20 Knarendon II

"Penrose?! Oh!" Calluna gasped. She quickly set the stringed instrument she had been playing down to give him her full attention.

Wesley laughed at her surprise, "Do you not remember me? We often played together as kids, though I guess that was a pretty long time ago. I didn't know you learned to play the Shezha."

"Ah!" Panic set in. She couldn't think of any excuses, so decided to tell him outright. Something about his gaze made him feel trustworthy, so divulging her problem wasn't too daunting. "I don't remember you, I'm so sorry. If I were to be completely honest I am suffering from amnesia."

His light eyebrows furrowed with concern. "Amnesia? Are you alright? I have been worried about you and Lukas ever since we received the news that night."

"Well, other than losing memories and my eye, the only ailment I am still suffering from are a lot of broken ribs yet to heal," the prince replied with a tired laugh.

"Are you in pain right now?" Wesley asked.

"Ah, well… yes, if I were being honest. Riding in the carriage for so long isn't good for my back."

"Come with me, Your Highness," he said with a gentle smile, holding out his hand.

Calluna took his hand without hesitation, the friendliness of his personality drawing her in. To her surprise, however, as soon as her skin met his, he tensed up and closed his eyes with a pained expression. He didn't release her hand, rather he grasped it tighter between his slightly calloused fingers. It was only for a moment that he stayed this way, and when he opened his eyes again Calluna could have sworn that his irises were glowing faintly.

He looked directly into her confused gaze. It almost looked like he was on the verge of tears, and Calluna found herself frozen by his ocean eyes. Why did he look at her with such sadness?

"I'm so sorry," he said in a soft voice, and carefully pulled her into a gentle embrace. "You've really ended up in a difficult situation."

"It's been… hard," she replied, allowing herself to indulge in his hug. Though he didn't understand just how hard it was, having someone empathize with her was warming.

"...Anyway, come. I am an alchemist, I can give you a pain relief tonic," he said after they embraced for several long moments.

"What?! Really?" she asked.

"Of course," he chuckled. "You're the Crown Prince now, right? Shouldn't you have access to such a potion?"

"Well… back at home, yes. We couldn't afford to bring any of the court alchemists as they're studying for their exams."

"I see. I've been studying for the court alchemist's entrance exam as well."

"Really?"

"Mnh. I have been training for it for a very long time," he said as they entered a room full of alchemy tools and strange liquids. "My older brother recently married, leaving me here alone. Father wants for me to go as soon as possible, as I have no other use here."

Calluna frowned. "He sounds like quite the man."

"Oh, certainly." Wesley replied with a dry laugh. He walked to a tall cupboard with many different vials and opened the glass casing. After a moment of searching the shelves with his eyes, he seemed to find what he was looking for. He plucked a tube of purple liquid out and replaced the glass, then turned to face Calluna once more. "This is it. It should last you a few days, just take a swig when the pain becomes too much to bear. I will prepare more before your departure tomorrow."

Calluna received the vial and closed her fingers around the cold container. "Thank you, Wesley."

"You can call me Wes," the white-haired young man said.

"Wes? That's cute. You can call me Luna, then."

He nodded in agreement. "Alright, Luna. Shall I take you back to your room? I'm sure you're tired."

"I guess so, I could use a nap. Maybe I'll rest peacefully with your concoction."

"I'd hope so," he said, leading her back the way they came at a comfortable pace.

"Earlier, you mentioned your worry about Lukas. He's having a hard time, he misses them very much… but he's been livening up as of late. I think he will be okay."

"That's wonderful news. He's such a sweet boy," Wes sounded content with her explanation. "I think he's in good hands."

Once they arrived at her door Calluna turned round to face him once more. "Thank you for this, and for playing music with me."

"Of course," Wesley seemed to hesitate for a moment. "Would you… like to see the ocean? I can take you later, once you're rested."

"Really? How did you know that I'm dying to go to the beach? I've never seen it before-" she paused awkwardly, assuming the princess had probably actually seen it, "Uh. Not that I can remember, anyway."

He gave her another understanding look. "Intuition, I suppose. It's hard to be in Knarendon and not go down to the docks. I'll come to your room after supper to get you. Did you bring warm clothes? It'll be chilly."

"Um… nothing particularly warm, no. I didn't plan on sneaking out so much to be honest," she laughed. "Could you bring me a coat?"

He looked at her with his signature closed-lip smile, then lowered his voice to a whisper. "Of course. I think Captain Vincenzo is about to arrive, I can hear his boots down the hall. I'll see you at dinner and after, Luna."

Calluna watched the young man's back as he strode down the opposite hall. She tried to listen for footsteps but couldn't make any out, so when she saw Vincenzo appear it was even more impressive that he had heard him.

"Luna? What're you doing standing in the hall for? I thought you were going to rest," the familiar long-haired man queried, donning a worried expression as he approached.

"Hm? I was exploring a little, I got bored."

"Typical. Well if you're going to cause trouble you can't just leave me out, that's awfully inconsiderate of you," he replied, puffing his lip out in an exaggerated pout.

"Fine, fine. I'll ask you to come with me next time," Calluna relented.

"Good. What's that thing you're holding?"

"Something for my pain."

He looked puzzled. "Where did you get that?"

Ignoring his question she said, "Hey, remember how I said I'd come up with a hand motion for winking?"

"Yeah? I didn't think you'd actually do it though, to be honest."

"Well I did." Calluna raised her hand and pressed her thumb and index finger together to make a finger heart. "This is it."

He laughed, "Alright, that's pretty good. Don't think you can escape the question though, I'm not that easy to distract. Where did you get that potion?"

"Secret," Calluna said, repeating the finger hearts to indicate her wink. She then stuck her tongue out at him before entering her chambers. The blonde closed the door except for a crack into which she said, "I'm taking a nap, see you later," then closed it the rest of the way.

She could hear Vincenzo grumble "What the hell? You brat, you're not supposed to keep secrets from your best friend!" from the other side, and made her snicker.

Calluna went to sit on the soft bed and sighed. It had been a busy day full of excitement… and the thought of getting to see the water up close made her anxious for night to come. She couldn't help but wonder, however, why Wesley was so kind and understanding to her.

'Maybe he really liked the old Calluna for some reason,' she thought to herself as she began to drift off.