The sun had already started to set, the orange and reds of the sky giving way to hues of purple and blue, melting into each other. Outside the window, the countryside passed them like it had before, but in reverse - the familiar sights now bathed in a warm golden light. The shadows grew longer with each passing second, reaching toward them as if trying to pull them back, to pull him back. 

After Silas had accepted the Prince's proposal, he had been promptly asked to gather his belongings, and given a chance to say goodbye to his family. He had hugged his mother tight, more than he had in a long time, and then gone upstairs, where everyone else was waiting for him, curiosity buzzing in the air. Lucian could swear he even heard a small shriek, most likely in reaction to the news of marriage. 

Silas's mother stood in the living room quietly, her face morphing gradually the longer she thought about all that had just happened - from joy, to hope, to concern.

She sat down at the table, and looked at Lucian with a faint smile, gesturing politely for him to sit as well.

"Your Highness, may I ask you a question?"

Lucian met her gaze, and she quickly lowered hers. "Please do."

She was nervous, he could tell. She kept playing with her hands, thumbs chasing each other, and then fiddling with the sleeves of her dress. Riven stood behind them, and when she caught sight of him - of a servant, someone that she could consider far less intimidating - the Prince noticed her shoulders ease, just slightly.

"I do not mean to insult your judgment in any way, but... why would you want to marry my son?" She did not give him a chance to answer, before panicking a little, shooting her arms forward in his direction. "Please do not misunderstand, my Silas is a sweet boy, with the purest heart I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing. I am honored to see it finally aknowledged. But, Your Highness..." Her words trailed off, the voice that had sounded full of pride speaking of Silas now beginning to be laced with shame. "You see our home, you see where we live. How could you want to marry into... this?"

Finally, she looked at him again, the sincere worry only a loving mother could feel painted across her expression. Her fingers were shaking, barely inches away from the Prince's own - a silent attempt at seeking reassurance stopped, by the heavy weight of knowing one's own standing.

Lucian smiled softly, and closed the gap between them, holding her hands with gentle care.

"I understand. But I ask you to try and trust that I have your son's best interest at heart." He paused, thinking for a second, pondering his words carefully. Riven saw his brow furrow slightly, a reflex, something the Prince always did when debating what to say. 

"The King has declared that his successor will be the one to marry first. He wishes to ensure our bloodline does not fade." He sighed, letting go of her and straightening back up, his tone now more serious. 

"I wish to be a good ruler. I thought perhaps the best way to do so, to help the Kingdom and its people thrive again, would be to give a voice to someone that knows its flaws better than any noble could. And I was fortunate enough to meet Silas. I do believe he could help me build something beautiful for us all." 

The room was quiet, the dim light coming in through the clouded windows dancing on the old forniture. 

"I shall do my best to give him a good life."

A tear slid down her cheek, followed by another, and then msny more. She laughed, trying her best to wipe them away, and failing terribly at it. "Thank you, Prince Lucian. Please treat him well. I am excited to have you as our King."

At last, Silas' step returned down the stairs, finally rejoining them.

"Let us go." He said, brief and cold. And after holding his mother one more time, he walked out the door, sparing Lucian not even a glance.

Now, the three of them sat in silence, admiring the fields of Paican as they rushed past them. Silas' expression was stoic, his gaze fixed on the window. He had not uttered a word ever since they had left his house.

Lucian and Riven exchanged a look of quiet confusion - how could the boy that had been so brazen and and abrasive just moments ago, have suddenly turned quiet and docile?

The Prince raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Riven to say something, anything, but the servant only shook his head, urging him to do it. 

Lucian pressed his lips together, accepting defeat. Then turned to face the boy.

He cleared his throat. "Shall we..."

"Why did you lie to my mother?" His words were drenched in venom as he spat them out, without ever averting his eyes from the window.

"What makes you think I did?" 

As hateful as Silas sounded, Lucian's body relaxed. There it was - the personality he had immediatly took an interest to. At the very least, this was all the reassurance he needed to know the boy had not gone completely mute. 

Silas scoffed, shaking his head. "Give me a good life? Build something beautiful together? My mother might be awfully trusting, but I am not. I know kindess comes at a price from you poeple."

Lucian hummed in response, and then leaned forward, his knee bumping against Silas'. "Is that why you lied about your name?"

"Yes." A moment, a grimace on his face. "I was scared."

The Prince blinked. He wasn't exactly surprised by what Silas had said, after all he knew far too well how terrifying royalty could be. Instead, he was taken aback by the sudden raw honesty. 

"Someone like you does not need weapons to hurt someone like me. A name is enough to destroy entire families when you possess the kind of power a Prince does." 

The quiet accusation hung in the air like smoke. Lucian studied the boy in front of him, the way he sat tall and composed despite his bruises. The way his harshenss came not from a lack of respect, but from a lack of trust.

"You seem to still believe I seek to hurt you." 

"You have yet to give me a reason not to."

Silas' eyes peeled away from the window, now willing to meet the Prince's own. There was a pause, tense, not unlike that of two animals observing each other before a fight.

Then, Lucian smiled. Wry, but with far less sarcasm than Silas had grown accustomed to.

"If there is one thing I am grateful for," he said, "It is that cruelty does not pass down through blood. Perhaps, with time, you'll come to believe that too."

The boy did not reply. He simply turned back to the scenery. 

In the corner of the carriage, Riven looked down at his own knees, his hands gripping them against his will. 

The rest of the ride was spent in silence.

Once the carriage had come to a halt in front of the Palace, Riven was the first to jump off, stretching his limbs in the pleasant evening breeze.

But as if struck by lightning, he turned back to the Prince, panic in his eyes.

"My Prince!" He whispered, hanging by the side of the carriage door. "We must hurry! Please come down at once, someone might spot us!"

Lucian swatted his hands away. "Please do not dirty my coach." He then grinned as soon as he saw the concern grow in his servant's eyes. "Stop worrying yourself, Riven. We're coming."

He turned around, now addressing Silas. "Well then, are you ready to see your new home?"

The boy shot him an annoyed look, but then nodded, avoiding his gaze once again. 

"Let us go then!" Lucian climbed down the steps, landing with a soft thud on the beautifully curated path leading to the Palace, with the boy following closely behind.

But as soon as Silas was able to take his first step on Royal grounds, he found himself stumbling back, after being pushed abruptly by Lucian himself. The pain from the flogging wounds shot though his body, robbing him of all the air left in his lungs.

"What in the Heavens are you-" But the words died in his throat before he could even finish, interrupted by something else. Someone else.

"Lucian! You are back!"

The door slammed close in front of him, and all he could hear was a woman's voice coming closer. 

"Mira!"