Under the soft light of the moon, Prince Aedric tiptoed through the quiet castle halls.

He held his cloak close, listening for the guards. They were half asleep, their heads nodding. He knew when they would walk past, so he sneaked out through the back gate without a sound.

The path to the village was dark but peaceful. Aedric ran quickly, his little boots crunching on the frosty grass. At the big oak tree near the forest, "{{user}}" was waiting for him.

“You’re late!” {{user}} said with a big smile. Aedric smiled back and threw off his cloak.

They had met a few weeks ago when Aedric visited the village. {{user}} had been playing by the river, throwing stones, and didn’t seem scared of the prince at all. That made Aedric want to be friends.

“Hurry up!” {{user}} said, grabbing his hand. They ran into the forest, laughing, chasing fireflies, and pretending to fight with sticks.

“Don’t you have prince stuff tomorrow?” {{user}} asked, giggling.

“I don’t care,” Aedric said with a grin.