Ren adjusted his position to cushion the fall of the girl. In the briefest second, he felt his body being crushed to the ground. It wasn’t enough that she threw her bag at his face. She just had to land on his whole body too.

The girl fell unconscious and the guards immediately came to their aid. There wasn’t a single scratch on his body, just his clothes getting rumpled and dirty. On the other hand, the girl’s ankle was wounded by a jagged rock protruding from the ground.

They took the girl to the palace’s infirmary. He was thankful she didn’t have any broken bones and that he managed to save her from a bad concussion. That’s because he shielded her head with his arms. He looked at the girl sleeping on the bed with a serene expression on her face. She was so young and innocent.

After saving her and seeing her sleeping soundly, he had this sudden urge to protect her and shield her from all the bad things in life. He thought that she deserved to live only under the light of the sun and away from the darkness of the world.

The girl was a stranger to him and yet he wondered to himself why he was having these protective thoughts about her. His train of thought was brought back to reality when the girl stirred in her sleep.

“Big brother…”

The words were whispered faintly but the sunset breeze carried it clearly to Ren’s ears. He felt sad for her. The girl was calling for her big brother in her sleep. She probably missed him and needed his comfort at this time.

Ren suddenly remembered the times when he was sick with fever and he would call out to his older brother, Johann, in his dream and when he woke up, he'd find his brother sitting beside his bed. He knew how the girl felt.

The sun was about to set in the horizon and Ren gently patted the girl’s cheek. He needed to wake her up and ask her where her home was so that they could take her there safely.

The girl opened her eyes and slowly blinked a few times, clearing the cloud from her vision. She looked at Ren and he stared back at her.

“Where am I?” The girl finally asked.

“You’re in the palace’s infirmary.” Ren answered.

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

The girl tried to move her right leg and winced at the sudden burst of pain from her wounded ankle. The wound was already cleaned and wrapped in bandages.

“Why did you climb the wall?” Ren asked after a brief silence.

The girl bowed her head and tears fell from her eyes. Ren’s eyes widened. He didn’t know what he said that made her cry. Maybe because her ankle was hurting?

“Please, don't cry. I’m sorry. Does your ankle hurt?” He asked gently.

“Yes. But that’s not why I’m crying.” The girl said, trying to keep her tears at bay.

“Then what is it?” Ren offered his handkerchief to the girl and she took it with a faint mumble of gratitude.

“I’m looking for my brother.” She replied.

“So you think he’s here in the palace?”

“Yes.”

At that moment, Ren decided that he was going to help the girl find her older brother. He thought about asking Randy for help first.

He assisted her out of the bed and placed his coat around her to protect her from the cold since it was night time already. The girl was wearing a blue summer dress and her feet were clad in boots.

She was limping when they got out of the infirmary and Ren couldn’t stand seeing her with a painful expression on her face. So he carried her in his arms and he was shocked at how light she was. She protested at first but then allowed him to carry her to ease the pain. They were going to find her brother and so they needed to find his loyal attendant first.

They walked down the hallway with her arms wrapped around his neck. The girl was silent and he thought she was asleep.

“Can I ask you something?” The girl asked, surprising him.

“Yeah sure. What is it?” Ren answered casually.

“What is the King’s Fair?”

Ren didn’t expect that kind of question. Everybody in Illyria knew what the King’s Fair was. Her question implied that she wasn’t from Illyria.

“The King’s Fair is a tradition in Illyria. It’s a celebration that falls on the birthday of the king. It’s like a double celebration in the kingdom.”

“Oh, I see.” The girl buried her face into his neck and was about to close her eyes when a burst of color exploded in the sky. They were fireworks.

She watched in awe through the large glass window of the hallway as different colors exploded and faded into the night sky.

Ren noticed her reaction and so he brought her to the tallest part of the castle, the clock tower. He held her in his arms as she watched the display of colors light up the starry sky. Her eyes were filled with wonder and amazement. Ren thought she was more beautiful than the fireworks.

“My name is Ren Clarendon. What’s yours?”

He realized that he didn’t know that name of the girl yet.

“I’m Ria.”

‘Ria… What a beautiful name.’ He thought to himself.

When the display was over, they decided to go back inside the palace. They were about to turn around when he saw a huge, dark smoke from the corner of his eye, coming from the direction of the grand hall where the Royal Ball was being held.

Ria saw it too and a second later, the emergency alarm echoed throughout the palace. Ren carried Ria tightly in his arms and dashed off to the grand hall with his heart beating wildly in his chest.