Standing over a large desk that was covered in papers and scrolls, Prince Maxim was the person who had stared down at me when I had been fading in and out of consciousness. Dark curls framed his face and bounced to the nape of his neck where his tanned and brown shoulders were broad and strong. He wasn’t typically handsome, his nose was bent as if it had been broken at one point and his ears were slightly uneven, but his large blue eyes appeared kind when he lifted his head and looked at me.

His eyes swept up and down at my attire. “Welcome, welcome,” he said, rubbing his hands together and walking around the desk. “It’s a relief to see you back on your feet.”

Stubble covered his jaw and shadows resided under his eyes as if he had not slept well over the past couple of days. I guessed he was around twenty-five. As he moved, his loose-fitted white shirt swayed in the breeze. His vibrant blue slacks went to his ankles and his feet were bare.

“I hope Rajin has helped to make you feel comfortable and welcome,” he continued.

“Y…yes,” I managed, not knowing whether I was meant to do anything in particular in greeting him. Was I meant to bow? Curtsey?

Rajin moved to stand beside the prince and his hand went around her back to her waist where his fingers gently squeezed. A shy smile came to Rajin’s features, and Prince Maxim placed a delicate kiss on her cheek. Were they in a relationship or was Prince Maxim a creep who preyed on his servants? I suppressed a shudder and looked away.

Past the prince, at the back of the room near one of the arches, I noticed another person. Shirtless and in black-fitted trousers that defined the strength in his thighs, the man stood with his back towards me. He moved as he arranged some weapons that were placed on a table. His left arm was covered in a long black glove where I could see the handles of daggers sticking out. He picked up one large sword and began to run a cloth over its blade, wiping it clean. His arm moved in long powerful strokes, the muscles in his broad shoulders rippling and slick with a sheen of sweat covering his skin as if he had not long been exercising.

Prince Maxim followed my gaze, and to my embarrassment, he smiled seeming pleased with where my attention had landed. Quickly, I tried to find something else in the room to look at.

“Yalek,” Prince Maxim called, turning his head in the man’s direction, “our lovely guest has awoken. Why don’t you come and join us so we can find out more about her.”

Surprised, my gaze went back to the man at the back of the room and then to the prince. Yalek? He was a dark shadowy faceless figure in my memory. It was a surprise that there was a person underneath that cloak and black clothing that had covered every part of his body except his eyes.

Eyes that I would recognize anywhere. Eyes that were now gazing at me with an unreadable intent. But I couldn’t focus on what he was thinking because for the first time I could see his face. With the intertwining tubes on the outside of his cheeks, it was obvious Yalek was of Phalean descent.

I stepped backwards. His skin colour was slightly different from the Phalean I had seen in the scrubland, and the tubes on top of his face were not as pronounced as what I remembered as well. His hair, while dark, was unlike the other Phaleans for he wore it short and cropped close to his scalp.

A million thoughts raced through my head. Was he a temple guard? Had he kidnapped me and brought me here to find out where I had taken the Ruby Dagger? Was he going to take it straight back to the temple where I was going to be punished? But then, I blinked as I remembered that Yalek had fought with the Phaleans. He had tried to let me get away.

“Don’t panic,” Yalek drawled, and somewhere it hit home that he had taken offence to my reaction at his physical appearance. “If you remember, I helped you.”

Absentmindedly, my hand went to my shoulder. He had attended to my injuries with professionalism and care. I nodded my head a fraction in acknowledgement to his words.

“Jaliyah, it’s Jaliyah, isn’t it?” Prince Maxim said, stepping away from Rajin and holding out his hand. He pointed to a space across the room where two large white sofas were grouped together around a small knee-high coffee table. “Please, call me Maxim. Let’s sit and discuss just how you managed to get here and,” he looked down to my covered arm, “how you came to find the Ruby Vambrace. Its location has been a mystery for centuries.”

I hesitated. They were acting friendly enough, but could I trust them? Would they help me, or were they after the dagger for their own personal gain as well?

Maxim’s hand fell to the small of my back and I stepped forward out of his touch. He appeared to take the hint and did not raise his hand again, and instead, led the way to the sofa and table.

There was a vase with vibrant flowers whose petals were large and thick on the table. A brown ceramic pot with visible steam despite the heat of the room, sat at the side with small cups. Rajin also moved to follow the prince and sat at the end of the table. Maybe she wasn’t a servant after all.

I hesitated, but I wanted answers too. Taking a deep breath, I followed and sat opposite to Maxim.

Yalek also approached, his gaze still fierce. He sat beside the prince in such a casual manner, I guessed the protocols for sitting and meeting royalty was different in this world. He crossed both of his arms over his chest and frowned in my direction.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

I decided to keep my focus on Maxim. He smiled kindly, but he rubbed his brow wearily. Nonetheless, it appeared as if he was going to control this conversation. “It’s been a busy two days since you took the Ruby Dagger.”

I didn’t like hearing ‘two days’ again. It caused another surge of anxiety through me.

“The city has been in quite a disarray,” Maxim continued. “The Phalean temple guards have not stopped their patrols and the Vetlan Clan is most upset with the death of their clan leader’s daughter. They want answers and retribution.” He eyed me closely, and my stomach turned as I remembered the female Phalean who had died. The sight of her dead body, broken and bloody, would stay with me forever. Twice in one night, I had seen death stare back at me.

Maxim kept his eyes upon me, waiting for me to respond.

“The, the Phalean woman? That was not my fault,” I said, my throat dry. “She knocked me off the top of the temple roof and tried to pull me off when we were hanging onto the gutter. I didn’t do anything to her. She fell when the gutter came loose and swung down.”

Maxim seemed to consider my words before he continued, “Nevertheless, it was fortunate that Yalek brought you straight here. It’s the safest place for you right now. No one will suspect I’m hiding you here.”

“So, you’re not after the dagger?” I asked.

“We are, but not for the same reasons as Rayon or the Phaleans.”

My shoulders dropped. If they were after the dagger, then I doubted I could trust them to help me get it back to Rayon. I glanced towards the doors I had used to enter the room. To my right there were another set of double doors. I had no idea which ones would lead me to freedom.

Looking back to Maxim and Yalek, I realised they had watched my every movement. They had seen me look for an escape route, and they didn’t look like two men that I would easily be able to outrun.

“You seem a bit anxious,” Maxim said, conversationally. “I know my words appear shallow right now, but you are safe with us and we will only tell you the truth. But what I do want to know is why in all the esteemed Gods did you just walk into the temple and take the dagger? Didn’t you know that it was highly guarded.”

I glanced at Yalek and I wondered if Maxim was talking about Yalek or the Phalean guards.

When I didn’t answer, Maxim clasped his hands together and leaned forward. “Let’s start from the beginning. “Where did you find the vambrace?”

“I was at my grandparents’ house. I found it in the roof and put it on for fun.”

Maxim shook his head, his eyes wide and then, he let out a short chuckle. “And just where is your grandparents’ house?” He turned to Yalek. “All this time and it’s been hiding in someone’s roof of all places.”

I clamped my mouth shut. I didn’t know whether I should tell them the truth.

Yalek sighed. “Don’t want to answer, huh?” He sat up straight and slapped his hands down on his legs. “What about these questions? How did you come to work with Rayon? How did your body fight off the Phalean poison so quickly? And, most importantly, where is the Ruby Dagger? You stole it, but it was not on your person when I found you and searched you.”

His eyes fell to my waist, and I instantly tensed. Rajin had said that they only touched me to see to my medical needs. The idea that he had put his hands upon me while I was unconscious was unnerving. And then, I remembered that he had pulled the back of my trousers down as I had been passing out. What had he looked at? I shifted my weight on the sofa.

Rajin leaned forward and reached for the hot jug. Ignoring Yalek, Maxim waved her off but gave her a smile. Instead, he leaned forward to pour the tea himself. The hot water sloshed into the small cups and spilt onto the wooden table. Unbothered by the mess, he continued to speak, his tone friendly and approachable. “Ignore Yalek. He’s always been intense. Let me reassure you that you are not a prisoner here. You are my guest. I, we,” he put the jug down and pointed between himself and Yalek, “want nothing more than to help you.”

“She can’t help us,” Yalek blurted. “She’s wearing the vambrace and she can’t even fight.”

“And yet, she fought against the Phalean poison and won,” Maxim responded without looking at Yalek. “And she was brave enough to take the dagger. You saw her right arm two days ago. We were sure it was broken or fractured and now she moves it with ease.”

Yalek closed his mouth, but his eyes narrowed. He leaned back in his chair and resumed his original pose with his arms crossed over his chest. “Where did you get it?”

Again, I remained quiet, afraid to reveal just where I was from.

Yalek snorted and looked at Maxim. “She’s not going to talk.” He turned to face me, “But I will talk so I can say this to you. You’re completely unequipped to wear the vambrace.”

“I know!” It was completely unreasonable for him to be so angry at me when all of this was a mistake. I had no idea that the vambrace was going to attach to my arm in the way that it did. “I never wanted it. I can’t take it off.” I looked back and forth between the three of them, Rajin’s face neutral, calm and unreadable. I doubted that she would be any help to me at all. I gazed back at Maxim. “Do you know how to take it off?”

“No,” he said, firmly. “It doesn’t come off.”

Aghast I leaned back. “I’ve heard that before! But that has to be impossible!” I shook my arm in frustration. “I never wanted it!”

“So, you have put on the vambrace,” Yalek said, “even though you had no idea of the story behind it or the consequences. That’s fantastic.” He looked at Maxim, his eyebrows burrowed deeply. “One thousand years and this is who gets the ruby vambrace? We’ve got no hope now. How is she meant to stop the prophecy?”

Maxim tutted. “She’s not meant to stop it alone.”

Yalek swore and glared.

“Prophecy?! I just thought it was a piece of jewellery!” There was a lump in my throat and I was starting to feel sick in the stomach. If they kept this interrogation up, I was going to lose everything I had eaten. I reached for the cup of tea in front of me, my hand shaking as I took a sip.

Maxim sighed. “This is going nowhere. All you’re doing is scaring her. Show her.”

I lowered my cup and looked back and forth between the two of them. Show me what?

Yalek continued to glare, unmoving. Abruptly, he rose to his feet and I craned my neck back as he towered over me once again. He pulled two daggers out of his glove, holding them in his right hand. I leaned back heavily in the sofa and held my breath. Maybe I should be clambering to my feet to get out of his range. Instead of trying to stab me, he gently placed them on the table.

Next, he unclipped the buckles fitting his glove tightly to his arm before he peeled back the material. My attention fixated on his every movement, but what I saw on his wrist was the last thing I expected to see.

Yalek held his arm out. There, shining and sparkling vibrantly, was a scorpion vambrace identical to mine in every way, except his was emerald green.