Hope, Love, Family

"I'm hungry."

"You'll be fine. A human can go for more than three weeks without food."

“Said who?”

“Said me,” Rowan said with a lopsided grin.

Reyna pulled Thunder to a stop. They had been walking for a whole day, and she had no energy left to argue with him. There might be another snowstorm tonight, and she wasn’t sure if she could cope with an empty stomach. "We must find food. I’m not going to starve until we get to Theros.”

“Look around.” Rowan spread his arm. “If you wanna eat snow, be my guest.”

“I want to shove snow into your mouth every time you open it.”

However, her threat didn’t seem to affect him. "You should've brought some food when you broke me out of prison,” Rowan said. The smirk on his face drove her up the wall.

She made Thunder walk faster to catch up with him. "Well, I thought we were going to take the main road and buy food and water on the way."

"You can't kill a bunch of people and wander off into town, sweet Peach. You're a criminal on the run, not a princess on an excursion."

A princess on the run, actually, Reyna thought to herself.

"What about water then?" she persisted. "A normal person can only last a week without water. You've drunk all of our wine."

"Thirst won't be a problem. We can produce water." Laughter crackled out of Rowan when Reyna’s face scrunched up in disgust. "You're not in the castle anymore. You must do whatever it takes to survive."

"Tell me you're joking,” Reyna said and stiffened when Rowan stopped Lightning and got off. "No, no, no!” she shouted when he headed to the closest tree. “You're not going to do it in my presence!"

He shot her a smirk over his shoulder. "No one's here but you, me, and the horses. But feel free to look. I don't mind."

"You're disgusting!" she fussed and looked away, blushing as she heard his hearty laughter echoing among the trees.

"Come and help me!"

"Are you insane?!" Reyna cried, her eyes pinched shut. "I'd rather die than let you talk me into this."

"Alright, then."

Reyna was seriously considering running off without him. She was going to miss Lightning, but leaving this mad man a horse would be the least she could do for him.

But then she heard him digging through the snow. Curious, she turned to look and found him on his knees, trying to pull a big leather sack out of his newly dug hole in the ground.

“Is that food?” Reyna asked, her spirits lightened.

"And water, which is frozen but our body heat will melt it," Rowan said, lifting the sack with a massive grin on his flushed face. "I buried it here when I came to Isolde in case I might need it later. This should be enough for the three of us to last for a couple more days."

"Three?"

"Me, Thunder and Lightning,” Rowan said. “You said you'd rather die, didn't you?"

"I despise you," Reyna muttered as he chuckled and handed her a loaf of bread.

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Now that their stomachs were full, Reyna and Rowan agreed that they would keep going until they reached the foot of the mountain to save as much time as they could. By the time the sun was going down, the two had arrived at their second stop.

Reyna tied Thunder to a tree and lay down on the snow with her hands on her stomach. She didn’t think she had ever seen the sky so pink and radiant before, or maybe sunsets looked a lot more beautiful when it wasn’t the view from her tower.

"I don't remember the last time I watched the sunset outside the curtain walls," she said.

Rowan tied Lightning next to Thunder and lay down beside her.

"Why did you run away?" he suddenly asked.

Reyna guessed she hadn’t thought this through when she’d lied about her identity. For some reason, she thought if she pretended that she hadn’t heard the question, he would drop it and change the subject. But from what she’d learned about this man, he was far from sensitive.

"Did the princess mistreat you?"

"No, the princess was the sweetest lady I'd ever met," Reyna said, trying not to take it personally. Rowan knew nothing about her anyway, and the men in her family hadn’t been great representatives for her family name. “The Prince was the terrible one,” she added, even though Rowan already knew this. “I had to leave before he became the new King."

Rowan chuckled, arms folded under his head. "How can the princess be a good person when her father and brother are bad people?"

Reyna took a deep breath. “Well,” she breathed, "Queen Meira was a good person, and the Princess looked up to her a lot. Our Queen was kind and wise and widely loved. Unfortunately, she passed away four years ago during childbirth. The child didn’t survive, either."

"I see,” Rowan sighed. “Were you serving the Queen as well?”

“Yes, I was quite close to her. I knew her better than I knew the Princess,” Reyna said. She always thought she’d known her mother better than she knew herself. She had loved her mother more than she loved herself. So when her mother had died, she’d become lost, and was now just a clueless prey animal stumbling through the woods waiting to be shot down.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Rowan said.

“It’s alright.” Reyna forced a smile. "But I know she'd be proud of me. She knew I didn’t belong to Isolde anyway.”

"Would she be proud if she knew you left with someone like me?”

"Definitely not,” Reyna laughed. To her surprise, Rowan didn’t join. There was sadness in the way he stared at the sky, and she wasn’t used to seeing him like this.

“Hey.” She nudged his shoulder with her own. “I was joking. You’re...not so bad.”

“Thanks,” he let out a breathy laugh and sat up. "And sorry to burst your bubble, but I am so bad.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean...I killed people,” he said. “But you probably already know that.”

From the tone of his voice, Reyna could hear how disgusted he was by his own actions. She knew he wasn’t a cold-blooded murderer; he was too clownish to be one. Still, she hadn’t expected him to feel bad about a crime he’d committed for justice.

"You did it to save a helpless woman," she said. "I would've done the same thing.”

“Appreciate.” Rowan nodded and smiled. Reyna liked seeing his dimples as they made a nice touch to his face. He could be a prince if he got dressed in nice clothes and wore gold jewellery. He’d be more handsome than Kavan and her brother. But she didn’t want him to start acting like them. He was by far the most tolerable man she’d ever encountered.

“How did you know about the woman, though?” His forehead creased in wondering. “I was certain they must have left out the part where I was a hero.”

“I overheard the Prince talking to one of the guards,” Reyna said. “Why did you think I came to you if you were really a cold-blooded murderer?"

"For I was the only Southerner in that dungeon and you were really desperate?" he said, making her giggle. "But...murder is still murder,” his voice trailed off, and his smile once again faded. “I had a reason to do it, but it didn't make it right."

"Well.” Reyna sucked in a breath. “If you feel bad about it, then you're not a bad person. One thing we have in common is that we're both good people who have done bad things."

“You?” Rowan eyed her up and down; his mouth twisted. “You’ve done bad things?”

"What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You don’t look like you’ve done bad things.”

“You don't know me.”

“Ah, yes.” He poked the inside of his cheek with his tongue. “Forgot you completely whooped those guards’ butts.”

“And I would whoop your butt, too.”

“Nice. So are you excited to see your uncle again?”

“Very.” Reyna nodded fast. “My mother used to say the most valuable things a person could possess were hope, love, and family. So as long as you still have at least one of those three things, there's still a reason for you to keep moving forward. I have hope, and when I meet my uncle again, I'll have a family. And if I'm lucky, I'll fall in love and get the happy ending I've always wanted."

"You've never been in love?" Rowan asked. Surprisingly, he sounded curious and not sarcastic at all.

"I will when I meet the right person at the right time,” Reyna said. “You're lucky you've got all three valuable things. Hold on to them."

The corners of Rowan’s mouth turned up. "Tell me," he said in a comedic tone. “Is it true that the Princess in the North is the most beautiful girl you've ever seen?"

"Yes," Reyna answered without hesitation. "The most beautiful lady in this world, actually."

"Not in my world,” replied Rowan. “My Kenny is the prettiest lady in my world."

Offended, Reyna propped herself up on her elbows. "That's because you look at her through a lover's eyes. Your opinion is subjective, and therefore, meaningless."

Rowan’s shoulders shook with laughter. "Why are you so defensive? Are you in love with the Princess?"

“I don’t need to be in love with the Princess to speak highly of her. She’s a genuinely wonderful person.”

Rowan didn’t stop laughing. He pinched the bridge of his nose and kept his face down until he was calm enough to speak. Reyna frowned as he playfully poked her cheek.

"You're always so serious, Peach. It's hilarious."

"Shut up." She pushed his hand away and lay back down. The sky was turning dark. How long had they been talking? "Don’t think we’re friends now just because I told you things,” she reminded him.

“Who said I wanted to be your friend?”

“Good.”

“Great,” he said, yet she could still feel his eyes on her.

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It took them a week to cross that mountain. They would travel during the day and stop to rest when night fell. The way down was the most challenging part as the trail was full of debris and sharp rocks. Lightning didn’t have Thunder’s stamina and ended up with a bruised ankle. Rowan had to ride with Reyna so Lightning could walk on her own, and they were fortunate enough to find a village right on the other side of the mountain.

"Who are these people, and what kingdom do they belong to?" Reyna asked as they travelled through a small market. The villagers were staring at them, but only because they were strangers, not because they recognised her.

"None," Rowan said. "They left their old kingdoms to come here and form their own community. They’re completely independent and don’t have to suffer from meaningless wars.”

“But what about in the long term? A king would provide them with food, money, and protection.”

“Not always,” Rowan argued. “Take Isolde as an example. I think most of these people would rather be on their own than obey a king like yours.”

Sadly, Reyna also agreed. These villagers actually seemed much happier than her father’s subjects.

"Hands.”

Rowan chuckled and removed his hands from her waist. "Sorry. I thought I was going to fall."

"Touch me again, and you'll definitely fall."

"All right, Grumpy Peach." He smirked, pointing ahead. "There. That's my friend's home. We can stay with him until Lightning gets better."

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“Crow!”

“Stefan, my brother!”

Reyna stood shyly beside Thunder and Lightning as Rowan and his friend shared a tight big hug. The friend had short curly red hair, only a bit shorter than Rowan but a lot thinner. Reyna imagined that Rowan could break this guy in half if he wasn’t careful with his grip.

But why had Stefan called Rowan 'Crow'? Reyna swore she’d heard that name before.

“Peach, this is Stefan! We’ve been friends since childhood," Rowan said, pulling a flustered Stefan closer to introduce him to Reyna. "This is Rain. I call her Peach, but only I get to call her that."

Reyna punched Rowan's shoulder, which only cracked him up. Stefan’s freckled face reddened as he wiped his hands on his thighs before taking her right one and giving it a kiss.

Although Stefan wasn't exceptionally handsome, Reyna thought he was quite lovely. He wasn’t the type of guy who would be seen on the battlefield. More like the type to carry weapons to the battlefield. If he and Rowan were in a fistfight, he wouldn't stand a chance. However, he could always beat Rowan with good manners.

"I used to live in Theros but I moved here when there was a war," Stefan told them as they led the horses to the stable.

"A war?" Reyna’s eyes went round. She turned to Rowan and was even more stunned to see him so calm. Did everyone already know about this?

"Willem tried to invade Theros last year but failed," Stefan said.

No, Reyna thought. Her father would never invade Theros. He had promised her mother that he wouldn’t. She couldn’t believe it.

“Isolde lost,” Rowan added. She had never seen him so serious. “They were outnumbered. All thanks to the great King Edgar. He went to war like a real man while that coward Willem didn't even show his face on the battlefield."

Reyna bit her tongue to stay quiet. As much as she hated to think about her father betraying her mother like that, she felt relieved to know that her uncle was safe.

"Peach is from Isolde but her family is in Theros," Rowan said while Stefan was looking at Lightning’s bruised ankle. "I'm taking her home. We're partners in crime now. Right, Peach?"

Reyna ignored him and placed a hand on Stefan’s shoulder. "Thank you for letting us stay. I truly appreciate your kindness.”

Stefan’s cheeks turned pink as he gave a shy smile. "My pleasure. You may stay as long as you'd like."

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After dinner, Stefan prepared a warm bath for Reyna and even borrowed the clothes from the nice old lady next door for her to get changed. She assumed he treated her this way because she was a guest and a lady. Still, she felt quite uncomfortable taking a bath in someone else's home.

She used to have many servants to give her warm baths and help her get dressed afterwards, but since she hadn't been treated like a princess for days, this just felt very strange.

Now left alone, Reyna made sure the door was shut as she loosened her corset and untied the bow at the back. That was when Rowan knocked on the door, causing her to flinch.

"I'll be here if you need me, yeah?" he said from the outside.

"Why would I need you, Rowan?" she shouted back, smirking when she heard his laughter.

"I'm still staying here," he asserted.

She rolled her eyes but felt much safer knowing Rowan was guarding the door. She should be concerned with how much she trusted this man, and yet she didn't hesitate to remove her corset and the rest of her clothes to get into the tub fully naked.

Holding the rim on both sides, she slid down into the water and let it block out all the noises. She wished the tub would expand and turn into a summer lake, even a river so she could go swimming. She couldn't swim, but she would love to get soaked like she used to on the hot summer days in the South.

All of a sudden, memories of that one afternoon flashed through her mind and she sat up straight, gasping for air. She'd seen herself drowning. She'd seen the sun blinding her eyes. She'd seen a boy and heard him call--

"Peach? Are you okay in there?!"

'Her name is Kenny. She's pretty like you, but much nicer.'

"Peach? Answer me!"

'Is she your betrothed?' 'What is a betrothed?' 'Someone you'll marry when you're older.'

"If you don't answer, I'm coming in!"

'Crow? Your name is Crow?

"Why did Stefan call you Crow?"

Her sudden question stopped Rowan at the door. It fell shut as soon as it creaked open.

"What happened to you?" he asked from the outside, but she didn't answer.

"Why did Stefan call you Crow?" she repeated the question as if he hadn't heard her already.

He laughed a little and said, "my father was a blacksmith and I used to work in his shop when I was little so my clothes were always black and dirty. Some kids said I looked like a crow, and then all the other kids in the village started calling me that."

Reyna was right. She knew the name Kenny was so familiar because she had heard it before, same as the nickname Crow. Rowan was that boy she'd met when she was eight. The boy who had saved her life.

She sat in the tub, completely paralysed as she did not know what to say next. Should she tell him? Did he remember her still? She had always wanted to see him again to thank him for what he'd said to her that day. If it hadn't been for him, she would never have known it was a choice to not settle for someone she didn't love, even if it was her betrothed, and kids should be allowed to be kids, and boys weren't all terrible.

But before the princess could come up with something to say, Rowan broke the silence, "I met Kenny when I was five. She heard the other kids call me Crow, and she came up to me and told me that she liked the nickname. She thought those birds were lovely and she always fed the ones that came to her window every morning. She always chose to see the best in me when no one could. That's what I love most about her."

As Rowan finished, Reyna swallowed all the words she was about to say. She didn't want to tell him she was the girl he'd saved from drowning when he was ten, as it probably didn't matter to him.

But disappointment wasn't the only thing she felt. There was also this heavy feeling inside her chest, as if her lungs were being crushed and she had never experienced anything like this before. Reyna rested her head back on the rim of the tub, staring at the ceiling and wondering why she only felt this way when Rowan told her about Kenny.

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The next morning, Reyna woke up before sunrise. She couldn't sleep and kept having nightmares about her father finding out where she was. In the end, he killed Rowan and locked her up in a tower, and she woke up with sweat soaking through her shirt only to find Rowan sleeping soundly right nearby. She'd been having so many dreams about her own death that it didn't worry her as much as the first time. But seeing Rowan die because of her was something she hadn't got used to and probably never would.

She went outside when Rowan and Stefan were still asleep and found an empty field behind the house. She didn't know how much time had passed since she got there, but Rowan soon found her practising alone with her sword.

"Hello early bird!" he shouted to grab her attention. She instantly lowered her blade, beaming at him. "Why didn't you wake me up to practise with you?"

"I normally do this alone," she said, pointing the tip of her sword to his face so he couldn't step closer. "I don't want to hurt anyone, especially you."

The way she stuck up her nose made him laugh as he gently pushed the blade away with his two fingers.

"You cannot hurt me, sweet Peach," he said, drawing out the sword strapped to his waist. She knew what he was about to do so she stepped back, smirking and holding up her weapon.

"Didn't you see what I did to those guards?"

Rowan seemed unfazed by her playful warning. "I'm not one of those guards."

"Then I won't be nice."

She charged at him with her shiny blade upheld, going for her foreswing and following it with a backswing. Rowan dodged the first one and met the second with his sword, his strong force sent her a few steps back. His next swing was so swift she almost couldn't see it. It sliced the fabric of her shirt at the chest, yet missing the flesh behind it by perhaps an inch.

Shocked, she quickly covered herself and dodged his blade at the same time she fell and hit the ground. She propped herself up on her elbows and the tip of his sword was the first thing that she saw.

"I surrender," Reyna huffed, glaring at Rowan.

A corner of his mouth lifted, he put the sword back to his side and offered her a hand. But instead of staying true to her words, she kicked him hard in the knees. He collapsed on his back and she quickly climbed on top of him, holding her blade at his neck, smiling down mischievously.

"You played dirty." He smirked, his chest was heaving up and down as his eyes glinted when they met hers.

"There's no rule. And you just lost."

"I saw your breasts twice so I still won."

Reyna slapped him across the face and quickly pulled up her shirt. Her distraction gave him a chance to flip them over. She dropped her sword and he kicked it far out of her reach. He pinned her hands down next to her head, grinning from ear to ear as she shut her eyes and cursed at him.

"You get distracted so easily, Peach."

"Eyes up here!"

"Sorry." He chuckled and got back on his feet, pulling her up with him. "Did I hurt you? If I did, I'm sorry."

She pulled her hand away from his and came to pick up her sword so he couldn't see how red her face was.

"It's okay. I slapped you. But you kind of deserved it," she murmured when he approached. She could feel his presence right behind her. Slowly, she turned around, arms covering her chest, their eyes meeting again. And just like that moment before sunset, they couldn't look away.

Who knew how long they would continue to stare at each other if Stefan hadn't shown up?

"Rowan!" His voice broke the two apart. They both turned and saw him waving both hands in the air. "I got a letter from Kenny!"

Still panting heavily, Rowan took one last look at Reyna before running after Stefan back to the house.

She could see a glimpse of confusion in his eyes as he couldn't explain the moment they'd shared before. Neither could she. And once both of them had left, she put on her big coat and sat down on a rock, gripping her heart to stop it from pounding.

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When Reyna returned to the house, Rowan was gone, and so was Thunder. She was terrified for she thought he'd taken her horse and left her behind to reunite with his lover. Fortunately, Stefan came back right before she could make the worst assumption.

"He'll be back. He just needs to be alone."

"What happened?"

Stefan took a long pause before he said, "Kennedy's getting married."

"What?" Reyna almost choked on the word. She was hoping this was a stupid prank and they were both in this together to mess with her. But it could not be. She hadn't seen Stefan so serious since she met him.

"Her family wanted her to marry a rich man."

"And she said yes?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she clenched her fists.

Stefan shoved his fingers in his hair, inhaling deeply. "She assumed he was dead. She heard the news that he was captured and was about to be executed."

"But he's not! He's alive! Tell him to write back to her!"

"Rain! Rain!" Stefan caught Reyna's arms to stop her from running off to find Rowan.

She looked at him while trying to catch her breath. She didn't know why she was angry, but she truly was. Her chest might explode if she didn't do something to help Rowan.

But then Stefan let go of a sigh and said, "he can't write back to her, the wedding is today. She's probably someone else's wife now."

Reyna felt a big lump in her throat as Stefan told her to leave Rowan alone for now. She knew it was Kenny's choice to move on, but she couldn't help but feel like it was partially her fault. That moment they had shared this morning felt so wrong now that she recalled it. But if she was honest, it was the most real thing she'd felt in so long.

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Rowan came back after sunset. Stefan had gone out to deliver the vegetables he'd grown and Rain was home alone and waiting for Rowan by the fireplace. He stepped in, shut the door, and stayed there until she broke the silence with a simple, "hi."

"Hi." He smiled back, hung up his coat and made his way to the table where she sat. As he pulled out a chair to sit down next to her and stared at the fireplace, her eyes fixated on him.

"Stefan told you?" he asked.

"Hmm." She nodded. This time, when she touched his shoulder, he didn't flinch. "Are you all right? It's...it's okay to say no."

"I've been worse," was his answer. He assumed she didn't know what it meant, but she didn't ask for she was fidgeting with her fingers like she had something more important to say.

"Hey, I've been thinking..." Rain bit her lip, looking attentively at the fire as if pondering whether she should say it. Eventually, she did, "maybe I should go alone from here."

Rowan was tongue-tied. He parted his lips before his mouth clamped shut, and it took him two more seconds to gather his thoughts. "Don't be ridiculous, Peach. You can't go alone."

"I can. There's another village nearby and I'll ask for directions from there. You've seen me handle those skilled swordsmen. I can protect myself."

He held her gaze, wanting to tell her his biggest fear wasn't that she couldn't take care of herself, but instead he asked, "but why? Did I do something wrong?"

"No, it's just..." She batted her eyelashes innocently. "I don't want to make you go back to Theros after...you know..."

"I still have to return to my family, Peach," he said, giving her a small smile. "But even if I didn't, I wouldn't leave you either. I gave you my word and I'd take you home safely. All right?"

She thought for a moment before smiling back. "All right."

Neither of them said another word for the next five minutes. Neither moved either. She held his shoulder as he held her hand on his shoulder. Both continued to stare at the fireplace.

"Hey," her voice was so tender it made goosebumps pimple his skin. He turned back and their eyes locked. She spoke quietly, "I've never been in love, so...so I don't know how you're feeling right now. But you'll find love again. You still have hope and a family, so you'll be fine."

Rowan wasn't sure that the smoke had clouded his mind, or it was the scent of pine trees and wildflowers that lingered on her clothes. But dear god, he was hypnotised.

His mind was blank when he leaned in a little closer until their foreheads were touching. She didn't even question. The next thing he knew was his lips brushing hers. He hadn't kissed anyone in so long and this kiss was surely different. She had never kissed anyone before. She was shy, but she wasn't afraid to be wrong. The kiss was slow and soft, comforting in ways that words could never describe.

His hand rested below her ear as his thumb caressed her cheek. As she finally found the courage to run her fingers down his spine to pull him closer, he snapped out of it and pushed her away.

"We shouldn't," he blurted. The horrified look on her face hit him harder than the slap she'd given him that morning.

"But you...you kissed me," she stuttered, her trembling fingers touching her lips.

He didn't know what to say next, so he said the only thing he could, "I'm sorry. That was wrong."

"That was...m-my first kiss..."

"Peach..." He swallowed, reaching out his hands, but she instantly backed away, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, Peach. Just let me—Peach!"

"Woah! What's wrong?!" Stefan asked when Rain burst through the door and pushed right past him.

"Fuck!"

"Where is she going?!"

Rowan said nothing as he chased after her. He didn't know how but he knew exactly where she was headed. He ran to the stable, Stefan followed right behind him. But from the distance, they saw Thunder fly right through the gate with Rain on his back and run straight into the woods, disappearing into the misty night.

"What happened?!"

Rowan ignored his friend and rushed into the stable to get Lightning out of her stall.

"I'm coming with you," Stefan said when Rowan mounted his horse.

"There's no need to—"

"I'll bring my bow and arrows. We have to get her before the wolves."

"Wolves?!"

"I'll bring your sword too," was all Stefan said before he ran back to the house.

Now pale with fright, Rowan whispered to Lightning, "if something happens to Peach, please throw me off a cliff."