A huff escaped him once he was sure that he was far enough out of sight, leaving the crowd of people when he entered another small alley, this time with no disturbances. And sure enough, when he saw a relatively tall figure, engulfed by the same black cloak as himself, a small wave of relief coursed through him. 

 

The figure immediately glanced into his direction once it took note of him, its hand wandering to its dagger beneath the cloak unseen, however, it immediately stopped when it identified him. 

 

"Maren, where have you been?" the voice revealed that it was male, and upon making sure that he came alone, he pulled off his hood. 

 

"Apologies Borin, I… I ran into trouble…" with a small sigh, Maren pulled off his hood as well, showing his face entirely. His raven black hair went to his throat, barely touching his shoulders, and it matched along with his dark eyes, their true brown color only visible if one were to look closely at broad daylight. 

 

"At least you're alright, I've sent some of the others throughout the town to look for you, but I'll let them know to commence with the plan. Did you rouse any attention from the guards?" 

 

"No, it didn't involve them-" for a brief second, Maren stopped in his words when he thought back upon the incident in his head. 

 

'Stand down and leave him be! Now.'

 

'It's the princess…' 

 

"-at least… not directly…" the man in front of him raised an eyebrow at that, witnessing the way Maren was suddenly lost in thought. Although he didn't speak any further. 

 

"It is crucial not to draw any attention to ourselves, remember that. If any of us get caught, the chances of us being able to get you out are slim, and those Imperial dogs are not known to take prisoners, even for the most mundane crimes. And we need every single one of our squad, so always remember the first rule-"

 

"I do, I have never pulled out my weapon as long as my life was not in immediate danger. I slipped away the moment I got the chance, the two ruffians who were threatening me got caught instead…" a half truth, but for reasons he couldn't fathom, Maren simply didn't manage to speak of the one who had truly saved him. 

 

Was it because he would be frowned upon when everyone else found out that he had been saved by the Imperial princess? Was it because he still couldn't truly grasp the fact that she had actually saved him? He had heard many things about the Empire. 

 

And kindness… was never a term that was even remotely mentioned. 

 

"Good, then you have done well. Not every person can withstand the urge to fight back, but we always have to remind ourselves of this: The guards won't be bothered about the situation, if they see you with a weapon in hand, regardless of the circumstances, you will be the one to take the blame. Very well done." Maren glanced at the ground without a word in return, not knowing what to make with praise. 

 

"Anyway, the mission stays the same. The others should be back in the evening, then we'll hear what they could gather on information. We still need to find a way into the main palace if we are to get anywhere near the Emperor, but we need to be patient. Eventually the time will come." suddenly, Maren's head perked up ever so slightly, and once again, the scene from before replayed in his mind. 

 

The Imperial princess… 

 

… stupid, he could have used that opportunity… in the heat of the moment, he had only concentrated on getting away without rousing attention, but if he could have somehow convinced her to get into the palace, or… or… 

 

An almost inaudible sigh escaped him before he discarded these thoughts. For once, pondering about missed chances was useless. And even if he had tried and managed to get into the palace somehow… he would have had no clue how to proceed further. A small wave of embarrassment and shame coursed through him at the prospect that he internally relied much more on his partners, not believing in the slightest that he could pull something like this off himself.

 

But then again… she did save him, didn't she…? Could he have taken advantage of it…? 

 

He shook his head, trying to suppress these thoughts. He had only seen a glimpse of her behavior, there must have been more factors playing together that he was simply not aware of yet. He shouldn't judge anything from that.

 

Unaware of his internal struggle, Borin suddenly glanced at the sky for a moment with a frown, causing Maren to perk up slightly. 

 

"Our kingdom depends on us. The Empire has tried to invade and suppress us for long enough… and we will be the ones to exact revenge for every single one of our people." it was then that Borin gazed directly into Maren's eyes, placing a hand upon his shoulder. 

 

"Always wear the symbol of the lion with pride, especially here." with a small nod, Maren subconsciously reached his hand further up his cloak, aiming for the small and blue piece of cloth which was bearing the faint symbol of the lion. 

 

Albeit his hand touched upon empty air, and once he looked down, Maren witnessed that there was a hole in his cloak, the blue symbol which had neatly been woven into its fabric now gone. A small gasp escaped him upon that realization, blaming it on one of the two ruffians who had been tearing at his cloak before. If anyone found that symbol, it could endanger them all… 

 

Before Borin could utter a single word once he saw Maren's plight, a pair of steps suddenly approached from the alley. With a hitched breath, the two exchanged a single glance before Maren urged Borin to leave, the latter still bearing his symbol, thus, Maren was less likely to be recognized in any case. 

 

Reluctantly nodding at his partner, Borin quickly disappeared through another side street, leaving Maren to see who it was that approached as he pulled his hood back on-

 

-only to momentarily freeze in place once he laid eyes upon the figure that emerged from the shadows. 

 

As dim as the light was in the small alley, he could still see the crimson hair of the figure perfectly clear just as she removed her hood and cloak altogether, her eyes settling upon him with a small smile. 

 

"You are quite hard to track, I can say that much. But I can't say how I feel about the fact that you seem to be drawn to such… secluded places, especially after that incident." even though her tone was light, it grew more considerate near the end once she mentioned his previous plight. 

 

She had followed him…? 

 

Left speechless, Maren hesitantly shifted his eyes along the ground, almost as if he hoped to find an answer there, before he rather timidly spoke up. 

 

"I just… I needed some space…" the princess studied him closely with worry in her eyes before she further approached him with another small smile, effectively forcing his attention back towards her. 

 

"I apologize. That something like this could happen under the watch of the guards is unacceptable, I hope you can forgive me." for a long while, he simply stared at her in bewilderment, albeit he was thankful that his hood was still doing a decent job to cover his expression. Why would she take the blame for that…? 

 

However, in all his thoughts, he hadn't realized just how close she had gotten until suddenly, he almost jumped when she pulled off his hood in one, swift motion, almost as if the wind had swept it off his head in the blink of an eye. Holding a hand close to her mouth, she refrained from chuckling once she could lay eyes upon his face, witnessing the apparent shock on his expression. 

 

Much to his bemusement. 

 

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself… but I found it only fair. There's no need to hide your face." her tone grew gentle at her last words, and she smiled at him in honesty once she lowered her hand from her mouth again. 

 

Fully taken aback now, Maren was once again at a loss for words even though he tried to focus. This… could be his second chance yet again… if only the entire situation didn't confuse him so much, it didn't make any sense…! 

 

All the while, the princess studied his face for a long moment before she slowly reached her hand into the satchel upon her belt, retrieving a certain piece of cloth that immediately caught Maren's attention once she openly presented it to him in her palm. 

 

"I witnessed that you have lost this, I wanted to give it back to you." a light gasp escaped him when he saw the lion symbol upon it, and she herself took a subtle glance at the piece of cloth again when he hesitantly accepted it from her hand. 

 

"... thank you, again… I… I doubt there is anything I could do for you in return, but…" 

 

"You can. After all, I didn't have the chance to ask for your name yet, if you don't mind, that is. Would you share it with me?" time and time again, she managed to take him by surprise as he looked back into her eyes for once, the sheer confusion, bewilderment and hidden distrust in his gaze standing in complete contrast to the kind and patient smile that she was offering him in return. 

 

"... my name is Maren. I'm a… traveler, I only recently arrived here…" his words trailed off near the end, but the princess seemed to accept it all the same. 

 

"Maren… yes, a foreign name… but it is lovely regardless." he blinked just as she seemed to conclude her thoughts. 

 

"Then it is my pleasure to welcome you to our capital, albeit after that incident, please allow me to start anew. I guess I needn't truly introduce myself, but my name is Amaragi, first princess and heir to the Imperial throne." before Maren could even think about uttering a word or to bow out of respect, even if it was feigned, she suddenly held up a finger, her head tilting slightly to the side with a smile. 

 

"Please, just call me Amaragi."

 

His mouth opened, but the words were stuck in his throat. 

 

"... that is… still not really a way for me to repay you somehow…" despite all of the distrust and dismay within him, internally, the thought of not being able to give something back for her act of kindness left him with a sour taste. If he had simply gotten away and she hadn't followed him, he could have created his own excuse and said that he just didn't have any time to do something in return, lest the guards would have showed up. But now… 

 

"Well…" the way she extended that single word with a hinting tone should have been enough for him to grow wary, but the way he was still internally caught up in his own mind, he only registered too late what came next. 

 

For suddenly, he found that his hand was gently engulfed by her own, a light pull tearing him out of his thoughts. 

 

"You said that you just arrived, correct? Do you have a certain destination or a place to stay yet?" words tumbled in his mind, trying to formulate a thought out answer, but in the end… 

 

"N-no, but I-" 

 

"Then it's settled! I would like for you to come with me, then." her eyes closed in content before he couldn't do otherwise but to follow along once she almost 'pulled' him with her, not letting go of his hand. 

 

… in the end, all of it didn't matter. 

 

"Wait, I can't just go with you, I'm just-" 

 

For just a brief moment, Amaragi stopped in her tracks before she turned her head to look into his eyes, that same smile directed at him. 

 

"You said that you wanted to repay me somehow?" 

 

A nod, as small and hesitant as it was. 

 

"Well then, if you want to see it in a different light, consider it like this. I deem it a most suitable repayment for saving you if you come with me to the palace and stay for a while." a gasp escaped him when he saw a hint of playfulness in her eyes before they both came out of the alley and back into the open light of day. 

 

And with no cloak to cover her identity whatsoever, any kind of crowd was more than quick to part at her approach, letting her through along with him without any issues. He could hear the faint whispers of the people around him almost everywhere, but Amaragi didn't seem to be bothered by that in the least as she stepped forward with precision and a destination in mind. 

 

It didn't take long until they had returned to the main market place, and a mere glance around revealed that the whole place was almost swarming with Imperial guards. The atmosphere had changed drastically, whereas before, the whole market was filled with the usual bartering and the voices of people, now it was almost deathly silent. And there weren't any less people than before. 

 

The only sounds that were evident were the metallic steps of the guards, each step almost causing a shiver to course through him. Wherever a guard was nearby, the people seemed to turn into husks, not uttering a word or even glancing into their direction. And when Maren himself took a glance at one of the guards, he deemed it rightly so. 

 

They were all clad in a full set of silvery armor, each set decorated with a pattern of thorns, and they were armed with either heavy lances or long swords. Along with that, their helmets were covering their heads in full, completing their monotone appearances without giving anyone a chance to see a glimpse of the person who was beneath that armor. 

 

And currently, they were searching through the whole market place. 

 

However, suddenly, Amaragi almost immediately stopped once she heard the cry of an old lady nearby, thus, Maren turned his attention towards it. As the crowds parted in their way, he could see that the old lady was the owner of a small stand which was selling food, and a guard had forcibly grasped her left wrist in a heavy grip. 

 

"I will not ask again. Where have you seen the princess?" the guard didn't once budge in his strong grip, even as tears escaped the old lady. 

 

"... I… I didn't…" 

 

Until suddenly, the guard ceased with his grip entirely, his head shifting to the side once his own arm was being grasped. And he was met with a piercing cold stare. 

 

"I would recommend not to threaten these people, or else this will end in a most unfortunate way for you." the expressionless helmet remained stiff for a small moment once he realized who he was facing, until the guard immediately straightened his posture and bowed. 

 

"As you wish, your highness." 

 

As of now, each and every single one of the people stared at the scene that was unfolding, and the guards immediately shifted and straightened when they witnessed the presence of Amaragi, ceasing all of their actions against the crowd. 

 

"We were sent to search for you after your sudden disappearance, the Emperor wishes to have you returned to the-"

 

"I am aware." the guard spoke no further when Amaragi coldly interrupted him, albeit his voice was always emotionless and blank, despite the humiliation which he most likely had to suffer. Or at least, Maren thought that it must have been humiliating. 

 

"However, I will have you know that a pair of thugs had been able to openly threaten someone in broad daylight under your watch. When I witness that again, I will have you responsible for this." once again, the guard bowed deeply in apology before he took a step back. It was then that Amaragi suddenly turned her eyes and attention back towards Maren, and he internally froze when the empty gazes of the Imperial guards followed suit before they settled upon him. 

 

Realizing that their attention was on him, the rest of the people around him almost fearfully stepped a little away from Maren, however, none of the guards made a move or spoke a single word when Amaragi approached him once more with an apologetic smile before she took his hand again. 

 

"He is with me, treat him with the same respect that you would direct at me." as she spoke these words, any and all of the guards bowed in acknowledgement. Thus, most of them returned to their posts, leaving only three of them who remained around their proximity as Amaragi led him away from the crowds. 

 

And a single glance into the distance revealed their destination, the Imperial palace standing tall and proud. As they walked, an almost crushing uncomfortableness coursed through Maren's chest, even though the three guards never spared him a glance, their empty gazes always and purely directed forward. 

 

However, his thoughts were silenced when Amaragi turned to look into his eyes once more with a small smile, and for just that moment, he felt as though the oppressive atmosphere around him had mysteriously vanished. 

 

"Don't fret, just remember… you are with me."

 

---

 

AN:

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A like, a comment, a favorite
Each of them; I know how to savor it
To keep me writing for days~