She took hold of his hand with her good one, but before she could pull herself up, Asfandyar tumbled forward, falling into the mud anyways. Durkhanai let out a laugh.

“Look who’s clumsy now!” she teased, though she suspected he had done it on purpose to make her feel better.

“Clumsy?” Asfandyar repeated, grabbing a handful of mud and running it down her arm.

She cried out. “This is an attack on the Shehzadi!”

She grabbed a handful of mud and plastered it across his chest, up his neck. He squirmed, but they were both laughing, and perhaps they truly had drunk wine accidentally. She felt drunk.

“Princess, you must stop attacking me,” he said, straightening his kameez

“Don’t tell me what to do,” she replied, shoving him again. He tumbled forward, almost falling, but caught himself before he landed further into the mud.

Suddenly, he bumped his shoulder into hers. They were acting like children. Because he took her by surprise, the force sent her tumbling.

“Hey!” she pouted. “Don’t be so mean to me! I am but a delicate maid.”

“You? Delicate?” he repeated, laughing loudly. “That is entirely untrue.”

“Yes,” she agreed with a smirk. “But it is a mask I like to wear sometimes.”

She took his hand and pulled him into the mud beside her.

“Truce!” he cried, lying down. He looked up at her, and now that she had seen it, she would never tire of the way his eyes gleamed to drink in the sight of her. She grinned.

“Come, we should go,” Asfandyar said, breaking the silence.

She didn’t want to but knew they must. They grabbed each other’s arms and helped one another up. Cleaning off the mud as best as they could, they climbed their horses, and began the journey back in comfortable silence.

When they arrived at the palace, Durkhanai whispered, “Let’s use the passageways. I’ll let the guards know I’m home after we’re inside. Then we can clean up and go see the Kebzu soldier.”

Asfandyar shrugged. “I doubt anyone has noticed I’ve been missing, anyways.”

Durkhanai led the way, walking to a secluded section of the lower gardens to make entrance into the passageways. She grabbed a torch from the hidden stash on the side, and Asfandyar lit it.

“I’ll take you to your room, first,” Durkhanai said.

“No, no, no,” Asfandyar replied, putting his hands on her shoulders. “You’ve already fallen twice and injured yourself once. I don’t trust you to make it back on your own.”

Durkhanai rolled her eyes. “Oh, please!”

“I’ll drop you off,” he insisted, moving her along.

Durkhanai obliged, too tired to argue, and relished in the few moments more with him, the illicit thrill that ran through her with his warm hands on her shoulders. She was filled with barbaric desire. When they arrived back at her room, however, Durkhanai noticed the light was on.