[the second day of the month of Vouno, year 468 CE]

A soft knock on his door drew Aushen out of his thoughts. “Brother, are you busy?” A gangly fifteen year old with dirty blond hair and bespectacled brown eyes stood at the door. 

Aushen smiled widely. “Meyron, come in!” The prince was very close with his younger siblings, and though he’d be traveling with one of them, he knew he would dearly miss the other three. 

Meyron shuffled in, unbecoming of his position as second prince. “I don’t mean to disturb you, brother. I know you’re busy preparing for your trip to Fiilzia, but I just wanted to see how you were doing.”

Aushen chuckled. “You’re never a bother, Meyron. I’m good! As you can see, I’m just about ready to go. Thank goodness, too, since we’re set to leave quite early tomorrow.”

Meyron tilted his head slightly. “I didn’t expect you to say yes to Odessa’s proposal.”

“Why is that?”

Meyron merely shrugged in response. Then, he frowned slightly. “Are you sure you’re okay Aushen? You look a bit flushed.”

Aushen mentally cursed his brother’s attentiveness. He forced a wider smile. “I’m fine! Really. I think I’m just a bit nervous about the trip. I’ve never traveled so far.”

Meyron sighed. “That’s true… and it’s up past the northern mountains…” 

“We’ll be fine,” Aushen assured him. “The Northern Knights will meet us at the border and escort us on the way there. We’ll practically be safer than we are here,” he added with a chuckle.

The Northern Knights had a reputation as the best trained, and most highly skilled, of all the knights in Kumbra. Traveling alongside them would ease any fears. 

Meyron shook his head, a shy smile tugging at his features. “Actually, Aushen, I came to ask you a favor…” he trailed off, looking away. 

Aushen grinned. “Let me guess. You want a souvenir. A book, or a rare mineral that can only be found in Fiilzia, or some plants to experiment with?” 

Meyron’s eyes twinkled. “All of the above, perhaps?” Then, he bit his lip. His intentions had been caught. 

The older boy laughed, walking over towards Meyron and ruffling his hair. “I’ll see what I can do.” 

Meyron leaned into Aushen’s palm. “I wish I could go with you.” 

“You’ll have your chance,” Aushen assured. “Now go on– you won’t be able to squeeze another chapter of reading in before bed if you don’t hurry.” 

His younger brother raised his eyebrows. “Oh, you’re right. Good night, Aushen! Thank you!” 

Aushen waved as Meyron left. “Good night Meyron! I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

-

The sun was just rising when the carriages were fully prepared to leave for Fiilzia. Aushen hadn’t slept much, but figured that, to anyone else, he must look better than Odessa did. Her lady-in-waiting had done her very best to make Odessa look presentable while keeping her comfortable, but the princess simply was not suited to early mornings. She looked like she was barely awake. 

Aushen chuckled. It wouldn’t be a big deal; after all, it was likely both of them would sleep once the trip began. They wouldn’t even reach the northern region for about a week, and from there it would be about another three days to the border. After that, travel would be even slower because of how mountainous Fiilzia was. He expected about a full three weeks of travel to reach their destination.

The courtiers around them looked as sleepy as Odessa, but the king and queen were very much awake. Quickly and quietly, they grasped Aushen and Odessa in a big hug. Beside them stood Meyron, Deluc, and Nial. Meyron had concern written all over his face; he too embraced his older siblings. Somewhere in his heart, the boy had to accept that if anything happened to Aushen and Odessa, he would be next in line for the throne. The thought terrified him almost as much as the prospect of losing them. As if Aushen could read his mind, he broke from the hug, grasped his shoulder, and gave him a confident wink. It told him ‘Everything is going to be just fine.’

Deluc looked even more tired than Odessa. He gave his older siblings a half hug before stumbling back in line beside their parents, waiting to be excused back to bed. Nial, in spite of his sickly composition, looked rather awake. He sent the oldest two off with a big grin. “Don’t forget to bring me a souvenir!” he called out as they climbed into the carriage. 

As Odessa stepped in, Aushen turned back to reply, “I’ll bring you the biggest, fiercest, most wild animal I can find!” The courtiers chuckled, while the king and queen merely shook their heads. 

Nial’s eyes twinkled in anticipation. “You mean it?!” 

The prospect of a wild animal seemed to stir Deluc awake. “Wait, hold on. I want one too!” he shouted. 

“Me too,” Meyron added, a quick eye roll indicating he understood what his younger brothers didn’t. Aushen laughed and stepped into the warm, comfortable carriage. After a few moments, the caravan began moving. 

Odessa had immediately fallen asleep once she entered the carriage, but Aushen now felt very awake. He was about to see more of his kingdom than he ever had before, and even explore a new culture and nation as well. He tried to set aside his anxiety of marriage talks and opted to simply embrace this as a journey for cultural understanding. 

‘That’s right. A chance to learn and grow. A chance to become a better crown prince.’

Travel was slow but steady. The caravan was rather long, as some advisors, courtiers, and many servants were present. Besides them, several merchants tagged along as well, hoping to see trade flourish in a land they rarely got a chance to visit.