Braxton dips his head low to take small sips from the stream. I pat his flank in approval. He’s barely rested over the last week and yet, has stayed obedient and true. Perhaps Torrent’s outlandish beliefs that animals are better than most people contain some truth. They’re better than Verdanians, at the very least. Marian and Godie, a pair of friends who joined us last year, lean against a nearby tree and gossip quietly in the dark. Despite their dropped voices, I overhear most of their conversation. They are speaking of her. Idalia.

“I didn’t expect her to be that good-looking,” Godie admits. “You hear such foul things about Verdanians, you know? I half expected her to look like a dog.”

Marian laughs softly. “Agreed! And did you see how quick she was with that blade? Poor Dasin! Thwarted by a princess! Could you have ever imagined?”

“She wasn’t going to give up; I’ll say that much. She only stopped because of what Braze said! Did you catch her expression when she saw his face? It’s as if she saw a dead person!” Godie pops a piece of dried meat into his mouth, then tears off more for his friend.

“Well, apparently, she did try to kill him all those years ago,” Marian says. “My friend from home has spoken to a castle servant who was there, and he said that when the gods cast their curse, the Princess rushed Braze and tried to kill him! Right then and there!”

Godie grunts. “Gods damn Verdanians. A nasty lot, all of them.”

I slide my hand over Braxton’s leg and sigh. I buried the memories of that day deep enough, never again to be unearthed. At least, I thought I had. But when I saw her, every detail of our time spent resurfaced. The way I felt when I first laid eyes on her, and she stared at me for far too long. The way we danced so slowly together, and…

I laugh softly, and Braxton briefly pauses. Perhaps the cold water didn’t do its job of shaking off my grogginess. We were children. And we felt things the way children feel things. Exaggerated, overwhelming feelings that were not based in anything real.

I watch the water glide by and remember. I was a thirteen-year-old boy with nothing more than an infatuation for a girl I thought would be my bride. It’s possible my memories aren’t the truth. Maybe the servant Marian’s friend spoke to has a clearer recollection of what happened. It is likely that Idalia was involved in her father's plan, and that she did try to kill me. Verdana was—and is—still desperate. It’s not hard to believe that they’d do something drastic. End everything, just to see us fall with them. They still want this.

“Did you hear that?” Godie’s voice is sharp. I walk in the direction he’s facing. The tree branches no longer sway in the wind. Everything stands eerily still. Braxton backs away from the stream and paws the ground. I run back and grab his bridle, bring his head down, and hold his nose beneath my palm.