The gush of wind flowing through her hair made Hana want to close her eyes and leave the worry for someday else.

But she kept her eyes on Caspian’s profile. The way his jaw was set in a look of pure joy, knowing he was going to be taking a bath with Hana for the first time, not just guarding and turning his head away.

She let out a soft sigh and shut her eyes for a second. It wasn’t so bad.

Caspian landed at the edge of the hidden lake, the water crystal clear and reflecting the morning sun like a sheet of sapphire. He set her down gently on a flat, sun-warmed rock.

​"The waters are calm today, Hana," he said, his voice dropping into that low, soft tone he reserved only for her. He began to unfasten the belt holding his leather skirt in place, his eyes never leaving her.

​Hana didn’t rush. She opened the basket, the scent of lavender and citrus from the soaps wafting out.

"Caspian, sit," she commanded, pointing to the edge of the water.

​He obeyed instantly, his massive frame sinking onto the mossy bank. Hana stepped behind him, pouring a generous amount of the shampoo into her palms. The lather was thick and white. As she began to work it into his dark, silken hair—being mindful of his horns—and down the back of his neck where the obsidian scales met skin, she felt him shudder.

​"What is this magic?" he whispered, his eyes closing. "It feels... like cool rain and summer flowers."

​"It’s just soap, Caspian. Don’t make it weird," she teased, though her hands were gentle.

"But it is not like the soap you made, Hana." He claimed.

"Well, it’s because this one had a better factory. But don’t worry, I’ll make soap as great as this someday." She assured, more to herself than to him, because she knew that with a community, they would need to keep hygiene as their top priority so as not to spread any form of disease.

And to do that, they needed an abundance of soap.

Hana worked on massaging his scalp and then picking up every single lock of his wet hair. The only sound in the area was the foaming scrub, as well as the lapping of the water in the lake, and the occasional chirp of a bird.

Everything seemed to drift away in that moment, and even the dragon had calmed down from his excitement. The feeling of his scalp getting thoroughly massaged so gently made all his nerves relax.

​"Caspian," Hana suddenly spoke, her voice soft, and her hands pausing on his shoulders. "I know you want to be the best. I know you want to protect everything. But don’t ever think you have to hide your worry from me. We’re in this together now."

​Caspian felt his heart give a hard thump. We’re in this together. Those words from Hana seemed to light a new fire in him. He never thought she would say that to him.

All along, he could feel that she felt burdened by not just him but the others as well. It was as if she was being forced to accept them even if she didn’t want to.

But now... she was saying this to him.

He reached back, his large hand covering hers against his shoulder. He turned his head, his golden eyes searching hers.

"I am a King, Hana. But I would be a beggar if it meant I could stay in your light."

​Hana didn’t feel anything with those words—not yet. If anything, she felt he was just as she believed him to be. A wall of obsidian, a fortress that will not let the walls she plans to build collapse.

If he is someone she must rely on, then he has to be at least this tough.

"I get it," she said and turned her head to the water. "Come, it’s time to wash off the soap before it gets in your eyes."

Caspian didn’t hesitate. He stood up, his towering frame casting a long shadow over the mossy bank, and stepped into the water.

The sapphire surface rippled around his knees, then his waist, as he submerged himself to rinse the thick, fragrant lather from his hair.

Hana watched him for a moment. The way the water beaded off his obsidian scales made him look like a creature carved from the earth itself.

She set the shampoo bottle back into the basket and began to strip off her own dress, her movements slow. She felt the cool morning air hit her skin, but she didn’t shiver.

As she stepped into the lake, the initial chill of the water made her breath hitch, but it quickly balanced against the heat radiating from Caspian. He was waiting for her in the center, the water stomach-deep on her but only waist-deep on him.

"Hana," he breathed, his voice thick with an emotion he couldn’t quite name. He reached out, his large hands settling tentatively on her waist, pulling her closer until the tips of her toes barely touched the sandy bottom.

"I’m going to wash now, Caspian," She said. "But I have a feeling you haven’t taken out all the soap from your hair, so I’ll help you."

She held a bar of soap she planned to use on herself, so she handed it to him first and reached up, her hands landing on his wet hair. Sure enough, on the scalps, there were still traces of soap.

"You’ll have to kneel, Caspian," she said to him, and he obeyed right away, kneeling in the water until it was covering his shoulders.

Usually, a normal person would feel light in the water, like they could float away, but Caspian was heavy in the water, and stayed perfectly still, his hands still on her waist, and his face... looking directly over at her chest.

He was tempted. Very tempted but... Hana had not permitted him yet. He couldn’t... touch... those... big... melons.

Hana knew just what kind of thoughts were going through his head. This was a part of the plan, so she did not panic.

She splashed a bit of water on his head and scrubbed, her movements causing her breasts to bounce. And of course, Caspian’s eyes were following their movements, especially the nipples.

Bright pink and begging to be touched.

"Alright, I’m done," Hana said. "You can stand up now, Caspian. I need to wash my hair."

Caspian gulped and stood up. He was glad the water at least covered his waist; if not, Hana would’ve seen what he was trying to hide, not like she hadn’t already noticed it.

"I’ll help you, Hana," he said, and she twisted her lips, thinking.

"Alright then. I’ll close my eyes so I don’t get soap in my eyes, so let me know when you’re done scrubbing," he nodded.