Even before she could ride into the areas under threat of flooding, she had to make sure everything was in place for the evacuations. The clouds had started to gather. The average person would have expected only a gray day, but the Princess knew better. It took days to sort things out and she slept mostly in a tent and ate very little. There was no time to look after herself. All the while, her Knight was at her side like a shadow. Anticipating needs and orders, he was the only reason she was eating and resting at all. There was just so much pressure, so many lives at stake. The night before the rain was to fall she was at her desk in her tent, her fingers shaking from fatigue and hunger. She just had to push a little more…

She could sense her Knight’s presence and his intention, even without having empathic powers. She was just too in tune with him. He arrived with buttered bread and tea. She dropped everything and took it gratefully. He also seemed to know what she needed in terms of companionship, he put his arm around her and wordlessly held her as she ate. She couldn’t speak for a while after she finished eating. She needed him to move away from her. He was so warm and she was just so tired and she felt the fatigue catching up to her.

“I can’t sleep, I’ll sleep for at least twelve hours,” she said.

“It’s only seven, you’ll wake up at seven,” he said. The Princess was losing to him. Was it his mana making her tired, or just the sheer comfort he brought to her? She wanted to lean away from him, but it was just so difficult to move. She surrendered and let him carry her to her cot.

“I’ll sleep if you kiss my forehead,” she said.

“I can’t do that.”

She sighed. “I didn’t think you would. You do seem more like a ‘kiss the princess awake’ sort of knight anyway,” she said.

Maybe he flushed red, but that didn’t matter much to her. She was exhausted and he wouldn’t act on his feelings, so what was the point of getting her hopes up and letting her heart flutter?

“Just wake me up at seven, please. I’m sorry to burden you with such a task, but people will die if we dalley,” she said.

“I will, don’t you worry,” he promised.

She didn’t doubt him for a moment.

It was an almost forgotten memory. She was sitting on the hillside covered in pink phlox, delicate little flowers with five petals that cascaded down the hill almost like snow. She leaned her head on her mother’s lap. She’d planted all of this. Yet this smell, it wasn’t phlox. Phlox was sweet, but this was…lavender, mint, and spice. Her eyes almost watered, she didn’t need that emotional turmoil right now. She felt the familiar touch of her mother’s fingers in her hair. She could see the mighty tree in the middle of the square.

“You see that tree? That’s where I first met your father. It suffered such a terrible blight and your father couldn’t seem to get rid of it on his own. I swooped in, daughter of a no name baron and took care of it myself. You should have seen his face!” she said. Her mother laughed. How the Princess missed that laugh. “Your father and I did not work this hard for you to be this stressed. I left behind everything you need to struggle a little less. The roots are always there.”

She was torn away from that serene scene by the feel of her Knight gently rousing her. She sat up slowly and tried to get her bearings.

“It’s still early, right?” she asked.

“You asked for seven, I woke you at seven,” he said.

“Good,” she mumbled. She examined herself. She was far too well rested and she knew only a healing spell of sorts could have leant to such a recovery from such a short amount of rest. Lo and behold, traces of her Knight’s mana were apparent. So he was lulling her to sleep with his mana.

“Are you sure you don’t know how to use your mana?” she asked.

“Not actively, Your Majesty,” he said. He was inactively using it for her benefit constantly. He was kind and gregarious to all and naturally she would be a priority since he’d sworn to protect her so to some degree the way his mana reacted was expected. Yet there were certain things that happened that made it seem like their relationship was a little more intimate, more like someone you loved or viewed as family. Somehow, she didn’t think he viewed her as a sibling. She’d seen him with his siblings and felt the way their mana intertwined. This was not at all the same. When he was with his family, their mana embraced, but with her, his mana seemed to…it seemed to…

She ran her fingers over her lips and looked at him almost suspiciously.

“I woke you when you requested! No need to be upset,” he said with a grin.

She smirked. If only he knew. They were off. She wanted to see her mother’s hometown before the devastation began. She wished her Knight could hold her hand right now. A lot had changed, some good, but some she simply didn’t like. The tree her mother planted in the square was cut back to the point where it seemed ready to be cut down at any moment, the hill of phlox flowers was gone, replaced with a hill of grass.

She sighed softly. This was bad. If it was simply a matter of taste or nostalgia, it might have been a simple difference of opinion, however all of the plants her mother cultivated were there for a reason. All so the people would struggle a little less. The phlox was necessary for the hillside to stay intact, the tree was to provide shade and gave fruit, there were many a day poorer townspeople climbed its branches for food to eat or sell.

“The roots are always there.”

She felt it. Tiny whispered songs coming from the ground, the tree like a stringed instrument with one string. All of it was ominous and sad to her. She took a deep breath. Most people could smell rain, and she could usually smell what type of rain. A storm was coming.

The rain was violent, but they were prepared. Their structures, though makeshift, were sturdy. The supplies were housed in barns. Once it was safe enough to go out, everyone hurried to help people evacuate. It was already a rough business, but the small bit of relief on their faces was enough. They were warm, safe, and dry, there was food. There was just one small issue she had to take care of. She went to her Knight. He had a child in each arm, helping a family enter one of the evacuation facilities. Did he know that he was the beacon of hope everyone looked to in this storm? Even she, the person who spearheaded the relief effort, looked to him for comfort and guidance. She hated to tear him away, but so much was at stake.

The Princess saw the people stiffen as she passed. She was still at a loss as to what she had ever done aside from being born that made them fear her presence. She had to bear it, she needed him. He grinned brightly at her.

“My Princess,” he said. She touched his hand.

“We have to go out to the town,” she said.

He nodded. “I’ll get ready.”

“Why does he have to go?” one of the children said.

“It’s dangerous,” the other said.

The Princess faltered and pulled away. They did have a point. He could get hurt, and she couldn’t bear the idea of him suffering because of her. This whole thing was her idea, he didn’t have to do more than asked.

“I can just go,” she said quickly. She didn’t have time to debate or feel much remorse. She felt a firm hand grip her arm. Not too tight, just enough to keep her from getting away.

“I know you must be exhausted or else you wouldn’t forget my literal job is to be by your side keeping you from danger. We’re going to town together,” he said. She sighed and rested her forehead on his chest.

“I can’t stop the rain, I can’t stop the flooding, but I can stop the landslides. We don’t have much time. Can you get me to the places I tell you?” she asked.

“Consider it done,” he said. She grabbed his hands and squeezed.

“Then let’s go!”

They braved the weather together. The wind and rain barely seemed to register to her, all she could hear were the plants singing to her. She came to the first hill, the one where all the phlox was torn up. The soil was already loose, it was dangerous, they were moments away from disaster. Stragglers were frantically running away. She saw and heard it all, but she could feel the traces of nature and magic her mother left behind calling louder. The roots were always there. She placed her hand over the broach the Delegate had given her, the flower’s mana seeping out of the crystal. It was a whole symphony on its own. Her knight was calming civilians and yet subconsciously his mana continued to surround and protect her.

Every element from people who cared for her seemed to slide into place. She could feel the mana forming patterns effortlessly without much concentration. She was in a flow state. The phlox pushed its way through the soil, locking it in place, just as her mother intended. They seemed to dance in the rain, and sang together like a chorus of happy children. She could hear all the drowning and dying plants, she knew what she could do to protect her people and minimize the damage to the environment. It was all so clear and she had no time to waste. Her feet barely touched the ground. Any places that needed their former plants, especially the ones that prevented landslides, were restored. Finally, just out of personal nostalgia she restored the grand tree where her parents first met. She put her head on the bark.

“Our little Princess.”

She opened her eyes. It was just the shadow, an image of the past. She could see her parents beneath the tree, her mother rubbing her round belly. They were smiling and seemed so hopeful. They wanted so much for her. The image of her happy parents faded. This was the beginning of the gradual end of her flow state. Suddenly she was aware of where she was. It was dark, windy, rainy, cold, the water was up to her knees. She couldn not move, she couldn’t even stand anymore. Had she even done anything?

Her Knight finally caught up with her, she could sense him before he’d even gotten close. He was an old pro when she was in between like this. He held her hands and pressed his forehead against hers, it always made her feel anchored. She couldn’t explain it, but usually when her mana was expressed in high levels like this, it felt like he could transfer his thoughts. He always seemed to know what she needed to hear.

"It's okay, Princess. Everyone was properly evacuated, you've managed to prevent the landslides. And the whole town has seen what you can do. You are really just like your mother, you've saved them just like she has. They are so grateful to you," he said softly.

More than all the practical information: she felt his concern, his pride in her, and his deep and undeniable love. That wrapped her up and tied her back to reality. He had to know exactly how she felt, how her soul allowed his so close to hers. She was always weak after using her powers this way. He picked her up and she hugged his neck and snuggled close. He was warm and reassuring and that was what she needed. The Princess did not feel bad that in her state of exhaustion, her basest emotions would be all he could feel and read and every wave of consciousness was led with her love for him.