Princess Sofia was taken aback. Killian was the last person she had expected to see in the mountains. She nervously interlocked her hands with her back, waiting for Killian to say something along the lines of:
"What are you doing here?" Killian asked sternly. "Should you not be in your quarters?"
"Will you teach me what to do now?" The Princess asked scornfully, still not over her sulking phase.
"My lady, if it concerns your safety then I am obliged to tell you exactly what to do." Killian reminded her of his authority while he was at it.
The Princess furrowed her brows. "Then how would you explain this? Why are you in the mountains? Shall I inform His Majesty of your incompetence?"
Killian passed a sigh and offered his hand to the Princess, "Allow me to walk you back to the palace. You may inform His Majesty of my incompetence as you wish and I shall keep quiet about your presence in the mountains."
The Princess turned away and held her gown in her hands to walk past him.
"My lady!" Killian turned around to grab her arm.
The Princess glared at him before pushing her arm out of his grip, "How dare you!"
"My lady, do not do this," Killian said frustratingly. "Let us go back to the palace, please?"
The Princess hadn't gone through the trouble of coming here only to return with her bodyguard. She turned around to continue walking uphill. Killian helplessly walked behind her.
The mountains were rough and the Princess wasn't dressed ideally. She was as slow as a turtle while trying to climb uphill.
"My lady?" Killian repeatedly tried reaching out for her, "Please hear me out."
The Princess turned her head around to glare at him.
"Do not be angry. I will not ask you to go back to the palace." Killian reassured her, "I merely wanted to ask if it would be right to carry you on my back,"
The Princess scoffed, "And how do I trust the likes of you?"
Killian nodded his head, "I agree that I am not the most trustworthy person out there. However, I too want to see the peak."
"I do not intend on believing a single word out of that mouth of yours."
"Walking uphill like this is dangerous. What if you fell and hurt yourself?"
"Catch me then." The Princess shrugged, "Do your job right, would you? For now, I would appreciate it if you keep quiet."
Killian couldn't say much to the Princess. She was still in a foul mood from their argument earlier. He couldn't expect her to make up with him this quickly. She didn't want her pride to hover anywhere near the ground, so she decided not to take his help.
The full moon above their head was bright enough for the dark mountains to lighten up. The Princess carefully placed her foot on a stable ridge to walk uphill as slowly as possible. The night was bright enough to venture about the woody mountains.
Howls of wild animals echoed here and there, but since there wasn't one in sight, the Princess and her bodyguard didn't need to take a break. There was no clarity in this particular peak being 'the one' either. They just walked uphill without a particular goal, not knowing if the peak would be just another average peak or something they'd never seen before.
Would it be that man's - Heinrich's - cottage on top of the mountain?
"Killian," The Princess stopped walking, trying to catch her breath. "What do you think lies on top of the mountain?"
Killian frowned, "I cannot even make a guess."
"I have had visions about him," The Princess uttered, "And there is always another man with him."
"What did you see?" Killian asked softly.
"You said his name is Heinrich, but the man in my visions always calls him 'The Great Father'. Just as the people of this village call him 'The poet of the mountains.' I saw him beside a sea, pouring away ashes. I also saw him in a barren, broken world." The Princess shook her head, "And the old woman from earlier claims he resides in a cottage here. I am confused."
"I still advise us to return. Being involved with that man sounds unnecessary." Killian replied, "Those visions could be some kind of witchcraft performed by him!"
The Princess looked at him annoyingly, "Do you think he is a wizard?"
Killian nodded with confidence. The Princess turned away from him once again and continued to walk towards the peak.
They walked all night but for some reason, the peak only got further and further away. The moon had disappeared and the sun had taken over the sky. So far, not a single wild animal had walked in their sight. They had heard the sounds of many but seen none.
"My lady, shall we take a break?" Killian asked her.
The Princess tiringly looked back at him and nodded. Killian quickly stepped forward and offered his hand to the Princess. She held onto it and he pulled her up to a leveled area. They sat down on the ground to drink some water and replenish their energy.
"Why is it so chilly even with the sun out?" The Princess asked, rubbing her hands around her arms vigorously.
Even with the thousand layers of clothing, she felt extremely cold in the middle of July. It was strange. Killian quickly removed his cloak and wrapped the Princess with it. He pulled the red tassel attached to the cloak so it wouldn't be a hassle for the Princess.
He stared at the tassel for a good minute before pulling the thread that held all the strings together.
"What are you doing?" The Princess asked.
Killian reached out for the Princess's hand and carefully tied the red thread around her wrist, leaving a long end. He grabbed the other end and then tied it around his wrist.
He raised his head to look at the Princess, "Let us not vanish from each other's sight in these huge mountains."