Save her by all means!

Six years had passed since the war and King Lucas of Eldoria was dead.

For decades, he ruled with an iron fist, a man feared by many and loved by few. But then, he got sick after a while and, one fateful winter night, death came for him.

His son, Ethan, ascended the throne afterward, and it was a new season for the kingdom. No one knew what kind of ruler he would be… if he would be as ruthless as his father or rule with a different hand, one that balanced power with control.

Ethan himself had no answer. He was only twenty-two at the time, and though he had spent all his life preparing for this, he never knew it would be that soon. He was more interested in being a warrior, a hunter, a man forged in the battlefield, not the throne room. Ruling was something else entirely. Still, he carried the crown well and ruled the kingdom well.

He never gave up on hunting though, whenever the weight of politics became too heavy, he found solace in the woods… hunting.

One fateful morning, he took off into the woods. The forest was alive with the sun filtering through the tree branches, casting golden streaks across his face. The air was filled with the sweet scent of nature.

Ethan moved silently, bow in hand, eyes locked on a deer just ahead. The creature was large, its muscles taut as it drank from the river, unaware of the predator stalking it.

He exhaled slowly, steadying his aim just in time for a faint groan to drift through the woods. The deer's ears flicked up as it raised its head, and in the next instant, it was gone, running deeper into the woods. Ethan cursed under his breath and lowered his bow, but then, the groan came again and, this time, it was unmistakable.

His grip immediately tightened around his bow.

"Did you hear that?"

"You heard that, right?" he asked Rhys, his chief guard, who was beside him, already scanning their surroundings while being on alert.

"Yes, Your Majesty. It came from the riverbank." He replied with a nod.

Lowering his weapon, Ethan curiously stepped toward the sound. As they stepped past the thick trees, they stopped. They had found her.

A girl lay sprawled on the riverbank.

She was young… perhaps eighteen or nineteen… but the suffering on her face made her seem older. Her lips were cracked, her dress torn and stained. Tangled dark hair covered part of her face, but what little he could see was all sharp angles and hollow cheeks. A wound on her waist, half-healed and crusted with dried blood, stood out against her pale skin. And her thin, almost skeletal body barely rose with each shallow breath.

Rhys knelt beside her, fingers pressing lightly against her neck. "She's alive, but barely. She won't last long like this." He let out while Ethan studied in silence for a moment, his brows furrowing.

She had not simply collapsed there… she had suffered and endured.

"Take her back to the city," he said finally. "Have the physician tend to her. And I want you to make sure that she's treated well."

Rhys glanced at him with hesitation. "Are you sure, Your Majesty? She could be…"

"Would I have said it otherwise?" He countered, his tone firm but not harsh.

"We don't leave people to die in our woods, so just do it. Get her treated!"

Rhys exhaled, and then, with a respectful nod, lifted the girl into his arms. She barely moved, letting out only a faint whimper before going still again.

Ethan watched them for a moment before turning away. He had lost his deer, but somehow, he had the feeling that what he had found instead was far more worthwhile. He just saved a life…

Back in the city, Althea drifted in and out of unconsciousness. Memories swirled like smoke as her mother's voice whispered her final words amid the deep pain she was in.

Then, something new. A voice, deep and steady. The cool press of cloth against her fevered skin.

She wanted to wake, to understand where she was, but exhaustion pulled her under again.

She kept seeing the light go off in her mother's eyes in her last moment before she closed her eyes forever in death.

She heard her own voice screaming her mother's name in tears. It was so loud that it suddenly pulled her back into life.

When she finally stirred awake, everything was different. Her mother was no longer lying there in a pool of her own blood, dead. Everything was different.

There was soft fabric beneath her, while the scent of herbs filled the air. The ceiling above her was wooden, not the rough stone of caves and the open sky she had grown used to.

For a moment, she panicked, sitting up too quickly and making her head spin while a dull ache throbbed in her skull, but the pain was bearable.

Slowly, her eyes fluttered wide open.

She wasn't dead.

A man was sitting beside her, watching with a guarded expression. He was broad-shouldered, dressed in dark armor with the Eldorian insignia. His dark hair was slightly disheveled and fell just past his ears, while his sharp gray eyes assessed her.

A soldier.

Panic twisted in her chest. She was in Eldoria.

"Careful," the soldier… no, the enemy said. He moved as if to steady her but stopped himself.

"You're still weak." He added, his voice deep and sharp.

Althea swallowed, her throat dry. "Where am I?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"You're in the city. You were unconscious for three days," he answered. "A physician has been tending to you since then. You were in bad shape when we found you."

"We?" Althea stiffened. "Who… who found me?"

Rhys hesitated. "I did."

"I brought you here, but it was my… I found you."

It was a lie. Or at least, a partial truth. But Althea, still groggy, didn't catch the deceit in his gaze. She blinked, unsure whether to believe him. No one had ever shown her kindness without expecting something in return.

"Why would you do that?" She asked while Rhys tilted his head, studying her. "You looked like you needed help."

"Thank you," she said sincerely, exhaling shakily, fingers curling into the blanket.

For the first time in years, someone had seen her… not as a stray to be ignored, but as a person worth saving. But she still couldn't trust him… not yet, so for now, she would play along till she gets what she wants. A way into the palace.

After a brief pause, she asked, "Who rules Eldoria?"

Rhys raised a brow. "King Ethan."

Althea frowned. "Not King Lucas?"

Rhys' expression darkened slightly. "He died. He was briefly indisposed and passed on. His son took the throne after him."

For a moment, Althea said nothing. Her heart clenched… not in grief, but in bitter disappointment.

So that bastard had died in comfort? In his own bed? He wouldn't suffer at her hands.

Her fingers tightened around the blanket, jaw clenching. But then… her mind shifted.

King Lucas may have escaped her revenge, but his son wouldn't. He will pay for the sins of his father.

Moreover, Ethan was young, untested. He definitely didn't get enough time to be shaped into a ruler before becoming an actual one. And that meant he could be easily manipulated. He could be reached much, much easier.

The thought sent a strange, cold relief through her, but she masked it with a weak, grateful smile. "I see."

Rhys studied her for a moment before speaking again. "You should rest."

But Althea was already moving on. "I need a favor."

Rhys leaned back slightly. "You just woke up, and you're already asking for favors?"

"I need work," she said quickly. "In the palace."

Rhys frowned. "That's not possible."

Althea's heart pounded. "Why not?"

"The palace doesn't hire often. Only every five years, or when there's an urgent need," he said. "And the security is tight. They don't just let anyone in. No one just walks in." He said sternly while she clenched her fists beneath the covers.

This was the closest she'd ever been to her goal. She had to get inside that palace. It was her only way in, and she wouldn't let a rule stop her.

"Please, I'll do anything. Clean the floors, serve the food, even the most menial tasks… just help me get inside." She pressed while Rhys studied her for a moment.

"Why the palace?" He finally asked, exhaling and leaning back in his chair. "There are plenty of places in the city where you could find work. I will even make sure you get one as soon as you are well enough to work." He added while she quickly swallowed, searching for a lie that wouldn't sound suspicious.

"I've heard that working in the palace offers safety and… I've had enough of running. I need safety. A place where I won't have to constantly look over my shoulders. Only the palace can give me that."

Rhys didn't look convinced, but he also didn't push. "That's not entirely true. The palace is safe, but it's not the only safe place. There are plenty of places in the city where you could work."

"But none as secure as the palace," she countered.

Rhys studied her again for a long moment. He wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, but something about her intrigued him. She had an air of resilience, a quiet strength behind those tired eyes.

No matter how much he tried to hide it too, he was attracted to her. He noticed the strange feelings ever since he brought her back to the city. Each day that her beauty came back, he liked her more.

He exhaled. "You're persistent, I'll give you that." He finally said with a faint smirk.

Althea held her breath.

"But the answer is still no," he said finally, making her heart sink.

"That doesn't mean I'm leaving you to fend for yourself or throwing you back to the streets," he continued. "I've arranged a place for you to stay. It's not much, but it's safe. And I'll make sure you have food until you find work somewhere."

Althea clenched her jaw. She should have felt grateful. A roof over her head, a warm bed, and food in her stomach should have been enough. She hadn't had any of that in years. But none of it mattered if she couldn't get into the palace.

"Why are you helping me though?" she asked cautiously.

Rhys shrugged. "Maybe I don't like seeing lost souls wander alone."

Althea's stomach twisted. His answer unsettled her. People were either kind because they wanted something or because they felt pity. She didn't like either option, and she certainly didn't want kindness, not from him. Not from anyone in Eldoria. She only wanted a way in.

But for now, she would wait. Play the part of the grateful girl.

Because one way or another, she would get inside that palace. And when she did, she would burn it all down.

"I… appreciate it." She replied with a nod.

Rhys chuckled. "I have a feeling you don't say that often." He added, and she smiled.

She didn't. And she certainly wouldn't say it to an Eldorian soldier if she knew he had taken orders from the very king who had stolen her kingdom.

She lay back to sleep but couldn't. Her whole being was filled with only one goal.

Revenge!!!