'That's the young prince… we will never gain a better opportunity to catch a member of the royal family, Maren!' 

 

Maren watched as his three comrades sticked to the shadows, eyeing Kiel from afar while hiding the dead bodies of the guards in a small alley. 

 

His eyes widened in horror, having failed to realize that Kiel had been following him… unknowingly walking straight into danger. 

 

Maren clutched his head slightly in pain, the more he thought about it, the more it hurt him. Why… why did he follow him…? 

 

'He is only a child!' he gripped Borin on his arm, hoping for whatever shred of sympathy he might have. And yet, his masked ally only turned his head to look at him, and the sharp eyes beneath the mask told him that it was futile. 

 

'I know. But sometimes… there is no other way.' Maren remained frozen in place as Borin shook his hand off, and the three of them began to creep closer towards the unsuspecting prince. Maren's hand began to shake, his eyes shifting once more to Kiel, who remained utterly oblivious to what was about to happen. 

 

But he refused to let it happen. 

 

He rounded another corner, hoping to arrive within his quarters as soon as possible. Despite how much he had tried, blood was still staining the small knife in his satchel, and he needed to clean it off quickly. 

 

However, once he arrived at the front of his chamber, he immediately stopped in place when a voice tore him out of his thoughts. 

 

"Maren, I was hoping that I would meet you…" slowly, almost tentatively, he raised his head to see that Amaragi had been leaning against his doorframe, having waited for him the entire time. Her expression was… different than usual. It was almost tired, and when she looked at him, he felt as though her eyes were distant but still entirely focused upon him. 

 

"... can I talk to you for a moment?" her hand reached for the doorknob to his chamber, and the intent was clear. Privately. Thus, he nodded slightly after a moment of hesitation, and they both entered his room before she gently closed the door behind her. 

 

Maren didn't say a single word, instead, waiting for her to speak of whatever was on her mind. Any and all thoughts in his head were suppressed, and he remained utterly calm. His back was still facing her when he heard her light steps, stopping a small distance away from him. 

 

"... I was worried about you." her tone was soft, but still, he continued to face the window. 

 

"Why?" 

 

"Kiel was attacked on the marketplace, merely an hour ago. He wanted to follow you after he saw you leaving the palace... if anything would have happened to him, I don't know what I would have done." immediately the guilt and pain started to flood his mind once more, and his eyes shifted to the side, facing the ground away from her. 

 

"I'm sorry… I didn't know that he had been following me, if I had, I would have never-" 

 

"... Maren…" his words ceased, and his head moved ever so slightly into her direction. 

 

"It was you who impaled one of the soldiers, wasn't it? You tried to protect him…" his form stiffened, all until he froze completely. 

 

"... from your own allies." 

 

A deadly silence reigned in the air. Slowly but surely, Maren turned his head to finally look at her… and he witnessed that her right hand was outstretched, a small and blue piece of cloth resting in her open palm. The symbol of the lion visible to his eyes. 

 

She didn't speak any further, for only her eyes were gazing deeply into his own.

 

Amaragi 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 the small piece of cloth, and she herself took a subtle glance at it again when he hesitantly accepted it from her hand.

 

… before he finally broke the silence himself. 

 

"If you have known that… then why are you not afraid of me?" his voice was slow, lacking any and all emotions as he stared back into her eyes, for there was nothing left to be hidden anymore. But she did not even flinch. Not even once. 

 

"Because you are innocent." his eyes widened, and during all this, she took a small step towards him. 

 

"I know who you are now, I know of the kindness that you are holding, and I know that you are a good person." another step, closer yet, and Maren's hand began to tremble. 

 

"Back then, all I had was a suspicion about you, but I wanted to protect you regardless. And before I knew it, you had grown so much closer to me than I could have ever anticipated. It frightened me… but with each moment that passed, I only found myself wanting to be even closer to you." the cloth silently fell to the ground, discarded… forgotten. 

 

Another step, and Maren's breathing grew painfully heavy. 

 

"I wondered why… but soon I realized… that whenever I was with you, I never needed a mask. Slowly but surely, I confided all that I am to you… and it was then that I realized that I needed a wholly different mask." her hand almost reached out to him, her eyes never leaving his own for a second-

 

"... I am not afraid… because I want you to never leave my side anymore." 

 

-but it didn't reach him. Time seemed to have stopped the moment a blade was unsheathed, and the tip was merely separated by an inch from her throat. 

 

Maren's hand was shivering, his eyes narrowed, and his breathing hitched. 

 

"... you know nothing about me…" the words escaped him as a deadly whisper… and yet, the trembling in his voice remained. 

 

"All I did was to use you as a means to enter the palace, all I ever did was to pretend, so what makes you think that you know me!" in the end, his voice was merely shivering as he pointed his blade at her, the tip now gracing against her skin. 

 

But even so, she didn't move. Her hands were at her side, her blade, the same which had taken countless lives… it remained untouched as her eyes gazed into his own. 

 

… and all that she did was to bare her throat at him. 

 

"... then kill me…" 

 

He gasped, a shiver coursing through his entire body, but her eyes never left his own even as he trembled. 

 

"I won't resist… I promised that I would protect you, and if that is truly how you feel… then end my life." the tip of his blade was shivering against her throat, her eyes always lingering upon his own. 

 

clank

 

Until suddenly, it clattered to the ground, and his hand was now empty as it was frozen in place. 

 

"N-no… I… I don't…" 

 

Everything seemed wrong, the Empire was merciless in its rule, but not everyone was bad, his own allies were fighting against their suppression, but they were no better while doing so, he simply didn't know anymore…! 

 

He gasped when her hand suddenly engulfed his own, and she took yet her last step towards him as she closed any last gap that had remained between them. 

 

"I know how it feels… when you have no one to turn to, when the whole world seems to be against you…" another hand moved behind his back, bringing them closer than ever before as she gently pushed against him, so much so that he could only feel her breath upon his skin when her lips traced along his cheek. 

 

And he found himself powerless in her hold, each touch, each and every word promising him a boundless amount of care, of love… and protection. Slowly but surely, she pulled back until she faced him completely, her left hand moving up from his own to hold his cheek. 

 

"... but I will never abandon you… I forgive you, I am here for you, you needn't worry about anyone else anymore who only wishes you harm. I love you…" her forehead leaned against his own, stealing his breath when she whispered with lidded eyes. 

 

"… and all that you will ever need… is me…"

 

She claimed his lips with her own, closing her eyes as she tenderly held him in her grasp. And slowly but surely, he felt himself giving in, any and all thoughts fading from his mind. 

 

All except of her.

 

---

 

AN:

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