<span style="font-style: italic">The least he could do is be less abrupt,</span>she thought almost angrily as Durzo turned away from her, leading them on. In her mind, everything was falling apart. The exhaustion from her lack of sleep was setting in heavily, eyes beginning to droop with the rhythmic trot lulling her under. The silence covering her in a blanket, her mind was allowed to wander...if wandering is what you could call it. So tired she was, her mind was on a bit of a constant loop...<br/><br/>Her father's kind eyes were a constant fixture, aging as each memory went by. While the kindness had always remained throughout the years, they'd grown tired. Their once vibrant hues of cerulean had begun to fade, along with his sight. Worry lines had begun to frame the once smooth skin surrounding them, the worry becoming a more prevalent as each year drew to a close.<br/><br/>As war truly set in.<br/><br/>Being that it had gone on for so long, it was more like background music, an ominous tone to start the day, and a solemn. Even as it'd been going on for decades, beginning long before Maria had been born, it'd never really hit home for her. Not until she saw how it was affecting her father's health. While she loved her people, had always been of a mind to do for them what she could, she'd not been able to set foot outside her castle's walls since she was four. Having received a pony for her birthday, her father (along with the Royal Guard) had taken her for a ride.<br/><br/>No sooner had they left the grounds, had they passed through the gates, that they were ambushed. Hastened back in, their guards fought off the Sirmians, but only just. A close call to be sure.<br/><br/>From that day forward, death threats became second nature to her, and she was content to stay within the cold stone walls, admiring the sunlight from afar, her people from afar. It wasn't as if she didn't want to greet them, to see them, but she was no good to them dead.<br/><br/>Fitting that Durzo should chime in at such a moment in her mind, almost as if he actually knew just how deprived she'd been of her own kingdom. Fine satin and silks were all well and good, but to not even know the intricacies of your own lands, to never really see that which you desperately cling and protect...<br/><br/>It was downright depressing.<br/><br/>Neither commenting nor making a sound that she'd even heard what he'd said, Maria remained silent. Taking in what he said, along with the scenery for something to do, her eyes roamed lazily over the landscape. A burning had set in, and her coherence began to fade the longer they rode, until the clearing opened around them. The light twinkling off of the grass, seemingly glistening as it bounced from shimmering leaves, the breeze blowing through them, she wasn't tired any longer. Her mind had come alive, taking in the beautiful scenery, feeling suddenly oddly at peace despite the circumstances.<br/><br/>Tearing her eyes away from the beauty around her, she watched Durzo dismount before coming to help her off her own. Looking down at the ground, she wasn't sure if her numb legs would hold her when she hit it. Taking his hands, she slid down, bones popping as the balls of her feet hit the ground, staggering slightly as her limbs began the pricking sensation of blood circulating to needy limbs. Hearing his words, she nodded, but again said nothing. Staying near the horses was fine by her, as she continued to stretch, catching a glimpse of his form disappearing into the woods.<br/><br/>Lowering herself to the soft ground beneath her feet, she sprawled out, hearing her back continuing to crack as she relaxed. Loosing a sigh, her eyes drifted closed, too tired to look for signs of danger at that moment, instead letting herself fall into a lightish sleep. The sound of crickets acting as calming music, she didn't register him coming back. The words fell on uncomprehending ears until the sound of water pulled her back. Eyes fluttering open, she rolled to a sitting position, only to have her gaze fall on a shirtless Durzo. A blush instantly flushed her cheeks as she turned her body away, the sight of shirtless, soaking men not one she was accustomed to.<br/><br/>Registering the question he'd posed, she turned her head in his direction, though the hood still obscured her view. "I've longed for the outdoors since I was four," she answered quietly, but didn't discuss it further. It wasn't her place to divulge such of her past without being asked. Nor was it proper to talk such things with a ranger. He was here to do a job, not to pick apart her past as idle chitchat.<br/><br/>Though, when he talked of privacy, she had to turn to at least see where he was gesturing. It was a harried glance, just one long enough to see in which direction he gestured. Forehead creasing in modest distaste, she nodded curtly, rising from the ground and walking off in that direction, looking back just once to take him in.<br/><br/>His whistling tone becoming farther and farther away, she ducked on the other side of the willow's branches, trying to peer through and see how much privacy she was afforded. Slightly sated, she contented herself to strip down of the itchy garb, the cloak falling from her frame. Taking off the rather large boots, she stepped free of them, along with her pants. Shirt pulled over her head, all that remained was her chemise and her bloomers. Hazarding one more look in his general direction, she moved toward the water.<br/><br/>Dipping a toe into the water, a shiver wracked her body, the cool water not what she was expecting. Forcing herself to continue in further, she dipped below the crisp surface. Before resurfacing, her hands working through her hair to take out the elaborate braids and twists, ceremony no longer needed. About a minute had passed before she surfaced, used to not needing much air due to the corsets she was always forced into, her hair now hanging down her back. Hands running over her head, she smoothed it back, wiping the water from her face before wiping them over the rest of her body. Further out than the branches really reached (a scant few reaching for her form), all that was visible were her shoulders to the top of her head, arms working beneath the surface of the cool water.<br/><br/>The goosebumps making their presence more known the longer she stayed in the water, her teeth began to chatter. Lips turning the faintest blue, she made her way back to the edge, still oblivious of how far she'd wandered, too tired to care at the moment. Fabric clinging to her frame, she huddled into her cloak as she waited to dry off enough that her "burlap sacs" wouldn't soak through. Satisfied she was dry enough, she pulled her pants back on, followed by her shirt and laced up her boots.<br/><br/>Hair hanging in curls around her face, the hood came back up, hanging low on her face. Despite having washed herself off, her skin still remained as unblemished, as luminescent, as if she'd worn makeup still. Her cheeks graced with the hint of pink, whether due to cold or not was unknown. Her lashes remained just as dark, her eyes somehow just as bright, even if their "twinkle" was missing.<br/><br/>Feeling decent enough to rejoin him, she headed back in his direction, body still poised, back straight, eyes forward. Her shoulders seemed to remain tense beneath her covering, but that was to be expected. Following the fire's glow, she continued in her half-awake daze, eyes lingering on Durzo's form for a beat longer than they should have before lowering to the ground once more.