The trip back to the kingdom was relatively uncomfortable for everyone. The knights had openly argued with their prince twice during the hunt, and no one dared to speak to him again. Even after all the time Destrian had spent trying to convince the men that he wasn’t the same as his father, they still persisted in treating him as such, expecting him to hold a grudge when they spoke out of turn. But maybe they weren’t entirely wrong. He _had_ been a bit short tempered with them lately, although he now regretted it. Destrian wanted to apologize to the knights, but he knew they would just brush him off. They would make up excuses about how he had no reason to feel guilty, how everything was their fault, and not his. He would just be wasting his breath if he tried. Still, he wondered why he was so moody these past few days. Perhaps it was the stress. His father’s constant pressure to seal an alliance through his marriage had been rubbing Destrian’s nerves raw. And now there was a deadline. He closed his eyes, pushing the thought aside. He didn’t want to think about that now. The rest of the journey was made in dragging silence until the party reached the inner walls of the kingdom. Some of the knights unloaded the elk carcasses to be taken to the royal kitchens where they would be turned into venison, and others led the horses back to the stables. Destrian parted ways with them and returned to the castle to report to his father. The walk back was more peaceful. There were few people on the streets in the inner city because it was home to only the wealthiest citizens of the kingdom. While Destrian enjoyed his occasional visits to the peasant sectors, he liked how freely he could travel in the more secluded towns of nobility. He didn’t have to wear a cloak or worry about frightening anyone here with his presence. The nobles were close enough in status to the royal family that they didn’t trip over themselves trying to impress him. Well… not unless they had something to gain from it, that is. A small group of young noble women noticed Destrian walking by and smiled at him flirtatiously. Ah yes, this was the one downside of the wealthy sectors. Word had gotten out that the king was preparing to arrange his son’s marriage, and now it seemed like all the rich girls in the kingdom were battling for a chance to become a princess. Unfortunately for them, King Merek wished for Destrian to marry a woman from another kingdom for political reasons, but that didn’t stop the noble women from trying. _They’re all fake,_ Destrian thought, turning away from the girls in disinterest. They seemed to misread his gesture as bashfulness, and this sent them into a fit of giggling. He quickened his pace to hurry past them. He had had quite enough of the selfishness of young noble women who vied for his attention just to achieve a higher status. He refused to be manipulated in such a way. Luckily, the rest of his walk went by uninterrupted. He entered the castle and headed straight to his father’s room so he could complete his report and be done with it. At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to spend time alone and get his thoughts in order. Destrian found the king reclining in a cushioned chair on his balcony, looking out over the kingdom. He was wearing plain cotton clothes, which was a little strange to see. Normally, King Merek wore only finely tailored silks, leathers, and furs. Destrian guessed his father was also under stress for him to dress so casually. He cleared his throat to get the king’s attention. “You’ve returned,” King Merek turned to him unceremoniously. “Do you have any news?” “Nothing of significance, Father,” Destrian replied stiffly. “The knights and I managed to bring back three fully grown elk. Everything seemed peaceful in the woods. We didn’t even see any bandits.” He purposefully left out the detail about the reclusive peasant girl. Knowing his father, he would overreact and send an armed party to investigate. He was always worried about magic-using enemies, so he might even give the knights permission to kill the girl. Destrian didn’t want her blood on his hands. “Good, good,” the king turned back to his view of the kingdom. “I only have one other bit of information for you, Destrian.” “Yes, Father?” Destrian felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Any news from his father lately had been nothing but burdensome. He dreaded what might come next. “I have arranged a ball in three days’ time,” the king continued. “All of the young princesses and noble women I’ve arranged for you to meet so far have been invited, along with three others.” He peered over his shoulder at Destrian. “I thought that this would make your decision easier. Now you can see all of them at once and choose who you would prefer to marry.” Destrian hesitated for a moment before he spoke again, “I understand, but, Father, I still—” “Princess Faerydae had a lovely face, don’t you agree?” King Merek cut him off as though he had never uttered a word. “And her hips were wide, perfect for bearing children. You are going to want descendants to continue our line, so she would make a fine bride. I hope you will consider her.” “She was also the vainest of the lot,” Destrian muttered under his breath. “What was that?” the king raised a brow at him. “Nothing, Father,” Destrian said quickly, shifting uncomfortably. “I will consider her.” “Good. I would also like you to take another hunting party out tomorrow. We will need more food for the guests at ball.” “Yes, Father.” “That is all. You may go now.” Destrian bowed his head and turned away, glad to leave the king behind. He returned to his own room and collapsed on his bed, letting out an exasperated groan. Three days until he had to face those petty rich girls again. Even worse, his father expected him to make some sort of decision after the ball. Perhaps he could get away with simply narrowing down his options rather than choosing a bride right away. That would at least buy him some more time, but he still had to pick one of them eventually. The thought turned his stomach. Yes, they were all outwardly beautiful women, but they were vile and manipulative on the inside. Destrian got up and retrieved his lute. He settled down in a chair and plucked at the strings, humming a simple melody. Music always calmed his nerves. He closed his eyes and lost himself in the relaxing strum of his instrument, letting all of his troubles be forgotten. -- The following day, Destrian led a fresh hunting party out into the woods. He had had good luck on the last trip, so he brought them to the same area as before. Also like before, the knights managed to take down three elk –Destrian’s first shot had missed this time, a testament to his distracted thoughts. They collected the carcasses and bound them to the horses to be carried back to the kingdom. This trip had taken longer, and it was nearly high noon by the time they finished hunting, so instead of traveling directly back, they decided to stop and eat in a nearby clearing. Their accompanying servants brought out bundles of previously prepared food and distributed them among Destrian and the knights. There were none leftover, so the servants foraged for berries to satiate their hunger. Destrian watched them pityingly. He would have offered to give them his food, but they would never accept it. Instead, he finished his lunch quickly and proposed that he would help the servants gather food for themselves. Of course, they tried to decline his offer, but Destrian wouldn’t take ‘no’ for an answer. “I can’t have my people go hungry when I myself am full-fed,” he retorted. “What kind of prince would that make me?” That was enough to silence the servants’ protests. Destrian headed out into the woods, leaving the knights to stare after him in confusion. He didn’t care. He just wanted to do _something_ to make the servants’ lives easier. Besides, he wanted to take every opportunity to spend time alone lately, and this was a perfect way to do so. He wandered among the shrubbery, looking for bushes that bore edible fruits. It was then that he heard the voice. Destrian tilted his head slightly. It sounded like the high, lilting tone of a woman, but what would a woman be doing so far out in the woods? He suddenly remembered the peasant girl from the day before and smiled to himself. How ironic would it be if they ran into each other twice in two days? He followed the sound until he found its owner. Much to his surprise, it _was_ the girl from before. She was singing a song he had never heard before, her voice carrying the notes sweetly. She did have a marvelous voice. He stopped behind a tree to catch the end of her song. **_You'll come back when they call you_** **_No need to say goodbye_** “Beautiful,” Destrian stepped out from behind the tree when the girl finished singing, clapping his hands together as though he were her audience. “I hope you don’t mind. I heard you from a distance and I just had to know who was singing so wonderfully. As fate would have it, it seems we meet again.”