Ushar had barely left when Princess Elnys barged into Ash’s chambers. She had rushed there as soon as she heard the commotion. She glanced at the mess in shock. 

“What in the Kisharis’ name happened here?”

“It’s all good. Just a fake assassin sent by your mother to see if I’m not a fraud,” Ash replied while putting the bronze mace away and rolling the fallen tapestry. 

Elnys clenched her fists and her face turned red. “Mother! Why did she have to do that? That’s not how we’re supposed to treat such an eminent guest!” 

Ash patted her on the head. “You’re so adorable.” 

The princess brushed her hand aside and pouted. “I’m not a child. I passed my coming of age ceremony many moons ago.”

“Such a cute reaction.” Ash chuckled. 

Elnys looked at her defiantly. “If I’m so cute, may I have a kiss, then?” she asked, pulling her by the arm.

Wait, what? Ash stepped back as Elnys drew closer, lips curled up. 

“Oh, wow! Have you seen the time? It’s so late,” Ash said, stretching her arms out and yawning exaggeratedly. “I’d better get some sleep if I want to fulfill my, ehm, Chosen One duties properly. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She led Elnys out of her chambers and swiftly closed the door. 

“A-All right,” the princess stammered from behind the heavy brass doors before walking back to her chambers, disconcerted. 

Ash had her ear pressed against the door. As soon as she heard the princess’s footsteps fade, she breathed a sigh of relief. 

She didn't know how to handle that kind of attention. She had never been comfortable with people flirting with her, even less so since she separated from Anne-Sophie. 

Her ex-wife had the tendency to turn into a flirting monster each time she would be drunk—with anyone. And when Ash learned that she had crossed the line and cheated on her on multiple occasions, that not only broke their marriage but also her ability to trust other people. 

As a result, Ash’s defense mechanism would switch to flight mode each time someone would try to get too close to her.  

She slapped her own cheek. Go away, dark thoughts. 

She turned to go to bed when a shadow darkened the periphery of her vision. She whipped her face and almost jumped out of her skin. There, hidden in the dark corner of the room, stood a tall cloaked figure. 

Ash’s heart was beating faster by the second as she watched the intruder walk out of the shadows and approach her slowly. 

“Who are you? How did you get here??” She scanned the room frantically to find a weapon. The mace was too far. She grabbed a wooden pole hanging on the wall next to the door and pointed it at the hooded stranger. “Don’t come any closer!”

To her surprise, it was a deep and soft female voice that responded. 

“I mean no harm,”—the woman held up her hands in a placating manner—“I just wish to talk.”  

Ash slightly lowered her guard after hearing the soothing voice. Before the tip of the pole could tilt further downward, she shook her head and peered closer. A small gasp escaped her. “I remember you. It was you at the market yesterday…” She held up her weapon again. “Show me your face.”

The woman hesitated for a second. Then, she slowly reached up to her face and took off her hood. 

Time froze. To Ash, it was as if the scene was playing in slow motion. 

The stranger had long golden hair with thin inlaid braids running all the way down to her middle back. Her ocean-blue eyes had a particular shine, the kind of glimmer that only a life of trials and self-determination could give. Her rosy lips were neither thin nor plump and were outlined by an elegantly carved nose and chin. She had a silver ear-cuff clasped on her left helix. 

Ash was instantly struck by her visitor’s mesmerizing beauty. 

She swallowed hard and scrambled to compose her thoughts. “Y-You said you wanted to talk?” she said in a forced harsh tone. 

“Would you mind?” she asked, pointing at the pole. 

Ash slowly put down her improvised weapon. “No funny business or I’m calling the guards.”

“Agreed.” The woman smiled gently. “Congratulations on taking down that assassin.” 

Ash brightened up. “You saw that? Technically, he wasn’t a real assassin. And it was more of an accident rather than a fight. I tripped and that mace fell on that poor guy’s head. The room designers should probably rethink the deco, by the way, ‘cause it’s super dangerous to hang weapons on the wall. Anyway, it turns out that guy doesn’t have a single mean bone in his body. He was only cast because of his scary physique. Never judge a book by its cover, as they say.” 

She paused when she noticed the smile blossoming on the face of the stranger. She realized she had gone off a tangent. She tended to do this when she was nervous. 

She cleared her throat and tried to act coolly. “I mean, thanks, I guess?” 

Her visitor let out a silvery laugh that revealed a dazzling smile with perfectly shaped white teeth. 

Ash stood there wide-eyed and speechless like a statue. She felt like she was witnessing something she was not meant to see as a mere mortal. 

Is this some kind of joke? she thought, gulping. 

“You have such a peculiar way of speaking.” The blonde-haired woman trailed off and then put on a serious face again. “I would like to know more about your world.”

Ash raised an eyebrow. She slowly sat on the couch and invited her enigmatic guest to do the same. 

It didn't take long before the woman started bombarding her with questions.

The stranger was dumbfounded to learn that there was neither magic nor nymphs in the place called Earth. She showed great interest in the sources of energy that earthlings used instead, such as electricity and wind. Her blue eyes shimmered when she heard about the fast carriages that could move without horses and the giant flying ships made of iron. 

Whenever there was a term she didn't understand, she would ask Ash to clarify. She seemed to absorb all of the information voraciously. The trickiest part for Ash was to explain what a software company and applications were. 

“And what gods do you worship?” the golden-haired woman asked. 

“I don’t believe in any gods. But I do envy people who have faith. It can be quite lonely when you don’t…” 

Ash continued and gave an overview of the main monotheist religions and Buddhism.

“Aren’t there any goddesses?”

“There used to be. But people no longer worship them. Unfortunately, women are considered flawed and inferior to men in my world.”

“They haven’t seen what our goddesses can do,” she snickered. 

As the conversation progressed, the woman looked more relaxed. They made themselves comfortable and were now lounging on the hides by the fireplace. They almost looked like two long-time friends catching up. 

However, her visitor would remain cryptic each time Ash would try to learn more about her. The hours they talked felt like minutes. Before they knew it, they could see the first rays of light peering through the curtains. 

The woman got up briskly and put her cloak back on. 

“My apologies. I didn't mean to keep you up for so long.” She pulled up her hood. “I’ll be taking my leave.” 

She headed to the balcony, hopped on top of the low wall, and without hesitation, jumped. 

“Wait! What’s your name?”