Axel hadn't meant to read as much as he did, but he found himself perching on the bed, utterly absorbed in Duncan's writing. It was sad, of course....but there was also a twinge of something stirring in axels chest. He wasn't quite sure what it was....sympathy, the want to help, but also... something darker. Deeper. Something to do with his own life. He understood it...Duncan was lonely in much the same way he was. He found himself wishing he had someone who cared for him enough to write to him, or about him. He got through the entire book, and then just sat there on the bed, closing it and just....holding it, staring at the cover. Emotions whirling around his head. His chest.

Duncan slipped some food for Axel, as much as he could get. It was quite a decent amount too. He excused himself from the table and wandered back upstairs. He opened the door and entered. "Hey, I got you some food," he said placing it down on the table before realizing what was in Axels hands. "What the hell are you doing?!" he yelled, running over and snatching the book away. "Thats private!"

Axel had meant to put the book back away....he hadn't wanted the confrontation with Duncan if there was nothing bad in the book. Of course, his emotions had gotten a little out of hand and he was still there when the other boy had come back. He'd opened his mouth to apologize, but when Duncan rushed at him, yelling, instinct took over. He jerked away from him, planting his feet on the floor, hackles raising and meeting Duncan's glare with one of his own. "And how am I supposed to know I can trust you only knowing you for a week, most of that time in your dungeon," he snarled. He was probably getting a little out of hand, but anger had been his defense for ....years. Besides, Duncan was upset. He had the right to call for his guards, to put him back in a call, to draw his sword and kill him where he stood. He didn't have a means of defending himself here. It was a dangerous situation, one Axel was more than aware of.

Duncan recoiled at his words, hurt flashing through his eyes. He'd been nothing but kind to the man. Tears welled in his eyes, but he held them back. He'd never really been yelled at either. "That doesn't give you the right to look through my personal things!" he mustered out. "This book could never be a threat to you, I don't know why you couldn't trust me to keep a notebook to myself!" Duncan turned on his heel, tossing the book into the hearth without thinking. The flames crackled around the edges of the book, beginning to burn away at the edges and Duncan stormed out of the room.

Axel knew he probably should have tamed his tongue a little bit...he hadn't meant to hurt or upset Duncan, but he wasn't thinking straight. Or rather....he was, and that was the problem in the first place. He flinched when the other man snapped again and then moved. Axel half expected him to come at him with a knife then and there. When he just stormed out of the room though, he froze, heart lodging in his throat. The crackle of the fire broke him out of his thoughts, with enough time to lunge for the book and yank it out of the fire. Some of the pages were burnt, but he'd salvaged a decent chunk of it. His hands were probably burnt, but he didn't think about that as he moved to set it back down gently on the bed with a sigh, braiding his hair quickly and grabbing the knife from the food he'd been brought before climbing out the window, holding back tears of his own as he stepped out into the wind and the snow, quickly moving into the forest. Maybe he could go back to the winter Kingdom if he made a good enough excuse.

Duncan had wandered out to the woods, going for a walk. Silent tears dripped down his face. He had wanted to keep his writing private. It was a really sensitive topic he would write about too. It was just so violating.

The guards had been patrolling the woods ever since Axel had disappeared. So there were lots of flashlights around him as the sun set on his little walk. He passed his room from the outside and saw a figure creep out through the window. Quickly, he walked over to him, finding Axel. "What the hell are you doing out here, you'll get caught," he whispered, gently taking his arm, leading him away from the guards.

Axel had managed to get into the woods, and while it was slow going, he was getting past the guards. Of course, he hadn't expected Duncan to show up, so when his arm was grabbed he nearly jumped out of his skin. "What am I-" he sort of just shook his head, catching his breath as Duncan dragged him in another direction. "I don't know. Leaving. Maybe," he sighed with a head shake. "If I can come up with a good enough lie maybe I can go back to the winter Kingdom..." He trailed off then, keeping quiet as a patrol moved past them. "What are you doing here," he added, suspicion edging into his tone as his gaze shifted to the hand still gripping his arm. How easily he might be able to get away, hopefully without alerting any guards.

"You won't make it 100 yards from the castle. Guards are swarming, looking for you." he whispered. They had to keep their voice down. Duncan walked towards a servants entrance into the castle. "If you want to leave, you should've just said so, I can try and get you out," he muttered. "I was trying to go for a walk,"

Axel wrinkled his nose slightly, giving Duncan a vaguely amused look. "You do realize I've gotten in and out of worse situations than this right," he noted, eyebrows arching upwards. He followed Duncan towards the tunnel though, since he still had a hold of his arm....but he did seem like he wanted to help. At his comment about getting him out, he just sighed. "Well....I can't just sit in your room forever," he pointed out. "I'll be found eventually...and between us is rather get caught trying to fight and get out than sitting on your bed and lounging around," he added, squinting suspiciously at the darkness of the tunnel. Turning on lights would alert the guards someone was there....but he also really couldn't see anything.

Duncan continued the walk on. "If you're caught trying to escape they'll kill you, but if you're found in my room, I can help you out of a punishment," he muttered. Duncan guided him back to his room, shutting the door behind him.