The storm lasted all night, which meant they all slept terribly.
Except Temir, who somehow slept like a baby bear in hibernation.
By sunrise the cave smelled like damp cloaks, wet horses, and mutual irritation.
Ayisulu woke first.
Unfortunately, she woke in a situation.
At some point during the night, she must have shifted.
And Arslan must have too.
And gravity must have been bored—
Because Ayisulu found herself half leaning against him, wrapped in his cloak, while Arslan slept with his head slightly inclined toward hers.
Not touching.
But close enough that she felt the warmth of his breath.
Oh no.
Absolutely not.
No romantic cave situations.
Not today.
Ayisulu tried to move quietly.
Arslan tightened his arm around her cloak without waking.
Ayisulu froze.
Kanykei's eyes snapped open.
She stared.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
Fantastic.
Kanykei whispered, "Is he… hugging you?"
Ayisulu whispered back, "No."
Arslan murmured in his sleep, "Don't… move…"
Kanykei raised an eyebrow so high it nearly left the cave.
Ayisulu: "This means nothing."
Kanykei: "It means too much."
Ayisulu: "Can we talk later?"
Temir chose this moment to wake and sit up dramatically.
"Oh, wow! Morning romance!"
Ayisulu threw a pebble at him.
Kereg, already awake and sharpening a knife, simply said:
"Unprofessional."
Ayisulu had never wanted to vanish into thin air more.
---
Breakfast (and Unwanted Observations)
When Arslan finally woke, he was composed—completely composed—except for the tiny flicker of realization that he had been holding onto something very much like Ayisulu.
He released the cloak instantly and looked away, clearing his throat.
"Apologies," he said. "You were cold."
Ayisulu nodded stiffly. "Yes. Cold. That's… logical."
Kanykei muttered, "Oh, the logic."
Temir whispered way too loudly, "They're having a moment."
Arslan gave Temir a look that would've silenced a thunderstorm.
"Eat," Arslan ordered.
Everyone obeyed. Except Arıslan, who discreetly kept glancing at Ayisulu when he thought no one was watching.
Everyone was watching.
Kanykei glared.
Temir giggled.
Kereg sighed like a man far too old for this nonsense.
---
A New Traveler Arrives (To Arslan's Annoyance)
After the storm cleared, they continued along the trade road.
Around noon, a traveler appeared on the horizon—a slender young man with bright eyes, a carefree grin, and the energy of someone who had made at least three bad decisions that morning.
He waved enthusiastically.
"Greetings, noble travelers!"
Kanykei frowned. "Oh no. A cheerful person."
Temir waved back. "Hello, cheerful person!"
Arslan did not wave. "State your name and reason for travel."
The young man flashed a smile so bright it could blind the sun.
"I'm Bair, wandering merchant! Specialist in silks, spices, secrets—"
Ayisulu blinked.
"Secrets?"
"Oh yes," Bair said dramatically, "I have a good instinct for people. Especially beautiful women."
Arslan's head turned toward him so fast Kereg looked impressed.
Bair grinned at Ayisulu.
"And you, my lady—"
"No," Arslan said.
Bair blinked. "I didn't even finish my sentence!"
"No," Arslan repeated.
Kanykei smirked. "Are you… jealous, Prince?"
Arslan ignored her, but the tips of his ears turned a suspicious shade of pink.
Ayisulu tried not to smile.
She tried very hard.
Bair, oblivious, stepped closer to her.
"I mean it," he said warmly. "You have the look of someone with a rare gift. Almost as if you could—"
Ayisulu panicked.
"No gifts. Zero gifts. I have no talents. I'm extremely ordinary."
Temir snorted.
Arslan stared at her with narrowed eyes.
He noticed the panic.
He noticed everything.
Suspicion flickered across his face—concern, too.
But he said nothing.
Instead, he placed himself between Ayisulu and Bair with casual precision.
"You may travel with us until the next village," Arslan said, "but stay away from my—"
He stopped.
Everyone froze.
Kanykei's eyes went wide.
Temir leaned forward in anticipation.
Ayisulu forgot how to breathe.
Arslan cleared his throat sharply.
"My… horses."
Temir whispered, "That was the worst save in history."
Kereg nodded. "Yes."
---
The New Dream
That night, they camped under a clear sky.
Ayisulu fell asleep quickly, exhausted from the cave embarrassment, Bair's flirting, and Arslan's… everything.
Her dream came immediately:
A hall of fire.
A shadowed figure.
Arslan and Kanykei standing together—
And Ayisulu watching from a distance she couldn't cross.
When she woke, her hands were shaking.
Someone touched her shoulder gently.
"Ayisulu?"
Arslan knelt beside her, concern clear on his face.
"You cried out."
Ayisulu swallowed. "It was nothing."
"A lie," he said softly.
Her throat tightened.
She looked away.
Arslan gently touched her wrist—just enough to ground her, not enough to trap.
"Tell me," he said. "Let me help."
She wanted to.
But the image of him standing with Kanykei burned in her mind.
So she said the safest thing she could.
"It was only a nightmare."
Arslan studied her in silence.
Not angry.
Not frustrated.
Just trying to understand her.
Too deeply.
Too closely.
Finally, he whispered,
"Ayisulu… you don't have to be alone with your fears."
Her heart thudded painfully.
But she forced a smile.
"Go back to sleep, Prince. You need rest."
He didn't move.
Not until she turned away.
Then she heard him exhale—a quiet, strained sound—and walk back to his bedroll.
Ayisulu lay awake long after.
The dream weighed on her.
Her feelings weighed on her more.
And somewhere nearby, she felt Arslan's gaze flick toward her under the moonlight.
He wasn't sleeping either.