Fateless

Chapter Four: Just Trying to Survive

~Dawn's POV~

We had been making our way back towards the castle for a while before I glanced at the still smiling Uni and decided to ask some questions.

"So, Arty right?" I asked. Uni glared at me.

"Look, I panicked when I first met her. It was the best I could come up with on the spot."

I chuckled. "When did you first meet her? I must say, I'm surprised I didn't know about her."

"You don't know everything about me." Uni replied mysteriously. "Besides, is it so hard to believe that I have a personal life outside of you?"

"Considering that it is my job to always know where you are and what you're doing, as well as to be by your side at every hour of every day, yes, it is difficult to believe." I stated. "Not to mention that you don't exactly have the best track record of being able to talk to people you like."

"Wha---!? Ok, first of all, I don't like her. Second, what do you mean I can't talk to people?! I'm a great conversationalist!"

"Oh, so was all the red on your face simply allergies?" I asked. Uni pushed his glasses up.

"No, I've just been in the sun too long, that's all." He lied.

"Alright, fine, but what about all your stuttering around her? Was that also an effect of the sun?"

Uni shrugged. "This coming from the man I've known for all twenty years of my life who, in all that time, has rarely spoken a sentence that's more than ten words? In fact, this is the most I've heard you say all week. "

It was my turn to shrug. "Touché."

We continued walking in silence, not really paying attention to where we were going. I followed Uni through backroads and alleys, leaving behind the main part of town as the market noises grew quieter. I found the near silence refreshing and focused on our footsteps against the cobblestone roads. I could just make out the sound of someone playing a stringed instrument in the distance and I smiled as it reminded me of a song Jon liked to play on his lute. Uni sighed, bringing my attention to him and continued talking.

"To answer your earlier question, I met her about two months ago. I forget where you were, I think you may have been sick or something, perhaps it was a training day." Uni waved the matter aside. "Anyway, I was bored and the guard my father had assigned to watch me was a newbie, totally unsure of what to do. I easily got past him and decided to go explore town a bit. I wandered around for a good half hour before finding Lucy's shop. She didn't recognize me as the prince, so I gave her a fake name and we struck up a conversation."

I noticed Uni smiling fondly as he spoke, lost in the memory. I cleared my throat to get his attention. The prince would often get caught up in his dream worlds, distracting himself from the reality going on around him.

"What happened next?" I prompted.

"Oh, when I got back to the castle, the knight was in a complete state of panic! He hadn't told anyone I was missing out of fear of getting demoted. The look on his face when I walked into my room, fit as a fiddle, was hilarious!" Uni laughed. "He looked like he couldn't decide whether to be angry or relieved, so it came out as this really confused and stressed look. I told him that I had just went for a walk around the castle grounds, but I think he could tell I was lying. We ended up making a deal; I wouldn't tell anyone that he had failed his duties, and he wouldn't tell my father that I had gone off doing who knows what for half the day."

I nodded, though something still bothered me. Thankfully, I didn't have to ask my question because Uni continued talking. That was a good thing about him. If you want to know something, all you have to do is stay silent for long enough and he's bound to tell you at some point. He was great at carrying our conversations.