Breaking Tradition || #ONC2024

Chapter 2: The Gift Of Mangos

"Stop. P-Please... just for a minute..."
Erika had no idea how long they had been running, the view of the mansion was now so far behind them that even the sirens could no longer be heard. She was out of breath and exhausted from running for so long while Andrew looked like he hadn't even broken a sweat.

Erika lowered herself to the ground, sitting with her back pressed up against the base of a tree - trying to give her tired legs a much needed rest.
"They won't follow us this far," she told Andrew, the Prince still on his feet and looking off in the direction they had come from as if he was looking for something. "My father isn't going to waste a good night's rest on me. He'll be calling everyone he can in the morning though."
At first, Erika thought he hadn't heard her, the Prince not reacting to her words. But after a moment passed Andrew turned and sat on the ground just across from her, only leaving a small gap between them. "It's not your father I'm worried about."

Erika looked up, expecting to meet the Prince's eyes but he was staring down at the ground... he looked worried, scared.
"I'm sorry, I didn't even think about the fact that you're-"
"Can we not talk about it?"

The sudden annoyance in the Prince's voice caught Erika off guard, Andrew seemed to have a constant smile on his lips so the sudden attitude switch made her a little nervous. Was this the true side of the Prince or was the situation they were in finally getting to him..?
"Of course... I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry."
He ran a hand through his hair before sighing, "I don't entirely mind it if you pry," he admitted in a hushed tone. "There's just a lot on my mind right now, I need time to sort through my thoughts."

Andrew then stood - pausing to look up at the sky, reading the stars like a clock before looking back down at Erika, smiling. "Here," Andrew shrugged off his jacket and handed it to her, "It's pretty chilly tonight, I don't want you to catch a cold."
Erika hesitated before taking the jacket from him, slowly wrapping it around her shoulders. "Thank you... but aren't you going to get cold?"
He shook his head, "I don't like sitting still, I'll be pacing around trying to figure out what I want to do next... wearing that thing will just make me hot."

His response brought a smile to her face, Erika silently grateful for the Prince's jacket. After all she wasn't exactly dressed for a sudden adventure into the night - only wearing a thin long sleeve shirt and sweatpants. It wasn't exactly warm enough for the coldness of the evening especially since winter was just around the corner.
His jacket sent a wave of warmth over her body, bringing the scent of his cologne to her nose. Despite the bitter smell of the cologne it gave Erika a cozy feeling, oddly enough reminding her of sitting by a fire place when she was younger... back when her father wasn't so cold.
Erika watched as the Prince turned and walked a little ways away - he had been right about his pacing. Erika watched Andrew go back and forth, eyes staring down at his shoes as he walked. It was clear he was deep in thought, though what exactly he was going over was unknown to Erika.

If Andrew's father started hunting them down then it would be an entirely different situation - as a King he had a lot more recourses at his disposal. However since they weren't in the Country the King held overwhelming power in there's the chance that his resources would be limited. But the King was less likely to give up compared to Erika's father - he would give up eventually, a child you were trying to get rid of anyways isn't worth too much hassle.
Perhaps Andrew was trying to decide on if he should leave Erika behind, he did seem to be a lot faster than her, she was only slowing him down. But Erika doubted that was the case, he let her come with him after all. If he didn't want her around he would've never let her follow him into the forest in the first place.

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Erika didn't remember falling asleep, but she was startled awake as something touched her leg.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."