“Shards! You’re alive!” Said Mariska, hugging Luna so tightly that she could barely breathe. The gang flooded in and gathered around Luna and Cassian excitedly in the common area of the hideout. Cassian looked around the room curiously—it was run down and had poorly patched holes peppering the many-colored walls. The mismatched furniture was falling apart and dirty. Unsurprisingly, the interior matched the exterior of the building and the surrounding neighborhood. What did surprise Cassian, was how comfortable and happy the gang all seemed in this dilapidated place.

Luna hugged Mariska back and looked around the room at her friends, smiling to show them she was alright. “It’s so good to see you all. I honestly wasn’t sure I’d live to see any of you again.”

“How did you escape the dungeons?” Asked Mouse.

“It’s a long story, but Cassian knew I was innocent, and he helped me to break out.” Luna said, glancing over at the prince. Cassian looked out of place in his luxurious gold thread embroidered tunic and he felt more than slightly uncomfortable amongst the group of strangers.

The gang looked over at the prince, clearly surprised to hear how the events unfolded. “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle, a topsider did us a solid not once, but twice in less than a fortnight. Maybe there's a chance they’re not all no-good rotten slugs.” Mariska giggled.

“And not just any topsider, the bloody crown prince!” A member of the gang chimed in.

“Better be careful, your highness, us dirty lowlanders might actually start to like you!” Said Mariska and the whole gang erupted with laughter.

Cassian looked around awkwardly, starting to blush when Luna came to his rescue, “Hey now, your fearless leader might be dead right now if it wasn’t for the prince here! Give him a break!” Cassian was red as a tomato now with the eyes of the room all fixated on him. “Anyways, the guards are going to turn the Undercity upside down looking for me when they find out I’ve escaped — which should be any minute now. Cassian and I need to get out of the city for a while to let the heat die down. I need you all to hold things down here.” Luna said.

The mood in the room turned glum when Luna mentioned she needed to leave the city. “Let us go with you!” Mariska said.

Luna looked her friend in the eyes and held her hand. “I wish it could be so. It would be far too suspicious if you all disappeared with me. I need you all to pretend you never saw me and keep our businesses operating efficiently, the Undercity depends on us. Mariska will lead the Alchemist’s while I’m away.”

Mariska bit her lip and nodded with understanding. “Aye, I’ll keep things together while you’re away.”

Luna started walking down the stairs to the basement. “Mouse, grab me some of my vials from the shop, my travel pack, and heavy winter attire for me and Cassian.”

“On it.” Mouse said running to gather the requested supplies.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Luna’s brother Lane pulled on Cassian’s cloak. “Maker, the prince of Cloudreach is in my house! The neighborhood kids will never believe me!” Lane said in disbelief.

Cassian got down on his knee and handed Lane the necklace from around his neck. It had the sigil of the royal family—a great eagle—imprinted on it in gold. “This should help to corroborate your story, eh?”

The young boy's eyes became the size of the moon, “Woah! Thank you, your highness. One thing though…what does corroborate mean?” Lane asked.

“It means something to prove your words are true.” Cassian replied.

Just then Luna came back up the stairs with her huge knapsack slung over her shoulder. Lane ran up to her and clung to her waist. “Please don’t leave sissy!”

Luna looked down at him and hugged him tightly. “I have to go now. But when I return things will get better around here for everyone. I promise.”

Mouse came down the stairs with the requested supplies and Cassian loaded them up in his knapsack. “Thank you for your kindness.” Cassian said. Mouse returned the prince's gratitude with a bewildered look. A topsider being kind to him was still just too hard for him to process.

“You’re going to do amazing leading the gang while I’m away. You’re strong and kind and wonderful. Please be careful, things might get crazy down here for a while.” Luna said.

Mariska swept her pink hair out of her face and looked Luna in the eyes. “I will keep everyone safe in your absence. Be safe out there, the world is treacherous and full of dangers. If anyone is properly equipped to deal with them though, it’s you.”

The gang gathered around them, and they all had a shared moment of silence and solidarity. Cassian felt amazed, even envious at how tightly knit and caring the gang was towards one another. He couldn’t recall ever having a single friend that was as close, let alone more than one. These people are nothing like they’re described Topside. Could they truly just be victims of circumstance?

Luna and Cassian changed into the provided warm winter clothing with heavy-hooded cloaks, the perfect attire to help them travel discreetly without drawing too much unwanted attention. The clothing had been patched up countless times, marking the many years of use they’d been through, but that should prove all the better for helping them blend in.

They gathered the supplies and ambled to the front door. “It pains me to leave so soon, but I’ll return before you know it, and all will be well in time.” Luna said optimistically.

“To Luna Stone! May the maker shine favor upon you and your journey ahead! The pride of the Undercity and it’s never known one as pure of heart!” Exclaimed Mariska. The whole room lit up with cheers and camaraderie as Luna and Cassian turned, walking out of the derelict unmarked building.