"Let's rest here for the night." The prince ordered when they came to another cleared part of the forest.
His words caused the guards to sigh in bliss since they have been walking under the sun for over 10 hours.
It was finally time for them to rest their aching bones.
"Why should we settle here? There's still light. Let's go further. Who knows, we might find a better place with a stream." Tym wriggled her nose, "you guys need to have a bath, you smell."
"What?" The prince sniffed both armpits.
"You heard me right. You stink." Tym said before she urged her horse to go forward, much to the anger of the guards who thought they were about to rest.
She didn't stop as she galloped faster than ever, hoping to find a stream or a lake.
And it didn't take her long to find what she was looking for.
She disembarked from the horse, and stood, to wait for the prince who despite his orders, followed Tym.
"Did you discover one?" The prince furrowed his brows.
"Yes, I did. It's there," she pointed at the place she saw the stream,
"Then, we will camp here." The prince got off from his horse, and folded his arms, to wait for his guards. "You are strange."
"And so are you." Tym Frowned at the prince.
"How so?"
"Why did you say I'm strange?" Tym pursed her lips and folded her arms.
And had it not been for the veil on her face, the prince would have seen her expression as she glared him down.
"You are strange." The prince shrugged as he discreetly watched her from his peripheral.
"Maybe, I'm strange." Tym shrugged, "I love it that way." She said as she sat on the floor.
The prince took her horse, and his. "You got the prince to serve you. Aren't you too much?" The prince pursed his lips as he took the horses to the nearest tree and tied them there.
"You are the one who wants to work." Tym lay on the ground and put both hands behind her head.
"Someone needs to do it." Having secured the horses to the trees, the prince returned to her side. "Let's wait for those lazy guards to arrive." He said as he sat on the ground next to Tym.
"Can you move? You smell." Tym wrinkled her nose as she turned her attention to the side.
"I don't smell that bad," the prince sniffed his armpit. The smell caused him to wrinkle his nose. "Yes, I don't smell that bad."
"Shift. If you can't perceive the pungent odour, that doesn't mean I can't also perceive it.
Move a bit. You are suffocating me."
"I'm not smelling!" The prince wasn't about to let the masked man make fun of him.
"Yes, you are."
Tym rose from the ground, "if you would rather not shift, then I will do it for you." She responded as she walked towards a tree and leaned in it.
The prince frowned but spoke no words. He knew he was smelling, probably from racing in the sun for two days straight without bathing.
However, he was embarrassed at the way the masked Tym treated him.
It made him ache to have a bath and show the masked man that he can smell nice.
*********
The prince was the first to have his bath. He made use of the sweet-smelling bar he got for the journey and changed clothes.
"Okay, go and have a bath." He said to his guards when he returned from the stream.
In his absence, his guards and Tym were having a staring contest, which was broken at the arrival of the prince.
"Yes, sir!"
As one, they rose from the floor and rummaged through their bags for the spare clothes they brought.
"Finally, the air is going to smell nice once more." Tym sighed as she turned.
"What—"
The captain of the guards wanted to say something.
However, when he saw the expression on the prince's face, he kept his snaky remarks to himself.
"Let's go." He said, as he took the lead, and the others followed.
"Gods!
I thought I will die from suffocation here." Tym sniffed the air to make sure the pungent odour has evaporated.
"Why do you like staying alone?" The prince asked as he walked closer to where Tym was and sat next to Tym who was lying on the ground as if it were her favourite bed.
"Why do you enjoy disturbing me?" Tym countered as she pursed her lips.
The prince didn't say a word as he watched the masked Tym.
He just couldn't help but wish to see his expression whenever he makes those snaky comebacks.
The prince sighed.
If only he can get the masked Tym to remove the mask on his face, it will be an achievement for him.
"Why are you sighing? Are you missing your fiancée that much?" Tym arched a brow at the prince as she pursed her lips.
"Missing who?" The prince narrowed his eyes at her.
"You know whom I'm referring to." Tym crossed her left leg over her right as she smirked.
"If you like her, you can tell me. The offer still stands. If you like her, I will arrange a wedding between you and her."
"You jest, princey." Tym laughed at the prince. "If only you knew what you are implying with your words."
"And what might that be?"
"Nothing. I'm just making a statement." Tym peered up at the prince.
Up close, the prince seemed more handsome than he was when Tym met him for the first time.
Yet, she can't get out of the fact that he was an arrogant prince who's too lazy to face his problems alone but wants to drop them on the heads of others.
"Hmm."
The prince nodded as he glanced up at the sky.
"There will be a rainstorm tomorrow night," Tym said when she saw the prince looking up at the dark sky.
"How did you know?" The prince inquired, with his brows furrowed at her.
"You can call it a hunch," Tym shrugged.