The waves stretched endlessly before them — silver and blue under the pale light of dawn.
The ship that carried Edward and Evelyn cut through the calm waters like a blade through glass, leaving behind the kingdom that had once defined them both.
Evelyn stood at the bow, wind sweeping through her hair. For the first time in months, she felt no eyes watching her, no whispers chasing her name. But freedom, she realized, came with silence — and silence could be lonely.
Edward joined her, his coat fluttering in the cold morning air. "The captain says we'll reach the coast by nightfall," he said softly.
Evelyn nodded. "And then?"
He hesitated. "Then… we build something of our own."
She looked at him, her eyes filled with a quiet wonder. "You make it sound easy."
He smiled faintly. "It's not. But it's honest."
The day passed in gentle rhythm — the creak of ropes, the hum of wind, the scent of salt and pine.
For the first time, Edward wasn't Prince Edward of Alden. He was simply Edward — a man without title, without guards, without the weight of a crown pressing on his shoulders.
Evelyn watched him laugh with the sailors, help mend a rope, and share stories by the deck fire.
It was strange and beautiful — seeing the man beneath the royal armor.
Later that evening, when the sea glowed gold under sunset, she found him leaning against the railing, lost in thought.
"Do you regret it?" she asked quietly.
He turned. "Leaving?"
She nodded.
Edward's gaze softened. "Every prince dreams of freedom. Few ever find the courage to take it. I only wish I'd realized sooner that it wasn't freedom I wanted — it was truth."
Evelyn smiled sadly. "And now you have both."
He looked at her. "Only because of you."
As night fell, the sea grew calm. The moonlight shimmered across the water, painting their faces in silver. Evelyn pulled her shawl tighter, and Edward draped his cloak over her shoulders without a word.
Their hands brushed — not by accident.
For a moment, everything else fell away: the exile, the danger, the uncertain tomorrow. There was only this — the soft touch of two people who had lost everything and found each other.
Evelyn whispered, "Do you ever wonder what they'll say about us?"
Edward smiled faintly. "That we were foolish. That we betrayed a kingdom."
"And what will we say?"
He looked out at the horizon. "That we lived."
When dawn broke the next morning, land appeared — a faint outline against the light.
Their new world.
Edward reached for her hand. "Whatever happens next, we face it together."
Evelyn squeezed his hand. "Together," she echoed.
The ship sailed on, carrying not exiles, but two souls who had chosen love over legacy.