Sovereign of Stars

3.

ADRIAN

Kuria

Maius

When Adrian left the city limits of Aurelona behind him, he didn't doubt his plan by any means. When the neighboring towns and villages were no more than a ten-minute ride apart, he didn't worry. Not even when the villages became few and far between did Adrian worry.

But now, when all Adrian could see for miles were mountains and forests and meadows beneath the onset of a stormy sky, Adrian was beginning to panic.

Folding his map back against his horse as the growing gusts of wind threatened to whisk it away, Adrian attempted to pinpoint his location. It wasn't exactly easy. He'd left most of the noteworthy villages behind him; Aurelona was at least a day's journey away. He'd continued northwest, which put him somewhere near the Zana Mountains. Zemra should be nearby.

But it wasn't marked on the map. He could be heading in the complete opposite direction of where he needed to go, and he'd be none the wiser. What if someone recognized him all the way out here, and they didn't have the best intentions? What if he got hurt or lost or worse?

Raindrops began to fall haphazardly across the terrain, wetting parts of the map as well as Adrian himself. He sucked in a breath and tucked the map away, eyeing the sky. The storm was moving in; he needed to find shelter before it broke. Maybe he'd stay the night and start moving again in the morning.

Adrian surveyed the area, attempting to get his bearings. The mountains began to slope up to the north, and there was dense forest to his right, just off the dirt path he was following. A meadow of what appeared to be lavender stretched out on his left, hugging the mountainside. With the coming storm, the lavender fields seemed to be undulating. It was almost relaxing, had Adrian not been entirely too preoccupied.

There was no one around for miles, as far as he knew. He'd never been that alone since...well, ever. Being the crown prince of the Perian Empire came with a never-ending parade of people following your every move since birth. Constant noise, constant fussing.

Now, there was nothing but silence. Nothing but the leaves rattling in the trees, warning Adrian to get moving.

So he did. He spurred his horse and headed towards the mountains. With luck, he'd find a cave he could set up camp in while the storm passed. Without luck...well, Adrian tried to hope for the best.

--

The storm turned violent well into the night. Adrian—having found a tiny cave—attempted to sleep, but both the hard terrain and the tumultuous weather ensured that he would find no relief. So instead, Adrian sat with his back against the rocky wall and watched as the outside world turned to slashes of darkness and fire.

The lightning would illuminate just about everything: rocks, trees, the mountains themselves. Shadows from the lightning danced with those from Adrian's campfire in an eerie waltz along the cavern walls.

Adrian passed the time by trying to make out shapes within the shadows. He saw bears and birds. Trees and clouds. The outline of a man. The mountain—

A bolt of alarm shocked Adrian as he sat up. A man?

He looked to the cavern's mouth, and there was the silhouette of a man, watching him, waiting.

Adrian froze, suddenly unsure of what to do. The man could definitely see Adrian; he had a fire, for the gods' sakes. But he didn't move, didn't speak. Adrian couldn't even see his face.