“I think I’m getting somewhere.” Roskva said, she placed her hands on her hips confidently. A few guards sat in her room with her, trying to make sense of the elaborate mouse trap of strings and papers hanging around the room.

“Oh. My. Lord.” Lord Starkon said in complete amazement as he entered the room. “Roskva, what have you been doing?”

“Starkon! I’ve been puzzling things out.” Roskva said, crawling through the strings to him. “See, why would anyone want Aneira dead, right? So I hit the ground running and started asking questions and I think I’m making progress.”

“Are you?” Starkon asked, surprised. Roskva beamed proudly.

“Yes, I am. Come in!” Roskva grabbed Starkon’s arm and pulled him in. “So I started with the three of us. You, me, and Aneira. Then I had to figure out who would want one or all of us dead, right? So I asked questions and started putting up all the players in the game.” Roskva swept her arm around on all the hanging cards.

“I see that.” Lord Starkon nodded.

“I wrote down all the public opinions and I have come to the conclusion that the assassin was after…” Roskva held her breath in anticipation. “You! Ta-da!”

“I’m sorry? Me?” Lord Starkon asked, caught completely off guard.

“YES!” Roskva bounced, making all the strings tremble. Though she suddenly stopped as she realized what she was excited about. “I mean. Yes. We’re not excited about the whole, people wanting you dead part but. It’s exciting that we have an answer! This problem will absolutely solve itself once Aneira is crowned.”

“How. What makes you think that?” Lord Starkon asked. “What brought you to the conclusion that I’m the target?”

“WERE the target.” Roskva reminded. “And I found out that the opinion of you in the kingdom is actually kinda terrible. We should work on your PR, but that aside, because of the low opinion it was pretty easy to come to the conclusion that if anyone wanted one of us three dead it would be the people wanting you dead. Which will solve itself once Aneira is crowned King. Due to the whole, them being the monarch and all.” Lord Starkon looked at all the work Roskva had done.

“Wow. You really have it all figured out, don’t you?” Lord Starkon said, sounding genuinely impressed which made Roskva smile bigger. “I just can’t believe that the people in this city don’t appreciate me.”

“I’m sure they would if you could show them more of how wonderful you are.” Roskva suggested. “I could help you work on your image in the city! It’ll be so much fun!”

“I would love that.” Lord Starkon smiled. Roskva took his hand and leaned on his shoulder. “Why don’t we leave all this behind and you and I go for a ride in the country?”

“Right now!?” Roskva said, squeezing his hand.

“If you’d like.” Lord Starkon said, “I know I would.” Roskva felt the air leaving her lungs at the thought.

“YES!” Roskva squealed, she turned to look at the situation around her. “Don’t clean this up, I might need it later.”

“Yes, your grace.” The staff chimed.

“Okay, I’ll get dressed and then we can go.” Roskva said before darting off to her dressing rooms. She dressed quickly and ran out to find Starkon at the stables. He already had two horses saddled, also equipped with a pair of saddlebags.

“Whatcha got there?” Roskva skipped into the stables, Lord Starkon turned around with his blinding smile.

“Little snacks for us in case we get peckish.” He said, “you look divine.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Roskva blushed as she twirled in her riding skirts. The warning to return home in time for dinner vanished in the wake of the compliment.

“Have you ever ridden before?” He asked.

“Yes! Well. Not a horse, but I’ve ridden a cow, a donkey, and even a pig once.” Roskva laughed, feeling the blush on her cheeks intensify. “Is it difficult?”

“Can’t imagine it'd be more difficult than riding a pig.” Lord Starkon laughed, “Here, let me help you up.” Roskva let Starkon help her into the saddle where she got comfortable and moved her skirts around.

“Hi, do you have a name?” Roskva asked as she leaned forward and pet the horse's long neck.

“Her name’s Buttercup.” Lord Starkon said as he mounted his own horse.

“Buttercup!” Roskva gasped, taking a hold of her reins. “That’s a perfect name for her, she’s wonderful.”

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“Don’t say that yet. Your feelings might change if you get thrown.” Lord Starkon clicked and his horse started forward, Roskva laughed and gave Buttercup a light kick with her heels. Getting her started.

“My feelings could never change for this sweet baby.” Roskva cooed, “if I get thrown then that is the risk I take.” Starkon laughed and led Roskva out of the palace walls and up the back of the castle grounds and into the mountains that loomed over the city. They rode up the rocky paths, pointing out the natural beauty of the mountain range. Roskva kicked her horse faster and forced Starkon to chase. Leading them off the path and to a field of wildflowers and tall grass.

“This place is so peaceful.” Roskva sighed.

“Shall we dismount and take a rest?” Lord Starkon asked as he rode up beside her.

“I’d love to.” Roskva said. Starkon slid off his horse and helped Roskva down from hers. They took the reins off their horses and laid them out on a large rock so the horses could have a snack while the two sat in the grass and watched the clouds go by.

“Starkon?” Roskva asked, a nagging little thought eating at the back of their mind. “What are your intentions?”

“I beg your pardon?” Starkon sat up.

“With me, I mean.” Roskva clarified. “You pay so much attention to me, always asking me out to places. Seeking me out and talking for hours. What are your intentions? Do you have feelings for me?”

“Of course I do.” Starkon said, laying back down. “Why do you ask?”

“I just feel like maybe you only want to be around me because Aneira’s now the heir.” Roskva said, feeling a bit sheepish. “I just wondered if you actually liked me or if you were using me to get close to Aneira.”

“Don’t worry about that.” Starkon laughed. “Aneira and I have nothing in common.”

“Well not nothing.” Roskva said, “You both care for me, right?”

“I do, absolutely.” Starkon said, turning to stare at Roskva. “But I don’t know about them, they don’t really treat you that well.” Roskva wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words to say. The clouds above moved along lazily, and with it all time slowed to a crawl.

“Are you getting hungry?” Starkon asked, sitting up. “I can grab something from the horses.”

“No, that’s fine. Thanks,” Roskva said, smiling.

“I didn’t mean to cause any problems between you and your sibling.” Starkon said, “I hope you don’t think I’m a troublemaker or anything.”

“No, no I don’t.” Roskva said, forcing a smile. “You said you cared about me. But I guess it’s not like that. Is it?” Starkon paused, thinking about it.

“I care about you and I want you to be happy. That’s about all I know.” He said. “Maybe it is like that. Maybe it could be.” Roskva nodded and looked back up to the clouds. Hiding the disappointment in their eyes with the fringe covering their face.

“Can I ask a question? A maybe touchy one?” Starkon asked.

“Sure. Go for it.” Roskva said.

“What would you do if Aneira had died? The assassin had gotten them?” He asked. Roskva froze, unable to conceptualize such a thing.

“That’d never happen. Aneira will always be here.” She shrugged finally, throwing all the awful thoughts out of their head. “We already solved that mystery. No one wants Aneira dead, and so they won’t die. Not for a long time anyway.”

“That’s confidence.” Starkon said. He laid back down and they watched the clouds again. But it felt a bit more hollow to Roskva than it had before.

“Should we head back? I don’t want to miss dinner. Aneira said they’d be waiting for me.” Roskva said. “I don’t want to disappoint them.”

“Taking the high road?” Starkon chuckled as he stood up and brushed the grass and dirt off.

“Oh, on the way back?” Roskva said, doing the same.

“No, I meant not disappointing them like they do you.” Starkon said as he picked up the horse's reins.

“Oh.” Roskva said, then she forced a laugh. “Yeah I guess so.” She waited as Starkon brought the horses back and helped her up.

“We don’t have to go back, we can keep riding.” Starkon suggested but Roskva shrugged.

“Nah, we should probably just head back.” She said, Starkon frowned but led the horses back down the mountain path and to the waiting castle.