"It's no trouble, the bags weren't that heavy" she noted to him as he set down the bags to retrieve some apples.  He handed her one and noticed that Xander had lingered there holding her hand for a second.  She was confused by his action but quickly shook it off when he turned to Reaper.  She turned to Nerezza and started to pet her shining mane as she held out the red apple with her free hand.  Nerezza huffed contently and started to take large bites from the apple.  Aria's face lit up with pure fascination as she watched the horse eat from her hand.  "I think she likes me" she smiled as she looked back over to Xander.<br/><br/>From afar, some of the stable hands and gardeners occassionally watched the two nobles talk and feed the horses.  They looked utterly amazed about the event for two reasons.  The first reason being that their princess was conversing with someone from their kingdom's enemy territory.  The prince of that kingdom was regarded to be just as ruthless as the Queen and just as cold.  They didn't seem to understand how the princess could act so casually with a man that, they thought, had a thirst for vengeance.  Xander's presence on the grounds caused workers to sometimes glare at him or start to whisper things about him.<br/>The second reason for their bewilderment was seeing Aria look so elated.  Though she was always kind and polite, she didn't smile as much as she used to.  She only seemed really happy when she was allowed to interact with the villagers outside the castle.  Her smiling had ceased when her training had begun about two years prior.  She was currently being trained for the day when she would have to take the throne as Queen.  The training was exhausting and she wasn't very good at trying to be a stoic, brave ruler.  The servants knew that she wanted to become the best she can be, but she exceeded at little to nothing she was being taught.  Add the fact that she needed to get married within the next few years and Aria was actually a bit stressed and depressed at times.  Seeing her smile on the grounds, doing something as simple as feeding a horse was a refreshing sight.<br/><br/>Aria continued to pet Nerezza with a relaxed smile on her face as she zoned out and let her mind wander for a bit.  Suddenly, a question popped into her head and she looked up at Alexander.  "So...why did you decide to leave your kingdom?" She asked curiously.