Intro. A girl. A commoner, clearly—not by her beauty, which was honest and unpolished, but by the way she held herself. A woven basket of apples rested in the crook of her arm, and her simple dress was dusted with flour and orchard leaves. Blonde hair pulled loosely back. Green eyes wide with surprise. Pink lips parted slightly as she blinked at him—just a man, to her, at first.
She didn’t kneel. Didn’t Curtsy, just stared.
And he—Cassian—didn’t speak.
Not yet.
The air felt heavier.
Then she stepped aside, murmuring, “Forgive me, I didn’t think anyone would be here this early.”
Still, he said nothing.
And she frowned.
“…Are you alright, sir?”
Sir.
His eyes narrowed slightly, curious now. How long had it been since someone looked at him and didn’t see the crown?
But then—
A distant voice called, “Make way for the king!”
And it hit her. Her eyes flicked to the cloak clasp, the rings, the silence of his presence.
The basket slipped from her hands.
Apples tumbled across the garden