"Crowns topple easily. Thrones crumble like dust. Hearts cease to beat. Thorns draw blood."
In a country torn into two, there should have been no room for mistakes. Especially not at the very core of the royal family. That was what she was. Yes, a...
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"Irina?"
Aleksander entered the tent with an easy smile on his face, his hands full from carrying the sweet citrus fruit that he had managed to acquire from the nearby village. "Irina, I brought you some of those mandarins you like so much. It's sweet too. Irina?"
His whole form froze over once he saw that their tent was empty, except for Vasilka who piped up from her spot near the corner. After the first glint of fear, the next thing he felt was wariness.
If Vasilka was here then she wouldn't have left. Perhaps there was a matter she had to attend to. Even so, she usually didn't have duties this late in the afternoon. On a normal day, she would be attending as the healer to the whole camp early in the afternoon but once the night was beginning to show, she would retire to their tent until supper.
He had made sure to memorize her routine precisely so that he wouldn't have to worry like this. Up until now, it had been reliable. Which was the worrisome thing. She never swayed from her schedule, she never liked to. One night, she had admitted that she hated doing things differently and that she needed to have some sort of stability or else she'd go insane.
It was that thought that remained ingrained in his head as he dropped the handful of mandarins in front of the lion cub and instructed her to stay put, though there would be no question that she would do as he asked as she stared hungrily at the mandarins.
Without another word, he left the tent and walked along the path that the camp was set upon. His eyes scanned each area meticulously until he finally saw a familiar face.
Maria took to step beside him, an easygoing expression on her face as if she had all the time in the world to talk to him. "Hey Aleksander, some of the younger Grisha were looking for you-"
Aleksander interrupted her, knowing that if anyone could know where Irina was, it would be the only friend she had made. "Have you seen Irina?"
However, it was to his disappointment when Maria shook her head. "Haven't seen her since this morning. She looked awfully troubled then went off somewhere. Last I saw her she was near the edge of the camp."
With a mumble of thanks and a hasty farewell, he continued on his way. She couldn't have gone far. Knowing her, she probably would have wandered off to think. Of various things as he was aware. Thoughts of her father. Thoughts of little prince Igor. Even thoughts of her traitorous brother.
It wasn't easy to let go of everything they once knew. For Aleksander, it was the most difficult when he had let go of his first identity and took on a new one but after years of changing his name and taking on countless varying lives, it got easier. Of course, he would never expect her to suffer in the same way he did. He would never wish that upon the person he loved.
