The streets of the city were almost the same way Tum remembered it. There were the peasants by the roadsides with their wares or the wares of their masters. As Tum watched them, he remembered that, not long ago, he was here with his friends.

"They are dirty," Meredith said even though she herself was wearing carefully selected tattered clothes. She looked like a boy in threadbare slacks and a tired cloak.

"This is the world outside the palace," Tum said.

He walked over to a boy selling bunches of bananas.

"I will have one," he said.

The boy told him the price and he paid.

"Come on," he took the princess by the hand and they hopped through the street.

"Where are we going?" Meredith asked.

"You will see."

He led her up the mountain where Quil stayed. But he did not make his way to the cave, instead, he moved up the mountain till they found themselves at the top of the mountain. From there, the city was laid out in all its glory.

"Wow," Meredith said. "I have never seen the city from here."

"You have never been here," Tum replied.

The princess suddenly turned to him. "I thought you are from a kingdom far away from here. How do you know so much about this place?"

Tum blushed first, then he smiled. As he smiled, the color left his face, returning it back to its normal hue.

"When I first came into the city," he said. "I came in as a peasant because I wanted to know everything there is to know about the city."

"Oh, I see."

Tum saw the girl's eyes light up.

"What do you think?"

"This is beautiful!"

**

Buckle followed the captain out into the hall.

"Why do you keep following me?" the captain asked.

"I want to know your name."

"You are doing nothing with it."

"What is in a name?"

"Everything."

"It is just a name. You tell me yours, I will tell you mine."

"Your name is Buckle."

"Now I'm at a losing end. You know my name and I don't know yours."

"Let me be."

The captain stood still like one of Quil's statues. The only thing that moved when she spoke was her lips. Buckle's eyes traveled over her armor. It was light, leaving most of her body exposed. Her thighs were strong and her calves were pronounced. She stood with a spear in front of her while she looked ahead of her. Buckle stood by the side, ogling over her body.

Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

"I cannot," he finally said.

"I could slice your neck."

"You could… but you won't."

"What makes you think that?"

"Your eyes. They are the lightest shade of blue. I dream of kissing you every night that I sleep."

"Stop."

"Your lips, red roses. They make me wonder how things grow and bloom on Rocky parts."

"Stop!"

"Your legs, two pillars that I want to feel with my hands."

The captain turned to other guards standing around. They were muffling their laughter while Buckle continued, unabashedly.

"The molds before you. I want to call them mine," he was saying.

The captain dashed towards him, and before Buckle could realize what was happening, he was pinned against the wall with a small knife close to his neck.

The knife was already biting into his flesh. All the captain had to do was a slight move of her hand and Buckle would be history. Maybe she would be punished for killing him or not, but he would not be there to know.

"I. Said. Stop!" the captain screamed.

Her face was filled with fury and red with blush. She could no longer keep calm. Buckle smiled. Finally, he had managed to make her crack. At first, she would not speak much until he made her. Then she became like a wall: the more he pushed, the more he came up against a solid mass pushing him back without even trying.

"What are you looking at?" the captain growled at the other guards, glaring at them. "Go on, get out of here!"

They moved quickly, still stifling their laughter. Then the captain turned back to Buckle, who still had a smile on his face, completely confident in his belief that the captain could not hurt him.

"You see what you have made of me?" the lady said. "A laughing stock before my own men? You see what you have done?"

"A name, my lady. A name. That was all I asked for."

"I don't give my name to servant boys."

"I'm a man…"

"… and a servant."

"Same as you. The only difference is you could die being a servant from the sword of another servant."

"Shut up!"

"Don't you see? We are the same thing. A sword does not put you over me."

"You talk too much!" the captain said and flung Buckle down to the ground.

Buckle pulled himself up as she walked back to her post, the end of the hallway. He followed her.

"Does it bother you?" he asked, touching his neck where the cold blade of the knife had been.

"The next one would be straight to your heart."

"You give a lot of threats for someone who is soft on the inside."

Buckle came to stand before her.

"You are crazy. Or brave. Both have the same end."

"What is that end?"

"Death."

"Will you tell me your name now?"

"Aris."

"Buckle!" Bonnie stuck her head out from the open door of their chamber, down the hall to call her brother.

"Coming," Buckle replied absent-mindedly.

"Buckle!" Bonnie called, this time more forcefully. The tone was intentionally strong, and Buckle knew it was time to leave.

"Aris," Buckle said, smiling. "I will be right back. Don't go away."

He turned and walked down the hallway.

"Good to see there is a woman you fear," Aris mumbled as Buckle walked away.

Buckle came up to Bonnie standing by the door. There was a court messenger beside her. He was small, a child who was just getting into his teenage years. Fourteen perhaps, yet he had the courtly bearing of one who had lived in the palace for two lifetimes.

"The king summons us," Bonnie said.

"Summons us? Has he found…"

At a nudge from Bonnie, Buckle stopped speaking. The court messenger was still standing there. It would be stupid to reveal their true identity. Buckle swore inwardly. He was always getting carried away. That was the first reason he wanted them to leave this place. He was afraid of being the one that would spoil things for the three of them.

"Tell the king, we will be with him immediately," Bonnie said to the messenger.

The messenger nodded, turned, and left. Bonnie dragged Buckle into their chamber and slammed the door shut.

"What is wrong with you?!"

"Staying here was not my idea," Buckle said defensively. "I knew this kind of thing might happen. I cannot pretend for long."

"We will soon be out of here, Buckle. We have barely stayed here a fortnight."

"A day is too long to maintain the same lie."

Bonnie sighed.

"Where is Tum?" Bonnie asked.

"I was about to ask you that."

"Why would you ask me that? Two of you left the chamber at the same time."

"That was the last that I saw him," Buckle replied.

"Well, we need to find him. His absence would be noticeable at the king's chamber if we go without him."

"You don't say."

"Where would he be?"

"What of the garden? He goes there often."

Someone pushed the door open at that moment and the siblings started, terrified, until they realized it was only Tum opening the door. He had a big grin on his face.

"Tum, for the love of the damn gods, where you been?!" Buckle exclaimed.

"The king would love to see us," Bonnie informed him.