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“What’s the matter?” Nora asked as the girl came to a stop in front of her.

“I wanted to see you before you left. Tyra will take us to watch the tournament safely but I wanted to give you this in case you get hungry.”

Lulva opened her hand and revealed six little dates, the colour of dark honey, resting in her palm like gemstones.

Something tugged at Nora’s chest as she looked at the oval-shaped food. Hesitantly, she took them, procuring a small handkerchief, and wrapped them inside the paper before bestowing them in a small pocket at her calf.

“Thank you. You don’t need to look so worried, this is going to be fun.” Noora doubted that the lines on Lulva’s face were worrisome, however, she felt like she needed to reassure her.

“I’m not worried. I know you can do this. You can do anything.” Lulva smiled up at her before her short arms wrapped around her middle.

“We need to go,” the burlier guard pressed. Noora didn’t step away from the younger girl, pushing her nose into her soft hair. She inhaled lightly, smelling the familiar scent,home, and something that came close to love. An emotion she rarely felt or rather never felt.

“All right, I have to go now. After this is over, we are going to meet again. Promise me you won’t get into trouble.”

Lulva looked up at her, dark blue eyes resembling the depths of the sea. “How would I get into trouble?”

“Oh, I can imagine a few things. So promise me.” Noora stuck a red strand behind her ear. Freckles nodded, and said, “I promise I won’t get into trouble. Good luck.”

“I don’t need luck.”

“You’re right, you don’t.”

Noora turned around and stepped towards the intricate designed sleigh. It was white, with golden ornaments winding around the sides, running across the material as if someone had cried over it. The blades of the vehicle were sharp, dully gray at the lack of sunlight.

“Come on, we don’t have all day.”

The lanky guard pushed her slightly, and she turned around glaring.

To her satisfaction he took a few steps back, his eyes widening slightly.

Noora was hungry and cold,adrenaline was pushing through her veins egging her on. She was not in a state to pull back and he should not test her.

“I can find my way into the sleigh, thank you,” she said, grasping the snowflake-designed handle and pulling the door open.

With a quick jump, she made it inside. Her fingers immediately started to burn at the temperature change. She pushed a fewstrands of hair out of her face, arranging herself as she sat down on the plush settee settled inside the vehicle.

“Well, look at you all well rested.”

Her body went into a panic at hearing the unexpected voice. She grabbed a knife out of her left holster and held it against the stranger’s throat.

“That is a greeting I do not receive often.”

Noora scoffed. “Strange, how do people usually react when they are surprised by a person being at a place they shouldn’t be?”

The man slowly pulled the hood of his cloak off, revealing the last person on earth that Noora expected to sneak into her sleigh.

With a small jerk, the vehicle started to move as she kept on holding the blade of her knife against Nikolai’s throat. The prince looked rather amused at her antics, besides the fact that she was currently threatening his life.

“Some fall to their knees out of worship other times for different reasons.” His lips stretched into a grin as Noora made a disgusted sound. She moved back, her body jostled as the sleigh hit a bump in the snow, her eyes not leaving his form. He was dressed in a dark cloak, hiding his pristine clothing. Today he was wearing dark green gloves, golden vines sewn across the back of his hand.

He looked far better than the last time she saw him, a lot more sober too.

“What are you doing here?”

“Fancied a walk in the snow,“ he quipped as his gaze turned to the small oval-shaped window, currently offering a landscape of white.

“Well, then walk.” She crossed her arms in front of her, stoically holding her gaze on the passing snow.