Truthfully, Soul didn't like getting caught up in the little moments of life. He never had the luxury of just simply 'living in the moment'. Living in the moment meant that he would be enjoying himself and God knows he never got to enjoy himself.

Back in Cinder, everyday was another day for him to survive. He dealt with his parents beatings, dealt with being molded into the perfect Prince, and in his free time, he schemed his plan for abandoning it all. He lives his days in fear- fear that his plan would get ruined- Fear that his parents would inevitably find out about the act of treason he'd commit. He felt immense guilt everyday knowing he'd leave Kid- knowing he'd be leaving his kingdom. He had been their only hope for so long, and yet, he knew as long as his parents were alive he'd be nothing but their little puppet. He'd drive Cinder to shambles. Like they said; like father, like son. He could have only lasted so long back at home until he started to become like his parents. He did the only reasonable thing by leaving. He was saving his country from another tyrannical ruler.

The moment he fled from Cinder, he was living on a day-to-day basis. His time fending for himself truly humbled him. He spent every day running, wondering if it'd be his last. It was hard to enjoy any day during that time. Those three months had been the worst months of his life.

Since he'd stepped into Eibon, he had to carefully play the role as "Soul". Every day, he his behind his appearance- under the persona of a person he wasn't. It was hard to enjoy life when you had to pretend to be someone you weren't. Sure, he had friends- he had Blackstar, Kilik, Liz, Patty, Jackie, Ox Ford, and If he could even count him as a friend, Stein. They made the whole 'living in secrecy' worth it. They kept him sane.

Just because life was a little better didn't mean he allowed himself to get caught up in the better moments in life. He knew that eventually, those moments would be ruined. If he wasn't careful enough he'd ruin all the progress he made. It only took one false move, one false feeling of safety, and everything he had worked for in the past five years would crumble before him.

After all this time- all these years of being so carefully- all these years of working to the position he was in- he was slipping. He'd been slipping ever since he was appointed Maka's guard, and he knew that well enough.

The notion he'd been slipping had official been solidified when he found himself enjoying the soft moment life had thrown at him- Maka, wrapped in his arms as they fled into the forest surrounding Eibon on horseback- Maka, her laugh echoing around them as she chanted "We did it, Soul!"- Maka, feeling warm in his arms despite how cold the last day of October was.

For the first time in his life, he let himself get swept into the moment. He cherished the way Maka clung to his arms a little harder as Ember picked up her pace, lavished in the way Maka's body felt pressed against his, savored every damn laugh that the Princess gave out like it'd be the last time hearing the sweet tune.

Was Maka his one false feeling of safety?

Maka made him make all the wrong decisions. It wasn't her fault though. Soul would never put any blame onto the blonde. Maka never meant to break his walls. She never meant to make him feel something. God, she didn't even know Soul's backstory- but part of him wanted the latter to know. He wanted to spill everything to her, even if it meant she hated him afterward.

For the first time in what seemed like forever- Soul was crumbling. He should have seen it faster. He should have seen it in the way he fit in at Maka's side, he should have seen it in the way he'd bend himself just to see the Princess smile, he should have seen it when he'd agreed to sneak the Princess out just a few weeks prior.

He'd fallen head over heels for the Princess- for Maka.

The further they delved into the forest, the longer Maka sat there wrapped in his arms like it was where she was meant to be- the faster his heart raced.

He was royally screwed.

He was, shamelessly, in love- and there was nothing he could do about it now.

As the wind around them picked up, causing both of their hoods to finally fall, Soul tried his hardest to focus on the weaving trees before him and Ember's reins despite the sudden realization he had.

If Maka had picked up on how fast his heart was racing now, she didn't make it apparent. She was too busy clenching onto his forearms, her head raised to the sky in awe as they passed the overhanging trees.

"It's all so pretty," She spoke in awe, a breath catching in her throat.

Soul clenched onto the reins a little harder, focusing on steering Ember away from the large tree trunks. "It'll look a lot better once we reach the river just up here. We're going to follow it all the way up to Loew."

Maka only hummed at the new information, entirely too caught up in the new surroundings around her. For a faint moment, Soul thought that Maka looked like a child seeing a candy store for the first time. He was sure he would have had the same reaction too when he left Cinder if he didn't have an assassin up his ass every few days.

So- the two of them revealed in the moment like it would never pass. Pushed up against one another as they flew through the enchanting forest, it felt like nothing could ever change. Soul allowed himself to get wrapped in the moment- he allowed every emotion he felt to course through his body without shame. Excitement and thrill from having escaped Eibon, a hint of scaredness at the thought of being caught, and most of all the overwhelming feeling of care he felt as he held onto Ember's reins with one hand, allowing the other to slink around Maka's waist.

"Is this okay?" He'd whispered into the shell of Maka's ear.

There was hesitation in the way Maka settled against his touch. "Yeah- yeah, of course."

It didn't take them long to find the river. As Ember broke through a small opening in the first, she trodded right up against the river which was already beginning to freeze in the coldness. Steering her away from the edge of the bank, Soul followed the river until the sun began to set in front of them.

It was a beautiful sight in his eyes. The sun was beginning to set behind the crests of the mountains in front of them, the horizon line in front of them littered with trees as the river broke a path for them to follow. Despite it all, Maka was still the best part of the whole view- situated right between his arms with a brilliant smile across her face.

This was the one moment in his life he wouldn't change for anything, Soul decided.

He'd live the life he lived a thousand times over again if it meant he'd be brought to this exact moment again and again- and that was a terrifying thought.

But, at least it was the truth.

It must have been an hour later when the sun was almost hidden completely behind the mountains that they saw the first signs of the village. Smoke was rising between the trees in small puffs, and in the distance, Soul could smell fresh bread being baked.

"Oh my God, whatever that is, it smells so good," maka spoke aloud her thoughts and he couldn't help but laugh. He pulled at the reins, bringing Ember to a small trot as he loosened his grip on Maka's hip.

"It smells like they're baking bread in the bakery."

In a small and innocent voice, Maka was looking up to him, "Can we get some? I am starving right now."

He couldn't help but say yes.

Just a few moments later, they were arriving in a busy village. Despite how late it was, people were still walking the streets, chatting away like no tomorrow.

The entire sight radiated pure delight and happiness and Soul couldn't get enough of it. It was so hard these days to find a village that wasn't rotting away in poverty and sickness. Truthfully it had been a damn stretch for them to even show up here without any news if it was doing well but, at least they gambled right.

Eventually, they found a place to tie up Ember. At the entrance of the village, several other horses were tied up in front of bales of hay and canisters of water, a nice set up that even Eibon didn't have.

The moment Soul slipped from Ember's back, Maka was following after him with grabby hands.

"Woah there!"

Soul had just caught onto Maka's hands before she went tumbling off her back- very ungracefully, at that.

Squeezing his hands a little tighter, maka looked up to him with wide eyes. "I thought you were going to catch me faster than that."

"Why did you think I was going to catch you? You are definitely more capable of dismounting a horse yourself."

Having yet to let go of him, Maka turned her head back to Ember. "She's tall, and you know, I'm short- you have a good few inches on me. Besides! You're my guard, aren't you supposed to look after me?"

Soul couldn't help but notice the way Maka's cheeks flushed with red in the mid-afternoon glow.

"Huh, I don't know about that one. We're not in Eibon anymore, I'm just Soul."

Despite the joke, Soul couldn't help but think no matter what, he'd still protect Maka with all his might.

With a chuckle, he dropped Maka's hands and made his way back over to Ember, grabbing her reins and leading her closer to the other horses. After a beat, Maka was following after him, stumbling over her words.

"I- That's a low one, Soul."

"No," He drawled out sarcastically, "You were the one who said we're just normal people, tonight. Don't blame me."

After getting Ember situated, it took Maka no longer than a blink of an eye to grab Soul's hand into her own eagerly, tugging him straight to the village. "Hurry up, I am starving!"

For the second time that day, he let Maka lead him as they walked through the unfamiliar village.

They passed many shops, each being lit with an abundant assortment of candles in the window. They passed crowds of people, all of whom waved happily at them with wide smiles. Soul couldn't help but smile and wave back as Maka eagerly tugged him towards the very obvious baker at the center of the village.

The two of them stepped in line at the bakery with ease, Maka locking their elbows as they did. "I brought some extra gold pieces," She informed him, bringing her free hand to her satchel. "We should get two loaves of that sweet-smelling bread. I am going to literally melt if I don't get some."

"It smells like cinnamon," Soul added, turning his attention to the baker behind the counter. "Cinnamon bread is so nice."

At his side, Maka picked her head up a little higher. "I haven't had cinnamon bread since last year, I forgot how good it is."

A few orders later, they were next at the counter; Maka made their order, dropping the gold pieces to the counter with eagerness. The baker gave them a smile, starting a small conversation with the two of them.

"Are you guys just visiting?"

"We're traveling, wanting to take a quick pit-stop here," Soul finds himself replying, a small dancing on his face.

With a hum, the baker was pulling out laminated sheets to wrap their orders in. "I see. I hope you two have a wonderful night, safe travels."

Seconds later, the two of them were back to walking the streets again, each holding a small loaf of warm buttered cinnamon bread. They looked around for a place to sit until eventually, they found themselves back at the bank of the river just a few steps out of the village.

Both seemingly not minding the dirt, they sat side by side at the bank several steps from the rushing water.

Maka was the first one to unwrap her loaf, plucking a warm piece of it off before plopping it into her mouth. With a satisfied hum, she was leaning into Soul's personal space, dropping her head to his shoulder.

"This is so good."

"Yeah?"

He followed the blonde, unwrapping his own loaf and plucking a piece off it. Sure enough, it was amazing. It was warm- warm enough to make Soul melt as he pulled another piece off.

"Soul," Maka called awkwardly, still having yet to move.

"Hm?"

"You look so happy when you eat hot food," She comments, shrugging. "That's probably weird to say but, like, I always forget how privileged royals can be. You guys always end up getting the short end of the stick. It sucks."

"It sucks but there are worse things in life than cold food."

As the two of them begin finishing off their loaves, a thought picks away at his brain.

Maka already had him slipping- cracking at the seams. He'd basically revealed all of his secrets by now, would one more hurt?

Was it selfish that he wanted to head his full name slip from the Princess's lips?

His mind slips back to earlier that day, back to something so simple Maka had said. "Instead of the whole 'Princess Maka and her royal guard, Soul' thing, it'll just be us- the real us. We can pretend to be normal for one night."

He dropped his loaf of bread into his lap, a shaky and exasperated sigh escaping him. He wanted to be normal.

As Maka cautiously picker her head up from his shoulder, he found himself finally caving.

Just one night, he'd let himself have this-whatever this was.

"Soul?" Maka called out cautiously, dropping her own loaf into her lap. "Are you okay?"

"Solomon." he finds himself correcting- surprising himself.

When he turns to the latter, the blonde's eyes are white, her eyebrows turned upward. "What?"

Clearing his throat, he turns to look out toward the river. "My full name, it's Solomon."

Silence washes over them for a moment, a comfortable one at that. His nerves aren't pricking at him, which surprises him. Instead, he allows Maka to take in the new information, ignoring the way his heart pounds in protest against his ribs.

"Why- why are you telling me this?"

He shrugs, dipping his head down. He can't help the smile that tugs at his lips at his reply. "You said we could pretend to be normal, just for one night." This time as he lifts his head, he meets maka's eyes, not feeling one ounce of regret. "Soul isn't the real me, it's just a persona of the person I wished I was."

The blonde stares up at him in pure awe.

"Solomon."

The name rolls off her tongue slowly as if she's saying the name for the first time. He watches as a confident smile erupts over Maka's face, and suddenly, there's a hand being thrown into his face.

"It's nice to meet you, Solomon."

The way she speaks his name is like an angel singing- it has his stomach dropping, but in a good way.

He hopes that she always says his name like that.