Their soaked clothes hung over a tree branch, water dripping from them ceaselessly. They had decided to keep their underclothes on, although both of them were tempted to take them off since they were also soaked.

They spent some time gathering twigs, stones, and dry grass to make themselves a makeshift fire pit, but no matter how they tried they couldn’t light a fire. Frederick considered pretending to use the stones to make a spark but using his magic to light the actual fire, but in the end, he decided that wasn’t the best idea.

They agreed that they would make their way home when the sun began to set, or when their clothes were relatively dry - whichever one happened first. Frederick squeezed his underwear to get as much of the water out as possible. He could have sucked the water out of his clothes himself, but if he did that then they would be able to go home quicker, and he wanted to spend a little more time near the lake.

Lily wiggled where she sat with a content smile on her face. It occurred to him that his treatment of both her and Mimi had been unfair - he didn’t need to be rude to get them to beg for him to go home. He might have actually had a better chance with his plan if he’d have spent some time explaining himself to them. It was too late to do anything about the awful first impression he might have made, but he at least hoped he could still work to get them on his side. As unfair as it might have been, he wanted to learn more about Lily in the vaguest hope it might help him protect Liam.

“I’m sorry, Lily.”

She froze just as she stretched her arms above her head. They dropped to her side and she opened and closed her mouth a few times before pursing her lips. “Sorry for what?”

“For how rude I’ve been. I didn’t want to come here so I thought if I made you not like me I might be able to go back home.”

She laughed. “You don’t like the peasants that much?”

“It’s not that. I mean, I’ve heard some scary stories about things that happen out here, but that’s not why I didn’t want to come. I just…there are always people who want to hurt my family - that want to hurt me because I’m the prince. Out here I’m not as safe as I was in the palace.”

“Your parents made you come here even though it’s not safe?” The smile fell from Lily’s face and she frowned in a way he had become rather familiar with, but this time it wasn’t directed at him. “That’s dumb.”

Frederick nodded. His father had told him that sometimes it was necessary to take risks, but what could he do if he were put in danger? As ‘naturally talented’ as he was, he was still just a child with under-developed power, and by the time his knights might learn of his situation, who knows what might have happened to him.

Of course, he knew that it was silly to get worked up over something that hadn’t actually happened yet. Perhaps his father had already dealt with the problem and that’s why he sent him here? Or the danger was actually in the palace so he was safer here than he was at home? Regardless, he found himself the tiniest bit grateful that he had been forced to gain some new experiences.

“By the way,” Frederick said as he scooted closer to her, deciding his inner thoughts had run their course, “will you use your power on me?”

“What!?” Lily shook her head strongly enough that she fell forward. “That’s not a good idea, I can’t do that.”

“Please.” He took her hand in his and squeezed it. “I need to know something, and it would help me if you did.”

Lily bit her lip and looked around before sighing and nodding her head. After a few deep breaths, she took his other hand and knelt in front of him. Frederick mirrored her and sat on his knees.

“What should I make you feel?”

He thought for a moment. Considering the story she had told him about the man she had made ‘too sad’ he didn’t really want to risk harming himself, and it was a huge enough favour already.

“Happy?”

He figured that was the best way to figure out what he needed to. That was what he felt when he first met Liam, so it made sense to try to copy the same emotion. In truth, he didn’t really know what he expected to get from this plan, but it was better than nothing. Part of him felt that this was why his father sent him away despite the danger. If Liam had put him under some kind of spell then spending a few weeks away would be enough to break it, or at the very least weaken it.

Lily nodded. A small, scared noise escaped her as she closed her eyes. For a second he wondered if she was going to change her mind, but soon a warmth began to spread through his chest. His fingers tingled and it became much more difficult to sit still. Just as the feeling began to intensify, Lily pulled her hands away. The feeling still lingered, although it wasn’t as intense as when she had been casting her spell.

She looked him in his eyes and placed her hand on his thigh. “Are you okay?” It was impossible to ignore the concern in her voice.

“Yes, thank you. Now I’m sure of it.”

Her head dropped to the side in a silent question, but he shook his head. All he wanted was to know whether or not Liam had ever used such a spell on him, and now he was more than certain that he hadn’t. There was something unnatural about the feeling, and the second she took her influence away the feeling began to fade away. It was a completely different experience than when he had met Liam.

“Okay.” She looked at the sky before glancing over at their still soaked clothes.

He couldn’t help but be grateful that she didn’t push further, but guilt gnawed at him. He had practically used her to make himself feel a little better, let alone the fact he made her do something that she really wasn’t comfortable with.

“Shall we go back?” he asked.

“No, it’s not getting dark and our clothes are still wet. I’m okay to stay here a little longer.”

Frederick nodded. He glanced over at their small fire pit when he noticed Lily was shivering. Just like her, he didn’t want to go back so soon either. It was rather nice being in a place where they could talk openly about things they would usually keep hidden. With that thought in his mind, he held his hand above the pit. Heat swelled in the palm of his hand, and soon the dry grass erupted into flames.

“What!?” Lily lunged forward, almost planting her face into the flames. If Frederick hadn’t caught her shoulder in time she would have ended up with some pretty nasty burns. “How? I thought your element was water.”

He nodded. “That’s what most people think. ‘All nobles belong to one elemental family’. But for some reason, I could use anything…but the first element I could use was water, so my parents decided it was best for me to pretend that was my element.”

“And your friend can use fire, but also has the same power as me?”

He nodded. “My teacher told me he thinks that most people have the potential to learn more than one kind of magic, but that since it’s better to focus on mastering one most people never learn how.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “But still only nobles can do it? That’s not fair.”

“Maybe that’s not true. Maybe everyone can…”

He had never heard of peasants discovering their power naturally, but that didn’t mean they didn’t exist. Lily said she didn’t know who her real father was, but that didn’t mean he had to be a noble. When his parents found out he was researching the origin of magic, they stopped him and he received the sternest lecture. He didn’t understand why, if he was going to be kind he felt it was important that he learn that. His teacher told him that it was something he would learn when he was older and that he should focus on not setting the palace on fire again.

Thinking about it made his head hurt. Sometimes he cursed the fact that he was still a child. Even the fact he was sent away from the palace against his will reminded him of how powerless he was at that point.

He wondered if his parents knew about Lily’s power. If they did then surely they wouldn’t have sent him there. But then, they were close to her parents. Could it possibly not know that Evalia had the same power?

When Lily shifted her position so that she was lying on the floor, Frederick fixed his gaze on her.

“I’m sorry too, by the way,” she said with a yawn. “I decided you were a spoilt, selfish noble before I ever met you…but you’re not that bad.”

“I’m a prince..of course I’m spoilt and selfish.”

“That’s true. Just don’t be mean to Mimi anymore.”

“Why don’t you call her ‘grandmother’? Is it normal to call your grandparents by their names?”

Lily scoffed. “Mimi’s name is Catherine. I called her that once, but I quickly realised it was a mistake. She’s terrifying when she’s mad.”

“Why Mimi then?”

Lily shrugged. “She wasn’t my grandmother when she first took me in. Mama and Papa got married when I was three, and by then I was used to calling her ‘Mimi’ so I just didn’t stop.”

They spent the last few hours of daylight waiting for their clothes to dry a little more while they swapped stories about their family. Lily seemed very interested in his parents and commented more than once on how normal they seemed. To him they were just his parents, the fact that they were royalty was just a part of who they were. Lily seemed to think that was odd.

When he told her stories about her parents, times he had tried to escape from them or had tantrums because they made him do things he didn’t want to, she laughed. But still, she looked a little lonely. It made sense that she was, she should be telling him stories about her parents and not the other way around.

Still, her face lit up when she spoke of her time with Mimi and her neighbours. He was fascinated by them. He would never be able to build such strong relationships with the families closest to him, they just wanted to use him to get more power. He envied her freedom, and her ability to trust people easily.

He had never realised just how empty his life at the palace was. He saw enemies everywhere, and his only friend very rarely got the chance to visit. Spending a little bit of time, even just a couple of months, away from people who only saw him as a means to an end was a better experience than he had expected it to be.

*Author note: I'd appreciate comments about this chapter because I really am not happy with it :S