spotted. After a near brush with Autumn’s soldiers thanks to the Chepi’s bright white coat, Aspen had spent a good hour covering the beast with mud he’d dug up from beneath the snow and murmuring to the beast who seemed none too thrilled to have the sticky brown gunk mixed into its fur. He huddled in the fur cloak at each stop, trying to find some semblance of warmth. He could have used his magic to easily warm himself, as he had done plenty of times before but in a palace full of magic users, it was easy to go unnoticed. Out here in the thick forest with no one around? He was afraid Prince Aspen would pick up easily on it. Fire was the magic of Autumn. His eyes, the quintessential trait of nobility. With the recent news of possibly being the Autumn Court heir, pieces were starting to fall together and… he didn’t like it. No, more than that, he feared it. Would the knowledge of his existence bring War to their peaceful lands once more? Prince Aspen had told him that when they returned to the Winter Court, he would have the truth discovered. He didn’t know how he was going to do that but what other option did he have? It was either that or to be taken by the Autumn soldiers and possibly killed for false information. At least with Prince Aspen, he was tied to destiny by his Spring blood. Of course, if that wasn’t a lie either. 

Prince Aspen sat on a downed log beside him, sharpening a knife he’d had hidden on his person until now. It seemed weak and pointless in a situation like this but the craftsmanship of the blade and the jewel inlined hilt told Phoenix that there was more to the blade than meets the eye. He had seen Prince Aspen’s ability with ice first hand and had no doubt he could yield a weapon just as dangerously as the glittering ice. He didn’t know anything about blades but he hated the heavy silence that stretched endless between them.

“That’s a beautiful knife.” he said softly, remembering to keep his voice down in case any Autumn soldiers were nearby. 

Prince Aspen remained silent, the whetstone making a sharp sound as it passed down the blade. Phoenix felt his belly twist as he ignored him. He shifted awkwardly, accepting that the Prince wasn’t interested in conversation.

“It was a gift from my brother.” He said eventually, clipped and cold as usual. He had stopped with the whetstone and was now admiring the blade. Phoenix looked over at him, eyes wide as one of the large rubies seemed to burn bright among the white and green of the forest. 

He debated on whether to say anymore, given the response he’d gotten but he pushed on regardless. “Your… your brother. What was he like?”

Prince Aspen had mentioned back at that farm that his mother had killed his brother for treason. While the reason why burned at him to ask, he could see the way the Prince shut down immediately from what little conversation they had had and stood up, slamming the blade back into a hilt hidden among his velvet tunic. “Let’s go. We have a long way to go.” 

Despite the clipped conversation and cold tone, Phoenix couldn’t help but give a soft smile. This was the most the Prince had spoken to him since the Autumn soldiers had attacked. It wasn’t what he would have preferred but at least it was better than pretending he didn’t exist. 

Again, they made slow progress. The Chepi was large enough to make a track through the snow for them but they still had to maneuver around thick branches of needles and hidden rocks and logs beneath the snow. At one point, the sole of his shoe broke and he ended up slicing his foot on some sharp rocks poking through but he bit his lip in silence. Prince Aspen was already annoyed at their slow progress and multiple breaks. Telling him that he had hurt himself would probably set him off. He wouldn’t be surprised if the Prince froze him in a block of ice and dragged him through the snow all the way to the Winter Court. 

But by the time night was falling, there was no longer any way to hide it. Bloody footprints trailed behind him and he was now limping so hard he had slowed down until the Prince and the Chepi were far ahead of him. The pain had long since numbed his foot and he suspected he had frostbite. Suddenly, his foot came down on something hard and he yelped in pain, falling forward onto his hands and knees, the cloak fluttering open and leaving him shivering in the cold. Blessedly, Prince Aspen stopped and turned around, his eyes immediately zeroing in on the trail of bloody footprints through the snow. He let out a string of snarled words he suspected were curse words in the Winter Court language before he stormed towards him. He didn’t have to be close for Phoenix to smell the anger on the Alpha and, when Prince Aspen was close enough, he flinched, expecting to be hit for his stupidity. “I’m sorry!” he cried. “I-I didn’t want to slow us down more!”

 But, Prince Aspen didn’t hit him. Instead, he scooped up him in his arms as if he was nothing more than a child and he carried him over to the Chepi. The beast huffed in what Phoenix thought was a concerned sound as Prince Aspen slid him onto the beast’s back. Rage still burned on his face as he pulled the hood of the cloak up and over his soft white hair. “We can’t stop here. You’ll have to bare it for now, until we get somewhere safe. Then I’ll need to take care of that.” he growled, clearly annoyed but he stalked away from his side and took up his place beside the Chepi’s head, guiding the beast further into the thick brush.