Ela was the first to react.

As the hooded silhouettes inched closer with a vigorous stream of water trailing close behind them, the girl shoved Arden aside. She took a deep breath. Then another. Her hands adopted a peachy shimmer, but it turned into a faint shade of yellow way too quickly. The weather, Arden realized, reaching into his pocket and caressing the revolver's slide. How can a flame compete against icy water in this altitude?

She looked back at the crew. Ailyn's hand had shot up to shield her hanging mouth, while it was clear Nora was striving to suppress her panic. "Stand back," said Ela. "I haven't tried this before."

A knot coiled in Arden's abdomen.

The figures were close enough. With a broad swing of their arms, the water lurched towards the girl, starved beasts ready to feast on their prey. She swung her stretched palms up, eyes sealed tight and lips thinned to a straight line. She's scared. She doesn't think it will work. But it did.

The liquid instantly stilled, crystalizing into a limpid iceberg. The men halted abruptly, glancing at each other puzzled, before stepping past the boulder and pouncing at the team once more.

Ela was prepared that time. She swiped the wind in an effortless gesture of her arms, an icy slide generating from thin air and nudging the figures towards the edge of the path, towards the cliff. Arden didn't hesitate to whip out his gun, aiming it at one of the men's knee and pulling the trigger hastily. A blood-curdling scream escaped his mouth and he slumped back, clawing frantically at the soil as he slid down the rough hill.

The other form stiffened. His hood was down, revealing soft chocolate hair and round features. Arden lowered his gun. He wasn't a soldier. Not even a recruit. He looked like a student. The boy's bluish lips quivered as he eyed the people before him aghast. There was water all around him. Another flood wouldn't be tough to achieve. Yet he stood static, arms fixed to his sides and eyes locked at the revolver.

"What are you waiting for?" Nora seethed, snatching the weapon from Arden's hand and pointing it at the boy's forehead. A shaky whimper bailed out of his mouth, but he didn't move.

Salo cracked his silence, stepping forward to conceal the boy behind his broad shoulders. "This is where I draw the line," he scowled, yet even he seemed nervous to be at gunpoint. "We're not killing a kid. Let him walk away."

Nora's lips curved as she shifted the barrel to zero in on the center of Salo's face. "He's not walking away, and neither are you if you don't step out of my way."

"You wouldn't." The question in his tone hung in the thick air.

She jerked back the hammer, her eyes narrowing to two dark slits. "At least then we would be able to leave the dead weight behind."

"Enough," interjected Arden, plucking the revolver from the spy's fingers. A gesture of his wrist was all it took for the trembling boy to beat a hasty retreat, leaving the team in tormenting silence. The man tucked the revolver deep in his pocket, throwing a sharp glower at the spy before turning to Ela and pointing at the boulder. "Can you move that with your ominous ice magic?"

It didn't take long before they were standing at the entrance of the cave. The inside didn't look like most caves Arden had seen in picture books; there weren't any mysterious stalactites hanging graciously from the ceiling and definitely no enormous mammal hibernating in the corner. As far as he could see, the cave was a passage, a tunnel, likely leading to something he wasn't sure he could face.

When Nora began trodding down the uneven ground, Arden's hand shot out to block her way. "I'm sorry to sabotage our group excursion, but someone has to stand watch."

"And you want me to do that?"

"Worry not, you'll have company." He beckoned at Ailyn, who remained stiller than the discarded boulder. "The lantern and I will take a look inside."

"M-Me?" she uttered, glancing at the others for some sympathy. "No. You don't understand. I can't--"

"You can, and you will."

"These people were soldiers!" she hissed, pointing at the cliff. "Seyali soldiers. What do you think will happen if they see me here?"

"Not harm you, that's for sure."

Ailyn reluctantly trudged over to Arden, throwing him a questioning look. He nudged her shoulder forward, turning back and nodding at the sullen team with the most reassuring smile he could muster. They didn't seem quite soothed.

As soon as they entered the cave they were engulfed in chilling blackness. There was no opening in the dense rocks, no means for the light to pierce the shadows and warm their shivering bodies. Ailyn instantly exposed her palm to the humid atmosphere, a weak glimpse of light illuminating their hesitant features. Their footsteps echoed throughout the long tunnel, bouncing from wall to wall, declaring their presence to whoever or whatever was on the other side.

Arden cleared his throat. "You've been quite reserved lately. Is something the matter?"

"They'll hear us," Ailyn deflected swiftly, staring at the umbrage ahead with a clenched jaw.

He quickly lost his patience. As soon as they were out of the others' sight, he grabbed the princess's shoulder and hurled her startled figure to the curved side of the cave. He whipped out his gun and shoved the muzzle under Ailyn's chin, raising his brows. The girl didn't make a sound, but her expression betrayed her emotions; fear, guilt.

It was hard not to notice. The days since they had arrived at the factory Ailyn had been silent, barely looking anyone at the eye and careful not to say anything incriminating. It only took a few failed conversations for Arden to recognize the ghost of regret hovering over her, smothering her reason and numbing her senses. She wants to go back. This isn't the life she asked for. The princess was already mourning her lost crown, and it had hardly been a week. But she brought the situation upon herself; she ran away. She helped Nora. It was time to get off the fence and choose her side.

"Listen, your Highness," he gibed, gripping her arm firmly. "Salo may fall for your innocent milkmaid act, but I am no fool. Is it a coincidence that the moment we arrive here, your beloved country decides to camp right above our cabins?"

Ailyn tried to chin the gun, but only achieved a soft nudge on the barrel. "Yes," she croaked. "Why would I endanger my own life?"

"Anything to return to your darling, right?" He gave her neck a final push before lowering the revolver, taking a few steps back. Ailyn gasped, dropping her arms on her knees to support her collapsing frame. "Be careful, Ailyn Lacald." Arden narrowed his eyes and glared at the panting girl. "There's much more at stake than your throne now."

It didn't take the two long to reach a rusty door covered in melted ice. Arden peeked inside the metal cylinder of his gun. Almost full. Good. He pressed his head to the wall next to the entrance and signaled for the girl to drop her hands, the glimmering twinkle of warmth abandoning them. He didn't know what could be inside. The Seyali camp was simply an assumption to terrify Ailyn and not much more. With a sigh, he rotated his neck to face the shadow where he thought the princess was. "If there are more than three armed men, we leave."

She stepped closer to the door, fingers grazing each other for some heat. "We won't kill anyone, right?"

"You won't," said Arden, pushing his ear on the freezing wall once more. That should be enough for her conscience.

No vibration reached him. There was no sound on the other side, except for the tranquil dripping of water on water and its light echo across the curved walls. With a shove of his boot, Arden kicked the door open.

The room on the other side didn't differ much. The walls curved to a humid dome, and half-melted candles were scattered around the room to illuminate the few objects decorating it. A few sleeping bags laid on the side and a single round pine table occupied the center, with moth-eaten stools surrounding it. Arden stared at the navy flag nailed to the rocks above him. This had to be a hideout. One occupied by Seyal.

A snoring soldier was slumped against a chair, his feet relaxed on the brown table. With the bang of the door on the stones he jumped up, his boots falling to the ground and his hand flying to his gun. Or perhaps, where it should have been. The boy scoured his pockets with a startled grimace painted on his face, desperation growing with the creases on his forehead.

"Surrender!" Arden yelled, shaking the gun threateningly towards the trembling figure.

The boy raised his arms, sticking his palms to his cole hair. His eyes didn't hesitate to drift to Ailyn, surprise taking the place of fear in his mind. "Y-Your Highness? Is that you?"

She ran her nails up her arm, pulling her bottom lip under her teeth. "Unfortunately."

"I have to tell the others!" the soldier beamed, but a yell from Arden was enough to root his feet to the ground. A hint of hope had found its way to his dark eyes, a hope that blocked all Arden wanted to achieve.

"You're not telling anyone," he said calmly. "What are you doing here?"

Silence. The soldier stood still, staring at the ground intently. His mouth was sealed by the princess's gaze, who slightly shook her head in disapproval. Arden groaned, marching forward until the revolver in his hand hovered only inches away from the soldier's forehead. The man leaned down to glare directly into his narrowed eyes.

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" he asked. The boy shook his head. "Good. Who's your leader and what are you doing here?"

They were questions Arden knew the answer of. Almost. His suspicions were confirmed when the soldier cleared his throat and spoke. "Zafir Talon. We were sent here to retrieve her Highness and Elara Sillich."

Arden nodded, but he couldn't hide his amusement. It was obvious they would want Ailyn back, but Ela too? She was obnoxious, marching to the beat of a different drummer, and worst of all, powerful. They couldn't expect to get their hands on her without earning a few third-degree burns as souvenirs. "What about Kage Sillich?"

The soldier clenched his jaw. "He traveled with us, but I don't know where he is."

Ailyn visibly tensed. Her fingers curled into tight balls and her eyes widened slightly. She knew. Or at least, she hoped. She wanted to believe her prince would come for her, and now that it was confirmed the anticipation was clear in her crystal eyes.

"Why?" Arden queried. "How?" He was aware that the Prince of Shadows couldn't harm them as long as they were in neutral territory, at least not legally. He would never risk Musha turning against his country to vent his anger on some lowly outlaws. The purpose of his camp was still a mystery to Arden, one that only fueled the foreboding chill racing down his spine.

The boy seemed to sense his confusion and growing aggravation. "I-I'm not sure?" he stuttered, the beads of sweat licking down his cheek contradicting the cool atmosphere.

"Speak! What do you know?"

The soldier sniffed in a long whiff of air, shutting his lids for a few moments before opening his eyes and glaring at Arden. "I heard of an alliance being formed. Between Seyal and Musha."

It was as if time halted. The cave's tears weren't forming pools anymore. The howling wind had paused its shrieks. Arden's heart ceased. Then it began thundering against his ribcage. Every breath he inhaled seemed like a wild swarm of bees stinging his lungs, swelling them up and depriving them of oxygen. He stood straight, lowering the gun.

The factory. They will ambush the factory.

"What is it?" Ailyn asked puzzled.

"Where are the other soldiers?" Arden quizzed, ignoring the girl's panicked inquiries. "Why is nobody else here?"

The boy hesitated, but Arden's prompting glares convinced him. "Some are at the market. Some others are blocking the path to here."

Arden span around to stare at the princess through wide sockets. "We need to warn Korin." And with that he gripped her wrist, bursting into the tunnel once more and leaving behind a starlted soldier.

The others were waiting outside. Salo was pacing back and forth anxiously, massaging his temples and heaving long sighs, while Ela was spacing out in the distance with something occupying her mind. The spy was the first to notice Arden stomping out of the cavern.

"So? What's inside?"

The man ran a hand through his hair, shaking his head. "We need to leave. They're going to attack the factory. Is there a shortcut?"

"What?!" Salo yelled, a baffled frown flashing over his features. "Who is--"

"The map, Canbar! Find a damn shortcut!"

He nodded. What else was there to do? Arden walked over him, inspecting the map he had folded out on some rocks meticulously. "We could take this route," said Salo, trailing his finger over a grey line descending around the mountain. "But it would take hours. Maybe even a whole day. We can't--"

"We can. We must."

He looked up, searching Arden's eyes for an answer to all of the question rushing in his. "What's going on, Arden? Tell me," he hissed, not allowing the girls to listen.

So he told him. About the hideout, about the army. And finally, about their plan. Arden hoped he was overreacting. The soldier hadn't directly confessed to what the thief was silently accusing him of. But all the evidence pointed to one direction; the camp right above the factory, the army's perfect timing, and, of course, the alliance. Seyal had the right to do whatever they pleased in Musha under that kind of agreement. Bomb a building, comb the country for a few criminals. Kill a few irrelevant men.

They immediately started down the hill. The path hadn't been used recently due to its biggest hindrance; it was an eternal steep trail that looped around the sharp peak of the mountain like a halo. Only crazed tourists and local orophiles would take that route in spring or late autumn. But they were in the heart of winter, when snow fell thick and the wind wailed relentlessly. No traveler or native was mad enough to go on a hiking trip at that time of year.

Arden kept his replies brief to any question tossed his way. How many men are there? When are they attacking? Are we there yet? His answers didn't usually vary. I don't know, he responded, moving as fast as he could in the high slush. His thighs burned and his head turned with a thousand queries of his own. How had they found them? That was the one tormenting his mind as he blew away the snowflakes on his scarf.

But of course, they had Seyal's precious princess. Arden cringed at the fact that he promised not to let her in Musha forever. He was starting to regret the empathy he showed.

It seemed like centuries later that the sun began to retire, gently slipping down the murky sky. Ela collapsed on a pillow of snow, bringing her soaked sleeve up to her eyes and panting out drained gasps. Nora kicked the girl's shin, plopping down next to her shortly after. "The wild dual bender has no stamina? I'm shocked."

Ela looked up, outraged. "No stamina? We've been trekking for hours with no break! What am I supposed to do?"

"We're all tired," Arden retorted, throwing his backpack on the wet soil. "At least we can make camp now. Find some dry wood."

She slapped the snow, sitting up on her elbows. "I'll try to contain my excitement."

Ela stood up, and she dragged Ailyn along to the dead trees a few yards away. The princess was quiet once again, but now Arden knew why. Salo reluctantly carried the two tents they had brought for good measure to the flattest part of the trail, staring at the thin metal wires in confusion. Arden glanced at Nora, who was leisurely piercing the snow surface with her finger.

"I'll try and pinpoint our location on the map," he called.

"Is that a cloaked invitation?"

"More like an order."

Nora stood, whisking off the snow sticking to her coat. "Alright then. Let's look for the lake."

They strode down the path, map and pencil in hand. Arden still had myriads of questions. Not a day before, he had seen Salo in her cabin. He didn't want to consider the worst, but that possibility kept creeping up his mind. It was a necessary condition not to get too close to anybody; everyone had their own reasons for wanting the artifact, their own motives and ambitions. Intimate feelings never assisted the mission, especially between the two specific people. Salo was easy to manipulate and Nora prone to temptation. Just about everything could go wrong with the appropriate bait.

"I have a question," Nora blurted out. She didn't cease walking but turned to Arden with a puzzled look.

He huffed. "And I have about a thousand. Your point?"

"Why are you so... enigmatic? We know close to nothing about you," she muttered, her unspoken request already reaching his ears. Tell me something about yourself. Anything.

They had been through that conversation before. While riding the carriage to Musha, there was much time to talk. Nora had spoken the same words then, and Arden never answered. She didn't have to know. His life contained no enthralling affairs or complex chicanery. It was embellished with mistake upon mistake, death and complete flatness. All of the parts Nora wanted to hear were cropped out of the story he told anyone who asked.

"Why are you so eager to know? Everyone will take their separate ways when this is over. None of the information you get will matter."

She snorted, stuffing her hands into her pockets. "I don't want to sell your information, idiot. I'm just curious. If it doesn't matter why not tell me and be done with it?" She scratched her chin, a smile finding its way to her lips. "Come on, isn't there something you want to know about me?"

"No," he replied drily, but his previous thoughts returned to his attention. Some things could use some explanation. "Actually, yes. I'll answer your question if you answer mine."

"So I can ask anything at all? Even the weirdest detail?"

"Just go for it."

The spy stayed silent for a few moments before she turned to stare at the darkening horizon. "Where did you learn to speak Mushan so well?"

It was a question he didn't mind answering, as long as his reply was phrased carefully. Just the brief thought of that part of his life spawned an abundance of distant memories, ones that he had buried deep in his mind. But he wouldn't speak of those. He couldn't.

"I attended the National Karahi Military Academy. As you can guess, I had no other way of communicating with those people other than their own language."

She scrunched up her nose, wearing a puzzled expression. "How in the world did you end up there? And how did you end up here? " A gasp peeled from her throat. "Wait! Wasn't that school barbecued a few years back? Were you hurt?"

"That's another four questions. Do you want me to include them in our agreement?"

With a long exhale, she held up her hand in negation. "Fine. I'll milk it out of you another time. It's your turn now."

Another time. Would there be another chance to talk like that? To drop their guards and not look behind their shoulders every two minutes? He wasn't sure, but he didn't argue. Before he could ask the question that troubled him the most, he stopped himself.

She wouldn't answer. Even if something had happened, the girl would just give the same cheap excuse she had back then. Nora had taken the time to ask about such a trivial detail it suddenly seemed significant. He tapped his pockets, drawing out the golden engraved case and tucking a tight cylinder between his lips. With a snap of his lighter and a deep inhale, crimson smoke poured out of his nostrils. A wave of alleviation to his stress came only a second after. "What was your life like? You know, before all of this."

Nora waved the vapor away with a scowl. "Agonizing. But also fascinating. I was just a newbie spy, and nobody trusted me. Well, not that they trust me now.  My commander probably thinks I've deserted. And if we're talking about even earlier..." She paused, glaring at the man pacing next to her. "Let's just say my mother was a demented kesuma addict."

Arden halted. "Oh," he muttered, dropping the cigarette to the snow and pressing his brown shoe on the lighted tip. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize."

"Whatever. I just told you."

The wind had simmered down, leaving only the sound of faint chirping in the distance. Arden closed his eyes and breathed in the fresh air, already regretting letting go of his roll. But with Nora blabbering away about trivial subjects, gossip, complaints, he quickly forgot about the growing ache in his joints. It wasn't like Salo's ramble. Her voice was smoother, a melody rather than a flat yell. 

Suddenly, the spy was just a girl, and he was just a boy. No Kingfisher, no threats, no war separating the world. They didn't need to think about the future, because they had the present. A perfect present that was exactly that; a gift to their souls, a relief from the world.

And just like that, necessary conditions ceased to matter.

***

One long, one short. That's how it's going to be now ;) I know I'm late, but I returned from vacation just a few days ago and jetlag has murdered me.

I hope anyone who is reading this is ready for shit to go down. Please consider voting and commenting ♥ 

NOTE: I'm editing this later, please excuse any mistakes!