The Varyan Princess

Valencia

"Val..."

Valencia heard her voice but she didn't turn around. Her chest still hurt from the arrow but all she could feel at that moment was anger and disappointment.

"You should have let him take me." She told her.

"Valencia, you know I can't do that," her voice sounded louder, she was closer.

"I don't have a choice. My father wants me, it's not fair to put you in between."

"I involved myself once I started talking to you. This is my choice, not yours." She sat on her cot.

"I can't..." her voice began to shake, tears brimming her eyes. "lose you."

"You won't."

Valencia turned around and faced the knight, anger written on her face. "I will! Escaping the kingdom? Angering the king? This was reckless, to begin with. I should have just listened and done what I was supposed to do."

"And marry prince Arjen?" Yve argues.

"Why not?" She turned around and looked at her bandaged chest.

"Is that what you really want?"

"It doesn't matter what I want. What I had wanted lead to a kingdom-wide hunt."

"Who are you? Where is the mage I met who wanted to find adventure? Who craved it? Where is that mage I met who wanted to know more about her power? Where is that mage? Because this isn't her."

"How can I want those things when I know that it will only lead to almost killing you? I shouldn't have let you come. What kind of princess am I? Putting my subjects at risk?"

Yve has had enough. She stood up and walked to the princess and grabbed her by her shoulders. Valencia was surprised, her grip was firm and it hurt. Yve pulled her close to her face and that's when Valencia saw the sheer amount of anger and frustration within Yve.

"How selfish can you be!" She yelled at her, Yve's grip digging into her shoulder. "How dare you think that I followed you because you're a princess? My actions are my own! When will that ever sink into your brain? Stop blaming yourself for our misfortunes... I came with you because I wanted to, not because you're the princess of Varya." She pushed her back down to the cot.

Tears began to well in Valencia's eyes, she couldn't stop herself from crying. "I-" She began,

"Valencia, we only have each other. If you fall now, I won't have anyone left anymore."

It went silent and all you could hear was Valencia's sniffles and small moans as she cried on her cot. Yve sat down beside her and embraced her.

"I'm sorry," Valencia whispered. "I'm just so scared. I've never been so scared in my life."

"I know," Yve comforted, "But I'm here. As long as I'm here, Val, you are going to be safe. I won't let you get harmed again. I promise that."

•••

"Allagi," Yve whispered concisely and smiled in relief when she saw the sight of a loaf of bread turn into a roasted chicken. She sat on the chair tirelessly and wiped the sweat off his brow.

"How did you do that?" Roesia had walked in on Yve as she practiced the illegal spell.

"Oh, it's nothing, really, it's just a spell."

"Is it real? Is that real chicken?" She asked as she walked around the roasted chicken.

"No," Yve scratches at the back of her head, "it's an illusion of roasted chicken but not actually chicken. It's bread,"