Lydia sat on the stone staircase, leaning back against the smooth cliffside. She was drenched in sweat, her clothes clinging uncomfortably to her skin. "Can you remind me again why this was a good idea and why I agreed to it?" asked Lydia to the person who sat beside her, Elara March.
"Well, you said so yourself that yesterday's encounter with Adrien really squeezed the life out of you," said Elara as she handed a white handkerchief to Lydia. "So I thought that a little hike to see the big ocean would help you clear your mind."
"I agree that the ocean might help clear my mind," said Lydia as she wiped her forehead with Elara's handkerchief, "but I have to disagree about the 'little' part. We've been climbing these stairs for nearly ten minutes, Elara. My legs are about to give out. This may be a 'little' hike by your standard, but for me, it's like scaling Mount Everest."
Elara chuckled. "Come on, we're nearly there." She helped Lydia stand back up. "Besides, these stairs are the difficult part. After this, all that's left is a gentle trail that is no different from a walk in the park."
Lydia and Elara continued their journey. As Elara said, they arrived at the top just a couple of minutes later. Lydia had never climbed such long and narrow stairs before. Yet all her weary bones, tired muscles, and deep frustration were blown away the moment she witnessed the majestic view of the vast blue ocean that seemed to mirror the sky stretching endlessly over the horizon. The gentle breeze caressed her skin and lifted her lush black hair. For a moment, she felt on top of the world.
Elara put her hands on her hips. "See? What did I tell you? It's amazing, right? You could actually—, ah, never mind." She looked at Lydia and decided to let her enjoy the moment.
Lydia immersed herself in the view for a good three minutes, but in her mind and her heart, it felt like an eternity. In the face of something so sublime, all her problems and worries seemed so trivial. Elara was right. Going on this hike was the right decision.
"So, ready to continue?" asked Elara.
Lydia took a deep breath and, without looking at her friend, said, "Yeah, let's continue."
Though it wasn't exactly a walk in the park, the rest of the journey was a fairly relaxing hike on a trail made out of paved stones. Lydia was worried that her leg would give up before they got to the finish line, but the guard rails separating the path from the steep drop helped ease her worry.
"We've been hiking for nearly half an hour, and I barely see any people here," said Lydia to Elara. "I thought you said this is a popular hiking trail."
"It is popular, but the locals rarely use this trail. It is mostly used by tourists on weekends. Come on, let's keep going. There's a good restaurant at the end of this route. Let's have lunch there."
The two continued walking for a while in silence. As the one in front, Elara occasionally looked back to see how Lydia was doing. Though she slowly followed Elara's steps, the princess's eyes were still glued to the magnificent view of the ocean. She looked like a caged bird longing for open sky.
Elara stopped in her tracks and turned back. "Hey, Lydia, are you alright? You seemed to be deep in thought. Did meeting with Adrien yesterday bother you that much?"
"No," said Lydia. "It's just that... looking at the ocean and the boats, and the fishermen docking at the harbor, bringing fish that they caught from last night's voyage. It makes me wonder..."
"What? What do you have in mind?" Elara was starting to feel concerned.
"It makes me wonder if there's any good seafood restaurant nearby," said Lydia with a deadpan expression on her face.
"...What the heck, Lydia? Are you serious?"
"What? You forcefully dragged me here without us getting a chance for breakfast." Lydia pointed toward the imaginary watch on her left wrist. "Now it's nearly midday, and I have already spent nearly all my energy. Of course I'm hungry."
Elara facepalmed. "Look. I get that you are hungry, but I thought you were sad or at least worried about what happened yesterday with Adrien."
Lydia tilted her head. "Adrien? Why would I be afraid of him? I've known him my whole life. I know how to deal with him. I don't want to see him, not because I'm afraid of him, Elara, but because he pissed me off. The last thing I want for now is to go back to the Palace with him."
Elara put her hands on her hips and let out a big sigh. "And here I am worrying about you."
"Oh? You're worried about me? Really? That's so cute," said Lydia with a big smile.
"Ugh, get your smug face away from me." Elara turned back and walked away. "Come on, you hungry princess, let's keep on walking so that we can fill that stomach of yours."
"So they do have a good seafood restaurant in here?"
"Yes, yes. So come on. Hurry up!"
The two of them continued their little hike. Even though she could only see Elara's back, Lydia knew that her friend was pouting. She found that rather cute. After about ten minutes of gentle hiking along the stony trail at the edge of the cliff, Lydia and Elara finally arrived at the last stretch of their journey. Unfortunately for Lydia, this last bit was another steep climb through carved stone stairs like earlier.
Lydia shook her head and crossed both of her arms to make an 'X' sign. "No! I'm sorry, Elara, it's a miracle that my legs are still attached to my body. I can't climb any more of those damn stairs."
"Come on. This is the last bit. Once we get to the top, the restaurant is just a short walk away."
Lydia looked around and saw a chair carved out of stone near the edge of the cliff, facing the ocean. It was about two meters long and had a proper backrest. She walked toward the stone chair and sat on it. Far from comfortable, but it was more than enough to rest her weary bones. Elara followed and stood beside Lydia.
Lydia turned to see Elara. "Elara, would you do this poor princess a favor?"
"Whenever you refer to yourself as 'princess,' it usually means you want me to do something annoying for you, right?"
"You know me so well, Elara. That's why I love you. You know that, right?"
"Yeah, yeah. So what do you want? Do you want me to go up there and order some fish and chips for you?"
Lydia covered her mouth with the palm of her right hand. "Oh my, Elara! You could read my mind now?"
Elara took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. You wait here, alright? I'll be back," said Elara as she turned away and walked toward the stairs.
Once Elara was gone, Lydia closed her eyes. Her tired body was embraced by the gentle breeze, while her mind was racing in different directions. That's why she didn't realize a man was coming down the stairs toward her.
When the man reached her, he tapped her shoulder and said, "I finally found you, Lydia Valenrose."