The prince and the woman stare down to the flame that sparked the beginning of their companionship and ignore the calls that beckon both of them to the kingdom once more. They gaze into the flame, aware that its burning heat is held by the knights out to hunt them, and look to each other to break the silence. The prince crosses his arms and leans forward.
"Who are you to the kingdom?" He asks Lacuna, who seems bored of the conversation already. She throws another branch into the fire while she speaks.
"You would think I'm pretty popular among the people," Lacuna mentions, her voice nearly a whisper. She brushes her sable hair out of her face as a gust rushes through the beach.
"I've never seen you before, though I don't spend a lot of time with the common man," the prince shrugs.
"I'm an architect," she mentions softly.
"Oh, so, you build the houses in the city, I take it?" The prince responds. Lacuna looks up to him with confusion painting her blue eyes and shakes her head.
"You really have no idea?" Lacuna asks him. The prince raises his arms.
"That's what an architect is, is it not?" He answers, defending himself. Lacuna looks at him, then looks back to the fire, seeming to piece together the reason privately.
"Yes," she changes her tone, "I help build the city."
The prince claps his hands together. "You must know your way around, then? I'm sure you know the best spots to hide in."
She scoffs. "You should be ashamed that I know your kingdom better than you do."
The prince bites his tongue. Lacuna looks up to him again, lets a gentle sigh leave her lips, and then reaches for another branch.
"I'm not even sure why you're out here to help me," the prince looks to the flame, "You face the kingdom alone in your belief that I'm worth protecting."
"Not quite," Lacuna tugs off the leaves from the branch, "The people know you're not a criminal. They're having trouble believing you murdered your brother, as no evidence was given to support it, but how are they to blame their king?"
"I had a feeling. What am I to do?" the prince asks in agony.
"Calm down, you pebble. There are some who have protested against the King and wish justice for your brother. Of course, with your father being the way he is, they've hunted down many of these civilians and have jailed them for heresy. That surely helps your case, doesn't it?" Lacuna mentions, continuing to tear the leaves off the stick in her hand.
"I would think so?" The prince winces, unsure of how to respond. Lacuna laughs and smiles.
"Oh, there's little hope for you," she jokes with another laugh. "You're not alone in believing the King is a tyrant with a thirst for power, my prince. The people bear the weight of his decisions in their daily lives. I know all seems lost, but you've got plenty of civilians ready to raise torches for your cause. You just need to be the one to light the fire."
The prince looks to the fire, then lifts his gaze to her.
"I'm not sure how to do that," the prince whispers. The rogue stands and brushes off her cloak, tapping her lips with the stick in her hand while her arms are crossed.
"You have to have passion. If you know little about the kingdom, perhaps there's something you wish for that you could have, should you claim the throne. What's one of your greatest desires?" Lacuna asks him. The prince ponders for a moment and turns his head to the castle that sits dimly upon the horizon.
"I want a family that isn't torn by impulsive rage and ruthless expectations," the prince states, "I wish my father was more assuring, I wish my mother was more gentle, and I wish my brother's blood had not been shed because of his beliefs. When I become a father, I will bring a brighter future to my family before I do the same for the kingdom."
Lacuna stares at him, nods softly, and tosses the stick into the fire. "You wish to start a new family when you claim the throne?"
The prince nods affirmingly. "Yes. If I cannot bring peace to those within the castle, how can I say that I can do the same for those beyond its walls?"
Lacuna nods, amused with his answer, and kneels again.
"Spoken like a true prince. I hope that reason may be good enough for you to step above what makes you weak. You know if we were to truly forge an uprising, I cannot do it alone," she says.
"How do we even begin?" the prince asks. She reaches for her dagger laying over the sand and sheathes it back into place on her hip.
"We start by finding shelter. This beach may be abandoned and safe from the storm of knights out there, but it won't protect us from the ones above. There's a safehouse not far from here that we can reach if we follow the outskirts there. Unfortunately, we'll have to step back into the forests to get there. As long as you don't whimper out in fear, we should make it there without a trace," Lacuna scans the surroundings and points to gesture the directions they'll move.
"Hey, I'm more than just a feeble prince! I am a knight in training!" The prince calls out.
Lacuna crosses her arms and stares at him, and he nods in affirmation. Looking down to the fire, she swiftly kicks the ashes within the fire in his direction. As a flaming stick and a small wave of ashes reach out for him, the prince panics and yells, jumping away from the flames. Brushing off his boots to be sure the flames hadn't reached him, he faces her again with a glare. "How dare you!"
"Knight in training," Lacuna mocks, squinting her eyebrows in disbelief. "We depart in the morning. I know you need the rest after all that's happened."
"I'd rather we left for the safehouse first, then. I cannot sleep knowing the guards are near," the prince suggests. Lacuna digs into the sand with the last stick in the bunch and considers his request.
"I suppose we'll have to act now," she says, throwing the last stick into the fire before rising again. "Stay close to me and you'll be safe, yes?"
"Are you sure?" The prince asks, taking another step back from the fire as it crackles and rises. She stares at him, aware that he's vulnerable to trust after witnessing his life turn completely against him overnight, and sighs in pity.
The rogue nods to him, assuring him that he'll be safe with her at his side. "Yes, my prince."
The two abandon the fire and begin their path towards the forests. In a place filled with predators in metal and steel lurking to hunt them down, the two step beneath a ceiling of sticks and branches to sneak past knights that have turned into ruthless animals eager for the blood of the innocent. In contest of all that roam the kingdom beyond, the two continue their journey to the safehouse with a new intent to free their land from the hold of the tyrant king.