I Wonder,

[paperxairplanes]

Now growing comfortable with the pace of the ride, Sunheri sat hugging her bag to her as she looked around at her surroundings. The countryside of Dallird, she would admit was rather pleasant with it's greenery. At his question, she shook her head, though still aware he wasn't looking at her. "No, life has been very very kind to me. I just love myself very very much, so I'm picky."

 

[detriment]

He had expected her just to outright argue the fact that she was guarded, but her answer somewhat surprised him. It seemed honest and introspective, which he appreciated.

“And how has life been so kind to you?”

He turned his head a bit finally, so that he could look back at her out of the corner of his eye.

 

[paperxairplanes]

Sunheri did like talking, she loved yabbering away about anything so when he asked his next question she had opened her mouth to tell him about how well off her family was. That wasn't a good idea. What if this guy kidnapped her in hopes for a ransom? She shut her mouth and continued staring at the back of his head, noticing him turn a bit to look at her. "I have a family that loves me and a roof over my head." She quirked a brow for him to see, "And your life? Has it been kind? You owe me an answer."

 

[detriment]

He felt at last like he was having a conversation with this woman, and it had only taken mortal danger and causing havoc to a quiet village marketplace.

Listening to her answer he couldn't help but feel like she was being vague, her description of a good life seemed to simple for what he expected it would be for her.

“A family and roof, is all it takes to make you happy? I didn't have you figured for such domestic taste. What of riches, adventure and excitement?”

She quirked her brow and challenged him, an attractive expression he could admit.

“Yes my life has been kind, sometimes I feel more than anyone could deserve.” His answer was honest in a way he never could be at home. How could he say to those that knew him that he didn't deserve to be their future king, that perhaps he didn't even desire it. This woman knew nothing about him though, and that offered him this rare chance at honesty.

 

[paperxairplanes]

Of the three items listed, Sunheri only knew of riches in her life. Excitement and adventure were foreign concepts in her life--at least until this trip of her's. But with the happenings at the village, she decided she could well do without excitement. "I am incredibly domestic," she retorted. For the most part, Sunheri enjoyed the comforts of her own home, the comforts she had from being of wealth. Her features softened at his admittance, eyebrows relaxing as she turned to look in her bag at the jar again. "I suppose that makes two of us, then," her life had been very much without adventure and excitement, but more than that, Sunheri knew her life was void of any meaningful task.

 

[detriment]

Her admission of being domestic puzzled him, he was sure he had her figured out and this contradicted his assumption.

He watched her as she seemed to relax and made her next comment. She assumed that they had something in common, the trappings of status, but she was most likely just a noble born not royalty like himself. Whatever she knew couldn't possibly be on the same level as his own life, at least that was how he felt. He turned to face forward again, surrendering back to the feeling of loneliness he had come her to escape.

His mind wandered back to the word domestic and he realized they were just idly travelling down a country road, with no direction.

“I suppose then that I am taking you home, where is that?”

 

[paperxairplanes]

Sunheri's blue eyes traced the contours of the jar, made of gold, and most likely worth a few market places itself. It wasn't the material of the jar that was of importance to her, but rather it's contents. Eyes continued to graze over it's craftsmanship when she heard his voice speak up again and furrowed her eyebrows. They had reached some point of civility in their conversation, she realized. But civility didn't mean she was any more willing now to take that level of help from him. "I'm pretty far from home," it wasn't a lie. Closing her bag back up she continued on, "And I'm not headed home, I need to go to Levon."

 

[detriment]

He wasn't looking back at her anymore but something gave him the impression she had been off in her own world for a moment. He listened to her answer, and he noted that she had again dodged his actual question. She needed to go to Levon. He had been riding for days only just to meet her here now. If she had been travelling for any amount of time only to make it this far towards his home then she was from very far indeed.

“Levon is a great deal away, what is there for you that you would travel so far?”

 

[paperxairplanes]

Sunheri was aware of the distance of her journey, but that hadn't stopped her from starting it. It hadn't stopped her from sneaking away from her home in the middle of the night nor had it stopped her from finding a place to sneak across the border. "For my grandmother," she said, naturally, though providing no explanation as to what it meant. "What are you travelling for?"

 

[detriment]

He meant to follow up on her answer to find out who her grandmother might be, but before he had the chance she had followed up with her own question. He thought it over, wanting to tread carefully so as to not give away his identity. He thought for a moment of just outright lying but nothing plausible came to mind.

“I just like to leave the castle occasionally.” He said. As his mind had been occupied with not giving away his identity he slipped up and did just that. His back to her he squeezed his eyes closed at his mistake knowing she wouldn't see the gesture. It was a large leap from living in the castle to him being the prince so he would be safe, she had already assumed him to be a knight anyway.

 

[paperxairplanes]

At the mention of the castle, Sunheri pursed her lips. He obviously had money, and had been given the time and training to learn to fight. "So you admit to being a knight?" She craned her neck to peer over at him, but only managed to get a glance at his profile.

 

[detriment]

“I never said that I was. Perhaps I am some lowly steward.” She stretched forward to look at him, thinking she had caught him. He looked back at her and smiled, it was supposed to be a coy smile challenging her with his low status but it most likely just gave away his lie.

He wondered how long he should keep up this deceit. If he was taking her all the way to Levon then his identity would obviously be revealed.

 

[paperxairplanes]

"But you're not denying it either," she stated matter-of-factly as blue eyes focused on his smile. He was handsome, she gave him that much. Just very irritating. Yes, very irritating. "I plan on getting there myself, by the way," she added quietly, in case he had taken her admittance of needing to go to Levon as permission to take her himself. "How much does a horse cost around here, anyway?" Not that Sunheri was particularly fond of riding, but she would probably get to the capitol much faster riding than by foot.

 

[detriment]

His green eyes looked back into hers, feeling for a moment as though he were being studied. He had never felt comfortable with the feeling, but he supposed no one really did. However uncomfortable he felt soon went away when he became distracted by the very things that had made him feel that way. It was a shame he thought, that those two blue eyes always seemed to be burning at him in some fury.

“Well it could get a bit awkward to travel alongside each other not acknowledging one another's presence.”

He thought for a moment of taking a jab at her by saying she did not have to worry and that he enjoyed a slower pace. He decided against it. Just a moment before he had been thinking of her fury and hers was a fire he did not think he could burn out by adding fuel.

“A horse will be very expensive my lady, and what will you do with it once you reach Levon? I think it would be better just to share mine. I can walk alongside if you would find it more comfortable.”

 

[paperxairplanes]

Sunheri looked down at her feet as he refuted her question, furrowing her eyebrows. "So how much would I be paying you for your services?" She ignored the bit about walking along side her, knowing it was ludicrous. Sunheri didn't believe in people just being inherently good, and was sure he just wanted something out of her, "I don't have money to throw at villagers like you."

 

[detriment]

She seemed on edge again, suspicious of him, though for what reason he didn't know. It seemed he was back to being a villager as well which made him smile. Perhaps her general distrust led her to assume he was deceiving her, or perhaps it was a test, which ever it was didn't particularly matter to him. He was far more interested in why she guarded herself so, and her refusal to let him know anything more about her just made him want to learn everything. It was a good thing the road to Levon was long, he might just be able to sneak past her defences with all the time they would have together. For now there was no rush.

“You need not worry about paying me anything my lady, I don't normally charge for the pleasure of my company.”​

 

[paperxairplanes]

Sunheri made a face at his comment, making sure he couldn't see it. "You think you're very charming, don't you?" Despite thinking very highly of herself, she never took well to others who felt the same way. She didn't understand his vested interested in her, and that bothered her. Not understanding things bothered her. Not knowing things bothered her. "So why are you doing this then?"

 

[detriment]

She was gone from his view again, but this time he turned further to try and find her again. He missed her mocking expression but caught the words that came with it.

“Well come now I don't think you could possibly argue otherwise.” Still he smiled.

I all honesty he hadn't thought of any great reason to help this woman. Through a series of circumstances they had come to be together on his horse and both had the same destination so it seemed only natural to offer her the small assistance of sharing his horse.

She was a very attractive woman, but in his mind if what he wanted was to pursue her in that way a few days long horse ride was not the way to go about it.

“Perhaps instead of some dubious motive I just desire to be kind to someone.”

 

[paperxairplanes]

"How effective your charm is depends on the person you're using it on," Sunheri pursed her lips for a second before leaning in slightly so her lips were close to his ear, "And I'm not charmed." She moved back to her spot, contemplating his words as she looked down at her bag and shook her head, "People aren't altruistic," though she wouldn't admit to it easily, she knew deep down she wasn't doing this for her grandmother.

 

[detriment]

He listened to her but suddenly felt her shift closer to him on the horse and her lips came to his ear. Her breath felt wonderful and warm, and it was gone all together to quickly. Had he been in a clearer state of mind he would have had some comment to make about her seeming to admit he was charming and that the fault was with her, but the opportunity was lost on him. His mind was still at his ear straining to see if he could feel any lingering of her there, his skin warm with the memory of a breath blown across it. It wasn't until she spoke again that he was brought back to the present.

"People aren't altruistic,"

“Well it's probably easy to feel that way when you can't let anyone be kind to you.”

His eyes went up to the sky for a moment. The sun was still high but only for another hour or so, then it would be evening and if they hadn't found a place for the night they would be stuck in the dark. Travelling on his own he would often just make camp when he was stuck between villages at night fall, but travelling with a woman that certainly didn't seem appropriate.

“We should hurry, in another hour or so the sun will start to set and we could be stuck in the dark. There must be an inn along this road soon.”

He dug his heels in gently to the horse, telling it to once again pick up its pace. They moved quick enough that he began to feel the wind across his skin, finally erasing the feeling at his ear of that warm breath.