Once they realized the "show" was over, the crowd dispersed, deciding it was finally time to return to their own lives.

Ria turned towards Blaze. “Thank you,” she said. “Again.”

Blaze stared at her. He gave her a slight shrug. The sight of the Capital guards had soured his good mood. Without another word, he turned back to his two men. It was a clear dismissal.

Ria raised an eyebrow at the action. Deciding that nothing could be done (for now), she walked away.

Seeing the serious expression on their Boss’ face, the two lackeys forgot all they had just witnessed and focused. It was like he was totally different person. His face was stern and his eyes were focused and sharp. He looked like a boss.

Blaze frowned, “Timmy.”

The lackey with glasses, or Timmy, adjusted his eyewear. He reported, “The Capital’s been expanding their reach. Every major crossroad and port is stocked with their guards. They stop every horse, carriage, boat, and ship. As long as it's carrying something, they check it. Tom saw it for himself.”

The burly man, Tom, huffed, “Good thing I was only carrying jewels and they was in my secret pocket.” Tom crossed his arms. “But it’s near impossible to get away with the bigger wares.”

Timmy continued, “They’ve already caught some smugglers from other gangs. The Base Bosses are getting nervous. They say the wares aren’t safe.” He rolled his eyes. “According to them, they won’t send more men out until the Underground Lord himself gives the word. They’re too scared to piss him off, but they’ll harp on us.” He sighed, “Until then, they’ll leave us to rot.”

“Cowards,” growled Tom.

Timmy snorted with derision. “They join when times are good and their pockets get stuffed, but drop out at the first signs of trouble.” He sneered, “I know the Lord made the decision to ally with them, but those Base Bosses are slimy. They’re no different than the Courts.”

Tom turned to Blaze. “Boss, you’re closest with the Lord. He say anything?”

Blaze was silent, the frown on his lips was answer enough.

“So, we’re on our own,” Tom sighed, suddenly looking very small despite his large size. “If this continues, the Sand Dollar will start to lose value, won’t it? And we’ll be back to square one.”

“Stupid trading laws!” Taking off his glasses, Timmy rubbed his forehead. “Why do you have to be a kingdom to legally trade, huh? How is it fair that the Capital controls all the laws?”

Shaking his head, Tom chuckled humorlessly. “‘You don’t see the Citadel or Estate complaining.”

“Yeah, cause Lady Rex pays off the Court of Farmers and turns a blind eye to the savages in the Citadel getting free labor from our people!”

“They don’t even try to hide it anymore,” shuddered the big man. “They kidnap them in broad daylight.”

A voice piped in, “I guess inter-kingdom trade would make condoning slavery pretty hard, right?”

Timmy and Tom whipped around to stare at the speaker. Blaze coolly glanced over at Ria. The girl was squatting and drawing symbols in the dirt. It was a weird combination of numbers and letters. Ria looked up. “Sorry to eavesdrop.”

Blaze shrugged. “Just a conversation between smugglers, not really a rare sight in Oceanport.” Blaze tilted his head. “But what are you still doing here?”

“Killing time.” Ria shrugged, “Don’t really have anywhere to go.”

The three men stared at her.

Tom stepped forward. “What did you mean by the inter-kingdom trade and slavery thing?”

Ria tapped her chin. She rationalized it out loud. “Money is money. If you can contribute cash into the system, you’re valuable. If you’re valuable, what you want matters.” She picked the mud out of her fingernails. “But it’s a lot more profitable to take rather than trade. Plus, if you make your opponents desperate enough, they’ll be scraping by to survive rather than causing trouble.” Ria paused dramatically. “And how do you do that?”

“Take away their value,” answered Blake. “That’s why Oceanport doesn’t even have a legal form of currency. People give their children to the mines in order not to starve.”

Standard subjugation strategy. Thank you, history class, thought Ria. She sighed, looking around. No wonder the entire “kingdom” looked so rough and rundown. Although… thinking it through, Ria felt something was off. In the long run, more trade and resources would be valuable to all the kingdoms. Why would the Capital waste all this effort in subjugating Oceanport if the Citadel was the only one benefitting off of it? What was the point?

The girl’s eyes narrowed. The three men in front of her and the illegal “sand dollar” were proof that people would eventually find ways around the oppression. And to think this had been going on for years? According to history, it wouldn’t be long before a true revolution broke out.

Something was off…Ria’s mind was grasping at the pieces but unable to put them together. She sighed again. Hungry and bored, what an awful combination.

Blaze gestured towards the two men as two Capital guards walked by. Unlike usual, it wasn’t safe to talk so openly on the streets. Foreign guards were still milling about. They headed off.

“Penny for my thoughts?” Ria called out to them. Her stomach grumbled again. “Or however much it costs to get a meal around here?”

Blaze stopped walking. Timmy and Tom halted just in time, just barely avoiding running into their boss’ back.

“What’s a penny?” whispered Timmy to Tom.

The other man shrugged.

Blaze turned, his dark eyes settling on the girl.

Ria asked, “Do you have your own ships and carriages?”

The young man raised an incredulous eyebrow at the question. Ria nodded, “Right, illegal stuff needs to be confidential and all that.” She continued, “Still, assuming you haven’t yet, you should get some. Modify some secret compartments, fill it with people to hide your tracks, and…” Waving her hand in a “so-on, so-on” motion, Ria looked at them expectantly. “Trust me, transportation businesses are always a huge hit.”

Tom laughed, “Lady, do you know how expensive ships are?”

Crossing her arms, Ria retorted, “Sounds like you’re losing money anyways. Might want to make the investment.”

Following Tom’s lead, Timmy shook his head and explained, “We’ve thought of it. But it’s a lot easier to jump ship and transport goods beneath the Courts’ noses…”

“If ya don’t have to worry about leaving your precious investment behind!” Tom finished.

Suddenly, a pouch was tossed into the air. It landed right in front of Ria. The two men turned to stare at Blaze who was already walking away, hand stuffed into his pockets.

Ria pulled at the strings and opened the pouch. She smiled excitedly at the sight of copper coins inside.

“You’re welcome!” she called. “Free consultation anytime.”

Blaze waved a lazy hand in the air and disappeared behind a corner.

“But why…?” Timmy and Tom turned to stare at Ria. “How…”

Ria brushed herself off and got up. She gave the two a quick thumbs-up, then headed off in the direction of “THE TAVERN”. Future knowledge was so helpful, she thought giddily.

Timmy and Tom stared at each other, baffled.

Later, they would stare in shock at their Boss’ letter.

“The Lord wishes to commission 40 carriages, 30 boats, and 25 ships.”

…

After standing outside “THE TAVERN” for about twenty minutes, (staring at the handwritten sign and wondering how people thought her handwriting was bad…), Ria finally convinced herself to enter.

Shoving open the door, Ria peeked in and immediately ducked. A flying jug of ale flew over her head. It hit the wall and fell to the floor with a THUNK!

Ria blinked at the lost drink. She whipped around to stare at the interior of the… bar?

The place was filled to the brim with people. A burly young man stood behind a counter in the back of the room, wiping glasses and filling jugs. The rest of the space was scattered with odd tables and mismatched chairs. A large fireplace sat against the wall in the center. Wooden staircases in the corner led to the upstairs. For those who knew, it was fairly calm for a midday drink session. Half the people were chugging jugs, while the other half were dead asleep.

Ria stepped over a passed-out body. She searched for a window seat and found one next to the bar. The table under the window had a cloaked figure snoring loudly but Ria made a beeline for the empty seat next to it. Sitting down, she caught sight of the ocean-view outside.

The girl gasped. It was beautiful. Despite running around all day in this world, funnily enough, Ria never connected the idea that a place called Oceanport would literally be a port city next to the Ocean.

If nothing else, at least sunsets were still golden orange and waters were still blue in this world. It was the small things.

“Hey, lass!” called the barkeeper.

Ria turned. Seeing no one else raise their head, she pointed at herself, mouthing, ‘me’?

Nester rolled his eyes. “Yes, you!” Placing his hands on his hips, he said, “We don’t allow lolly-gaggers around here. What do you want?”

Ria froze. Was she being kicked out? Before eating?

“He’s asking you what you want to eat.” A voice from under the previously snoring cloak said groggily. The person didn’t even bother lifting their head. “Also, go sit somewhere else. This seat is taken.” He gestured at her chair.

Ria opened her mouth, then closed it. Not worth it, she decided.

Approaching the bar, Ria set down her pouch. Nester raised an eyebrow at the action. Ria asked, “I’m not really from around here, so-”

“Yeah, we can tell,” Nester interrupted. “What are you, a farmer?”

Pausing, Ria said slowly. “Uh, no?”

“Hmm, a savage Hilly? No? Ugh, I should have guessed.” Nester turned to address the bar. “Fellas, we have an esteemed Capital Princess here!”

Halfhearted jeers and taunting laughs responded, echoing in the large space.

Ria shrunk back. “Uh, I’m not from the Capital either.”

Nester rose an eyebrow. “Then, where you from?”

Ria scratched her head. “Far from here. Like really far.”

Eyebrows bunching together, Nester pointed at the window, a hopeful lilt coloring his voice. “From across the Ocean?”

Ria shrugged, “I guess. I kinda woke up and was just… here.”

The man stared at her silently. Ria wanted to slap herself. Who was going to believe that?

Suddenly, Nester let out a booming laugh. A jovial and welcoming smile split his face. He clapped Ria’s shoulder. The girl winced but tried to smile back. All of the unfriendliness immediately faded from the young barkeeper. “You’re a foreigner! Like me! Should have said so earlier, lass!”

“The name’s Nester!” He slammed a jug on the counter and slid it towards Ria. “This one’s on the house, my fellow stranger…”

“Ria,” the girl offered. She stared at the amber liquid, then laughed, awkwardly saying, “I, uh, don’t drink.”

“Pity,” Nester shook his head, staring at Ria like she was the most wretched creature he had ever seen. Sighing, he asked, less excited. “Well, what do you want to eat, Princess?”

Twitching at the nickname, Ria pushed down the irritation and shrugged. “Whatever this much… sand dollars, can buy.” She pushed the pouch of coins forward.

Pulling the strings open, Nester peered inside the pouch. He let out a low whistle. “Girly, you’ve got enough for more than one meal in here.”

“Oh,” she said. “So…”

“How about a red claw?” Nester pointed at the etching of a lobster on the wall. “Eat with the fellow poor citizens of Oceanport?”

Ria stared at him incredulously. That was definitely too expensive. Her mom would kill her is she found out she was wasting money on lobster of all things! “Uhm, how about something else. I don’t think I can afford-”

Nester huffed. “Fine, too good for that, huh?”

Before Ria could interject, he shoved a Shepard’s pie in her face. Seeing Ria’s frozen expression, Nester laughed, “Go eat, Princess. You look like you need it.”

Ria glanced at the empty seat, then at the cloaked figure. Nester rolled his eyes. “Ignore the boy. Give him the V if he gives you a hard time.”

“The… v?” asked Ria but Nester had already turned his attention elsewhere.

Seeing no other choice, Ria took her pie and approached the table once more.

A blue eye peered up at her from under a mop of unruly hair. “I thought I told you the seat’s taken.”

Ria squinted at him. She set her pie down on the table. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled and made a v shape with both her hands.

The boy, which was clear to see with his hood not covering his face, stared at her weirdly. He looked close to her age. “Is that supposed to mean something?”

Ria gulped, “The… v?”

The boy smirked. “Oh, you mean this.” He split his index and middle finger and wiggled them at her. Someone passed out at the next table, oohed, then went straight back into unconsciousness. The boy stared at Ria, waiting for her offended reaction… but none came.

Ria tried the gesture and smiled. “Huh, that’s cute.” She sat in the seat, and began shoveling the pie into her mouth, looking a bit animalistic in her haste.

The boy stared with wide eyes. He leaned back unconsciously before sitting properly down in his own seat. “You starving or something?”

“Yeah, basically,” Ria said in between bites of food. “I’m not sharing this.”

“…I wasn’t going to ask for it?” The boy shook his head. He crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned back into his chair.

Ria glanced at him and chuckled. It would have worked a lot better if the boy wasn’t tapping his foot nervously. He should take lessons from Blaze on how to look intimidating, she thought.

Licking her fingers, she sighed and pat her belly. Delicious.

“What’s with the wacky outfit?” The boy stared, openly judging Ria’s fashion choices.

“Could ask you the same thing,” she snapped defensively The girl crossed her arms. “What’s with the whole pirate getup?”

Suddenly, the room went quiet. Heads turned to stare at the two of them. Ria blinked. The boy burst from his seat glowering down at her. His whole body trembled. He looked like he wanted to strangle Ria but was holding himself back. “Who the Niamh do you think you are?”

“What?” Ria blinked. She cautiously got up as well. “All I said was that you looked like a pirate-”

“Shut up!” The boy scowled. But it was too late. The other occupants of the room began murmuring to themselves.

“Now that she mentioned it-” said a patron thoughtfully.

“Remember the last raid, the Sea Raiders were also wearing the cloaks!” The drunk man banged his fist against the table, uncaring of the fact that half the people in the establishment were wearing cloaks. “He’s a Sea Raider, no doubt about it!”

“So, he is a pirate!”

Another jug went flying, but this time it was aimed at the boy’s head. He ducked just in time and growled at the person who threw it. The other person merely sneered and spit, “Sea Raider!”

Turning towards Ria, the boy shook his head and growled, “Now you’ve done it!” He pulled the cloak over his head. “Later, Nester!” he called to the barkeeper and shoved his way through the waking crowd, heading for the door.

Ria sighed. Sitting back down, she stared at the empty plate. Would it be a bad idea to get seconds? Her hand reached for the pouch… only to grab empty air. The pouch was gone! Her head snapped towards the door, catching the last glimpse of the boy exiting, with her pouch in his hands!

Ria stumbled to her feet. “Stop!” Bursting out the door, she ran after the boy. “Thief!”

Seeing her give chase, the boy began to sprint as well. Ria cursed, but continued to run.

Why did things like this always happen to her?

As she ran down the street, she didn’t notice the figures in black that had exited “THE TAVERN” after her. They nodded to one another in silent agreement. Looks like that was the one.

The spies set off to work.

…

In a small room, Blaze leaned against a wall. He stared down at the copied letter in his fists. Smoothing it out, he took a look at its content once more.

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“So it’s true,” he murmured. “Four is here.”

Sliding down to the floor, he turned to stare at the fat bird sitting on his windowsill. Wide beady eyes looked at him cluelessly. The bird proceeded to peck at the seeds scattered by its feet. Suddenly, it paused. PLOP! Finishing its business, the bird shuffled over and continued to peck at its food like it didn’t just shit on Blaze’s windowsill.

Running a hand against his face, Blaze groaned. “I hate birds.” Still, he forced himself to get up and scattered more food for the greedy creature.

Eyes catching sight of “THE TAVERN” in the distance, he chuckled. “At least this will be interesting.”

He got to work.

…

When the sun fully disappeared behind the horizon, the wind began to pick up. Shivering, Ria looked around the now dark streets. The main roads had some streetlights and windows with oil lamps emitting a warm glow from inside, but the alleys and corners were shrouded in total darkness. Panting, Ria cursed. Where had the boy gone? An unsettling feeling settled in her gut.

The sound of voices came from behind a corner. Ria headed in that direction. She hoped there would be light.

Suddenly, a grip pulled her back into the shadows. Ria’s eyes widened as a hand covered her mouth. She let out a silent scream.

…

A woman wearing an intricately patterned, flowing, violet gown stared out the large bay window. A long wooden table filled with scrolls and missives took up the space behind her. A large, covered object sat in the center of the table.

The giant windows overlooked a large city. As the sun set, streetlamps were slowly lit, illuminating the kingdom with an entirely different glow.

The woman sighed heavily. She rubbed her temples.

A figure emerged from the shadows. “You know what this means.”

“Four is in Oceanport.” The woman headed towards the head of the table and sat down. Leaning a hand against her chin, she murmured, “And so the Tournament we’ve worked so hard to prevent begins.”

She picked up a scroll and opened it, gazing at the drawing within for a long moment. Setting it down, she let out an amused chuckle, unsure of what to make of the situation.

“I must say, I’m quite surprised by this result.” She set the scroll down delicately. “At least it’ll be over quickly this time.”

“Of course, everything will be dealt with swiftly, my lady,” promised the figure.

Gaze sharpening, the woman stood. “Tell Marcel to meet me in my chambers,” she ordered. Picking up the covered item, she hugged it close to her chest, almost like cradling a child, and left the room.

The figure bowed obediently “Yes, Lady Rex.” They glanced back at the scroll. The heavy doors slammed shut.

The vibration caused the scroll that sat at the edge of the table to fall off. It rolled on the floor, unraveling as it went. Finally, it stopped as the edges hit the wall. The scroll and its content lay open for all to see.

In the center of it was a drawing of Ria chasing after the cloaked boy.

The craziness of the past twenty-four hours had finally made Ria snap. She was done!

Ria bit the hand covering her mouth. Her captor yelped.

Elbowing their stomach, she felt a dark gleam of satisfaction at the pained grunt. Still, they kept their hold on her, grip tightening.

Struggling and wriggling around, Ria managed to turn herself around and get a look at… the boy?

Eyes glaring down at her, he shook his head. Then, slowly, he released his hold on her.

Ria spit in his eye.

“Ah!” Stumbling back and gripping his eyeball, the boy glared at her. “What the Niamh?”

“You tell me!” Ria thundered.

Eyes growing wide, the boy made a “calm down” motion, but Ria took no heed. “First, you steal from me and then you- mmph!” The boy’s hand covered her mouth once more.

“Shut up!” he whispered to her.

She glared defiantly at him, then stomped on his foot.

“Niamh!” The boy cursed. Ria broke out of his hold.

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t turn you over to the…the guards!” Ria panted hard.

“You think they’d care?” The boy grumbled, but his eyes darted around nervously.

Ria grabbed his wrist. “Well, let’s find out!”

The boy suddenly paled. He looked around. Ria suddenly felt on guard. “What?”

“It’s quiet,” he murmured. “They stopped talking.”

It was true, she realized. The noise of voices from before had gone silent. Lowering her voice as well, Ria asked, “Who are they?”

A pause, then, “Recruiters.”

Seeing her clueless look, the boy facepalmed. “I know you’re a foreigner, but how do you not know this?”

The other simply gave him a shrug. The boy sighed, “You know about the mining expansion going on in the Citadel, right?” Ria nodded to humor him. “Well, the recruiters…”

“Recruit people?” Ria guessed.

“Yeah,” the boy sniffed, “But they’ve got quota contracts, and when they can’t lie and trick enough workers to join, they just go out and snatch them. It’s what most of them do now.”

Heart dropping, Ria’s face paled as well. “You mean, they… kidnap them?”

“Kidnap is such a harsh word,” a new voice spoke.

Ria and the boy whipped around. A group of men stalked towards them, ugly smirks painting their faces. The leader, a dog-faced, big bellied man, spoke again. “I’d rather consider it to be charity. An opportunity to gain free work experience! A once-in-a-lifetime chance to get out of this place.” His loud voice reverberated across the alley. This was not a man that feared being heard or found out. He chuckled to himself, turning to the other Recruiters around him. Slapping his knee, he gave the last selling point. “Transport and food included, my dears!”

“Sounds like slavery,” Ria retorted, all while backing up slowly. Out of her peripherals, she saw another group of men approaching from the back, cutting off their escape. They held long wooden poles in their hands and carried chains. The metal links swung back and forth, clinking against each other.

The leader took a few steps forward and stopped. The fancy accessories on his boots clinked together at the abrupt motion. He let out a grating laugh that made one immediately hate him. Ria gritted her teeth.

“Slavery,” the leader said slowly, savoring the word. His smile was deranged. “Now that’s a word I do like.”

He pointed at the two. “Grab ‘em.”

It wasn’t long before Ria and the boy found themselves surrounded. The group of kidnappers closed in around them.

“Niamh,” the boy cursed.

Ria closed her fists and held them up. They were sorely mistaken if they thought they could take her without a fight!

WHAM!

Two bodies sagged and hit the floor.

…

Plop, catch. Plop, catch. PLOP…. Catch.

“Would you stop with that already?” the boy snapped.

Ria took the pebble, studied it, then chucked it at the wall again. Plop, catch.

She sighed and tugged at the chains. The metal links jangled. Her hands were cuffed and attached to one end of the chain, while the other end was hooked to an iron nail hammered into the walls of the cell. She tugged at the chains. Yep, they weren’t going anywhere.

After they had been captured, the group had tied them up and transported them to who-knows-where. By the time they woke, both of them had been chained and in the cell. Ria shivered as a drop of water fell on her. She guessed that the men hadn’t taken them far. In fact, it was likely they were still in Oceanport, or at least, close to it. The cell was located in some underground sea cave.

Off towards the back of the cave, she could hear the sound of waves breaking below.

Every once in a while, a guard would come to check in on “the goods”. Jostling the chains and kicking at sleeping bodies, they would leave after making their rounds, confident that the shackles were still in place and the prisoners were just as miserable as ever.

Ria dropped her head. She sniffed. If only this was just a crazy fever dream. Her eyes caught sight of the boy, who had maneuvered himself so that his back faced the outside. Ria glanced around the cell. There were about twenty other prisoners. No one spoke, all minding their own business, be it laying on their sides, or curled up in their own respective corners. The silence was unnerving, and the occasional coughing fit always made Ria jump.

Glancing back at the boy, she whispered, “Hey.”

“What?” he muttered weakly.

Ria shrugged. “What’s your name?”

The boy turned back to his section of the prison wall.

Ria sighed.

“Finn.”

The girl cracked a smile at that. Finn paused, then exhaled and reluctantly asked, “What’s yours?”

“Ria,” she said quietly.

The cell fell silent once more, but Ria suddenly didn’t feel so alone. Gaze lifting upwards, she resigned herself to counting the drops of water.

Suddenly, there was a choked, “You were right.”

Ria tilted her head. “About what?”

Fin lowered his voice. “I am a pirate.”

Ria gave a slow nod. It was somewhat obvious at this point, she thought. Still, the girl politely kept those thoughts to herself.

“So,” Ria tried. “Any chance of your crew stopping by to save you?”

Fin laughed, “No.”

Ria didn’t think it was that funny.

The boy stared up at the jagged, rock ceiling, replaying memories in his mind that only he could see.

Ria chewed on her lips. “Is there even a slight chance?’

The boy sighed, “Considering the fact I defected, I’d be lucky if they didn’t skin me on sight.” Despite the cheery tone, his voice trembled slightly.

“Shut up!” The walls of the cells shook, as the stupid, dog-faced leader banged his fist against the bars. He grinned humorlessly at the startled yelps and terrified stares.

He jerked his head towards the group of men behind them. They stepped forward. The doors to the cell were wrenched open. Startled yelps and whimpers filled the space. Chains moved and were pulled as people huddled close to the wall, or crawled away, trying to make themselves invisible. A scruffy man in rags was dragged to the front.

He howled and struggled, trying to bite at the rough hands pushing him forward, but the kidnappers were ruthless as they kicked him down and shoved him out of the cell.

“You can’t hurt me!” he cried, tears spilling down his face. “The Citadel wants healthy miners!”

Ria’s breath choked in her throat. It… was her first time seeing a grown person cry.

Receiving a kick to the stomach, the man began to beg while choking on his tears.

The leader leaned down. His knuckle brushed the man’s mud-stained cheeks. “Oh, you pathetic Port-Dog. You’re not going to the miners. Citadel’s been halving their rates. Budget cut or something like that.” He brushed his hand on his pants. “You’re going to the Sea Raiders.” He leaned close to the man and whispered, “They need a few new slaves.” The leader looked up and straight into Ria’s eyes. The girl couldn’t look away, she knew tears were streaming down her own face.

I need to say something, she thought. But she felt sick to her stomach. This isn’t right! Her hands trembled against her will, and she was close to hurling the contents of her stomach. Ria froze, and the moment was gone as terror overtook her.

The surrounding prisoners gasped. Ria breathed heavily through her nose. What were the Sea Raiders? They had mentioned it at “THE TAVERN” as well. She glanced over at Finn, who had buried his head in his knees.

The man outside the cell sagged, his previous sobs quieted. The leader chuckled. SLAM! The leader choked. He stumbled back. His underlings quickly surrounded the prisoner who had just head-butted their leader. Despite now sporting a split lip and wet cheeks, the beaten “Port-Dog” barked out a laugh.

The leader growled. His black eye and bloody nose were quite the sight. He began to kick the prisoner, but the other man no longer had anything to lose. The guards dragged him roughly to his feet. He continued to laugh as they led him out of the cave and to his doom.

Needless to say, no one spoke after that.

Hours passed before another guard came in with a tub full of gooey… food? But Ria couldn’t stomach the thought of eating. They threw pieces of bread at the prisoners, but she barely noticed as the others scrambled for their share.

This was real, Ria realized with growing horror. It was finally starting to sink in as to what that truly meant.

Sure, she had told herself that before, but… it had all still felt surreal. But now? A man had just been beaten in front of her. And he was being dragged to who knows where, and could possibly… die? Why was there such a horrible thing? Ria pressed her eyes into the palm of her hands. If she couldn’t see, maybe this would all disappear. Never had she felt so homesick. The movies lied, there was nothing fun or amazing about this. Screw this alternate world. Ria wanted to go home. It wasn’t worth all the power and riches in the world to have to sit in a cell and be forced to watch as one by one they all got beaten and dragged off. She didn’t know if she wanted to be next or last. Chest locking up, she struggled to breathe. Ria’s head throbbed. Everything became too bright and dizzying. She let out an unhinged laugh. What queen? What grand destiny? The parchment had lied!

A small weight landed on her shoulder. Ria whipped her head around, ready to snarl at the… little girl?

The girl had dragged herself over to sit close to Ria. Well, as close as her chained feet would allow her to. She smiled up at Ria. Her two front teeth were missing. Ria prayed it was because of natural causes.

The little girl scrunched up her nose, glancing outside the cell. She leaned over and whispered to Ria. “Don’t worry.”

Ria almost let out a snort despite herself. Don’t worry? But even she couldn’t laugh in the face of an elementary schooler’s determined face.

The little girl tried for a wink. The keyword being tried. She leaned in, as if telling Ria an important secret. “We Port-Dogs are tougher than they give us credit for!” Her face scrunched up, and she growled, “Wrrf! Wrrf!”

Chains jostled as the other prisoners looked up to see what the commotion was about. Some cracked a grin at the little girl’s antics. Others joined in.

“Arf!”

“WOOOOF!”

“HOWWWWWWWL!”

Quiet laughter filled the air for a moment. Ria’s lips lifted.

A guard came rushing in. “Shut up!” He used a stick to bang on the bars.

The noise tapered off. The little girl rolled her eyes. She stuck her tongue out at the guard’s retreating back. Ria shook her head in disbelief. She reached out to pat the girl’s head. What a fierce little thing.

The girl sat back and huffed. Sticking out a hand, she said, “Hi my name is Daisy, I like eating bread.”

Ria glanced at Daisy’s small form. The older girl took the younger’s hand and gave it a firm shake.

“I’m Ria,” she said.

“Ria.” Daisy scooted over, and leaned close to Ria’s ear. She whispered, “You’re the new queen, aren’t you?”

Ria gaped at the little girl. She glanced around to see if anyone else had heard, only to find them all staring at her, including Finn. Turns out, Daisy’s whisper… was quite loud.

“The new queen…?” they murmured.

A grunt. “Been a while.”

“What would a queen be doing down here?” Someone sighed, “Not much help being chained up like the rest of us.”

“Maybe she stole it.”

The other voices “oohed”, and nodded in agreement.

Ria turned to Daisy, taking her by the arms. “How do you know that?” she furiously whispered. “And did you have to be so loud?”

Daisy let out an “oops”. She pointed at a spot by Ria’s feet. Ria glanced over. She gasped and scooped up the silver chess piece. Why did this thing keep falling out of her pocket?

“Best hide it before the guards come to check,” Daisy suggested.

Ria nodded. Probably a good idea. She hesitated, “Why… didn’t you just take it?” Silver was valuable in this world, too, no? She paused. Was that an offensive question?

“Oh, I tried,” said the girl truthfully. “It’s illegal to make anything chess related with silver, y’know, much less a Sacred Piece!” Daisy shrugged. “But it didn’t like that, kept slipping from my fingers. Figured it wanted to be left alone, so I stopped.”

Ria nodded like she understood even though she didn’t.

Daisy tilted her head. “But it seems to like you! I guess it’s ‘cause you're its owner, huh?”

Shaking her head, Ria hurried to explain, “Not exactly, I-”

Daisy smiled, words bursting out of her. “So, you do admit it! It is yours!” The girl was trembling with excitement. She asked questions after questions in rapid-fire succession. “What’s it like being a Queen? Do you get to wear fancy clothes, ooh, like dresses and stuff? Wait! Gasp, you live in a palace, don’t you? What’s the castle like? I bet there’s lots of bread isn’t there? I love bread.”

Ria blinked. “Uh…”

“If you’re the Queen,” Daisy’s eyes suddenly widened. “What are you doing here?”

“My thoughts exactly,” Finn piped in.

Ria glared at him. “Because somebody stole my money!”

Daisy nodded slowly. Holding up a hand to her mouth, she whispered very loudly. “It was the pirate, wasn’t it?”

Ria nodded without hesitation.

“Hey!” Finn protested.

Daisy and Ria broke out into giggles. Suddenly, the little girl’s laughs twisted into harsh coughs. Her bright smile faded as she gasped for breath.

Ria patted her on the back, brows furrowed in worry.

When the fit was over, Daisy sat back on her haunches, looking like an excited puppy. If she had a tail, it would be wagging ferociously. Looking up, she asked. “Ms. Queen Ria?”

“Yeah?” said Ria.

“Since you live in a castle, there’s probably plenty of food there, isn’t there?” the little girl twisted her fingers together.

Ria shrugged, “I would guess?”

Daisy let out a ‘huh’. “Then how come everyone’s always starving?”

Ria froze. How do you even answer that?

Daisy continued, “Also, you don’t mind if I eat this, do you?” The girl picked up Ria’s piece of bread and proceeded to stuff it into her mouth. “Thanks, Ms. Queen Ria!”

Ria shook her head. Thank heavens for the shepherd’s pie, she thought. Still, a fond smile lingered on her lips.

…

Ria sighed. Laying on her back, she stared up at the dark expanse of rocks above. Snores filled the air. Daisy was curled up by the older girl’s side. Ria turned her head towards where Finn lay. Feeling eyes on him, the boy twitched.

“Are the mines or the Sea Raiders worse?” she asked out of the blue. The question seemed to echo in the silence.

The boy didn’t answer immediately. With nothing better to do, he turned to face her. In a hoarse voice, he said, “You tell me. Would you rather want to live and die or want to die but live,” he paused, then added, “and then, eventually also die, but it’s, y’know, a longer process in the mines and-”

“All right, I get it,” said Ria, cutting him off. “Both ways you die.” They both rolled their eyes at the other.

Daisy snuggled closer to Ria’s side. The older girl shifted to accommodate the change.

Finn paused, “Are you actually the new queen?”

Ria glanced towards Finn. She shrugged, “Not for long.”

“They’re never for long.” Finn cushioned his hands under his head. “But what were you doing at the Tavern? Shouldn’t you have been getting dolled up at the castle, preparing to rule Oceanport and win the Tournament or something like that?” He raised a dramatic fist in the air, announcing, “Her Highness, Four, saves the day!”

“I don’t want it,” Ria snapped. “I’m not anybody’s queen or savior or whatever it is you guys think I am.”

Finn laughed without humor. “Well, you’re stupid.”

Ria glared at him. “It’s not stupid to not want to take responsibility for an entire kingdom.”

“I guess you have a point,” Finn shrugged. He asked, “But is it stupid to imagine all the things you could do with that power?”

Ria rolled back to her original position. She scoffed, “You mean wearing ugly dresses and fancy food? I’ll pass.” The shepherd’s pie was good, but she would take frozen dinners over having to stay in this place any longer, any day.

“I wouldn’t,” came the soft reply.

Ria glanced over at Finn, only to find the boy had closed his eyes. She bit her lips. “Why?”

“I’d wear a hundred dresses every day if it meant that I could do what I wanted. Starting with getting out of this place.” Finn, with his eyes still closed, sighed, “Of all the people in the world, why’d they give so much power to a person who won’t even use it?

“If I had it…I’d be a hero. Save everyone.” He turned his back to her. “Everyone would like me then.”

Ria stared at him, making out the boy’s silhouette through the darkness. She sighed, clenching the chess piece in her pocket. The metal dug into the flesh of her palm.

You want to know why they chose me, Ria thought. Smiling bitterly, she shook her head. It’s because they didn’t.

Never mind. Soon, Ria would be gone and Oceanport would get a proper queen who actually wanted the job.

The thought echoed in her head, like the sound of jangling chains and watery drops in a dark sea cave. Sleep came over her eventually. As Ria lost herself to the darkness, she wondered where she would find herself, come morning.

…

Ria woke to the sound of screaming. Her eyes burst open. She pushed herself up and looked around just to confirm. Punching the rock floor, Ria cursed. There was no comfortable bed or familiar childhood posters. Plus, apart from the very loud screams, the walls of the cells and the stench of unwashed bodies, all confirmed exactly where she was. Ria covered her face. So, sleep didn’t transport her back. She was still stuck in this alternate world. Her fists clenched.

Finn continued to snore away, while Daisy covered her ears but kept on dozing as well. Around Ria, the other prisoners slowly cracked open an eye or got up to peer at the commotion. Chains shifted as people moved to get a better look.

The jail cell doors squealed open. The screams grew closer and louder. Ria glanced over to the source of the sound. Her eyes widened and her jaws dropped.

The guards shoved a body in and slammed the doors shut. The body landed painfully, but the form continued to wriggle around. As soon as their hands were empty, the guards plugged their ears on the way out.

The wails persisted for a solid ten minutes, before tapering down to pitiful moans and whimpers.

Ria was torn. Should she say hi or pretend that…

The person slowly got to their knees and looked around. In their haste, the guards didn’t even bother chaining him to the wall. He glanced around until his eyes landed on Ria, who tried her best to keep her head down, eyes averted.

Eyes narrowing, he pointed at her. “Hey, I remember you!”

Ria sheepishly glanced up. Pearly eyes and the white mop of messy, clumped hair stared right back at her. It was the man from the alley.

Ria waved awkwardly. “Hi…”

…

A frigid voice echoed in the dark hall, asking, “Minister, do you value your life?”

The throne room was dead silent. A few sniffling lords kneeled in front of a throne.

The addressed minister fell to his knees, shivering. He shuffled forward. “I would never! Your Highness Eres! Please, you must-”

A low, guttural growl cut him off. Large yellow eyes glared down at the minister, piercing into his soul. The man trembled at the death stare the large creature was bestowing him. The giant wolf was easily double the size of a typical hound. In fact, it was almost as large as a mini horse!

A hand combed through the thick, coarse coat. The woman on the throne, Eres, looked down. The animal stared up at her in response, ears perking up.

The queen sighed, “Calm down before you wet yourself, Minister.”

The man tried for a smile to reclaim what was left of his dignity, but it looked flakey at best. He quickly fell back in line. The wolf chuffed.

Eres straightened. The creature laid down at her feet. “First, you tell me the miners are too expensive and to cut back. Now, you want me to expand the mines. Do you wish for me to appear indecisive? Weak?” Eres’ eyes narrowed. “Do you all take me for a fool?”

An older minister spoke up this time. “Your Highness, just two days ago, miners in the East region found a new vein that wasn’t there a mere week ago. And the Dust is abundantly rich in these ores.” He shook his head in disbelief. “They are almost at the same levels as the oldest ores. It is not a threat to your rule, Your Highness, but a gift from Admin!”

Nails clicking against her throne, Eres hummed thoughtfully.

Another minister got to her feet. Bowing, she said, “It is already hard enough to predict where the Dust will emerge, we cannot let go of this opportunity to harvest, Your Highness. It must be Admin that wills it so!” She beat her chest twice.

Crossing her muscular arms, Eres got to her feet. The woman was dressed head to toe in furs and leathers. The queen was decked out in silver hunting gear, with a pelt hanging off her shoulder. She looked like a warrior goddess. Atop her head sat a pure crystal diadem.

The queen stopped, and growled, words leaking with frustration. “Ministers, it is not that we do not have the funds. We are the richest of the kingdoms. But you know how finicky Rex is!” She clenched her fists at the name.

The men and women below her mumbled and huffed in agreement. “Lady Rex is not to be offended.”

“She agrees to turn a blind eye so long as our practices are,” Eres raised her hands to make air quotations, “ethical!”

The older ministers let out a derisive snort. Others tsked at the innocence of Lady Rex. For all her power and wisdom, the other queen could be quite naive in worldly matters.

Eres shook her head, lips curling with disgust. “Does she think we re-built our empire after the revolution by asking nicely? Employing anything besides beggars, vagabonds and Port-Dogs?” She barked out a laugh, pointing outside the window. Far off in the perfect Capital, Lady Rex sat in her castle on her high horse. Eres sneered, “As if the fussy lords and ladies of the Capital are so innocent! Who controls the Court of Farmers, huh? Whose officers plunder Oceanport’s taxes and trades? How many families, cities, and kingdoms has she destroyed to restore the Capital to its former glory?”

A new voice spoke, “And she dares to look down on us?”

The new speaker was a young woman, with features similar to Eres. Her hair was pinned back into a bun. Except for her purple eyes compared to Eres’ green ones, she looked like a smaller, carbon copy of her sister.

Eres invited the younger woman to her side. “What do you propose we do, Bishop?”

The woman approached, bowing to her queen, and murmured a greeting. “Sister.”

Eres nodded in acknowledgment. “Fiona.”

Straightening, Fiona addressed the ministers. She pulled out a letter from her pocket and waved it in the air.

“Do what you wish, my queen!” She smiled, sharp teeth glinting in the low light. “Four has arrived. Our spies have seen her with their own eyes. The girl possesses the Sacred Piece.”

The throne room erupted into shocked whispers.

“After all this time,” Eres pondered the revelation slowly but smirked as she realized what Four’s arrival meant. “Rex will indeed have bigger things to worry about.”

Fiona nodded, “And by the time she realizes, we can say the expansion was made in preparation for the Tournament, the ores a testament of Admin’s favor upon the Citadel!” The whole room beat their chest twice.

The female minister approached. “Should we contact the Recruiters then, my lady?”

Eres stalked back to her throne. Her sister silently followed behind. Sitting down, Eres adjusted the metal cuffs on her arms. She smiled at the shining metal, looking extremely pleased.

“At once, ministers.”