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When she had taken Gabriel’s hand, Anika hadn’t anticipated what would happen next. They were running into the unknown, praying no one would find them. And now, they were here. She wasn’t a princess anymore. News had spread that a new heir had been discovered recently, but she did her best not to trouble herself with it. It was easier to focus on work.

The tools she had afforded to her weren’t of the same caliber as those her nursemaids used to heal her wounds, but it was enough. She couldn’t heal others with her words, but she could coax them into a sleep when she stitched them up. It troubled her how many men would walk in each day, hoping the war might end one of these days, but Corthyr would not let up. Boils, bruising, vomiting- Anika had seen it all, but she lived for it. She was finally living her dream. Not the spotlight her father laid out for her, but being able to truly help people.

Walking home alone, Anika feared the idea that she might still be recognized, but Gabriel always assured her that it was nearly impossible. It had been years now, but she was sure that if she was ever to be discovered, there was a world of pain and imprisonment waiting for her. Some nightmares still troubled her at night, but there he was at her side, never leaving, just like he had promised her the day they had left together. With him at her side, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

Arriving at their home, she smiled. It wasn’t a castle, but inside she felt more adoration than any of her fans prior. Enthusiastically, she opened the door to be welcomed by the smell of vegetables cooking on the stove. It was not a five-star meal, but she found it far tastier than anything she had at the castle. Maybe it was because she no longer had to fear it being poisoned or just that there was someone who cared about her who was preparing it. " I’m home, Bello. Where is my customary greeting?" She grinned at the man who was waiting for her before she started her boots at the door.

At the end of the day, she was still a princess. Instead of many servants waiting on her, only one person was waiting on her. But there were just a few rules she wanted him to follow. One, she wished to wrap her arms around her person after such a long day. Two, it had been eight long hours since she had been able to crack wise with anyone for fear they might no longer wish to use her services. And third, if it were up to her, the man would be greeting her with a glass of wine and nothing but an apron, but concerns were expressed about her ability to drink and unwrap him at the same time. As well as the fear of their dinner getting cold. These are all valid concerns, but logic was never something Anika liked to use.

" How many brains did you mold today?" Anika spoke, getting her boots off and approaching the dining table. The vest he wore made Anika’s heart swoon, thinking about the teacher out there molding minds, making a difference in his own right. She was curious to hear about his day, knowing hers wasn’t meant for dinner discussion. Teaching others to read and write showed Anika how misguided she was prior to coming here. The idea of a quality education wasn’t something that she had ever considered a gift before, but seeing how little those knew in this town alone was enough to help open her mind more.





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After many letdowns and misguided attempts to become the queen, here she was. Joining the dining table, she couldn’t help but wonder what was taking place back at the castle, had her father forced the whole family to sit down as he listed off all their failures, or had they all sat in silence? Whatever they were eating didn’t have half the heart that the meals her man provided for her, as well as the assurance that the person preparing it only wanted her happiness over anything else.

As his lips pressed against her cheek, she felt herself snap out of the wonders of what if and back to the blissful reality they were currently residing in. Gabriel had only scratched the surface of the ways her mind continued to torment her, and she felt it best to forget the past, no matter how heavily it tried to haunt her. Gabriel made an effort to still make her feel like a princess in her own right, unveiling each dish as she oohed and awed at each one in an effort to stroke his ego. It was fun playing this game, the one where he lived to serve her and her alone. More importantly, where she understood what when he said he would cherish her and love her, he meant it.

The idea of him offering to wash away her sadness gave her some ideas, but nothing appropriate for the dinner table. Would that stop her? Of course not. " If you want to wash my sadness away, maybe we can save that for when I need a shower later," Anika smirked at the man before taking a drink of her wine. A side quest of hers was always to make Gabriel flustered, enamored by how wide the man’s eyes could get behind the sunglasses by the silly things she could say.

Anika racked her mind as to what would make the man put on such a display for the two of them, hopeful she hadn’t forgotten their anniversary. But knowing that was just the perks of dating a man who enjoyed surprising her as much as she liked to surprise him. The woman had even started wearing clothes more suited to his tastes, partially due to the fact she couldn’t justify wearing her favorite designers outside of their abode for fear of being discovered, but the wool skirt she was wearing today was a material she was still getting over.

" Grazie. Such a spread, I truly am the queen of my own kingdom." Her smile spread as she put down her glass, preparing herself to eat the burrata before her. Spoiled in her own right, this was never the life she had dreamed of living ten years ago, but here she was, pleased to eat something prepared just for her. Even when she lived back at the castle, she couldn’t say the same thing was true.

The soft cheese melted in her mouth, causing her to moan slightly at the deliciousness. " Oh, you have outdone yourself once again." What would she have done without him? The idea that she could ever dream of making something so special made her laugh. But there was no feeling of debt pressing down upon her, but of love and adoration. Not deserved by any means but appreciated, " I have been trying to learn how to cook from some of the other nurses, and I managed to boil pasta water the other day. Just you wait, one of these days I will have a king's feast prepared for you. Any requests?"





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Anika’s nose twitched slightly at Gabriel’s remark. It was still new, not being the best at everything, and that being… okay. This used to be where she would scoff and talk about how cooking was a commoner’s skill or attempt to flee the conversation entirely, but she remained at the table. Still doing her best to remain present despite it all, grounding herself at the thought that one day she would manage to make something that didn’t make her partner want to gag himself with a spoon to force it down.

Watching the man eat, Anika knew deep down his words came from a place of excitement and love as opposed to a place of disappointment or displeasure. It was hard to fight the fleeing feelings, but his gentle looks made it easier. In the beginning, she teased him for staring at her for so long, but now she basked in the man’s spotlight that remained focused on her. As his smile turned slightly, Anika’s curiosity piqued, thinking as to what the academic would think of her cook. It was possible he might try and tease her by giving her something simple, but mocking her was unlike him.


There was a brief moment of silence as Anika tried to process the words the man had just uttered. A relaxed giggle followed as her face flushed at the idea of the two of them together, " Rather bold of you indeed. But I would need more details." She winked, surprised by the man’s comments but wanting to encourage the endeavor. It wasn’t the worst attempt at courting she had met, and she found it almost endearing how nervous he got, considering how long they had been together.

Taking another sip of her wine, she thought about how long he would remain flustered for. The cough was alarming, but it was hard not to smile at his bashfulness. His talents with writing didn’t always transfer to his performance, but his actions often spoke louder than words ever could. Not wanting to embarrass him further, she didn’t dare comment on his inability to swallow and instead focused on the fact that he continued to stare at her in amusement. " Perhaps, but I am curious about the finished product." Anika mused, not wanting him to fully escape from what he had said.

The conversation shift was rather telling of how uncomfortable he was getting, and Anika knew well enough how to read a room. The conversation was still about her, something her father would have praised her for, but she found herself wanting to ask him more about his work. The fear still held her heart that he might come to resent her for taking her with no matter how special he made her feel; she imagined the matter to be taxing to do the work a team of servants once did to keep her feelings high.

" There is not much we can do besides work each day. The night nurses have asked me to cover for them from time to time, so your company may be needed, but outside of that, all we can do is continue to work and pray." Without her father’s help, there wasn’t much they could do. As pitiful as it sounded, they needed more support, more soldiers, more supplies, and the tyrant was trying to save resources. That’s when a terrible thought came to mind, " Do you ever think it would be better if I returned to the capital?" Her voice was soft, trying to appear unbiased but hoping the answer was no.

" All of these people are suffering, and if I returned, maybe I could…" It was childish to think of it in such a way. Especially given how little her father had listened to her prior to her leaving, she was just a model, not someone he cared for. But still thinking about the poor injured people suffering each day, it was hard for her not to consider. " Maybe he would help more if he knew- I just don't know." She shook her head as she looked down at her food, ashamed for being so self-absorbed.






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Silence was never Anika’s strong suit. Even though they were hiding, Anika knew that Gabriel was the one person she couldn’t hide from. Still, looking at his shocked expression as his fork dropped to the floor was enough to have mild feelings of regret for not keeping her thoughts a secret this once. It had been a long time since she had disconnected from her body, but that’s because she hadn’t wanted to escape in such a long time. And Gabriel was the reason for that, his hand in hers as they left that faithful day. The man had warned her about looking back, but she couldn’t help but wonder what if.

His touch reawakened her from her despondency, unsure of when he had left his spot and come over to her. ’ This isn’t good.’ She bit her lip, welcoming the discomfort as it was proof she was still feeling something. It wasn’t fair for her to rely so heavily on the man, wishing his apologies to her, for him to have to fix the problem that she had caused. Her thoughts, her insecurities had gotten in the way of things before, but when she had escaped with Gabriel, she swore that wouldn’t happen again. Something that never changed from when she had left was that she hated liars, just like she was hating herself now.

The words Gabriel spoke were those of the truth, something she deeply admired about him. It was true that if she returned, it was more than likely she would be used as a weapon. Forced to return to the room where the shrieks never ceased, no matter how tightly you covered your ears or begged them to stop. The smooth texture of his thumb dancing with hers was enough for her smile to return, grounding her with the memory of when they first held hands. His sweaty palms and the way he had been too afraid to make eye contact with her were the moments she had known that she had wanted to break him; little did she know that she would fall for him instead.

When she was young, Anika had no idea it was even possible to escape such a fate. Her ideal of marrying into another royal family was still fresh. Now, the name of the Windurian Prince meant very little to her. It was almost humorous to think about the rage it used to send her into. But Gabriel was there for it all. All her heartbreaks and mistakes. Never a judgmental look or glare, just a sympathetic nod or a shoulder for her to cry on. But he never made her feel like she owed him, a part of the reason why she loved him so deeply.

"Little Alessia drew this for you today. Apparently, she wants to be a 'pretty healer lady' like you one day,"

The waterfall started flooding once more, happiness overcoming her. Alessia had been a favorite of hers, the girl often stopping by with random bruises or cuts. Often, an excuse to see some of the beaten and bloody, but Anika didn’t mind the company. " Alessia needs to stop picking fights with Jonry. Then maybe a career in healing could be in her future." She laughed, wiping the tears away before looking her beloved in the eye, " Thank you."

Placing the drawing on the table, she offered her hand back to his, " Your hand used to shake when I offered it to you, who told you that you could be so casual with your princess?" She faked seriousness, her eyes now red from the tears. Entwining her fingers with his, she offered a silly smile, " I love you; you fool. Thank you for being with me."







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