Skylar stepped back and wiped away her tears. Then they were running, hand in hand, the maze growing smaller behind them.

  The boy was incredibly light on his feet. Skylar directed him, pointing where to go, and he kept them in the shadows. They wove between columns and ducked into blind spots. It felt like they were dancing. The boy's wooden sword never left his hand, and sometimes, he'd swing it back and forth through the night air. It was an adventure. A stealthy journey back to her garden. And it was the most fun Skylar had had in weeks.

  They reached the garden wall together. Skylar led the charge against the ivy, and the boy helped without question. The opening revealed itself, welcoming Skylar back. The boy grinned, his eyes wide at her secret, and Skyler remembered where she had seen him before.

  There had been a banquet at the castle that evening, and many of her father's noble allies had attended, including House Sunborne. She remembered a boy in a red cloak, fastened with a brooch engraved with a golden, fiery sun. She remembered how he'd frowned when the Jester tried to make him laugh. How he had three servings of the rose apple tart. How he'd smiled only once, and it was while dancing with his mother. But what Skylar could not remember was his name.

  The pair walked through the garden, past the orchard trees and the fountain. She waited for him to introduce himself. But he said nothing. He just walked behind her, his eyes focused, and his sword ready, as if something might leap out from the darkness.

  At her door, he let go of her hand and they stood there, in silence, surrounded by flowers swaying in the wind.

  Skylar shifted on her feet. The boy had seen her attempt to enter the maze. She suddenly remembered her manners, which was quite rare for her. She curtsied as gracefully as she could, or tried to, at least.

  "Thank you, for your help. My name is Skylar Velcourt, I am pleased to make your acq..acqua…" The word was lost to her. It crumbled on her tongue. She could hear her mother scolding her, and her Governess sighing in the back of her mind.

  "Nice to meet you!" Skylar said instead, loud and brightly, forgoing the proper greeting with something easier. And then, because there was no time and she desperately needed to bring the boy to her side:

  "Please don't tell anyone! If my parents find out I entered the maze all by myself, they'll tear it down and I'll never be able to explore it again," she said desperately. Her pleas tumbled out past her lips, getting faster and faster with each each word. "I'm trying to learn how to get to the centre but I haven't gotten very far yet. I keep getting lost. And then Father made this impossible rule because he doesn't want me entering the maze ever again, so I tried to do it all by myself, and then I got scared and you were there and… and… well, what if I can never do it, what if I never learn, what if it takes until I'm a hundred years old—

  "I'll help you."

  Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

  Skylar closed her mouth. Her words stopped. And her eyes widened from desperation to surprise, and then relief and excitement. She rushed closer and held the boy's hand in hers.

  "You will? Will you really help me?!"

  The boy looked away. His gaze drifted across the garden, looking anywhere but at her. Skylar wondered if she had offended him and parted her lips to apologise, when he spoke.

  "My father says we are staying in Astros for a few more days," he revealed with a shrug. "It's been quite boring. This will give me something to do."

  Skylar gasped, feeling insulted! Boring?

  She shook the boy's hand. Up and down, up and down. He tried to pull it back, but she did not let go. She held on tight!

  The boy looked slightly scared but she held on tight and pulled him closer.

  "Astros is not boring! If you help me, I'll make sure you have the best time ever. I know so many secret places, and where the Headcook hides her treats, so we'll have something to eat when we're exploring. We can go to the market. Vera told me that Uncle Llyod has just got back from the Gold Coast, and he promised me that he'd bring back all kinds of toys and books to sell before he left. He has the best toys and the best books. I wonder if there'll be any books about exploration, oh, I do hope so–

  "Alright, alright! Deal."

  The boy then paused. He hesitated to say something, his lips parting and closing. Then he spoke. His voice sounded new, heroic and just wonderful. "That makes us allies."

  Something changed in the air. The world was different somehow, Skylar was sure of it. Allies. Skylar buzzed, absolutely thrilled. She was awed by the boy and the situation she found herself in. They were just like their fathers, strategising with secret plans and noble purposes. But there was something missing.

  Skylar rushed to the wild cherry tree. The trunk was thick and twisted, and curved low to the ground. She'd climbed it so many times that her hands and feet had created their paths into the bark. And up she went, winding along the branches, and swinging like she was weightless. She plucked a handful of cherries, and noticed the boy was watching her, curious.

  It wasn't long before he joined her. His hands ran along the rough bark and found the grooves she'd made. Skylar watched him rise towards her, and rejoiced; she climbed better than him. They met in the middle. She took the boy's hand and shared out the cherries between them.

  "To becoming allies." Skylar cheered and raised her cherries like her father raised his cup during feasts.

  The boy didn't say anything at first, but he looked just as inspired as Skylar felt.

  "…To victory," the young Lord answered.

  They sealed their secret partnership with a cherry. Then another. They ate and laughed with stained lips, and threw the pits into the air with stained hands. They tried to see who could throw farther, but it was too dark to tell.

  When Skylar yawned, the boy led the way down. She followed without a word.

  "Let's meet here after breakfast," the boy said, and then he turned to leave. He rested his wooden sword along his shoulder. Skylar watched him make his way towards the hidden opening. It was a secret that now belonged to the both of them; Skylar had kept it to herself for so long that it felt nice to now share it with someone else.

  She opened the door to return to her chambers, hoping there was still time to get a good night's rest for their adventure tomorrow. And then she stopped. Skylar realised she still did not know the boy's name.

  She turned to see where he was. He had reached the opening. The darkness had swallowed him and so she ran forward. He was pulling on the ivy when she found him again.

  "My name is Skylar!" she repeated, her voice hopeful, and too loud, but she didn't care.

  The boy turned his head ever so slightly. Skylar could see the moonlight in his eyes, and the curve of his smile.

  "Lucian," he answered. "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."