She wasn't sure what she expected when they went into town. She supposed it should have been no different than the village outside of Verona castle. A baker in Verona had the same worries as a baker in Guardia. A fisherman in Guardia needed to sell fish the same as a fisher in Verona. The village had all the same hustle and bustle of home. In a way, it was comforting to see that despite the change in location, some things remained the same. However, things were different. If her father let her to the village it was with her an armed guard squad of at least six guards minimum. Jack, however, had other plans.

Elsa had sent a simple yet elegant dress for her to wear into town. A Guardia style periwinkle blue cotton dress, embroidered down the front with a burst of colorful flowers with dragonflies in between and black slippers. She could imagine how proud Elsa was of the garment. It had even fit like a glove. Complain about dresses and gifts as she might, but this was as fine as silk and a true labor of love.

She saw Jack with someone waiting for her at the entrance of the castle. She slowly descended the stairs. Her heart was pounding uncomfortably in her chest. Why couldn't she continue to hide away in the library? Or sitting in the gardens? She pushed her anxieties behind and walked over to Jack and his guard. The man's back was turned to her so she couldn't see his face directly, though he had a funny way about himself. Like he was standing hunched. His cloak around his shoulder kept him from view.

"Aqua, this is Bunny. He'll be our escort today."

A yelp nearly escaped her when the man turned around. This was a test. It had to be because their guard was a giant rabbit. He was tall, at least eight feet tall with silver grey fur and a white tuft. There were black swirls up and down his fur, making almost tribal designs. His armor was made of leather, and he had a strange weapon that she had never seen the likes of before along with two daggers in either side of his belt. She cast Jack a nervous look when she saw the rabbit had weapons on him. But Jack apparently missed the look or was pointedly ignoring it.

"The name is E. Aster Bunnymund at yer service, Your Majesty."

He bowed politely to her. It took Aqua a moment, but she managed a slightly fumbling curtsy in return. At least she could hide behind manners while she tried to recollect herself. Never before had she seen a rabbit person or even an inhuman being walking or talking. She knew there were strange and unusual things in Guardia, but strange people had never been discussed. Granted, her father often controlled what people knew and when. It was not out of the question that he hid the existence of an entire race.

"Hey! You're never this nice to me!" Jack whined.

"That's cuz yer a bloody nuisance!"

"Aw, you're so mean Rabbit!"

Between their banter, she had time to recollect her frayed nerves. Whatever she had been expected, it was not this. She took a deep breath and buried her anxiousness deep inside. Aqua watched them with an impassive expression on her face. She would observe, she told herself and then figure out how she should act. For now, she would be cordial with the rabbit man. He was after all, to be their escort off castle grounds. She hadn't left the palace so the change in pace would be amazing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Aqua said.

"See! At least somebody has manners!" 'Bunny' said, gesturing to her.

"I have manners!"

"Don't make me laugh, mate!"

Aqua gave a tight smile. Clearly they knew each other well enough to drop decorum around one another. A pang of loneliness struck her. She didn't have anyone like that in her life. Not in Verona but in Guardia, her walls were keeping people out. She supposed she had Elsa, but Aqua herself didn't feel comfortable to banter the way the people of Guardia did. It was just showing her what she didn't think she could have. But that was nothing new. She couldn't have friends back when she was in Verona. There was no telling who was in her father's pocket and willing to report back everything she said to him. It was hard to know who to trust.

"Jack, shouldn't we get going?"

It took a lot not to call him Jackson but she had to let go of her anger. Letting it fester hadn't gotten her anywhere. She would be lying if she said her heart didn't clench when his face broke out into a brilliant smile. As if the one word had so much power over him. A little puppy eagerly seeking praise. She had to resist the urge to smile. He wasn't completely out of the dog house yet. He had to earn her trust back.

"Yeah! Let's go!"

He offered her his hand, still smiling broadly. Acceptance meant moving forward. Placing her hand in his didn't feel wrong. Then she was walking side by side through the gate with him with Bunny trailing behind them. No one even tried to stop her from leaving. Perhaps it was because she was with Jack and a guard who would keep her from running away. But really, where would she go if she ran? She had nowhere left. She had Guardia and that was it. Her father wouldn't take her back if anything wrong were to happen.

As she walked out through the gate, a guard waved at her. At first, she was confused but then she realized it was Zack Fair. She felt a tension she didn't know she had melt and she waved back. In a way, it was nice to have someone she knew at the guard post. Jack watched her as she waved back to him. Their pace quickened, as if Jack wanted to get her far away from the guard house as possible, as if the guards might prevent her from going out and about after all. She looked to Jack in concern. This was okay, right? She wasn't trapped in the castle like some sort of prisoner, was she?

"Do.. you like him?"

There was a hint of an edge in Jack's voice. Aqua turned back to look at him and realized that the Prince was worried that she had feelings for Zack. Jack was jealous of the soldier. She stared at him almost owlishly in surprised because she hadn't expected that from him. Especially since they hadn't particularly developed any relationship except for the mistrust on her part. She had to make amends, prove to Jack she was willing to give them a chance once and for all.

"He's a good man. He rescued his wife from..."

She trailed off. Perhaps that was personal information but she also didn't think it was a good idea to discuss her father openly. He wasn't likely a topic of good favor here. She hoped that mentioning Zack had a wife would make Jack a little less jealous. Because Aqua was not the type to lead a man to cheat on his spouse. It did make Jack look a little less concerned. Maybe this was a sign that he was a jealous type. Aqua would have to be aware of those sorts of behaviors if they were going to wed. She didn't want to end up like other monarch wives who ended up with their head on a pike because her husband thought she strayed from their bed.

"From yer father." Bunny supplied.

"Yes…" she said quietly.

"And ya helped 'im."

Aqua looked at the guard in surprise and then to Zack's distant figure. He had told others that she had helped him? Still, the fact that everyone thought her father was some sort of monster here, didn't sit well with her. What did they think of her? Without even being there he had already made enemies for her. She could feel the tension rising from inside the guard and wanted to shy away from him. She didn't have anything to do with the decisions her father made during the war. But you didn't stop him either, a small voice whispered in the back of her mind.

"I did…" she said softly.

"So ye-"

"Bunny," Jack said, suddenly stern, "Enough."

Aqua turned to the Prince in surprise. She could see a hardness in his eyes, a firm sort of no nonsense attitude that had taken over. He knew how to be serious after all. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to her. She probably had the look of a lost puppy on her face because Jack's grip on her arm tightened, as if to reassure her. Only her pride prevented her from seeking comfort in the touch. She remained as impassive as ever, just regarding the rabbit man. Would he attack her? What had her father done to wrong him?

She didn't want to know. War was not kind. He probably lost someone important to him in the fighting. If that were the case, then she was sorry for him. She had seen what grief did to those around her but had never actually experienced it herself until now. But this was not a comparable sort of sorrow. No one she cared had been hurt or worse. Her father kept her far away from any war room planning. At first she thought it was to protect her, but now, she was starting to see this wasn't a kindness. He had intentionally kept her in the dark.

"Aqua has made it clear that she wants to end the war as much as I do," Jack continued. "So don't do this."

Bunny regarded the prince before he harrumphed and fell back into step behind them. Jack had that much control over the situation. With one, disarming the tension that had crept over Aqua like a poisonous fog. She had been afraid that he would lash out, seeking retribution for the crimes of war. She would be sticking next to Jack on the duration of her trip. She didn't want to ruffle anyone else's fur while she was enjoying her first bit of freedom outside of the palace.

"Forgive me," Bunny said slowly. "The War isn't an easy topic for me."

"I don't believe it is for anyone," Aqua agreed, "You don't have to apologize."

The rabbit's ears twitched, as did his nose. She offered him the best smile she could muster. He seemed to relax when he saw she wasn't upset. Did he think her some easily offended prima donna? There were nobles like that in her father's kingdom. Insufferable creatures that irked Aqua so much she couldn't spend time with them. Perhaps he had dealt with those sort of fair weather friends before. But he seemed like a genuinely nice person. She didn't want to upset him so her smile became a little more relaxed. Everyone was just on edge. A good outing away from the castle was just what they needed.

"What is the village like? I've only ever gone with an armed escort… Is it safe to only go with the three of us?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yer jokin' right?" Bunny responded.

"No I mean it, father said that the villagers would hurt us if we didn't."

"We don't need Bunny for protection," Jack said. "Dad thought… Well, he figured we should have an escort on our outing… Because he didn't want us getting up to 'mischief' alone."

Jack suddenly looked sheepish. Both Aqua and Bunny gave him a curious (though on Bunny's part it was suspicious) look. Aqua suddenly blushed. There was only one sort of 'mischief' a courting couple could get up to when alone. She wasn't quite ready for anything like that. Bunny was there to make sure that neither of them decided to get to know each other in a very intimate sense. Their guard suddenly looked completely amused at the very notion. He wasn't so much as a guard as he was a chaperone.

"Besides, we have a mission today," Jack said.

"A mission?" Aqua asked, raising a brow.

"Riku's been sneaking out of the castle lately. I want to find out why."