After catching her breath, she did, kicking her legs a little. They still didn’t touch the ground, and she smiled. It was actually a little fun now that it wasn’t scary. Seeing her relax, Azam smiled, his grip on her loosening slightly. She tipped her head back to look at the clouds moving, and when she did, her body tilted back.
‘Don’t worry, I’ve got you,’ Azam said, voice still low. He eased her onto her back, hands gentle as they shifted under her, and then she was floating. The water was cold on her scalp, but she was used to it now. She spread her arms, like a bird taking flight. Closing her eyes, she relished the warm sun on her cheeks, the way it felt like a kiss. She smiled to herself, delighted and utterly at peace.
When she opened her eyes again, Azam was looking down at her through lidded eyes, a tender expression on his face. It made her feel a little shy, but he didn’t look away. She felt his gaze lingering, even as she looked back up at the sky, and it made her feel like tiny little butterflies were fluttering in her stomach.
‘It’s amazing,’ Sonya said. She shifted forward so she could be upright, and Azam helped her until they were facing one another again.
‘I love it, but this is nothing,’ he said. The ends of his hair werewet and curling. ‘When I was a child, my parents took me down to the Cliffs.’ Of course, she knew of the Cliffs. They were on the southernmost end of the Crownley Province in the Kingdom of Fairendelle, while Castletown was in the middle of the province. ‘I was around nine years old, and it took almost two weeks to get there because we made many stops along the way. My mother was picking things up for the shop so we passed through Whitebridge, Stoneville, even Old Town, though there wasn’t very much there, except for that famous apothecary. We finally made it to Seaview and, Sonya, you can’t imagine what it was like. Endless water as far as the eye could see, and further beyond.’
Sonya listened, enraptured, trying to picture it, but he was right; she couldn’t. She had seen a landscape painting of the Cliffs, but she was sure the reality was far more enchanting.
She couldn’t fathom how big the world really was. Even coming down from the castle into the Outskirts felt overwhelming, but more than a week’s travel to the edge of the province, the edge of the kingdom? She couldn’t wrap her mind around it.
Azam continued, telling her how they took a trail down the Cliffs until they reached the beach, which had the softest white sands. ‘Like walking through a field of sugar! And the water, it was turquoise blue, as if it was poured straight out of a paint tube! The day was hot and we waded into the waves. They were gentle, much like the lake’s, but as you went deeper, they got stronger, and a riptide could have pulled you clear out into the ocean.’
Her eyes widened. ‘Luckily, my father taught me how to swim,’ Azam said. He got a faraway expression, sighing. ‘I want to take Dania, one day.’
‘Will you teach me how to swim?’ she asked, even though she was afraid. Her words had the intended effect; Azam’s face brightened.
He spent the next hour or so teaching her how to kick her feet so she could tread the water and swim on her own a little. ‘It’s a good skill to know,’ he said.
‘I’m sure it is,’ she replied. She had never been close to water like this before. If her father and brothers saw her now, they’d surely all faint from the sight. The idea made her feel a bit guilty, but excited her, too.
They stayed in the lake until the sun arced behind the trees and the weather suddenly dipped. Azam brought her back to shore until she was on her knees in the pebbles—she was still trying to stay covered while Azam got out first, though she couldn’t help herself from watching as he walked out of the water toward his clothes.
She couldn’t help it, her eyes were transfixed. She had never seen the male form like this before, the bare skin and muscles. It was true that she was surrounded by men constantly in the castle, but the soldiers were always in layers of armor, distant even if they stood just behind her. This felt much more intimate, and she couldn’t get enough—as if she had been starving and had only just realized.
When Sonya got out of the water, Azam was a perfect gentleman: he didn’t look as she wiped the water off her skin before pulling her dress back on, lacing it up the front. She was glad he’d told her not to change; she didn’t mind the uniform dress getting wet or dirty.
‘Ready?’ he asked, a few minutes later.
‘Yes,’ she replied, and he turned back to her, smiling.
He held his shoes, the socks stuffed in. Water droplets fell onto his collar from the ends of his hair, and she watched as one slid down the long column of his throat, disappearing beneath the open neck of his shirt, which was sticking to his skin. Her heart raced, and she looked away, though not before a delicious thrill shot through her.
They both walked barefoot through the forest on their way home. When they passed a blueberry bush, they paused to pick the fruit, their fingers turning purplish from the blueberry juice. The berries were sweet. Azam tossed one in the air, catching it in his mouth, and she laughed.
They were at the end of the forest, heading toward the Outskirts, when they heard the sound of horses. A whole team of them, it sounded like. Suddenly, fear shot through her.
Sonya turned, and yes, there was the flash of silver. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest at the sight of the castle guards as they grew closer and closer.
She felt faint. She knew they were looking for her. They wouldn’t immediately recognize her with her new hair and the dress, but one glimpse of her face and surely they’d know it was her.
Sonya stumbled, then held onto Azam’s arm. She hid her nose against his arm just as the horses galloped past, her hair falling in front of her face.
She held her breath until the last of the sound of the horses receded. She released Azam’s arm, though she was shaking.
Azam watched her carefully, and she felt sheepish. ‘Sorry,’ she said, voice quiet.
Something crossed his face, and she braced for questions, but he didn’t ask her anything, which she was glad for. She was not a good liar, and she didn’t know if she could lie to him outright.
It was already difficult enough to not let him know that she was the princess. He was so open and honest with her about everything, and it made her feel guilty, but she could not risk it.
They walked home in comfortable silence, and Sonya released a long breath when she entered the warmth and safety of the cottage once more.
There was an unfamiliar pair of boots by the front when Sonyaset her shoes down, which meant they must have a visitor. Apprehension ran through her once more, but after wiping her feet on the mat, she followed Azam inside.
She was correct; there was, in fact, a visitor. A handsome old man with dark skin and a white beard sat with Kiri on the couch, the pair of them drinking tea. The garden door was open, and Sonya glimpsed Dania outside.
