── ( poison and honey.

arthur huffed as a heavy metal chestplate was pressed against his breast, stumbling backwards slightly as the guards fixed it tightly onto his frame, along with a matching set of the armor for his shins and forearms. he needed to be prepared for anything they were to face, so of course this was the most reasonable way to handle that factor. in his left sheath resting on his hips, there lay a sword, it's metal blade glistening against the morning sunrise. the crossguard had been engraved with multiple jewels and vexing designs, along with his family's signature crest imprinted in the center. on his back hung a finely crafted wooden bow, accompanied with multiple arrows in case he needed to shoot anything from a longer range of distance.    the prince displayed a bright smile upon his lips as he exited the castle, his multiple watchmen staggering behind him as they carried multiple varieties of belongings that the prince had insisted on taking with them on this journey. he grinned a toothy grin as he watched them pass, his white teeth glistening as he tilted his head to face their new guest. theodora, who would be accompanying them, looked quite uneasy about the whole situation. arthur had his doubts about where her loyalty lied, but he had no choice but to accept her, since she was the only key to figuring out what had happened to the scepter.    in the most disgraceful manner a prince could ever hold, arthur clambered into the carriage, disarraying the previously graceful and sly image he had held the night before, now portraying a more humorous one as the metal clanked against the seats, as if he were a puppet that had been plopped into the center of the spherical transporter. he watched silently as theo arrived after him, and shortly thereforafter realized how close they would truly be during this trip. personal space had been diminished as two guards climbed in after them, along with one sitting on arthur's left, thrusting him into theodora. he swallowed, his features centimeters away from her own. damnit, she's breathtaking up close too. wretched woman- how could she do this to me? he thought, struggling to keep these thoughts away from him as he shifted abruptly, clearing his throat at the sudden awkwardness of their positioning.    at her words, he directed his attention towards her once more, huffing before rolling his eyes. "well i can't let you go alone, now can i? it was i who created this plan in the first place, so i might as well be here." he muttered, but was blatantly discreet. of course he couldn't tell her that he'd wanted to stay with her- not yet, at least. they'd only just met after years of silence, and it had been arthur's first time stepping outside of the palace in years to say the most. as if she had read his mind, she'd stated just this, and the prince chewed on his bottom lip slowly, averting his gaze once again as he stared directly ahead. "contradictory to popular belief, i'm always in the courtyard- it's not like i don't step outside." he dipped his head suddenly, taking a more serious tone. "don't you think i wanted to leave? of course i wanted to be independent.. but unfortunately, when you're an adult, you don't always get what you want."    the carriage jolted forth suddenly, and they were off, the sound of horses' hooves ricocheting against the small frame of the area. arthur kept silent, before shaking his head and turning back to theodora after a few unbearable moments. every time he'd done this, however, he'd managed to knock her shoulder slightly with his shoulder-plates, but he only smiled at her discomfort. "since we'll be here for almost an eternity, i might as well make some use of it. tell me, miss theodora- how did you stumble across the castle once again? i'm sure you weren't just wandering about... it cannot be fate's fault to pull us together like this once again. there must be something... more." he grinned a cat-like grin, his sly features stirring within him once more. "did you come to see me?"    desperation hung off of the prince's words, more so than he had intended in the first place. the man wanted nothing more from her than a simple yes, but he knew that it was foolish to even think this. how could she miss him after all his family had done to her? the woman probably despised him, his name sickening to her tastebuds. arthur's heart sunk at this very thought, wondering how he had allowed himself to lose one of the people most precious to him in his lifetime so quickly. he did not show this, however, and only laughed nervously, before attempting to shift forwards once more.    a large stone beneath the carriage's wheel caused it to topple towards the right slightly, and before arthur knew it, his body was above her own as he crashed into her, using his hand to prevent himself from smashing into the door. he paused momentarily, taking in deep breaths as he suddenly realized where he was. his head hung loosely above her own, along with the guard who was now ramming into his spine. he had payed no attention to the opposing man, however- theodora remained inches away from him now, closer than he had ever been before. his heart thudded against his chest, threatening to rip through his shirt as the noise pounded through his bloodstream. if he wanted to, he could press a gentle kiss upon thy lips. the thought sent his mind whirling out of control, and it had almost been too much for him to handle. before he could make a grave mistake like that, he maneuvered away from her once again, his cheeks and ears flushed beyond imagination. "that's what we get for taking a detour. bloody rocks and bumps in the road." he muttered, before turning away from her, instead watching the window outside of the opposite side of the carriage. he didn't dare to face her reaction, knowing that she must have been horrified from the experience. he also didn't want her to see how much he'd enjoyed it.    finally, nightfall had dawned upon them all, and the driver had decided to stop the cart so that both the horses and the passengers could rest. arthur blinked slowly, before turning to face theodora once more, yawning and stretching his arms over his head. he sighed before jumping out, looking around at the shrubbery and looming trees that stretched out for miles before them. a few torches had been set up around their new site, and arthur couldn't have been more thankful- he was terrified of the dark. in the blink of an eye, he'd successfully removed his armor, now remaining in a loose white tunic and breeches. the prince climbed back into the mobile, accompanied with a blanket. he sat alongside theodora once more, handing it to her before crossing his arms and lifting up his legs, allowing them to rest upon the opposite seats, seeing as to how the other men had insisted on keeping watch. "here. we might as well share a blanket- it's the last one left, since the other men are using the rest. i may be cruel, but i'm not heartless." he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest as he closed his eyes and leaned back, allowing the peaceful night to wash over him.

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the displeasure evident on theodora's face grew as his shoulder pressed into her, the metal casing that surrounded his body bulky and uncomfortable in such a small space. he smelled like a mix of scented perfume, pine and fresh laundry, which made her nose itch. however, she could hardly say it was unpleasant. her own body, on the other hand, was far from smelling like freshly picked daisies and pinecones. she shifted even further to the right, her body pressing against the cold encasing of the carriage. theo despised small spaces of any form, but ones that moved? her worst nightmare. she began to anxiously pick at the skin that meets her fingernails, which were already a throbbing red and irritated from this nervous habit. "what plan, exactly? you're not fooling anybody, we all know you have no plan. i can't even promise we'll get a lead," she grumbled in response, choosing her words carefully yet cruelly. this was a partial lie, for theo could easily move from one source to the next until she found the information she needed. she deduced long ago that the prince didn't need to know that. "oh, right. the courtyard where each blade of grass is cut to exactly four inches and fruit flies are considered predators," she scoffed at his next comment, but it sent a pang through her chest. what she would have done to have lack of independence be her biggest concern. the frown on her fast deepened and she turned further away from him, her body uncomfortably angled. "don't act like you know anything about being an adult until you're working sixteen hours a day scrubbing the floors of a stable when you're fifteen years old, just so the owner would let you sleep in a stall," her comment came out harsher than intended, the awkward mood taking a darker turn. she shifted her position once again, quickly clearing her throat to try and cover up her suddenly serious demeanor. she let out a snort before she could stop herself. she brought her fingers to her lips, embarrassed by the sudden sound that emanated from her. come to see him? within the first few years of her departure, that thought kept her up at night. she wondered that if she entered the castle once again if archie would be pleased to see her again. maybe he'd be upset and really didn't want to see her. or maybe he wouldn't recognize her, covered in dirt and grime. theodora vividly remembered one instance, where she snagged a comb from some lady's wig in order to brush her hair in order to visit him again. that was always the first, and one of the last times, she got caught for her crimes. what happened as a result proved that no boy, not even a prince, was worth the risk. she pressed her lips together, debating on whether to be honest or not. admitting that she knew that the royal family didn't eat the ends of a loaf of bread so she wanted to steal what was discarded felt humiliating to repeat just in her head. "don't get the wrong idea, your highness," was the only thing she could come up with. avoiding the question in general felt safer than telling the truth, yet being caught in another lie would be detrimental to her current situation. "i came to see your guards. quite handsome, some of them," her humor and tone was dry as she winked at the well-armored man sitting opposite of her. he stayed silent, with nothing more than an incoherent grumble and shifting uncomfortably in his seat. the sudden jolt of the carriage snapped her out of this lightheartedness. her body instinctively tensed and her mind began to assume to worst before processing any type of reasonable explanation. this flash of terror became evident on her rigid features as arthur and another guard were violently tossed in her direction. she was momentarily surprised by the prince's quick actions, bracing both his arms against the door before she was crushed by the weight of the two men. after a few seconds, she shakily let out the breath of air that she had been holding, her arms crossed against her chest in the shape of an x. however, when she realized how close arthur was, her breathing stopped again. her chocolatey brown eyes widened, and for the first time in years she found herself paralyzed by someone else's presence. perhaps the blinding rage from their earlier encounter had prevented her from seeing it before, but the prince was strikingly handsome. with arching features, bright eyes and skin that seemed so flawlessly smooth that she felt inclined to touch his cheek to make sure he was real. before theodora could do something so foolish, they both simultaneously snapped out of the trance and she quickly turned her head away as he moved back to his original position. theo absolutely refused to look at him, her body ultimately betraying her when her cheeks become flushed with a rosy red color. she let out a quick, abrupt grunt in agreement to his remark, partially due to fear that her voice may give away how flustered she was. time seemed to pass at an unbearably slow pace. theodora refused to say much of anything after that incident, her posture making it very clear that she didn't want him to break the tense silence. as the moon began to climb over the evergreens, the carriage jolted to a halt. the young lady didn't even wait for the wheels to stop spinning before she practically flew out of the wooden box of horrors, stumbling into the grass and inhaling the fresh, night air. despite the protests of any guard she passed, theo quickly conducted her own survey of the area, checking for indications of bandits, dangerous wildlife or hunting traps. she took her sweet time returning to the carriage, but begrudgingly did so when the guards began to give her side-eyed glances. as arthur followed her in and continued to offer her part of the blanket, theodora's nose scrunched in distaste, but she didn't reject his offer. the last thing on her mind was a good night's rest, but her body once more began to betray her, obviously far more exhausted from today's endeavors than she thought. "rest well, sleeping beauty," her tone held a mocking aura, but lacked the vigor from her previous snide remarks.

the prince exhaled slowly as he allowed his head to rest gently against his shoulder, eyes lidded heavily as he watched the gentle breeze outside of the carriage shake the elm trees, their limbs swaying softly. he allowed a small sigh to escape from his lips before turning once again to face the girl next to him, this time unafraid to inspect her. she didn't sound tired, but he could tell that the two had faced enough emotional distress and trauma to knock out a hoard of cattle. he smirked at her comment, slightly amused, before rolling his eyes. "to you as well. sweet nightmares..." he retorted, before allowing his orbs to flutter shut, his weariness finally overpowering his will to fool around.    no matter how much force the prince had attempted to use, he could not manage to fall asleep. he'd resorted to hours of lying there, his mind unable to relax as he thought of the up and coming possibilities of trouble he may face in the near future. his mind was a battlefield, the consistent amounts of stress and worry wracking him endlessly, his eyes once again finding their way back to the window. next to him, he could hear theodora's soft and repetitive breathing, and he'd assumed she'd fallen asleep. before he knew what he was doing, he'd turned to face her, shifting to sit upwards in his seat to view her more properly. arthur's heart ached as he allowed his fingertips to find their way to her cheek, allowing his thumb to gently caress her cheek, positioning a stray strand of hair behind her earlobes carefully.    the woman appeared calm and tranquil, and the prince couldn't help but feel a pang of warmth flooding through him, his body electrocuted by the connection of his hand against her skin. he wanted this feeling to last for an eternity, the pure geniality of human interaction something he'd forgotten after being isolated for so long. "please forgive me..." he whispered, before he removed his hand slowly, instead gripping it tightly into a fist. he was angry at himself for his own behavior, for this fluttering feeling that refused to vacate his internal systems. he was angry that he couldn't control it, couldn't control that raging desire that burned within him every time he looked at the woman. finally, out of pure desperation, he stepped out of the cart, his breath ragged as he ran a hand through his now tousled hair, leaning against the frame of the carriage for support before sinking into the ground, tears threatening to drip down his own cheeks. "i can't keep living like this any longer... i'll go insane.." he breathed out, his head crashing into his hands.    before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep, his body curling against the soft grass near one of the wheel's of the carriage. the night was chilling, but he'd finally been able to rest, which had at least been satisfactory. however, he awoke to the sounds of a bloodcurdling scream.    arthur retaliated quickly as a large beast slashed it's talon near his features, it's horrendous appearance and odor causing an almost immediate reaction of fear to be displayed upon the man. he stood quickly before stumbling backwards as it screeched in his direction, spittle flying off of it's large, gaping jaws. "shit..." arthur managed, before it leaped towards him, it's bulbous skin sending chills down his spine. he'd managed to clamber out of it's way as it rolled forth, giving him enough time to make it back inside the carriage, grabbing his sword and theodora before once again bounding out. "stay near me!" he bellowed to the woman, returning his attention back to the creatures. they seemed to be multiplying, making their way out of the hidden sheath of the shrubbery. arthur sauntered forth before slashing at one of them, watching as it screeched in response, the cut fizzing before releasing a puff of steam. he retaliated with another jab to it's head, watching as it collapsed to the ground.    he had no time to be prideful of this, for another monster was already sprinting towards him. on the other hand, they had managed to destroy the carriage, their repulsive and sickening limbs already managing to tear the method of transportation to shreds. the other guards were nowhere to be seen, the grass dyed with the sickening velvet color of blood. sweat poured off of arthur as he managed to fend off the creatures for a while, but he was getting tired. his body ached as his muscles thrashed forth, one of the creatures already managing to tear at his clothes, a revolting gash appearing above his pecs. he cried out in pain, before slamming the hilt of his sword against the opposing giant, giving him enough time to escape.    the man turned to see if theodora was alright, but had been swept to the side with ease, the creature slamming into his cranium. he was losing consciousness quickly, blood dripping from every orafice of his body. the world swayed before him, sinking and dipping with such intensity that bile rose quickly to his throat. he wiped the blood from his bottom lip slowly with the sleeve of his shirt before managing to stand, watching as the creature taunted him. arthur caught a glimpse of the woman from a distance, noticing that two of the beasts had been cornering her, a strange liquid pouring from their lips. a surge of energy rose within the prince before he bolted forth, letting out a cry of rage before slashing at them with a blinded wrath, finally satisfied when they struck the dirt. there was no time to pause, for arthur grabbed theo's wrist before sprinting forth once again, charging into the forest without looking back.    they had seemed to run for miles, arthur panting and heaving as he held tightly onto theodora's hand, unaware of their location. twisted and turned, winding through the terrain before he was finally unable to continue. his legs collapsed beneath him, and he subsided, colliding against the grass. he groaned in pain before allowing himself to sink deeper, reaching for his shoulder which know had been dripping in blood. his clothing had been torn to shreds, but at this point, the prince could care less about his image. he'd managed to lie on his back, his vision cloudy as he tried to spot theodora within the scenery. "what the hell... were those..." he sputtered, wiping his lips once again before attempting to sit up, wincing as pain flourished within him.

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being a naturally light sleeper, theodora was woken from her slumber every time arthur shifted next to her. which he did quite often, a telltale sign of him most likely also being awake. going from a feathery, silk lined array of cushions literally made for a king to the stiffness of a carriage seat seemed to be taking its toll. a small part of her felt a shred of sympathy-- she knew what it was like to drastically change enviroments in such a short amount of time. however, he brought his on himself. the prince could have easily stayed behind and gotten a full night's rest of beauty sleep. she pulled the blanket closer to her body, preventing herself from showing any discomfort in case he really was awake and would try and make small talk. the midnight hours proved to be the most vunerable for deep, uncomfortable conversations theo didn't want to have. apparently, archie had different ideas. after he once again managed to wake her, she nearly opened her eyes in order to kick him out of the carriage. instead, there seemed to be a pause, and then she felt his hand touch her cheek. the same softness from when they first met eyes after years of being apart-- but this time not nearly as cold and unforgiving. it took all of her willpower not to move, or say something, or push him away. did she want to push him away? the uncertainty of the situation made her head spin. he mumbled a few words, words that theo never thought she would hear from him. for a mere moment, she considered it. forgetting all the pain that was a direct result of his family's actions, forgetting how he never bothered to look for her. just the memories of it washed away any pity she felt. arthur hastily exited the carriage, saving theo from having to make such an on-the-spot choice that she might regret. when she was positive he was gone, her brown eyes fluttered open. carefully leaning towards the window, she caught a glimpse of his tussled hair out of the corner of her eye. after a few minutes, she deduced he wasn't coming back. dully noting how much colder it was, she stretched her legs out where he use to lay and closed her eyes again, resting her head on her folded arm. his touch seemed to linger on her cheek, tingling with a warm feeling theodora wasn't sure if she liked or not. this could easily be a part of a ploy to regain her trust before using her as a human shield when he needed it. with her mind theorizing potential excuses for such unusual actions, she eventually drifted back off to sleep. -- after arthur left, theodora slept like a baby. the carriage was an upgrade from her usual accommodations, and she had wrapped herself into a cocoon of soft, fuzzy fabric. this peaceful slumber was rudely interrupted by screams, which she nearly tried to tune out until she heard the savage growl that followed. her eyes shot open as she desperately began to unravel herself from the blanket. everyday travellers and merchants dubbed them 'forest dwellers'. the monsters roamed the darkest depths of sleric woods. they were fiercely territorial creatures, and only ever attacked humans that had crossed into their domain. she was only beginning to process the absurdity of dwellers appearing in the morning hours and out of their known regions when arthur burst the door open, looking frazzled and mortified. theodora didn't hesitate. scrambling out behind him, she didn't look back as the carriage was overwhelmed by the creatures and torn into smithereens. because her speed was her best asset, the girl never carried more than a pocket knife on her for protection. completely and entirely ignoring his demand, theodora let go of his hand and sprinted towards a fallen guard, fumbling with the sheath until she clasped the heavy sword. just in time, too, as one of the creatures and noticed her and began to canter in her direction, using all four of its limbs to gain speed. she shoved the sword into its chest, using the monster's sudden acceleration against it. the force of the blow knocked her off her feet, her head slamming into the bloodied trunk of an evergreen. she knew she needed to escape. she was ill equipped to fight, but she could outrun them if she left before retaining any more damage. theo's head was spinning, her vision blurring as she stumbled back onto her feet. to her left, she caught a glimpse of arthur valiantly fighting off the dwellers. he would slow her down, no doubt about it. swallowing back the sudden wave of guilt, her flight or fight instincts kicked in before she could process the morality of her decision. the thief bolted in the opposite direction of the prince, nearly reaching the treeline before two more of the dwellers jumped out of the brush, causing her to stop in her tracks. their mouths opened wide, revealing rows upon rows of jagged teeth and slime-like saliva. she slowly backed up, until her spine was rested against a tree. she frantically scanned her surroundings, looking for a opening to make a run for it, despite what injuries may come of it. theodora could hardly remember what happened next. she blamed it on her head injury, but it could have also been the utter disbelief and denial that arthur brious was the man who came to her rescue. theo prided herself in being no damsel in distress. but here she was, dumbfounded and paralyzed as a sheltered, prissy young prince tore two forest dwellers to pieces in an inhuman fit of rage. she allowed herself to be tugged along by him for only a little while, before she snapped out of this strange haze and eventually overtook him, her feet nimbly maneuvering over roots and rocks. she didn't slow until she heard him start to fumble behind her, tearing their white-knuckled grip apart. she watched as he collapsed, trying to catch her breath and process what the hell just happened. there was no way to guarantee some of the dwellers hadn't followed them. but after he undeniably saved her life and she was now indebted, not even someone as morally twisted as theordora could leave him to suffer a slow death. she pressed her bloody fingers against her temple to attempt to ease the pain and focus. kneeling besides arthur, she pushed him back into the ground when he attempted to sit up. "don't be stupid. stay still," she ordered, her tone laced with severity. while inspecting his injury, theodora attempted to shove down the gnawing guilt of her attempt to abandon him before. here she was, giving him the devil's hell for leaving her on the side of a curb as a child when she had been only moments from doing the same. it made her sick to her stomach-- but a minuscule, crueller side of theodora felt as if such a death would have been justified. "they're called forest dwellers. they roam these parts..." she faltered, realizing how bad that sounded. "but only at night. and the path we took is well travelled by merchants, so it was carefully crafted to avoid dweller domains," she explained, trying to stay as calm as possible as she carefully lifted his shoulder up to inspect the underside of the wound. "you can hear their cries from miles away. i.. i should have woken up and realized. we could have... all gotten away in time," the words felt heavy on her tongue, rushing out before she could stop them, and she bit her lip, nearly drawing blood in order to keep from displaying any type of emotion. instead, she intently focused on his shoulder, pulling her own shirt over her head to use, since his was far too torn to be used to apply pressure. "this won't be pleasant," she warned, hardly giving him any time before pressing down on the scratch, tying the sleeves of the chestnut-colored tunic across his armpit to try and form a makeshift bandage.

a loud scream erupted from the prince's lips as the woman pressed a piece of cloth into the bare wound that had been gaping just seconds before. he'd managed to cover his mouth with his palm just in time, biting his lip to keep himself from attracting any more attention. arthur had wondered if she'd intensified the pressure on purpose, his gaze piercing hers with indignation. "for fucks' sake..." he managed, gritting his teeth before looking up at the sky instead, letting out a sigh of relief when she'd finished, pulling his arm away slowly before rubbing it. arthur had noticed the wavering tone in her voice, his eyes widening slightly as they explored her own injuries. the two were a jumbled, bloodied mess, lying on the dirt with death knocking at their doors.    "you're right. it was completely your fault. but there's nothing we can do about it now..." he muttered nonchalantly, before closing his eyes, his jaws parting to allow a large yawn to escape from him. he exhaled, before once again maneuvering his elbows into an upright position, regaining the strength he had been unable to find minutes before. a snarky grin appeared on his features as he tapped his chin with his uninjured fingers, a questioning look reflecting off of him. "let's see... we can either accept our foreshadowing doom, or succumb to what fate has in store." arthur shifted his weight over once again, disobeying her previous words and allowing himself to sit up, grunting at the unruly amount of effort it had taken him to perform this. "and i personally am not fond of my demise anytime soon."    the prince spit over his right shoulder, only then realizing how disgusting he may appear. his clothes were tattered, stained scarlet from the previous outing. the man could only imagine how unruly his face looked, and turned away out of shame, chewing on his bottom lip as he pressed his knuckles into the dirt before slowly rising, his breathing rugged and misshapen. "now... we have to find our way out of here.." he whispered, looking over at theodora once again. her head had been injured from the impact against the oak, blood trailing down her neck and onto her palms.    arthur couldn't help but feel lightheaded as he wiped his lips with his wrist once again, the crimson color leaving a sickening feeling in his stomach. he'd never been involved in something as gruesome as this- usually, he'd practiced sparring with the other guards in the courtyard, but never had an encounter with an actual beast such as the one the two had faced. he swallowed his saliva nervously, remembering their teeth shining down at him, before shaking his head vigorously as he looked about the setting, his heartrate increasing at the thought of the forest dwellers finding them once again.    before he knew what he was doing, arthur ambled forward, brushing past theodora as he turned his figure around, trying to distinguish where they were. it seemed that there was forest for miles upon miles that stretched out in all directions. "lead the way, miss theodora." he managed, trying to hide the nervousness that was slowly creeping it's way up his throat.