Farris felt a sense of defeat and heaviness in his chest as he watched her walk away like that. He stared at the wall of the cave in front of him for a few seconds before his body moved instinctively, propelling him toward Noori. He grabbed onto her arm, halting her in her tracks.
"At least tell me why you burned down the palace!" he demanded, his voice firm yet tinged with desperation. "You can't keep doing things like that and expect to get away with it."
Noori turned around sharply, meeting his gaze dead-on, her eyebrows lifting with a sarcastic expression. "You want me to get punished for it?" she asked purposefully, causing Farris's grip around her arm to loosen.
"Why did you do it?" he repeated his question, completely ignoring hers.
"If you're dying to know so much, why did you plant the gunpowder in the burnt palace to shift the suspicion?" Noori countered.
Farris's already pale skin went paper-white. He averted his gaze and spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hah! Don't act like that in front of me," she hissed. "I know your men when I see them, and I can clearly remember when I saw them putting the gunpowder in the burnt palace before you came to meet me," she said, her tone accusing. "I can smell it from a mile away, you know that. And that day in the fire, there was not a single whiff of it. I set the fire, so my question is," she took a step closer to him, causing Farris to instinctively take a step back. "Why did you help me when you already knew that I was the cause of it? And I could have killed the prince while doing so, but you didn't," Noori said, stepping even closer to him, her demeanour confrontational.
"Are you by any chance—"
"Stop overthinking! There was no such intention. I did what I had to do. One wrong step from your side can ruin the peace treaty that has been built with so much effort," he said stiffly, defending his actions.
"Oh! The peace treaty? Don't make me laugh. 'Nuria and Solyria can never be in peace,'" she said, her tone provocative, as if quoting from somewhere.
"Duke! Your horse is ready," the guard walked in on them, disrupting their conversation. Noori took a step back from Farris at the arrival of the guard, and Farris too fixed his tense expression, looking away. They both tried to act normal, but the air between them was thick with tension, making it difficult to maintain any semblance of normalcy.
The guard stood there for a while, holding the reins of the horse, observing the discomfort between the two. Sensing the need to leave, he quickly tied the horse to the trunk of a nearby tree before bowing respectfully and exiting the cave once more. Noori turned her head towards the departing guard, seizing the opportunity to take her leave as well.
"Your Highness, I think I will leave now," she stated firmly, her gaze piercing. "And I hope that this is our last interaction, because I don't want silly rumors to spread around the palace." There was weight in her words, and her meaningful look conveyed a clear message. "I hope you know what I mean."
With that, she turned and walked away, her movements purposeful, the wind catching her thick red locks and sending them swirling like flames against the contrasting white snow. Farris watched her departure with a stiff expression, his teeth gritted in frustration.
As Noori walked away on foot she looked around for her horse that had disappeared since last night, She gave out a whistle in the air that echoed in the woods, and soon enough the sound of the neighning of the horse rung in the distance and her horse galloped towards her. Without a wait she mounted the horse and rode up ahead towards the palace.
The news of the Prince's whereabouts had reached the palace, delivered by a messenger dispatched by the Duke. The tense atmosphere within the palace lightened considerably, and Fleur, who had been bedridden since hearing of Dastan's disgrace, sat up eagerly, ready to leave her bed at the prospect of seeing her son.
"Is he back?" she asked desperately, her eyes searching the faces of the maids attending to her. Their hesitant shakes of the head only deepened her frustration.
"Your Highness, he is being brought back, but he is alright," one of the maids assured her, trying to calm the Queen's rising anxiety. "The Prince and his wife were caught up in the storm yesterday, so they didn't return with the others."
Fleur's face contorted with bitterness at the mention of Noori. "That woman was also with him?" she spat, her disgust palpable. "I need to check on him. She must have done something to him. How can you say that he is okay when he was with her?" Her words dripped with venom as she swung her legs out of the bed, determined to see her son and ascertain his well-being for herself.
Fleur, determined and resolute, left her bed with a sense of urgency. The maids, unable to deter her, followed closely behind as she marched towards Dastan's room. She wanted to be the first to meet him, to ensure his well-being with her own eyes. Waiting in his room seemed the best course of action, and just as she arrived, Dastan was brought in and gently laid down on the bed. The maids swiftly arranged fresh clothing for him, ensuring his comfort.
"My son!" Fleur's voice was filled with both relief and concern as she reached out to touch his cheek, her hand trembling slightly with emotion. Dastan, his eyes fluttering open slowly, looked at his mother with a distant gaze.
"Where is she?" he muttered, his voice barely audible as if he were expecting someone else when he opened his eyes.
Fleur, standing closest to him, heard his words and felt a surge of hatred towards Noori. Suppressing her emotions, she responded with reassurance. "Forget about everyone, my dear. You are safe now. I am here with you," she said firmly, her words meant to provide comfort and security. Dastan, hearing his mother's voice, nodded weakly before closing his eyes once again, seeking solace in her presence.