Angeliki di Ellineau sprinted down the cobblestone streets, her silver hair whipping behind her as she dodged past vendors and street performers. She could hear her heart pounding in her ears and the harsh breaths rasping in her throat. She didn't dare look back to confirm if the assassins were still on her tail, but she could feel their presence like a dark cloud hanging over her head.

She had to get out of the desert city of Joria and fast. But where could she go? She was the heir apparent to a duke with a permanent, hereditary claim to five senate votes. With her father's recent assassination, she was also a target. The men loyal to her were separated from her; dead or captured. She'd fled for days with her guards to arrive here, only to be ambushed seeking sanctum. Her last hope, Count Aulfoux, had poisoned her army and thrust a dagger into her trusted Captain Nikolaos's back. She had no allies, no friends, no one to turn to. She was completely alone in this world.

As she turned down a narrow alleyway, she stumbled over her traveler's cloak and fell to the ground, scraping her knees on the rough stones. Angeliki could hear the assassins' footsteps getting closer, and she knew she was out of time. She closed her eyes and waited for the end, tears streaming down her face.

Nineteen summers. All that came of her short life. This was the end.

But it never came. Angeliki suddenly felt a strong hand pull her onto her feet. When she opened her eyes again, she saw a young man standing in front of her with grim determination in his slanted brown eyes. He looked to be around her age, dressed in clothes she had never seen before, and he had tall and slender build. The young man wore a shirt with a strange mix of colors and styles painted on the front that made no sense to her.

His black hair was long and untamed, and he had an equally unkempt mustache and beard. He had blue trousers with white stripes going vertically down on each side made of some alien texture and a thin jacket with a similar pattern. His shoes were unlike any other she'd seen, and each had a ✓ insignia. It was almost like the clothes spun from the new textiles invented in the Kingdom of Cheshire, but Angeliki could tell the quality was significantly higher. However, the man's clothes were visibly scuffed, worn, and dirty. Just who was this man?

The man stared into her eyes and spoke firmly in Cheshirian Common, "Come with me if you want to live."

Angeliki hesitated for a brief moment before quickly cycling through her repertoire of languages.

"Alright..." she responded weakly, almost with a strong sense of resignation.

She would be dead in minutes if she didn't take this man's help. Then he took off a side alleyway as soon as the words left her lips, frantically gesturing at her to follow him. Angeliki looked around cautiously, but she could see nothing more than the occasional passerby, so she decided to trust her gut instinct. She turned her head back to hear the assassins hot on their heels and ran after the stranger with all the speed and energy she could muster.

They sprinted down winding roads and through narrow back alleys, weaving between buildings. Suddenly, the stranger kicked over a barrel and tossed a pouch on it. As they both passed under the barrel, a dark green fog exploded out of its opening like a cannon shot, filling up every space inside a ten-foot radius with thick misty vapors. Carriages drawn by Struthids shrieked and went berserk, blindly careening through the street in fear.

"Christ on a pogo stick that took a lot to get right..." the stranger growled.

Angeliki coughed, blinded by the mists that erupted around her. All she heard was the heavy panting breaths behind her as she followed close enough behind her savior that she would have touched his strange foreign clothes if she had reached out her hands. Screams erupted behind them as one cart careened behind her, crashing right into the assassins that pursued her. A small explosion suddenly filled the air as barrels of alcohol were set on fire behind her.

After a minute or two, her guide suddenly stopped then reached into his back pocket to pull out a small rectangular object with a glowing pane of glass and several buttons. Was this a magic artifact of sorts?

"Five oh seven," the stranger whispered before pushing a button on the side of the object. Then, after pressing some more buttons, a few other foreign characters scrolled across the screen. The stranger sighed heavily in frustration at whatever was on the screen for just an instant before taking a deep breath and turning around again. "We have about two minutes before she gets here, and shit really hits the fan."

Angeliki furrowed her brow in response to his strange metaphor as she watched him put the artifact away and run down another road leading straight ahead.

She followed suit, gasping for breath. Her feet were already starting to hurt from all the running, but she couldn't stop now. Suddenly, there was a bright flash behind her. Her eyes darted to see what had caused such a blinding light to erupt from behind the buildings.

"We've gotta move, Angie! They've sent the Scarlet Fang after you. Come on!" her mysterious guide shouted frantically, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards an alleyway between two large brick homes. She looked over her shoulder again to see half of the sky was covered in flames. The streets behind them had suddenly erupted into more explosions.

Suddenly, her mysterious savior pulled her close and swung around into a side alley that led deeper into town, with just enough space to hide them from view. She almost shouted in surprise, but he quickly raised a hand to cover her mouth, shaking his head frantically and motioning with his fingers. Angeliki blushed as she felt his strong arms pull her close, so she closed her eyes instead, trying to calm herself.

A slender, crimson-haired woman in red leather armor with a cloak that matched her cloak hopped directly on the roof overhead like some kind of bird and perched there. She turned around and perched above them, looking around the streets carefully for any signs of their presence. But, the angle perfectly obscured them from sight, and the woman grumbled in frustration. She jumped off the rooftop in a flash of red and landed nimbly on another streetlamp before jumping away again.

As the stranger loosened his hold, Angeliki released a gasp of relief she didn't even know she'd been holding. Then, she caught her breath and turned to address him.

"Who are you?" Angelikis demanded nervously. "What do you want? Where am I? What's going on here? Who are you? Why did you help me? Why did you call me Angie?" The questions were tumbling out rapidly as her brain seemed to keep speeding up. The fear was still fresh in her mind. She had a terrible feeling that something bad was about to happen. Hearing that someone had hired an infamous assassin like the Scarlet Fang didn't help her overwhelming dread.

Her eyes darted around warily every few seconds, and she looked around cautiously, expecting more assassins or worse. Angie was a nickname only reserved for her close friends and family.

She was snapped out of her panic by the stranger kneeling down, so his face was level with hers. Then, he put a gentle hand on her shoulder. He looked tired but also strangely familiar for some reason she couldn't quite place.

"My name is Nathan," he said quietly but with strength and determination behind his words.

His gaze burned into hers fiercely with intensity, but there was kindness behind it too. Angeliki felt a small amount of comfort in his presence, though they both knew what terrible danger she was in at the moment.

"I'm not from here. I don't belong here either. But I'm here to save you."

Angeliki stared back at him with a confused look as a vague sense of familiarity filled her body.

Nathan continued, "We...let's just say I know you well enough that if anything happened to you again, then..." The stranger trailed off uncomfortably, but before Angiliki could ask any questions, he quickly interrupted himself, "Look, I've gotta get you somewhere safe. Can you still run? We should move and get to my ride before she circles around. I say we have around six minutes this time."

He stood up slowly and started moving away, no doubt observing the streets for the Scarlet Fang's return.

"Y....yes," Angie nodded and followed him out of the alleyway and towards another road leading deeper into the city. She was surprised at how calm her guide seemed about all this danger. He took a deep breath as if steeling himself against something difficult. Then he stepped forward silently, motioning for her to do so as well. They ran as fast as their feet would carry them through the winding roads and dark alleys until they finally came across what appeared to be an empty carriage with a pair of struthids waiting at the end of one street. The two dashed over to it without stopping, and she ducked inside while the stranger grabbed hold of the door handle with an awkward expression on his face.

"I'll never get used to these damn things!" he grumbled loudly before climbing in with with her in the front. "Grab a veil from the back and cover your hair and those damned pink eyes of yours!"

Angie scrambled, reaching her thin arms over to the back of the carriage. She nervously fumbled over herself as she found several cloths that could serve as veils, and she anxiously tied them around her head. Looking back up, she peered out just in time to see three assassins approaching from the other side of the street—one man dressed in black leather armor, head scarves, and armed with daggers. A tall man in a crimson cloak behind him wielded a spear covered in fire-like energy bolts. And lastly, there was the woman who'd missed them before. She was wearing a red cape and hood like a bird's wing and holding a long, curved sword, the Scarlet Fang herself.

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Nathan cracked the reins lightly, causing the birds to turn back down another side street before whipping past some more carts and wagons filled with various goods. He came onto a major highway and joined a convoy of wagons and carriages leaving the city.

Suddenly, a flash of light behind them forced him to whip up the birds even tighter than before. Angie looked behind them again to see a huge explosion erupt from a corner in front of a large inn just off the main thoroughfare. It caught the attention of the assassins coming from the street behind them. The green smoke that'd filled the streets behind them now filled the roads with a thick cloud that obscured their vision.

Angie let out a small whimper, feeling helpless now, though she tried to keep herself composed as she glanced at her mysterious savior.

However, his gaze didn't waver, and he kept looking ahead carefully through the smoke with determination. Angie held onto the wooden bench tightly and stared at him with wide eyes as if asking him what he would do next. Nathan gave her a reassuring smile and then leaned closer in towards her.

"It's alright...I promise," he whispered quietly. Then, he took a deep breath, "You're gonna be fine. You're gonna be fine...Never again. We're in the clear now."

Nathan turned around towards the front of the carriage, and Angie followed his gaze. She caught sight of two men wearing soldier uniforms on the backs of desert horses approaching from the opposite direction. They were obviously on the hunt for her, but it looked like they weren't having much luck finding them. Angie felt her heart leap in her throat once again when she heard them approach, but she suddenly felt a large, warm hand over hers holding it still. Nathan squeezed her fingers gently, keeping them both steady before turning back to face forward again.

This was improper. Clasping hands with a stranger! She was the daughter of a duke! It was comforting but far out of normal bounds for the etiquette she'd been taught. However, she couldn't move away without causing an awkwardness that would make her feel foolish, so instead, she just stared down at their hands and breathed deeply, trying to catch her breath.

The soldiers reached them and stopped just short of bumping against the side of the carriage door where Angie and Nathan sat. Angie stared at the man nearest to her in horror and did her best to stare ahead as he bent over and gazed into the carriage's window. The guard stared at them for a moment but then glanced quickly at Nathan. After a second, he shook his head disapprovingly, then motioned behind him to the other horseman riding beside him. The other rider glanced briefly inside, then turned to follow his companion, continuing down the road. Angie breathed another sigh of relief as they departed and Nathan let go of her hand.

"Well," he said dryly after watching the two men leave, "Thank god those two were idiots." Then, he turned back around towards Angie with a faint smirk on his lips. "Sorry about invading your personal space. Anyway, like I said, I'm here to get you out of this shithole you call a city."

She blinked slowly back at him, unsure what else she should say in response to his strange metaphors. She wasn't quite sure how old this mysterious stranger was or if he even had any noble blood. He certainly seemed more civilized than most of the adventurers she'd encountered so far—though that could've just been because they all looked fairly rough and dangerous to her anyway. This man didn't seem so bad, but something about him still felt off to her. Perhaps it was the way his eyes burned into hers without looking away for too long. It made her nervous, but somehow it was comforting.

His smile disappeared suddenly as he took a deep breath before leaning in closer again.

"Alright, now don't panic okay? Just stay calm," he whispered. Angie nodded wordlessly as he spoke softly, not taking his gaze off the streets ahead.

"I know you're scared right now, but you have no reason to be...Just try your best to act normal and look natural." His voice softened. "Just close your eyes and imagine yourself home. Think about your mansion, the alpine air, and the stars."

Angie swallowed nervously, then closed her eyes slowly. This man was obviously familiar with her home, but there was really no point in questioning it. She pictured herself in her room back at Lake Ellineau. The soft fluffy blankets, pillows, and bookshelves lined up against each wall; Angie could almost feel the smell of pine trees in the air around her as she stared at the ceiling above the bed. A soft smile formed on her lips, and she relaxed slightly.

She opened her eyes a crack to find that they were still traveling through the main road that led to the city gates. Angie breathed deeply and leaned forward on the bench once more—still feeling oddly comfortable with this strange man, like she should know him. But rational thought slowly returned to her head, and she began to regard him suspiciously.

"You'll make it out alive and healthy," he continued after watching Angie closely for any signs of continued panic, "But, we need to get you out of the country."

He gave another slight smirk, and Angie quickly concluded that he was trying to disguise his own nerves. She found herself relaxing further as his face started to relax, too, though he still had a guarded look about him.

Finally calm enough to speak and think rationally, Angie turned back towards him, narrowing her eyes. "You wish for me to leave the empire?"

"Of course," He replied sharply. "You're more screwed than two rats fucking in a tube sock right now if you stay here."

She bit her lips hesitantly before glancing down at herself again and noticing how dirty and disheveled she was. Her robes were torn at the seams along her arms, where her skin shone through. The veil sloppily tied over her head kept slipping off her shoulder when she tried to straighten up on the bench seat. She looked up slowly, then back to him.

"So...why did you save me then, Nathan?" She asked quietly, feeling a sudden rush of emotions inside her as she pronounced the strange, foreign name.

Nathan paused for a moment, then let out an uneasy sigh. "Well, my reasons aren't important, but please trust that I'm doing it for your safety."

"And what makes you think that I would believe that?" Angie scoffed suspiciously. He may not have been after her head like the assassins, but she knew just how big of a piece she was on the Harbachian Empire's board.

She could easily end up being used to grant power to a faction, or harm and even death upon others. And yet he seemed to be implying otherwise. How could she be sure he was helping her and not simply exploiting someone he found alone and helpless?

Her heart beat loudly in her chest as they continued towards the gates. She was having second thoughts about this. Had she traded death for slavery and imprisonment? Nathan glanced briefly in her direction again before turning to face forward again. He kept looking ahead with his hands folded behind him as if in deep thought about something. Then, he suddenly turned his head back toward her again with a somber expression.

"If you hop off and stay here," he began carefully, "You'll either die violently from the factions after your head, or from something else. Even if you get away, hunger, thirst, exposure, illness, disease—the list goes on and on will get to you. Look, hop off if you want now, but please, I beg of you. Take me on good faith here. I sound like a creepfuck saying it like this, but there's nobody in this world that has your back more than me."

Angie looked at him with horror and opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted quickly. "There's one place where you'll be safe right now...with someone who can and will help you." His voice sounded almost desperate now.

"Who? Where?" She asked. He took another quick glance at the road ahead of them and stayed silent.

If the entire empire turned its back on her, then what reason would this stranger get for saving her life? There had to be a motive here she wasn't privy to. A foreign king, perhaps? The very idea made Angie uneasy, and she contemplated hopping off the carriage.

He turned to her again and stared intensely at her behind his unkempt beard and hair. Then, his brown eyes glimmered with a faint shimmer of magic. Holding one hand in the air with a wand in another, the telltale thrum of magic filled the air. She recognized the spell, an Empathic Link spell that would share surface emotions with another individual. Of course, a skillful manipulator could still deceive with this spell, but it was better than nothing.

Angie hesitated for a second and clasped her hands over his. His eyes burned in their intensity, and then Angie met them. In a spark of magic and wonder, they were linked through his gaze.

These eyes had seen death and failure yet still refused to give up. His weary brown eyes bore his soul like an open flame, burning with determination and selflessness. There was an invisible piece of string that was connected directly to her somehow. Angie broke the link reflexively, sweating and breathing from the intensity of his soul.

"Your aunt, Lady Helen Liddell," he said slowly and quietly after looking away briefly. "I'm sure she'll take care of you if you reach Cheshire safely. Your cousins are pretty awesome too."

Silence filled the carriage for a minute before Angie finally responded.

"I apologize, but I have never heard of having an aunt with that name," she replied, feeling more confused now than ever about everything that had happened so far.

She felt a surge of cold dread run through her chest as the mysterious stranger's eyes grew wider for a brief moment—like he'd suddenly remembered something important.

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again immediately as his lips began to quiver nervously and his eyebrows furrowed together. He clenched his jaw, let out a slow breath, and spoke carefully.

"Well...um..." He took a deep breath and then seemed to think again. "I suppose we should say she's your family's black sheep? Your grandfather wouldn't want you getting mixed up with her anyway. But, hey, he just kicked the bucket himself, right? That means there are no rules left to follow anymore." He paused awkwardly, obviously not wanting to hurt her feelings with such blunt words but unable to find any other way around them.

Angie didn't know what a 'black sheep' meant, but she supposed it wasn't out of the question that she had an estranged family member somewhere.

"Look...you don't know me, alright? But you know I'm serious now when I say I believe. So please, trust in that, just for now okay?"

Angie nodded hesitantly and leaned back against the side of the carriage. A wave of relief washed over her; the fear and uncertainty faded slightly as she was comforted by the idea that she potentially had a friend to look out for her. But she could still feel her own sense of doubt welling up inside her once more at how strange all of these events seemed to be unfolding around her.

She didn't quite understand what was happening right now. What exactly was Nathan planning on doing with her life if he wasn't going to take her head? Who was this mysterious aunt? How did he know about her? And why was he so intent on helping someone like herself even if he said he was trying to save her? The questions continued piling up in Angie's mind. It was a confusing mess that she felt helpless to untangle. She looked down at her hands folded before her and sighed softly, not knowing where she'd end up or where she'd go from there.

As their carriage passed through the city gates and departed without incident, Angie simply stared outside - gazing across the desert as the sun set on her world.