(Slight change, Reyan's name is now Rayan it will make sense later)
**RAYAN'S POV**
Princess has been acting differently since I told her about my past; her usual defiance and complaints have disappeared. No matter how many times I had dumped water on her head, she didn't insult me or even have that angry, annoyed look in her eyes when she woke up.
The only emotion I saw on her face was pity, and I hated it more than anything. I don't want to be pitied; I am not a fucking puppy with a broken limb, which is why I've been hard on her these past couple of days. I have been purposely taking difficult routes that would make her struggle without giving her a drop of water. Now that I think about it, I barely remember the last time I let her wash up.
Now when was it? Oh, right, that day when I slaughtered those men. I would have expected her to reek of sweat by now, but I guess spending your entire life bathing with expensive perfume would pay off at some point. She always had this weird scent, a mixture of roses, and not just any rose – a familiar rose that was always in that also strange girl's room. I think she called it the Rose Yves Piaget. In addition to that smell, it had a mix of berries and honey, giving her a rather peculiar scent, and when she took a bath, the scent got stronger.
Wait a minute, why was I focused on her scent? Even though it's strong, I shouldn't be able to decipher every variation in it. What's wrong with you, Rayan? Every royal and noble are the same; they are just waiting for you to let your guard down and boom! Throw you in a dungeon or try something even worse – that applies to Princess here; she's not any different.
"Um.. Rayan, are you mad at me?" she asked, taking me out of my thoughts.
"Why would I be?" I asked her, but the truth was that I was mad, not at her but myself for being vulnerable with her and letting her wrap her arms around me.
"When I forgot my boundaries and embraced you?" she said in her timid voice.
I didn't bother answering her if I accept that I have any shred of emotion then she'll just manipulate me, remember Rayan what Mr Lance taught you Emotions show vulnerability, vulnerability shows weakness, and weakness is exploited and what's worse is that she's royalty I can't afford to be weak in front of her. The sooner I take her back home the faster I get rid of her.
**ELENA'S POV**
And just like that, I had my answer. Of course, he would be mad at me. I should be grateful to Chloe; if he hadn't promised her that he wouldn't hurt me, I'd probably be a headless corpse by now. His face was as deadpan as ever; at first, it felt like he had this shield surrounding him from everyone, but now it's more reinforced.
I don't know what came over me but at that time; he just looked like someone that needed a hug, and judging by his character, that must have been the only hug he's ever had. Now I understand why he is disgusted by me every time he sees me; he just sees my status – a royal, one of the same people that made him an orphan. Even here, my royal status affects me at home and out here, the Aeneases were nice to me but if I told them I was royalty they would have treated me differently too.
Which is why I don't mind if he tires me out, even his rude awakening, and also how he has to go 'scout' or 'cover our tracks' (which is his attempt to get away from me) – if that gives him at least a little bit of satisfaction, then so be it.
We were walking on a really rocky area, the ground beneath them was uneven and treacherous, making every step a struggle for me. As we navigated the rocky landscape, Rayan moved with ease, as if the rocky ground were but a playground for him. He leaped gracefully from one boulder to another, his movements fluid and effortless. It was as if he had mastered the art of traversing this harsh terrain, born of years of hardship and experience.
In stark contrast, I found myself slipping and stumbling at almost every turn. My shoes were ill-suited for the jagged terrain. The lack of grip caused me to lose balance frequently, leaving me struggling to regain my footing.
As I was leaping to the next boulder, I lost my footing and slipped; I braced myself for the pain that was to come, but suddenly, his hand grabbed my wrist, and he pulled me up.
"Careful, Princess," was all he said. As much as everything has changed, the tone of Princess is still the same.
After what felt like hours, we finally got out of that place. I gazed at him, his silver locks covering his forehead, the mask on his face blocking his nose and mouth, leaving his eyes – those Grey eyes, how could those beaut... I mean how could those eyes have such hate and sadness?
"Enough, Princess!" he yelled.
Oh, I forgot how he could always notice me staring at him. I quickly averted my gaze.
"Enough, I didn't tell you what happened to me so that you could pity me," he said in a tone that reminded me of the day he almost snuffed out the life from me.
I instinctually cowered in fear as he took a step closer to me; I took a step back.
"So stop looking at me like I'm a lost child. When I dump water on you, yell back like before or when I choose horrible terrains like the one we just passed, complain, and look at me with that annoyance you always have," he said, taking a step closer to me again. I was about to back away when I realized that my back had hit a tree, leaving me with no room to back away.
"I don't need your sympathy. Sympathy hasn't helped me in all these years, and it certainly won't do me any good now," he was now close to me; he grabbed me by my chin and pulled it upwards.
"Do you understand?" he said.
I nodded but he roughly let go of my chin and groaned out in frustration, he moved away from me.
"I don't like that expression on your face Princess, it doesn't suit you at all, hate me! Fear me! I don't want your sympathy!" he shouted and like always his voice betrayed him, his frustration betrayed his stoic face.
"okay, only if you tell me what happened to you after," I said and the fear that made my feet stick in place dissipated as I moved closer to him.
"maybe it would help me go back to hating you the grim reaper's assistant," I said and I was now standing face to face with him.
"okay but I want to know something about you too, just how sheltered were you to try and bargain with me?" he asked his eyes had now changed from frustration to amusement.
"I'll tell you about it later, as you always say let's go we are burning day light," I said.
"of course princess," he said and led the way again.