in your heart shall burn
an UNQUENCHABLE flame

Naerys hadn't been expecting Caenan's stride to falter and yet, it had. She had hoped she could slide discretely in beside him while he continued on his path - it was the only way she felt herself capable of maintaining her composure and avoiding potentially embarrassing herself. Instead, he stopped before she ever got the chance to reach him and with his attention on her so completely she felt her own stride slowing and... stopping. Although her teal eyes focus on him, she can feel a familiar heated flush ransacking the flesh of her face and leaving it bright red. Her own hormones haven't taken over her youthful body just yet but that doesn't stop her eyes from roaming down over the defined muscles in his neck, chest, and legs as he slides so easily into a bow. She might have stood a chance until 'Princess' rolled so easily from his lips, topped with a rather roguish wink.

Despite the awkward thundering of her heart within her chest, the girl flashed him her best and brightest smile. Without further hesitation, she closes the gap between them - moving contentedly to his side. She's comfortable with him but in a way that is completely foreign. It wasn't like this with Mauja. This was... different, more like what she'd felt with Rowtag except it runs far deeper and leaves her far more flustered. His laugh alone had a drastic effect on her mood, making her giddy and sending the butterflies fluttering around in her stomach. "There are times where I am not sure if I agree with it." Naerys simply dissolves into a small fit of laughter - light, sweet, and somehow musical. In truth, she simply cannot agree with that statement more but her reasons were entirely different from his own. She is too young yet to deal with any herd duties but life in a herd is... more strained when one feels they cannot trust their king. Being with Caenan is like existing in a different dimension - a place where all of her troubles and worries simply cease to be. Walking side by side with him, matching his pace and feeling the warmth of his body next to hers - suddenly, nothing else exists. Nothing else matters. Naerys listens carefully as he speaks, silently praising the Gods that Tembovu hadn't burned Caenan the way he'd burned Mauja. Somehow, she manages to hide her discomfort over the mere mentioning of Tembovu's name and she glances over at him just as he playfully arches his neck. "Oh, is that so?" she teases, teal eyes shimmering with a mischievous glint as she aims a light nip at his cheek. She shifts her position just enough to allow her teal gaze to appraise and admire his stronger form and after a soft, barely audible sigh she tries her best to act casual. "Looks like they're already succeeding."

She's grateful when he shifts to take the lead and uses the few moments she's following behind to get a grip on herself and contain the suddenly rampant feelings of adoration. Naerys is so consumed by her own concentration that she doesn't realize he's taking her away from the others. Not that it would worry her if she knew. She's safe with Caenan; safer with him than she could ever be while alone with the king. The only potential trouble in being alone with him at this point is her making a complete fool of herself. Every laugh, every lopsided grin, every wink - they all chipped away at the innocently playful mask she'd put on to hide her own heart. There was something about the pirate that completely ensnared the young girl. So when he finally stops, she shifts herself close but instead of hugging against his side, she stands before him - positioning herself to better see his face, all the while knowing that her own is vulnerable beneath his green-eyed gaze. "I couldn't leave here now if I tried." she replies with a soft smile, though it certainly isn't entirely true. She could leave, if he did.

"Any new adventures to report?" His question practically makes her giddy with excitement but instead she contains it, shifting her posture into one of playful nonchalance. "Oh, you know, just the usual. Found a dagger in the caves..." her voice trails off for a moment as she pins him with a roguish expression. "and, I learned a new trick." Naerys lifts her head a bit then, a playful little smile curving her lips as she shuffles her hooves amongst the purple and white blooms now surrounding her.

NAERYS