Three

Vivian reached the palace gates just as the sun was reaching a high point in the sky. In front of a group of horses, what Vivian assumed to be the stealth and guard captains stood in front of her, of equal height. The man on the left wore a full suit of plate armor and helmet. The oak tree insignia of the Eastern Kingdom on the chest piece signified his rank. He bowed his head briefly to the princess, as his hand rested on the hilt of his great sword. The man on the right wore significantly less armor. Vivian wondered how he would even be protected from an attack. He wore a long-sleeved dark leather shirt and matching pants. Two daggers rested at his hips. His belt seemed to have a lot of other pockets and she wondered what other weapons he might use as a stealth specialist. His almost black hair was pulled into a small ponytail at the back of his head, though the sides of his head were shaved. Dark brown eyes were accentuated by high cheekbones, and skin the color of baked rye. He smiled hugely at her with bright white teeth as he dropped to a single knee,

"Princess, I am the captain of the Eastern Kingdom's palace stealth guard, Kai Mitsuki, it is my pleasure to serve you on this journey."

Vivian nodded at him, feeling that if she tried to speak she might become tearful at the thought of leaving her kingdom. He looked so young, she wondered how he could possibly be a captain, especially as she thought of her older brother's inability to train without being severely injured. The four remaining members of the knight guard, and the knight captain dropped to a knee as well. It was in that moment that Vivian realized they were not going to stand until she spoke. She mustered up the courage for words,

"You may all stand." They did, and started mounting their horses.

Ophelia was standing next to a white mare covered in saddlebags.

"Those are the only bags I'll be able to take?" Vivian whispered to her. Ophelia held Vivian's hands in hers tightly,

"They are telling me that expecting any more of the horse may make the journey longer."

"I will miss you," Vivian blurted out, and then blushed realizing the oddity of her words. Ophelia gently smiled though, and wrapped her in a warm hug,

"I will miss you, my lady and my friend."

Vivian felt tears welling in her eyes, but suppressed them, wanting to provide a show of her strength as a royal to her new companions. Kai approached them and patted the mare gently on her side.

"There will be two archers positioned behind our party and two in front. It is safest for you if you ride with the knight captain or I. We will ride side by side either way. The choice is yours," Kai smiled gently. He seemed to be a patient man, and gave no credence to the emotion she knew that her face betrayed. She glanced at the knight captain, who was leaning against a spotted mare not far from them.

"I will ride with you," She told Kai.

"Happy to have you," Kai reached out a hand. Despite his gentle voice, when she looked down at his hand it was incredibly calloused. She placed her hand in his and it felt solid as he closed his fingers around hers. She stared at their joined hands for a moment before he interrupted her,

"You can put your foot into the stirrups."

She gasped with embarrassment and snapped back into the moment, placing her foot into the stirrups and swinging into the saddle with care. Kai released her hand immediately upon her landing and Vivian took a moment to remind herself that he was doing his job, not trying to court her.

"It is safer for you if I sit behind you, but if that would bring you any discomfort, you may sit behind me," he said, securing the saddlebags. Surely, she may be disconcerted by his presence as a man if he were behind her. She appreciated though that he thought about that and didn't seem the type to be unnecessarily forward as some men were,

"I will do whatever is safer."

Without using the stirrups at all, Kai seemed to gracefully float onto the horse as he used his arms to prop himself up. She startled as his arms reached around her sides for the reins. As the knight captain mounted his horse he chuckled,

"Better get yourself together there, my lady." Vivian could feel herself blushing, but shot the captain a dirty look nonetheless. He looked straight ahead,

"Alright, let's set out. We ride until the town of Rouge."

Vivian waved goodbye to Ophelia, to the palace, to her family, and to everything she had ever known. Despite her sadness and concern for the looming war, she couldn't help but feel some excitement for the new world around her.

...

The group rode at a fast pace. After about two hours of riding, Vivian's legs were beginning to hurt. She noticed herself leaning back into Kai, who was so silent she had almost forgotten he was there.

"I apologize, I'm getting tired," She said aloud to him. The knight captain was just ahead of them enough that she didn't worry about his teasing. What abhorrent behavior he had shown her, she was a princess, after all. Kai chuckled and she could feel his chest rise and fall against her back,

"No need to apologize. You can rest against me if you're comfortable, we have quite a ways to go."

Vivian had not known many men in the palace, but as far as she could tell in her five hours of knowing Kai, he was not like any other man she had ever met. Though most people treated her with kindness due to her royal status... He may just respect her. She leaned against him and released her tight grip on the horse.

"Kai, how did you end up a captain so young?" She asked as they rode through the oak trees and past occasional rivers.

"I come from a family of nobles from the Village of Ice at the north-most point of the Eastern Kingdom," He said, "As a noble, my father was in charge of the security for the village, which was frequently raided by various animals looking to escape the cold, or scavengers looking for an easy steal. We had a knowledge of the terrain on our side, though, so we set a lot of traps and used the cover of night to our advantage. Your father visited our village when I was only thirteen. He stayed in our home and met with my father, and scavengers attempted to attack us. He observed our defenses and asked me to train with the stealth team. It has since been thirteen years, and I've learned a lot. I still have much to learn, but am honored to serve as stealth captain." Kai was looking thoughtfully ahead of him.

Vivian remembered her father taking frequent trips when she was young, meeting with nobles, before her mother passed. He had not been on such a meeting in so long, it worried Vivian that he might be missing young talent like Kai... Again, she felt guilt that she had not been present in the castle affairs. Kai did not ask her anything about herself in return. She clutched the pendant at her chest, thinking about the unknown future that awaited her.

The party rode in silence the rest of the ways to the town of Rouge, which they reached just as the sun began to set.