**Kira’s POV**
I stared at him, my breath caught in my throat.
He had just saved me—but why?
The leader’s heavy footsteps faded into the distance as the rest of the soldiers followed, their murmurs disappearing into the thick night air. Only the crackling torches and the distant hum of the wind remained.
The young man didn’t move at first, his face still unreadable in the dim firelight. His dark eyes flickered toward me, searching, assessing.
"Come on," he muttered, reaching down and grabbing my wrist.
I instinctively jerked away, stepping back as my fingers curled into fists. I had been dragged around enough for one night. "Who are you?" I hissed, keeping my voice low but sharp.
He exhaled through his nose, clearly annoyed. "Do you want to have this conversation right now?" He tilted his head toward the trees. "They’ll be watching. If you want to live, you’ll follow my lead."
I narrowed my eyes. "And if I don’t?"
His jaw tensed. "Then I’ll have to make it look real."
A shiver ran down my spine at the cold certainty in his voice. Was this an act? Had he just spared me, or was I walking into something worse?
My mind spun with possibilities. If he *was* the prince they were hunting, why was he here? Was he one of them? Had he betrayed his people, or was he playing his own game?
I had no answers. But one thing was certain—I was outnumbered. I had no weapons, no advantage. If I ran, they would chase me down like an animal. My best chance was to stay close and figure out what the hell was going on.
I swallowed my pride and nodded stiffly.
"Fine," I muttered.
His grip loosened slightly, but his expression remained hard. "Good. Now keep your head down and don’t say anything unless I tell you to."
I clenched my teeth but obeyed as he tugged me forward. We walked side by side, the heat of the torches growing warmer as we moved toward the rest of the soldiers. My heart pounded with each step.
The leader was waiting, his arms crossed as he studied us with mild amusement. "That was quick."
The young man beside me shrugged. "She knows better than to fight back."
I forced myself to keep my expression neutral, even as every muscle in my body tensed at his words.
The leader grunted. "Good. Then let’s move. We have a prince to kill before sunrise."
I stole a glance at the young man, my suspicions hardening.
Whoever he was—whoever *they* thought he was—he wasn’t just anyone
And if they were hunting the prince…
Then why did he look like the one running the game?
The cold bite of iron shackles around my wrists made my skin crawl, but I didn’t fight back. Not yet. I had to stay alive long enough to find Milady Kyla before the *devil* himself discovered she was missing. If that happened before I reached her, the entire kingdom would be in jeopardy—and so would my head.
Still, the indignity of it all made my blood boil.
The soldiers acted like they had captured some dangerous outlaw instead of a very *stressed* and *overworked* knight with a very important mission. If they had even a shred of common sense, they’d realize that *they* were the ones making a mistake, not me.
But no. They were idiots.
Predictable, annoying idiots.
“I’ve got no time for this!” I snapped, my frustration bubbling over. “I mean no harm—just let me go.”
Of course, they ignored me.
The leader—who I had already decided smelled like he bathed in stale ale and regret—stood in front of me with his arms crossed. He was built like an ox, with a face that looked like it had been introduced to one too many tavern brawls. His beady eyes squinted at me, his expression caught between amusement and irritation.
I took a deep breath. “I lost a queen, and I need to get her back.”
That got their attention.
The soldiers shifted, a few of them looking at each other. The leader’s lips curled into an infuriating smirk.
“A queen?” he repeated, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
His eyes flicked up and down, taking in my mud-streaked clothes, the rip in my sleeve from my earlier scuffle, and my hair, which—let’s be honest—probably looked like I had lost a fight with the wind.
“You don’t *look* like someone associated with the royals,” he said with a laugh.
The rest of the soldiers, naturally, took that as an invitation to laugh too. Groupthink was strong among idiots.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh, I’m *sorry*. Next time I get *ambushed* in the woods, I’ll be sure to put on my finest silk robes and my tiara.”
More laughter.
One of the soldiers, a younger one with a particularly punchable face, nudged his friend. “Maybe she’s a lost princess,” he said mockingly. “One who misplaced her royal bath!”
I sighed dramatically. “Yes, yes. Make all the jokes you want. But when my queen’s enemies come looking for her—and for *me*—you’ll be *wishing* you listened.”
The leader tilted his head. “Oh? And why’s that?”
I gave him a deadpan look. “Because they have *actual* swords and *actual* armies and *actual* intelligence.”
The laughter died down a little, but the leader still wasn’t convinced. “If you’re so important, why are you alone?”
Good question.
Terrible timing.
I opened my mouth, trying to come up with something *other* than the truth when the young man beside me—the one who had dragged me down earlier—spoke up.
“She’s telling the truth.”
Silence.
I turned to him, surprised.
He met my gaze for only a second before looking back at the leader. His expression was calm, unreadable. “The queen she’s talking about is real.”
The leader’s smirk faltered. “You know of her?”
The young man nodded. “I do.”
I *really* hoped he wasn’t about to dig me deeper into this hole.
The leader studied him for a long moment before sighing. “Fine. I don’t have time for this nonsense. Chain her up, and let’s move.”
*Wait—what?*
I gaped at him. “I just *told* you I’m trying to stop a war, and your response is to chain me up *more*?”
The leader gave me a grin. “I never said I *believed* you. But you’re more entertaining than most prisoners, I’ll give you that.”
Oh, wonderful. I was now *entertaining* for a bunch of battle-worn mercenaries.
This night was getting better and better.
**Later that Night**
The campfire crackled, casting flickering shadows against the surrounding trees. I sat on the ground, my wrists still bound, watching the soldiers eat, drink, and generally waste their time being *completely useless*.
The young man—who had *sort of* helped me earlier—sat nearby, his back against a tree. He hadn’t said a word to me since our little conversation earlier.
That was fine. I wasn’t sure whether to thank him or strangle him yet.
A soldier sauntered over, smirking down at me. “So, little *royal rescuer*, tell us: what’s this *queen* of yours like? Is she as dramatic as you?”
I looked up at him, unimpressed. “She’s graceful, intelligent, and too important for you to even *think* about.”
The soldier laughed. “Ah, so she’s *boring*.”
I narrowed my eyes. “She’s more powerful than any of you could imagine.”
The soldier rolled his eyes. “Oh, *of course*. And let me guess—she’s *madly* in love with you?”
I scoffed. “Hardly.”
Another soldier leaned in. “No? Then what *are* you? A loyal knight? A personal handmaiden?”
I hesitated.
What was I to her?
A protector? A friend? A fool who had let her slip through my fingers?
Before I could answer, the leader’s voice cut through the chatter. “Enough. Get some rest. We move at dawn.”
The soldiers grumbled but obeyed, drifting off to their respective spots.
The young man beside me shifted slightly. “You didn’t answer them,” he murmured.
I sighed, leaning back against the rough bark of the tree behind me. “Didn’t feel like it.”
Silence stretched between us.
Then, finally—
“Why are you doing this?” he asked.
I turned my head toward him. His face was unreadable, but his eyes held a flicker of something I couldn’t quite place.
“I made a promise,” I said simply.
He studied me for a long moment before nodding. “Then let’s hope you get the chance to keep it.”
I frowned. “What does *that* mean?”
But before he could answer, a sharp whistle cut through the night air.
The soldiers immediately jumped to their feet, reaching for their weapons.
Something—or *someone*—was coming.
And judging by the looks on their faces, it wasn’t *friendly.*
I felt my heartbeat quicken.
If this was an attack, if this was them—
I might just get my chance to escape after all.
The night was thick with the scent of damp earth and smoke as the chaos of the attack unfolded behind me. Shouts rang through the air, swords clashed, and bodies thudded to the ground. I didn’t know who had ambushed the mercenaries—bandits, rebels, or perhaps even someone looking for *me*. But I didn’t wait to find out.
I *ran.*
With my wrists still sore from the shackles, I scrambled through the underbrush, ignoring the scratches that the branches left on my skin. My breath came in sharp, ragged gasps as I navigated through the trees, my heart hammering in my chest. Every step I took felt like I was being hunted, but I *couldn’t* stop.
I needed to put as much distance as possible between me and those fools before I ended up back in chains—or worse, dead.
A root jutted out from the ground, and I nearly tripped, catching myself against a tree at the last second. My pulse thundered in my ears as I glanced behind me. Nothing but shadows and the faint glow of the mercenaries’ campfire flickering in the distance.
Had I lost them?
I took a moment to catch my breath, pressing a hand against my ribs where a dull ache had formed from all the running.
*Alright. Think, Kira.*
I was free—for now. But I had no weapons, no supplies, and no clear idea of where Lady Kyla was.
I had to find her before—
A hand shot out of the darkness, clamping over my mouth.
My eyes widened in alarm, but before I could react, an arm wrapped around my waist, yanking me back with terrifying force. I thrashed, trying to twist away, but my captor was *strong.*
I bit down hard on the fingers covering my mouth.
My attacker cursed, but before I could even try to escape, something rough and scratchy was pulled over my head.
A *sack.*
I kicked out wildly, my muffled screams lost inside the thick fabric. I felt myself being lifted off my feet, my captor hauling me like I weighed nothing.
Panic surged through me.
*No, no, no—!*
I fought harder, trying to claw at the sack, but my captor only tightened their grip. I could feel movement—branches brushing against me, the distant sounds of shouting growing quieter. They were carrying me deeper into the woods.
Darkness swallowed me whole, and my struggles grew weaker.
Then, just as suddenly as it happened—
Everything went blank.