Still Clearing
By SMYGO4EVA

The Black Whale was all-encompassing, the perfect battleground for the Succession War.

Theta couldn't let her unease get the better of her; she had to stay strong and keep her eyes forward. She wasn't to be deterred from her mission.

She noticed one of the princes, Momoze Hui Guo Rou, right next to her; she was light and graceful, but she wasn't smiling, no, not this time.

Momoze looked up, turning her head, and their eyes met in the crowd, where they remained unnoticed.

Concern, anxiousness, and dread were all too clear, and then they evaded each other's gaze, they had to keep their distance. They could not risk any misunderstandings or pacts; their lives were on the chopping block, and they could not afford failure.

When all was quiet on the ship, there was room to breathe and to talk.

"Are you feeling all right?" Theta asked, holding the prince's hands with her own gently, as if not to break her.

"To be honest, I've been better, but I am glad that you're here," Momoze replied, feeling the light touch of Theta's fingers as a comfort. "I'm just hoping this whole succession war will be over, and fast."

"Let's hope so, Prince Momoze," Theta agreed.

They were both quiet for a moment, as Momoze's hands clasped Theta's.

The prince's hands were soft compared to the bodyguard's rough, calloused ones.

"Please, Theta, call me Momoze."

Theta stilled for a moment, and then smiled. "All right then, Momoze."

They were there for each other.

In this small, fleeting moment, it was only them.