Guilt.

It's all he can feel as Stein smirks at him slyly.

He finally admitted what he did to him out loud- he finally admitted what he did to Kid. He was a selfish piece of shit for what he did. He had two others to shoot- two other possible targets- and he went after the only one who wouldn't have dared bring a weapon.

He was the worst possible type of person to exist now.

He begged his childhood friend to join the guard force, just so they could spend more time together. As he grew older and his eyes widened to the reality of his position, he began using the only friend he had to gain intel on the outside world so he could escape.

Kid had dedicated his whole damn life to him, and that's how he repaid him? By killing him?

"So, you're Prince Solomon of Cinder," He whispers his proper title, "You're a lot different than the rumors make you out to be."

Soul cant help but stiffen at the title he hadn't heard in months, the weight of it hitting hard. No matter how far he ran, no matter how long he was gone from his home kingdom, he'd always be the damned Prince of Cinder; the traitor who'd bring the kingdom to shambles.

Pulling back, Stein forces him to continue walking down the beaten path, his fingers tightening around his shoulder. "Never thought I'd be aiding a runaway Prince, let alone a murderer at that," Stein laughed, kicking the back of Souls leg softly, "Lucky for you, I like your style."

Nothing Stein says brings him ease.

He felt sick to his stomach. He wanted nothing more than to throw himself off the path and empty the contents of his stomach; to just sit there and cry and beg for forgiveness, to ask whatever god was listening to him to rewind time so he could redo everything, but he couldn't.

It was too late to change anything now.

Neither of them say another word as they enter the busier streets of Eibon. At some point, Stein leads him down a beaten path to a small shack. He doesn't knock when he swings open the door, practically throwing Soul in before he follows after him, slamming the door behind him.

As his eyes adjust to the dim lighting, Soul takes in the small home. There's a table in the middle of the main room, two broken looking chairs on either side of it. In the corner of the room sits a small stove and fireplace, the only thing that gave off any light into the room.

"Sit down," Stein ordered Soul. Following his instruction, Soul sat in the stiff and rickety chair of what he'd presumed was his dining room table.

Stein throws his bag onto the table, sweeping through the small room until he makes his way to a small cupboard in the corner of the room. "You're lucky Mifune sent you my way," He backhandedly commented as he threw the cupboard open. "I couldn't care less about the monarchy or government. I'd say that you escaping, no m after what you had to do, was justifiable."

Soul watches Steins movements closely as he rummages through the contents of the cupboard.

"I really wouldn't agree with you," Soul mumbles, rubbing his hands across the uneven surface of the table, "I- I never meant to kill him. I just needed a distraction to get out."

Stein shrugs. "What's done is done. Sometimes, we have to do things we never wanted to do to get what we want."

Soul just stares at Stein, feeling at loss for his words. Who the hell was this guy? Who even thought this way?

"That's… dark."

"Life isn't butterflies and rays of sunshine, we're human after all. We do what we need to do to survive, even if it's bad." Stein rises, shutting the cupboard with something in his hand. "You'll get used to doing what you must to survive."

Suddenly, something is whipped across the table.

"Don't take this as becoming your friend, got it?" Stein speaks, pulling the second chair out. "If Mifune sent you my way, he obviously thinks there's something about you that's worth looking into. I'll do what I can to get you on your feet, but that's it."

With curious interest, Soul sits up in his chair, pulling the item that had been thrown at him into his hands. It was a sack full of old clothing and a pair of scissors, presumably for his hair.

"You have to keep your identity a secret. If I were caught harboring a kingdoms traitor, I'd be put on their hit list too."

Soul simply nods, holding the scissors in his hands. "Thank you, Stein."


"Did you hear about Crona, Patty?" Liz speaks quietly from his side, budging the other royal guard to his side.

"Wait, did Oxford say something to you too?"

He tries to ignore the other royal guards' conversations, his eyes settled on the young Princess who was animatedly speaking to her parents about her party plans. "Things are coming along great, mom! Soul and I actually just picked out the final color scheme for everything yesterday and…"

Maka's voice is quickly drowned out as Liz nudges him. "Did Oxford talk to you too, Soul?"

He clears his throat, ignoring the dull pain that accompanies it. "No, he didn't. Why? Is there something I should be informed of?"

Liz shrugs, their shoulders bumping uncoordinated. "I don't know, probably not. He called me in earlier this morning to inform me about the information they found out about Crona. Looks like he didn't go awol, after all."

"What do you mean he didn't go awol?" Soul asks dumbly, hoping neither Patty nor Liz picked up on how obvious stained his voice sounds.

"Ox said some guards from the Kingdom over came forward about harboring Crona for a while," Patty fills him in, "Looks like Crona had been an undercover spy for about two or three years for the Kingdom of Cinder."

He finches.

"I'm not sure what he thought he'd get out of being Princess Maka's guard," Liz scoffs, "They barely interacted with her, or us, for that matter. Bloody idiot."

"What's funny is they had volunteered to be her highness's guard too," Patty laughs lowly, "But it didn't even seem like they were trying to get any information out of her."

"That's really weird," Soul commented, his eyes still focused on Maka, who looked so happy compared to the seriousness of the guard's conversation. "Do you think the Kingdom of Cinder is looking to start a war or something?"

"I really don't know," Liz answered, fidgeting at his side. "The whole situation seems suspicious. Why would they send a spy here of all places? Isn't it like a week's travel there, anyway? What type of threat would we even oppose?"

"That's a good point." Soul hummed thoughtfully.

"You dont think it has anything to do with their missing Prince, do you?" Spoke Liz, who was nervously tapping her foot now. "I haven't been keeping up with anything revolving around that whole case, but i dont think they've found Prince Solomon."

Nervously, Soul took the soft skin of the inside of his cheek and bit down harsh enough to draw blood.

"What, do they think we're harboring their son, or something?" Patty barely conceals her laugh. "No one would willingly help someone from the Kingdom of Cinder, let alone that piece of shit."

Patty nudged into his side suddenly. Confused, Soul averted his attention for a moment, catching Patty's retreating hand. "Patty," he hissed through gritted teeth. "I really dont think youre in any position to make any comments like that about the whole situation. We all know how the Kingdom of Cinder twists things, you can't just jump to the assumption that what they say about him is true."

Patty only huffs in reply.

Doul, on the other hand, feels sick to his stomach once again. The back of his neck feels clammy, his hands shaking uncontrollably at his sides. Clearing his throat once again, he absently brings a hand to cover his mouth.

Sadly, he doesn't miss the small specks of blood that landed on his glove.


Once dinner had been finished and the castle servants had cleared from the hallways, Maka was practically pulling Soul through the castle hallways, her hand latched onto his wrist like an excited child. "You should see the sword Kin gifted me for my twentieth birthday, it's beautiful."

Soul couldn't help but smile ecstatically, totally enthralled by the sudden shift in attitude around him.

It has taken all but a minute for Maka to clamber up her tower and return back with a sheathed sword, holding it uncomfortably, yet triumphantly, over her head as if she'd won something. "I'm going to knock your socks off with this."

"Who said I was wearing socks?" Soul laughed, watching as Maka dropped the sword to her side with a bewildered face.

"Soul?" She snorted. "Got something you need to tell me?"

Both of them brush off the joke, making their way to Maka's window. Clicking it open and throwing it up, Soul made his way through the window like he'd done it a thousand times before. Once he'd settled himself on the ground he turned around, grabbing the sword from Maka clumsily. "Where are we off to?" Soul questioned as Maka began slipping through the open window.

The Princess shrugged, dropping to the soft grass with a small thud. "Let's just go to the forest we were in the other day. We'll still be on the castle grounds." Agreeing silently, Soul pushed the sword back into Maka's greedy hands.

Their tread through the castle garden to the forest wasn't a long one. The sun had fully set by now, the moon already hanging above them, the night time stars lighting the path for them. Soul wawa thankful that in the last nights of October, it wasn't bone-chilling cold. It was cold enough to make him uncomfortable and keep him wide awake, but not cold enough to send him fleeing back inside.

When they finally made it to the opening of the small forest, Maka made her way back to Soul's side, nudging his shoulder delicately. "If I can prove to you that I can hold my own, does that mean I'm one step closer to providing evidence for my argument?"

Soul settled a questioning gaze onto the blonde at his side, despite it being ineffective with the lighting. "What do you even mean by that?"

"The last time we were out here you told me that you'd consider taking me outside the kingdom walls if I could prove that you could trust me and that I could hold my own," Maka reminds him softly. "If I can prove I can hold my own, would you really consider taking me outside of the kingdom?"

Soul fixed a hard gaze onto the Princess, stopping. Maka raised an eyebrow in return, stopping at his side.

Would he really consider taking Maka out of the kingdom walls, especially right now? After the whole 'manipulation' thing and the 'Crona' issue, maybe it wasn't a good idea. No- it wasn't just a maybe- it was a bad idea.

Soul knew what he'd be risking if he even thought about taking Maka outside of the kingdom walls, he knew it was the worst idea ever, and yet here he was actually considering it. He was right when he told Maka the other night that he wasn't a good royal guard. A good royal guard wouldn't be sneaking out in the night with his Princess to duel- in fact, a good guard would actually be forcing the Princess to go to bed and insist she never talk about leaving again.

He knew everything he was doing right now was wrong and yet, here he was; standing in the middle of a forest with the moon shining down disappointedly at him, Princess Maka staring up at him like he held the answers to the universe.

Part of him was yelling- screaming at him to take Maka back to the castle and to tell her to knock this tomfoolery off, and yet, another part of him was finding this moment just perfect.

He hated that part of himself. Why couldn't he just do what was right?

"You know you don't actually have to consider it, right?" Maka finally spoke after a few bears of silence. "I get it if you don't want to even think about it."

"I'll consider it," Soul hurriedly replies, despite knowing he shouldt have said it. "If you can hold your own, I'll genuinely consider it."

Before him, Maka's lips lifted upward, the very light freckles that danced on her cheeks crinkling. "Really, Soul? You're being serious?"

"Yeah," He mustered, "I'm being serious."

It was in that moment, in the warm glow that Maka's happiness brought, that Soul realized something. Maka was a ray of sunshine, and he was just a sunburn. He wasn't going to last long like this, was he?

"It means a lot that you're considering it, really," Maka hurriedly spoke, taking a step closer to him. "Now, want to see some sick swordsmanship?" Maka's nose crinkles just the slightest and Soul can't help the smile that pulls across his face happily.

"You're such an idiot," He laughed teasingly, fondness spilling over in his tone. Lightly, he pushed at Maka's shoulder, forcing the Princess to take a step back. "I'm going easy on you, alright?"

"What, are you saying you're better than me or something?"

"No," Soul drawled out, his hand slipping to the hilt of his sword. The familiarity of the action brings comfort to him, easing his racing heart to slow down. "I'm just saying I don't feel like seeing a skewered Princess tonight."

"That genuinely sounds like you think you're better than me, Soul," Maka sighed despite the smile she sported.

"I mean… I am a trained guard, after all. I think that counts for something right?"

Maka shakes her head, unsheathing the sword in her hand. "I guess."

Soul's eyes followed Maka's hands carefully, watching as she removed the sheath of her sword carefully, revealing a beautiful longsword that looked like it had yet to see the light of day. The handle had a beautiful sapphire jewel, while words he couldn't quite make out were engraved into the side of the blade itself.

At least Maka was right, the sword was beautiful- but it surely wasn't as beautiful as the sight before him was.

Standing before him, Maka's cheeks flushed a dark pink, the moonlight that seeped between the barren tree limbs giving her pale skin a sort of soft glow. She was still wearing her fancy clothes, her cape resting easily against her shoulders as she lifted the sword evenly enough to cut his face into symmetrical halves.

She almost looked godly, and it scared Soul. It scared Soul just how attractive Maka truly was to him. He was not supposed to feel this way about her.

A hefty sigh leaving his lips, he unsheathed his own sword which had seen many days in battle compared to Maka's. Falling into his normal fighting stance, he sought familiarity in the new ground he was treading on with the Princess.

"I'll let you take the first strike, Princess."

Maka rolled her eyes, falling into a similar stance as him. "Wow, you're so thoughtful, Soul."

"I know, right?"

That's the last comment Soul makes before falling into complete silence, his feet moving to circle Maka. The Princess's eyes follow him carefully, her own feet following after him. Soul readjusts his grip on his two handed longsword, holding it over his left shoulder wearily, waiting for Maka to make a move.

Thankfully he doesn't have to wait long for Maka to slide forward, her sword aiming for his exposed shoulder sloppily. Without much thought, he's moving his sword to intercept Maka's attack, their blades clash together with a loud clunk before Soul has managed to bring Maka's sword down and away from him.

"Try again," Soul insisted as Maka retreated back slightly, bringing her sword back up and readjusting her grip on the hilt.

This time, Maka advances on him faster than she did before, her sword coming dangerously close to Soul's face. Almost surprised by the attack, he lept backwards, slapping Maka's blade aside again.

Regaining his composure, Soul circled away from her, keeping his sword in motion and continually changing his guard and stance. "Not bad," He commented, pleasantly surprised. "At least you have the right idea."

Maka chuckles at the half-assed compliment, raising her sword one last time. "Bet I try again?"

Soul shrugs, moving closer to Maka. "You know how to counter an attack, right?"

"I think so, why-" Maka doesn't have enough time to question him. Soul moved in on her fast, raising his sword high enough to give the inexperienced Princess a moment to analyze the citation. Again to his surprise, his attack is countered by a high and striking horizontal slash as Maka pushes his blade aside. The blow is enough to offset Soul's steady stance, causing the tip of his sword to fly back at him dangerously.

He hummed pleasantly, backing away from Maka with a smile. "Okay," He chuckled, fixing his sword in his hand. "So, you're not that bad, huh?"

"I can take the heat," Maka insisted with a playful grin.

"Well that's good to hear, then."

They continue on like this for a while, Soul believes. They go back and forth from attacking one another to countering eachothers attacks easily, dodging the trees around them carefully. Despite some of the sloppiness in a handful of Maka's moves, she has a good understanding of what she's doing with a blade.

It reminds Soul a lot of how he was before he came to Eibon. He knew that despite the small skill level Maka had, she could quite easily handle her own. It eased a good amount of his nerves, thankfully.

After stepping back from one of Maka's more coordinated attacks, he lifted a hand, dropping his own sword to his side. "How are you with sneak attacks?"

"How would I know?" Maka practically barks out a laugh, dropping her own sword. "You're the only person I've ever had the chance to spar with."

"I'm surprised you're this good for someone who has never gone up against anyone before."

Maka rolls her eyes, her shoulders dropping. "Okay, well i mean, I have sparred with Kim before but we were like teenagers, and it was with those dingy wooden swords you're given when you're a child joining the guard force."

This time, Soul cant even help himself as his sword drops to the grass beside him and the worst laugh escapes him. He's practically wheezing.

"Okay, ha ha, very funny Soul." Maka grumbled from above him. "Pick your ass up, your wheezing is what's gonna get us caught."

A warm hand settles on the back of his exposed neck, quite literally shutting him up.

"Sorry…sorry." He mumbled under his breath, gathering himself together before pulling himself up. Maka retreated her hand rather quickly, still keeping way too close to him. "You should know how to both execute and counter a sneak attack. If you can do that, I'll say you're able to hold your own fairly well."

"Okay," maka said softly, "Seems fair enough."

"I'll let you go first," he insisted as he turned his back to the Princess, readying his sword. "Do your worst."

He blinked owlishly at the tree in front of him for a moment, straining his ears to listen for any movement. A few beats of patient silence passed as he tapped his fingers against the hilt of his sword. Distantly, he doubted Maka was even going to make a move for a moment.

When another second of silence hit him, he found himself turning his head slightly over his shoulder, "Maka-"

Movement came swinging into his vision as Maka's sword came right at him. He was a second too late- a second too late to react. Before he could even fathom what exactly was happening, the tip of Maka's sword scraped against the fabric of his shirt, pulling a small metal chain around his neck with a horrifying sound before it bumped against his ear and to the side of his head. The sound of fabric echoed in his ears before the world around him brighted tenfold.

As a wave of coldness hit his face, he was moving faster than he ever would, crashing into Maka harder than Blackstar had hit him a week ago. He didn't think as he forced his armored arm around Maka's neck, pulling her flush against his chest. In the same movement, he was knocking Maka's sword away from her, kicking it with force away from her.

With Maka's back pressed against his chest, his sword hovering just above her neck, Soul's eyes scanned the ground around him with wide eyes.

There, laid beside Maka's sword, was his heirloom necklace.

"I'm sorry," Maka quickly breathed out. "Fuck, im sorry- I didnt mean- I wasnt aiming-"

Soul is pretty sure she's trembling under his touch, but he can't be sure with how much he was trembling on his own. With anger, which was not directed to Maka, he brought the sword closer to the Princess's neck, hands shaking.

"Do you really think you can hold your own?" He spat out bitterly, his knees buckling now. "Whose blade is pressed to your throat right now, Maka?"

Maka doesn't reply, doesn't even breathe as she stares down the blade of Soul's sword.

Soul's own eyes flutter down to his blade, watching as their distorted reflections sway back at him. He felt like he could be sick.

"Don't look down, okay? His voice cracks, every single bit of fight and anger leaving his system in an instant. "Do not look."

Maka suddenly slumps against him, her head dropping against Soul's shoulder. It's such a mundane gesture that it has Soul dropping his shoulders in relief.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, a ragged breath leaving her. "I was aiming for your shoulder."

Soul doesn't dare move, his eyes focused on his blade. How the hell was he going to get himself out of this one? Would Maka even recognize the heirloom symbol on the necklace? God what a stupid thought. Maka never saw the outside of the Kingdom before he became her guard, how in the world would Maka know what that would even look like.

He lowered his blade, keeping a steady hand sprawled above Maka's rapidly moving chest. "I'm sorry too," He mumbled into the crown of Maka's head. "I… I didn't mean to lash out on you like that."

They stood there a moment, neither of them speaking as Soul just held Maka against his chest, his own sword dropping to the ground beside their feet. His heart was racing, his hands shaking as he hesitantly wrapped his other arm around Maka.

"Im closing my eyes," Maka announced after a few moments, twirling in his grasp with her head hung down. He didn't even realize what the Princess was doing until he felt Maka's arms wrap around his midsection, her forehead resting against his armored shoulder.

It was an awkward hug that had Soul taken back for a moment.

"Why do you make this so hard?" Maka grumbled into his cloak.

Soul brought his arms around Maka tighter, resting his chin on the Princess's head slowly. "What do you mean?" He questioned, his voice sounding hoarse and strained.

"You hide your identity and you're so vague about everything in your life. I just want to know you, Soul," Maka sighed, nuzzling her head closer to his shoulder. "Are you really that scared about opening up? Or is it that you don't trust me, because that's what it seems like."

She paused, taking in a deep and shaky breath that had her whole body rattling. "I guess I don't really deserve to know anything about you- or to even have your trust in the first place. I'm sorry."

"It's a me thing," he replied shakily. "It's just a me thing. God, Blackstar and Kilik don't even fully know who I am."

Maka practically deflated in his arms.

"My past is more complicated than I made it out to be."

"I thought so," Maka hummed thoughtfully, "and to think you tried to pass yourself off as a boring person."

Soul can't help the nervous burst of laughter that escapes him after that.

In a second's time, he weighs out all of his options. He could just tell Maka to keep her eyes closed and retrieve his necklace, fix it, and have the whole situation be over with. It didn't need to be a bigger situation than it already was. Or, he could just open up for once and let Maka see it.

That was stupid, wasnt it? Didn't Stein and him just talk about how important it was to keep his identity a secret?

How bad was it he didn't really care anymore?

"Hey, Maka."

"Hm?"

"Would you tell anyone if I showed you something?"

There's another beat of silence.

"Who do I have to tell, Soul? What would I even have to gain from it other than putting more information to your ever-growing mysterious background?" Maka replies hurriedly, raising her head just the slightest. "Is it bad I really want to know more?"

"Not, it's not," Soul replied truthfully, "Is it bad I want you to know more?"

"No. No, not at all."

After another beat of silence, Soul finally makes up his mind, and he knows eventually he may have to pay for it. With delicate hands, he unravels himself from Maka's grasp, stepping back and pulling the necklace from the ground. He dangled it in the air in front of her face- hoping she didn't recognize the family symbol.

It feels like the world stops there, in that moment, with the moonlight shining down on the two of them and Maka's eyes looking up wide at him.

"I'll never be able to make it up to you, how I treated you before was unacceptable, but right here and now-" Maka's words hit him heavily when he feels Maka's hands reach out for his, pulling them both into her grasp. "It's means a lot to me that- that you felt comfortable enough to share this with me,"

Maka stumbled over her words, suddenly looking away with a laugh on the tip of her tongue. "Thank you Soul. Thank you for putting a little trust in me."

She didn't recognize it. He's been overthinking too much.

Soul's brain can't keep up with everything happening, his face is burning with bashfulness, his heart racing, his damn hands shaking in Maka's grasp.

"Yeah- yeah, it's no problem at all, Maka," He coughed out awkwardly, squeezing at Maka's hands lightly. "I'm trusting you with this, okay?"

"Mhm… Yeah…"