Zahdi, the grassland kingdom situated to the east of Saraja, differed significantly from the other two kingdoms. The predominant nomadic lifestyle, centered around herding animal groups, characterized the majority of the population. Only the royal family, affluent aristocratic households, and wealthy merchants can afford to settle down.

 - The History of the Three Kingdoms

Nia’s consciousness was drifting through an endless expanse. Her mind was empty, her thoughts slipping away like sand. Her senses were muted, leaving her trapped in this world between unconscious and awake.

Awareness suddenly returned to her, overwhelmingly, just before she awoke with a harsh jolt. Nia’s eyes flew open with a gasp, her heart pounding so loudly she could hear the heartbeats in her ear.

The first thing she noticed was the bright sunlight blazing against her eyes. After trying and failing to throw her hand up to shade her face from the fierce sun, she noticed that she was lying in a fluffy bed with her body tucked under a soft yet heavy blanket.

For a few moments, Nia laid there, confused and groggy, her mind still struggling to recover from being incapacitated for so long. As her heartbeat slowed down to its normal pace, Nia realized that her body was in a worse shape than her mind. It felt sluggish and heavy, her stiff limbs more like those of a mannequin than those of a living human.

Then her memories slowly came back to her—the nightmares, the human trafficking, the escape, the rescue attempt, and finally, the assault that nearly ended her life. 

With all her strength, Nia managed to lift her heavy arm and saw that the shallow cut made by the dagger was already nearly healed, leaving a puckered scar that would fade with time.

Who treated her wound? Why wasn’t she dead? Where was she? And what happened after she passed out in the royal palace?

The full weight of her situation finally hit her and she sluggishly lurched upward into a sitting position. The movement sent blood rushing through her head, causing her ears to ring. Nia’s heartbeats sped up again as she frantically glanced around the small room, taking in the unfamiliar sight. 

She was getting really tired of waking up in strange and unfamiliar environments the past few times. Between waking up in a cage, in the mansion of the sagehand, and now wherever this place is, Nia just wished for this horrible nightmare to be over so she could return to her old life.

The room did not look familiar at all. It doesn’t have the royal palace’s smooth stone walls and a high ceiling. In fact, the style doesn’t even match the palace’s aesthetics, which meant she was no longer in the palace. That was a small relief, to no longer be anywhere near Roshana and Russek.

A closer look at the bed revealed that it was of Zahdian style. It was made of nothing more than a mattress stuffed with dried grass. The blanket was made of wool. Sarajan people don’t use wool as the material is too thick for the hot weather, even at night. 

Every sign pointed to her location being in Zahdi. Every sign pointed to her not being a captive.

With that, Nia finally allowed herself to relax again, realizing that she wasn’t in any potential danger. She also noticed that she felt more rested than she had ever been since her family’s assassination.

Her hair felt like an unruly mess, though. Nia reached up and tugged at it a little, noticing how horribly matted it was. Just how long had she been unconscious for her body to be transported from Saraja’s capital to a house in Zahdi? Months? Years?

There was an open window near the bed, and Nia cautiously poked her head out to take a good look outside. Judging by the strong sunlight, it must be late morning. The miles and miles of grass outside confirmed what she already suspected—that she was in the grassland kingdom.

When she tore her gaze away from the window, she noticed another thing she couldn’t believe she missed before—Khiran’s sleeping figure in a chair tucked into a corner of the room, nearly obscured from sight.

“Khiran!” Nia was glad to see a familiar face. Any lingering anxiety she felt seemed to lift at the sight of him.

She threw back the cover and tried to stand up so she could go to him, only for her legs to buckle and fold under her weight. The next thing she knew, she found herself sprawled awkwardly on the floor.

Nia heard a snort from the corner. “I should warn you, you’ve been asleep for over three weeks. Your legs might be a bit weak.” 

Khiran must have awoken when she called out his name. Either that, or he was awoken by the commotion made by her fall.

“That long?” Nia was in disbelief as she struggled to push herself into a sitting position. “What happened? Where are we?”

Khiran stretched languidly in his seat before walking over to help her up so she could sit back on the bed. “After you passed out, I carried you out of the palace. I was fortunate enough to run into Danif and his family, who are merchants. They helped smuggle us out of Saraja, and now we’re inside one of their houses, or rather, one of the inns they own for travelers and traders.”

Nia was impressed. “Wow, it looks like Danif’s family is wealthier than I expected.”

“Not as wealthy as yours.” Khiran flicked her forehead. “Speaking of which, one of his family members recognized you as Princess Alenisha. So the whole family knows now.”

Nia started in surprise. “What?”

Khiran shrugged. “You can’t hide it from everyone forever. Latifah and Takir are also here since they don’t have a home to return to. And they know your identity, too.”

Nia sighed. “That’s fine, I suppose. We can trust them, right?”

“It’s not like we have a choice. We originally wanted to get a physician to take a look at you, but we were afraid that they would rat us out, so I went to the Dream Market to buy an antidote.”

Nia was taken by surprise again. “You went to the Dream Market? Isn’t that dangerous?”

Khiran cracked a bemused smile. “It’s not that bad. I’ve been there before.”

Nia was amazed. The Dream Market was like a mythical trading hub where almost anything can be bought for strange prices, from love potions to magical tools. 

“Incredible, you should take me there sometime.” Nia grinned, then frowned as she remembered something. “What price did you pay for my antidote?”

Khiran grinned with some amusement. “I paid for it with your sister’s engagement ring. It was a good thing that your sister insisted on the most precious of diamonds.”

That was a surprisingly simple price to pay. At least he didn’t sacrifice a piece of himself, like a memory or a secret. But Khiran’s words drew Nia’s mind back to her sister, and her breath got caught in her throat.

“My sister…” Nia’s voice faltered. “That wasn’t a dream, was it? She tried to kill me. And she confessed to killing Vivian.”

She touched the healed scar on her left arm again, as if needing the physical proof of her sister’s betrayal.

“Danif’s mother cleaned the cut and bandaged it,” Khiran explained in a soft voice. “Don’t worry, Nia. You are safe here, for now.”

Tears welled up in Nia’s eyes. “You mean an actual stranger treated me with more kindness than my own sister? How funny is that?” She giggled hysterically as tears started streaming down her face. “What is wrong with my life?”

Khiran wrapped his arm around her trembling shoulders in an awkward hug as she sobbed into his shirt. “Well, to be fair, we did help save her son from those human traffickers.”

“Why are you still here?” Nia whispered, not sure if she wanted to know the answer. 

“What?” Khiran asked, unsure of what she was talking about.

“Why are you still here?” Nia repeated, clearer this time. “I thought you would abandon me now that we fulfilled our deal and you got your payment. And yet, you went out of your way to save me afterward.”

Khiran’s mouth opened for a moment, then closed as he realized he wasn’t sure why either. 

“Don’t tell me it’s because you’re bored and this is exciting.” Nia pressed on, throwing his former words in his face. “You received the hairpin for freeing others from slavery. You received a trip to the kingdom’s treasury in exchange for helping me reunite with my sister. I know I have been dragging you around with me all this time, and I have probably been a big inconvenience to you for most of it. You had your chance to get rid of me, so why are you still here?”

“I don’t know…” Khiran admitted hesitantly. “Maybe I can’t bear to let you die after all the troubles I went through to save your skin. And don’t get me wrong, you were not an inconvenience to have around. Don’t forget, you saved my life once, too.”

“That’s not the same thing, Khiran. You’ve repaid all your debts several times over. And now, I have nothing more to repay my debts to you with.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t base relationships on debts and bargains.” Khiran refuted. “Shouldn’t we be better than that? We went through so much together. Where else would I be?”

What a funny thing for him to say. Wasn’t he the one who drew the bottom line over and over before?

Nia smiled. “When I first met you, I thought you were a very arrogant and selfish person.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“But you have a kinder heart than what you show.”

Khiran gave her a wry smile. “What can I say? I may be a thief, but my mother raised me to have manners and take care of my friends. I’m sure she would have been fond of you had you two met.” His eyes softened as he continued, “Seeing you fade away like that—it was awful. I failed my mother when I couldn’t do anything to cure her illness. I couldn’t fail you, too.”

Nia was touched by his words, knowing how he rarely talked about the people who he was close with. 

“Thank you, Khiran. I just… I’m afraid of taking you for granted. I feel like if I have nothing to offer you, you’ll leave me and I’ll be all alone again.”

Khiran smiled again. “After everything we’ve been through, shouldn’t we consider ourselves as friends? There’s nothing that builds trust faster than being in dangerous situations, huh?”

Nia laughed, then clutched her aching sides as she was still weak from just waking up.

“And one more thing.” Khiran rummaged through his bag and retrieved a handclock. Her handclock, which she had traded away a long time ago. “I want to return this.”

“Really?” Nia was so choked up she could barely speak. “But why?”

“I feel really bad, alright? You traded something precious to save your ungrateful, backstabbing older sister. Also, I’ve already got a lot of gold and a valuable book from the treasury so I won’t really need that anymore. I can’t sell this anyway because there aren’t many people who recognize its value.”

“Thank you.” Nia cradled the handclock in her hands. She was glad to have Vivian’s last gift to her in her possession once more.

“Are you feeling strong enough to get up? The others are waiting for you.” Khiran reached out his hand to her.

Nia gnawed her lower lip. “I don’t know what to say. They’ve been so kind as to help me and I can’t repay them. Even now, I’m putting them in danger with my presence.”

“It will be fine. As soon as you are strong enough, we’ll leave to find allies and strike back against your sister.”

Nia started in surprise. “You’ll continue to help me? This is my battle, not yours.”

She should feel lucky just to be alive. Maybe she should give up on her past and forge a new future for herself, one where she is safe in a far corner of a kingdom. But she was still haunted by her brother’s death. She was still angry and bitter that her brother’s murderer still walked free.

“Even if it comes to the worst,” Khiran gripped her hands tightly in his. “You can always count on me. It’s us against the world.”