I frowned when he spoke of the danger that was lingering around every corner if I did go with him, but of course, it would take far more persuasion than that to separate me from his side at the moment. Even though I was mostly concerned for him when my playful touch caused him to slip and fall, it did not prevent me from smiling and laughing beneath my breath. I hummed softly in acknowledgement of his words, the smirk on his face warming my insides briefly; it was a nice respite from the shivering cold that seemed to plague me persistently. My azure eyes fixated on the scene before us when he finally succeded in mounting Arselicker as well, our close proximity slowly becoming familiar to me. When he mentioned Estrelle, I stiffened and my eyes widened; I had been so fixated on him that I had mostly forgotten about her. Knowing Estrelle, she was definitely wandering the streets and calling for me like a worried mother. I really did find it comical how nearly every friend or associate I had that I was extremely close with treated me like a sister or like a daughter, even if my age paled in comparison to their own.

``She probably is, but she`ll eventually presume I returned to the encampment,`` I explained nonchalantly, closing my eyes and tilting my head back slightly. The familiar smell of food and smoke that usually hovered in the air of Astral were incredibly welcoming and calming to me, despite everything that was unfolding and had occurred. After a few moments, I opened my eyes again and looked at Goras from my peripheral, giving him a reassuring smile. ``I`ll write a letter or something telling her that I`m perfectly fine.``

When he basically pleaded with me to let him drop me off anywhere but where he was heading, I frowned and pouted beneath my breath. I did not appreciate how he seemed to really want me to leave his side, even if it was with purely good intentions. Before I could retort properly, I felt his warm breath on my cheek and it made me close my mouth, the words that left his own impacting me rather immensely. For some reason, I could easily detect how honest those words had been, but still.. I didn`t want to leave him. What if he got hurt again? I wouldn`t let that happen on my watch, even if I was rather sick at the moment. I was quiet as I replied quietly, my voice gentle and almost desperate, ``I know, but.. I don`t want to leave you.``

With the truth out there, I turned my head to look elsewhere and almost immediately regretted doing so. My eyes widened when they met the familiar bluish green ones of Estrelle, who was leaning against the wall of a building and eyeing me. Fortunately, it seemed she had no intentions of intervening as long as I made sure she understood that I was perfectly safe. I gave her a lopsided smile that was somewhat apologetic, closing my eyes briefly and focusing on the rebelling magic within my heart; it felt awful to do so, but I did it anyway. I used it for a little more than a second to send her a message telepathically- something High Fae could easily do with each other, including mixed ones- that explained everything in a nutshell. She raised a brow and nodded before leaving hesitantly. I knew she was going to tell Tyrine about this and I feared her reaction would not be as accepting.

I had been focused on Estrelle when he had asked me a rather serious question, so he unfortunately did not recieve a response. Of course, my actions would later reveal that I did worry.. a lot; the idea of him being out there without someone like me at his side- more specifically someone with healing capabilities- was unsettling.. yet I was also unaware that he had his companions. My heart warmed the moment he finally caved in, my smile returning and nearly doubling in its size and intensity. I was probably smiling like an idiot at the moment, but I could care less since he had been the cause of it.

``Brothers?`` I repeated with a raised brow, curiosity overtaking my former feelings of victory. Since he was.. well, a shadow elf and an ancient one at that, I figured they were not blood-related; nearly everyone knew what had happened to that specific species, but it was even rarer to manage stumbling across one of them. I would have considered myself incredibly lucky and fortunate if he had not tried to kill me all those years ago when we first met. Truth be told, I found myself imagining what these brothers of his were like and how many there were; Goras seemed like an ambivert more than anything, so I presumed it wasn`t a large amount. I hummed softly in contemplation before he urged Arselicker into a trot, making me also painfully aware of how close we were at the moment. I had to clench my fists slightly and bite my lip at the sensation of our bodies touching and rocking in sync with Arselicker`s bouncy steps. Silently, I prayed he wouldn`t notice my reaction.

I was struggling the entire time we rode Arselicker, my fever accompanied by my extremely close proximity with Goras not the most delightful combination, to say the least. I kept my hands clenched gently into fists as I angled my head here and there as I pretended to be distracted by the view; in reality, my mind was running rampant with ungodly thoughts, all of them involving the man seated directly behind me. Never in my life had I ever imagined such fantasies or even considered thinking of them, so I was completely and utterly lost regarding why I was thinking them. I knew there were certain things I was meant to have knowledge and awareness of regarding the.. adult world, to put into simpler words, yet I had none of that. Was it my overprotective yet incredibly toxic parents` fault for that? If you asked me, I would say it was wholeheartedly; I definitely would have felt a whole lot better if I knew how to handle the emotions that were stirring in me because of Goras.

My body froze when he suddenly moved, his legs moving forward until he was practically right on top of me. I had to bite down hard on my lip to avoid making any kind of absurd sound in reaction to it all, my idiotic self truly thinking he was doing this for a valid reason and not the actual reason he was doing it for.. the dirtier reason, to say the least. As much as I liked how close we were right now, I knew he had to move before I quite literally lost my mind and had a panic attack.. the latter more likely since I was basically blushing like a tomato at this point. His hand shifted onto my thigh, the sheer grip he was using an indication he might he going as mad with desire as I was. Of course, I knew there was no way in hell we were going to stop in the middle of going to his destination to let loose.. right? God, I knew I would be screwed if that happened; he would learn I knew nothing of that world.

I relaxed when Arselicker called out to a small group of horses, leading me to come to the conclusion we had arrived. It was further confirmed when Goras slowed him down and carefully dismounted. With a sigh of relief, I shifted off of the gray`s back and landed with a soft thud on the ground beside him. The cold breeze- it seemed it loved pissing me off- made me shiver once again, my arms raising to instinctively fold across my chest as I hugged myself to try and gather some warmth. Being so close to Goras had distracted me from my persistent headache, the pain returning in full-force. I was quiet as I stood beside Goras, wondering whether I would meet these brothers of his now or later. Truth be told, I had been so distracted by his close proximity that I had not paid much attention when he had told me their names.

I was quiet as I observed Goras tie up Arselicker, silently admiring him from a distance. Even though we had just made amends and didn`t truly completely trust each other, I really found myself desperate to be by his side for as long as I possibly could. I did not understand why I was feeling this way, so I could only hope that time would eventually reveal all the answers. I smiled as he interacted with the horses, admiring the subtle gentleness he showed them; back then, I never would have expected him to be so.. kind, caring, and considerate. Even if he seemed to distance himself a little bit, I could tell he cared about me, maybe just as much as I did him; I still did not understand why.. Perhaps he felt the exact sane way regarding that aspect.

When he gestured me to follow him, I did so with great pleasure. A smile was plastered across my face as I walked after him slowly, composing myself and mentally preparing myself for what was about to happen. I knew that they would probably know who I was since they were probably assassins just like Goras, but I had not expected them to identify me based solely on my appearance. Momentarily, I relaxed as I watched Goras interact with them, finding the scene incredibly heartwarming. When he gestured me to step forward, I did so hesitantly, freezing on the spot when they saw me. My breathing hitched as I observed thei reactions, uncertain regarding how to respond or even react to them. I shuffled my feet nervously and pressed my folded arms closer against my chest, looking towards Goras with an uncertain expression. I felt like I was unwelcomed if anything, I knew if I spoke I would be an awkward mess, so I remained quietly. Yeah.. talking was not my strong suit at all.

I remained where I was for what felt like eons, my gaze flitting back and fourth between each male that was seated before me. Truth be told, I had a feeling that if Goras had not been actively speaking on my behalf, I would definetly be in the midst of an interrogation or something similar to one. I gulped nervously as they continued to talk amongst themselves, occasionally referring to me directly and making me feel guilty. A part of me was already regretting joining him and coming to this place, especially when they started expressing how my presence endangered Goras specifically. It was not hard to persuade me that I was in the wrong and that it was entirely my fault for something, a result of constant belittling from my father along with his mockery; even though I refused to believe it, perhaps that was where most of my kindness and sympathy came from, wanting no one else to be forced to endure such torture in their life. All of this was also adding on to the headache that was bothering me to an increasingly unbearable level, but I tried my best to tolerate it. I perked up when Aubron gestured to the stool beside him, hesitantly stepping forward and sitting down slowly on it.

I felt a little better being closer to Goras and Aubron, who didn`t seem too bad compared to the one male that seemed to staring straight into my soul. It really was unsettling and it had been enough to make me fiddle with my fingers, occassionally looking elsewhere to take a break from meeting said intense gaze. I felt completely out of place in this group, all of them presumably assassins while I was a princess; it was absurd to even think of me ever being here, yet here I was. I looked over at the one Goras had called Vulwin when he spoke, my eyes widening at his direct question. Had they really read through us that soon? If they had, I guess it was not too surprising since they had probably known Goras for yeaes. Before I could respond, a different voice interrupted; this one was far more serious and had single-handedly made me even more nervous. The idea of my presence being that much of a threat to Goras made me feel even worse; maybe I should have actually listened to him and gone back to the tower or maybe even the encampment.

The feelings I felt towards him were all too new as well, something I knew I should not be listening to so impulsively despite everything. My heart was tugging me towards him while my brain was endeavoring its utmost best to persuade me that all I was doing was making everything ten times worse. A frown shifted onto my face as I remained quiet, allowing Goras to speak with the men he was far more familiar with than I was with them. As they continued to talk, I found myself thinking over something incredibly important: my relationship with him. I knew that he was most likely thinking this would all be temporary and fleeting, but it was far from it in my mind. I did not understand it yet, as I have been reiterating, but every fiber of my being called out to him. I knew there had to be a reason behind all of it and I wanted to figure it out. Besides, I knew that I would have chased him even if my emotions were not as strong as they were. I had nevver felt like this towards anyone and the idea of losing him.. It scared me.