( ♞ | darkinherheart )

    Few things can drag her attention away from the WORLD when she’s outside.
    ( She so rarely gets to see beyond dark castle walls— meant to PROTECT her,
    they say.  She thinks they’re only good at keeping her IN & away from the world. )
    The sound of her guard’s horse whinnying ( as if a call of danger ) does gain her
    attention. She had meant to lose him, if only for a short respite,  not put his life at
    risk.Yet no matter what she did he always seemed to find her,was but a few paces
    behind. ( always behind, or a little ways ahead—- never by her SIDE. ) She brings
    her horse to a halt, letting out a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding at the
    steady sound of another horse’s gallop.

                     & then he finds her.

      There’s no URGENCY  to his tone, so she knows that they are safe ( she feels
      safe by his side, but she hates it,  hates the fact rather than teach her to defend
      herself, her father requires her to be guarded. ) Slim fingers discreetly return to
     her side (assured that there is no need for the dagger she has taken to carrying
     since that day. ) 

                   ❝I was hoping to cover some distance, it has been too long
                     since I have been allowed the  freedom  of riding my  horse
                     outside the castle.❞

    She provides him with the TRUTH, for there is so little of it in court & within castle
    walls. Though it is a partial truth, for she had intended to lose him in order to attain
    a little freedom.

                              Just a few hours, was that too much to ask?

                              ❝Danger doesn’t care much about distance.❞

    She keeps her words light& a poised smile in place so as not to reveal the shiver the
    words bring about. Danger did not discriminate—-   she has the scar to prove it,
    from the time when their castle walls had been breached.

       ( Now she has scars littering her fingers, her way of fighting back. )

                                ❝& with you accompanying me I am SAFE.❞

                                               ( Yet is he? He who risks everything for her? )

                      ❝I heard your horse, that’s why I stopped— are you alright?❞

     There’s an unspoken apology to her words as eyes ( darkened with worry ) run
     over his form to assure herself that no harm had come to him.

     The sight of her astride her horse and well was enough to  SOOTHE  the 
     worries that had momentarily ( plagued ) Will, the WORST of possibilities
     having begun to RUN through his mind.       If nothing else, he was actively 
     aware of the  THREAT  that came with being  ( outside )  of the   walls, 
     that there were those who would see the princess’ crown dripping   R E D.
     It was his   responsibility   to ensure that such a  fate   never  occurred.

     Fingers ( tightened ) on the rein at the mere thought, the small  frown  on 
     his face contradicting the EASE of the place around him.     False ease,
     false peace, as he knew there was no such thing as true relaxation. Not
     while on watch. Not when the need for her  safety overruled every other
     instinct. He turns his face ( towards ) the sky, allowing the sun to   caress
     his face for a BRIEF moment before s c a n n i n g the grounds once more.
     Ever vigilante, ever prepared, in case the very worst should happen. He’d
     learned, after all, learned when he was younger than he is now,   when the
     castle had been attacked. 

     The tense line of his shoulders  relaxes  after a small moment, brought
     out of his thoughts by the words ( falling ) from TARGETED lips. A part
     of him wants to remind her that such a thing isn’t possible, that leaving
     the grounds would asking for TROUBLE. But he doesn’t. Understanding
     fills him instead, the corner of his lips turning up into a   ( small )    smile. 
     He can see the way she’s itching to take off again, how being stopped
     is almost WORSE than not having come out at all. He guides his horse
     a few steps forward, stopping just shy of being beside her. Her question
     earns a quick glance, one that furrows his brow in slight confusion. 

                          “ I am. The horse merely stepped wrong. ”

     He’s long since realized that the princess has a sense of compassion that
     SKIPPED over some in her family ( her aunt comes to mind ). That doesn’t
     mean he’s gotten used to it, that surprise doesn’t cross his  face when her
     concern shows through.  His eyes STAY on her for a beat longer before he 
     turns back to the open valley before them, mapping a clear ( trail ). Already
     he was leading his horse towards it, his better judgments quickly abandoned.

          “ Tell me, your highness – do you believe yourself to be a more
          skilled rider than myself? ” He asked, feigning innocence.