The following day, Alex and William agreed to meet in the courtyard in front of the stables, both ready to depart.

The hunting ground was half a day's ride from the royal palace, and they would set out without an escort. By order of the king, the prince was to travel incognito to avoid attracting unwanted attention.

"Your Highness." Sven approached him, holding a sword he had retrieved from the armory. "Please be careful."

Alex took the weapon and tucked it into his belt. "We'll manage, I think."

Sven looked down. "You still have time to take me with you."

"Disobeying my father's orders? Absolutely not."

"I'm serious, Your Highness."

"Me too." Alex smiled at him. "Everything will be fine, but be ready for anything. If there's trouble, I'll find a way to let you know."

Sven nodded. Alex stroked Tempest's neck, and the horse neighed. The stallion seemed eager to stretch his legs and get going.

"How's the situation on the roads?"

"Fairly calm around the capital. The northern provinces are plagued by bandits. They target caravans, and some merchants say the attackers are foreigners. People from Xia."

"Sounds like a convenient excuse."

"I think so too. Someone might want to undermine Vellara's diplomatic position."

Alex sighed and tightened the girth. The last thing he wanted was to fall in front of the mage.

"The mage has arrived," Sven murmured.

William approached with his usual detached expression. He wore a doublet and a pair of riding pants with boots, and his long black hair was tied in a braid.

Alex flinched. He was striking, with the small beauty mark under his eye and that sharp gaze of his. "You're… good."

"I thought these clothes would be more suitable for riding. Was I wrong?"

"No, you chose well. I was just surprised."

The mage nodded, slung his bag over his shoulder, and shot a doubtful look at the mare the stable hand had prepared for him.

"Do I get up there?"

"Yes. Can you ride?"

"No, but I suppose it won't be too difficult."

Alex suppressed a smile and gestured to the animal. "Give it a try."

William furrowed his brow, placed a hand on the saddle, and tried to hoist himself up. The mare shifted. He followed her movement and tried again, without success.

"Put your foot in the stirrup!" called Alex, grinning.

Sven shook his head. "Your Highness, you shouldn't tease him."

William shot the prince a glare and tried again. The mare sidestepped suddenly, and the mage fell to the ground with his foot stuck in the stirrup.

Alex burst out laughing. "By the spirits, you're unbelievable!"

"Stop it!" snapped William.

The prince felt a pang of guilt and stopped laughing. The mage looked truly uncomfortable; maybe he had gone too far. He stepped closer, freed William's trapped foot, and offered a hand.

"I didn't mean to tease you. Are you hurt?"

William looked away, ignored the hand, and got up, brushing off his clothes. "I'm fine."

Alex let his arm drop and felt like a complete idiot. The mage had made it clear he didn't want to be touched, but the prince had forgotten again.

He scratched the back of his neck. "I'll have a mounting block brought over."

"I can manage on my own if you explain it to me."

Alex sighed and showed him how to get onto the horse. William listened carefully and followed his instructions without batting an eye.

On the third try, he managed to mount and dismount on his own. He'd even gotten the hang of guiding the horse.

Alex had to admit he was capable. Not only was he excellent at irritating important people, but he also learned quickly. The mage was something of a genius. And that made him feel even more inept.

Once William got used to the mare, Alex mounted, and the two set off on their journey.

The day was perfect for riding. The sun warmed Alex's skin, lifting his spirits.

If he had been alone, he would have urged Tempest into a gallop and let himself be carried by the rhythm of his hooves and the wind through his hair. He would have savored that fleeting sense of flight.

But unfortunately, he wasn't alone.

He glanced over his shoulder. "How's it going?"

William looked away. "Fine."

"That mare has a good temperament; she shouldn't give you trouble."

"Yours seems unruly."

"Tempest is very stubborn," Alex smirked. "Just like you."

The mage pressed his lips together and didn't reply.

"Where's your familiar?" asked Alex.

"In my grimoire."

"And the grimoire?"

"In my bag."

Alex bit his lip and held back a sharp retort. The mage was exasperating even in a normal conversation.

He slowed Tempest's pace and let William catch up. "Keep your eyes open, all right?"

"Do you really think it might be a trap?"

"Did you eavesdrop on my conversation with my father?"

William stared at him, outraged. "No! I used logic; you're here to protect me, which means we could get in trouble. If someone wants to ambush us, they could do it on the road."

Alex hated admitting it, but beneath the gloom and sharp tongue, there was a very keen and pragmatic mind. "You're smart."

"I'll take that as a compliment. How far are the hunting grounds?"

"About half a day's ride."

William groaned, and Alex smirked.

"Don't tell me your ass already hurts."

"My back," the mage corrected. "I didn't think it would be worse than riding in a carriage."

"You've never ridden before? Really?"

"I don't like animals. Besides…" He looked away, as if uncertain whether or how to continue. That flash of uncertainty piqued Alex's curiosity.

"Besides what?"

"Nothing."

"You were about to say something."

"It's not important."

Alex twisted his lip, grabbed the mare's reins, and tugged. The horse neighed in annoyance and shied sideways.

William paled and grabbed onto the horse's neck, as if afraid he might be thrown off. "Are you crazy?"

"If you don't answer, I might set her loose." He would never actually do it, but there was no reason the mage had to know that.

William bit his lip and turned away, a curtain of ink-black hair falling over his eyes. "Besides, I wasn't allowed to go out."

"Your parents didn't let you leave the house?"

"No. But that was fine with me. There were always too many people outside for my taste."

Alex loosened the reins, and the mage straightened. For some reason, he regretted insisting. Spending his childhood locked indoors couldn't have been pleasant, even if he claimed otherwise.

"Why?"

William blinked. "What?"

"Why were you always indoors?"

"Well… for health reasons."

"Were you sick?"

"I am, more or less." His poison-green eyes darkened. "There's no cure for my condition."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't." William's voice was sharp as a blade. His gaze pierced him again. "Don't treat me like I'm fragile. I don't want your pity."

Alex nodded. He couldn't fully understand, but he knew how much it hurt to be considered weak or incapable. William was not fragile, just as Alex wasn't a frivolous, useless prince.

"If you need anything, just say so. I'll help however I can."

The mage frowned. "You don't want to know what my condition is?"

"Yeah, but I won't insist. You know your limits better than anyone, so I'll trust you."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Alex smiled at him, but William looked away. Nothing seemed to make him relax, but that was fine. After all, in a few days, they would part, maybe for good.

A stomach growl cut through the silence.

"I… um…" William stammered, and his ears turned bright red. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but I'm a little hungry. Can we stop?"

"You didn't have breakfast?"

"I was too busy with preparations and forgot."

Alex raised his eyebrows. He was truly absurd. "If you had told me before we left, I would have had something prepared for you. The palace cook makes delicious flatbreads."

"I didn't want to bother."

Alex softened his expression. He was strange, but for some reason, he almost found him endearing. On second thought, it couldn't have been easy for William to be thrown into a world he wasn't used to.

"There's an inn up ahead. We can stop there."

"Thank you."

"Does Caedos need to eat too?"

William looked surprised. "Spirits usually don't eat; when they do, it's just for indulgence."

"And what does he eat? Mice?"

Surprise turned to dismay. "Your Highness, he's not a snake."

"He looks like one."

"Not at all. Caedos has wings; he's a type of dragon."

Alex raised his hands. "But he has a snake-like body."

William sighed. "I didn't think you were so afraid of reptiles."

"Only the ones that crawl."

"Caedos flies, so it shouldn't count, should it?"

"Is that sarcasm?"

William pressed his lips together in annoyance, and Alex laughed.

Half an hour later, they reached the inn and stopped near the stables. Alex dismounted and approached the mage to help him down, but William shook his head.

"I can get down on my own."

He tried to swing his leg over, but the mare shifted. The mage lost his grip and slid off the saddle. Alex grabbed him before he hit the ground.

A tingling ran through his palm, and William stiffened. He had felt it too; Alex was certain of it now.

The prince helped him to his feet. "It seems she doesn't like you much."

William looked away and wrapped his arms around himself. "I'll see if they have an empty table. Can you take care of the horses?"

Alex nodded, secretly happy to have an excuse to step away for a moment, and watched him walk away. As soon as he was alone, he looked down at his gloved palm.

That feeling… he should have found it annoying. Instead, it was pleasant. A kind of tingling he had never felt before.

Could it really be magic? He clenched his fist. But why did he feel it only when touching the mage?