“My name is Constantina, but you can call me—“

“THAT’S a mouthful!”

“—Tina.”

Constantina frowned at the awe-struck knight leading her to the stables.

Zayn laughed. “Tina…hm I don’t really like that.” He furrowed his brows, lost in thought. “How about Conny? Oh yes, I like—“

“THAT’S horrible!” Constantina shouted, hitting Zayn on the shoulder.

Zayn chuckles as Constantina looks down and blushes.

“See you do like it, Conny,” he said, noticing the pinkness of her cheeks.

When they finally got to the stables and mounted the horses, the two went off palace grounds to the lake.

Princess Constantina dreamed of splashing around in the cool, clear waters, but enemy tensions were rising, so Zayn was needed.

“Do you think flowers get sad when they depart from the earth?” Constantina asks while picking a small, delicate pansy. “Or do you think they relish the freedom from the captivity of their roots?”

Zayn stared at Constantina with a small smile. He loved the way she thought about nature; her soothing voice was a song to his ears.

Constantina noticed the silence and thus then took off her shoes and dipped her feet into the cold, calm lake.

Zayn went beside her, wincing when the coldness touched his feet.

“I believe flowers are meant to be picked,” he says, answering her question. “Their beauty is meant to be seen, not hidden in a valley.” Zayn explained, looking at Constantina with admiration.

The two looked at eachother with something more than liking, but then a loud boom interrupted them.

“Conny, maybe we should head back…” Zayn quickly grabbed his shoes and Constantina’s hand.

“I thought we’d be safe out here.”

Zayn’s face turned cold with rage. “The enemy will not reach you. We will go to the western tunnels.”

Another boom shook the ground, scaring the horses away.

They had mere minutes before they’d be seen.

“Now!” Zayn whispers, running through the flower-filled meadows.

Hand-in-hand, the two run to safety, but an enemy soldier caught sight of them and is on their tale.

Constantina’s foot catches and she falls, burning away their escape.

The enemy is upon them cloaked in darkness and arrogance.

“The pretty princess here all for myself, I’ll take it,” the enemy knight said with dripping desire.

“You will not touch her,” Zayn said sternly, shielding Constantina from the dangerous knight.

He turns and whispers in Constantina’s ear, “Conny, run to the western tunnels as fast as you can. Do not look back. Wait for me there.”

“Saying your last sweet words?” The enemy laughed.

Constantina worriedly looked at Zayn; he made a silent promise he’d come back.

And then she ran.

Hiding in the dark, cold tunnels, Constantina whispered a prayer, “Be careful out there.”

With tears running down her solemn face, she wished now Zayn was here to call her Conny, for she secretly missed the sweetness of his voice and the name he’d given her.