After the banquet the next morning, Rebecca, Gareth and Anna board a large carriage headed to the Academy.
"Why is she here?" Rebecca asks. "She is my guardian, she will follow me for my entire life, why do you ask?" Gareth replies. "I'm not sure how to feel with a beautiful woman following my fiancee." Rebecca admits. "Am I even your fiancee? You never showed any interest before." Gareth retorts. Rebecca with a shocked expression says. "What do you mean? Have I offended you?" "Yes, you have, repeatedly ignored all invitations and letters, I know nothing about you because you never wrote or visited, to me you are just a stranger." Gareth replies. Rebecca remained silent and turned to the window hiding a few tears slipping past her guard. After a long silence she replies. "You never visited either." "I was never invited by you, was I?" Gareth replies, and Rebecca finally understood why he never visited, she thought he was avoiding her, but she never even invited him. Lost in thought Rebecca and Gareth, although in the same carriage had a chasm between them.
The next day Rebecca finally spoke up. "I thought my mother had invited you, it wasn't intentional. And I only avoiding your invitations because I thought you avoided mine." Gareth looking into her green eyes for the first time, had to admit her beauty to himself, and said. "That doesn't explain why you never wrote back." Rebecca hesitated and answered. "I should have, but when I was young I was angry that my future was decided, and later... it just became my habit I suppose, I'm sorry." Gareth replies. "Your not the only one who wasn't given a choice."
After the week long journey they arrived at the Academy, and due to Anna's status she received the same room as Gareth and Rebecca confronts him. "Why is it acceptable to room with her? How do I know you won't do something uncouth?" Rebecca yells. "Firstly stop yelling and making a scene, secondly do I accuse you for being near your guards? Anna and I have never crossed any lines, and I don't appreciate your insinuating otherwise." Gareth replies. "I don't share a room with my guards." Replies Rebecca. "Our culture is different, but insinuating things instead of asking to understand is my issue. Anna is my sworn guardian, and she would never be comfortable leaving my safety to chance, I've already faced a large group of assassins, so maybe try to understand." Gareth replies. "What! When? Why? Are you safe? I mean... why didn't you say something? "Rebecca stammers. "Considering this trip was the first time meeting, there wasn't really anything we have discussed." Gareth replies. "But... but, I read all your letters, I feel like we know each other so well." Rebecca replies. "And I have never read a letter from you, so I feel like we are complete strangers." Gareth retorts as he enters his room with Anna and locks Rebecca outside.