The cold water sent a shiver up her spine as it washed over her feet. Generally she favored the heat, simply because she was much more acclimated to working fields in sweltering weather, but Rhiane had no regrets for wading into the ocean until it covered her ankles. The silicone brace on her injured joint was chilled and the twisted muscle soothed by the refreshing liquid. It was not nearly as effective as an ice pack but it provided minor relief all the same. When the doctor and nurses had given her options for pain management she was certain they had not considered being whisked to an island just off the coast with winter approaching. The princess elect thought to bring to Luke's attention how unintentionally considerate he was being to her trivial impairment but ultimately decided against it. His ego was large enough without praising him over the beneficial byproducts of his selfish desires. Perhaps once he was [i]actually[/i] Prince Charming- assuming that was even a possibility- she'd admit what personality traits or actions she admired.

"I am every bit as brave as I've said," Rhiane boasted, slightly irked by his doubt. Her gaze followed his finger towards the cliff as she very reluctantly let herself be led away from the shore. With her feet damp, but no longer submerged, it felt as if every granule of sand stuck to them. Rationally she knew that the hem of her pants had not become objectively colder yet the soaked edge of her clothing felt positively frigid as it rubbed against her skin. The beach had its appeal but was unforgiving to those that sought to depart its embrace. If they didn't have servants back at the castle she knew would be tasked with cleaning up every speak of the intrusive sand she imagined they would learn to hate the invasive substance. Once she had spilled salt in the kitchen. Days after she had swept the floors she could still feel its grit underfoot as if it had a persistent will of its own to wedge itself in the cracks and never leave.

"I promised you that I wouldn't lie to you," she stated as they arrived at the hovercraft. In the last few minutes her balance had improved though she still found it incredibly awkward to be on such an uneven surface with a brace tight on her limb. "You have to work a bit harder to become the most 'awesome' person I ever met, your highness- that doesn't come with just having a crown. Besides, I wouldn't [i]dare[/i] to say your first name without your explicit permission so I couldn't repeat that sentence even if I wished to," she reminded him cheekily. That he was keeping her at arm's length regarding their given names had not been ignored even if his better spirits had made him slightly more congenial.

"I accept your challenge," Rhiane asserted as she opened the door and slid into her seat with steeled determination. She didn't rise to absolutely every dare that was laid in front of her but she had a hard time resisting most. It was a weakness she suspected that sometimes Luke himself shared in.

Truthfully she was worried. She did not think the crown prince would let her drown, at least not until the queen allowed him to be rid of her in a decade, but there was inherent danger regardless. The princess elect was putting her life in his hands. Once they hit the water they would be deep enough that she would, without knowing how to swim, probably sink if she could not manage to struggle to the surface. Luke would be responsible for hauling her back to safety no matter how desperately he wanted to be rid of her. Wryly she wondered what happened if he failed and she died to their foolishness. No one had briefed them on whether or not the implant would remain active if one of them was a corpse. There was a cavalier morbid joke on the tip of her tongue but she elected not to give voice to it. Once Luke inevitably slipped back into a sour mood she'd let loose her disconcerting sense of humor; there was an atmosphere at present she did not want to chase away, but if he was back to being the dictionary's descriptor of an arrogant ass there would be nothing to lose.