Royal Renegade

Chapter 29: First

Prince Leonidas

A warmth rushes through my chest with her confession.

Last night when she murmured my name in her sleep I knew what her answer would be. I just wanted to hear her say it. 

Satisfied, I brace myself as my wings extend and propel me into the sky. The rush of air is liberating with every flap levitating me further from the Earth's surface until I'm high enough I could touch the top of every tree in sight.

It isn't until I rise above the waterfall that I hover a moment, catching the eyes of a gaping Princess before my wings cocoon me in their soft, mystic, shield of feathers as I dive into the deep, warm water of the small lake.

Every sound of the forest wanes as I leisurely swim from the bottom of the lake to its surface. While peaceful to hear nothing, I feel anxious without Axelia in my sight knowing she's defenseless. 

As soon as I break the surface, she rushes to the shore's edge a few yards away and places her hands on her knees. Dipping back under the water, I glide over to her before rising again to run my hands up my face through my hair. 

"They're gone," she observes with a tone of disappointment as her eyes search over my shoulders.

Her fascinations are adorable. 

"It's not easy to swim with them," I chuckle as I lift an arm from the water in a waving motion towards me. "Come in."

Widening her eyes, she glances over her layers of clothing before shaking her head. "I-I can't. These are borrowed clothes from the Queen. I don't want to ruin them."

How considerate. 

"Then, take them off," I offer a suggestion as I cross my arms on top of a rock to keep my shoulders above the water. 

Her jaw slightly drops, so I allow gravity to pull me back under the water before she has a chance to argue with me. 

The lake is so clear that I can see everything as though it were above ground. For two minutes, I swim around the bottom, watching schools of little fish of varying colors and sizes swarm around the plants about eight feet deep. 

Axelia should be in the water by now. She can't possibly be stubborn enough to wait for me in the snow. 

Curious, I poke my head back out of the water to find that she's disappeared. 

Shadow and Aries are still off to my left drinking water and eating snow. If it wasn't for the sound of her heart steadily beating, I would be worried.

Following her pulse, I spot her climbing a stack of boulders near the waterfall. She's taken off everything but a thin long-sleeve undershirt and pair of leggings, discarding the rest of the clothes on some rocks behind her.

I watch as she dives, forming a perfect arch with her toned body and slips under the water's surface barely making a splash. 

It shouldn't surprise me that she's a natural when it comes to the water, especially when it comes to swimming. 

She's the one who taught me.

Sighing, I wait when she resurfaces for her to join me in the middle of the lake but as she treads and glides closer, my thoughts drift.

I really thought bringing her here would help her remember. 

"The water is so warm," she points out, but doesn't give me a chance to reply before she continues sharing her thoughts about the depth, clearness and size of the lake. I think she carries on to mention seeing a few fish, or a turtle, but I can't focus while my heart aches with such longing.