The guard hesitated.
"...Captain Cassian and the kitchen maid appear to be destroying the storage yard."
Rowan slowly stood up.
"...They're doing what?"
Rowan walked quickly toward the stables with two guards behind him.
From a distance-
He could already hear laughter.
His frown deepened.
"...Unbelievable."
When he turned the corner-
He stopped.
The storage yard looked like a battlefield.
A broken crate.
A barrel rolling slowly in circles.
Hay scattered everywhere.
And in the middle of it-
Cassian and Aven.
Both covered in hay.
Aven was trying to pull a piece of straw out of her hair.
Cassian was dusting off his uniform.
Rowan stared.
Silently.
Then-
"...What."
Both of them froze.
Aven slowly turned.
Cassian immediately straightened.
"Your Majesty."
Aven blinked.
"...Oh."
Rowan stepped closer, looking around the destroyed yard.
"Explain."
Cassian cleared his throat.
"...Training."
Rowan looked at him.
"Training."
Cassian nodded.
"Yes."
Rowan gestured toward the broken crate.
"With barrels."
Cassian hesitated.
"...Improvised training."
Aven suddenly spoke.
"It was my idea."
Cassian looked at her quickly.
"You don't have to-"
Aven shrugged.
"I attacked him."
Rowan's eyebrow lifted slowly.
"You attacked the captain of my royal guard."
Aven pointed at Cassian.
"He said I should."
Cassian sighed.
"That's not exactly-"
Rowan pinched the bridge of his nose.
"...I specifically banned this."
Aven crossed her arms.
"Well, technically we're not in the training yard."
Cassian looked up at the sky like he wanted help from the universe.
Rowan stared at her.
"You're arguing legal details now?"
Aven shrugged.
"You said I couldn't train with the guards."
She gestured at Cassian.
"I'm training with him."
One of the guards behind Rowan tried very hard not to laugh.
Rowan turned slowly toward Cassian.
"...Captain."
Cassian straightened.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Why is there hay in your hair?"
Cassian paused.
"...Gravity."
Aven snorted.
Rowan closed his eyes for a second.
Then he opened them again.
"...Both of you."
They waited.
"You are banned from the stables."
Aven blinked.
"...That's new."
Rowan continued.
"You are banned from the training yard."
Cassian nodded slowly.
"Understood."
Rowan looked directly at Aven now.
"And if I see either of you near a weapon again..."
Aven tilted her head.
"Yes?"
Rowan sighed.
"...I don't even know what punishment to give anymore."
Aven grinned.
"That's because we're creative."
Cassian rubbed his face.
"I apologize, Your Majesty."
Rowan turned to leave.
But before he did-
He looked back once.
At the hay in Aven's hair.
At the mess around them.
Then he muttered quietly-
"...Unbelievable."
And walked away.
The guards followed him.
Silence.
Then Aven looked at Cassian.
"...So."
Cassian sighed.
"We're banned from two places now."
Aven smiled.
"Progress."
Cassian started laughing again.
"You're going to destroy this palace."
Aven brushed the hay off her sleeve.
"Not alone."
Cassian shook his head.
"...I'm definitely getting executed.
"Aven and Cassian walked back toward the palace.
Both still slightly covered in hay.
Cassian tried brushing his uniform again.
"This is never coming out."
Aven pulled another straw from her hair.
"Relax. It suits you."
Cassian gave her a look.
"I'm the captain of the royal guard."
"And now you're the captain of the farm."
Cassian laughed despite himself.
Just as they entered the palace corridor-
Merry appeared from the corner carrying a basket.
She stopped.
Her eyes widened.
"Aven?!"
Aven blinked.
"Oh. Hi."
Merry looked between them.
Hay in Aven's hair.
Hay on Cassian's shoulders.
Dust on both their clothes.
Merry's jaw slowly dropped.
"...What happened to you?"
Aven shrugged.
"Training."
Merry turned to Cassian.
"Training?"
Cassian nodded.
"Yes."
Merry stared at them.
"...In the hay?"
Aven opened her mouth-
Then paused.
"...Yes."
Cassian quickly added,
"It was accidental."
Merry looked even more shocked.
"Accidental?!"
Aven sighed.
"You're thinking the wrong thing."
Merry's face turned red.
"I didn't say anything!"
"You didn't have to."
Cassian rubbed his forehead.
"This conversation is getting dangerous."
Merry looked at Aven again.
"...Does the king know?"
Aven and Cassian both froze.
Then slowly looked at each other.
Aven whispered,
"...Yes."
Cassian sighed.
"He caught us."
Merry gasped.
"He WHAT?!"
Aven nodded.
"And now we're banned from the training yard."
"And the stables," Cassian added.
Merry stared at them like they were criminals.
"...You two are unbelievable."
Aven grinned.
"You're welcome."
Merry shook her head.
"I'm not explaining this if someone asks."
Cassian pointed at Aven.
"It was her idea."
Aven gasped dramatically.
"Traitor."
Merry sighed.
"...I'm going back to the kitchen."
Then she looked at Aven again.
"And you're changing clothes before someone else sees you."
Aven brushed hay off her sleeve.
"Fine."
Cassian chuckled.
"I should do the same."
As Merry walked away, she muttered quietly-
"...Training in hay... unbelievable."
Aven looked at Cassian.
"...She definitely thinks something else."
Cassian laughed.
"Oh, absolutely."
Meanwhile...
Down another corridor-
Rowan walked past a window.
He paused.
From where he stood, he could see Aven and Cassian talking and laughing again.
Rowan stared for a moment.
Then quietly muttered to himself-
"...Unbelievable."
And walked away again.
That night...
The servants' room was quiet.
The candle on the small table flickered softly.
Aven lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, her arms behind her head.
Merry sat on the other bed, brushing her hair slowly.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Then-
Merry cleared her throat.
"Uh... can I ask you something?"
Aven didn't move.
"Yeah."
Merry hesitated.
"...Elara."
Aven glanced at her.
"Hmm?"
Merry looked slightly embarrassed.
"...Are you and Cassian in a relationship?"
Aven choked on air.
"WHAT?!"
She sat up instantly.
Merry blinked.
"Just answer me!"
Aven pointed at herself.
"Me?!"
Then she pointed toward the door like Cassian was standing there.
"Him?!"
Merry nodded.
"Yes!"
Aven fell back on the bed dramatically.
"Oh my god."
Merry frowned.
"So... yes or no?"
Aven covered her face with a pillow.
"Of course not!"
Merry tilted her head.
"Then why were you both in the hay together?"
Aven threw the pillow at her.
"That was training!"
Merry caught the pillow.
"In the stables?"
"It was an accident!"
Merry raised an eyebrow.
"Sounds suspicious."
Aven groaned.
"You're impossible."
Merry smiled a little.
"Well... you two do laugh a lot together."
Aven stared at the ceiling again.
"...He's just annoying."
Merry chuckled.
"He seems nice."
Aven shrugged.
"Yeah. He's okay."
Merry paused.
Then she said softly-
"You seem happier when you're around him."
Aven was quiet for a moment.
Then she turned her head toward Merry.
"...You're overthinking this."
Merry smiled.
"Maybe."
Aven rolled onto her side.
"Now sleep."
Merry blew out the candle.
The room grew dark.
A few seconds later-
Merry whispered again.
"...But he is handsome."
Aven groaned loudly into her pillow.
"GO TO SLEEP."
Merry started laughing quietly.
The next morning...
The palace corridor was already busy.
Guards walking.
Servants carrying trays.
Two young guards were whispering near the staircase.
"I'm telling you, I saw them."
"You're lying."
"I'm not! Behind the stables."
"In the hay?"
"Yes!"
"...That's unbelievable."
Just then-
Heavy footsteps approached.
Both guards straightened immediately.
"Your Majesty!"
Rowan walked past them.
But then-
He stopped.
Slowly.
"...Repeat that."
Both guards froze.
The first one swallowed nervously.
"Repeat... what, Your Majesty?"
Rowan turned his head slightly.
"What you were just saying."
The second guard looked like he wanted to disappear.
"...Nothing important."
Rowan's voice became calmer.
"That didn't sound like nothing."
The first guard hesitated.
"Well... we just heard that the kitchen maid Elara and Captain Cassian were..."
He stopped.
Rowan waited.
"...Were what?"
The guard whispered,
"...Rolling in the hay."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The second guard quickly added,
"During training! Probably training!"
Rowan stared at them.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
"...Training."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Rowan looked at both guards for another second.
Then he said calmly-
"...Go and do your work."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Both guards hurried away immediately.
The corridor became quiet again.
Rowan stood there.
Silent.
His eyes were still on the empty hallway.
"...Rolling in the hay," he muttered under his breath.
His jaw tightened slightly.
"They were standing too close."
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then suddenly-
A memory surfaced.
A long time ago.
School corridor.
Crowded.
Students everywhere.
A girl walking too fast-
And suddenly-
Step.
"Ow!"
Rowan looked down.
A girl had accidentally stepped on his foot.
Her eyes widened.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!"
Before he could even answer-
She tried to step back quickly.
Her foot slipped.
"Wait-!"
And she fell straight into him.
Rowan barely kept them from both falling.
She looked up at him.
Embarrassed.
"...Sorry again."
That was the first time he noticed her properly.
Aven.
The moment where everything started.
The moment they began getting closer.
Back in the present-
Rowan blinked.
He shook his head slightly.
"...Why is this happening again?"
He exhaled slowly.
Across the courtyard window, he could see servants moving around.
Somewhere out there-
She was probably laughing again.
Probably with Cassian.
Rowan frowned faintly.
"...Unbelievable."
Then he straightened his coat and continued walking down the corridor.
But the memory stayed with him.
And the strange feeling in his chest did too.