~Thorn~ I was shocked to learn that Lady Nyx was here in the North under the assumed name of Rose. I thought I would look for her here and come up short. The most surprising thing is that the Marquess had lied about her condition. He had her fake her frail state which made me enraged. Why would he do that and why would she willingly go along with it. Now that I think of it her family really didn’t seem loving toward her. They were cold and didn’t show any affection to her at the dinner. Nyx had agreed to come with me to Noc’s maner in a carriage. We sat in an awkward silence that seemed to make her fidget. I cleared my throat before speaking. “Have you met Duke Noc?” I asked even though I was sure she had. Noc cares and gets to know his people. She looked up from her hands to meet my eyes. “Y-yes, we met on my way here. He ensured my safe passage to the north.” She stuttered, rubbing her sweaty hands together. Why was she so uncomfortable around me? “Oh.” Was all I could say bec

~Nyx~ The faint sunlight woke me up, I sat up rubbing my eyes. I felt exhausted because so much had happened since yesterday. Scenes of Thorn leaning in to hug me filled my mind. I had wished for him to kiss me but he didn’t. I shook my head to rid the thoughts but not before my cheeks had reddened. I looked out the window toward the gardens. I must have gotten lost in thought because a knock at the door pulled my attention back. Shortly after the knock the maid entered. “Lady Nyx, I’ve come to dress you for the day.” She said with a sweet voice. I nodded and got up so she could help me dress. Once I was dressed she brushed and pinned back my hair. The maid curtsied and left. I stood at the door with hesitation, it had been a long time since I had worn fancy dresses. I never wore them back home unless it was a special occasion. Otherwise I was always in rags. It made me clench my jaw and ball my fist just thinking of how I was treated at the Marquess estate. I walked down the stair

~Noc~ I had come down for breakfast. I knew that Thorn would not be here today since he had a meeting with a couple town merchants before he left for the south again. What came as a surprise was that Lady Nyx was not here yet. I was running behind so I didn’t make it to dinner last night and I was having breakfast late this morning. I ended up taking my dinner in my study due to paperwork so I wasn’t sure if she was at dinner or not. She looked troubled at breakfast yesterday. My cousin seemed to look at her adoringly which I could only assume he liked her as much as I did. Why would he hide that from me though? I shook that thought away. I refused to let a thought like that ruin our friendship. Neither of us had bothered her the rest of yesterday. I had also told the maids attending to her to give her some space. I waited for a while before deciding to eat without her. Maybe she decided to sleep in today. I smiled to myself at the thought of her sweet face. She really is a beautiful

~Nyx~ My groggy mind came into consciousness slowly. The room was pitch black and the manor was quiet. I moved only to wince when I did. All the memories of the day before started to flood back. My father beating me relentlessly over and over. It took me a bit of time and a lot of strength in order to sit up.I grimaced in pain as I sat up. My head was pounding and my throat felt dry. I slipped out of bed being careful to not reopen my now scabbing lash marks. I wasn’t sure how long I had been out. My back was caked with dried blood. I turned on the sink once I reached it and filled my cup. I remember how disgusting this water was but I didn’t have anything else at the moment. I gulped down the bitter liquid quickly to get over the taste. At least my throat would no longer feel like sandpaper anymore. Shortly after that I grabbed the small rag on the sink and cleaned as much of the dried blood as I could off my skin. I hissed when I accidently touched one of the marks on my back. Onc

~Noc~ “Wake up!” Thorn yelled, throwing a small rock at me. He was putting out the fire. To keep wildfires from ripping through the land every traveler ensured that they took the time to put out fires completely. I sat up stiffly, stretching and yawning. “Why are you always so grumpy and mean?” I asked him, rolling my shoulders. I watched him roll his eyes at me. Thorn had always had strong opinions on the way I acted. But it was only when we were alone so he could hop off. I smirked, getting up taunting his eye roll with my own. Thorn shook his head chuckling in minor annoyance. “Why are you like this?” He asked. But instead of an answer I just mocked his words back at him. This caused him to give me a tight lipped squint. I chuckled childishly at my action. “Come on, you child.” Thorn said, loading the horses before mounting his. I broke out in a large smile and did the same. We were close to the Marquess manor. And my impending fate to fool the Marquess. We rode in silence un