"Please forgive me, I didn't expect that to happen…" Maren blinked once just as they left the throne room, and Amaragi's voice brought him out of his previous stupor. 

 

"No, I… I'm fine. You needn't apologize for anything, after all, you stood up for me, again." Amaragi didn't seem to be any more at ease after she heard this, for she merely shook her head slightly. 

 

"Still, it doesn't excuse all of this. Now I've dragged you into this trouble, I'm sorry, I really am…" Maren watched with concern as he looked at her eyes, downcast and filled with guilt. It was then that he suddenly stopped in his tracks, causing her to perk up and glance at him in confusion. 

 

"No, you've stood up for me twice now, and you needn't apologize for anything! I'm utterly thankful, if it weren't for you, I don't know what I would have done in the face of those thugs. Besides, I shouldn't actually be here, it is still all thanks to you that I even had the chance to lay eyes upon the palace from inside." for a moment, Amaragi merely stared at him with multiple thoughts coursing through her mind, taken aback slightly. 

 

However, in the end, and much to Maren's relief, her eyes seemed to regain a fracture of their gleam again before a smile tugged at her lips in gratitude. 

 

"Thank you, I… I didn't know you saw it like this…" after a moment of consideration, her smile actually grew and a certain amount of playfulness reflected from her eyes. 

 

"But don't say that you shouldn't be here, after all, I can't let you go while you are still indebted to me, can I?" he smiled slightly in return, happy that he had managed to lift her spirits. He wasn't aware where exactly they were going until Amaragi stopped in front of a decorated door, gesturing towards it. 

 

"So, I present you with your own personal quarters for your entire stay, which will not end until I deem it so." a smug grin formed upon her lips as she closed her eyes, and Maren could only glance inside the room the moment she opened the door. And he could only gasp once he laid inside the interior. Most of the floor was decorated with a crimson carpet, the bed and any kind of furniture were crafted in such a masterful way, and the windows were offering a beautiful view over the entire capital. Everything that he could see, it put to shame whatever rugged and rundown place he had called home before, and once again, he felt more out of place than ever. 

 

"It's beautiful…" his expression reflected everything that he felt, thus, making her smile all the more. But in the end, he faced the ground slightly. 

 

"But I… I can't just stay here without doing anything for it, how can I repay-" he was silenced with a gloved finger against his lips. 

 

"You are already repaying me. You know, it doesn't happen often that another person outside of my family is here… the last one being my teacher and mentor when I was barely a child. Just… being able to talk like this means already a lot for me, really." she slowly pulled her finger away again, leaving Maren without another word as he stared at her in surprise. Nevertheless, it still didn't quite cease the dissatisfaction within himself. 

 

Albeit suddenly, she clasped her hands together before she wordlessly took his own and led him inside the chamber, more than pulling him inside, rather. 

 

"Have you actually eaten anything yet? I imagine it must have been a stressful day for you." she led him to one of the large windows, motioning for him to sit down before she retrieved a small box from a nearby table and sat down beside him, placing the box in between. Upon opening it, he saw that it was filled with a variety of rice balls, fish and salad. She merely smiled as she offered the box to him, seeing the suppressed wish inside his eyes. Albeit he refused to eat, causing her smile to fade slightly, until she realized that he was not taking a single bite out of it until she would take something as well. 

 

And thus, with her smile slowly returning, they both ate together in silence, the descending sun outside painting the room in a warm, orange light. 

 

Even long after they were finished, they remained seated just like that, not a single word being spoken. Normally, Maren would have loved the silence, however, with another presence beside him, he constantly feared that he should say something, at least, until he subtly stole a glance into her direction-

 

-and he saw that she kept her eyes closed the entire time, merely bathing in the comfortable light of the sun with a small smile. 

 

"... can I ask you something?" tentatively breaking the serene silence, he heard a gentle hum from her, signalling to him that she was listening. 

 

"Your father… is he… always like this?" he felt he had no right to pry, but after what he had witnessed, he had to know. But he was unsure how he could possibly word it without prying too much… 

 

Amaragi remained silent for a moment, albeit in the end, she lowered her head slightly. 

 

"We are all used to it. Whether you may see it as… bad… or not, me and my siblings have known nothing else than this."

 

"But it doesn't mean that it should be like this! If that is how he treats you constantly, I could never imagine living here without losing my mind sooner or later, it can't be like this!" Amaragi opened her eyes to look at him, and for a brief moment, she simply seemed to regard him. At least until she briefly closed her eyes again with a small smile. 

 

"... you remind me of my childhood. Back then, I deeply harbored these feelings as well, but eventually, it gradually seemed to fade away. I know that all of my siblings feel and share the same experiences as me, but hearing it from someone outside of my family…" she faced the window again, staring into the distance and towards the descending sun. 

 

"... I guess I am not used to it." silence reigned again for a long while, but even as Maren silently continued to ponder about her family, an almost silent whisper brought him out of it. 

 

"Maren…? Would you mind, if…" her voice trailed off near the end and he almost jumped slightly when he felt a small weight against his shoulder, looking over to see that Amaragi was leaning against him, her eyes shut closed and her breathing having grown slower. 

 

She had fallen asleep. 

 

For a long moment, he simply stared at her in shock, for more than once during her sleep did she occasionally twitch slightly, jerking together almost as she slept. How tired had she really been the entire time…? 

 

Not wanting to wake her up in any way, he discarded any thoughts of standing up himself as he leaned against the wall next to him, leaving her sleep undisturbed. However, the longer he watched her, the more often he witnessed the way she jerked together slightly during her sleep, the more he asked himself the same question over and over again. 

 

Back then, during the entire day, when she had saved him at the marketplace, when she had stood up for the old lady against the guards, when she had defended him from her own father… he had never once witnessed even a single sign of her struggling. The entire time, he had looked up to her in awe the moment he had encountered her, but now, now that he actually saw her like this… 

 

… he realized that he had been an ignorant idiot, for she was, just like him, only a human being. And after what he had seen, he could only wonder… 

 

… how much did she suffer in this family? 

 

---

 

The next morning, Maren awoke to the first rays of sunlight which shone against his closed eyelids. As he slowly blinked his eyes open, sleepiness still tugging at them, the first thing that happened was the rush of memories coursing through his mind, reminding him of what had taken place the night prior. However, when he glanced to the side and at his shoulder, he realized that Amaragi was already gone, having woken up sooner than him. 

 

Albeit what he noticed as well was the fact that a blanket had been wrapped around him, the smooth and silky fabric still warming him. And besides that, he also noticed that the remains of the food box which they had shared was now gone too, replaced with a new one. He looked a bit closer once he realized that there was a small note attached on the top. 

 

'Good morning! I hope you slept well… I have left you a small breakfast, please don't hesitate to take it. Once you are finished, I would like to meet with you in the main hall. I'm sorry that I can't show you the way personally, as there are still a few preparations that I must finish, but I have instructed the servants and guards to help you whenever you should lose your way. 

 

Enjoy your meal!'

 

With a tentative look, he slowly placed the note upon the ground before he opened the box, and the sweet and delicious smells immediately met his nose. A small breakfast… 

 

Once again, the flattered and small smile upon his lips paled to the warm and fuzzy feeling within him. 

 

And still… it felt so very… wrong... 

 

---

 

"There you are!" with a small wave, Amaragi greeted him as he walked down the stairs within the main reception hall of the palace. Even though he did find his way in the end, he hoped that she hadn't just been waiting for him the entire time… 

 

He smiled slightly in return, albeit he curiously glanced at the small parchment in her other hand. 

 

"The preparations for our trip are almost complete. I know that is very soon and you haven't had the chance yet to get used to the palace, but I can't delay it. Father was strict about us leaving as soon as possible, as I heard the situation in Amaranth is growing worse." her eyes glanced back down at the parchment in her hands, and Maren, on the other hand, was growing tense when he thought about how the Empire would put a stop to a rebellion. 

 

"How do you plan to appease the villagers?" the moment she heard this question, she knew that he was trying his best not to sound judgemental, but she could imagine nonetheless what he was most likely thinking. 

 

"First we need to see it for ourselves and survey the situation. I promise, force will be the last option that we will utilize if we can't solve the conflict in any other way." he looked into her eyes when she gazed back at him, and in the end, he couldn't do otherwise but to believe in her words. He wanted to. 

 

She folded the parchment and placed it into the satchel upon her belt before she motioned for him to follow her, for their carriage was already waiting directly outside of the palace entrance. A battalion of guards stood nearby, and there were also multiple soldiers on horseback. 

 

"An escort will accompany us, our forces are merely meant as backup for our main troops that are already present near the village." she explained to him when she noticed the way he was glancing at the multitude of soldiers, heavily armed and prepared for combat whenever they were needed. As for Amaragi herself, he could see that she was carrying her ceremonial blade on her side. 

 

The more military he saw the more he grew uneasy once again, and he held onto his own blade with the hopes that they would not be needed. For right now, he felt as though he was about to travel into a warzone. 

 

Without further hesitations, Amaragi beckoned for him to join her inside the carriage as well, and he hesitantly accepted the hand she was offering him. Even the carriage was heavily reinforced on the outside, sheltering and shielding them from anything that was outside. 

 

Thus, once they were inside and took a seat in the relatively narrow space, he felt how the carriage set into motion, and they slowly began to depart. Through small slits, which were just wide and big enough for the light to shine in and to see what was happening outside, he couldn't help but to stare at the many soldiers on horseback that were surrounding them as they accompanied the carriage. 

 

Once they left the palace grounds and moved across the main street, he also witnessed the many stares they received from the people on the marketplace and beyond, all of them parting to give way for their carriage and the military. With the amount of uncomfortableness in his eyes, it was not long until Amaragi gently shifted his attention away from the people by speaking up. 

 

"Perhaps this is a chance for you to see more of the land, if you haven't already. It is not much, not many places that may be called beautiful, but it is our home nonetheless." Maren looked at her as she fondly glanced outside once the carriage passed the main gates out of the capital. 

 

"I'm curious about the village that we were sent to… what kind of place is it?" 

 

"Amaranth is one of the bigger and more important mining villages throughout the Empire. Our land may mostly be barren, but it has always been rich in silver and other minerals. In a way, it is the blood that is flowing through our country." she didn't speak further upon the conflict that was currently raging there, and he suspected that neither she nor him wanted to shift their thoughts back upon the original reason on why they were going there in the first place. 

 

"It reminds me, Maren, I have never asked you before where your home lies." his eyes widened ever so slightly, and he instinctively evaded her genuine and curious gaze when he thought about this question. If he told her that his home country was currently at war with her own, then… 

 

… he sighed, not knowing what it was that pushed him so much to be honest with her. Not after she had shared so much with him as well. And… he supposed there would be no concrete harm in it. 

 

"... Norin. I was born and raised in the Kingdom of Norin." the shift in Amaragi's eyes was immediately evident, and she grew silent for a moment, a solemn expression befalling her. 

 

"I'm sorry… perhaps it was wrong of me to-" 

 

"No, it is fine." she stopped with a small gasp when he looked back at her. 

 

"You're… you're different. And after I had the chance to see the capital… I know that others are too. And I know now not to shove every single person of a whole nation into the same corner when there is only one person that I can truly blame for everything." his voice trailed off near the end, and it still made himself feel bad when he indirectly mentioned her own father like that. But for once, he spoke without caring about his own disguise, he simply spoke his true mind. A lot of his former beliefs had changed… and he didn't know what to make of it now. 

 

Amaragi remained quiet for a while, taking in each and every word, before she eventually nodded and glanced at the ground. 

 

"I'm glad that you see it this way…" her eyes trailed back to look outside, and a small smile formed upon her lips. Seeing how the atmosphere had changed, Maren desperately tried to find a way to shift the topic somewhere else again. 

 

"Your father mentioned that your sister is present at the village, I was curious about your family. Do you have many siblings…?" again, it felt wrong for him to pry, but he picked the first best topic that came into his mind. Amaragi looked back at him with a small amount of surprise, but she didn't seem to mind. 

 

"No, besides Kiel, my sister is the only other sibling I have. Her name is Namagi, and if I were to describe her, well…" Maren regarded her with a slight tilt of his head when she placed a finger against her chin. 

 

"I may be older than her, but when it comes to combat prowess and skills, I'd say that she is a lot more gifted than I am. If anyone should be unfortunate enough to get on her bad side, or to be her enemy, I'd pray for them." Maren remained blissfully silent as she finished her small description, slowly sinking back against his seat while Amaragi merely playfully smiled at him. 

 

That was… certainly enough to know. 

 

Silence had settled in for the rest of the trip, and Maren was once again lost in thought. With no further disturbances or distractions, his thoughts inevitably wandered back towards what would happen once they arrived. Thus, he did not even truly realize how quickly time had passed, and the first thing that tore him out of his mind was the overly sudden halt of the carriage, accompanied by the sound of arrows impacting against its iron exterior. 

 

Amaragi was much quicker to react than him, unsheathing her blade as she took a glance outside to see what was going on. The soldiers on horseback formed a large circle around the carriage, protecting it while fighting back against the unknown assailants with a barrage of their own. 

 

"What's going on?" Maren pulled out his own blade, hearing how the skirmish outside grew even more fierce as the first cries of pain became more and more evident. 

 

"We should be very close to the village, but how they could manage to creep up on us is beyond me… this is way worse than I thought, we must join forces with the rest of our troops." he gave her a brief nod before she pushed open the doors of the carriage, and the both of them quickly moved outside to survey the scene. 

 

"Your highness, status report! It seems the villagers are bearing arms against us, a fight is raging just inside the village. We have yet to catch sight of Lady Namagi." the soldier on horseback constantly glanced around as he waited for further instructions, and Amaragi was gritting her teeth. 

 

Meanwhile, Maren was staring at the corpses that were littering the ground almost everywhere just at the entrance to the village. Even though there were a few soldiers among them, when he looked at the rest… he saw normal people, bearing nothing more than pitchforks, a few bows or axes at best. From a mere glance alone, it was evident that they stood no chance against the Imperial troops in the slightest, and still they chose to fight… 

 

"Push further ahead, we must join with the forces inside the village." Amaragi glanced at Maren out of the corner of her eyes when she felt that his eyes were upon her, and she didn't even need to imagine the expression he was wearing. 

 

"... spare anyone who is willing to surrender."

 

"Yes, your highness!" the soldier rode off to join the front, spreading the order. Amaragi was looking at the ground for a brief moment, regarding the amount of corpses for herself. 

 

"Those people…" she heard his whisper, and a deep sigh escaped her. 

 

"I had hoped that it wouldn't come to this… Maren, we will spare anyone who is willing to lay down their weapons, but we must push ahead to end this as quickly as possible!" he didn't answer, a shallow nod being the only acknowledgement that she received from him before he stuck close to her side as they followed the soldiers inside the village. 

 

The sight only grew worse the further they went inside. Flames were consuming some of the houses, and some corpses were not spared from that either. Almost everywhere in front of them, people were dying in close succession, and only the fewest were willing to surrender when enough others were cut down around them. 

 

He didn't know what coursed through Amaragi's mind as her eyes scanned the village, but she suddenly stopped for a brief moment when her eyes caught sight of a crimson shape before she rushed ahead. 

 

"Sister!" the figure immediately recognized the voice as she stopped in her tracks, and once she turned her head to look at the source of the voice, so too did Maren get a better view of the person. Her hair was an even slightly deeper shade of crimson than Amaragi's, but unlike her, she wore a crimson dress that reached even further down her waist. However, the most striking feature was definitely the almost oversized saber that she was seemingly holding with ease, the entire, curved blade jagged up to the very tip. And it was already more than dripping with blood. 

 

"What happened here?" 

 

"The villagers had been waiting for our arrival, having lured us inside before they showed their true intentions and ambushed us. There was no other option, these people wouldn't have it any other way, if we hadn't reacted, I would have lost a lot more soldiers. You came just at the right time." Amaragi witnessed the way her sister suddenly glanced past her, gripping her blade already more tightly, at least until she held up a hand to stop her. 

 

"Who's this?" Maren came to a stop at Amaragi's side, the latter immediately reassuring her sister. 

 

"He's a friend. Father has sent us both here to help you out, but I didn't expect it to escalate like this." Namagi took a good look at Maren, but her expression remained almost completely blank, not showing much emotion. 

 

"... do you plan to kill them all off…?" again, Amaragi's expression hardened with an evasive glance to the side, but Namagi was the first to answer instead. 

 

"A cornered animal will always bite the hardest, and many of these people have already laid down their lives in their decision to fight us. They will neither falter nor back down now, not after all the losses they have taken." even though Namagi spoke these words calmly and rationally, she still glanced at her sister with a hint of surprise at the way Amaragi was seemingly hesitating to make a decision. 

 

"... we will continue to spare those who are willing to surrender. Now let's move quickly and end this." if Namagi had any doubts or arguments against it, she didn't voice them as she simply nodded and rushed ahead, following her sister's command. 

 

The conflict was beginning to diminish, and slowly but surely, the Imperial soldiers were the only ones left to be standing amongst the amount of corpses, which consisted mostly of dead villagers. Even though Amaragi hadn't said anything about it, she had still made sure to remain a large pace behind the skirmish, keeping Maren at her side the entire time. But still it couldn't hide the gruesome sight, and it only became worse once the sun was beginning to set on the horizon. 

 

Whereas the warm rays of sunlight would have painted the entire village in a soothing and orange glow, now it was highlighting all the corpses and the rest of the carnage once the gruesome fight finally came to an end. But there would be no tomorrow for all those who had been slain. 

 

Maren was standing almost frozen on the same spot, his hand only barely holding on to his own blade as he emptily stared ahead. And all of this was not lost to Amaragi as she stood mere inches behind him, but regardless how much she tried, regardless how much she wanted, she found herself unable to formulate a single word. 

 

In the distance, she saw a small battalion of her soldiers leaving the village with a few surviving villagers among them, their hands bound and kept behind their heads. 

 

And slowly but surely, her eyes wandered down towards her own blade in her hand, which had not spilled a single drop of blood. But regardless of that, when she glanced back at Maren, her eyes were filled with the same amount of guilt and regret as if she had taken a dozen lives herself. 

 

Since for the rest of the entire trip back to the capital… she heard not a single word from him anymore. 

 

---

 

The night had long replaced the light of day as Amaragi stood in front of Maren's chamber back within the palace, having been unable to even think about sleep as she stood there for what felt like an eternity at such a late hour. But internally, she was a mess. She had wanted to offer him protection… but all that she had done as of now was to inflict even more mental wounds on him, all because of her father, the gruesome and horrible sights Maren had been forced to endure… 

 

Her eyes clenched with a sharp inhale and her hands turned into fists before she knocked twice without giving it another thought. Even though she received no response after a long moment, her voice gently sounded through the door. 

 

"Maren, can I come in?" 

 

Silence reigned. But even so, she caught the sound of hitched breathing from the other side, at least before it was silent once more. And thus, she didn't ponder about it any longer before she slowly but surely opened the door and let herself in. The room was dark, no candles were lit, and the only source of light came through the windows as the soothing light of the moon shone into the chamber. 

 

And at the other end of the room, nestled in a corner and against one of the windows, sat Maren with a solemn expression, his blank gaze almost emptily staring out into the dark of the night outside. Her gaze softened with both concern and uncertainty as she slowly approached. However, it was only when she was close enough to see his face more closely that she could finally hear him speak. 

 

"... why…? Why all of this bloodshed…?" for a moment, Amaragi glanced at the ground, but then she wordlessly sat down upon the ground and next to him, following his gaze outside of the window. 

 

"Maren, I'm sorry… I never wanted you to witness all of this…" his eyes didn't turn to look at her, but his breathing grew more irregular. 

 

"I don't want you to be sorry for me… but for all those you have slaughtered…!" Amaragi took a sharp inhale, her fingers twitching ever so slightly, but she released the breath that she was holding and calmly turned to look into his eyes, even if he refused to look back. 

 

"I am." upon hearing this, she could see the way Maren's eyes widened in a mixture of disbelief and suppressed irritation, but still he refused to meet her gaze. 

 

"For every life I am forced to take, I mourn. For every life that I take, I feel like a part inside of me is dying as well." 

 

"Then why do you keep doing it, why do you follow each and every order like that? I thought… I thought you…" Maren's voice grew in volume, his eyes clenching together as only more and more confusion and anger seeped into his voice. But in the end, he finally opened his eyes again with a gasp the moment her bare hand suddenly engulfed the side of his face, gently forcing him to meet her eyes. 

 

And within them, he saw a turmoil of emotions that was just as enormous and conflicting as his own. 

 

"Because I have come to realize that openly standing up against my father, against all of this, would not change a single thing. I wouldn't save anybody, the wrath of my father would only increase, and at worst, I have also come to realize that I am just as disposable to him as any other soldier if it came down to it. And in any of these cases, I would be useless." any other words that Maren might have wanted to say dispersed in his throat, entirely forgotten. Her voice was filled with tension, barely able to suppress her inner turmoil, but she kept herself steady, and she never once snapped. 

 

"Do you want to know the most important lesson that I have learned in my life?" her gaze never shifted away from his own, and in the end, he found that he could only barely nod without a word. 

 

"It is to pretend. To blend in, to make others believe that I am what I show them. Always… to pretend. It gives me the freedom I need to act on my own, without the suspicion of my father, to help others in secret, to act from behind the scenes… that is how I could help people. There will be a time in the future when it is right for me to stand up, but until then… I will always have to pretend. That is how it has always been, to get what I want."

 

And with that, her hand slowly slid off his face, however, she didn't stand up. Instead, he witnessed that her eyes slowly wandered to the ground, her expression growing more and more solemn. 

 

"Maren… can you answer me a question?" silence reigned, but Maren didn't shift his eyes away from her, signalling to her that she had his entire attention. 

 

"This rebellion… it was one of many signs of how much many people despise us, and I could never fault them for any of it. Regardless how much I try to help, I know that it is not enough… and still, whenever I look outside, whenever I look at the people, I feel as though… if given the chance, they would not hesitate to stand up and fight against us, I… feel as though everyone is my enemy, and I can't do anything against it…!" her hands clenched together, and even though she tried to hide it, he could see that tears threatened to escape her eyes. However, it was then that she slowly but surely gazed at him, no longer even trying to hide her emotional turmoil anymore. 

 

"I feel as though I don't have anyone at my side… not my father, not my own people… perhaps only my siblings…" her eyes turned glassy, and the amount of desperation and pain in her voice was agonizing. 

 

"... tell me, please tell me… that you won't leave me… please…!" before she knew it, tears were rolling down her cheeks, silently falling to the ground as she gazed into his eyes. For a time unknown to him, he found himself frozen in place, his mind all but overwhelmed. And deep within him, he felt a conflict that was internally tearing him apart. A conflict that offered no solution to appease both sides, no option to save one without abandoning the other… and he had no answer to it. 

 

He could have never known. And even now, he knew that his allies were gathering within the capital, waiting to strike when the time was right. And when that time came, every single one of her fears would turn into reality. But when that happened… what would he do then…? 

 

Yet, despite any of that, when he looked back into her eyes, he could do only one thing. He could feel her internal tremble when he gently hugged her, offering her comfort, and before long, she buried her head against his shoulder, freely allowing each and every single one of her tears to fall. For just this moment, she felt protected from the world, away from all the sorrows that would never end. And for just this moment… she felt happy. 

 

"... thanks… thank you so much… for being here…" the words escaped her lips as an almost silent whisper, sounding between her sobs, but the sheer happiness and joy were utterly genuine. 

 

And thus, it made it all the worse for him. 

 

---

 

AN:

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