Flora always felt better in the midst of nature. It soothed her, reminded her of being with her family, and appeased her powers when it became too much. She could place her hands on the ground and wildflowers would sprout as she let go of the energy. However, when she ran out of Krystal's room and down the halls of the palace, Flora stumbled out into the snow-covered ground, not a spot of lush green to be found.

She sank down onto the ground and placed her hands on top of the snow, the warmth of her skin melting the icy crystals into water. Her hands met dark, hard ground and when she concentrated her energy, all she managed to conjure was a few short blades of grass. Seeing what little she had done; Flora began to cry even harder.

How could she let herself get so upset by the prince? She thought that she was able to control her powers, she had spent years learning how to manage them and her anger. She felt like a failure. She told herself that she would never let the anger get to her again, but she couldn't let him know about her. But of course, now he knew.

Flora wanted to tell him when the time was right. When he and Krystal were married and had their heir on the way. Krystal carrying the child of the prince would have cemented her spot in the Hademort royal family and she would not be cast away when Helia and his father found out about her. Krystal would be safe, even if she wasn't, that never mattered. But she now had messed that all up. Helia knew and with that, he knew that she was different and as far as Flora knew, different meant being dangerous. Nobody would want someone like her in the palace or the country. Worse, Krystal would suffer because of her mistake.

Helia would see to it that both of them would be banished from the country. Who would forgive someone for bringing someone like her to their country? By the look on the prince's face, Flora could assume that there was no one in like Hademort like her. She didn't know of anyone possessing the powers she did outside of Linphea. Maybe, just maybe Flora could negotiate something with Helia. She would leave so that the princess could stay. No, she had made a promise to King Titus that she would look after the princess and keep her safe. She didn't think that she would ever have the need to use her powers, she never expected that she would use them yelling at the prince.

The prince...Prince Helia. She didn't want him to find out. She told him that she wasn't worth loving, that she was a monster, and now Helia knew. Flora sunk into the snow outside of the palace and brought her knees to her chest as she cried. As she cried, her body began to glow a faint green.

"Stop it." she scolded herself as she willed the magic to subside. "Stop, stop, stop..."

The light dimmed a bit and Flora knew that she had to calm down but how could she when she had left Princess Krystal alone with the prince after what she had done? Krystal would never forgive her, Helia would hate her and see her as a monster. Everyone would know. Everyone would hate her. They would want her dead. It would be better if she was dead.

Flora felt her dress become wet with snow and her body began to shiver as she cried. She didn't care about the cold, that isn't what mattered. She would be sick in the morning and that would give her an excuse to hide in her room. She wouldn't be able to feel the glares of the other people in the palace as she walked through the halls, and she wouldn't have to see Helia.

It just hurt so much. She loved him and she told him that they couldn't be together for this very reason. He didn't need to be with someone like her and he was intended to Krystal. She told herself that she would never fall in love again after what he did all those years ago. Every time she closed her eyes for too long, Flora could see his face, hear her parents' screams, and feel the absolute heartache that came when her sister's body fell lifeless onto the wooden stage. She would never go through something like that, the utter betrayal that she had felt. She couldn't go through that again. Flora wanted to believe that Helia wouldn't be like Anagan and the other people of Linphea, but she never thought that Anagan would be like the way he was either. It was best to keep Helia away.

But she loved him so much. Against her better judgment and contrary to the voice in her head yelling at her, telling her that she was wrong and needed to forget the moody prince, she loved him. So, so much.

Her body began to ache, and Flora couldn't tell if that was because of the growing cold and the wind as it rushed through the mountains and to her skin. Or if it was because of the feeling of emptiness beginning to consume her body. Maybe if she stayed out here long enough...

"Flora?"

The voice was soft, "Flora, dear, what are you doing out here?"

Flora turned her head to see Saladin standing in the doorway, light flooding from behind him casting a large shadow over her crouched body.

"You will catch the fever if you stay out here." Saladin stepped out of the doorway and to Flora where she sat in the snow. He removed the cloak around his shoulders and draped it over her own. She immediately felt herself become consumed by the warmth of the cloak and her muscles relaxed under the weight and heat of the furs.

"We need to get you inside, dear." Saladin remarked as he looked back at the palace door, "Come on," he pulled Flora up to her feet, "I'll make you a warm cup of tea."

Flora sniffled as Saladin walked over to where Flora was seated in front of the small fireplace in the kitchen of the servants' quarters carrying a small cup of hot tea. The rest of the palace had gone to bed and the kitchen was quiet, the only sound was the crackling of the logs as Flora sat and stared at the flickering flame. She felt guilty for enjoying the warmth. She didn't deserve to feel the glow of the fire on her skin or bask in its warmth. She should be dead, like the rest of her family.

"Here you are, my dear." Saladin handed Flora the cup of tea. She didn't look at him and instead kept her eyes trained on the fire.

"You should have left me out there." Flora's voice was quiet and apathetic.

Saladin pulled back the cup of tea and sighed. He sat down in the wooden chair next to Flora, the same wooden chair that Helia would sit in as he read to her. Realizing the significance, Flora raised her hand to quickly brush away a tear as it threatened to fall down her cheek.

"And risk you falling ill or worse? Prince Helia would never let me live it down if I had let you stay out there instead of bringing you in and warming you by the fire." Saladin chuckled.

Flora snapped her head to look at Saladin as he laughed. Did he know? She knew that the prince and Saladin had an odd relationship between servant and royal, but did Saladin know how Helia felt about her? Did Helia tell him?

"Do not act so surprised, dear." Saladin chuckled as he made another attempt to hand Flora the cup of tea, this time she took it in her hands and held it close to her body. "I have known Helia his whole life and he has never looked at the way that he looks at you and has never talks about anyone the way that he talks about you."

"I don't think that His Highness would care about any of that now," Flora sighed, "not after what I did."

Saladin inhaled through his nose and took a sip of tea from the cup in his hands, "And what is it that you did?"

Flora kept her mouth shut; she didn't want anyone else to know. She pulled the cloak that was still around her shoulders tighter to her, wishing that it would swallow her whole or perhaps shield her with invisibility. She would give anything to not be here.

"That bad, huh?" Saladin replied, setting his cup of tea down on his lap, cradling the cup between his hands.

"He knows who I am, and I am fairly certain that I have gotten the princess in trouble too. I made a promise to her, to her father, and to myself that I wouldn't let anything happen to Her Highness and now..." Flora began to cry again and raised her hand to catch the tears that welled in her eyes before they could fall fully onto her cheeks. "I failed and I have let everyone down. I have shown His Highness the monster I am and how could he ever..."

"My dear," Saladin leaned forward and placed a hand on Flora's knee, "I don't need to know all that you have done or how you could ever think that you are a monster, but I do know that Helia loves you. He might be stubborn and a little cold at times, but my grandson has grown up around monsters and I can guarantee you this, you are not one of them. Not even close."

Flora's eyes widened as she looked at the old man to the side of her. How had she not seen it before? Helia was the spitting image of his father with the exception of his long hair and having his mother's eyes, but it was now that she saw how much he favored the old man who oversaw the palace servants.

"Your Majesty!" Flora quickly bowed her head. "I did not know that-"

"Please, don't." Saladin gave Flora a small smile, "I gave up my title what feels like a lifetime ago. It wasn't what I wanted. But I love my grandson and all I want is for him to be happy, that is all that I have wanted. I have never seen him so happy, and it is thanks to you. You don't think I know about your secret meetings with Helia? My dear, nothing goes on in this palace that I don't know about. And as a former king, I know about you."

"You know about..." Flora didn't want to finish.

"My son might be more preoccupied with showing power through physical and military strength, I have always been partial to showing power through the knowledge and secrets I have obtained through the years. A merchant from Linphea told me all about you and the Guardians of Linphea. He told me what it is that you had done and when I was able to weed through the exaggerations and hyperboles of his stories, I was able to gain some understanding of you and your experience. But I know that I will not fully understand what you have been through without hearing it from you yourself, nor will Helia."

Flora held her head down, she didn't want to tell her story. She wasn't ready and she didn't know if she would ever be ready. Miele had been the one to die on that stage that day and Flora was the one who wiped out her whole village in a matter of minutes, she shouldn't be the one to feel terrible. She was the monster, and she should live with the guilt by herself.

"I don't deserve your kindness or anyone else's. The prince has every right to cast me out and never speak to me again. I just...I hope I didn't ruin everything for the princess. I don't want to watch her suffer because of me; I don't want to watch anyone suffer because of me. I have already caused enough suffering."

"But you are so wrong, my dear. I have seen the way that the princess smiles and laughs whenever you are near and Helia is finally happy. This is all because of you." Saladin took in a deep breath, "Don't give up on yourself while there is still hope all around you. The walls of the palace haven't come crumbling down yet." Saladin rubbed the top of her knee with a light and comforting touch before he stood up and drank the rest of his tea.

"Get some rest, dear. Tomorrow is another day filled with new worries and possibilities."

Saladin left the kitchen as Flora continued to stare into the fire and sip the tea that Saladin had given her. The tea had cooled down, but it still warmed her cold body after her time outside. The dark green fabric of her dress began to dry in front of the fire, but her tears still fell, staining her cheeks with white streaks of the salt from her tears. Saladin had done his best to console her, but it was as if in one moment, all of the feelings that she tried to keep hidden came up to the surface after all those years.

Flora closed her eyes and did her best to calm down, she had to stop crying. She had to regain control of her emotions. She needed to stop crying before she went to bed, or she would never get any sleep. Flora had to be okay for Krystal, even if things really weren't okay. If Krystal were in trouble because of Flora's mistake, Flora would have to be strong for them both. She would take all of the blame, let Azrael and Helia do whatever they saw fit to her, just as long as they left the princess in peace.

As her eyes were closed, Flora heard footsteps approaching from down the hall. Someone was coming and Flora didn't want them to see her like this. She prayed that it was Saladin, returning for something that he might have forgotten but when she opened her eyes and turned her head, all thoughts of putting on a brave face and calming her nerves completely dissolved into nothingness.

Standing at the doorway of the large kitchen was the person she wanted to see the least at that moment. Helia stood straight, his hair pulled into a low ponytail, and his eyes trained on Flora. He didn't look mad, in fact, Flora thought that he looked almost sad. Like he had taken pity on her. He shouldn't look at her like that.

Flora rose to her feet, leaving her place in front of the fire as she gave Helia a low bow.

"Your Highness." Flora quietly greeted the prince, doing her best not to let her voice waver. She rose but kept her eyes trained to the floor, unable to look at him directly.

Both stood in silence, waiting for what felt like an eternity for someone to do or say something. Flora waited for Helia to speak first, not wanting to start the conversation when she knew that she was the one in trouble. Helia waited, not knowing the right words to say.

"I...I..." Flora stammered as she found her voice, "I was just heading to bed once I finished my tea but if you needed something, Your Highness I could-"

"She told me." Helia cut Flora off. He didn't sound angry, he didn't really sound like much of anything, his voice cool and calm. Still, Flora worried about what was going on in Helia's mind. What did Krystal tell him? How much did he know? What would happen to her? She had essentially attacked him in Krystal's room and now he was down here, talking to her.

"She told me about what you did," Helia took a step forward towards Flora, "what your village did."

Flora kept her head down as she continued to cry. She could feel him coming closer to her, but she didn't have it in her to look up at him. Soon, his feet came into view underneath her, and she felt his warm hand under her chin, lifting her head to meet his gaze. She had never seen a softer expression from the prince, and it just made her cry even more.

"Please don't look at me like that, Your Highness." Flora sobbed, "You shouldn't-"

"How many times do I have to remind you that I am the prince of this country, and I will not be told what I should and shouldn't do?" Helia's mouth turned up into a smile as he ran a thumb over Flora's cheek, wiping away her tears.

"You know who I am now," Flora replied, "what I have done. I let my anger get to me again and I almost hit you, Your Highness. I could have...I didn't mean to..."

"I know, Flora," Helia replied as he raised his other hand to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I told you that I am a monster, Your Highness. And I don't know how you could not be disgusted by me. I'm a murderer and I should have been dead years ago, punished for what I did."

"No, no, no," Helia shook his head as he cupped Flora's face in his hands, "I told you, if any one of us is the monster here, it's me. I am the beast in this story, not you. And you," Helia bent his head and pressed his forehead to Flora's, "you are the one who made me see that there is some sort of beauty in this world and that I might be worth more than what my father believes I am. Flora, you are not and never have been a monster. I could never begin to fathom what you have been through."

"But I almost hurt you today, Your Highness. I could have-"

"And I could have almost hit you with that glass when you came into my room that one night. I berate myself every time I think about what I could have done to you. All because I was mad at my father, no, mad at myself. I am the one who came barging into the princess's room demanding that you speak to me. I threatened to drag you out and..." Helia inhaled and exhaled as he did his best to not ramble on about all the things that he regretted, "You came into my room because you were worried about me. An angry, drunken, petulant prince and I treated you with such hostility and I almost hit you when I threw the glass. And you still allowed me to apologize to you, to read to you, and there is no way that I could ever see you as anyone but a kind and thoughtful and beautiful and...Flora, I love you. Even more than I had before."

Flora backed away from Helia as she took in what he had said. He still loved her, after knowing the truth. She must have heard wrong.

"But Her Highness-"

"Please, Flora," Helia closed the space between them once again and he took her hands in his, "Please don't mention the princess or my duty, I know what my duty is and I have been trying to follow the orders of my father my whole life. I have done everything that I can to try to please him because all I cared about is making him happy. But now, I met you and I want what makes me happy. You are what makes me happy. Flora, I love you and what you did in the past is the past. You did what you did because of what they did to your sister. You are not the monster that you say you are, and I would do anything to show you how much I love you. I would give up my title as a prince for you. Hademort means nothing to me if I cannot have you."

"I don't deserve you, Your Highness." Flora looked down at her hand as Helia wrapped his around hers.

"No, I don't deserve you. After everything that I have done and after everything that you have been through. I want to know all about you, but I fear that the more that I know, the more I would fall in love with you and the more that I would realize that I don't deserve you."

Flora glanced up and met his gaze for the first time since he came down to see her.

"And I know that after what you have been through, I don't see how you could ever want someone like me. I have been terrible, and I cannot promise that the next time my father yells at me that I will be the most pleasant man. But knowing that you love me would be enough to make the ordeal that much easier."

Helia looked down to see Flora still crying. He raised his hand once more and wiped the tears from her face.

"I know that I have been cold and cruel these past few weeks and I have no right to ask for your forgiveness or have any hope that after all you have been through that you would want to be with me. Without you Flora, I fear that I have nothing, I am nothing. You are all that has brought me any kind of joy and I would do anything to make you happy. I might not always succeed but I would do anything for you, and I hate doing anything for anyone. I want to make you happy; I want to be with you, I want to…I want to…Flora I just want to take you in my arms and kiss you. I want to-"

Helia was silenced when he suddenly felt a euphoric warmth cover his mouth. Soft lips met his own as he glanced down to confirm that the unthinkable had happened. Flora held onto the collar of his off-white tunic as she leaned up onto the balls of her feet and kissed the prince. His body snapped into action as he wrapped his arms around Flora's waist, the fur of the cloak that was draped around her shoulders tickled his hands. Her body was warm in his grasp, and he would be damned if he would let her go this time. He would not let her go running back to her room, not again.

He felt as her hands traveled up to his neck and her arms wrapping around so that her hands now rested on his back. The cloak around her shoulders dropped to the hard floor of the kitchen with a thud, covering his feet, further planting him in place. Not that the sensation of Flora's lips against his was already doing a fine job at it.

She tasted like peaches and the tea she had been drinking. Helia reckoned it had to be the sweetest and most delectable taste he had ever enjoyed on his tongue. Her lips were soft and moved with an urgency and desire that he had never felt before. Though if he had to be honest with himself, he never thought that anyone would want to kiss him like that, much less someone as perfect to him as Flora. When he pulled her closer to him, her chest pressed against his, she gasped and Helia dove further into the kiss.

Flora felt her head begin to spin. He held her so close and yet she felt like she would fall out of his arms at any moment. If he let go, Flora didn't know if she would find the strength to stand. She needed him to hold her tighter and never let go lest the ground swallow her whole. And for the first time in the longest time, she did not wish for the ground to do so unless it took Helia with her.

Her hands moved from his back and up the back of his neck to his hair, feeling the smooth strands move between her fingers like the texture of fine silk. It reminded her of Miele's hair, soft, smooth, and thick. Like with the ground, for the first time in a long time Flora did not feel guilty when she thought of her sister. But maybe now when she was kissing the prince in a warm kitchen wasn't the best time to think of her little sister.

Helia's lips slowed over Flora's as his arms relaxed around her waist and Flora felt her senses slowly start to return. He was the first to pull away as the feeling of Flora's lips lingered on his own. He opened his eyes to see Flora looking at him, her face still red and puffy from crying but the tears ceased to fall from her eyes. But when the air of passion dissipated in the air, Flora looked away from Helia and blushed.

"I am sorry if I was too forward, Your Highness," Flora whispered as she looked down at the ground underneath her.

Helia laughed and pressed a soft kiss to Flora's forehead.

"I just poured out what little of my heart is left to you and you are apologizing to me about being too forward?" Helia remarked as he rolled his eyes, his mouth fixed in a rare smile. He had been doing that a lot more ever since Flora came into his life. "You have nothing to apologize for. Nothing at all."

Flora smiled for the first time in what had been weeks. She didn't realize how much joy the once moody and dour prince had given her. Sure, he was still moody, and she could definitely still taste the faint spice of the whiskey that lingered on his breath after dinner, but he was nothing like she thought he was. But then again, she had never been one to buy completely into rumors. She painfully learned long ago not to trust people when she first met them, she knew what it was like to be betrayed by the masks that people wore around her for most of her life. She knew deep down when she met Helia that he too wore a mask, just like she did, and she knew that there was so much more to the prince.

"I love you, Your Highness." Flora finally said, loud enough for only the two of them to possibly hear. "But I still can't be with you, not when there is a marriage contract between you and the princess. I won't be a mistress, Your Highness. I want you all to myself or not at all."

Helia's smile quickly turned into a frown, "Fine," Helia replied, "I will talk to my father, tell him that I give up my title and claim on the throne."

"You cannot do that, Your Highness." Flora gasped.

"And why not? I told you, I don't want Hademort if I cannot have you. I would give it all away for you, Flora. You have made me happier in the past few months than the hope of any crown has made me. I don't want it. I won't have it if I cannot have you."

Flora shook her head, "And what about Her Highness? What would she do, Your Highness?"

"She's a lovely young woman, I am sure that finding a match for her would be simple enough." Helia scoffed as he ran a hand through Flora's hair.

"I can just see it now," Flora giggled, "when you give up your crown Her Highness would be engaged to the captain."

Helia's hand stopped in Flora's hair as the smile on his expression and his jaw clenched at the mention of the captain. He was suddenly reminded of the new fear that he had acquired that night.

"My father..." Helia tried to find the words to make sure that the subject had been approached as calmly as possible, he didn't want to let Flora know how worried for her he had become, "...my father doesn't know that you are special? Please tell me he doesn't know. Nobody else can know. I wouldn't...I couldn't..."

Flora shook her head as she closed her eyes, "No," she opened them and her green eyes met Helia's blue ones, "just the princess and you, Your Highness." Flora answered, her voice so calm as Helia began to spiral into the terrible scenarios that ran through his head as the thought of his father or the captain knowing about Flora set in.

"Oh," Flora's head perked up, "and your grandfather. When were you going to tell me that Saladin was your grandfather and the former King of Hademort?"

"When you told me about your gift," Helia smirked.

Flora shut her mouth and her pouty lips curled up into a smile. She had never heard of her powers referred to by the old ways. She couldn't help it as she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Helia's lips, soft and quick.

"Why did you do that?" Helia asked as he placed his fingertips on his lips, letting the lingering feeling of her kiss settle on his lips and in his memory.

"I wanted to, Your Highness." Flora blushed.

"Helia," Helia said as he pulled Flora closer to him.

"Your Highness?"

"Call me Helia."

"Alright then," Flora smiled, "I kissed you because I wanted to…Helia."

Helia slowly bent his head, finding Flora's lips with his own as his arm brought her closer to him. This kiss was unlike the others, slow instead of rushed, tender and sweet instead of fiery and filled with desire. Their mouths moved against one another slowly, savoring the taste and feeling of one another. Still, the kiss was just as passionate as their first and each longed to be closer to one another. This time, it was Helia who raised his hand to cup the back of Flora's head allowing for him to fully pour himself into the kiss, his other hand on her waist as he kissed her.

Flora's arms returned to their places around Helia's neck, and her body became plastered against Helia's. She felt the hand on her waist dip to her hip and slide onto her thigh. Flora wanted to jump back and not allow herself to be touched in a way that was so unbecoming by someone who was not fully hers. But her body had different plans from what her head had in mind. Before she could react, she felt her feet leaving the floor as Helia had lifted her off the ground, her bottom sitting in the crook of his elbow. Flora was not hefty by any means but to lift her with one arm was commendable.

Walking further into the kitchen, Helia set Flora onto the large wooden table in the middle of the kitchen. Her legs wrapped around him as his lips moved from her lips to her neck. Flora sucked in a sharp inhale before letting out a soft moan as Helia nipped at the skin of her neck.

"Your Highness..." Flora sighed.

"Helia," he corrected her, "but truth be told, you can call me whatever you-"

Flora grabbed the sides of Helia's head and brought his mouth back to hers. Helia didn't have it in him to complain. He had never seen her so in charge, so confident, so...

He liked it.

Flora's hands dropped to Helia's chest and began pulling at the leather twine that held the off-white tunic across his chest. The twine loosened, exposing Helia's pale chest and Flora's hands suddenly ran across the warm surface of his chest. Her senses began to cloud and the world around her disappeared. It was like the day in the village but so much different. So much better...

"Flora..." Helia grumbled as Flora's hands began to tug at his hair and her lips continued to move around him in an unbridled hunger. She tugged and Helia winced before opening his eyes.

There was a slight green glow around Flora's body, and he glanced down to see the tips of his long hair had begun to sprout small white flowers. The feeling of her hands on the side of his head shifted from warm and soft to nothing but painful. Flora gripped his head tighter and the pain intensified as he began to feel a warm trail of something wet travel down the sides of his face. Looking down, Helia noticed a drop of deep red dripped down onto Flora's gown.

"Flora?" Helia became worried as the green glow around Flora began to grow and now flowers began to appear in the caramel tresses of her hair.

"Flora!"

Helia jumped back from Flora, disconnecting the kiss, and hissing as he felt something sharp on each side of his face. He reached up and touched his cheek, feeling a thick and warm moisture on his hand before he looked down at his pale hand covered in his blood. He touched his cheek again and noticed a stinging feeling. Helia looked over to Flora who was still glowing a bright green and the palms of her hands were covered in thorns. When she opened her eyes, the serene green of her irises was alight with magic, shining like gemstones.

"Flora," Helia took a tentative step towards Flora and grabbed her wrist gently in his hand, careful not to touch the thorns, "Flora please calm down." He placed a kiss on her cheek, the overwhelming smell of familiar evergreen and rainwater entering his nose.

Flora grabbed Helia and pulled him back down to her mouth, her kiss hot and searing. She bit down on his lip and while Helia would have reveled in the idea of Flora being so...carnal, it wasn't her, not really.

"Flora!" Helia exclaimed again. Flora's eyes snapped open and she looked at Helia. Her eyes were filled with terror as she looked at Helia's blood-stained and cut face. Her chest heaved up and down as she struggled to regain a normal breathing pattern.

"Your Highness," Flora reached forward to wipe away Helia's blood-stained cheeks, her hands still covered in thorns caused Helia to hiss in pain, "I...oh no, I...please forgive me. I didn't...I just..."

"Flora," Helia cupped the side of Flora's face before running a comforting hand across her cheek, "calm down. I know that you hate doing what I say but you need to listen to me and calm down."

Flora leaned into Helia's hand, taking deep breaths in and out to the pace of Helia's pulse beating from his wrist against her temple. The green around her started to dissipate and the smell of pine and rain began to fade to bring back the sweet smell of peaches.

"I told you." Flora sighed, "I told you that I am-"

"Don't you say it." Helia commanded as he stroked the side of Flora's cheek.

"But I am." Flora sighed, "Look at what I have done to your face. I felt like I had that day but different. I couldn't control it and now I have hurt you. I am so sorry, Your Highness."

"I'll be okay," Helia wiped the blood from his face, the sleeves of his shirt now stained with blood, leaving behind small cuts.

"But your face," Flora brought her hands up to touch him but retracted as she remembered how she had hurt him. Glancing down at her hand, she saw that the thorns were gone and returned the path of her hand to Helia's face. Running her fingers over the small cuts on his face, Flora felt guilt re-enter her body, "I have hurt you. I can't be trusted not to hurt you. It seems that I cannot control myself around you, Your Highness."

"I suppose that makes two of us." Helia gave Flora a smile in the hopes of calming her fears.

Flora shook her head, "I am not the one with cuts on my face, Your Highness."

"Better me than you." Helia brushed Flora's hair behind her ear, "I will be alright."

"What about the next time we-" Flora stopped herself, she didn't want to assume. Why should she? They loved each other but they were caught in the moment. The minute Helia leaves the kitchen and she returns to her room is when the world returns to how it was before. Helia would still be engaged to Krystal and Flora would return to living her life indebted to the princess who had saved her and who she would serve for the rest of her life. Everything had changed for Helia and Flora, but for everyone else, the world turned as it always did.

"You will either control it or," Helia smirked, "I suppose dying by your hands would be the most preferable way to go."

"I don't want to do that, Your Highness." Flora gasped, "I can't kill another person that I love. I won't."

"Then I guess you better learn to control it."