Aribelle went to work, unraveling the tents and pounding stakes into the ground with her fists. She did her best to ignore Thame's presence as he helped her erect the tents without a spoken word. He hadn't thanked her for releasing his brother, but he didn't ask her why she was always so quick to anger either, so she let it go. Thame set Wren's tent far from her own, for which she was thankful, but she said nothing. She was thinking of trying to start a conversation in a way that wouldn't be awkward when Thame spoke.
"I'll go set some traps for dinner."
"I-I could go hunt, you know, in my wolf form. It would be quicker, and I could take something down much larger than a rabbit," Aribelle replied.
"Or we could go together, and I'll set traps while you hunt," Thame said. "We could have the rabbit as a midday snack on our journey tomorrow."
Aribelle cocked her head as she looked at Thame. She was curious as to why he acted like everything was normal around him. Why was he not breaking down like his brother? He should be terrified of her, as her own people were. Yet, he stood gazing at her without trepidation or fear, just a weird sort of acceptance of this other strange way of life.
"What is it?" Thame asked, concerned, looking behind him.
Aribelle laughed lightly, shaking her head as he peered around at nothing.
"I was looking at you, debating on whether or not to ask you my burning question," Aribelle confessed.
"Oh," Thame said, looking oddly relieved. "Let's have a game then."
"Alright," Aribelle said as they wandered between the trees to hunt.
Aribelle did not let on that she rarely ever played a game, or that she was nervous about playing anything with him.
"We will take turns asking each other questions, but the other one can pass if they don't want to answer," Thame said as he moved protruding limbs out of her way, clearing the path ahead of them so she wouldn't get scraped and poked by the brush.
It was a sweet gesture, one that Aribelle was not accustomed to, which made her wonder why he chose to do such niceties. Was it possible to be both ruthless and sweet? She wondered. Other than his understanding and admittance that he would torture intruders the same as she had, Aribelle would never use the word ruthless in describing him.
"Why do they call you 'the ruthless heir'?" She blurted.
That wasn't what her burning question had been, but she found that she had a million of them. She was eager to soak in any knowledge she could learn about Thame, no matter how mundane or simple. Dozens of questions popped to the forefront of her mind. He was intriguing and genuine, but also a mystery and mischievous.
"I am the commander of the imperial army and have been known to show little to no mercy for those charged with treason or crimes against women and children," Thame said. "My turn. What is your favorite season?"
Aribelle's brows lowered in confusion. She asked a personal question, and he answered without pause, even though his answer gave her more knowledge of him and his standing with his father. Not only was he the prince, heir apparent to the crown, but also the commander of his father's army. His question, however, would gain him no knowledge if he had a hidden agenda.
"Winter. I like the way the roses frost over in my gardens. The fires my people sit around and sing and dance. I love the laughter I can hear from my window while children skate on the lake or toss balls of snow at each other. I love the feasts, and the desserts are divine. Basically, it's revelry all season long. Even the hunts are exciting, challenging," Aribelle said as they walked farther, looking for tracks in the mud.
"Here we go," Thame said excitedly.
Aribelle followed his gaze and nodded. There were four small prints making a slightly hooked pattern, several sets of them side-by-side. Thame immediately started making the traps with twigs and a ball of twine he found in one of the packs.
"It's your turn," He reminded her gently.
"Oh. Uh...Why are you so calm about being here, and your brother has gone borderline insane?" She asked bluntly.
Thame laughed, letting her know he was not offended at all by her question. He stood from his squatting position, done setting the first trap.
"Dru was born into the wrong life," Thame said, cringing after the words left his mouth. "I do not mean this in a vicious way — quite the contrary. Dru is a gentle soul, but he is also naïve and innocent, untainted by the ways of the courts. He has not experienced evil, or backstabbing, or anything akin to those things. He spends most of his time ready dusty old tomes from the library and writing journals about ways we could help the poor people he has never even met, let alone seen with his own eyes. This is the first time in Dru's life that he has been without a slew of armored guards surrounding him. But Dru has never cared for the guards, with their weapons and hostile stares, so whenever he does venture outside the palace walls, it is to where our mother used to have her gardens.
"As for myself, I am intrigued and utterly enraptured by everything about you and your people. I find my own life back home boring and dull, nothing like the life you lead here. I find myself envious of your peoples' freedom to run amongst the wildness of the forest, to become something else entirely. I've grown jealous in such a short time of your large family, your kingdom cut off from the rest of the world, your privacy. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am calm mostly because if I had the choice, I think my home would be here."
Aribelle nodded along, her heart skipping a beat at the knowledge that he found her and her people beguiling. She wanted to tell him the same, that she often found herself lost in thoughts of him. He too enchanted her with his easy smile and soothing touch. She wanted to tell him she felt for him too, but she didn't dare. What if she found out that all of this was a ruse to learn the inner workings of her kingdom? What if he and his brother sneaked into Jurot to test her border's defense? There were too many what-ifs for her to trust him wholly, but her heart was still pulling her in his direction.
"Are you attracted to me?" Thame asked, continuing their game and shocking her.
Aribelle froze, looking into his expectant eyes as he waited patiently for an answer. An answer she wasn't sure she should give. If she told him the truth, would he use it against her? If she told him she longed to feel his lips against her own, would he lean in then stick a dagger in her heart? Her heart beat wildly against her ribs, butterflies taking flight inside her belly as she gazed at him. He stepped to her, his eyes never leaving hers as he leaned down. She could see the same feelings reflected in his eyes, scared but thrilled at the possibilities.
His nose rubbed along her own, and her eyes closed in contentment.
"Me too, Belle," He whispered earnestly.
Her lips tilted upward as she inhaled his delectable scent, willing him to wrap her in his arms and hold her tightly. What are you thinking? Her mind screamed at her. Snapping out of her haze, she took a tentative step backward, feeling foolish. She knew better than to trust this man, so why did she keep getting lost in his eyes?
"Don't run from me, Belle, please," Thame said, grabbing her arm gently.
His hand slid down to her hand, leaving gooseflesh in its wake. He tried to hold her hand, intertwining their fingers, but Aribelle pulled away.
"I'm not running. I need to hunt, or else we won’t be eating very much," She said softly.