Chapter Text
Haerin's breath came quick and shallow as she slipped around the marble corner, nearly colliding with a towering suit of armor. Footsteps echoed behind her. Loud. Steel and ten too many.
She ducked into a narrow hallway lined with tapestries and gilded windows, one hand clutching the folded parchment she hadn't meant to steal. Not really. The letter had been passed discreetly to a courier on the border, meant for someone in the eastern desert - Kaer T'Sora. Haerin had intercepted the courier hoping for food and medical supplies, not... this.
She hadn't known it was from the King of Edenmore himself.
She hadn't known there was a ledger hidden behind it, detailing troop movement discrepancies, strange payments, and a trail of forged orders that didn't line up.
She really hadn't meant to end up here. Not this deep into the palace. Not with guards with sharp steel swords behind her.
She took a sharp turn and tried the next door. Locked. Next one... open. She slipped inside, closing it gently behind her. Breathing ragged from the chase. She slowly backed away from the door. Her eyes wandered around the room.
Gold. Silk. And shoes. Oh dear Lord, so many shoes.
Haerin turned slowly to find herself in a high-ceilinged, over-decorated bedroom. A pale blue dress hung half-finished on a mannequin. A silver vase worth more than anything and everything Haerin has ever owned stood next to a mahogany vanity. A bow leaned against a shelf lined with herb jars.
From the far end of the room came a voice, drowsy and annoyed. "Miss Jisoo, if this is about the pheasant soup again, I swear I'll have you exiled to the kitchens."
Haerin froze. The room was now quiet, soft, and - Her nose wrinkled smelling an unfamiliar scent. It was of expensive soap and lavender.
Then Haerin heard a rustle. A gasp and silk sheets shifting. A voice, clipped and confused, "Who in the world are you?"
Haerin snapped her head to where the voice was and instantly regretted everything. There, standing next to an enormous four-poster bed in nothing but a long nightgown and a half-brushed scowl, was Princess Danielle of Edenmore.
Eyes wide, chin lifted, wavy hair tousled in half-asleep. Although caught off guard, she still looked like the protagonists from the fairytales Haerin's mother used to tell her when she was a child.
"Hi," Haerin rasped, trying to wipe blood off her eyebrow. "Wrong door."
Danielle blinked. "You're bleeding on my floor."
Haerin looked down at the floor. Drops of fresh red on the polished wooden panels. "Oopsies," Haerin sheepishly chuckled rubbing the blood with her sandles - making an even bigger mess in the process.
Then Danielle's eyes dropped to the keys in Haerin's dirt-covered hand. "Those are guard keys."
"And you're very observant, Princess. Congratulations."
Footsteps grew louder. Haerin moved to the side, toward the window. She didn't have time to explain that the king's letter had accidentally landed in her lap or that Edenmore was likely setting up the desert for a political collapse. She just needed to climb out of this damn floral-scented room before the guards either caught up to her or before she passed out from filling her lungs with too much expensive air.
But Danielle stepped in her way. "Who sent you?"
"No one. I stole the wrong piece of paper and ended up in your dungeon."
"I could scream."
"You could," Haerin agreed, flicking her eyes toward the heavy velvet curtains. "But I might bite."
Haerin looked out the window and shivered at great drop from their floor. She looked around frantically for another exit.
But it was too late. Loud footsteps drew nearer until guards started to pound outside the door. A loud knock, then a voice, "Your Highness? We've tracked the prisoner to this wing! We need you to open the door right now."
Danielle looked between the door, the thief, and the bloodstained floor. Haerin sighed. "If you let them in, they'll kill me."
Danielle bit her bottom lip looking as if hard in thought but ultimately declared, "I don't think that's my problem, really."
Haerin scoffed, "You royal bi-"
The door burst open and steel filled the room. Haerin quickly grabbed Danielle by the arm and spun her around so that her back was flushed against her. With a blade in her dominant hand, she quickly pressed the sharp steel against the Princess' neck. Not enough to cut her but enough for Danielle to gasp at the cold. Danielle's eyes doubled in size as she watched the guards come stomping in.
"Unhand the princess this instance," One of the guards commanded. The tip of his sword pointed at Haerin.
"Hey there. No need for the theatrical aggression. The princess and I are just playing a game," Haerin nervously laughed, "Isn't that right, Princess?"
The Princess shot her a glare and rolled her eyes. Haerin was amused by the her nonchalance. She was held captive with a blade on her neck for Heaven's sake!
As the guards drew in, Haerin pulled Danielle closer and whispered into her ear. "Take this and don't show anyone. It's from your father." She passed the letter to Danielle behind her back before pushing her away causing her to stumble onto her bed. Haerin raised both of her hands up as a sign of defeat.
"Okay boys. There is plenty of me to go around," One of the guards yanked Haerin by the arm and punched her in the stomach, forcing her on her knees. The thief spat out in pain. Another guard punched Haerin square in the face and Haerin started to taste metal in her mouth.
Before being dragged away, Haerin lifted her chin and locked eyes with the Princess. An unreadable expression on her face.
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The sun had set since she had been caught in the Princess' room. Haerin sat with her back against the damp wall, hands behind her head, one leg stretched lazily out in front of her. Her split lip had mostly stopped bleeding but she could still taste the steel glove that hit her in the face.
She had been looking around the room for the tiniest glimpse of imperfection - a small crack, an iron bar incorrectly welded, a rock coming loose from the walls - just anything that could help her escape. But her search had been unfruitful, and she sat there with bitter acceptance.
The door creaked.
She didn't look up until a pair of boots stopped in front of her cell. Unlike the dirty steel boots that the guards wore, it was clean and polished.
Princess Danielle stood behind the bars, arms crossed over her pale blue riding cloak. Her expression was a strange mix of defiance and... frustration? Haerin's lips twitched at the sight of the Princess.
"You," Danielle said.
"Still me," Haerin replied dryly. "Didn't get prettier in this dungeon unfortunately."
"You broke into my room."
"Technically, I broke into a hallway, then stumbled into your room."
Danielle exhaled, irritated. Then, there was silence. The princess nibbled on her bottom lip, hesitant, "You're from Kaer T'Sora. You're a Sand Walker."
Haerin raised an eyebrow, "I walk on sand. Yes."
"You reek of cumin and sunburn."
Haerin smirked. "You reek of lavender and entitlement."
Danielle stepped closer to the bars. "I need your help."
That caught Haerin off guard.
Danielle continued, voice tight. "My father, the King, disappeared two weeks ago. He was going to meet your leader. But he vanished during the visit to the Northern border post. We received reports he was taken east."
Haerin blinked. "To the desert?"
"To your city."
"Zarrah city?" Haerin narrowed her eyes. "And let me guess, you want me to guide you back to my people, through the Dead Dunes, with half your soldiers breathing down my neck?"
Danielle hesitated. "I want to go quietly. A small group, with soldiers I trust. You're a Sand Walker. You know the land more than anyone here."
"I'm also your prisoner."
"If you help me," Danielle said carefully, "you'll be granted your freedom."
Haerin looked at her for a long moment. "And I'm just supposed to believe you?"
"I'm giving you a choice. You can rot in here or you can help me find my father."
The princess reached into her cloak and pulled out the letter. The king's seal still broken.
"This letter mentions movement. Betrayal. I think someone from my kingdom is behind this. And it seems like my father knew about it. I want to find him and get to the bottom of this before something worse happens. My council believes that your people kidnapped the King. If this goes on, I fear a war might break out."
Haerin studied her. Smart. Direct. Beautiful. And probably very annoying.
She stood up slowly, dusting her trousers. "Fine. But I will lead. You follow."
Danielle huffed. "You're not in charge."
"You want to cross the desert and not die of sunstroke before the sun sets? I'm in charge."
There it was again. The awkward silence engulfing the air between them. A wordless exchange that could only be felt by two people, two strangers with seemingly no similarities at all.
The Princess cleared her throat, "Danielle. My name is Danielle." She reluctantly extended her hand.
Haerin blinked at it and smirked. "Haerin. Pleasure doing business with you, Princess."