Lifting a hand, Aspen fixed Caspian's crown before it slipped off, tucking it carefully back on his blond hair. His bow had started to weigh heavily on his arm and he let it drop to the ground where it landed on the grass. Though it was an open field, they relied on the darkness to shield them. After all, the world of Svartálfaheimr never got much light anyway. In the meadow, they sat down in the middle on the dry ground where they spoke in low whispers and careful sentences.

Every now and again, Aspen threatened to shoot him with one of his arrows, but it was mainly in jest just to keep Caspian sharp on his wits. He doubted he could faze Caspian much, though, since the Svartálfaheimr seemed to have steeled his nerves till they were unshakable and stony. Being the son of a dread king, he had grown unflappable and it served as a barrier when it came to Aspen trying to get closer to him. It was enticing, the thought of being with a prince for his lowly place in Nysa had little to offer him. Caspian was interesting and dangerous and Aspen was bad at keeping his hands to himself, finding that he kept returning for more.

"Oh, you know the thought of me, a dirty outlaw, is enticing," Aspen teased, trailing a hand down the front of his shirt. "If your parents could see us now, they'd be quaking in their thrones."

"There's no need to tease," Caspian replied but his eyes almost glinted playfully, implying a friendly fight later. "My parents would not approve of you."

Shrugging, Aspen drew himself closer boldly. "Ah, I've never cared much about parental approval from my partner's parents. I'll make sure to make you forget about your parents altogether. Until you're caught in the...motion of things. In many ways."

Unused to such speak, Caspian looked away with an expression as if he had just been pushed roughly into a stream. "You act as if I'm naive and easy to control."

"No, you're definitely not easy."

Slowly, Aspen leaned back on his hands and smiled in satisfaction. He prided himself with a good handful of wit, though he didn't think it ever translated into speech with his quirks and odd comments always said in jest. Cautiously, he removed his quiver to set it aside, fixing the arrows so they wouldn't fall from it. They were too valuable to lose, enchanted with a potion that ensured perfect aim and an instant kill. Though it was not his weapon of choice, they were the only silent and long distance weapon that worked with his line of work. Noticing Caspian watching him, he glanced over with a gleam in his eyes.

"You should challenge me in an archery contest sometime," Aspen stated proudly, knowing he'd win. "I'm sure I'll prove my worth."

"Only if you promise to fight me in close combat after." Looking at his staff, which leaned nearby against a tree, Caspian nearly smiled. "I've always been told that close combat is where I look the best."

"Oh, you look the best whatever physical activity you're doing."

Aspen was always used to making all sorts of comments like that, trying to throw Caspian off his game. He didn't like it when someone else had more wit or an upper hand on the conversation, and he knew Caspian and what made him tick and what made him uncomfortable and he was all too willing to exploit it. Caspian had not been so patient with him in the beginning - he had thrown him to the ground and pressed a blade to his throat and hissed at him for him to speak. Reluctantly, Aspen suspected the only reason he had been left alive was to prolong his suffering, but things had changed and-

"My father will be back in the kingdom soon." Caspian's tone was bleak, a coldness settling over his features. It was no secret that he was of great power and the amulet at his throat was a clear symbol of that, but Aspen suspected he wanted something further than the throne he was forced to sit upon to tend to the needs of his city.

"I've never seen your father," Aspen sighed drearily. "I don't think I'd get along with him. Unless he was pretty. The dark fae are always pretty."

"You always use that word." This time, Caspian's tone was reprimanding. "We are powerful and ruthless, not...pretty."

A cold breeze swept a few leaves up from the barren ground before they landed with a scrape against the dry dirt. Aspen pondered lazily over the fact that they sounded like old bones rattling. A little restless from sitting, Aspen pushed himself to his feet, gazing into the dark meadow and the even darker forest that lay beyond the recesses of the clearing.

Watching him, Caspian stood up soon after, as if he disliked having to look up to speak. It made him feel more prepared anyway, should something attack, and he shuffled closer to his staff.

"Wait-" Catching his arm, Aspen flashed a sultry smile, tilting his head. "We can forget about the whole fighting stuff for a long moment, can't we? You're always glued to that staff like you're going to start a fight."

"You observe correctly, then."

Then, Caspian was silent and merely pulled his arm from Aspen's grasp. A troubled look crossed his expression before it dissipated into a careful mist that guarded his eyes. Instinctively, Aspen stepped towards him and reached forward, resting a hand on Caspian's shoulder.

"We can forget about the danger we are in, if only for a small while," Aspen murmured, his smile slipping as he was once again reminded of the weight of their situation. "We have never been caught, or anywhere close to being caught."

"I am of the Dökkálfar. Do you not know what that means?" Caspian's words were a fierce whisper, his fingers wrapping around Aspen's wrist. "That means if you, an outlaw, are found with me, you will be killed. It does not help that you have blood of Astrild and the Ljósálfar running through your veins-"

"I'm dirty. To you, then," Aspen concluded, his green eyes keen for a response. "Am I wrong?"

"I would rather not speak about it." His voice had grown softer to the point that Aspen had to strain to hear his words. "You must leave soon. Go back into hiding in wherever you come from."

Narrowing his eyes, Aspen refused to move away. Pulling himself closer, he moved to kiss Caspian's forehead lightly in a normal move, though he could feel Caspian flinch and tense next to him, unfamiliar to such a gesture.

"I cannot be with you. Not here," he admitted, pushing hair from Caspian's face on impulse. "But we can enjoy ourselves for however long it lasts. I've been told that is better than not having me at all."

"You think very highly of yourself." Not knowing exactly what to do, Caspian stilled for a second before forcing himself to relax. "Maybe not...being with you at all is better than spending any time in your company."

"I'm infuriating, perhaps, but you haven't killed me yet-"

"Yet-"

"So I consider that an achievement." Aspen sought out his eyes, content to be lost in icy blue irises. "Although you might have to kill me before I become too soft on you and you make me lose my edge. I'm supposed to be the dangerous, fearsome outlaw. Not some secret lover of a royal prince."

Caspian clenched his jaw to hide a hint of embarrassment. "You are not a secret...lover." He did not like such a word associated with him as if it would make him soft as well. He did not take well to the idea that he had allowed himself to grow closer to someone in an unprofessional and immodest fashion. At least, that was what Aspen assumed and he always took his thoughts to be the truth.

"But I am a secret," Aspen pointed out. "Because you are Dökkálfar."

"...Are you upset about that?" Caspian rarely asked questions and Aspen lifted his head quickly, a little surprised.

"Upset?" He blinked a few times. "I am not allowed to be upset. I cannot change your blood, no matter how much I disagree with the responsibilities given to you. I know you don't like them."

His gaze tracked his bow and quiver, both which lay on the ground. They were perhaps the only constant he had ever maintained on his voyages through the lands. He did not belong anywhere, he knew, but he was content with the fact that they at least belonged to him and they were true to him and his aim. Once, he had entertained the thought that he would find a land where he could find a place to settle in, but the territories of the fae weren't kind to rogues and knaves and those that had resorted to lowly ways of life.

"I wish...I could go with you," Caspian said reluctantly, a little unwilling to voice such a notion. "Travel the lands. Not be bound by rules."

"It isn't an easy life. The hardships I face are far different from the ones you face right now. As an outlaw, I'm not respected nor do I get special treatment for my blood. You would be unused to such a life."

"Are you implying I would not be able to adapt?"

"No-...That isn't what I mean. I am implying that you should not wish for such things." Aspen's voice trailed off as he started to become lost in his thoughts, different images and words passing over his mind as he tried to harness what he was pondering over. "There are lands that are filled with magma trapped under the ground. Lands with poisonous fog swirling over the leaves like snakes. Lands filled with creatures that show no mercy as if they are stuck in a loop of a war with them against the world. They make up their lack of paint with their excess of spilled blood. It is not a nice land. It's ugly and scarred and an awful place to travel around in alone."

"No one here has a perspective like that," Caspian observed. "It's...interesting."

"Interesting?"

"But you shouldn't assume that I haven't endured hardships. I can take on anything." Pride now overflowed his words, catching on each edge of conviction that immediately erased any doubt. "I'm not delicate."

"I know. And I know you would be able to take on anything. I would just worry, is all. Anyway, you won't have to worry about it because-"

"Run away with me." Caspian's eyes were unreadable, his voice growing in intensity. "Run away with me and we'll escape this wretched place and we can do as we'd like."

Startled, Aspen merely stared, his eyes large and his mouth slightly ajar. Coming back to his senses, he attempted to formulate a complete and coherent thought, a little too in shock to string together his contemplations into speech.

"Cas-...You don't mean that. Now you're starting to sound like me. Are you insane?"

"Maybe. Probably." Inhaling quickly, Caspian's grip on Aspen's wrist tightened. "It's probably your doing and it's probably a stupid idea, but if we run away, we won't have to worry about my parents and the kingdom and-"

"Are you willing to give this up?" Aspen asked quickly, trying to understand if he was making the right decision. "You'll lose everything."

"...No. I won't."

There was a flicker of something secretive in Caspian's eyes, but Aspen chose to ignore it, instead pulling his wrist from Caspian's hand to tug him closer. He pressed his forehead against Caspian's, his fingers clutched around the amulet. He didn't dare pull it off, but god, he wanted to as if it would seal Caspian's silent promise to go with him. It was a stupid idea, he knew, for his attention was never held for a long while, but he had never been enticed so feverishly by an offer from someone he had to drag affection out of.

"You are sure?" Aspen asked quietly, unable to stop a sliver of a smile.

"No, but my father will find out soon enough where I have been sneaking off to. I will fight him for my leave if need be, but-"

Aspen pulled back to shake his head. "Come with me at the half-moon. It will be upon us in a few days. Meet me here. I will be waiting for you and I know portals to other lands. It will be splendid."

"Don't bring your bow and quiver," Caspian instructed, quickly moving to explain. "I will replace it with something more suitable."

Struggling to agree, Aspen sighed and bit his bottom lip. "I don't like being ordered to do things I don't like. But I will. Just for you."

Caspian only made a quiet noise of contentment, his features darkening as he allowed Aspen to kiss his cheek slightly. "For me, then. That is enough."

"Enough..." Aspen allowed the word to be carried away in the breeze, hit with a sudden feeling of nervousness though he forced himself to swallow it like acrid bile. The amulet was cold against his palm and he merely let go of it, shutting his eyes to shut out the world. He would protect them both, of course, though he was certain Caspian could take care of himself in any conditions. Sometimes adventure was risky, but it was always worthwhile and all he could hope for was that Caspian felt the same.

The princess decided to run away with him,
and they planned to meet
at their favorite meadow before they escaped.