Kal was being a fool, and he knew it. A fool thinking foolish thoughts at the worst time possible.

But the girl before him was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, whether the world was ending or not.

Was it her golden hair? The rain had slicked it down, leaving strands plastered to her face. Traces of dirt, dust, and grime marred its luster considerably, blemishes that would take more than this downpour to wash out.

Or was it her green eyes? Had he ever seen green eyes before? He must have. But when, he couldn’t recall. Surely there was something special about these eyes. About this girl.

Or was it wrong to call her “girl”? Kal judged her to be close to his age, maybe even a little older. But the way she was dressed, almost formally, suggested a woman of some standing. An authority figure, perhaps?

When the Godknight had arrived and the soldiers had all run out to meet him, Kal, the High Elder, and the Most Beautiful Girl in the World had taken cover behind a pile of rubble. Kal didn’t know the city well enough to know where he was or where this particular chunk of rubble had come from. But one lone wall with a bright blue interior still stood amid the wreckage. The roof and surrounding walls had been torn away, making it impossible to judge the building’s original height.

Fleeing citizens were slowing down or stopping when they caught sight of the High Elder, asking him for guidance and direction. He was as unnerved as everyone else, Kal had seen, but did his best to hide it. Though his voice wavered, their lingering respect for him was enough to prompt an immediate evacuation of the city.

With the citizen’s attention on the High Elder and the invaders attention focused elsewhere, Kal had a moment to check on the girl. She was down on one knee, shivering and panting; her eyes were red and puffy with hidden tears. They shouldn’t wait around here for very long, but at least the delay was giving the girl a moment to breathe. Kal studied her face and thought that maybe giving her that time, the time to truly consider and grasp what was happening around her, might not be the best idea. She didn’t seem to be handling the situation well.

“I’m Kal,” he said, rather dumbly.

“What?” she replied, looking up at him and blinking back the rain soaking her beautiful green eyes.

“Kal,” he repeated. “That’s me. My name, I mean.”

“Yes,” she said. “You told us that.”

“Oh. Right.”

She put her head back down and wrapped both of her arms over it. She scrunched down lower, almost into a ball, and Kal could see that her shivering was getting worse. He wished he had something to cover her with, but he was all but encased in this armor. Should he wrap his arms around her? If he did, it would only be to keep her warm, of course.

The girl began rocking back and forth; it was clear to Kal whatever ledge she had been hanging on was rapidly crumbling beneath her fingers. He crouched down in front of her.

“I’m… I’m a farmer.” He said the word “farmer” slowly and loudly, as if she spoke another language and couldn’t understand him. She didn’t look up at him, only kept rocking.

Kal scratched at the back of his head and frowned. What the heck was he supposed to do here?

“What’s your name?” he asked, sounding more like a schoolyard kid than a grown man.

She didn’t answer, but her rocking motion slowed.

“Look, I’m real sorry about what’s happening. It… it sucks. And I’m guessing you lost someone? Is that right?”

Her head lifted slightly and the rocking stopped. At least she was hearing his words now.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

“I lost my mother,” Kal told her. “They killed her. She died in my arms.” He looked at his hands. The blood had washed away, but he imagined he’d always see it there.

The girl finally did look up at him. Her face was pained and the tears were now flowing freely. She wiped her hand across her eyes and sniffled.

“I’m Jaina,” she managed.

“Jaina. That’s a beautiful name.”

Jaina twisted her face in a look of surprise that bordered on disgust. Kal grimaced, his face flushed with embarrassment. ‘Stupid thing to say,’ he cursed to himself.

“I’m sorry. I’ve just… I just think it’s…”

Jaina closed her eyes and seemed to be collecting herself. When she opened them again, she appeared calmer and smiled lightly. “Thank you for saving us.”

“Saving” them? Kal thought. The idea surprised him, and his mother’s strange last words echoed in his mind. “You’ll be a hero.” Was this what she had meant? Had saving these two strangers made him a “hero”?

The thought filled him with a strange sense. Already he could feel pride taking hold, the idea enticing. Almost seductive.

But wasn’t a hero—a true hero—supposed to be humble? Wasn’t a true hero selfless? Courageous and inspiring, with an unwavering sense of integrity and righteousness?

Jaina started to rise. Kal instinctively offered his hand to help. She paused for a moment and Kal cringed, his awkward embarrassment roaring back to life. He was a big, gruff, attractive young man who had never felt intimidated around girls. There had been a few here and there, growing up. But none had ever made him feel the way Jaina did.

And she wasn’t just any “girl.” He had sensed that immediately. She was different. Special. A woman. A lady. A beautiful vision cast in—

“How did you get that armor?” she asked, now on her feet but still looking up to meet his eyes.

“Oh, this?” Kal looked down at himself and smirked. “I… uh… had to beat up a guy—a bunch of guys—soldiers!—to get it.”

She smiled widely and his heart melted. “Really?”

Then he blushed, feeling a little ashamed at his embellishment. “No. No. Actually, I just kind of… stole it.”

But her smile only grew, telling him there was no need to be embarrassed. “Well, you acquitted yourself pretty well when you saved the High Elder and myself. You really let those guys have it.”

“They killed my mother.”

Jaina’s smile disappeared and Kal regretting having said it.

She lowered her head and spoke softly. “They killed my fiance too. He only proposed a week or so ago. But we were already planning our wedding. I… I loved him. Very much.”

Kal felt an uncomfortable stab of jealousy. He chastised himself immediately.

Jaina took a deep breath. “How did you hurt your hand?” she asked, valiantly trying to move the conversation away from their mutual losses.

Kal looked at his left hand. Before encountering Jaina and the High Elder, he had clumsily wrapped it with a stray piece of cloth. He already hated the brand and felt a deep shame at accepting it to spare his life. He wanted it gone and hoped there was some way to remove it.

“Liliana!” the High Elder suddenly shouted, breaking away from the still flowing river of citizens now heeding his advice and leaving the city.

“Hey!” Kal shouted after him. “It’s not safe—”

But the High Elder either hadn’t heard or wasn’t listening. He ran from behind their cover into the wide open, cutting across the road towards a line of buildings that had suffered much less damage. A woman was running towards him and shouting something Kal couldn’t make out.

Jaina looked at him and he shrugged. “Maybe we should stay with him?” she suggested.

“Right.”

Jaina started to follow the High Elder when Kal grabbed her arm. She stopped short, glaring first at his hand, then up at him.

Kal reacted more gracefully this time, stepping in front of her and out from behind their cover. He looked up and down the road, his hand still gripping her arm, and confirmed there were no soldiers waiting to kill them. Then, with careful deliberation, he released her arm.

He only hazarded a quick glance at Jaina, who was now looking to follow his lead. He started after the High Elder, careful not to let Jaina out of his sight, towards this “Liliana” the High Elder had just shouted after. Kal had no idea who she was, only that she must’ve been of great importance for the High Elder to run off so recklessly.

But he would find out soon enough who Liliana was. And his life would never be the same again.