Ella entered the downstairs living room.
Kava was already there, standing up as soon as she appeared. He looked serious, bowing his head with a hand on his heart when she entered.
She wished he was more relaxed. If only he knew.
"Lord Hunter, how pleased I am for you to join me." She said officially while the servants were closing the door.
"As am I." He responded. That was good. No more silence.
"Please, sit." She said, fixing her dress while taking a seat on the other side of the small table. That was closer than they had been while she was a princess ever. "How did you spend this wonderful sunny day?"
Kava stiffly sat down on the fluffy chair. He made the smallest move to lean forward, but caught himself and instead leaned all the way back, sinking into the seat back. He still crossed his legs, forgetting about putting them on the ground instead.
One lesson wasn't enough to get every custom into his head. Ella didn't mind. She wouldn't mind many things, the problem were the servants. She wished they could go out, eat by the rickety table behind the stables again instead of dining in this fancy room, observed, the topic of all the gossip. He would feel more comfortable. She would too. If only he knew Rose and Ella were the same person.
"I was outside." He said curtly. She knew he had spent most of the day with her, practising the party he was now attending.
"I see."
She took the teapot, pouring his tea first, then hers. He was observing the light brown liquid flow into the gold painted cups. She handed one of the cups to him.
"How do you take your tea, Lord Hunter?"
He narrowed his eyes. She was hoping she didn't sound identical to Rose and he wasn't putting it together. Although maybe it would be better if he did.
"As is."
Ella put one sugar in and added just a splash of milk. She couldn't help herself from commenting with a gentle smile.
"Are you saying that because you enjoy your tea plain, or are you intimidated by all the dishes on the table?"
His dark eyes were unreadable. It could seem that she had offended him if not for a gentle tilt of the corner of his lips. She wouldn't have spotted it if they hadn't spent so much time together.
"I've faced bears and wolves with nothing more than my bare hands. I think it would take more than sugar or honey to intimidate me." He said seriously. She knew he was joking around, it was just light banter.
"Oh? Be my guest then."
She took a sip first. The tea was delightful. She was observing him through her lashes. He made the smallest sip.
His mouth turned downward. He didn't even manage to fix his expression when she properly looked at him. He tried, but he seemed entirely displeased.
"Is it not good?" She asked innocently.
"N— No, it's good."
He took another sip, displeased even more. Ella hid her smile behind her cup.
"Well, feel free to add something to sweeten it up."
"It's not about sweetness." He said before bitting his tongue. "I apologize."
"Please, go ahead. What's the problem with the tea?"
He clearly fought with himself for a moment.
"Speak freely. We're alone here, and I won't tell." His eyes flickered to three servants standing behind her sofa. "As alone as we'll be before the wedding, I suppose."
"I don't mean to offend."
"Of course not."
"This... "tea"... doesn't have much of a taste. At all."
"Oh. I suppose it is rather light."
"It tastes like nothing. I think I will add something."
She gestured towards the table encouragingly. His eyes flickered between the tea sets, finally resting on the milk. He grasped the vessel gently, pouring the contents into his cup.
He poured all of it in, which made the teacup full to the very brim, more milk than tea. If he picked it up no, it would surely spill. He shot an accusatory look at the cup, as if he hadn't been the one pouring milk.
"I see you lack moderation." Ella playfully said. This time the twitch in Kava's lip was annoyed. It did sound a lot like she was criticizing him. "Many would say that it's a good thing."
"Hm."
Oh, he did not like that banter. He wouldn't care if she was Rose, but right now, as princess Ella, her comments were less welcome. He took her comments as criticising him, even when she didn't mean it like that.
"We'll fix that right up, no harm done." She gestured for the servants to take the overfilled cup and give a new one which they hastily did. She poured him tea again. "Here. Have another try."
He poured less milk this time, his hand quicker than the previous one, more haste that made him spill a bit. He was nervous, getting irritated at customs, himself, and maybe even her. She had to do damage control, get him comfortable around her.
"If you don't drink tea in Great Tundra, what do you drink?"
"Mostly water." He said, taking a sip again. He was still unhappy with the taste. She put the bowl with sugar closer to him. "But we also drink coffee."
"Coffee?" She repeated. "I've heard of it. People say it's really exotic, but I've never tasted it."
"It's a strong liquid that we drink in the mornings. It comes from a plant which is easy to carry around when we move. It's best drank in the mornings, since it's energizing. If you drink it in the evening, you won't be able to fall asleep."
"Fascinating." Ella said, and she meant it. "I wish I could try it."
"We brought some with us."
He ended the sentence at that. She would clearly need to help him.
"So perhaps..." She started, hoping he'd catch it.
"Perhaps...?" He said, trailing off. He didn't get it. She sighed, amused.
"Perhaps you'd like to share with me?"
"Oh!" Kava slapped his knee, making the table shake. "Of course. A gift..."
"I would actually love if we could drink it together."
"Oh." Kava nodded. "I... see."
He fell silent. She cleared her throat, raising her eyebrow. When he looked at her, she indicated the presence of servants.
"Right. Of course." He straightened up. "Would you like to drink coffee with me tomorrow morning, princess?"
She smiled.
"I would be delighted to."
He added sugar into his tea. Two cubes. Still scrunched his nose at it.
"Do you have any fun stories from your hunts, Lord Hunter?" She asked, delicately sliding the bowl with honey towards him. "I would love to hear some."
"Fun stories...?" He trailed off, thinking. He took the wooden spool with honey and let the liquid slide into his tea. "I don't really think these are appropriate."
"Humour me. How about you tell me about the wolf fur you're wearing on your head? I'm sure that was your prey."
He nodded, and she saw she got him. His eyes brightened, his posture relaxed slightly. Hunting was a good topic.
"To become an official Hunter in Great Tundra, one must tackle a trial. You have to go into the wilderness alone, with no weapons and supplies, and bring back prey. It can be anything. People who don't want to be important in the pack just come back after a day or two with a squirrel or a beaver. But if you want to show off, if you are supposed to be important, then there are certain expectations."
He tugged a bit on the black wolf fur hanging from his head. It was a subconscious gesture, a self soothing move.
"All of the hunters that came here with you have skins of the predators on them." She commented. Kava nodded.
"These are some of our best people. Not all of them. We had to leave others to provide and protect our home."
"That makes sense. So I'm guessing you were one of the hunters that were supposed to go for an impressive hunt?"
"Of course. I had to prove myself to the tribe. My father wanted me to go trough the trial early to prove the bloodline was still strong, especially because of my—"
He cut himself off, tugging at the wolf fur with a startled expression.
Oh. Because of his episodes. He almost said it out loud, and now he talked himself into a corner. She wished he would tell her, but it was way too soon for the princess to know. She calmly took a sip, deciding to help him out.
"I can imagine. He wanted to show that his offspring was fit to lead. I had to prove myself in my own way multiple times only because of my heritage, and I'm not even the oldest child. The pressure must have been enormous."
He nodded, relieved that she didn't pursue the topic.
"Yes. I set off to the forest to find my prey without even clothes on my back. The forests of Great Tundra are enormous, but I've been taught to track since I learnt to walk. On the first day I found a river I would be following to make sure I have access to fresh water. I didn't manage to get the wood I needed for a bow, so I only had a makeshift hammer to protect myself throughout the night. The next day I made a bow and killed a reindeer for fur, I had to have protection against the elements. It took me a few more days to make the clothes, since it was really cold after my birthday and my hands were shaking. In the meantime I was following the river, making circles to catch a trail of something worthy to catch. I did."
"The wolf." Ella whispered, entranced. Kava nodded.
"I found the trail, and I set off to follow it right away. The tracks were old, but I was hoping to find it. I was resilient, and I kept following for miles, day after day going north. It was becoming colder with each step, so I had to hunt more to get warmer clothes and keep myself fed. The river was now long behind me, but I melted ice and snow from the ground whenever I managed to light a fire. The wolf was leading me into a territory that would soon be devoid of any plant life and most of the animals. But I was close. The tracks were fresher. I was finding The wolf's prey every day. But it was so cold, and I was far away from our house."
"Why didn't you turn back? You could have found something different. And nobody would know, would they?"
"They wouldn't, but I had to prove it to myself that I could." Kava huffed air through his nose." So I followed. I hadn't even gotten a glimpse of the animal I was hunting for those weeks, but I knew it was there. And finally, after a month long journey, I managed to see it. A black wolf, an enormous alpha that had been leading me to the icy lands all that time. It was so much bigger than me back then. Almost like a horse. And I had a small hand made bow and a few other tools. I was cold and tired, but I finally knew I could have it."
His hands squeezed the fur as he was recalling the situation. Ella caught herself hunched forward, waiting for the rest of the story with starry eyes.
"It was resting, so I had time. I couldn't get close, but I prepared what traps I could, getting my weapons ready. When the dawn broke, I shot the first arrow."
His fingers twitched.
"I hit, but I might as well have missed, because the wolf barely noticed the arrow shallowly in its shoulder. All that did was alert it of my presence. I had its attention, and it wasn't going down without a fight."
Ella made a small gasp, anticipating the story. That seemed to break Kava out of the trance, and he leaned back again with a startled expression, his eyes gaining focus.
"I shall... spare you the details of the fight." He said to her disappointment. She should have sat quietly. "I won, as you can see by the fur I'm currently donning. Then I took a month and a half to get back, dragging the wolf's body with me. When I arrived to the spot I started from, exhausted and cold, my tribe was no longer there. They had already moved for the winter even more south."
"That's terrible!" Ella exclaimed, attempting to put down the tea cup she had been holding. She missed to plate and put it straight on the table, hastily correcting her mistake. Kava smiled at her gently.
Oh.
"They wouldn't wait for anyone, and my hunt head been really long. All I had to do was follow them. Of course, uh— they had horses, and I didn't, and I was dragging a giant wolf corpse with me— but it wasn't the worst part of the journey. It was almost finish, so I had nothing to worry about."
She felt like he was lying. It must have been horrible. They left him behind, and he didn't know if he'd make it.
"I found them, eventually. You can't even imagine how surprised everyone was to see me." Kava chuckled. "I just appeared, bloodied from head to toe and with frostbites, carrying a gigantic wolf. I had been gone for almost four months. I missed the birth of my brother, and Leam was already being celebrated as the next successor. They thought me dead."
Kava leaned back.
"Most of them were probably counting on it." He murmured. "But I prevailed, and there was nothing any of them could do. They had to acknowledge the trial. I completed it and I had their respect. And my position as the successor back."
"That's amazing. An extraordinary story." Ella commented, absentmindedly gesturing for the servants to bring them cake. It barely registers in her mind that she was supposed to host the tea party. "Why do you think that... and forgive me for being so bold, why do you think the people in your tribe were hoping you died?"
She could see the internal struggle. She wished he trusted her more.
"Not everyone was happy for me to be the successor. Many think my brother, Leam, would be a better King Hunter. The succession in Great Tundra is a bit different. The firstborn is supposed to be the next in line, but they can be challenged at any time by anyone that is a proven Hunter for the position. Leam still might challenge me. Some people do want that instead of me taking the throne. It would free me of that responsibility."
"And what do you want?"
***
"She won't get it. If I'm not the King Hunter, I'll be nothing."
Kava fell onto the hay next to her. She knew he'd be looking for Rose, so she had ran to disguise herself right after the tea party. He was close to her on the haybale, looking up at the ceiling. She also looked up there, it was easier than looking into his eyes. It was becoming increasingly harder to divide Ella from Rose when it came to Kava. He had just finished retelling her the story of the tea party. She was right. He had read most of her comments as critique instead of them being banter.
"Because of your sickness?" She asked what she couldn't have as Ella. She felt him nod.
"Yes. People were hoping I'd die so that Leam would be able to take the throne without any obstacles. I survived, and they hated me for it, but they couldn't argue with the trial. If I hadn't returned, everything would be solved. If I had returned with nothing, or with something much easier to hunt, they would be able to push me aside as well. If I lost what I have now, being a descendant to the throne, I would be pushed aside again. Cast out."
"They wouldn't take you back in?"
"Most probably. If I was anybody else with my... outbursts, I would be forced to be a hermit, to live on my own or to die trying. The only saving grace is me being the firstborn of the King Hunter."
"You don't really want to be a king, do you?"
It was something she had been suspecting for a while now.
"No." He admitted. "Is it that obvious?"
Just for me, because we spent so much time together.
"You're right. I don't want to be King Hunter. I know tundrians won't respect me, not the ones that matter. I will be miserable my whole life on the throne, but it's the only way I can exist in Great Tundra. The court will make my rule almost impossible, they will be fighting me on every step. They'll try to make me fail to rise my brother up. And they'll probably give me some stupid name, like Kave'le'aha the Mad. Or something equally ridiculous. They'll use one of my outbursts as an excuse to lock me up at some point. They might even cause it to make sure it happens in public."
Ella propped herself on her elbow to look at him. His dark eyes focused on her for a moment.
"Isn't this union the best way for you then?"
He looked at her questioningly.
"I mean... you will be important because you will be providing a union with Brivania after the wedding. So even if you renounce the throne and your brother takes it over, they won't be able to cast you out, because that would mean war with us."
He propped himself on his elbow as well, facing her. His eyes lit up slightly.
"Assuming the union happens at all."
"Why wouldn't it? Both countries want it, and you're already getting along with the princess. Hell, even if you didn't they would go along with it."
"Not if she finds out about my episodes. She, or the king."
"She'll understand."
"You seem so sure about that. You've been making a lot of assumptions about her."
"Have I been wrong?"
"No. And that's what puzzles me. I've been thinking about something."
He leaned in suddenly, so close that she felt his breath on her.
He had freckles, she suddenly realised. His face was softer here than from the distance. He was so close that she could kiss him if she wanted to.
And lord forgive her, she wanted to more than anything.
"What?" She asked , since he paused as if thinking the same indecent thoughts as she just had.
"You two are very similar."
Like a bucket of cold water got poured over her, all the indecent thoughts evaporated from her mind. She felt cold spread over her body.
"Y— yes?" She asked as his dark eyes looked even closer at her. It would be the prime time to admit everything, but she couldn't. It would ruin everything. The silence was scaring her. "Kava?"
"Do you think the two of you might be related?"
Her eyes widened. Her heart got lighter as she started laughing.
"What?" He asked, confused. "It's not uncommon for men to be unfaithful, and royals tend to send their illegitimate kids away in case of any succession problems, or to avoid wrath of their partners. So maybe...?"
"I know my parents, and they are lovely people. But thank you for comparing me to royalty."
"Ah." Kava fell back onto the hay. She followed his lead.
The silence was very comfortable. It was becoming cold, the sun setting. She shivered.
"It's getting late. I should be leaving soon."
"Could you... stay a little longer? I'm meeting the princess tomorrow and I'm nervous."
"Okay. But not that long." She rubbed her arms. "It's getting cold."
"Right. Let me..." He shuffled a bit. Something soft got thrown over her. It was the black wolf fur. She gasped. Ella refused to look at Kava now. Some irrational part of her brain thought that without the wolf pelt on his head he was like naked. "Here."
"But you'll be cold."
"I'm resilient. I'd rather protect your fragile Brivish body."
She could hear from the tone of his voice that he was grinning. She punched him playfully, but snuggled closer to the fur. Her eyelids were becoming heavy.
"Hey, Kava?" She asked sleepily.
"Hm?"
"Shouldn't we practice? Before tomorrow?"
"No need. This will be my ritual, and I know how to conduct it."
"But I don't...."
Kava chuckled.
"I'll show you another day."
The crickets were so nice that evening. The fur was making it so warm, but the company was making it even better. She could stay there forever like that.
"Rose." Kava said quietly. "Your friend is calling for you. I don't think you can stay."
"I know." She said sadly, getting up and handing him back the fur. She didn't look at him as he dressed up again. "Thank you. I'll see you soon, Kava."
Sooner than you think.