The Thread

The Princess smiled at Killian softly, surprising him with a change of expression. Maybe she had forgiven him for pestering her about what she should've done. 

"I cannot stay mad at you for long." The Princess admitted. 

Killian chuckled in relief. There was nothing better than being on the Princess's good list. Suddenly, the sunlight disappeared and a dark, ominous cloud took over. They both looked up at the sky unanimously but it was bright and clear. 

A sudden breeze from the peak struck the Princess's cheeks, causing her to turn towards the peak. She gasped loudly, making Killian turn towards the peak as well. 

"M-My lady…" Killian called her, quickly standing up despite failing to have the energy. 

The Princess stood up due to the thread pulling her up. Just a moment ago, the peak was miles away and now it was right in front of them, glowing brightly but surrounded with darkness. It didn't matter what the sun wanted, the peak had its atmosphere. 

"We should go back." Killian quickly turned around to walk downhill. 

The Princess didn't argue and turned around with Killian, only to find out that the path behind them had disappeared. 

"K-Killian?" The Princess gulped. 

Killian looked at the Princess helplessly. Before they could think of their next course of action, another burst of cold breeze struck them, causing their legs to tremble. They struggled to stand still, being sucked into the glowing sphere behind them. 

"Killian!" The Princess shouted in fear, clenching her eyes shut, her voice echoing over and over again. 

CLICK! 

The Princess slowly opened her eyes to the clicking sound, finding herself in utmost darkness. A small lamp flickered about at some distance. The Princess tried to walk towards it slowly, her hands out in front of her. While walking she realized that she couldn't feel the weight of Killian's arm. Maybe the clicking sound occurred when the thread snapped. 

She gulped, "Killian?" She called him in the softest voice possible. 

But no one responded. 

"Killian?!" She shouted. 

And all the lamps lit up the long dark hallway to her voice. She stepped back, startled by the new place. Was she inside the cottage? How? Just a moment ago, she was in the middle of some mountains! 

The sound of a door creaking open echoed from the end of the hallway, making her nervous. Her hands trembled and she stepped back. 

A random lady walked in with a basket of dirty clothes in her hand. She spotted the Princess and raised an eyebrow. 

"Who are you?" The lady asked suspiciously. She was dressed in maid clothing. 

The Princess gulped. "I-I am lost." She admitted. "Please help me." 

"You are lost?" The lady asked with disbelief in her voice, staring the Princess down from head to toe. "Who brought you here?" 

"I do not remember." The Princess tried to play the memory game. "Please help me find a way out." 

The lady sighed and put her laundry down on the floor. "I am so busy already!" She whined in a slow whisper, but the Princess could hear everything. "Follow me." She sternly told the Princess. 

The Princess nodded and followed the lady, holding the thread on her wrist in nervousness. It had been torn from where it was connected to Killian's wrist. The sight of it made her nervous. 

The lady walked up the stairs and the Princess followed her. The stairs ended with a bright, luxurious hall. There were tons of servants and maids walking here and there, doing their designated chores. 

"Wait here," The lady told her and walked over to a small desk beside the big stairs of the hall. 

A man was attending to that desk. "Yes, Lady Odila, how may I help you?" The man asked. 

"Look at that woman over there." Lady Odila pointed at the Princess, alarming her. "Did you bring her here?" 

"I did bring some people. I do not remember seeing a face like hers. Her dress looks fancy." The man replied. 

"Either way, she is your responsibility now. I have to do laundry." Lady Odila walked past the Princess and went back to that dark hallway. 

The Princess stood there cluelessly before the man walked up to her. 

"Follow me." 

The Princess nodded and followed him. He walked towards another room. Thankfully, all other rooms were bright and well-lit, unlike the basement hallway. There were a lot of other people in that room as well. 

"My lady!" Killian spotted the Princess from a corner and quickly rushed towards her. 

"Killian!" The Princess felt a sense of relief the moment she laid her eyes on Killian. 

Before she could say anything, he quickly grabbed her hand and took her to the corner of the room to hide her from every eye. 

The man who had brought her here cleared his throat, "My name is Kaspar Plank." He introduced himself. "I supervise all servants and maids at the mansion. Today, you were sold here. To make the best out of your jobs and earn well, you must abide by the rules of this mansion." 

The Princess looked at Killian in surprise. He quickly shook his head, wanting her to stay quiet for the time being. 

The man took a seat at the desk placed in the room, grabbed a pen, and looked at the people once again. "I will call your names one by one, come to me, earn your affiliation, get the keys to your rooms, and rest for the day. Work starts tomorrow." 

He started calling the names of dozens of people that stood in that room. One by one they went up to him and he assigned them to a certain group. 

"Killian, I am a Princess. I cannot work for them!" The Princess whispered to Killian. 

"My lady, we do not know where we are. This could be the land of Ignis." Killian said, "You must hide your status." 

Their best bet was that they had somehow ended up in their neighboring nation. Even so, working for them was humiliating for the Princess. She only decided to go along because Killian had asked her to.