There were a few seconds of awkward silence, then one of the guards blurted "But your highness! It's not safe to go out after dark." I was still shaking, and it was kind of embarrassing because Princess Alesa was there to witness it all. Princess Alesa sighed. "How about I command you to do it?" She asked. The guards half laughed and half sighed, but they unlocked the doors anyway. I stumbled outside, so I could breath. I fell on my knees, and I sighed. I felt to enclosed in the palace. It was too much for me to handle. I heard footsteps behind me, and I turned to see Princess Alesa. She was still in day clothes, which were white gloves and a white dress with a deep dark red flower on it. "Hey, Adam is it? Don't worry too much about that display, I know about fears of being away from home, or just anxiety in general. I totally understand, my dear." I glared at her. "First of all, did you just call me your dear? Second, you don't "understand me". You aren't in the same situation as me, so don't pretend like you know!" My voice I realized was getting hoarse. She seemed taken aback at my words, but then her face melted into a smile. "You know Adam, you're right. I never thought about it that way. That is true, I'm not in the same situation as you, but I'll let you talk about it if you want to." I looked up at her, and actually took her up on her offer. "I feel enclosed in this place." I said sharply. Alesa seemed unaffected by the sharpness of my tone of voice. None of my glaring or rude remarks seemed to faze her. "Ah, so it seems you just a bit of homesickness, don't worry my dear, I'll comfort you." I glared at her again. Was she seriously so.... Giddy? "There are like, thirty-five of us guys. Everyone else is just as dear to you as I am. So why are you calling me your dear? I don't like it." Princess Alesa giggled. "Well, you all are dear to me. This competition is so I can find out who shall be the dearest." "Uh, did you just say shall?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Princess Alesa giggled again. "I'm afraid so, it's part of my vocabulary." I sighed. "This place feels like a cage to me." I whispered. "A pretty dang big one, but it's still a cage." Princess Alesa looked at me. To her credit, she looked genuinely concerned. "It's a beautiful cage though, isn't it?" I didn't say anything at first, then I glared at her. "You must be pretty shallow and stuck-up to call this godforsaken place a "beautiful cage"." Princess Alesa still seemed unaffected by my words. I was still on my knees. Princess Alesa got down with me, and began to pat my back. "Well Adam, I hope you find something in this cage worth fighting for. We need to head back inside now for security reasons, are you alright?" I nodded breathlessly. What did she mean by finding something in this cage to fight for? She tried to help me up, but I wouldn't let her. I got up, and dusted off my knees. We walked back to the palace in an awkward silence. She put her arm around me, trying to comfort me I guess. I let her this time. When we got there, the guards locked up the doors behind us. Princess Alesa turned to me. "Can you do me a favor, m-" she stopped mid-sentence, realizing she was about to call me her dear again. I smirked. "Hm, maybe." "Would you mind not mentioning this to anyone, technically I'm not supposed to meet you all tomorrow." I looked at her. "Of course." She smiled. It was hard to tell because of the dim moonlight, but I think she might have been blushing. "Good night, Adam." She said, waving me off. "Good night Princess Alesa." I said, giving a little bow, which was probably the most polite I had been all day. After I bowed, I went back to my room to get whatever sleep I could.