Page 39 of Quest

After I ensured he was comfortable, I sat back, a quiet pride settling over me. I had faced my inadequacy head-on and had not found myself wanting. Perhaps I was capable of more than I’d always given myself credit for. The prince’s soft, grateful smile told me I had done well, and in that moment I allowed myself to believe it.

The fading daylight cast long shadows around us, making the forest seem almost foreboding as dusk approached. As I finished securing the bandage around Prince Darcel's leg, a rustling suddenly broke through the calm brought by the settling evening, a sound followed by familiar voices calling out. Relief washed over me as Sir Jiang and Kael emerged from the thick foliage, their faces etched with concern.

Sir Jiang’s eyes bulged upon immediately noticing Darcel’s injured state. “Your Highness!” He rushed forward and crouched beside us, examining the wound I had just dressed. He nodded approvingly at my handiwork before casting a wary glance towards the darkening sky. “We need to find a safe place to camp for the night. This path is much longer than it initially appeared; it’s a significant walk from here until it rejoins the road above, and this injury could use rest. Reaching and exploring the cave will have to wait until at least tomorrow, once we’ve better assessed the prince’s condition in the daylight.” His tone left no room for argument.

The decision to delay was met with nods of agreement, each member visibly tired from the day’s exertions and the additional stress brought by our separation. As we gathered our belongings to move to a more secure location for the night, I felt a mixture of disappointment that my time alone with the prince had come to a premature end, and relief that the delay would give me more time to prepare for the cave’s challenges as well as monitor Darcel’s recovery.

Though part of me had cherished the newfound closeness that had developed between Darcel and me, another part was grateful for the return of our companions, unsure my heart was strong enough to pass the night alone with him.

As we settled into our new campsite, the familiar routines of setting up tents and preparing a late dinner brought a sense of normalcy and safety. Later that night as I lay listening to the crackling campfire, I reflected on the day’s events—born from danger and softened by healing, both which marked a turning point in our journey.

The series of rescues—first with Darcel saving me from a fatal fall and then me treating his poisoning and injury—had woven a new layer into our relationship, and I couldn’t shake the growing feeling that things couldn’t remain as they were for much longer.

The closer we grew, the more impossible it would become to hide the truth…and the less I wanted to. How would he react if I told him who I truly was? The more I considered it, the more I wondered whether I should stop the pretense…particularly if it was becoming increasingly likely that he’d discover my identity on his own. I felt it was important that I be the one to tell him the truth before he could stumble upon it himself.

I swallowed nervously as I considered when and how I might break the news to him, and whether he would welcome the idea or put an end to our growing friendship. I felt a stab of pain at the thought and pulled my blanket closer with a sigh. At least for tonight I would remain Ren.

Yet for all my deceit, I couldn’t deny that something profound had shifted between us. We were no longer just allies—we were partners, bonded by survival, a reminder of the fragile line I walked…one bound by the secrets I no longer wanted to keep from him.

CHAPTER 16

In the soft clutches of sleep, I found myself walking through a mist-laden forest that shimmered with an ethereal glow. Prince Darcel accompanied me a few steps ahead, his figure silhouetted against the soft moonlight that filtered through the leaves, a comforting anchor in the ever-shifting dreamscape.

For once the darkness held no dread for me; I delighted in its gentle embrace as I wandered side by side with the prince. We seemed to be searching for something precious; even through my dreamy haze I sensed it was my true self that I was becoming increasingly desperate for Prince Darcel to discover.

Our hands brushed occasionally as we moved through the forest, sending ripples of warmth across my skin. Each touch nourished my ever-present longing, while each of his backwards glances was laden with meaning I couldn’t quite decipher. His eyes reflected the starry night and something deeper, concealed emotions that didn’t exist when I was awake but which I yearned for from him…if I could but shed my disguise.

As the dream wove on, we came upon a clearing where the moonlight pooled like silver on the ground. Darcel stopped and turned towards me, reaching out with a gentle smile that invited me to join him in the light. The world seemed to hold its breath as I took his hand, the moment suspended in the mystical glow that enveloped us, illuminating my hope that one day we could stand together not as the prince and Ren but Darcel and Mei. In this peaceful instant nothing else mattered but the connection between us and the joined future I longed for.

The tranquility shattered when a gentle but insistent shaking pulled me from the folds of sleep. My eyes fluttered open to the dim predawn light, the dreamlike forest dissolving into the clearing where we had set up camp. I blinked, disoriented, up at the figure looming over me, the remnants of the dream clinging to my consciousness as I fought the urge to close my eyes and try to recapture the happiness of the dream.

Gradually the image came into focus. Prince Darcel crouched beside me, hand on my shoulder, as commanding in reality as it had been in my dream. Even after I recognized him it took me a moment to shake off the lingering tendrils of drowsiness and fully register his presence.

What was the prince doing outside of my dream? Strangely his handsome figure didn’t disappear even after the world came into sharper focus as my bleariness faded, but only grew more detailed. Gradually reality penetrated the lingering exhaustion muddling my senses, making me realize this wasn’t a dream at all: the object of my affection was truly beside me.

I bolted upright with a surprised gasp. “Your Highness!”

He pressed his fingers to his lips and motioned towards Kael still asleep a short distance away, while Sir Jiang sat at his nearby post—he had insisted on taking the night watch so he could better monitor Darcel’s condition throughout the night.

The cool morning air brushed against my skin as I rubbed the last of sleep from my eyes, sweeping away the final wisps of the dream. The prince was truly here, not a figment of my imagination woven from moonlight and desire, but a real and solid presence.

The sudden shift from dream to reality left my heart racing—a mixture of disappointment that the tender moment I’d experienced hadn’t been real, and a peculiar relief that the boundaries between my dreams and waking life were still intact. The sensation of his hand in mine lingered, a haunting reminder of the yearnings that I couldn’t fully dispel.

I instinctively pulled my blanket to my chin, not just to cover the feminine shape of my body but subconsciously shield my heart from these feelings so overwhelming I feared they’d burst from my heart, laid bare for his examination.

He frowned. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” I stuttered, using the excuse to rub my bleary eyes again as a chance to check my disguise. A hint of stubble still roughened my skin, faint but perceptible, offering a small measure of relief. I’d checked my masculine features so often I had memorized their contours beneath my fingers—the illusion was fading, gradually giving way to the softer lines of my true face. I silently prayed that the dim morning twilight would conceal any glimpses of my real appearance peeking through the weakening disguise.

He misread my rising anxiety. “I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said, his tone apologetic. “I wanted to take the opportunity to show you some training routines.”

I blinked, the words failing to fully register midst my surprise. “Training routines?”

“You mentioned you wanted to get stronger.” Oblivious to my grogginess, his determined expression promised a challenging start to the day.

My mind scrambled back to our interaction the day before, carefully combing through the time I’d spent tending him that had become a tender memory after the fear of danger had passed.

“I didn’t recall sharing that particular desire with you.” Although I had certainly thought it, there was no way he could have known. While mind-reading spells did exist, the prince surely didn't possess such abilities; if he had, we would be undergoing an interrogation about my deceit rather than engaging in this peaceful conversation.

---