Archive of Our Own

There was a loud hustling and bustling in the castle’s kitchens, with people running around, pots and pans clanging, bacon sizzling and eggs scrambling.
But the eggs weren’t the only one.

Running around, Pid was hastily throwing buns and cheese onto a plate before leaning over the cook’s busy hands and stealing a few strips of bacon from the pan.
It was totally an accident when one of the strips made its way into Pid’s mouth.

‘Pid!’ one of the kitchen maids shouted, causing Pid to nearly choke on the piece of bacon in surprise. ‘You have to go up now ! The bell has been ringing for half an hour!’

‘Yeah, I’m almost done!’ Pid yelled back, quickly wiping the bacon fat on her fingers against the cook’s apron.

‘Look at your hair,’ Belief said with a sigh when Pid barrelled past her. ‘Your ponytail is coming loose.’

Almost at the door, Pid quickly turned around, hopping from her left leg to her right, and yelled back, 
‘Sorry, no time to waste!’

She saw the fond look of exasperation on Belief’s face, and grinned brightly in response before turning and
almost knocking into an errand boy.

One of the buns rolled over the edge of the plate and behind her Belief gasped in shock as she saw the accident happen.
Pid’s left hand shot out and grabbed it before the bun could touch the ground.

‘Got it!’ she yelled over her shoulder, then quickly dashed out of the wonderfully smelling kitchen.

☼

After all the running, Pid still paused before the great, golden door, nervously tapping her feet against the ground and taking a deep breath to calm herself before going inside.

‘Breakfast, your Highness,’ Pid squeaked, because her voice never seemed to work like it normally did when she was near the crown prince.

Ask turned around then, his golden eyes lingering on Pid’s hair, and Pid wished she had listened to Belief and re-tied her ponytail.

‘As ruffled as ever,’ Ask said, taking the plate from her hands and placing it on his desk. ‘Thank you, Pid.’

‘Sorry, your Highness,’ Pid said quickly, as Ask sat down behind his desk. ‘I wanted to make your breakfast as quickly as possible.’

Instead of replying, Ask stared at his breakfast for a minute.
The silence made Pid fidget, her feet tapping a nervous rhythm on the floor.

‘Pid,’ Ask said finally, looking up at her.

‘Yes?’ Pid squeaked.

‘How do you suppose I’m to eat my breakfast?’

What a curious question.

‘With your mouth…?’ Pid answered, then added hastily. ‘Your Highness.’

‘Ah,’ Ask said. ‘Like a dog.’

‘What?’

Pid frowned in confusion, looking down at his royal Highness’s breakfast.
It looked perfectly fine to her.
The buns were fresh, the cheese was bright yellow and not too strong a flavour, because Ask didn’t like strong cheeses, and the bacon was still dripping a little, fresh out of the pan.

It wasn’t neatly arranged on the plate, but it was edible, wasn’t i-
Oh.

‘The cutlery, Pid,’ Ask said patiently.

Pid’s cheeks turned bright red.

‘Right! On it, your Highness!’

She scurried back to the kitchens immediately.

☼

Pid swore her ears were still burning with shame at having forgotten something as obvious as the cutlery.
How did she think the crown prince was going to eat his breakfast? With his fingers like Pid?

Pid quickly checked if she had any residue fat on her fingers from the two strips of bacon she’d stolen on her way to the cutlery drawer, but they were clean.

Again, Pid paused in front of the golden door of the crown prince’s bedroom, but she paused mid deep breath as she heard voices coming from inside the room.

Pid didn’t want to pry, but oh, okay, yes, she totally wanted to pry.

‘...You know it is yours.’
Pid heard the low rumbling voice and immediately recognized it as the King.
Holy bacon!

The soft timbre of Ask’s voice responded, but Pid couldn’t make out exactly what.

It mustn’t have been nice, because the King responded with,
‘Regardless! It is mine, and it will be yours and you shall take on this responsibility like a man.’

Pid rolled her eyes.
There were all kinds of problems with that statement.
She pressed her ear closer to the door to listen for Ask’s response.

‘ I know!’ Ask said loudly. He sounded upset. ‘ I do want it. I have waited and trained to be worthy for years, father. You know this. But how am I supposed to want something that will most likely kill me? ’

‘ I will not listen to this nonsense, ’ the King answered angrily. ‘ The Royal Sword is earned by being the bravest. Listening to you now, I can tell you’re not yet ready.’

‘ And you are? Are you ready to die, father? Because the way I see it, any moment now, our people could start protesting against your rule, which has become more and more unjust these past few years.’

There was a silence, and Pid wondered if King Honor was thinking about Ask’s words.
It was true that more and more rumours were spreading amongst the townsfolk. Rumours that the King wasn’t just anymore.
Rumours that disputes weren’t handled fairly, and punishments were getting increasingly severe.
The last few months, three people had been sentenced to death.
Three.

One of them had been a chambermaid, and Pid shivered thinking about King Honor’s rage when he’d accused the maid of plotting his murder. There had been a trial, but it had lasted five minutes, if even that, before the maid was sentenced to death for high treason.
Pid hadn’t known her personally, but Belief had cried for weeks.

But.
A protest? A riot?
Pid just didn’t see it happening.

‘ The people will not protest ,’ King Honor said calmly. ‘ My rule is fair. My rule is just. I am a benevolent King. ’

Footsteps, coming towards the doorway.
Pid quickly hid behind one of the pillars to the left, making her slim body even smaller.

The doors opened, and out walked the King.
He paused in the hallway and didn’t look back as he said,
‘You will earn the sword. You will prove yourself worthy, Ask, or you will no longer be my son.’

With that, the King walked away.

When Pid walked into the room a few minutes later, like she’d just arrived and totally hadn’t eavesdropped, Ask was sitting with his head in his hands behind his desk.

‘Your cutlery, your Highness,’ Pid said quietly, placing it next to his plate.

Ask didn’t respond.

☼

Around noon, the crown prince, his royal Highness, had regained his usual confidence and had rung for Pid to help him dress into his town clothes.

Town clothes didn’t mean they were less fancy than what Ask normally wore, but in comparison to his court clothes they were decidedly toned down.
Mostly the gold was toned down.

Though Pid loved all of Ask’s clothes, she liked him the most in red.
Not the red of her hair, which was more a light copper and in her opinion totally wrong for Ask’s complexion, but shades like berries, or apples, because those red tones against Ask’s earth coloured skin made him seem like an autumn prince, and it always made Pid sigh and swoon.

Pid was very much in love with the autumn.
And Ask.

‘And I’ll wear my black jacket,’ Ask told her.
Such a shame.
But Pid still took the jacket from the massive closet in the corner of Ask’s equally massive bedroom and held it out so Ask could slide his arms inside.

Watching him so closely as she had since the first day she started working here, Pid noticed the tight set of Ask’s mouth when he looked at himself in the mirror.

‘Everything okay, your Highness?’ she asked casually.

Ask’s golden eyes met hers in the mirror.

‘Why wouldn’t it be?’

Pid couldn’t say she had overheard the conversation between him and the King, so she just shrugged.

‘You seem tense.’

‘Well...’ Ask sighed. ‘You’re right, I’m tense. It is all these responsibilities, they cost me heaps of energy.’

‘But don’t you want the responsibility?’

The quick lift of Ask’s eyebrow told Pid she had blurted out something in a manner not entirely fit for royal company.
But he answered before she could apologise.

‘I do. But…’ Ask fell silent, eyes going someplace else, so Pid moved in front of him and started buttoning up his jacket.
She was almost done when Ask spoke again.

‘Have you noticed anything… unusual about the King, Pid?’ he asked.

‘Unusual, your Highness?’ she asked hesitatingly, wondering if she should point out that the three executions of the last couple of months had been… unusual.

‘Never mind,’ Ask said.
He closed the buttons on his sleeves in a gesture that signalled Pid’s help was no longer necessary.
But.

‘I think,’ Pid started, ‘That the King is a little…’

How to say this delicately?
Ask was watching her now, eyes curious and focused.

‘I think he’s paranoid,’ was what Pid settled for, then hastily explained, ‘I don’t mean to say he’s not just, but the chambermaid most definitely wasn’t… um. Evil.’

The gold in Ask’s eyes was usually mellow, but now it was frozen solid.

‘The King always makes the right decision,’ he said sharply. ‘He cannot make mistakes. Don’t doubt that, Pid.’

‘Sorry, your Highness,’ Pid immediately said, dropping her gaze to the ground.

Ask walked past her,
and Pid wondered if he was going to leave like that, which in all honesty he had every right to because he was the crown prince and she was just a servant who had insulted his father, but Ask actually stopped with his hand on the doorknob.

‘Can I ask something of you, Pid?’

‘Anything,’ Pid answered immediately.

‘Promise me you’ll guard me for becoming…’ Ask paused, then added with a smile in his voice, ‘Paranoid.’

The smile made Pid’s heart hammer inside her chest.

‘Of course!’ she promised.

☼

‘And then he said, “promise me you’ll guard me for becoming… paranoid”,’ Pid said in her best Ask imitation, lowering her voice to imitate the smooth rumble of the crown prince’s.

Belief shook her head, laughing.
‘I can’t believe you called the King paranoid. In front of his son no less.’

‘What was I supposed to say?!’

Belief sighed and put her head on Pid’s shoulder.
They were lying on Pid’s bed, only their feet hidden underneath the blanket because autumn had been surprisingly warm so far.

‘I wish you could tell Ask to stop his father from ordering all the executions.’

‘I don’t get why it’s gotten worse…’ Pid mumbled, playing with the ends of Belief’s dark hair.

‘It’s always been bad, Pid,’ Belief said quietly. ‘I know you’ve only lived in the capital for a few years, but the King has never been lenient in his punishment.’

‘But why are the people putting up with it?’ Pid asked, picking up a few strands of Belief’s silky smooth hair and starting to braid it.
She’d gotten quite good at it since Belief had taught her a few years ago.

‘I guess that many don’t want to lose the few coins they have,’ Belief answered. ‘And so far, working quietly and abiding the law meant being safe. But now…’

Pid knew Belief was talking about the chambermaid.
The chambermaid who’d done nothing wrong.

‘What do you think’ll happen if it continues?’ Pid asked quietly.

‘I think that even though it will put them in danger, people will start to rebel, so they won’t have to live in fear everyday. Nobody wants to live in fear, Pid. It’s horrible.’

Pid couldn’t imagine being afraid everyday.
Luckily.

‘And what would happen to Ask?’

Belief raised herself up on her elbows, the silky strands of hair slipping from Pid’s fingers, the braid coming undone, as Belief looked down at her with sad eyes.

‘I don’t think the people will stop, Pid,’ Belief whispered.

Pid couldn’t imagine being afraid everyday.
But she felt very afraid now
as she thought about the possibility of losing Ask, of Ask being murdered,
simply for being the crown prince,
for being someone’s son.

☼

Honestly, Pid absolutely didn’t mean to pry or eavesdrop again,
but the next morning, plate of breakfast in her hand, she found the door to Ask’s bedroom already slightly open, voices drifting into the hallway.

How could she resist?

‘ You wouldn’t,’  the soft voice of Ever, Ask’s twin sister, sounded through the door. ‘ I know you, and I trust you’ll do what’s right. ’

There was a silence, and then without any warning, the door opened, Ever blinking in surprise at seeing Pid in front of her.

‘Oh,’ Ever said, her eyes quickly dropping to the plate. ‘Breakfast. He’ll like that.’
She smiled friendly at Pid, who could only blink and splutter in awe at the sheer grace and beauty of the crown princess.

‘Good morning,’ Ever said by way of goodbye when it became clear Pid wasn’t going to say anything back, and walked away.

Pid couldn’t help but look at the gentle sway of her brown curls and the flowing light green gown that swayed with every step.
If Ask was an autumn prince, then Ever would be the spring princess.

Without thinking about knocking, Pid walked inside the bedroom and startled very badly when she saw Ask still in bed, wearing a white blouse which showed skin, holy bacon , so much smooth, warm skin.

Speaking of bacon, Pid suddenly noticed she’d tilted the plate in shock, the bacon slowly sliding towards the edge, a disaster in the making.

‘Crap!’ she blurted out, righting the plate and hurrying over to Ask, who looked at her with raised eyebrows and so much skin.

‘Good morning to you too,’ Ask said, taking the plate from her hands. ‘Also having a rough morning?’

That instantly snapped Pid’s attention away from his chest and back to his eyes, which were equally and heartracingly beautiful.

‘You too?’ she asked.

Ask blinked in surprise at her question,
like he only just realized what he’d said.

He shrugged it off with an awkward and very un-princelike, ‘I guess.’

‘It’s just hard sometimes, your Highness,’ Pid answered, ‘To see all the breakfast delicacies and not eat and eat and eat until I can’t move.’

Ask snorted.

‘What kind of breakfast delicacies are they withholding from you?’ he asked, breaking off a piece of bread.

‘Bacon,’ Pid answered seriously. ‘I think I could eat a plate full if they allowed me.’

She saw Ask eying the bacon on his plate. Then, after a moment of silence, he slid it towards the side.

‘You can have mine, I don’t think I’m in the mood for bacon today.’

It was the most absurd thing Pid had ever heard, and she realised Ask must be lying.
To give her something she loved.

Pid didn’t think her knees could feel so weak
or her smile could be so bright,
but this moment proved her wrong.

‘Thank you,’ she said, picking up the strip of bacon and plopping it into her mouth without another thought.
Only when she noticed Ask staring at her in surprise, did she realize she just ate greasy bacon with her fingers in front of the crown prince.

‘Crap,’ she said awkwardly, then winced. ‘Um. Sorry, your Highness.’

Ask smiled at her.
The only thing in the world better than bacon.

‘No problem,’ he said, ‘You’re still a growing boy after all.’

Pid froze.
As did her smile.

Her stomach churned unpleasantly, like she’d eaten something bad, and suddenly all Pid wanted was to get out of the room and curl up underneath her blanket.

She didn’t.
Instead she said in a strangled voice,
‘Thank you, your Highness.’

☼

Pid was walking back towards the kitchens in a daze, trying her best to shake off Ask’s words and the feelings they brought with them.

Of course she would walk past a mirror.
It was a castle after all, and mirrors were expensive things.
They showed wealth,
truth,
and beauty.

Pid caught her own gaze in the mirror,
and her eyes instantly focused on the loose strands framing her face. She could never get her ponytail to work right.

Rules said servants weren’t allowed to have hair longer than shoulder-length.
Pid had always liked this rule, because it meant her hair was the same length as all the other girls, without it being too long to warrant any questions.
Shoulder-length hair was pretty safe, and it was also pretty.

Pulling at the band barely holding her
hair
together, Pid let it fall down, the red strands almost touching her shoulders.
Before Pid could start to criticize herself, Belief came running towards her, fear evident on her face.

‘Pid!’ Belief exclaimed, throwing her arms around Pid and holding on for dear life. ‘Pid! Oh, Pid…’

Pid threw her arms around Belief as well, slowly rubbing her back.

‘What’s wrong?’

When Belief pulled back, tears in her eyes, Pid saw the similarity to a couple of months ago, and felt her heart clench inside her chest.
She didn’t need to hear the words to know, but Belief was still saying them.

‘It’s another chambermaid, Pid.’

☼

The throne room was a strange mix of extremely bright and very dark.
Fierce sunlight was streaming through the windows, making the shadows appear even
darker.

King Honor sat upon his throne, looking relaxed while he leaned back, observing the trembling maid in front of his dais.

Shoving people out of the way, Pid inched closer so she could get a better look, Belief trailing behind her.
Belief’s hand was a like a vice around her wrist, gripping it tightly.

‘And you say it isn’t so?’ the King asked, looking down at the maid.

His question didn’t really sound like a question though.

‘S-sir, I wasn’t,’ the maid stammered. ‘I wasn’t even touching-’

‘And yet!’ the King interrupted her, voice booming and echoeing heavily through the room. A few people gasped in surprise
or fear.

‘And yet,’ the King repeated, softer this time. ‘My son saw you touching the Royal Sword.’

Instantly, Pid’s eyes snapped towards Ask, who was sitting at his father’s right on a smaller throne. There was something wrong about the self-assured smile that normally graced Ask’s lips.
It looked too careful, too put together.
It looked fake.

Pid strained forward, wanting to see and hear what Ask was going to say or do but.
Ask did nothing, except stare silently at the maid.

The King continued.

‘I wonder what a normal chambermaid needs a sword for. Sell it for coins? Or...’ the King’s voice dropped in volume, and he leaned forward slightly, as if meaning to whisper in her ear. ‘Perhaps you want a sword to murder someone?’

The maid started shaking her head violently, and though Pid couldn’t see her face, her voice trembled like she was crying.
‘I-I swear t-to you, my King, I d-didn’t touch-’

‘You call my son, and your crown prince, a liar?’ the King asked in shock.

Everyone held their breath.
Even Pid.
Even Ask, Pid saw, his hands gripping the wooden throne tightly.

‘N-no,’ the maid stuttered quietly.

She sounded defeated.

With a shock, Pid realized what was about to happen, even before Belief’s fingernails dug into her wrist, breaking her skin.

‘Very well,’ the King said, hand absentmindedly stroking the onyx stone in the hilt of the Royal Sword. ‘I see no other way. I cannot allow you to live. I will not put my children in danger, so you shall be executed. Beheaded, to be precise.’

He said the words like they were simple, like they had been the only conclusion the King could’ve reached, and in that moment,
Pid hated her King.

She watched Ask again, looked for a sign that he was going to protest, that he was going to comment it was actually pretty unusual and sort of extremely paranoid of the King to command this execution.

But he didn’t.

A stream of sunlight hit the black stone in the sword, but instead of glittering or beaming, the stone seemed to absorb the light.
There was no reflection.
There was only the stone’s darkness.

Everyone was ordered out of the room then, so the King could prepare himself for the execution.

☼

In the solemn and quiet panic that followed, Pid was herded towards the kitchens, where the majority of the staff always hung out.

The warmth of the kitchen felt too oppressive however, and when Belief let go of Pid’s wrist to sit down tiredly on a chair, Pid felt the cuts on her wrist sting and bleed.

‘Why do we put up with this?’ someone asked near the door, echoeing Pid’s question of a couple days ago. ‘There’s something wrong with this trial!’

‘No!’ one of the kitchen maids said shrilly. ‘There’s something wrong with the King!’

‘Yes,’ a cook agreed. ‘There is something wrong with the King!’

More voices piped up, everyone agreeing that the King was wrong , that the King was being unfair,
unjust.

Pid’s eyes widened as she witnessed the growing anger and grief and panic.
Panic which made their voices shrill and their hands tremble.

‘It’s that whole family,’ one of the footmen shouted, and Pid felt all the blood drain from her face. ‘They’re all rotten!’

‘No!’ she immediately yelled back. ‘The prince has nothing to do with it.’

‘How do you know?’ he sneered back. ‘You’ve only been here for five years.’

‘I know not to judge people based on their parents!’ Pid said angrily, taking a step towards him.

‘Yeah?’ one of the cooks said, the one who had agreed the King was wrong. ‘Did you see the prince or princess do anything to stop him? Anything at all?’

Pid’s mouth opened and closed in frustration as she tried to find something to say.

‘Would you ?’ she asked him. ‘Would you stand up to the King?’

The cook blinked at her, like it all suddenly made sense.

‘Yeah,’ he said slowly. ‘Yeah. Yeah, I would. We should .’
And he spread his arms around the kitchen.
‘We should stand up to the King.’

Oh
no.

Someone was suddenly tugging on Pid’s arm. When she turned around, Pid saw Belief mouthing at her to go.

But Pid wouldn’t run away from this.

‘I don’t think that’s clever,’ she argued, but nobody was listening to her.
Everyone was getting lost in their anger.
So Pid pulled over a chair and stood on top of it, yelling at the top of her lungs,
‘Stop and think for a minute!’

Everyone shut up and stared at her.

Pid took a deep breath to calm her sudden nerves and said,
‘You can’t just rush in and stand up against the King! He still has guards . You don’t know if they’ll listen to you or if they’re loyal to him. Then what’ll you do? Against trained and armed soldiers? Also, can’t the King do magic or something?’

Someone giggled.
Someone old, judging by the coughing fit that followed the giggle.

Sat by the gigantic fire where they normally baked the bread, an old lady’s maid was sitting in her rocking chair, knitting an oven mitt
and giggling.
And coughing.

‘What?’ Pid asked stupidly.

‘Magic,’ the old woman giggled. ‘No, child, the King couldn’t do magic to save his life. Quite the opposite actually.’

Pid let the child comment slide.
When someone was as old as the lady’s maid, everyone would seem like a child in comparison.

‘What do you mean?’ Pid asked, stepping off the chair and walking towards her.

‘I don’t know a lot about magic,’ the old woman said, then coughed again. It worried Pid a little. ‘You have to find some other old woman.’

‘Who?’

The woman’s knobbly, wrinkly hands stopped knitting, and she slowly turned her head to look at Pid.

‘Have you ever... met a dragon, child?’

Pid’s eyes widened.
‘No!’

‘Oh.’
The old woman giggled. ‘Me neither.’

Um?

Then the old woman started coughing again, so violently that Pid worried she was going to take her last breath right this second.
She hesitatingly put her hand on the old woman’s shoulder, and said, ‘Thank you.’

‘Uh, for what?’ one of the footboys asked.

‘I... don’t know,’ Pid admitted. ‘I think she gave me advice. I think I need to find this other old lady. I think it’ll help us somehow.’

The skeptic cook snorted. ‘You do that, girl. Meanwhile us men will talk to the guards and see if some want to join our cause.’

Pid rolled her eyes, because us men , but at least the riot was off for now.
That was all that mattered.
Ask was still safe.

☼

And Pid was just going to check if he really was safe.
Just to be sure.

The door to the crown prince’s bedroom was open, and when Pid knocked politely, for once, nobody answered.
Strange.

So Pid slowly pushed the door opened, looking around the spacious room.
Ask was nowhere to be found.

‘Your Highness?’ Pid asked carefully, taking a step into the room.

Clothes were strewn around, on the floor and bed, but what shocked Pid even more was the large blanket thrown over the mirror.
Why did Ask want to hide it?
Or what did he want to hide from?

‘Ask,’ Pid said quietly as she pulled the blanket down and-
screamed in shock when she stood eye to eye with the crown prince.

‘Pid,’ Ask said quietly, and Pid whirled around, taking a few steps back, her back hitting the slippery surface of the mirror.

‘Your Highness,’ Pid said, feeling like her heart was still somewhere in her throat. ‘You scared the shit out of me.’

Ask raised a princely eyebrow.
Oh crap.

‘Sorry, your Highness.’

Ask was staring at her strangely.

‘You called me Ask.’

Pid winced and dropped her gaze to the floor.
‘I’m so sorry, your Highness.’

‘No, it’s-’ Ask cut himself off. ‘What are you doing here, Pid?’

Good question, your Highness.
Excellent question even.
If only Pid had a non-creepy answer.

‘I-I, um, I-’ she stammered.

‘Your hair is a mess again,’ Ask said suddenly.

Before Pid could think or breathe,
Ask closed the distance between them and reached out to brush a few loose strands of bright red hair away.

‘I-Iiiiiiiie,’ Pid exclaimed.

Ask’s face was so close, so darn close, holy bacon , it was so gorgeous up front, how was that even fair.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever seen it in a neat ponytail,’ Ask murmured, reaching behind her, moving impossibly closer and smelling like fairytales and hot autumn rain and princes. Oh, he actually was a prince, Pid reminded herself, but then Ask tugged lightly on her ponytail, tilting her head upward, and that definitely shut up her thoughts.

Pid looked into Ask’s golden eyes, warm and confusing, because she could see different emotions swirling inside them.
She watched his dark loose curls, always falling so perfectly and his warm, smooth ski-

Even though the the tiny dots were almost invisible,
this close, Pid could actually see them.
She’d never known.

‘ Holy bacon ,’ Pid breathed. ‘I’m close enough that I can see your secret freckles.’

Ask smiled.
‘You’re one to talk. You have lots of freckles.’

‘Yeah,’ Pid nodded, ‘But they’re no secret. They’re like, wham , right there on the face, y’know?’

Ask blinked in a way that told Pid he probably didn’t ‘like, wham know’.

Pid wanted to tell him that was okay and that she wanted to kiss all his freckles, but mostly his mouth, because even though the secret freckles were way handsome and cute, his mouth was still so very much more kissable, because it was his mouth, but then Ask pulled back suddenly.

And Pid suddenly realized she’d been staring at his mouth, leaning in. She quickly had to regain her balance.

Her cheeks flamed.

‘Sor-’

‘Help me pick out what to wear,’ Ask interrupted her.

‘For, uh, what, your Highness?’

Ask stared hard at the ground.

‘The execution.’

Pid didn’t know what to say to that, so she stared helplessly at all the clothes around the room.
‘What did you have in mind, your Highness?’

Ask picked up a berry red coat.
‘I was thinking-’

‘Oh no,’ Pid said immediately. ‘Sorry, your Highness, but you can’t wear red to the execution.’

She saw him look back at her for a quick second, the question clear in his eyes, but luckily he didn’t ask.
Pid didn’t think she could’ve explained to him how her autumn prince couldn’t be a part of something so cruel, so unfair, so
unjust.

‘I think…’ Pid said quietly, ‘You should wear black.’

The heavy sigh that followed told her Ask understood what she was saying, and what he would be implying if he followed her advice.

The silence in the room was tense.

Then,
‘I’ll wear the one with the onyx buttons,’ Ask told her.
Agreeing.

Pid immediately fetched it from his wardrobe.

☼

The kitchens were peaceful and quiet again.
Until the cook spotted Pid and all but threw his apron at her head.
‘Pid! Go fetch some fresh fruit and vegetables at the market!’

Pid wrinkled her nose at the sound of fruit and vegetables, but the cook was swinging a metal ladle rather dangerously, so she knew better than to protest.

☼

The market wasn’t busy.
Pid only had to avoid getting hit by marketmen and women carrying and rearranging their wares like, ten times.

Since vegetables were even worse than fruit, Pid quickly bought those first, reading off the list the cook had given her in one breath.

When the panicked stallholder had quickly filled her bags with the offensive green things, Pid hurried over to the fruit vendor, only to be smacked in the back of her head by a large crate.

She stumbled forward and crashed into someone, who startled badly by Pid’s sudden weight, judging by the ‘Wha-?’ and the thump of fruit hitting the ground.

‘Hey!’ the fruit vendor grunted. ‘You’ve gotta pay for that. I can’t sell bruised fruit.’

Rubbing the back of her head and wincing at the soreness, Pid took a step back and looked at the girl she bumped into.

‘Great,’ the girl sighed in irritation. ‘More expenses.’

‘My bad!’ Pid said immediately, picking up the fruit. ‘I’ll buy this, um… what is it, um, mango for you!’

The girl gave her a scathing look.
‘I don’t really need your charity, kid.’

‘Wow, that was so rude,’ Pid said. ‘I’m not a kid.’

The look she got in return was skeptic.

‘What?’ Pid said. ‘I bet you we’re the same age.’

‘Never mind,’ the girl muttered. ‘I’ll just buy the mango and a few apples.’

‘Oooh, apples,’ Pid said, looking over her list. ‘I’ll need those too.’

‘We’re not talking anymore,’ the girl said, handing the vendor a few coins after he’d put the mango and apples in paper bags.

‘Wow,’ Pid said again. ‘I can’t decide if you’re very direct or very rude.’

‘Let’s go with direct,’ the girl said, then walked away.

‘Wait-’ Pid called after her, but she was already nimbly disappearing between the throng of bodies.
Pid sighed and turned back to the vendor, getting the list out of her pocket.

‘Okay, so,’ she said, taking a deep breath. ‘I’ll need appleberriescherriesmangoespearsblackberriesandraspberries.’

The vendor blinked at her.

‘It’s for the King,’ Pid winked.

The vendor visibly paled before quickly scrambling to get everything Pid had read.
And while normally this made Pid giggle and experience a slightly disturbing feeling of superiority, now it just made her throat feel dry.

There was a reason the people were afraid of the King.
They weren’t afraid of nothing, after all.

Crumpling up the list, Pid accepted the brown bag from the vendor, feeling ashamed and frustrated about the situation.

‘Hey, do you know any old ladies?’ she asked the vendor.
He looked at her weirdly.
Okay, so maybe it had been a weird question.

‘I know tons of old ladies,’ the vendor said. ‘Any specifics?’

‘Um, dragons?’

The vendor immediately gripped the necklace he was wearing, a small branch wrapped around a piece of moss.
Pid eyed it warily, wondering what it was for.

‘Don’t speak about- about… them!’ the man hissed.

‘But-’

‘Not a word!’ the man interrupted her, eyes wide in panic.

Before Pid could ask anything else, he turned towards another customer, asking loudly how he could help them so Pid couldn’t ask any more questions.

☼

Pid was almost out of the village, when she got the distinct feeling she was being followed.
Her fingers tightened around the bags, eyes nervously darting around the trees and few houses.

Apart from birdsong and the creaking of trees ready to embrace the shedding of their leaves, it was quiet.

Until.

‘Asking about dragons?’

Pid startled so badly she nearly dropped the bags.
Whirling around had her standing almost nose to nose with the grumpy mango girl from the market.

‘Um,’ Pid said, voice kind of high from shock.

‘Why are you asking about dragons?’ the girl asked again.
She didn’t sound friendly.
Pid thought the bow and arrows behind her back didn’t look friendly either.

‘Dragons?’ Pid asked dumbly.

‘I heard you talking to the vendor,’ the girl said. ‘Don’t play dumb with me.’

‘How?’ Pid asked in wonder. ‘You walked away.’

The girl rolled her eyes.
‘It doesn’t matter how. I’m intimidating you. Now answer my question.’

‘I’m just looking for an old lady,’ Pid answered. ‘And she’s got something to do with dragons.  I think. Also, good job on the intimidation. I think my knees are shaking.’

‘An old lady…?’

The girl stared skeptically at Pid, who went near cross-eyed with trying to maintain the intense eye contact.

‘Um,’ Pid said. ‘Could we have some personal space here? While you’re thinking.’

The girl immediately took a few steps back.
‘Sorry.’
Then.
‘My grandmother’s not that old.’

‘Huh?’ Pid said.

The girl didn’t explain, just started walking in the opposite direction.
Pid stared after her, dumbstruck by the entire experience.

After a few steps, the girl stopped and looked over her shoulder.

‘What are you waiting for? Follow me.’

☼

‘I don’t think you know how age works,’ Pid said, as she looked at the girl’s grandmother. ‘Because your grandmother’s like, old.’

‘Watch what you’re saying,’ the girl hissed.

‘Oh! Sorry, I meant no offense!’

The girl’s grandmother laughed, and suddenly Pid wondered if that was a thing old ladies did.
Smile.
Perhaps after so many years, you would finally learn to look at all the beautiful things in life.

‘I’m not offended,’ the grandmother said. ‘But I am curious. Why did you bring him to our house, Saga?’

‘Him?’ Saga said in surprise.

‘Her,’ Pid said immediately.

The grandmother nodded.
‘Apologies.’

Pid didn’t wait for Saga to start explaining.

‘Do you know about dragons, old lady?’

‘I know about them, yes.’

‘Oh.’

Pid blinked.
Now what?

The grandmother smiled again.
‘That’s it?’

‘No...’ Pid said hesitatingly. ‘I’m sure there was more.’

‘I’m sure you’ll remember soon. What brought you here?’

‘Her,’ Pid said, pointing to Saga. 

‘She wanted to talk to an old lady,’ Saga said dryly, like she thought this was stupid.
Just like the rest of the kitchen staff sounded after the old lady’s maid had said-
Oh!

‘I remember!’ Pid exclaimed. ‘Another old lady told me the King can’t do magic to save his life. Quite the opposite, she said… But I don’t understand.’

The grandmother’s sigh after Pid’s words made her seem years older, and so, so tired.

‘This is not what I had expected you to ask.’

Pid felt the need to apologise, but the woman continued.

‘There is a reason the Royal Sword is adorned with an onyx.’

‘What?’ Pid asked. ‘It wasn’t always?’

‘When I was younger,’ the grandmother started, and Pid mouthed at Saga ‘old’ but Saga just rolled her eyes at her. ‘The Royal Sword had an amazonite stone in its hilt. Its pale bluish green was calming, and beautiful.’

‘Why did it change?’ Saga asked.

‘Because the King changed,’ the grandmother said. ‘The Royal Sword is bound to the King. It’s a reflection of themselves. So when the King changed, the sword did too.’

Pid hadn’t heard of this before.
Why did the old lady’s maid want her to know this?

‘What does it have to do with the King’s behaviour?’ she asked.

Suddenly, Saga gasped like she’d realized something.

‘Is it about that rumour?’ Saga asked her grandmother, who nodded solemnly in reply.

‘What rumour?’ Pid asked, looking from Saga to her grandmother in confusion. ‘Why do you both look so shocked and mysterious?’

‘We can’t tell you,’ Saga suddenly said, turning towards Pid with a determined expression. ‘It’d be treason.’

‘But you live in a cottage in the woods! Who’s going to hear you?’

‘Doesn’t matter,’ Saga said. ‘We’ve been under enough scrutiny as is. I don’t want to give his royal assholeness another excuse to put me on trial.’

‘But-’ Pid protested.

‘Saga,’ the grandmother said kindly.

‘No,’ Saga said resolutely. ‘Go away and ask someone else. I won’t risk this again.’

This? was Pid’s last thought before she was all but shoved out of the cottage, the smell of incense and mangoes following her outside.

‘Rude,’ Pid muttered. ‘Do you even have friends?’

The look that passed over Saga’s face was strange, and quickly gone.

‘I do,’ Saga said testily,
before slamming the door shut.

☼

Instead of watching the execution, Pid was lying in Belief’s arms, huddled underneath her blanket even though it was too warm.

‘Did you know the old King?’ Pid whispered.

‘I didn’t,’ Belief answered quietly. ‘I don’t think a lot of people do. He isn’t in a lot of the history books either.’

‘That’s strange, isn’t it?’

‘Pid…’

‘Isn’t it?’

Belief sighed.
Pid felt her warm breath on top of her head.

‘I don’t want you to put yourself in danger,’ Belief said.

‘I don’t want Ask to be in danger. You heard them in the kitchen, Belief. They want to rebel, and they won’t stop to think who they’re taking down.’

Belief was silent for a while, her hand stroking Pid’s hair.

Pid felt her eyes get heavy.

Her mind was filled with Ask’s golden eyes and secret freckles,
with the trembling chambermaid,
the black onyx,
the tired sigh of Saga’s grandmother.

‘Just be careful,’ Belief whispered,
but Pid was already asleep.

☼

‘Breakfast, your Highness,’ Pid said quietly.

She hadn’t expected Ask to bounce with joy this morning, he never did anyway so it would’ve been weirder if he had , but the empty staring she was met with instead was really
scary.

‘I even remembered your knife and fork,’ Pid said, trying to sound cheerful.

Ask looked at her then.

‘Were you there?’  he asked, quiet and intense.

She didn’t need to ask where .

‘No,’ she whispered.

Relief was visible on his face for a second, and it surprised her.
Ask was already cutting into his breakfast when he noticed her staring.

He carefully slid his bacon to the side in offering.

‘If you want,’ he said softly.

Pid blinked against the sudden warmth in her chest, then shook her head.

‘No, your Highness. I think you need it more than I do.’

At her words, Ask stilled in his motions, and eventually turned towards her, his golden eyes searching her face.
Pid fought against the blush rising on her cheeks,
but it was near impossible with Ask watching her so closely.

‘Can I go to the library today,’ Pid quickly said in one go, then added, ‘Your Highness.’

‘The library?’

‘The one with all the books,’ Pid added.

She saw the corners of Ask’s mouth twitch, before he nodded solemnly.

‘Got it,’ he said seriously. ‘The library with the books.’

Pid nodded.

‘Can I join you?’

‘Eh?’ Pid said intelligently.

‘Can I join you in the library with the books?’ Ask repeated.

Pid’s mind instantly started screaming and yelling and giggling, but Pid managed to keep her face calm as she replied,
‘Sure. It’s your library.’

Again, the corners of his mouth twitched.

‘It is, isn’t it?’ he said.

Nerves were making her legs jittery, itching to go, so Pid quickly bowed, something she never did and judging by the amused look on Ask’s face, he knew this too.

Pid hurriedly left the room with a,
‘Enjoy your breakfast! Your highness!’

☼

The enormous bookcases of the library never failed to impress Pid.
Except for now.
Pid was more concerned about Ask joining her.

It was almost like a date, wasn’t it?
A romantic encounter?
Granted, Pid wouldn’t exactly pick the library as their first date, but if Ask wanted to make a heartfelt confession between the dusty old pages then Pid was more than up for it.

‘Are you going to start looking for books?’ an amused voice asked her, startling Pid out of her staring.

‘Yes!’ Pid almost shrieked. ‘Books. I’m definitely here for books. And also for heartfelt confessions. If they would occur. Possibly.’

Ask raised an eyebrow,
still looking handsome in his casual, light blue shirt.

‘I’ll keep an eye out for those then,’ he said, before disappearing further into the library.

Pid let out a sigh.
Now that Ask was not there to distract her thoughts, she walked straight to the first bookcase to search for history books.

☼

Book after book told her about Acres’ great Kings and Queens.
They had all been fair, they had all been just and they had all been benevolent.

Pid frowned down at the words.
Fair, just and benevolent.
Every ruler was described as such.
It sounded like a motto, or maybe even a charm.

Pid didn’t know a lot about magic, but she knew that repetition was important.
And these words were definitely being repeated.

But what surprised Pid the most perhaps, apart from the fact that information about the last King seemed to be missing, was the absence of the Royal Sword. There was no mention of it anywhere. None.
Every King just seemed to… have it.

‘History?’

Pid quickly closed the book she was reading and looked up at Ask with what she hoped was a carefree smile.

‘Eh, yes,’ she said awkwardly. ‘These sure are. History books.’

‘Why are you interested in history?’

‘I’ve lived in this country for over five years, your Highness. I figured it was time to do some research.’

‘Research into what?’

Um.
‘Did I say research?’ Pid asked, trying to maintain her casual smile. ‘I meant, gaining knowledge.’

Ask leaned forward, effectively stopping every train of thought Pid had had.
Upclose, Ask was just so gorgeous and-

‘About the royal bloodline?’

Apparently, also good at reading upside down.

‘Uhh…’ Pid said awkwardly. ‘Yes! I mean. I am your servant. I should know more about your family.’

To her surprise, Ask gave her a small smile.

‘You can just ask me about my family.’

‘But am I not supposed to just… know?’

Ask sat down on the table Pid had been reading at, the small smile still on his face.

‘I don’t ‘just’ know anything about your family.’

‘Oh, no, you wouldn’t want to, believe me ,’ Pid said sarcastically, then instantly slapped a hand over her mouth. ‘Your highness,’ she mumbled as an afterthought.

Ask laughed, and it was wonderful.

‘So what do you want to know?’

‘I’d like to know more about the Royal Sword,’ Pid started, ‘I mean. There are no records about it appearing or being forged by some blacksmith called Metal the Magnificent who has worked at it for over a thousand years with just his metal hammer. Or something like that. It’s like it’s always been there.’

‘Metal the Magnificent?’

Pid felt a blush creeping up.
‘I’ve never met a blacksmith,’ she confessed.

‘I wouldn’t have guessed,’ Ask commented dryly.

The smile slipped from his face however, as he stared at the closed book on the table.  
Pid wondered if he was thinking about what to say and why he looked so good while angsting.

‘I know about the Royal Sword,’ Ask started slowly. ‘But it’s a rather private… ritual, for lack of a better word. If you really want to know, I will tell you. But I must ask you not to tell anyone else.’

‘What?’ Pid said in surprise. ‘You trust me enough?’

Ask’s jaw clenched, and he looked frustrated by Pid’s question.

‘I’m not…’ he said slowly, not looking at her, ‘Paranoid.’

Pid knew he wasn’t.
Her heart clenched almost painfully at the realisation that he might think so.
That he might think he was like his father.

The quiet that followed was tense, so Pid’s mind instantly searched for words to break the silence.

‘Don’t worry, I’m not plotting to murder you,’ Pid tried with a smile.

It made Ask look at her.
Maybe not with the heart eyes Pid had hoped, but incredulousness was better than sadness and frustration.

‘I don’t know since when the Sword belonged to our bloodline. As far as I know it has always been there,’ Ask began. ‘It has been passed on for generations. Without the Royal Sword, you cannot rule this country. It is enchanted. It will only belong to those that are fair, and just, and-’

‘Benevolent,’ Pid finished for him.

Ask looked surprised for a moment, then composed himself.

‘Yes,’ he nodded. ‘Benevolent.’

‘Why is this a secret?’ Pid asked. ‘No offense,’ she quickly added. ‘But it doesn’t seem like the Sword can be used against you.’

‘I-’ Ask started, then frowned. ‘I don’t know actually. My father said not to tell.’

Pid picked up the book lying on the table, the book talking about all the previous Kings and Queens, people who’d done remarkable things, people who were fair and just and all that.

‘I wonder what colour stone you’ll get,’ she murmured, running her fingers along the cover of the old book.

‘I don’t know,’ Ask said, and his voice sounded small and tight. When Pid looked up, she saw he’d visibly paled, looking
scared.

So Pid quickly stood up, moving to stand in front of Ask.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

‘I’m sure you’ll do great when the moment’s there. Your Highness.’

‘Ask,’ Ask said.

A blush crept on Pid’s cheeks.

‘I c-can’t call you by your first name, your Highness.’ Though she wanted to. Very much so. ‘What would people think?’ That the crown prince was madly in love with his servant. Oh, their forbidden love had so much potential.

Instead of arguing, Ask nodded after a pause. 
‘That is reasonable.’

He watched her for a few seconds, his golden eyes staring into her brown ones until they drifted away from her face and towards her hair.
Pid’s hand was already reaching up to tuck away the loose strands, but Ask smiled and stopped her, his hand warm on her wrist.

‘Don’t,’ he said. ‘I like it.’

‘Iiiiiiiiie,’ Pid shrieked, sure that her flaming cheeks matched the colour of her hair.

As if appearing by magic, the librarian speed walked towards them, finger at the ready to tell them to quiet down.
Pid immediately snapped her mouth shut, then mouthed ‘Sorry’ at the stressed librarian.
When she looked back at Ask, he was still watching her.

‘What’s your name?’ he suddenly asked.

Because the prince wasn’t unobservant or forgetful, Pid knew what he was asking.

She mumbled reluctantly,
‘...Intrepid.’

‘Intrepid,’ Ask repeated quietly.

‘I know,’ Pid sighed. ‘It’s such a fancy-ass name for a servant.’

Ask raised an eyebrow.

‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s a weighty name. Ambitious even.’

‘I know. My father gave it to me. Had big hopes and all that.’

Remembering her father and his expectations,
all their discussions and their fights,
had Pid rolling her eyes.

‘I mean, who does that? Give your child such high standards before it can even walk? If you ask me, the only one who’s allowed to have high hopes for yourself should be yourself.’

No sooner had the words left her mouth before she realized her insensitivity.

‘I didn’t mean-’

Ask suddenly stood up, posture stiff and expression carefully blank.

‘If only it could be like that,’ he said, then walked away, leaving Pid alone in the library.
The one with the books.

☼

Pid sat in the middle of her bed, hair down, big shirt hanging off her shoulders, ancient library book resting between her legs.

When Belief walked into their room, she did a double take.

‘Wait, you’re reading?’

Pid stuck out her tongue, and turned a crumbly page.

‘And that books looks too old to be anything you ’d be interested in,’ Belief said, sitting down on her own bed, opposite Pid. ‘Spill. What is it?’

So Pid gave in and sighed dramatically.
‘History, Belief,’ she whined. ‘And it’s extremely boring.’

‘Now I wonder who on earth you would read history books for.’
Belief tapped her chin as she pretended to think.
‘Wait, I know! Is it perhaps his royal Highness, the crown prince?’

‘Royal dreaminess more like it,’ Pid admitted, falling back onto the bed. ‘He told me a little about his family’s secret history, then asked for my full name. And I started to whine about my father, which was really stupid because of course he knows what it’s like to have a stupid father.’

Belief shook her head, smiling fondly at Pid.

‘His secret history,’ she repeated. ‘That’s big.’

‘I know! And it was about even more responsibilities and expectations. I get that he’s stressed out about this whole King business… I thought my father was bad.’

‘It’s weird, isn’t it?’ Belief agreed. ‘Especially since the King had had those same expectations placed upon him, growing up? All the more because of his brother.’

‘Wait,’ Pid said, sitting up. ‘Brother?’

‘You didn’t know? The King had a twin brother. Twins run in the family.’

Twins?
But nowhere in the books had Pid read anything about a twin brother.
She got the distinct feeling she was supposed to understand something better now, but she didn’t and it frustrated her.

‘So why does nobody talk about him? The twin?’ Pid asked. ‘Where is he now?’

‘He’s dead, Pid.’

And there were no records of him? Had he died in childbirth?

‘How did he die?’ Pid asked.

Belief looked uncomfortable for a second.
‘He died while he went looking for a dragon. He thought to protect the village should the dragon attack, but he never made it back. Eventually King Honor, just prince Honor back then, went looking for him, and barely made it back with his body.’

Pid’s eyes widened.

Have you ever met… a dragon, child?

‘Dragon,’ she whispered.

☼

The next morning, Pid waited impatiently for the cook to finish making breakfast, plate ready in her hand.

‘You’re up early,’ he commented, scooping the scrambled eggs and bacon onto the plate.

‘I’m going to the market today.’

Balancing everything on the plate, Pid made her way upstairs, hearing the cook behind her mutter, ‘It’s not even market day today.’

But it were his next words that made Pid stop cold in her tracks.

‘Everything’s been planned, Pid! It’ll happen in two days time!’

Just two days?
Pid was running out of time.

☼

‘You’re here early,’ Ask commented while Pid put his breakfast on the desk.

‘It’s not that early,’ Pid mumbled, arranging the knife and fork. ‘I wanted to go to the market today.’

‘Oh, what a coincidence,’ Ask said. ‘Ever and I wanted to go as well. If you wait, you can ride with us.’

The whole point of getting up early and doing all of her tasks in the morning, was so Pid could stealthily escape the castle today.
But.
But horse riding with Ask?

Pid was weak.

☼

‘Perhaps we should leave the horses outside the town,’ Ever said quietly.

‘Nonsense,’ Ask said. ‘We can just take them with us by hand.’

‘Maybe we can leave them at the inn,’ Pid suggested. ‘So we won’t have to guide them everywhere, but they’ll still be close by.’

Ask nodded, and they walked into town.

A lot of people had to dive out of the way to avoid Ask and his horse, both unperturbed by the small disruption they were causing.

The only one who seemed uncomfortable by it all was Ever.

When they reached the square, Pid couldn’t believe her luck.
Beside the fruit and vegetable stalls, which were always there, including the baker’s small table, Pid spotted a large scarf and a head of light brown hair.

Without thinking, Pid took off.

‘Saga!’ she exclaimed.

There hadn’t been joy on Saga’s face when she turned around, but looking behind Pid, something akin to anger seemed to cross her face.

‘Watch out,’ Saga said. ‘Here comes the royal asshole.’

Pid turned around in surprise and saw Ask walking closer, Ever trailing shyly behind him.
Who did she mean?
But Pid didn’t have time to figure it out. She quickly turned back to Saga.

‘The dragon,’ she whispered. ‘Does your grandmother know where it is?’

Saga’s eyes widened, then narrowed immediately.

‘Why do you want to know?’

‘It’s important!’

‘That doesn’t tell me anything.’

‘Please,’ Pid whispered frantically. ‘I want to save the royal family. I don’t want people to die.’

Confusion crossed over Saga’s face.
‘Die?’ she repeated. ‘Who’s going to die?’

But time was running out.

‘Please, just tell me if your grandmother knows where the dragon is!’

Saga stared hard at her, thinking about what to say, which would’ve been fine if the twins weren’t coming this way.
And they absolutely couldn’t know.

‘Look who we have here ,’ Ask said from behind Pid, his voice an unusual drawl that sounded slightly annoying and strangely attractive.

‘She doesn’t,’ Saga said, eyes still on Pid. Then she looked at Ask. ‘What do you want?’

‘Nothing,’ Ask said. ‘Just making sure you’re not robbing Pid like you did with me.’

Robbing?
Pid looked curiously at Saga.
Was she a thief?

‘Wait. You know her?’ Saga said, looking between the two of them with a newfound distrust.

‘Her?’ Ask repeated, sounding surprised.

‘You didn’t recognize my uniform?’ Pid asked.

‘Hi Saga,’ Ever said quietly.

For a moment, Saga just looked between the three of them, her face morphing from irritated to confused. Then she turned around without another word.

Pid wanted to run after her, having already taken a step forward when Saga called back,
‘Tonight. The northern forest trail.’

Pid’s eyes widened in surprise.

Meanwhile, Ask yelled something offensive back which made Pid roll her eyes at his so called ‘tough’ behaviour.

☼

The forest looked positively and epically scary at night.

‘Is this like, a normal night for you?’ Pid whispered, squinting in the darkness so she could maybe see where she was going.
In front of her, Saga was leading the way.
In the dark.
Like, in the literal dark, without the help of a lantern or candle.

‘Pretty much,’ Saga said.

‘So why did you decide to help me out?’

‘Because I hope the dragon will get angry and eat Ask,’ Saga muttered.

‘What?!’ Pid exclaimed, her voice ringing eerily through the quiet forest. A few birds took flight in shock, the flapping of their wings sounding like the last sound Pid would ever hear.
Epically scary.

‘Kidding,’ Saga said. ‘I guess uh. I guess I learned that I shouldn’t judge people so quickly.’

‘That’s nice,’ Pid mumbled. ‘I would actually be sort of touched if I wasn’t so afraid right now.’

Staring wide-eyed at the dark forest ground, trying not to trip over anything, Pid wasn’t looking ahead and suddenly bumped into something warm. She jumped back with a shriek.
‘Oh holy bacon I’m going to die!’

‘Shut up, it’s just me,’ Saga said, grabbing Pid’s flailing arm and pulling her close. ‘We’re here.’

Pid looked up and was surprised to see, startlingly clear, the entrance to a cave. The moonlight made the stone appear brighter, so bright in fact that Pid could see vines crawling all over it.

‘I’m glad I’m going to die somewhere pretty,’ Pid said in awe.

‘You’re not going to die,’ Saga said, starting towards the cave. ‘I think.’

‘Oh, that’s so reassuring. Does your grandmother tell you how reassuring you are? Because let me tell you, she lied. On a scale of one to eight, you’re an absolute zero because that was zero reassuring.’

Saga ignored Pid’s rambling, instead stepping down a stone and grasping Pid’s arm to help her climb down too.
Together they progressed slowly but steadily.

‘I love working in the castle,’ Pid said, breathing heavily after climbing down another rock. ‘I especially love the absence of rocks.’

‘The castle is made of stones,’ Saga commented, jumping down a large boulder and immediately holding out her arms for Pid.

Pid scuffled towards the rock’s edge and judged the distance.
She concluded that if she fell, she would probably break her neck and die without having ever kissed someone.

‘If you catch me, I will forgive your comment just now,’ Pid said nervously.

‘I’ll catch you,’ Saga replied.

‘Oooookay,’ Pid said, taking a deep, not calming breath before jumping down.

And Saga’s arms caught her, just like she’d said she would.

‘ Holy bacon ,’ Pid breathed. ‘I’m alive.’

‘Ugh,’ Saga grunted, swaying a little. ‘You’re kind of heavy.’

‘Rude.’

☼

Another big rock, but this one glowed .

The fact that there was a huge, sparkly dragon on top of it however, blew Pid’s mind more.
Just a bit.

Pid dropped down on the floor with a heavy sigh.
‘I’m exhausted ,’ she complained. ‘No wonder you look like that,’ she said, looking at Saga’s legs. ‘Every day is leg day for you.’

‘I have no idea what you’re talking about.’ Saga frowned, looking down at Pid before walking over to the dragon and placing her hand on its swishing tail.
‘Hey Sight,’ she said softly.

A low, rumbly voice sounded through the cave, startling a few years off of Pid’s life.

‘ Good evening, Saga. I see you’ve brought a friend.’

‘Hoooo, that’s me,’ Pid breathed.

‘This is Pid,’ Saga said. ‘She wants to ask you something.’

The dragon’s tail stopped its almost playful curling and uncurling as its enormous head slowly turned her way.
Pid wondered if this would be the last thing she’d see before she died.
A sparkly dragon on top of a glowy rock.
As far as last moments went, this one was pretty out there.

The dragon’s tongue slipped out to taste the air around her, and Pid squeaked in surprise and fear.

‘Don’t eat me!’

The floor beneath her feet started to vibrate as the dragon made a low, rumbling sound in the back of its throat.

‘ What is it you would like to know, Pid?’

‘It knows my name,’ Pid said in awe.

‘I know,’ Saga retorted. ‘I was the one who told it.’

Pid ignored her in favour of staring at the dragon’s beautiful scales, enormous wings and large eyes. Upclose it was still very terrifying, but also kind of mesmerizing. Pid felt like she could stare at it for hours.

But she didn’t have that kind of time, so she snapped herself out of her staring.

‘Do you know about the King’s twin brother? What happened to him, and why he’s erased from the history books?’

The dragon’s head stayed perfectly still, its hot breath making loose strands of hair around her face move.
Pid almost wanted to hold her breath but she didn’t, because it would be stupid to faint from lack of oxygen.

‘ I know ,’ the dragon said quietly. ‘ What happened to prince Moral.’

‘He died here, didn’t he?’

‘ That he did. ’

‘What?’ Saga said, taking a step closer to Pid, closer to the dragon’s head. ‘It was you?’

‘ I did not kill Moral, if that is what you are referring to. ’

Pid didn’t understand.

‘But he died here.’

The dragon moved its head away from them and towards the hole in the ceiling, the moonlight shining down on it.

‘ Moral came looking for me. I asked if he was after my treasure. He was not. He wanted to protect his soon to be Kingdom.’

‘You’d never hurt anyone,’ Saga said.

‘ That is a lie, ’ the dragon said in its low, gravelly voice. ‘ But I am flattered you think so.’

‘So he attacked you?’ Pid asked.

‘ No . I promised him I wouldn’t attack the village, and he was satisfied. His brother however, was not.’

Goosebumps appeared on Pid’s skin as a horrible feeling suddenly overcame her.

‘Why not?’ she whispered.

‘ Amongst my treasure was a sword,’ the dragon said. ‘ Hidden there by the King. Moral recognised it later than I expected, but that is besides the point. He asked me for it and I said he could take the Sword. But his brother had quietly followed him to my cave, and wanted it too.’

‘So they fought,’ Saga guessed.

‘No. Honor ran towards the sword before his brother could. I told Honor he could not have it, but he did not listen. Moral told his brother this was not how the Royal Sword should be gained. But Honor did not listen. He took the sword, and as soon as he grasped its hilt, the stone inside turned onyx black. The magic was already working, and so Honor did not think twice before turning on his brother and killing him. ’

Pid shivered.

‘Why didn’t you do anything?’ Saga asked. ‘You could’ve stopped him.’

‘ It was not my place .’

‘Wait,’ Pid said. ‘You said the magic was already working. Is it…’ Even before she said the words, Pid realized they were true. ‘Is it the sword? Is the sword influencing the King?’

The dragon’s tail curled slowly.

‘ Correct.’

‘So how do I undo it?’

A low rumbling sound echoed through the cave again, the floor shaking, little stones and pebbles falling to the ground.

‘ You cannot undo the magic of the Royal Sword,’ the dragon answered.

Pid’s heart sank.

‘But- I don’t- I have to change something. Or people will die.’

‘ The Sword has to be gained for it to be fair. The Sword has to be earned for it to be just. The Sword has to be given for it to be benevolent.’

‘Those words again,’ Pid said in frustration. ‘I’m sorry dragon, but this doesn’t help me all that much. I still don’t know what to do, and I only have one day to figure it all out before the people will rebel.’

‘They will?’ Saga asked.

‘They won’t stop once they’ve started!’ Pid said in a panic. ‘They will murder Ask!’

‘ You will figure it out,’ the dragon rumbled, its voice stronger, louder, than the panic rising in Pid. ‘ Your name does not lie.’

And just for a moment, she could see it.
See what needed to be done to break this curse, to change the Sword’s magic back to its fair and just mumbo jumbo.

It would be dangerous.
On a scale of one to eight, it would be a definite, life-threatening eight.

Pid wasn’t sure she could do it,
but Intrepid was willing to give it a try.

☼

The following morning, Pid ate all the bacon she could stomach.

If everything failed the next day, she would at least have had this small piece of happiness. Or well, these small pieces of happiness.

Licking her fingers and humming happily, Pid closed her eyes and simply took in the smells and sounds of the kitchen, and its staff.

This place had been her home for over five years.

It had been the place she first felt comfortable enough to drop the expectations placed upon her by her father, and be the person she always wanted to be.
To not be Intrepid, the dressmaker’s son who had a knack for colours and pretty clothes,
the son who didn’t want to be a son.
Here she could be Pid, the personal servant of the crown prince.
Pid, the secret and charming mistress of his royal Highness.

She smiled as she recalled the first time she’d met the crown prince, as she had lain eyes on his handsome face.

‘ Holy bacon ,’ had been her first words to him.

‘Just his Royal Highness will do,’ had been his first words to her.

It had been love at first sight.

Belief sighed behind her.
‘Your ponytail has come loose again.’
Pid felt nimble hands take hold of her hair and start working their magic.

‘You know you’re the other love of my life, right?’ Pid said, feeling sentimental all of a sudden.

Belief laughed like nothing was going to be wrong.

‘Let me guess who the other is.’

☼

‘Breakfast, your Highness,’ Pid said quietly, placing the plate on the desk in the corner of the room.

‘Is something… wrong?’

Startled, Pid turned around to find Ask watching her warily.

‘No, nothing… Nothing’s wrong,’ she said hesitatingly.

Ask stepped out of bed, his creamy, soft-looking night shirt falling open as he made his way over to the desk.
To Pid.

Pid’s heart was pounding wildly in her chest.
Not worth it, not worth it, not worth it, she chanted to herself as she failed not to stare at Ask’s warm skin or handsome face.

‘Can I…’ Ask started quietly, ‘Ask you something?’

Pid looked at him, throat feeling tight with fear.

‘Anything,’ she said.

His golden eyes searched her face, travelling over her cheeks and nose and lips like a touch that Pid could almost feel
and she was so afraid she would fail tomorrow, that she would lose him.

‘Why did Saga call you “her”?’

Oh, that.
Pid laughed a little breathlessly.

‘Why is that your question?’

To her surprise, Ask looked uncomfortable for a second. It made him look entirely unprincelike and young.

‘I was afraid I’d made a mistake,’ he confessed awkwardly.

The words made something flutter, made something take flight inside Pid’s chest
and she was overcome with the feeling of wanting this moment to last forever and needing it to be over before she would be lost in it.

‘I’m afraid I’m going to regret something,’ Pid said. ‘But I think I’m going to do it anyway.’

Ask looked confused.
‘And what’s that?’

Reaching out and using all of her strength, Pid grasped Ask’s nightshirt and erased their height difference by pulling him closer.
She closed her eyes,
took a deep, calming breath
and kissed him.

Like everything about him,
like his skin,
his voice,
his eyes,
his lips were oh so warm.

And soft.

They were the softest thing Pid had ever touched,
and she pressed her lips firmer against his, heart pounding madly inside her chest.

Then she pulled back.
Ask was staring at her in shock.

‘I’m so sorry, your Highness,’ she said. ‘But I don’t think I regretted that after all.’

Ask was still staring at her, eyes wide and cheeks flushed
and Pid thought that maybe this would be the time to go.
She bowed nervously, something she normally never did, and quickly moved past him.

At the door, she looked back one more time,
but Ask still hadn’t moved.

☼

Of course it would’ve been too much to ask if the rebellion could wait until after breakfast.

The sound of doors slamming and vases breaking sounded through the castle, and Pid startled awake when the door to their bedroom suddenly swung open with a loud bang.

‘Get up!’ a boy, one Pid recognized from the kitchens, shouted. ‘It’s starting!’

She saw a kitchen knife in his hand, and swallowed away her fear.

‘I wish they wouldn’t do this,’ Belief mumbled, having also woken up.
Her beautiful glossy black hair was falling just over her shoulders, and the useless thought that Belief had to cut it again crossed Pid’s mind.

‘Hey!’ the kitchen boy shouted, slamming his hand against the door and making both girls jump. ‘Are you with us or against us?’

‘Wow, calm down,’ Pid said. ‘Don’t be so extreme.’

The boy sneered down at her.
‘Oh yeah? At least I didn’t kill innocent people. Let’s go and tell the King not to be so extreme, huh?’

He had a point.
He had a point, so Pid needed to get out of bed and try and fix this mess.

A loud crash echoed through the castle, and the boy looked excitedly behind him.

‘See you!’ he shouted and ran back from where he came from.

As soon as he was gone, Pid jumped out of bed and hurried towards her wardrobe, pulling out a simple tunic and comfortable pants. As much as she adored her official outfit with its gold details, it wouldn’t do her much good now .

‘Do you have to go?’ Belief asked quietly, not quite hiding the fear in her voice.

Pid quickly laced up her boots.

‘I do,’ she answered, straightening up. ‘I don’t want Ask to die.’

Tears shone in Belief’s eyes, but she nodded.

Pid gave her a quick hug before running out the door.

☼

The floor beneath her boots was littered with shards from vases and mirrors, and Pid saw several servants picking up large, jagged ones and swinging them around like weapons.

Pid kept running.

To her relief, the hallway leading to Ask’s chamber was almost deserted.
Pid looked around nervously before quickly knocking on the door.

There was no response.

Feeling like she didn’t have much time, Pid knocked again, fist rapping frantically against the wood before the doors opened and a hand pulled her inside.

She was thrown against the floor and immediately, a sword was pressed against her throat.

‘Oh…’ Ask breathed. ‘It’s you.’

Sheathing his sword, he reached out a hand to help Pid stand.

‘Sorry I don’t have breakfast this time,’ Pid said shakily.

‘It’s too early for breakfast anyway,’ Ask replied grimly, walking back to the door and peering through a crack into the hallway.

‘Your Highness,’ Pid began. ‘I need to know where the King’s chambers are.’

‘...Why?’

There was no delicate way of putting this.

‘Because your father is the key to stopping this rebellion.’

Ask turned to look at her when all of a sudden the ground beneath their feet shook, even wilder than it had in the dragon’s cave. It sounded like an explosion.

Ask’s eyes were big, and frightened.

‘They’re going to kill him, aren’t they?’

Pid nodded.
‘I think so.’

Footsteps in the hallway, running past Ask’s door.
Pid decided time was up, so she ran towards Ask and grabbed his wrist.
Pulling him with her, she barrelled through his bedroom doors and into the hallway.

‘We have to go!’ she yelled. ‘It’s not safe to stay in the room everyone expects you to be in!’

While surprise had made Ask follow her, now he stopped in his tracks, causing Pid to almost lurch back.
She was impressed and charmed by his strength, but also irritated at his stubbornness.

‘We can’t stay here,’ Pid said desperately.

‘I know,’ Ask said. ‘But you can’t be seen with me. Go. I’ll find a place to hide.’

‘What?’
Pid blinked. ‘Why do you decide to be charming now? This is not the time!’

It was wildly out of place,
but Ask smiled at her, a charming and unfairly attractive smile that made Pid’s heart race.

‘I’m always charming,’ Ask said.

‘Ugh,’ Pid said.

Again, the sound of footsteps heading their way was a reminder that they definitely couldn’t be doing this now, and bouncing on the balls of her feet, Pid was unsure whether leaving the prince was a good idea.

More footsteps.
The sounds were echoing off the walls, growing in volume and accompanied by loud, angry voices.

Pid looked at the hallway to her left, which led to the main hall and the throne room.
It sounded like everyone was gathering there.

She knew she couldn’t take him to the angry crowd.

‘Please don’t die,’ she whispered, looking at his handsome face one more time before sprinting in the direction of the noise.

☼

She was met with the sight of one of the giant doors leading into the throne room being broken down, servants and staff breaking off pieces of wood and knocking their hammers against the metal frame.

‘Why are you being so violent?!’ Pid screamed, racing towards one of the cooks and tugging on his sleeve. ‘You don’t need to break the doo-’

But the cook aggressively shook her off, knocking Pid onto her back, amidst the mass of bodies.
Feet were shoving and kicking her, and Pid yelled out in pain when someone stepped on her ankle, bending it in a way that wasn’t natural.

She needed to get up.

She’d just turned onto her hands and knees when Pid heard the groaning and creaking of the second door.
Looking up, she saw the monstrosity wavering, leaning in her direction as people angrily pushed and beat it.

She had to get up now.

Someone took a staggering step back as the giant door groaned at the abuse, kicking Pid hard against the side and causing her to fall down again.

She took a gasping, painful breath as she tried to get to her hands and knees once more. Her rib felt bruised, and her ankle screamed in pain as she put weight on her left foot and slowly moved to her feet.

‘Watch out!’ someone screamed close to her. ‘It’s coming down!’

Pid had about a millisecond to see the door leaning towards the mass of bodies, towards her , before its hinges broke with a metallic snap and people were screaming and pushing to get out of the way.

Someone’s hammer knocked against Pid’s hip, making her stumble back before an elbow hit her in the back of her head.

It was difficult to see anything through the panicked mass of people, and Pid worried this was how her heroic adventure would end.
Squashed underneath a giant door.

But then two warm hands took hold of her arm and pulled her away from the crowd.

Pid stumbled, her bad ankle giving her hell, but when she looked up and saw Belief yelling at her, asking her if she was okay, Pid breathed a small sigh of relief.

‘Are you hurt somewhere?!’

‘Yes, but I’ll live!’ Pid yelled back, grabbing Belief’s shoulder and pulling her to the side. ‘I don’t know how to get them to quiet dow-’

It was as if someone had heard her request, because the words hadn’t fully left her mouth before, behind Belief, the King and his knights appeared.

‘QUIET!’ the King yelled, his voice booming through the hall and killing off every sound in the room.

But he hadn’t killed of the anger.
Pid saw people grabbing their hammers and sticks and shards,
saw the anger on their faces,
the determination in their eyes.

‘Who’s responsible for this?’ the King bellowed.

Of course, nobody answered.

The King looked around at all their faces like he was writing a list in his mind.
His eyes narrowed when he noticed Belief and Pid.

‘My children’s servants,’ he said. ‘Do they know you’ve betrayed them? Do they know you’ve come to kill their father?’

‘We haven’t-’ Belief stammered, but Pid instantly spoke up.

‘You mean do they know that you’re evil and paranoid? You know, I think they do!’

‘Ah,’ the King said simply, a horrible smile spreading over his face. ‘Thank you for volunteering. Guards! Kill that girl!’

‘You can’t just kill me because I told you the truth!’ Pid shouted back. ‘You have all these mirrors in your castle, but you’re still blind! Just, fair and benevolent my ass! You knew all those years ago that you weren’t meant for that Sword!’

The King’s face reddened in anger, and he grabbed a dagger hanging off one of the knight’s belts.

Before Pid could react, he threw it at her.

Time seemed to move slower as the dagger flew, its sharp blade making its way to Pid’s chest.

It struck Belief instead.

There was a horrible moment were Pid felt like what she was seeing wasn’t real.

But then Belief made a awful gurgling sound and her knees hit the stone floor with a thud .

‘Wha- why-’ Pid stammered, voice shrill, panicked, as she fell to her knees beside Belief. ‘Why did you jump in front of me?! I didn’t ask you to! Belief? Oh no. Belief!’

But Belief didn’t move.

Pid could hear the King ordering his knights to disperse of the mob, but all she could focus on was the blood pouring out of the wound in Belief’s stomach.
Pulling out the knife didn’t seem like a good idea, so Pid gently laid Belief on her back and brushed her hair away from her face.

‘Can you hear me?!’ Pid asked in a panic, but Belief still didn’t open her eyes or answer. Her raspy breaths were the only thing keeping Pid going.

‘Oh no, no, this was not how it’s supposed to go, no no no,’ Pid said, crying now.

Suddenly, a servant bumped into her before falling on the ground in front of them.
Pid saw a knight walk closer, then stab his sword through the man’s throat.

The blood, the sounds , made Pid quickly look back down, focussing on Belief’s pained expression.

‘What do I do? What do I do?’ Pid asked frantically.

‘Pid,’ Belief coughed, opening her eyes briefly. Blood trickled down her mouth. Pid quickly wiped it away. ‘Pid… stop this,’ Belief managed.

‘I can’t leave you here!’ Pid cried.

‘Stop...  this.’ Belief coughed again. ‘Before more people die.’

‘No no no, you’re not dying! You’re definitely not dying!’

But all around her, people were.
The servants weren’t strong enough, couldn’t hold their own against the King’s knights.

Pid watched servants try to fend off strong, iron swords with their small shards of glass, saw servants bleeding out on the ground, not dead but close.

And standing near the staircase, looking satisfied by all the slaughter,
was the King,
holding the Royal Sword with its poisoned onyx stone in his right hand.

Right.
There was nothing right about the King, not even his hand, Pid thought angrily.
Someone had to stop him.
Or at the very least, try .

‘I’m sorry,’ she whispered to Belief, before moving to her feet.

The chaos made it easier for Pid to get closer to the King without being noticed.
But there were still two knights flanking him, their swords held threateningly in front of them.

How was she going to get close?

Hiding behind one of the pillars in the room, Pid searched the hall for something she could use, trying to ignore the growing amount of people on the floor.

It was then that she spotted a silk, soft night shirt.

Pid’s eyes widened
as she saw the crown prince hiding behind the corner of the staircase.
The staircase directly behind the King.

There was a sword in Ask’s hand and a goal in his eyes.

Pid knew what she had to do.

It was a shame she couldn’t prove her stealth moves, but for Ask she would make a few sacrifices.
She just hoped it wouldn’t be herself.

Pid took a deep, calming breath, then sprinted towards the King.
As expected, the knights beside him instantly tensed and sprang forward, swords at the ready.

‘Coward!’ Pid screamed at the King, stopping before the knights could slash her head off. ‘Not even fighting your own battle! They are just servants!’

‘They aren’t just ,’ the King sneered. ‘I am.’

Seriously?
Pid rolled her eyes.
‘Uhh, not what I meant. I meant, do you have that big, important looking sword just for show?’

The King narrowed his eyes at her, and Pid tried to meet his gaze head on but it was difficult.
She wanted so desperately to see if Ask was using her distraction.

‘That’s what I thought!’ Pid yelled angrily at him. ‘You probably can’t even use that sword! Because you never truly owned it anyway!’

‘Lies!’ the King shouted. ‘It is mine by right .’

‘You’re wrong! You murdered your brother just so you could have it, so you could be King. Even while you knew it wasn’t yours! And now it’s been poisoning you for years !’

‘I will show you I can use it,’ the King said, ‘By cutting your head of your body.’

The King waved away his guards, who both took a few steps to the side. Luckily, and unluckily, they were still facing Pid.

If only Pid could see what Ask was doing.
If Ask was doing anything.
Suddenly, Pid’s trust wavered a little.
When had Ask ever done anything against his father?

The Royal Sword looked threatening and impressive as the King swung it around, like he was warming up before practice.

‘Go ahead then!’ Pid yelled, feeling stupider by the second. ‘Kill me like you killed your brother!’

Anger flashed through the King’s eyes, and his arm tensed, muscles preparing for the strike.
Before he could however, two things happened.

First, Ask’s sword shot forward, aiming between the shoulder blades.
Second, a terrible, high-pitched scream sounded through the hall.

‘ Nooooo!’

Pid wondered if Ask would’ve stopped for anyone else.

Standing at the top of the stairs
was Ever,
eyes wide and frightened, hand reached out as if to stop her brother.

The King made to turn around, but Ask grasped his shirt and pressed the sword harder into his skin.

‘No,’ Ask said. ‘Don’t turn around.’

The knights beside the King looked at Ask and the King, seeming lost. They probably didn’t want to attack either.

‘Go on,’ the King said through gritted teeth. ‘Kill me.’

What?

Ask almost took a step back, shock clear on his face.

The King had probably felt his waver, because a smile spread on his face.

‘I’m glad you finally decided to man up, Ask. Go on then. Finish it. Take the Royal Sword for yourself, and become King.’

To Pid’s absolute horror,
Ask hesitated .

But that wasn’t all.

‘Yeah,’ someone said weakly. ‘Go on. Kill the King.’

‘Kill the king!’ someone else repeated.

The fear in Ask’s eyes was still present, but Pid could see his grip on the King’s shirt tightening, could see him adjusting his hold on his sword.
Oh no.

‘Ha,’ the King said. ‘I was right all along. Everyone wanted to kill me.’

‘Because what you did was wrong!’ Ask shot back angrily.

‘Ask, please, don’t!’ Ever yelled.
She seemed frozen on the spot however, arm still outstretched, but never reaching.

‘It’s okay, son,’ the King said. ‘I want you to do it. Come on.’

Ask’s hand started to tremble, his jaw clenching, as he stood with his sword pressed against his father’s back.

It wasn’t the way.
Pid knew this wasn’t how it was supposed to go.
The stone wouldn’t change colour like this.

‘Ask!’ the King shouted, and Ask flinched. ‘Go on! Kill me and take the Royal Sword! Be a King!’

‘What you did was wrong,’ Ask repeated, like he was convincing himself. ‘What you did was wrong . You murdered those maids.’

A few of the servants started shouting their agreements, and again the phrase ‘ Kill the King ’ was being repeated.

But Ask couldn’t kill the King.
He shouldn’t .

‘Come on,’ the King said. ‘Be a man and kill me.’

And inspiration hit Pid.

‘I know this isn’t the time,’ she shouted, ‘But can you stop saying that? It suggests women can’t be courageous.’

Ask’s eyes met hers in surprise.

‘And that’s just wrong,’ Pid continued, heart pounding in her chest as she held his gaze. ‘ Everyone can be courageous.’

For a brief second, it was there.
Ask’s smile.
Then he changed his grip on his sword and bashed its heavy, golden hilt against the King’s temple, knocking him out cold.

The Royal Sword fell from the King’s grasp and to the floor.
Its stone went transparent, the black onyx disappearing.

Everyone looked at the King, then at Ask.

‘Everyone,’ Ask said, putting away his sword and standing a little straighter. ‘I know why you are here tonight. I know what my father did was wrong . That is why after tonight, he will no longer be King. You will have a new ruler. One that is just, and fair and benevolent.’

‘Those stupid words again,’ Pid muttered, trying to appear like she wasn’t staring dreamily at Ask.

‘That is also why,’ Ask said, taking a step forward and looking down at the Royal Sword, the symbol of royalty. ‘Your new ruler won’t be me.’

‘What?’ Pid said.

Ask met her eyes briefly before looking at all the servants and knights.

‘As is tradition, the Royal Sword will be hidden, and the new ruler will prove themselves worthy by finding it, and claiming it.’

He turned to look at Ever, who was still standing at the top of the staircase. She stared at him in confusion.

‘Ever,’ Ask said. ‘Will you accept this challenge?’

☼

Belief’s hair looked impossibly black against the white sheets, and her warm, caramel coloured skin was pale, making her look all wrong .

It has been days since the midnight rebellion, days since Ask had knocked out the King and asked his sister to become the successor.
Days since Belief had opened her eyes.

Pid tried to stay by her side as often as she could, only leaving when she had to help Ask dress in difficult gowns and suits that the other servants simply had no experience with.
While most of the castle was still healing, Ask had to attend several council meetings.
Since Ask had severed the King’s claim over the Sword, the King was… less. There was less panic, nerves and anger. Less evil and paranoia.

Nobody excused him however.
Hence the meetings.
There were a few protocols to be heeded and official letters to be sent out to other kingdoms.

Pid just wanted Belief to get better.

She wanted to hear her laugh again, to feel her hands working through her hair, to talk with her about everything and nothing for hours .
Pid wanted her best friend back.

The healer had assured her nothing could be done but wait for Belief to gain back her strength.

But Pid was impatient.

Someone knocked on the door.

‘Come in,’ Pid said. She heard the door open, and footsteps walk closer.

‘How is she?’ the crown prince asked quietly.

Pid turned around in surprise to see Ask stand behind her, still in his royal clothes. They were red today, the red of lingonberries, and the sight made Pid’s heart flutter inside her chest.

‘She’ll be okay,’ Pid answered. ‘I just wish she was awake and okay.’

Ask nodded.

It was the first time he visited Pid here, and he looked slightly out of place in the small room.

‘Your Highness?’ Pid asked. ‘I never got to ask, but… Why did you ask Ever to become the new monarch? You didn’t kill the King, so you could’ve just accepted the challenge.’

‘Hm, perhaps. I have been training for the position for a long time, so I have no doubt I would be a good King.’

Pid smiled at his confidence.

‘But,’ Ask continued. ‘A violent monarch wouldn’t be the answer right now. That’s to say, I don’t think I’m the answer. I think I was supposed to be the question.’ He smiled at her then, a beautiful, handsome smile that made Pid’s stomach swirl. ‘I think I was supposed to Ask.’

‘Ha,’ Pid said weakly, still a bit thrown by his handsome face. ‘I get it. Nice joke. You’re very handso- funny. Funny. Very funny, you, crown prince, you.’

Someone groaned behind Pid.

‘That was… horrible,’ Belief said weakly. ‘I’m never believing… your stories anymore…’

‘Belief!’ Pid exclaimed in relief, turning around and quickly grabbing hold of her hand.

‘Stories?’ Ask repeated.

‘She’s still half unconscious,’ Pid said quickly, while taking in Belief’s tired smile. She still looked too pale and worn-out, but Belief was awake and Pid wasn’t going to be greedy by wanting everything right now.

‘I’m not,’ Belief protested.
Pid shushed her, brushing away a few strands of her hair.

‘I’ll get the healer,’ Pid said.

‘You don’t need to leave… for me.’

‘No, we definitely need to leave,’ Pid said. ‘And you need to rest.’

The healer had been staying in the castle for the last couple of days because of all the casualties, so Pid easily found him and urged him to go check on Belief.

When she left Belief’s room for the second time, she found Ask waiting for her in the hallway.

‘Sorry about that,’ Pid said, smiling awkwardly.

‘So…’ Ask said slowly. ‘Stories? I hope they were good.’

‘What? Stories? I never- Your Highness, I think your hearing is off today, because I have never heard of the word “stories” in my life,’ Pid rambled.

Ask smiled at her.

‘So how was the meeting?’ she asked quickly.

‘It went well,’ Ask said, but his voice sounded strained. It must be hard, Pid figured, seeing his father in this position. But at least things were being done.

Things were changing for the better.

‘Say, are you hungry?’ Ask suddenly asked her.

‘Hungry?’

‘Yes. I was thinking I’m in the mood for breakfast.’

Huh?
‘But it’s the middle of the day,’ Pid said, confused.

‘Oh, really?’ Ask said in a tone that suggested he knew perfectly well. ‘But I’m the crown prince. If I want to eat breakfast, I can.’ He grinned at her, and it looked boyish and unprincelike.
It made Pid fall in love with him all over again.

‘Oh, well, in that case…’ Pid said, smiling back. ‘Let’s eat breakfast.’

‘With lots of bacon,’ Ask added, starting towards the kitchens.
But Pid didn’t follow him.
Instead, she gaped at him in shock, frozen on the spot.

‘B-bacon?’

Noticing she wasn’t following, Ask stopped and turned around, looking slightly insecure all of a sudden.

‘I thought that was what you loved.’

‘I love you,’ Pid breathed quietly.

‘What?’ Ask said.

‘You- uh, you are right,’ Pid said quickly, cheeks heating up. ‘I loooove bacon.’

She quickly followed him, and when Pid looked up at Ask’s handsome face, the hesitation from before was gone.
He smiled at her.

☼

They walked to the kitchens together, startling half the kitchen staff when they noticed who was with her.

A plate overflowing with bacon was immediately prepared, and they ate it in a corner of the kitchen.

Pid smiled as she watched Ask pick up the pieces with his fingers, something she’d never seen him do before.

Not being King suited him, Pid thought, and wondered if perhaps, after having finally made a choice, Ask was feeling more confident in himself.
Was feeling more like himself.

Until he dropped a piece of bacon on his expensive clothes.

‘Argh!’ Ask yelled, quickly picking the piece off his shirt.

But the damage had been done. The bacon fat had already stained his beautiful attire.

‘Oh no,’ Pid said flatly, not really bothered. ‘I think you have to take it off. Maybe I can wash it. Quickly, no time to waste.’

‘You think?’ Ask said, starting to unbutton his sleeves.

Pid’s eyes widened.
‘Uuuhh, absolutely certain. Like, on a scale of one to eight, I’m a total and utter nine of certainty.’

Oh yes, things were definitely changing for the better.

☼