The Golden Dawn of Latarias came to a tragic end roughly five hundred years after King Jasheed’s reign, marked by a brutal massacre of the Latarias royal family in the year 498 A.K. The bloodshed claimed the lives of many royal members, including Saraja’s reigning king, queen, royal heir, leaving only Roshana and Alenisha Latarias to carry on their family’s legacy.

- The History of the Three Kingdoms

The world seemed to blur together in Nia’s eyes as she continued to dash forward blindly. Colorful stalls and vendors flashed by. Flashy fabrics and bright fruits blended together in her vision.

She clumsily bumped shoulders with several people, most of whom cursed and yelled at her to slow down and watch where she’s going.

But Nia didn’t slow down. She couldn’t. In her paranoia-induced panic, she thought she heard the footsteps of pursuers behind her, but when she turned to look, there was no one. 

She could feel the tiny, hard pebbles from the rough ground digging into her feet through her thin, worn slippers. Her fancy palace slippers clearly weren’t designed for sprinting or heavy use, but she hadn’t been able to find a spare pair of slippers in the trash pile.

Finally, Nia tripped on a dislodged stone and collapsed hard in the middle of the street. No one offered to help her. No one even spared her so much as a second glance. With stinging knees, Nia forced herself back onto her feet before she could be trampled by the crowd.

She panted hard for air as she weakly stumbled to a shaded place to seek protection from the noon sun and collapsed on the cool ground. Her lungs were burning from the exertion, and sweat was pouring down her face. 

The only shelter she could find right down was a narrow and secluded alleyway between two buildings, so that was where she went. Its convenient location allowed Nia a view of all the people that passed by the alleyway without them noticing her in return.

Nia slumped against the wall of the alleyway, trying to catch her breath. Enveloped in shadows with no one else around, Nia felt safe for the first time since last night. She hadn’t rested since last night either—having wandered around the entire night, trying to put as much distance between her and the royal palace as possible.

Now that her exhaustion was wearing off, Nia realized that she was starving. She hadn’t eaten since last night, and now her stomach rumbled with hunger. As someone who had never skipped a meal before, Nia never felt so uncomfortable.

She poked her head tentatively out of the alleyway again, scanning the streets for a place where she could get something to eat. There was indeed a food stand right across the busy street from her, full of bread and buns and other baked goods. A sweet and warm aroma wafted toward her, torturing her empty stomach.

However, even if there was food for sale right in front of her, Nia still had no cash on her. After all, why would a princess carry around spare money? She still had the jewelry she wore last night, tucked away in her tunic, but she was also aware that she shouldn’t show it off. Vivian had warned her about thieves in the capital. The best thing to do was to sell them off at a pawn shop first, but what if they accuse her of stealing it or try to rip her off?

The best option would be to go up to them and beg for a scrap, and as humiliating as that sound, Nia knew it was the safest option. But before she could take a step out of the alleyway, someone stepped into view.

“Little girl,” an elderly woman peered down at her with curiosity in her eyes. “What are you doing here?”

Nia’s head snapped to her voice, startled. She had been so distracted by her hunger and the thought of food that she failed to notice someone approaching her.

The elderly woman was old enough to be a grandmother, with graying hair and a face full of wrinkles. Nia could tell that she was from Zahdi, the prairie kingdom. Because Saraja was located right between Zahdi and Veruna, it wasn’t unusual to see traders from neighboring kingdoms. Saraja was the heart of all trade routes after all.

Could a foreigner recognize her? Has her identity been found out? Nia nervously scooted away from the woman and deeper into the alleyway, but it was a dead end on the other side. She also discreetly checked herself to see if anything was giving her away.

“Little girl?” The woman called out to her again, tilting her head as she took in Nia’s appearance. The woman’s tone wasn’t unkind, but something about her and the dissecting way she looked at her was putting Nia on guard.

“Yes, madam?” Nia replied back warily, still confused and mentally preparing herself to start running again at the first sight of danger. She could only hope that she had regained enough strength to run without collapsing again soon.

“Where is your family?” The woman questioned, politely. 

Now, Nia couldn’t help but notice that she was holding a steaming bowl of stew. Her stomach rumbled again.

Nia hesitated but decided to tell a partial truth. “They’re dead.” A sobbed build up in her throat. She had seen the bodies and the pools of blood last night. That, and the announcement earlier, was all the confirmation she needed to be sure. Her parents, the king and queen of Saraja, were dead.

“Ah, poor child.” The woman’s eyes widened in sympathy as she clucked her tongue. “I also lost my children a few years ago. I can’t help but miss them every day…” The woman’s hand trembled ever so slightly as her face tightened in pain.

The woman then glanced at Nia again, scrutinizing her. Nia immediately starts tensing up again, taking another step back. Why was the woman studying her so intently? Did she figure out her identity?

“You remind me a lot of my daughter.” The woman said at last, with a mournful sigh. “You have such nice skin and silky hair.”

Silky hair? Nia wanted to laugh. Compared to Roshana, who’s beauty was renowned throughout all three kingdoms, Nia’s hair was an unruly rat’s nest in comparison. Nia was also relieved that the woman hadn’t discovered her true identity.

“You must be hungry,” the woman spoke again, breaking Nia out of her thoughts. “Would you like a bowl of stew?”

Nia gaped at the woman, unable to believe her luck. Was she really offering her some free food?

“I can? Really?” Nia asked, just to be sure. Her stomach ached, but disbelief held her back, just barely.

The woman laughed. “Of course you can. I made a little too much for my crew, so feel free to take a bowl.”

Eagerly, Nia stepped out of the alleyway and gratefully took the bowl of steaming stew from the woman. Now that she was out of the alleyway and back under the sun, she could see the woman’s horse-drawn caravan parked nearby. 

“Thank you, Madam.” Nia thanked her. She took a spoonful of the stew. It was warm and savory but had a slightly bitter undertaste that took her by surprise. However, Nia resisted the urge to spit it out. She might not be familiar with Zahdian cuisine, but she didn’t want to be seen as ungrateful either so she quickly downed the rest of the stew.

The woman took back the empty bowl back and started tending to her horses. Nia couldn’t help but stare. She had never seen a horse up so close before. There weren’t many in Saraja because they couldn’t survive with the lack of grass and frequent dust storms, so the desert people used camels instead.

Nia then turned her attention back to the woman’s caravan. It looked like a mobile home, which made sense as most Zahdian were nomads. She marveled at the ingenuity of the design. A cloth covered the top to decrease exposure to the elements and its size was big enough to provide shelter for several people. 

The woman’s caravan had the cloth drawn tightly closed so that Nia couldn’t see inside it. There were a few other Zahdian milling about, most likely the woman’s crew. A few cast a curious glance at Nia, but they seemed mostly indifferent toward her presence.

Nia slipped back into the alleyway and curled up against the wall, her anxiety and fear melting away. With her hunger finally satiated and her body still exhausted, Nia can feel herself slipping into a deep sleep…