he was not able to catch up to the lad though he did manage to keep sight of him until he ducked behind a large tree and in his frustration he stamped his foot and nearly fell from the slickness. angrily he weighed the choices of leaving and calling out

The warm breeze rolled smoothly off of the river, gently crinkling the leaves of the tree above, and giving his hair a soft ruffle as though it were as soft as grass. His head gently rested against the bark of the tree as he listened to the softly sounds of the river. The light sound of waves, and the chittering of birds not far away, and the loud sound of his name. Wait- no, that was not normal to hear. Standing from his spot, the boy looked around the wide trunk of the tree to see the Prince not far away, though certainly not steady on the damp ground. "My Prince?" He questioned, standing from his nook, "What are you doing?"

he was spared having to call again when a familiar face popped up from behind the tree he had lost him behind and straightening he stared out at his errant wife. "i came looking for you and you disappeared. i would think i had lost you to the nixes"

“Sometimes I think I lose myself to them as well, but the power of calling one's name has more power than one might think,” He commented as he started back through the rutted ground and weeds to his Prince once more. “Why had you come looking for me? It is not as though I would actually disappear from you, my Lord.”

he did not feel correct in answering the question and so avoided it, "a man's name is his life, i could not think it meant more than everything my lord." he trained his gaze on the other even as he moved over the uneven ground, "is there more to it than that for you and your faeish brethren?"

"Practice. When you grow up with terrain as this one tends to learn to walk on it quickly." He fell in line beside the Prince, feeling the ground beneath him squish under his boots. "Otherwise no, I am afraid. The only tip I may have to offer you would be to watch where you step. Though, if you are still uneasy on your feet I can offer as aid back to the gardens."

it was not the answer to his question but he did not say that and only offered a sour grimace, "i do not need your help to walk but if you must give it i will not refuse the service"

The look did not bother him, and rather than adopting the frown he wore before, he took upon a brief smile. "No, of course you do not need my help, you made it this far on your own. However, walking in the muddy soil and shrubbery is always easier with one to escort." He offered the man an arm

he was glad for the help and the walk back moved much quicker and easier than the first with a skilled pair of legs leading him and he repaid the boy by not insulting him for being so able in such land

He did not want to bring up the depressing subject of leaving so soon, though he was sure it would not be long before they were to take to the carriages and leave anyways. Pressing the toe of his shoe to the stones of the garden beneath their feet, the boy looked off to the side. "When is it that we must take our leave, my lord?"

"i am not certain, only that it must be soon..... does it make you sad wife?" he turned and caught the other's eye, "will you cry when you must say goodbye?"

Quickly he looked away as their eyes met, finding sudden interest in a bush of flowers beside him. "Of course it makes me sad, I do not want to leave my home." He took a seat on the edge of the flower bed, "However, I do not know if I will find myself crying."

"oh?" waiting for the lad to settle he kneeled down as well mindless of the earth ruining his clothing. "you cried the first time did you not? it is a woman's way to cry and when you leave here it will be as a woman"

The reminder was not one he desired, and the idea of once again having to dress as a woman gave him cause to wrinkle his nose. "I only cried when I first left out of anger for my sister having left me in the position. It was not until I arrived at the castle that I cried out of missing my home." He did not raise his eyes to look at the Prince despite his joining him amongst the insects and earth. "This time is different. I know what the future holds when we are set to return back to your home, and it is not pleasant."

the declaration made him unhappy and he frowned. "and if i said i desired tears from you? if i said i would rain abuses on you as soon as we were away from your ancestral home? what would draw tears from you my sweet little lord?"

He drew his knees closer as he looked to the Prince to find an almost determined face with a twinge of something the boy thought of as loss. "I do not know, my lord. Many a thing would cause for me to spill tears, but none of those things are present right now. I do not know how I might offer tears without a cause, my lord."