It was evening when they found their way back to the camp; Damien sweaty and Audrey hungry.
The camp was bubbling with activities like before.
It felt like they stepped into a strange land.
It was the total opposite of the atmosphere they were coming from.
The soldiers only spared them a glance before resuming what they were doing.
They had helped the villagers with burying their dead.
Koko had stuck to Audrey because he had no one else, but a young couple who had lost their only child in the fire had promised to adopt him.
With the villagers’ help and Audrey’s, they were able to quench any smoke that might turn to fire later.
The little coins Damien had in his pocket, he handed it over to the chief hoping it would help the development of the village later on.
Now, Audrey looked like she could have a bowl of food and a good bath with her maids massaging her feets.
When they got close to their tent, one of the soldiers passing by ran to them.
“Your highness.” He bowed.
Damien paused.
“I’m sorry to stop you on the way, but I couldn’t sleep without asking this question.” He quivered.
A frown etched on Damien’s face.
“What are you all about?”
The soldier fell on his knee, attracting the attention of others, but Damien barely cared about that.
He only stared down at him.
“I’m sorry.” The soldier began.
“I’m nothing but a coward. When that little boy came and shouted for help. I wanted to help. But I didn’t have the courage to move forward when everyone else remained behind.” He looked at the soldiers staring at him, but he seemed to have passed the stage of him caring about what they had to say.
“All I could think of all day was if the boy was alright and if your Highnesses was all right. I was so relieved when I saw you walk back into the camp.”
Damien shared a look with Audrey.
It was nice to see someone who actually cared among the soldiers.
Not wanting to disrupt him, he waited until the soldier continued.
“I was ashamed of myself.” He bowed his head.
“I promised to protect the nation and I have failed in that duty.
“When no one moved… I convinced myself someone else would. Then you walked alone, Your Highness. I have never been more ashamed.”
Damien shook his head.
“Aren’t you here? You’re here, so you haven’t failed in your duty. Courage isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you choose. The next time someone cries for help, take one step forward. That’s enough.”
The soldier looked up at Damien, his eyes moist with unshed tears.
Then Damien moved slowly back to his tent, with Audrey behind him.
Occasionally, she glanced back at the soldier who remained on his knee.
“Do you think he really regrets not going with us?”
Damien shrugged.
“Showing remorse is more than words of the mouth. I’ll believe him with his actions.”
Audrey nodded, though she could hardly understand Damien’s principle, but it seemed reasonable.
From today alone, she could tell he wasn’t what people had rumoured him to be.
Maybe, she was also wrong about it.
From the first day of their marriage up to this moment, he had always placed others’ feelings above his.
That didn’t seem like what a beast would do.
“You must be famished. Let me get you something to eat.”
Before, she would have sat down while he got whatever they needed, but now she jumped on her seat.
“I’ll go with you.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course.” Audrey answered.
“You can’t be the only one going to get us our meal every time. I want to help too.”
Damien smirked at her, but didn’t discourage her.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Just as they stepped out of the tent, Alex stood in front of their tent about to step in.
Damien stepped back with Audrey.
“Where have you been, brother?” Alex questioned, his gaze moving towards Audrey.
Damien frowned.
“I don’t think I answer to you, Alex.”
Alex tsked, “Everyone in this camp answers to me, brother. I’m the crown prince and the highest of authority here. If anything happens to anyone, I would be holding accountable.”
It was a first.
The first time Alex would speak harshly to him.
He had always pretended to be nice around him back at the palace, but now that they were somewhere the king’s eyes wasn’t in.
He finally decided to show his true color.
He moved closer to Damien and whispered.
“Who would want to follow a prince without magic?”
Then he stepped back with a smile on his face.
“Hello, Almost wife-to-be.” He teased Audrey.
Before she could respond, Damien moved closer to him.
“Don’t.” He gritted his teeth.
“Don’t you dare refer to my wife as almost-wife-to be. She is you sister-in-law and that automatically makes her your elder sister.”
Alex looked right through him, letting out a bitter chuckle.
“Really! Tell me, brother, how long do you think she’ll stay satisfied with a husband who has no magic? Don’t think I would ever let go of the fact that you stole her right from me.”
Audrey gasped, while Damien tightened his fist.
“Don’t dare me, Alexandra!” His voice low, but sent goosebumps all over Audrey’s body.
Instead of the fear she expected to see in his eyes, all he did was laugh.
“Everything you stole from me. I’ll eventually take back.”
When Damien turned back to Audrey, her eyes was wide in surprised.
“Was that truly the crown prince?”
Damien sighed.
Did she think the crown prince was a man of dignity?
Was that why she dreamt of becoming the crown princess?
“Stay away from the crown prince?”
She nodded, probably in shook than acceptance.
Damien sighed.
“Wait here. I’ll go get you something to eat.”
He left the tent with his hand still folded right beside him.
Alex was no stranger to him, he knew what he could do and undo, but if he thought he wouldn’t act because his magic power hadn’t developed, he was joking.
Most of the soldiers avoided his gaze as if they knew what had transpired between him and the crown prince.
But the same soldier that had apologized before came running beside him.
“Prince Damien, I want to thank you.”
Damien paused.
“What for?”
“For giving me the courage I lacked. Your actions earlier in the day made me realize courages comes from within. Even though, no one stepped forward in the morning, you did, and I.” He looked back at the three behind him.
“I mean we learnt from that, This morning, I wanted to become the kind of soldier that follows orders. This evening, I want to become the kind of soldier that follows you.”
Damien frowned.
“You want to follow me.”
They nodded.
“Of course, sir. We respect your bravery.”
Some soldiers were openly gawking at them, but they didn’t care.
Damien sighed.
“Fine.”
The soldier bump fist, then turned to hug one of the three behind.
“I’m Greyson, Sir. And this is Simeon, Ivan, and Toto.”
Damien nodded.
He turned from them, hoping to get Audrey food as soon as possible, but Greyson stepped in front of him.
“We will get your meal, sir.”
Not used to people doing things for him, Damien hoped to reject it, but Greyson insisted.
Before he could say a word, Greyson rushed towards those serving the meal.
And before Damien knew what was happening, he came back with two plates of food.
He held it for him, carrying it towards their tent.
Greyson didn’t stopped until he handed him the food right in front of the tent, then he saluted to him before turning away.
Alex watched everything from where he stood right in front of his tent.
People had always feared Damien and no one dared get close to him, but if someone was suddenly getting close to him.
He could change other’s opinion about Damien and that could be very dangerous.
He needed to do something about it.
Damien gave the food to Audrey who happily thanked him.
She could tell he was also exhausted, but he went ahead to help them both with their food.
The beast everyone feared had carried food for her, slept outside their tent to protect her, repaired wagons with his own hands, buried strangers, and now soldiers were beginning to admire him.
None of it resembled the monster she had imagined.
Audrey ate a spoon of his food, curiousity eating her inside.
“How did you become the mysterious prince everyone feared?”
Damien looked up at her.
“Are you suddenly interested in me, wife?”
Audrey cheeks went red.
“No?”
He would have loved to tease her more, but he was exhausted.
“People formed their opinion of me and I didn’t bother correcting them.”
“But ..”
“If you keep asking questions about me,” Damien said quietly, “I’ll assume my wife has finally decided to know her husband.”
Audrey immediately buried her face in her bowl.
She didn’t speak another word that night.
But for some reason, she couldn’t stop thinking about him..