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and she
wasn’t sure that she wanted him too. He moved closer to her,
dropping a blanket around her shoulders. His hands lingered upon
her for a moment, and she didn’t shrug him away. She found she
needed his comfort, his loyalty, his unwavering love right
now.
    She leaned into him, resting against
his legs. “You need to get some sleep,” he told her.
    “I will.” They both knew she lied, but
he didn’t argue with her.
    When she shivered, he wrapped his arms
around her, pulling her against his chest and cradling her gently.
Though her heart did not thump with excitement, as it had when the
prince touched her, his strong embrace was wonderful. She felt safe
in his arms, cherished. No, he did not affect her as the prince
had, but he was a good man, he loved her, and he would do anything
for her.
    Maybe one day she would love him too,
even if that day couldn’t be now. Now she just wanted to feel
something other than shock and anger and despair. Now she just
wanted to sit with her friend, content in his arms as she listened
to the rain fall. “It smells good,” she said softly.
    Max nodded, nuzzling her hair gently
for a moment. “Yes.”
    Aria closed her eyes, concentrating on
the beat of his heart. The prince had not had a heartbeat; in fact
he hadn’t had a heart at all as far as she was concerned. But Max
did, and he used it freely. He pulled the blanket tighter around
her, the heat of his body, and the soft splatter of the rain slowly
lulled her into a fitful sleep.
    When she awoke again, the sky was just
beginning to lighten; the birds had not even begun to sing yet. She
stared silently at the growing dawn against the walls of the tent.
Max’s arm was wrapped around her waist. She slipped from beneath
his embrace, moving to the edge of the tent to pull the flap aside.
It was going to be a warm day; the air was already muggy with heat.
She sighed softly, slipping from the tent. She wanted to bathe, and
then perhaps do some hunting with Max and William.
    She gathered some of her clothes,
scooped up her bow and quiver. Max and William were still sleeping;
the sun had just poked over the horizon, when she dropped the flap
back into place. She moved swiftly through the forest, winding her
way toward the river they were camped near. She knew she shouldn’t
be doing this on her own, that she should have awakened someone to
come with her, but she needed some privacy today. She needed some
time alone to try and sort through the multitude of emotions
swarming her.
    She made her way swiftly to the river.
She would have preferred the lake, but after the raid they had
moved far from the caves, settling in a new area of the forest. It
would be a long time before they went back near the lake again.
Reaching the river, she stripped quickly and plunged into the
chilly water. Not for the first time she missed the hot water of
the palace, and the delightful spray of the shower. The lake had
been tolerably warm and comfortable, but the river was fresh water
from the mountains, and it did not warm up.
    Aria bathed as quickly as she could,
her teeth chattering and shivering the whole time. She was glad to
escape the frigid water, glad to put some clothes back on so that
she could warm up. Grabbing her bow and quiver, she tossed her
towel over her shoulder and slung the quiver onto her back. The sun
was breaking over the mountains, casting bright rays of light over
the forest. She stood for a moment, her head tilted back to allow
its warm rays to caress her, to soothe her, if only just a
little.
    She didn’t know how long she stood
there for, but the snap of a twig pulled her away from the healing
sunlight to the world around her. Aria frowned, listening as she
heard another soft snap. Moving behind a tree, she dropped the
towel on the ground, and drew an arrow from her quiver. Kneeling,
she slid the arrow easily into the bow. She didn’t have to wait
long before a buck wandered out of the woods, heading toward the
river. Aria