Following the massacre, Princess Alenisha was declared missing, leaving the people of Saraja in search of their youngest princess. Meanwhile, Princess Roshana, grappling with the loss of her entire family, endeavored to step into the role of an unofficial queen for Saraja. As weeks passed without any news, Alenisha Latarias was eventually presumed dead.

- The History of the Three Kingdoms

The small crew of still-hungry children set off on their journey again. They had eaten the last of their stale bread and there was barely any water left. After a group vote, they decided to head for the capital in an attempt to find food first, then look for a way to return to their families. Some of them, like Takir and Latifah, were orphans who didn’t really have a place to return to and were hoping to find a job in the capital instead.

Bored and idle and still very hungry, the children start making small talks with one another again. As the caravan continued to travel down the road at an even pace, Nia stole a peek at Khiran’s face, trying to guess what he’s thinking about. However, his expression was as guarded as ever. He looked as if he hadn’t just agreed to kidnap someone. His composure was unbelievably calm.

It both impressed and frustrated Nia to no end. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had closed up his heart as a way to protect himself. She remembered what he said about his past last night, about how his mother died and he was then betrayed by his former comrades.

She wondered if he suspects her of potentially betraying him too. 

“What are you looking at me for?” Khiran caught her staring.

Nia started in surprise and stammered out an excuse, “Nothing! I’m still surprised you changed your mind in the end. Didn’t you say money doesn’t interest you anymore?”

Khiran shrugged. “I guess a thief’s habits are hard to break after all. Although I’m not really interested in thieving anymore. Just this one last time.” He lowered his voice at the end so that none of the other children heard him.

“What are you planning to do after that?” Nia asked.

“I’m going to the demon realm. I’ve had that option for a long time, but I couldn’t leave my mother behind.” A trace of sadness filled his eyes, the first sign of vulnerabilities Nia had ever seen on his face. It seemed like Khiran only showed hints of emotion when he was talking about his mother. 

Nia wanted to know more but didn’t know what to say. So she just continued to study his face. 

Even though she was already aware of it before, Khiran had quite the alluring face, made even more obvious under clear daylight. She can’t help but recall how it took her breath away when she saw him for the first time. Although wearing her hooded cloak helped cover him up a bit, anyone who looked too closely would also be captivated by him.

Even the other kids were stealing glances at him from time to time, and Nia was embarrassed for doing the same thing despite herself.

“When are you planning to return my cloak?” Nia grumbled. They were getting close to the capital and she needed to hide her face to prevent herself from being discovered.

Khiran’s lips quirked up in an infuriating smirk which nearly made her lose her train of thoughts. “I need it more than you do. I’m afraid you’ll need to find something else.”

Nia recovered and hissed back in a low tone, “Do you want me to be recognized?” She was careful to keep her voice low even though the other kids were distracted by their small talk. She couldn’t risk it. Like Khiran, she also didn’t trust anyone enough to lower her guard.

Khiran lazily leaned back against the side of the caravan. “You’re safe as long as you stay hidden.”

Nia glared at him. She couldn’t deny that he needed it more than her, and she wasn’t selfish enough to steal it back.

“You think I enjoy wearing such thick apparel in a weather as hot as this?” Khiran raised an eyebrow at her. But despite the hot weather, he did not look like he was suffering much.

Demons are more resilient than humans, Nia remembered very clearly. His obvious lie made her even more annoyed, although she forced herself to swallow down her feelings.

“What’s your plan?” Nia immediately changed the topic before she lost her cool.

“I thought I was following your plan?” Khiran frowned.

Nia wanted to throw him off the caravel very badly, but she suppressed the urge to do so. She still needed his help, more than she cared to admit out loud. Also, the caravan had just entered the capital, and she did not want to create a scene nor attract too much attention.

“Do you think I would have come to you for help if I already had a plan of my own?” Nia hissed back. “You’re the thief here! Planning a heist is your expertise.”

“But I don’t know anything about the palace.” Khiran shrugged.

He was right, Nia realized. She was the one with information here. She quickly racked her brains, trying to at least find a direction to go in.

“Maybe… Maybe I can get in touch with General Ozar or the sagehand…” Nia stammered out an idea. “I’m absolutely sure that his loyalty lies with my family, not that power-hungry usurper.”

“Do you know how?” Khiran questioned. He sighed at her lack of answers. “Remember, whenever you decide to commit an act, prepare a plan beforehand. Layout several plans in case of anything, understand? And always leave a way out. Don’t burn any bridges that you can’t afford to burn.”

“Spoken like a true criminal,” Nia noted deliberately. “Aren’t you afraid of meeting the sagehand? You did steal his prized handclock.”

“It appears that he blames you instead of me.” Khiran pointed out.

Nia shoved him. “That’s a misunderstanding on his part! I won’t hesitate to throw you under the cart to clear my name!”

Their altercation drew attention from the rest of the crew.

“Hey, we’re in the capital now. Behave.” Takir ordered. Danif rolled his eyes at the two as Nia pulled her composure back under control, abeit with clear irritation showing on her face.

For several long minutes, Nia was too nervous to continue speaking in case anyone was listening in on the conversation. Eventually, she lowered her guard and relaxed again.

“So, the general or the old sagehand?” She asked.

“Which one is easier to approach?” Khiran replied back.

“General Ozar is kinder, but as a military man, he is surrounded by soldiers and guards most of the time. I won’t be able to approach him without words of my presence getting out. The old sagehand is a cranky old man, but he has fewer guards, so it’ll be easier to meet up with him.”

Khiran thought in silence for a few moments, then called out to Danif, who was driving the caravan. “Where are we going?”

“I’m trying to reach the heart of the capital and find an official so we can report our situation to the Ministry of Security about our ordeal. And hopefully, we could get something to eat and drink afterward.”

“Where are we now?” Takir asked.

“We’re in the southern region of the capital! I recognized this place!” Lilia cried out with relief. “Let me off soon. I know where my family is.”

Her positive reaction lifted the mood of everyone aboard the caravan. Immediately, everyone with a family was hopeful about returning home. Even Nia was infected by their bright spirits. Their hunger was instantly forgotten in the back of their mind.

Nia could see the royal palace in the distance not too far away. But this time, she was not as scared or lost as she was the last time she was in the capital. It was astounding how much courage she could muster with Khiran’s presence by her side. Or maybe the courage came from surviving an attempt to sell her into slavery.

“We’re getting off now,” Khiran announced out of the blue, taking everyone aboard the caravan, especially Nia, by surprise. “Nice to meet you all, but I hope we don’t meet again.”

Before anyone could question him or refuse his request, Khiran grabbed Nia’s hand and jumped off the caravan, dragging Nia along with him. The caravan had been slowing down due to the slower traffic near the heart of the capital, which made it safe for Khiran and Nia to jump off the caravan.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Nia demanded in a low whisper as Khiran waved to the rest of the caravan.

“You want to get in touch with the old sagehand, right?” Khiran asked. “He lives that way.” He pointed down an adjacent road.

Nia started in surprise, “How do you know—oh, because you robbed him before? The handclock incident?”

Khiran snorted as he started walking down the side of the road. “I know every street in the capital, Nia. Don’t underestimate my ability.”

“How great your ability must have been to keep your fellow comrades from selling you to the slavers sooner. It must have brought in more profits than your worth as a slave.” Nia needled at him, annoyed by his arrogance.

Khiran did not rise to her bait. Instead, he quickened his pace, forcing Nia to jog a little to keep up.

The road curved away from the busy part of town until it led to a grand mansion surrounded by palm trees near a man-made pond oasis. Its architecture style was similar to the royal palace, giving Nia a sense of nostalgia.

“We’re not going to break in, are we?” Nia asked uncertaintly as the two approached the manor. As they got closer, they could see a small horde of people by the gate, crying out their grievances. 

“According to the tradition of the Saraja, Princess Roshana cannot marry until the mourning period has passed! Holding the coronation is fine, but marriages and other events need to wait until the formal mourning period is over.”

“We do not want a foreigner as our king! He should be a prince consort, not a king!”

Nia turned to an old man, “Why are all these people here?”

The man sighed. “Yesterday evening, Princess Roshana gave a speech telling the citizens of Saraja that she will be marrying Prince Russek in a month and he will be crowned king instead of prince consort. Although this is the first time a woman inherits the throne and no one is against her ascension, her husband is not of the Latarias family. He should be titled prince consort, not a king!”

Nia completely agreed with this man. Russek must have threatened Roshana. Otherwise, there was no way she would have agreed to make him king.

“The sagehand is coming! The sagehand is coming!” someone called out.

Indeed, the old sagehand was returning earlier than usual from his daily court meeting. His carriage, drawn by a pair of two-hump camels, pulled up to the gate. The gate slowly opened and royal guards stepped out to create a human barrier against the crowd.

The old sagehand had a sad and displeased look on his face as he stepped out of his carriage and made his way to the gate. People cried out to him, venting their complaints.

“Enough, don’t you think I know about your concerns?” the old sagehand lost his temper and shouted at the crowd. “I already presented those matters to court this morning, but Princess Roshana did not heed my advice. That poor girl had just lost her family! Will you stop stirring up troubles?”

The mob fell silent. The old sagehand started walking toward his open gate again.

Nia suddenly remembered her mission.

“Sagehand! I have something important to say!” Nia hollered.

“Report it to the Ministry of whatever. I don’t have time to spare.” The sagehand replied without sparing her a look.

“Old geezer!” she unintentionally called out in an equal mix of frustration and desperation, and she immediately clapped a hand over her mouth. She had called him that out of instinct and had forgotten about the crowd.

The royal guards all turned around and pointed their swords and spears at the direction of her voice. Nia gulped and took a step back.

However, the old sagehand started in shock and turned back to the crowd. He spotted her instantly. She saw him silently mouth her name, his eyes wide in disbelief. 

Nia was dirty and smudged with so much dirt that no one would recognize her to be a princess, but the old sagehand had sharp eyes. She nodded to confirm and placed a finger to her lips to request his silence about disclosing her identity. 

She then hastily pretended to shade her eyes from the sun, but in actuality, she was trying to hide the color of her eyes in the shadows of her hand.

“Invite that girl in. She’s a guest,” the old sagehand ordered, a look of amazement still on his face.

The royal guards put away their weapons while the confused citizens cleared up a path for Nia. They must be stunned at how Nia easily earned an audience with him by calling him an insulting name.

“He comes with me.” Nia grabbed Khiran’s hand.

“Very well, him too.” the sagehand agreed.

Nia hurried through the gate with Khiran in a tow. As the gate closed behind them, murmurs flew up from the crowd as they all tried to guess at their identity.

Once they entered the mansion, the old sagehand dismissed all the guards and maids so they could have a conversation in private. 

As soon as they were alone, the sagehand spoke, “So, it seems that you live, Princess Nia.”

Nia grinned, hope and optimism blooming in her chest for the first time since that awful night. “Yes, I’m alive.”