Crowns and Cloaks

Annoyance

The look on Blade face was indescribable. As fast has his faced turned sour, he pushed Xaveria up against a tree, leaning in right into my face. "If I'm annoyance, what does that make you? You never stop talking, as if that gob of yours can't stop moving. Go ahead, leave. I don't care about you."

Xaveria was flustered at the the proximity of Blade's body and face. She wanted to look anywhere but him but he was clouding her vision. "Can you..?" The 'get out of my face' was implied in her voice and he huffed, before stepping away from here and walking off. Still flushed, she stood there with a dumb expression on her face.

Blade, for some reason, was the same. Why did I do that...? And to the stupid girl of all people? He pulled his hood down and rubbed his face with his hands, before putting the hood up once again, and continuing on his walk.

Until, that is, Xaveria joined him once again.

"Ugh, why can't you leave me alone?" Blade grumbled, as he stomped his way through the trees.

"Because, like I said yesterday, I find you interesting." "I find you completely aggravating."

"Same here, so we're on the same page." Vera remarked, and kept following the irritated boy, but this time stayed silent.

As they walked through the forest, it was as if everything was still. The sky was cloudless, there was no wind to stir up the grass and leaves. The only thing that was resonating around in the tranquil forest was the sound of their feet walking through the dead leaves of the ground. Even the sound of her heavy breathing seemed to disappear as it left her mouth.

Blade was impressed. She had managed to stay silent for the majority of the time that they had travelled from the tree. He did, however, miss the fact that her talking suddenly made the sound of the forest quite dull. So, he made conversation. "I'm impressed."

"Huh?" "You've managed to stay silent for a whole five minutes." "I'm a woman of many talents."

"So..Blade..you never explained where we are going." Xaveria taunted, and Blade rolled his eyes. Here we go again.

"There is a river just a little bit further from here. Its a popular site for foxes. I set down traps there." He explained, pushing a branch out of of his face. "We set up the traps to catch the fish, by the way, not the foxes."

"Oh, alright. I'm guessing there is a trail back out from here?" She asked him again, and he nodded, heading further to the bank. "Yeah, it just beyond those trees, it'll of you back onto the path we walked on yesterday."

Xaveria nodded, thanking him, before walking back into the trail, and heading home. She liked the sound of the river, the way the rivers sounds as it whooshes between the rocks left behind in the shallow waters. Not to mention the serenity that comes from even standing in the shadow of those trees. It became a sort of haven for her, so everytime she had a spare chance, she would head down to the river and relax; forget about those royal duties as a princess.

When she returned home, her brother was waiting for her in the room. "Where were you?"

"I was visiting a small river in the forest. And no, I wasn't with the Ranger." "Good."

There was a silence between the two siblings, before Leon noticing her attire and scrunched his eyebrows. "What's with the peasant attire?" Xaveria looked down at her dress, picking it up slightly, examining it. When she didn't answer, he continued. "You have a wardrobe full of them. Why wear the piece of trash you use to go out in public?"

"Because I was in the public. I wasn't a princess at the time, so..."

"Good grief, Vera. Sometimes you don't act like a princess." Leon stated, giving her a tight glance. "Mom will not be pleased."