The most terrifying part of cliff jumping was standing at the edge of the rock face then looking down into the pool that waited below. It always looked farther than it actually was. Luke wondered if stood there with her long enough, would fear slowly creep into her consciousness, would her knees give out from under her, or would she tremble not because of the cold wind but because of fear? Any of it would have been the reaction of every highborn woman he knew of, the only kind of woman he was acquainted with. Therefore, when the princess elect wrapped her hand around his for whatever reason, Luke felt a fleeting unwelcomed emotion he dared not name. Was it admiration? Was it respect? Was it bliss?

His hand tightened around hers as they ran the short distance and leapt off the edge like crazed teenagers. The sound of her laughter bounced off the surface of the rocks, filling the secret beach and his senses with contagious ecstasy. For a split second, gravity had no hold on them. They were flying like a pair of seagulls gliding in the wind, watching the blue water sparkle under the sun. If standing on the edge was the most terrifying part of cliff diving, Luke believed the best part was precisely the moment his foot left solid ground, when even for a fraction of a second he had defied gravity. But then, it didn’t last long. Reality kicked in. The couple ceased to be free, they were yanked off the sky and plunged into the cold blue pool below.

Luke let go of Rhiane’s hand before they splashed into the water. He let the momentum of the fall push him further down into the depth of the pool. The water was cold, even colder than the tide that teased his toes on the beach. It awakened his senses like a shock of lightning. He would stay suspended in that moment if he could, swim deeper and hold his breath until his lungs burned, but the prince was not alone that afternoon. Worse, his companion would drown if he did not do something. 

Opening his eyes to darkness was not comforting, but he only had to crane his neck upwards to find the light. Luke found her silhouette thrashing above, fighting the water, fighting for her life. Might she have thought that he abandoned her to drown? That would teach her not to be too brave, he hoped. The crown prince exerted himself upward, grabbed her by the waist and hauled her to the surface. 

His first gasp of air was accompanied by laughter he was holding back underwater. The sound was carefree and rather melodious. He was behind Rhiane, holding her with one arm around her waist. “Ms. Black, you ought to learn to swim,” Luke gasped, his lips almost touching her ear. “I can’t be bothered to save you from drowning every single time. Lie against me, I’ll bring us to the shallow part.” 

He waited for her to calm down and do as she was told before he brought them both to a shallow portion of the pool, where white sand met crystal clear water. With the adrenaline gone, he felt the coldness of the afternoon on the exposed skin of his face and occasionally on his arm. He was going to regret bringing up the challenge later when they both had to trek back up the craft with nothing to protect them from the sea breeze. It was fun, nonetheless. In that brief moment they were allies facing the danger of the fall instead of rivals testing each other’s willpower. She felt no different from him despite her being a commoner.

“The water is only up to your shoulders here.” Luke let her go. He encouraged her to stand on her own, though his left hand grasped her right firmly in case she slipped. The cold forced him to crouch a little so that only his head was above the water and they seemed to be of same height. “See, I can’t let you drown however lovely the idea sounds in my head. It’s not because I was worried about what the queen might do next, but I figured that not being able to save a single woman from drowning is an insult to my skills.” The little vacation did wonders to his mood and his overall disposition that day. He felt somehow refreshed and ready to tackle the issues he left at the palace again. Surprisingly, he did not regret bringing a companion along. If anything, the distraction of her presence might have helped. She was not the buzzkill he initially thought she would be, and he appreciated that the farmer girl had the guts to possibly humor his occasional pursuit for adrenaline rush.  

“How did you find your first dive?” he asked out of curiosity.