Our walk back to my rooms was quiet, but comfortable. This newfound calm between us was incredibly warming. After all of this time feeling isolated from everyone around me, it was refreshing to know I had Alethea and Techno to help me along this process of finding my home.

I hadn't gotten perfectly comfortable with this place yet. There was still the somewhat degrading aspect of not being allowed to be alone outside of my rooms, and the cold treatment from Ishton and King Erix, but at least I wasn't entirely alone.

Maybe I could write a letter to Lavinia about how well things were going. Maybe we could repair our relationship if she knew that I was handling this okay. I missed knowing she was my loving older sister who wanted what was best for me, but I was still having a hard time giving in first.

When we got back to my rooms, Alethea looked at Techno and me with an angry glare. I nearly thought she would light the two of us on fire. I couldn't help but giggle, feeling like I got caught being naughty by my mother.

"You two are so lucky King Erix is in meetings all day. You two could've gotten me in some horrible trouble!" She said as we approached the door. Techno seemed to squirm under her gaze. She was rather intimidating for the dainty girl she was.

"I'm sorry but you wouldn't let us go! What was I supposed to do?" He said with a sly smile. I could tell he was holding back a laugh, and it caused a few giggles of my own to seep through.

"Would you just get in here before the entire palace knows you two snuck off to the Warped Forest?" She said grabbing my arm and pulling me to her. I smiled at Technoblade, feeling the blush that he often held upon my own cheeks.

"I'll see you at dinner then," he said with a giggle on his lips. I smiled back before Alethea began pulling me through the doorway. Her glare hadn't let up on Technoblade. It was making this conversation even more humorous.

"That's if I don't kill her before then," Alethea called back down the hall after him. I heard a quiet chuckle of the scurrying prince before Alethea closed the door behind her.

Her scowl turned quickly into a grin and I could only predict the words I knew were going to come out of her mouth next. She had a tendency to show excitement about me finally giving Prince Technoblade the time of day.

"What happened with your prince?" She said nearly bouncing with excitement in her spot. It caused my eyes to roll before turning around and retiring to my favorite couch. This was the spot that Alethea commonly gossiped, and I knew she wouldn't let this go lightly.

"Tell me what happened with yours," I said returning her teasing look. Her scowl returned, but she joined me on the couch and sighed very dramatically.

"I guess it's bound to come out eventually. I sadly can't lock this piece of my life in my head never to be discussed ever again," she said as she nearly dropped her head in frustration. "It was a very short thing. We didn't tell anyone in the palace. It was just me sneaking off to Ishton's rooms every so often. We began to develop some feelings for one another and we tried it out, privately, and it just didn't work out. Nothing ended ugly, we still get along well enough, but he likes to bring it up to make me uncomfortable."

"No. Way." I said absolutely blown away by this new piece of information. "You and Ishton? But you hate him!"

"I don't hate him! Well, I definitely don't like him as much as I used to," she said with a slight chuckle, awkward with the attention on her love life. "He really isn't all that bad once you get beyond the wall he puts up. Just like Prince Technoblade. Who you still haven't told me about."

"It was nothing, Alethea," I said with a quiet laugh. Her eyes looked on skeptically. "He came out to have some lunch with me, and he mentioned the Warped Forests. So he took me there to see them. We didn't proclaim love or make out under the glow of the shroomlights, if that's what you were hoping."

"Well of course I was hoping for that, but I get that something that beautiful can't happen overnight, so I'll be patient. This is a beautiful first step," she said with pride in her voice. It was hard not to giggle at her hopefulness. We would be wed either way. I'm unsure why she cared so much that he and I fell in love.

"You are quite the hopeless romantic. Has anyone ever told you that before?" I said nudging her slightly with my shoulder. Her laugh sounded shy, and it made me appreciative that I had her in this place. I'm not sure I'd have anything like home again, but I really did love knowing Alethea.

"At the very least, I'm happy that I have someone else on my side. I could use all of the allies I can get when dealing with this place," I said tipping my head back against the couch. The comfort of my rooms was undeniable. I appreciated the cold that crept up my warm body and the comfort of just being with Alethea.

"Oh I'm sure you love being close with Prince Technoblade," she said stretching out his name in a teasing manner. She was relentless on this kick to make me fall in love with the prince.

I ignored her inability to leave the subject alone and sunk into the comfort of my room. It wouldn't be long until dinner. I knew that I was looking forward to going today, knowing that Technoblade and I had found a new friendship. Nonetheless, I still desperately wanted to close my eyes and sleep today's events off.

The nagging urge to write Lavinia a letter was near impossible to ignore. This felt like something I would gossip to her about in her room while eating whatever new thing Akkar wanted us to try. I knew that in the end, we would somehow resolve this rift between us, but it would not be by my own doing.

I was grateful for the day I had spent with Techno. By no means would it be forgotten, but my ache for The End and all it's familiarity would not leave me alone. I was trying so desperately to make the best of what my situation was here. Maybe one day this ache would fade.