Magnus found that she liked hot chocolate. She had an aversion to strong tea scents, so once he figured that out, he never asked her to steep any for him. Hot chocolate became something they could drink together out on his balcony during the cold winter mornings. She preferrred hers bitter and he preferred his sweet. He liked seeing her cradle the warm mug in her hands, not quite a smile but a content look settling on her face as she stared out at the light snow starting to top the castle walls and rooftops.

That morning, he idly traced her name on the frost starting to line his balcony rail. Then he traced out his full name next to it.

"I have more names than you," she commented, drawing a line between her name and his with her pinky finger.

"Oh?"

"My full name is technically Mina Alanna Joyce Iris Carpenter. It spells 'magic.'"

Magnus tilted his head in confusion but then smiled. "No, it doesn't."

"What?"

"Magic is spelled with a g."

She paused, her cheeks turning a shade pinker than they already were because of the cold. "Oh...well, my father never was the best at spelling. He could barely even read like me."

"It's an honest mistake. Why do you have so many names though?"

She tapped her fingers against the mug. "Well, my father figured if fancy people like you could have all those names, then nothing was stopping him from giving me more than that. Names don't cost anything to give."

Magnus smiled. "That's sweet. And it's fitting for you."

"What?" she laughed to herself in disbelief. "Do I seem 'magical' to you?"

He tilted his head and looked away shyly, continuing to trace random patterns in the frost. "Maybe."

"You're lying."

"I'd never lie to you."

She shook her head, taking another sip of her hot chocolate. "Now it seems like you're lying about lying to me."

He laughed a little. "Your father seems like a nice man. I wish I could meet him."

Her eyes widened. "Oh..."

"Well, of course, I couldn't really, at least, not anytime soon. It's just a thought."

Mina eyed him carefully, dangerous ideas seeping into her mind. His curiosity for the world outside the castle was already there, and if she played it right, she could use it against him. Beyond the safety of the castle walls, he'd be at her mercy.

But then what would she do? Would she turn him over to the rebels? Let them do as they liked with him? Let them get the satisfaction of the kill? No, this was supposed to be her victory, her triumph over the people who had ruined her life. She didn't care about their supposed bigger cause for the good of the kingdom. She had worked and sacrificed too much for this to be taken from her now.

"Well, why don't we?" she suggested, keeping her voice cool and even.

Magnus stiffened a little. "As I said, it's just foolish thinking. Calama's at least a day's trip away anyway."

"What if we didn't go out as far, then? Maybe just to Jeidan or something."

He shook his head. "I don't think that's going to work."

"Have you even tried?"

"Well, no..."

She scoffed a little. "Then I don't believe you when you say that you really want to."

"Mina, I can't."

"Why?" she pushed.

"My father, of course. Who else?"

"So you never even tried because you're too afraid of your daddy paddling you?" she burst out in frustration.

If there was a line that she shouldn't have crossed, that was where it was. She noticed the tension seize his body, and he turned away from her, a hard look crossing his face.

"I'd rather not find out."

Her eyebrows furrowed and she gripped the mug tightly. Should she apologize? She probably should. "I'm sorry."

He exhaled slowly but still didn't look at her. "I thought you'd understand."

She frowned. "I'm sorry. I just thought...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."

He shook his head. "Believe me, I wish I could get out of here. I wish I could see for myself how the people are living. But you know as well as I do that I wouldn't last a second out there alone and no one in his castle would dare help me. And if my father ever found out..." He sucked in a breath. "Protecting others is one thing. Taking dangerous and unnecessary risks is quite another."

Mina bit her lip. "No one would be willing to help you? Not even your guard?"

"Sylvan? Goodness, no, he'd never take that risk."

"Well...maybe I could then," she offered, reaching out to him but stopping just shy of his arm. "I said I'd help you, right? That's my job. If you really want to get out of here, I'd help you find a way."

He caught her hand, the soft silk of his gloves meeting the rough coarseness of her skin. "That wouldn't end well for either of us." He tightened his hold just slightly. "And you know that."

"I can make sure no one sees or finds out," she insisted.

"How? There's no way you could get past everyone."

She thought for a moment as he released her hand. She had managed to sneak out of the castle herself once. Could she do it again with the prince in tow? She did have the help of Erik last time, but he was the last person she wanted involved now. Micah maybe? He was already willing to bend the rules about sneaking out.

"We could use the secret passageways."

"Secret passageways?"

She raised an eyebrow. "How do you not know? Haven't you lived here your whole life?"

"Well, yes, but..." he blushed, feeling stupid. "It never crossed my mind, I suppose."

She shook her head. "Well, surprise, they exist, and that'll be our ticket out."

He was silent for a few moments, glancing down at the servants moving around far below the balcony. Though they were definitely out of earshot, he motioned for her to head back inside the room. After closing the glass doors, they settled down on one of his couches. Facing each other, Mina's dark and calculating eyes met Magnus's soft and anxious ones.

Magnus could almost hear his heart hammering in his chest. Was he really going to do this? He was slowly building up his trust in her, but this would take a leap of blind faith. Was it worth the risk? The existence of secret passageways would certainly give him a better chance if she managed to locate a good one.

He rested his arm on the backrest. "It has to be one I can feasibly access without getting caught. Sylvan always makes sure I'm safe in the room every night."

She raised her chin confidently. "I bet I could find one in your room."

Now, what are the chances of that? "Fine," he agreed. "If you find one in my room and ensure that we make it outside without getting caught, I'll go."

She had to suppress a smile at her victory. "Deal."

"But please don't make too much of a mess looking." She shot him a look, so he added. "Don't want anyone to suspect anything, you know?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, Your Highness. Any more requests?"

"Just...be careful."

*~*~*~*

Mina made the most of the time Magnus was out either for his lessons or training to search every nook and cranny of his room. She ran her hands over the length of each wall that she could reach, peeked under the carpets, and pushed around furniture to the best of her ability. She was doing a poor job at his request to keep things neat, and for the first few days, he returned wide eyed when he saw the state his room was in. Eventually, he relented and decided to take the opportunity to rearrange the room, giving it a new and fresher look after years of everything being in the same place. Sylvan observed their behavior in confused curiosity but did not object, assuming it was just done out of boredom.

Sylvan did, however, make note of her influence on him. Ever since Mina became Magnus's maid, he noticed a newfound skip to the prince's step and the smile that seemed to perpetually play on his lips. Magnus spent more nights up late talking with her, ate almost all his meals with her, and spent countless hours reading to her, either on his couch or even on his bed. He never did that with any of his other maids.

Sylvan watched Mina closely, trying to find any reason not to trust her, but besides her curt attitude, there was nothing that seemed particularly threatening. She was never flirty or touchy with Magnus like the others had been, and nothing seemed to be able to erase that constant frown off her face. She clearly did not appreciate Sylvan's presence and would glare at him at every opportunity she could. At least she wasn't trying to fake that. Still, Sylvan could not entirely suppress his concern. She seemed to be weaving her invisible strings of control over Magnus, and Sylvan worried that it was only a matter of time before she puppeteered him into something dangerous.

In her search for a way out, Mina stumbled upon yet another painting. She would have just carelessly put it aside and continued her quest if not for the peculiar subject material. Instead of the typical sunsets and birds, this piece depicted two hands, fingers just barely intertwined, with gold staining their skin in uneven splotches. They lay on a field of green grass and red flowers, and upon closer inspection, she identified them as Capo Poppies, notable for the way they turned from white to red in response to loud sounds. There were fields of them back at home, and she and Kirian would sometimes challenge each other to see who could turn the most red with a single shout.

Mina stared long and hard at the painting for a while, wondering why he would have created such a scene.

Hearing the door opening, she turned to see Magnus enter the room. He smiled and his eyes seemed to light up every time he saw her even though he knew she'd always be waiting there. As he approached, his gaze fell on the painting in her hands.

"Ah, an odd one, isn't it?" He traced a finger over one of the painted hands. "It's based on a nightmare I had, or rather, still have from time to time. It's always the same blurry, messy affair, but it never fails to leave me in a cold sweat."

She frowned. "Then why paint it?"
He shrugged. "To try to make sense of it, I guess. I don't know why it keeps coming back." He ran a hand through his hair. "So, any luck today?"

"No," she groaned, setting the painting aside and slumping onto one of the couches in a heap. "Can we extend the boundary to the hall around your room?"

He laughed a little, shaking his head and taking a seat on the ground next to her. "I don't think that's going to work."

She threw an arm over her face. "I hope you don't like your wallpaper because I'm going to start tearing it up."

"Please...please do not."

"Then what else should I do?"

He stared at her, noting the weariness of her eyes, the sweat on her brow, the way her body melted into the soft cushions of the couch. "Rest."

She raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Rest," he repeated. "If there's a way out of here, you'll find it. I know you will. But for now, rest. You need it."

Again, she wanted to fight it. That's what she had been doing for years, fighting and fighting and fighting, ignoring the screams and aches of her body and her heart, sleeping with one eye open in the rebel camp, pinching herself to stay alert during the long nights at the tea house. But here, in the crown prince's room, the last place she thought she'd be able to relax, she felt safe enough to let her guard down.

"If you're worried, I promise I won't—"

"I know," she cut him off, tucking an arm under her head. "I know."