Ciaran's POV:

When I wake up, I am alone. It is not bad, because I like being alone. Well, I enjoyed it in Vayl because my only company was Master, but here, being alone isn't as fun because I like to pass time with Rowan. My entire body feels rejuvenated from the massage Rowan gave me, and I... gods, I feel happy.

I slide out of the bed and use the restroom, checking the scabs on my leg from the barbed wire. It doesn't hurt anymore and I just want the scabs to heal.

Since I am still not wearing clothes, I don't leave the room, since I don't feel comfortable shuffling through Rowan's clothes and borrowing any. He will not hurt me, I feel confident in thinking that, but I still do not wish to take any of his items without permission.

I hear footsteps and the door to the room opens, and my heart pounds when I see it is the king and not Rowan.

"Ah, Ciaran, correct?" he asks, smiling at me.

I nod, feeling the anxiety creep up inside of me. "Yes, your majesty," I say in a soft voice, and I am very uncomfortable as I am only in undergarments and not in clothes.

"Has Rowan not given you clothes?" the king asks, and I shake my head, not meeting his eyes. "Well, we cannot have that!"

The king enters the room fully and begins to rummage through the drawers of Rowan's wardrobe before handing me silk clothing that is much too fancy for someone like me.

"What is it?" the king asks, noticing my hesitance. "Wrong color?"

I shake my head. "No, your majesty. I am worried to dirty these clothes... they are too nice for me."

"Please, call me Soto," he says, which is a strange name, but I do not comment on it. "And do not worry about dirtying clothing, Ciaran. Rowan is a mess in general and always gets his clothes filthy anyway."

I thank Soto, pulling on the clothes.

"Why don't you walk with me, Ciaran?" Soto asks, opening the door to Rowan's room. "You seem an interesting person and my son is very intrigued by you."

That makes my heart warm.

"Rowan... likes me?" I ask warily as I follow Soto out the door and through the palace.

Soto nods as he escorts me to a gorgeous courtyard with lots of flowerbeds that are very empty because it is winter. We have not had the first snow yet, but it is coming soon, and I know that this courtyard will be so beautiful when it is covered in snow.

"My son has never allowed anyone to sleep in his room," Soto says. "Even people he has helped in the past. He has always brought them to a spare room and made them sleep there. Rowan loves his own space and rarely lets servants in there unless it is to help him run a bath, but even then he usually sets up baths on his own."

That makes me even happier, knowing that Rowan enjoys my presence. I feel wanted and special... he wants me around!

"You like my son, don't you?" Soto asks, and my eyes widen.

"No..." I trail off and bite my lip. "I mean, yes, but he is a prince... heir to the throne, and I am well aware that a prince must marry a woman for future heirs to the throne."

Soto starts laughing and I hang my head.

Of course he is laughing, because he knows I am right about Rowan and his future. He needs to find a wife, probably someone who comes from a wealthy family. It would be my future too if I was still the prince of Vayl.

"Ciaran, I am not laughing at you," Soto says, laying his hand on my shoulder. "I find it humorous that everyone assumes there is always a king and a queen. That is not the case here. I married a man, the other king of Arlian, and he is gone now, but he was the love of my life and no one could stop me from marrying him. We adopted Rowan when he was a year old because his parents could not take care of him and we wanted a child."

I am shocked; this is the most untraditional kingdom I have ever heard of, but I am in love with it. From when I was young, I worried that I would have to marry someone I didn't care for because of my parents, but Soto is saying he could marry who ever he pleased.

And that is beautiful to me. It is amazing that he could choose the partner he wanted and did not have to worry about judgment.

"You seem pleased to hear that," Soto says, and I nod, my face warm as I smile. "My son will deny his feelings because of his fear that he will not be good enough, but he has already been changing."

"How was he before?" I ask Soto, because I've know angry Rowan, annoyed Rowan, and extremely kind and attentive Rowan.

Were none of those versions of him the real Rowan that Soto has known to be his son?

Soto sighs. "When his father died four years ago, he was broken and shut himself away. He didn't interact with anyone other than myself and some of his closer friends, but even then it wasn't much time. He instead focused all his energy on practice his skills with a sword and weapons, because he wanted revenge on the king and queen of Vayl for killing my husband. His father," he explains, and my heart breaks for him.

"I lost both of my parents," I tell Soto, because I feel like I can open up to him. "So I can see why he would close himself off and seek revenge. I wanted revenge for a long while, too, until I became so broken that I had no passion left."

Soto keeps his hand on my shoulder. "I apologize for your loss," he says, and I can feel his genuine sorrow, as if he experienced the death and felt it the same way I did. "When you are comfortable with it, I wish to speak with you about Vayl so we can find a way to rid the world of the horrible people there so there can be peace."

I nod, because I would love to watch Vayl fall. Even if I am supposed to be the one running that kingdom, I am not. I would love to see Vladimir and Daliah fall, to see the poor subjects finally free from the horrid reign of those savages.

"Now, however, I believe my son would be happy to see you are awake and look much healthier than when I met you," Soto says, standing up, so I follow him.

It is midday, and even though it is winter, the sun is shining and I feel warm.

I am surprised when Soto leads me to the stables and has me get on a smaller horse while he gets on one of his own.

"Rowan and some of the warriors love to spar in the clearing out in the forest," Soto says as we start riding toward the gate to the town and out to the forest.

I hear metal on metal and see Rowan and one of the twins from earlier sparring, neither of them wearing armor and only light clothes. My horse listens when I pull on the reigns and stops, and Soto instructs me to get off my horse and let her wander, because she will graze until I want to approach her and go back to the palace.

The horse runs off to a further clearing where Rowan's horse is, and I assume the twins must share the third horse out in the field.

"Did you come to spar?" the non-sparring twin asks, coming to sit next to me.

I shake my head. "No, the king said that Rowan would be happy to see that I am healthier and I didn't want to sit inside," I respond as Soto rides off. "No offense, but which twin are you?"

He cackles. "I am Patrick. See, I have a tattoo on my bicep," he says, and shows me the leaf vine marking that wraps around his bicep.

"It is difficult for me to tell who has the tattoo when you are wearing longer sleeves," I comment plainly, making Patrick burst out laughing.

"You are funny," he says, before glancing up at Roman, who I see cast him a glare. "But I should not be so flirtatious around you, or Rowan may kill me."

As he says that, Rowan knocks Jameson over and stomps over to myself and Patrick, sitting right in between us.

"You only knocked me down once, Rowan!" Jameson calls, glaring at Rowan. "We have not finished our match!"

Patrick hops up. "I'll spar with you, brother," he says, noticing the lack of desire Rowan has to continue fighting. "His majesty has more important matters to attend to."

"Ah, leaving us for a cute boy," Jameson says, shaking his head and lifting his sword. "Someday I will be the one leaving you lot for a beautiful woman."

Rowan scoffs. "Keep dreaming," he says, before turning to me. "You look much more relaxed."

A smile pulls at my lips. "I feel much better," I say, excited as I pull up the leg of my borrowed pants. "The scabs are healing!"

"And the other pains?" Rowan asks, the concern in his tone and eyes makes me feel so much happier than I already was.

I shrug. "Still sore, but I rode a horse without too much pain," I say, watching the twins spar. "Your father let me use some of your clothes..."

Rowan nods. "Yes, I could tell," he says with a grin. "They look big on you, but they look cu-... uh they look nice on you. Comfortable."

"They are," I confirm, surprising both Rowan and I when I lean my body against his, and I'm even more shocked when he responds by wrapping his arm around me and rubbing my side.

"I'm glad," Rowan says in my ear. "Now, would you like to spar?"