Taru was surprised to find Garin asking him to join the party heading back to Elioth that afternoon. There were elderly folk and a few men and women who were injured during the fires that were given priority to be hauled to Elioth for further assistance.

Garin found himself going straight to Taru to demand he needed to head to Elioth with them.

“Sure, but I thought you’d be staying here with the rest of your people,” Taru said confused at Garin’s proposition.

“I would like for him to leave with you. I have a few people I need to notify of this. Please let my son join you,” Carmin said approaching the two.

Taru simply listened to Carmin right away and nodded in agreement.

Chief Han and some of his men had already left with the perpetrators earlier in the day. Taru too soon left with the next batch of people. Joan watched as the party departed and looked to the handful of men and women left behind.

Little Jac, who had passed out the entirety of last night was running around with a boost of energy when he spotted Vanya walking in with Rhohaz on her shoulder.

Everyone greeted Rhohaz and immediately had him brought into the infirmary and lay down on a bed in a quiet corner.

Tilly sat closer to him observing his pulse and letting her palm rest on his forehead. She remained silent for a moment.

He felt the power of the sea healing him from within. He felt the warmth engulf him as he gazed at Vanya hunched over at a corner biting her lip as if she was deathly nervous that Tilly would turn around and announce that Rhohaz was not getting any better.

He soon held his grandmother’s hand to move it away saying, “Thank you, grandma. You should stop, I don’t want you wasting more energy.”

“I am only healing my grandson who fought a silent war last night,” she said hugging him in return.

Little by little everyone moved into the infirmary that was untouched by the fires. They were all assigned a bed, given rationed food, and told to ease themselves into a nap or a quiet time. There wasn’t much activity with everyone recovering after a long night in the cold, shivering in fear that they would be dead by the morning.

It wasn’t until that evening did Vanya found Rhohaz at his bed tossing and turning struggling to fall asleep. She nervously approached him while he took a moment before realizing she was standing right next to his side.

“Sorry I didn’t see you there,” he sat up watching her place the kit with bandages and poison to clean his wounds by the bedside table. She took a seat at the edge of his bed.

He was as equally nervous watching her in awe. She was as beautiful as the moon shining outside. Her eyes were deeper than the night itself and he couldn’t help but be utterly absorbed in them.

She snapped her fingers releasing him from the unconscious spell she had cast. Her hand pulled his chin forward as she began to clean his wounds with alcohol. He watched as she carefully applied Tilly’s famous herb paste sprinkled with her healing touch on his cuts while noticing him occasionally jump as the sting hit.

“Stop it,” she said glancing at his pale eyes locked in on hers.

“Stop what?”

“The staring,” she retorted, pressing the paste on the cut on his cheekbone while he annoyingly moved from side to side disturbing her.

She almost punched him in the stomach for it before he settled down back into a prolonged period of yet again being totally engrossed in her beauty.

“You need to stop. They’ll notice sooner or later,” she whispered, glancing over at some of the sleeping villagers next to them.

Rhohaz only smiled, there was something else besides his villagers noticing him being smitten by her, that was bothering him. She reached moving to the cut on his neck when he caught her wrist and held it gently making her look to the eyes she’s been avoiding all this time.

“What is it?” she asked, seeing him silent.

He took a moment before saying, “I need you to know something…”

Vanya felt it instantly. He was about to tread into dangerous waters and no one was stopping him, not even herself.

“...I need you to know that for the past couple of days, I have been nothing but toiling over it, pushing it away thinking it was nothing but something fleeting. But it was not until that night when you kissed me, then denied it, and then came to save me after, did I ever think it was possible, did I ever let myself hope…”

She looked at him frozen. Her expression was blank.

“...Don’t be so shocked. I’m only confessing my feelings to you. You have the freedom to reject me and I won’t ask for an explanation.”

Rhohaz watched as Vanya sighed deeply still looking into his eyes. She looked away for a moment before clearing her voice to say, “I…I don’t know what to say.”

She looked to her hands, frozen in thought, as he gently let go of the wrist he had been holding on to.

“You don’t have to say anything…,” Rhohaz smiled before his fingers titled her chin wanting her to look into his eyes, “...Just know that you’ve completely stolen my heart. Maybe one day I’ll get it back. Till then I’m more than happy to let it be stolen by you.”

Vanya wanted to tell him then, that she was as equally if not more consumed by him, wanting to in every possible way to stay close to him but she could not get over the fact that she would be and had been lying to him all this time. She was afraid of what he would think of her if he were to find out her true identity. She was terrified that his love for her would vanish the moment he would realize who she was.

Unable to decide on an answer she simply stayed silent. Her torment showed itself so clearly through her eyes as they began to brim with tears confusing Rhohaz. She quickly looked away to wipe them before turning back to finish treating Rhohaz’s wounds without another word.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

***

Vanya did not sleep that entire night. She munged over everything that had happened to her from being chased out of the safety of her own home, strangled, lost at sea, and appearing at the shores of Shalom only to hide her identity as she hoped and prayed her father would find her. She remembered the rumors spreading across the Northern Kingdom like wildfire about a ceremony to name a crown prince being prepared. She sulked over the fact that everything seemed so convoluted with nothing going her way. She wondered if she’d ever get home for it seemed she had been forgotten by her own father. She wondered if she should have been more assertive, strived to leave Shalom faster, found a way to get back to Esmeth, and revealed to her father she was still alive and well.

Her eyes fell on Joan, peacefully sleeping by the corner. Remembering Joan’s injury she was glad she decided to stay. She was glad they saved Joan from her ultimate doom.

Vanya slid off of her bed and walked down the stairs and out onto the beach. She sat on the silky sand, her knees to her chin while she looked up at the night sky amidst the calm waves humming her a quiet song.

She had only ever been in castles her entire life. Even when she was in the East, growing up by herself, she occasionally heard the sound of waves but never saw the sea. She tried remembering if there was anyone, her caretaker perhaps, who would have taken her to play in the sand one day. But all she remembered were the same old memories of her running across the vast corridors playing a game of hide and seek by herself. Those blissful days came to a halt when one day her father’s most trusted night came knocking on her door.

“We must leave now, princess,” she remembered how Sir Reven, said in a deep voice before commanding the servants to pack everything up.

She was barely thirteen when she met her father for the first time. And from then on she remembered lavishly spending her days however way she preferred, not a care in the world. Yet something was missing. There was an emptiness that slowly grew in her heart becoming too difficult to ignore as years passed by.

Vanya sunk her toes into the sand beneath her as she realized that emptiness was no longer there. Her heart was full despite her life being in shambles. She no longer felt stranded and helpless, she felt seen and heard. The life that seemed so easy and gifted was suddenly feeling hard-earned.

Maybe I don’t need to find my way back home…

A thought flew past and she caught it in an instant. It marinaded in her mind as she began to dream of what life would be if she were to simply stay in Shalom. She dreamt of watching the stars every night accompanied by the dark blue sea. A little house by the shore she could take care of every day. With each passing hour, she was dreaming of a new life in Shalom.

She was mulling over everything so much so that she had skipped sleep and was up on her feet to greet the sun as dawn broke.

Her lips carried a fulfilling smile and her eyes a new light.

Vanya had decided that she was going to give up her old life. She had decided to spend her second chance at life at the very shores that brought the opportunity for her.

Rhohaz was out in the footsteps of the infirmary after receiving a message that Taru, Garin, and some of the folks had returned to Shalom when he noticed Vanya out on the beach by herself. He jogged over, concern overtaking his face seeing her with nothing but a blanket covering her shoulders.

“Are you alright?” he asked in the distance.

She was in such deep thought that it took a moment for her to realize it was Rhohaz’s voice.

She turned, her face lighting up in happiness seeing him standing there in front of her.

“I’m fine. I was just watching the sunrise earlier,” she said watching him approach her to wrap his cozy jacket around.

Vanya looked into his eyes. They were as pale as the first day she saw them, stubbornly pale. She hadn’t realized she was ever so gradually falling for them all this time.

Rhohaz looked towards her to say, “You should go inside. You are cold.”

But Vanya only smiled at him. “Are you out here to greet them?” she asked seeing a small crowd on horseback gather behind them covered ever so slightly by the dry bushes reaching over.

He nodded, tightening his jacket around her.

“You should go,” she spoke gently.

Rhohaz had more words to say to her but he listened seeing that she seemed happy to be out here. He stepped away to run to the crowd when she suddenly spoke out saying, “Wait…”

He stopped halfway through, immediately turning to look at her in anticipation.

She couldn’t contain it any longer “...Remember that you–you said to me that I stole your heart last night?”

“Yes, I do. Why? What about it?” Rhohaz asked, leaning in and seeing Vanya beaming. His expectations were rising.

“Well, too bad. I’m going to keep it,” Vanya’s words trailed off to a whisper.

Rhohaz stepped closer upon losing her words to the sound of the wind blowing past. “Say–say that one more time.” He was sure he read her lips correctly but he just wanted to hear her say it.

“Rhohaz, there you are!” It was Garin shouting while running to him.

Rhohaz pulled his hand out to stop him, “Not now, Garin.” He wanted to hear Vanya say it.

But Garin only pulled his shoulder to make Rhohaz look towards him.

“Not now, Garin–” Rhohaz repeated looking at his cousin. But his cousin’s concerned face caught his attention.

“They are here, Rhohaz. They are here for her,” Garin’s words made Rhohaz furrow his brows before glancing over at Vanya to see her face turned pale as if she had seen a ghost appear out of the blue.

He followed her gaze to spot a few men, dressed in red and gold uniforms, making their way down to the beach. The one at the forefront, a man dressed in full silver armor, passed by Garin and Rhohaz, giving a gentle nod to Garin, and headed towards Vanya.

Rhohaz stepped in front to stop the man from approaching her when Garin caught Rhohaz’s arm to pull him to a standstill.

“What are you doing?” Rhohaz hissed but Garin kept his grip tight.

Vanya was frozen in shock. A part of her thought it was all a dream. It was the same nightmare that had been recurring ever since she left her castle in the East. It was repeating once more, except it was not a dream this time.

“Sir Reven,” she whispered finding her words seeing the same man, the same knight, except today he was much older than he was when she was thirteen. He dazzled in his armor in front of her ready to take her to her father once more.

Sir Reven lowered his head to bow before saying, “Princess Vanya. We are relieved to have found you, alive and well.”

Rhohaz heard him clearly. He repeated those words a few times over in his mind before realizing they were surrounded by knights bowing their heads in respect to the member of the royal family standing in front of them.

Garin caught the back of Rhohaz’s neck to shove his head lower. Rhohaz merely looked at his cousin in shock before he, with his head lowered, moved his gaze to find Vanya’s eyes locked in on his.

Princess Vanya…Princess Vanya…Princess…

He thought to himself as it dawned on him that the woman standing in front of a sea of knights looking towards him concern stricken across her face was the princess of the Northern Kingdom. The same princess Chief Han mentioned had disappeared from Esmeth, the same princess about whom rumors were being created every day to cover up her absence. That same princess was amongst them, right here in Shalom, dressed in peasant clothes, barefoot and underfed, standing so comfortably in the sand next to the waves.

Sir Reven lifted his head to address Vanya once more, “Your Highness, a messenger has been sent to the King with the news that we have found you. We must leave immediately. We must take you home.”