Distracted in my search, I fail to hear the door creak on its hinges.

“Find anything, Princess?” his voice from behind startling me.

“Oh, Astra! What are you doing here?” I ask, my heart hammering against my ribs.

“Well, I originally came here to invite you to breakfast,” he begins, closing the distance between us, “buuut it looks like you are already preoccupied in my things” he finishes with a cocky smirk.

“I- it is just-” I stutter.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” he teases as he closes the gap between us, leaning over the desk.

“I’m still upset with you” I mumble, brushing past him.

“When you pout like that, you look exactly as you did when we were kids, Pipsqueak” he says softly, a sense of longing in his voice. I quickly turn around at the nickname he rarely touched since he swore his Oath of Fealty to me, my irritation at him slowly waning.

‘Well, we aren’t kids anymore and you can’t address me so casually whenever you please” I snap back, trying to internally distance myself as my heart begs to cave in.

“Very well, very well” he says casually as he lifts his arms in surrender. In that moment I catch a glimpse of a silver and red tassel on his sword.

“Is… that…?” I ask as I point towards his sword.

“You thought I’d go anywhere without it? It’s my good luck charm…” He pauses. “You’re my good luck charm…”

The room falls quiet for a long moment. Finally, I break the silence. “How long are you going to continue keeping secrets from me?”

“Princess, I just want to protect you.” he replies firmly.

“I can protect myself, Caleb. I really can-”

“What if I’m the one you need to be wary of…?” he interrupts, his voice hesitating.

“I don’t follow…” I murmur as I step towards him.

“What if I’m not who you thought I was… or if I changed and became someone you hate? The things I’ve had to do... I don’t want to hurt you.” He tries to speak confidently, but I can hear the fear under every word.

“I don’t care.” I respond surely.

“Princess, I don’t believe you understood what I said-” 

“I. Don’t. Care.” I repeat. “Caleb, who you were and who you are… you’re still my Caleb. You can hide parts of yourself or try to push me away, but that won’t alter anything” 

I take a step towards him, but he takes one backwards in response.

“I care that you’re keeping secrets from me. I care that you keep pushing me away. I care that you keep pretending that you’re okay when you’re obviously not. But your past? Your mistakes?” I shake my head lightly, “you’re my Caleb- the good, the bad, and the annoying.”

“I’m not that annoying” he teases with a smile before becoming serious again, “but you’re really okay with this? With me?”

“No matter what shape you take or path you have to choose, it’s always been us against the world” I slowly close the distance between. “If you could trust me more, this can be a new start for us…” I stop before him, waiting for him to take the next step in defining our future.

He takes my hand, gently running his thumb across my knuckles.

“And if I want this ‘new start’ to be different than before?” he asks softly

“Different?”

“I can give you everything we dreamed of, everything I always wanted to. I’m not just some orphan Empress Josephine took in anymore… I can stand beside you” his voice lightly trembles as he speaks.

“But Skyhaven-”

“I am Skyhaven.” he cuts me off.  “And we’re restoring this country’s name and honor. I will stand by you, Princess. Just give me a chance… please.” he pleads

“No more hiding in the shadows or trying to do everything alone” I say as I move my hand to intertwine our fingers. “If you want to define us… differently… then we become a team, the good and the bad.” 

Caleb pauses and hesitates for a moment. “If you give me a little more time, I can hurry to wrap things up-” he starts before I interrupt him.

“Caleb. It’s either together or not at all. I’m not interested in being a useless princess that stays locked up in a palace, ignorant of the happenings outside”

“I don’t want to hurt you or see you in pain and this is complicated- it would shatter your world, everything you’ve known…” Caleb begins to ramble off, a hint of anxiety in his voice.

“Why do you keep making decisions for yourself? It feels like we continue going in circles. I keep telling you I can help you, that I don’t need protection but you continue insisting that this will break me- that you will break me. I want to be on your side, I really do, but if you keep shutting me out I’ll have no choice but to take matters in my own hands, regardless of what you want.” I slowly rest my hand on his face to caress his cheek. “Why won’t you let me in?” 

I see a spark of pain in his eyes as he searches between mine, weighing the consequences. He opens his mouth to talk before closing it again. 

“Caleb… please” I beg, “I would do anything for you… I’d sacrifice myself for you-” but as the words exit my mouth, Caleb’s face darkens.

“Don’t ever say that again” he declares harshly. “I would rather you despise and hate me your entire life than you ever sacrifice yourself.”

He lets go of my hands and moves to sit on the edge of the bed, dropping his head into his hands.

“Pipsqueak… I can’t live without you. The past few years alone felt like an eternal hell I forced myself through to protect you but now that you’re here… I can’t bear the thought of letting you go” He raises his head to look at me. “I can’t tell you everything. I wish I could, but there are some things I have to face alone. If only I could selfishly claim that I’m doing everything for you but…” 

I sit next to him, taking a deep breath before turning to look at him.

“Then we work together but separately. You help me and I’ll help you. I don’t need to know everything, I solely ask that you stop shutting me out completely. Trust that I’ll accept every side of you, the same way you accept every side of me”

He gives a dry laugh. “You have no doubts that I’ll always accept every side of you?” he asks, shock in his voice

“Of course. I can only assume you think of me how I think of you and, while this is a version of you I have yet to fully know, I accept it all. Were you not the one who would say you want all I’m willing to give you, and all that I want” I begin as Caleb chimes in.

“Is what I’ll offer you” Caleb finishes my sentence with a light smile. “By Astra, Pipsqueak, you really like me that much?” He teases.

“Yes, I’m a very foolish princess who hopelessly fell for her very charming knight” I reply softly, resting my head on his shoulder.

A comforting silence fills the room as he holds my hand, intertwining our fingers, his thumb drawing small circles against my skin.

“Your squadron is in the dungeon…” he says gently, slightly hesitating as he continues, “unharmed but pending interrogation”.

I immediately perk up and lift my head off his shoulder to look at him. 

“They are truly okay?”

“They are,” he replies with a gentle smile. “And if you would rather answer my questions, I will spare them from any interrogation.”

“Thank you, Caleb… truly, from the bottom of my heart” 

“All it took was giving you classified information and a way to help your squadron?” he teasingly mocks, but I shake my head in reply