---

The winds of the kingdom were sweet and fresh, much like any other day in spring. The dark heralds of winter had all passed by and the proud nation of Crescentia had persevered through it once more.

In the conglomeration of towns and villages surrounding the main castle, life flourished as villager and citizen alike began to sift through the still melting snow and prepare for a sunny future. Talk of war and battle were all but things in the past, the most common grievance being that of childhood pranks on the elders.

Politics were doing well with the other three nations of the world, and despite the decrease in the king and queen’s public activity, their daughter was performing excellently in the eyes of her people.

Unfortunately, it was all too ideal.

News of border skirmishes involving a rouge knight from an unknown kingdom had spread throughout the common folk, eventually reaching the castle’s gates. In no time, a suspect was quickly taken in, brought before Princess Alice, and then sent to the castle’s many dungeon cells. This unknown knight was apparently sent by an equally enigmatic organization to assassinate Crescentia’s only princess.

Of course, all of these plans were foiled by the knight’s capture, but these were still disturbing news to the populace and the princess’ father and mother. Even now, the mystery knight waits to rot in her prison, knowing that death will follow her soon…

“Nng…!”

The sounds of bones possibly cracking under the hard weight of a fist forced the breath out of Melissa’s lungs for what was perhaps the tenth time that day. How long was it until sunset? How long until she could finally let the darkness claim her mind and pass out, away from the trivialities of this harsh reality? She glanced up at the streams of light sprayed out from the holes of the stone cell.

Far too long. Way too long before sunset would arrive.

Muttering to herself with a trembling grin, Melissa let her head hang down, the bottom of her chin resting on her chest. A large, purple mark was beginning to form over her left eye-the right one was devoid of even an eye-and her body had been bent in places she wasn’t even aware of until her capture.

Heavy chains were wrapped around her wrists and arms, lopping her towards the ceiling and forever forcing her to be suspended from the air. And so this was to be her fate for however long the fair and oh so merciful Princess decided to keep her.

The bitch…why didn’t she just end it already? How she wanted to preach about peace…to hell with all that! The hypocritical bitch…but no, she allowed these goons, no, these bastards to abuse her in each passing hour.

How she hated it all.

“Uggn…”

A soft click on the cell door signaled the arrival of her next torturer. With a grit in her teeth, Melissa said nothing more, only bringing her face up to playfully glare at her cell’s entrance.

Whoever entered next would not hear any screams from her soon.

“Do not approach her, Princess. It’s not a good idea!” The chastising voice of her adviser made her eyes roll as she continued toward the dungeon without hesitation.

“I told you I’d let you handle the information extraction for a while, but now it’s my turn to give it whack, so to speak.” Alice’s placid tone didn’t have much variation, though her slight annoyance was rather evident. After it was clear that the princess had no intention of changing her mind, the royal adviser muttered a small complaint and hung back reluctantly.

With a gaze, she ordered the door open and entered the dark, long stairway down to the dungeon to meet with the source of her recent headaches.

“You can breathe now, Knight. It’s only me.” The casual manner of speech was all part of her plan. She had to gain her knight’s trust in order for any secrets to be spill, obviously. Physical pain had proved to be entirely unuseful. The guard at the door stood patiently, and Alice took the opportunity of him standing there to have him do some legwork, because she simply wasn’t built for heavy lifting.

“Undo her arm restraints, if you would, sir. That can’t possibly be comfortable.”

“Princess, she may escape if she is unrestrained.”

“Well, then put a heavily-weighted ankle restraint on her to keep her from moving very far at one time. That would seem more logical than torturing her to death and having her hang by the arms in the meantime, wouldn’t it?”

“Certainly, Your Highness.”

“Thank you, sir.”

He dragged his feet in undoing the more uncomfortable restraints, but eventually it was done and she was left to support herself...or not.

“There. Now if you would please excuse us, Guard.”

“Your Highness-”

“I’ll be sure to call if I feel endangered. Please wait outside the door.”

“Yes, Princess.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Alice stopped speaking then, instead opting to take the guard’s resting chair from near the door and moving it closer to her prisoner. She sat down rather stiffly and paused to collect her thoughts before speaking again.

“Now, I realize that I may not be in your highest esteem. I assume that you work under another person due to your strategic and systematic attacks, so my first question would obviously be who that person might be. However, if I were in your place, I would never simply answer that question. So my first question for you is a rather simple one, as I aim to earn your trust over time. What is your name?”

“You can breathe now, Knight. It’s only me.”

…seriously? Was this girl just that dense? Melissa looked up at her captor with a weak and narrowed gaze. First off, she didn’t fear this prim and proper little lady who probably didn’t care for her luxury or life anyway. Secondly, that meant the only thing of value that was delaying her eventual execution…was the information she carried.

Chuckling softly, Melissa felt her bound arms being released from their chains and she landed with a thud on the ground. Before she could form any semblance of a plan, the guard mutts were already on her, lashing together more chains and restraints around her ankles. Peering at them curiously, she moved them around to see that she could genuinely not escape. Or rather, it would prove difficult to do so. Soon enough though, only two remained in the holding cell.

“Now, I realize that I may not be in your highest esteem. I assume that you work under another person due to your strategic and systematic attacks, so my first question would obviously be who that person might be. However, if I were in your place, I would never simply answer that question. So my first question for you is a rather simple one, as I aim to earn your trust over time. What is your name?”

Melissa was, for the most part, actually impressed. The princess was fazed not at all by her hideous appearance. That or she had a strong stomach for those with only one eye and scarred chests.

“…that still doesn’t give me a reason to talk to you, your Highness.”

Light venom was sprinkled in her grin and voice.

“Also, I don’t exactly feel obliged to answer you either when you call me “Knight”. I’m not a Knight, so doing so is rather rude on your part, huh?”

The dark dressed girl glanced once more at her bound ankles and then back at the sitting princess. She said, “For somehow who’s famed in Crescentia for their intelligence, wit, and charisma…you’ve done a good job of not impressing a simple captive. Besides, there’s no point in knowing the person you plan to kill, and all the more reason for me not to state my name.”

A pause.

“And besides, I want to see Miranda first before I answer any sort of trivia. What have you done with her Miss Posh and Pish? Have you converted her into some maddening maid for your own leisure? Heh, that would be better than dying I suppose.”

The girl’s single red eye glistened over as she stared at the ceiling. Perhaps she should try to use magic to escape this rotting place?

Alice ignored the woman’s insults. Sticks and stones, she figured. Besides, quarreling with her wouldn't do her any good. However, she abandoned trying to act familiar to gain her trust. She obviously had more deeply-rooted concerns about her trustworthiness than that.

“You don’t have to talk to me, but I recommend it. Look at it this way: if you think you will die either way, what do you have to lose from at least trying to obtain the good graces of your captor? That being said, I don’t expect you to trust me just yet, but for what it’s worth, I would rather you alive than dead,” the young woman replied in response to the gored prisoner’s first rasp after she’d finished her piece. Though her surroundings were beginning to seep into her notice, she hid her reaction in a well-trained mask of an expression. It was essential to become quite used to distasteful things to be a successful diplomat, a little-known fact among the common people. There were throngs of people with odd scars and limbs missing who came before her at various times, and she couldn't simply turn them away because of that. Perhaps she was naive for being such an idealist to be focused so purely on equality, but that didn't faze her.

“I also sincerely repent for referring to you by the improper title. What is it that I may call you? And who might this Miranda be? I was informed that you were captured alone.”

It occurred to Alice then that this captive might be mentally hindered. She seemed to be greatly disillusioned as to the role of princesses. Did she really think that she was personally responsible for all of the things going on in her kingdom, much less the castle? It nearly made the blonde chuckle. No, as much as she’d like to be omnipotent and be able to take care of all of her nation’s issues at once, that simply wasn't the case. And anyway, who was Miranda? She was absolutely sure the woman had been captured alone. None of the reports left room for any suggestion of an accomplice. Alice hoped that this person wasn't gone in the head. That would make all of her efforts moot, and she would probably be forced to have her put to death or kept captive for the rest of her natural (or unnatural, depending on the guards sent to watch her) life.

Alice opened her mouth to speak, closed it, and paused to consider. After a bit, she spoke again, her voice echoing quietly in the gory room.

“I will do you this favor in good faith: describe to me this Miranda and I will personally seek her out and give you confirmation that she is alive and well.” Her eyes locked onto the prisoner’s, and her lips ever-so-slightly pressed together at the sight of her empty socket, though her gaze did not waver. “But respond quickly, because I cannot guarantee the long-term safety of a fugitive without knowing who she is so that I may order her protection.”

“I also sincerely repent for referring to you by the improper title. What is it that I may call you? And who might this Miranda be? I was informed that you were captured alone.”

“Heh, well after your little monologue, I suppose I have to give you my name now, huh?” the former Knight stated playfully. “Aw whatever. My name is Melissa Bellum. Anyone who knows that is most likely dead. That’s enough out of me until I see Miranda is okay.

“I will do you this favor in good faith: describe to me this Miranda and I will personally seek her out and give you confirmation that she is alive and well. But respond quickly, because I cannot guarantee the long-term safety of a fugitive without knowing who she is so that I may order her protection.”

Melissa nodded in understanding, rubbing her ankles hastily in their bonds. Perhaps she could escape, though direct force wouldn’t in this situation. No, a royal diplomat like the ruler of Crescentia needed to be caught off guard by tact of her own. Melissa smiled, though honestly it was no different than her other expressions at this point.

She would go with that magic then…

“You don’t know what she looks like? But you saw her yourself your Highness! When I was brought to you, did you not see her by my side?”

A pause. Apparently not. Melissa sighed, rolling her singe eye in exasperation.

“The bunny. You know, the bunny that was hanging at my side? Miranda? You…haven’t done anything to her…have you?”

Now was the chance to strike….

Leaning forward suddenly, Melissa’s red eye glowed faintly and her mouth curled up even further. A slight spike of anxiety would prick the princess, but nothing that she would be concerned about.

“I hope you haven’t done anything terrible to my Miranda…if you did…well, I don’t know if I can hold myself back from strangling you right here and now your Highness. My hands are free now. What’s to stop me from tearing out your veins and playing jump rope with them, heh?”

Of course, she wasn’t in the physical condition to actually follow up with that threat, but the magic was working. She would coax the royal into fearing her, bending her to her will. She just needed to hold out enough for it to work…

Melissa could already feel the added strain weighing down on her mind.

“A...bunny?” Even such a seasoned diplomat as Alice had a limit for the amount of silly things she could take seriously, and Melissa had found that limit. The woman had just requested a stuffed bunny named Miranda to be brought to her, and talked about her as if she’d been human. How very…

Before the princess had even time to react to the bubbling of laughter she felt inside, the eyes and the snarl and the threats sent her mind astray from it. Her eyes shot wide open in surprise and fear and she was petrified for a moment or two. Heart racing, she closed her eyes and consciously slowed her breathing to calm herself. After a while of staying that way, she stood up, placing the chair by the door where she’d found it, not uttering a word and not daring to look at Melissa. After that was done, the blonde meandered over to the chest with various weapons and other instruments of torture on the other side of the room, unlocking it with the key attached the necklace she wore, though she had previously kept it tucked under the neckline of her gown. The majority of the locks in the castle could be opened by that master key, though only people of high authority knew that.

“You see, Melissa, I am a very reasonable person. If you are also reasonable with me, I guarantee that you will learn just how much I have and will bend over backwards for you. I won’t bore you with the extensive history of how I managed to have you spared of harsher treatment, which was not easy, but I did it because I really do care about your side of this. But if you continue to be difficult,” Alice picked out a small, relatively dull, and serrated dagger, “I just don’t see how I could possibly manage to justify my actions on your behalf.” She put it back after some examination, seeming almost disinterested in what she was saying.

“In short, it is in your best interest to cooperate with me. It seems these torture devices aren’t very pleasant, so I’ll assume you didn’t enjoy that roughhousing. If you want to keep having the luxury of being able to move your body about in different positions, I’d suggest that you change your attitude.” Alice refused to meet Melissa’s gaze for fear of another bout of heart racing and heavy sweating.

“Well,” she continued after a pause to keep her breath in check, “I’ll be off to fetch your Miranda. In the meantime, think about the choices I’ve offered you.” Staring at her own feet as she exited, Alice didn’t permit Melissa time to formally respond, though she remained just outside the dungeon door, leaning on it with all her weight after it was closed as tears slipped down her cheeks. The strain of keeping her voice steady and her face straight was too much under that influence, and her breathing returned to erraticism and her heart to rapid beating. Though sobs failed to escape her, her courage was appropriately shaken by the event, and she doubted her decision to use the woman was her window of opportunity into the grander scheme of things. After some time, though, she began upstairs again and called for her adviser.

“She requests her bunny.”

“Pardon me?”

“Her stuffed bunny. She requests it.”

“And why, Highness, do you request it for the captive?”

“I am extending the proverbial olive branch.”

“Yes, Princess.” He scurried off to find anyone who could locate the thing, but it would take some time.

---

It took several hours to locate Miranda, but eventually the royal adviser rapped at Alice’s chamber door, and the blonde took the stuffed thing and made her way back down to the dungeon. Miranda looked a bit dirty and worse-for-wear, but the castle seamstresses did their best to repair any damage to it, lest that be a deciding factor in any negotiations to be made.

The princess gently swung open the door to the room where Melissa was kept and stepped in, though she faltered a bit coming through the threshold. Steeling herself, she presented the stuffed bunny to Melissa and spoke quietly.

“Is this your Miranda?”

The princess’s plight wasn’t that hard to register, and Melissa’s grin twisted upwards at her magic’s effect. A little more and she would soon be free! When the royal even went so far as to get up and move her chair back into place, the rouge was sure she had won this little mind game of theirs. However, any traces of color present on her already pale face were soon drained away as she saw the princess unlock a certain chest.

“You see, Melissa, I am a very reasonable person. If you are also reasonable with me, I guarantee that you will learn just how much I have and will bend over backwards for you. I won’t bore you with the extensive history of how I managed to have you spared of harsher treatment, which was not easy, but I did it because I really do care about your side of this. But if you continue to be difficult…”

Melissa eyed the knife warily, her own heart-beat pumping faster and faster. No…she personally didn’t take a fondness to physical torture. Being captured by that warlord probably had something to do with it. The worst of all was mental torture, especially back in the Ultimatum. Whenever she was forced to spend one day with that Masked Man…she suppressed a shiver at the thought.

“I just don’t see how I could possibly manage to justify my actions on your behalf.
In short, it is in your best interest to cooperate with me. It seems these torture devices aren’t very pleasant, so I’ll assume you didn’t enjoy that roughhousing. If you want to keep having the luxury of being able to move your body about in different positions, I’d suggest that you change your attitude.”

The princess would not see the tiny nod Melissa gave her, as her eyes were directed towards her feet. Once she heard the door close and lock behind her, Melissa immediately placed a hand to her temple, the extent of her fear magic having been spent. She took no mind to it though, as she had gotten her point across. Even so, she found some sort of sick irony at the fact that both girls were scared of the other but were too stubborn to admit that fact.

Some mind game indeed.

“At least she’s not as bad as that Masked Bastard,” the one-eyed girl muttered to herself, staring at the shackles binding her ankles for what proved to be half an hour or so. She could escape she realized, but the prospect of leaving Miranda behind didn’t settle well with her no matter how she looked at it. Sighing, she rested her back on the dirty wall and waited patiently.

“Is this your Miranda?”

Looking up, Melissa flashed the princess that same smile of hers as she studied the bunny in her hands. Under normal circumstances, she would have denied that it was hers and to be fetched for another. Next, she would play the fool, claiming that she had requested no such bunny in the face of her captor.

The reminder of physical torture kept her from doing so, and she reached out to grab Miranda instead.

“Yeah, that’s her,” she said, a little more genuine than before. “You know, I only thought warriors and barbarians could be scary but…well, heh, I’ll admit you got me going there with the torture your Highness.”

She did not feel the need to hide the trembling fear in her voice this time. Perhaps she could play the sympathy card, seeing as her magic was desperately low right now.

“You…weren’t really gonna torture me again, right?”

A moment of silence, in which Melissa snickered nervously.

“R-Right?”

At Melissa’s grab, Alice relinquished the stuffed toy gently and took a half step back, just to be safe. Her eyes twinkled with a small hint of something at the genuine tone in the other woman’s voice. Was she possibly getting somewhere?

When the captive asked if she was in for any more torture, the princess heaved a small sigh, her face seeming years older within moments.

“I wouldn’t myself, obviously. If I can help it, I’d like to treat you with as much decency as I can, and that includes not beating you around like an animal. Of course, if I’m left with no choice, there wouldn’t be much I could do anyways. Even getting let down in here to talk to you was an uphill battle, and if harm were to come to me, people would use that as an excuse to put you to a slow and painful death. But if you’re asking for pity, you’re not getting any. I expect you to take some responsibility for your actions. From now on, no more magic, or else three hours physical torture. Okay? No more of that.”

She looked Melissa in the face once more, this time not cringing at the sight.

“I need to earn your trust, but you need to earn mine too. Let’s help each other.” Alice’s tone was, for once, not pleasant. Not sweet, nor kind, nor anything else she’d been taught. It was...just her. Just the princess...no… Just a human being talking to another human being. It was strange; she felt strange letting that out. After a bit, she shook her head, put on a sorry smile, and continued.

“Forgive me.”

She walked around, paying attention to the blood and bones without owners scattered and splattered all over. It made her sick to even be aware of humans being treated so badly, though she tried not to let it show. She didn’t know what it was about visiting this captive that made her feel so sad, and made her feel in general. It was the first time she’d ever had someone in the dungeon who was bad enough to warrant special treatment, but if she’d known it would have this effect on her, she would have sent someone else to do it. Her feelings had been locked away for so long...letting them out felt heinous, yet there were her sadness, her pity, her anger, her fear.

“I wouldn’t myself, obviously. If I can help it, I’d like to treat you with as much decency as I can, and that includes not beating you around like an animal. Of course, if I’m left with no choice, there wouldn’t be much I could do anyways.”

Melissa said nothing, only turning around her precious bunny doll in her hands. Well wasn’t someone so pretentious. Figures that a princess would try to settle these matters in a peaceful setting. But wait, wasn’t that what her own had done…no, that was a memory of the past. And things like those deserved to be buried into the ground and put away with for good.

“But if you’re asking for pity, you’re not getting any. I expect you to take some responsibility for your actions. From now on, no more magic, or else three hours physical torture. Okay? No more of that.”

The rouge crossed her arms and “hmpfed” in annoyance. True, her magic needed to be replenished anyway, but having torture as the rebuttal to that was still irritating. She was so unsettled by this decree in fact, that she almost failed to catch the lack of sweet pleasantries dripping from the princess’ voice.

“Forgive me.”

“Huh?”

Melissa watched Alice walk back and forth across her cell with glances every few seconds towards the crimson stains that lined the walls. The bones were unpleasant, sure, but Melissa had expected all of this from the beginning of her confinement. Why was this other girl so surprised?

“…I just don’t get it Miranda,” she said to her doll quietly, not even attempting to hide her words to the inanimate object. Her plan of false sympathy was gone now, replaced by a burning curiosity and much confusion.

“She’s just gonna kill us after we’ve done our part. I don’t get why she has to act all nice and everything. Actually, it’s probably better if we just cooperate anyway,” she reasoned. The doll, of course, said nothing in response.

“I mean, our lives really don’t matter to anyone at this point so…and why is she getting upset about the treatment down here too? Doesn’t she know you’re supposed to do this to bad people? Come to think of it…”

She looked up and stared at her captor now.

“Hey, you didn’t tell me your name. How am I supposed to trust my killer when she can’t even do that?”

Alice heard Melissa muttering some things, probably to her doll, but couldn’t make out the words. It didn’t matter much anyway. If the white-haired woman wanted to say something, she would raise her voice. And eventually, she did.

“Oh, pardon me. I assumed you were sent to kill me eventually and would know my name. Rather vain, now that I reflect on it. My name is Princess Alice of Crenscentia. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

It was well-practiced, like everything else. The life of a noble was one of saying the right thing to the right person, and being at the right place at the right time. Yet Melissa wasn’t even trying to act polite or correct around her. On one hand, it enraged her. She was the princess of Crescentia and deserved respect! On the other...she was intrigued. How strange it was to be so unconcerned. How strange it was to be so...free…

Something within her yearned for the ability to be so powerful as to proclaim one’s existence without a reason, but simply for the hell of it. Something within her yearned to live a selfish life, and to change from an overworked mule into a wild horse.

Alice pushed the foolish thoughts away. Continuing to look upon the dungeon with disgust, she mumbled to herself, “I should get this place washed and tidied.”

She turned away from the walls and faced Melissa, and approached. She hesitated for a beat, and then crouched down close to her captive, reaching out to gently pet Miranda’s head. Looking into the other girl’s single eye, she spoke.

“When did you meet Miranda? You two seem like very close friends. You see, my closest friend is my adviser,” she chuckled a bit bitterly, “so I envy you, in a way.”

Melissa titled her head as the princess had finally introduced herself. Alice, huh? That was a pretty enough name, and one certainly fitting that of royalty. Of course, even a deluded individual such as her could tell that the introduction was every bit as routine as the princess’ methodology. Still, the rouge appreciated the answer to her request. Maybe she wasn’t so pompous after all?

“When did you meet Miranda? You two seem like very close friends. You see, my closest friend is my adviser, so I envy you, in a way.”

At first, Melissa had narrowed her eye when the other girl had dared to pet her Miranda. However, it softened in the short moment of pause she took before answering Alice’s question. Sighing, she leaned her head back on the grainy wall behind her, not caring if it was to be stained by dried blood.

“So now you want to try and be my friend again? Well…anyway, Miranda was a gift from my mother. I think it was my tenth birthday?”

She smiled brightly.

“You should have seen me! I took her around everywhere all the time! Of course, I had to keep her hidden when I decided I was serious about becoming a knight. All things considered, I guess I never let her go. And why should I? She’s the only real thing I have close enough to a friend now.”

Melissa said this with a shrug, her tone indifferent. This girl…she was really willing to accept her fate at Death’s hands. All she had left tying her to this world was a stuffed rabbit.

That and…

“Oh come now Melissa Bellum. Surely you’re not giving up that easily…are you?”

The one-eyed girl froze as a new voice entered into the chamber. She immediately backed away from Alice and curled up on the side of the dungeon wall, bringing her knees to her scarred chest. With a trembling hand, she directed Alice’s gaze behind her with a pointed finger.

Someone was now in the cell with them.

He was a man of considerate stature. Not short, not tall, not really anything else. He wore a dark garb as well as a mangle of chains and locks that seemed to be fitted around his collar area. If he was discomforted by this, then he showed no physical signs of it. White hair cropped at his head, though Melissa would quickly tell anyone that he was no kin to her bloodline. But what was most intriguing was his face.

Or rather, lack of it.

A gray mask covered his visage as two holes registered a pair of dark yellow eyes, almost golden. With a wave of his arm, the man bowed to both girls.

“Greetings Princess Alice of Crescentia. At long last we meet in flesh. Unfortunately, it is not yet our time to cross roads in fate. Mind you, may I ask your pardon for handing over to me that trash you have kept over there? You see, she’s very dangerous and must be put down immediately.”

His voice was calm, almost to the point of being stoic. The only thing keeping it from being so was a sense of knowing about it.

“Please do not be alerted your Highness,” he assured. “There’s no need to call any of your residual guards. I disposed of them already for you.”

Alice smiled as Melissa spoke of her childhood joys, rather liking the softer side of the girl before her. It made her rueful to have to keep her prisoner, but both of them would surely be put to death if the white-haired woman was released due to her niceties alone.

Suddenly, though, the girl shrunk away, causing the blonde to narrow her eyes. Her unspoken question was answered by a finger pointing at a new arrival, and Alice turned and rose to meet the man’s eyes.

She listened to him, the placid, stone cold mask replaced upon her face. They were seemingly at a stalemate, and the chill in the room was noticeable. Alice pursed her lips at the man’s monologue, and she had to take a beat to formulate her reply.
“I shall educate you now for you may not yet know our customs here in Crescentia, but it is considered especially rude to barge into other people’s homes and conversations without invitation,” she said, voice venomous, though not terribly so. Her eyes narrowed at the man, as as she took half of a step toward him, face, body, and soul fully defiant.

“And another thing: people are not trash. No one is worthless, and no one is important enough or powerful enough to view others as such. Not even you with your mask and your cowardice hidden poorly behind it can rightfully call anyone below you.
“Melissa Bellum may have made a few mistakes, but people are not animals to be exterminated before someone attempts to make them educated. I will not give her to you, as you obviously haven’t the capability to grasp the value of a human life. Perhaps when you learn it, you can make amends with her, as she has also shown her desire to be as far from you as possible.”

“ALICE! PRINCESS ALICE!” The voice echoed down the stairs. Seconds later, Arthur, the royal advisor, appeared in the doorway with three guards about him.

“Alice, do not say a word. Just come here and let this man take the prisoner,” he instructed.

“It’s late for that, Arty. Guards, come here and stand around the captive. Protect her from this man. Arthur, go back upstairs and be sure to make arrangements for this man to be escorted out. Tell all guards you see to be on full alert.” The guards obeyed Alice’s order, and so did Arthur after some hesitation. The blonde looked back at the masked man.

“You are not welcome here, so please go without a fuss. I shall not relinquish Melissa Bellum to you, so it is in your best interest to return to the place from which you have crawled out from.”

“I shall educate you now for you may not yet know our customs here in Crescentia, but it is considered especially rude to barge into other people’s homes and conversations without invitation.”

The man said nothing in response, his golden gleamed gaze only directing back towards Melissa’s shaking form. Meeting contact with him, the girl tried her hardest to squirm away from those all seeing eyes, wishing she could just curl up and disappear. The Masked Man did tilt his head once though as Alice made an effort to approach him.

“And another thing: people are not trash. No one is worthless, and no one is important enough or powerful enough to view others as such. Not even you with your mask and your cowardice hidden poorly behind it can rightfully call anyone below you. Melissa Bellum may have made a few mistakes, but people are not animals to be exterminated before someone attempts to make them educated. I will not give her to you, as you obviously haven’t the capability to grasp the value of a human life. Perhaps when you learn it, you can make amends with her, as she has also shown her desire to be as far from you as possible.”

“You speak such strong words towards me,” the Masked Man said in a mocked painful tone. “I come only with news of great joy, even extending my hand in friendship. What better way to make peace with your nation through the elimination of one who sought to take your own life?”

His eyes shifted as the sounds of guards came upon them. Ignoring them completely, he continued his speech towards the princess.

“You are not welcome here, so please go without a fuss. I shall not relinquish Melissa Bellum to you, so it is in your best interest to return to the place from which you have crawled out from.”

The man chuckled.

“Very well. If you must your Highness, then I shall have to reconsider my options and tactics, now won’t I?”

He walked towards the dungeon wall before pausing.

“Ah, I believe a title is needed for my presence today, yes? Let us see…I suppose you may refer to me simply as…Jester. Farewell Alice of Crescentia. Your actions here prove to be most…interesting.”

Before he could leave though, Melissa suddenly leapt forward and crawled her way to the Jester’s booted feet. The clink of her ankle shackles soon filled the small room as she took hold of the Masked Man’s ankle.

“W-What about me?” she asked, looking up at him with a wide eye. “M-me…right? I can still kill her! Really, I can! Me and Miranda won’t get caught a second time! Please, let him give me another cha-”

“Ah, but I’m afraid you’ve played your role dear Melissa. Maybe in the next act? As of now, consider yourself defected from the Ultimatum.”

And without another word spoken more, the man phased through the wall effortlessly, exuding an extremely powerful magic. As the royal advisor went back upstairs to fulfill his orders, Melissa stared at that wall blankly.

Her existence meant nothing now. With her role done…she was nothing.

With a twisted and trembling smile, she turned around and this time lunged for Alice. However, she did not go for any sort of death blow. Instead, she grabbed the princess’ ankle much like she had for the Jester’s. Looking up, faint streaks of tears were now beginning to descend from her single seen eye.

“H-Hey, Alice? Isn’t it time to kill me yet? Hmm?”

Her tears continued to spill freely, even as the smile remained plastered onto her face.

“Come on, just for me friend? I promise I won’t cry, honest! P-Please…I don’t wanna live anymore…it’s kinda all pointless now, you know? Heh…you g-gonna do it or not?”

Alice didn’t respond when the Jester spoke to her, and merely watched as Melissa seemed to lose all sense of self right before her eyes.

She was petrified, frozen in place by the sheer terror of it all. In her life, Alice had seen some things that would make a grown man cry. She’d seen people beheaded, and people with open sores all over, and recently-born babies (which wasn’t as magical as some midwives said). But watching this girl rapidly unraveling.

It was too much. Alice waved the guards away, and they left with the door closing behind them.

And then something novel happened.

The princess began to cry, to weep, for her captive’s lost faith in everything. She knelt down as Melissa grabbed at her ankle and put a hand on each of the other girl’s cheeks, and angled her face so she had little option but to look at her. Though it was disgraceful to weep in front of people, especially prisoners, but she couldn’t help it.
“It’s not time to kill you, Melissa. Life’s not pointless and I won’t kill you. Now more than ever I know that you are a good person, just like the other people I’ve sworn to protect. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” her voice shook as she wiped her tears and forced a smile. “Okay? Shh. Don’t cry. We’ll work it out. You’ll see. It’ll be okay.”

She sat down near the white-haired girl and petted her softly, as any competent mother would have done. She forced her urge to sob back, insisting on at least partially soothing Melissa first. She wouldn’t have her dying now.

That was the problem with Alice’s plan from the get go, as Arthur had tried to explain to her. As soon as she first spoke with the prisoner, she was allowing herself to see her not as a brutal killer, but as a human, and that was not something easily revoked.

"It'll be alright. You'll see. I'll make sure no harm comes to you."

It was optimism to say the least, but the princess had every intention of coming through. Whether or not it was possible was another question, but if Alice knew anything at all, it was that her words had a lot of weight, and if she really worked hard at something and was smart about it, she could do it. Well, up until then...

“It’s not time to kill you, Melissa. Life’s not pointless and I won’t kill you. Now more than ever I know that you are a good person, just like the other people I’ve sworn to protect. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Okay? Shh. Don’t cry. We’ll work it out. You’ll see. It’ll be okay.”

To this, Melissa only sighed as she instinctively brought her body closer to Alice’s, appreciating the small attention. When was the last time she had felt such warmth? When was the last time she could trust another human being enough to embrace so closely? Certainly not now, as the girl still had doubts and suspicions.

But for now, she would allow herself to feel protected at least this once.

"It'll be alright. You'll see. I'll make sure no harm comes to you."

“Pardon me your Highness…but you’re such an idiot.”

Looking up at the princess, Melissa wiped away the tears with the sleeve of her dark attire. Sniffling, her mismatched smile wavered and she found it difficult to express her true emotions.

“Any sensible person would just spare the sentimentals and kill me already. But…you remind me of my former princess, so I guess that’s alright.”

Closing her one eye, Melissa shook her head at the thought of her former home. She gripped Miranda tighter and squeezed the little bunny to her chest.

“She was always thinking of others. Even when we were invaded and they captured her, she put her people before her. I saw her in her last moments…she was glaring at him….heh, but she was a fool too you know. Everyone ended up dying one way or another…”

When Melissa finally spoke some sense, Alice laughed a bit, nodding along to what the other girl was saying.

“Yes, yes. I have been told many times that I’m a fool. Arthur, my advisor, likes to remind me of that often… Your princess sounds like she was an exemplary person. She seems to have improved the lives of everyone she knew.”

She paused, looking down at Melissa. She looked so comfortable and strangely peaceful. Such relaxations were out-of-place in the venue they occupied. Yet the princess felt oddly calm and simultaneously excited. Alice couldn’t help but to feel fluttery around her new… Friend? If they were friends, it was certainly an odd friendship. One a powerful leader of a nation and the other an essentially powerless prisoner and recent defector of an apparently powerful organization of criminals. What an unlikely pair. Yet there they were, embracing as if they’d been close friends for years.

“It’s funny how things rise and then they fall. I sometimes think about how long after my death people will forget I even existed - if any of the things I do matter at all. So what if I feed some hungry people? There will always be more. So what if I teach some people in villages to keep records? There will always be things that go undocumented.
“I know that its the right thing to do, but… Oh, I don’t know. Sometimes I want to be more like you, more willing to do things that you want to do. I don’t remember the last time I took a day off, or passed up writing new policies in favor of, say, getting some rest.”
She yawned and leaned back, letting her head hit the wall behind her with a dull sound. Melissa’s warmth was comforting, and saying her piece relaxed her more than she’d thought it would.

“I think I might just fall asleep here if I’m not careful,” she mumbled quietly, eyes closed and already being subject to the more abstract thoughts encompassing one’s mind in fatigue. “But you know, I think some reconsideration of your arrangements might be in order. The cold stone isn’t very forgiving, is it?”

Alice’s soft words soothed the former knight further and soon, she too felt a little light headed. The injuries inflicted on her during her capture began to strike back, causing dull aches all over her body. Grimacing and gritting her teeth, she opened her eye and looked up at Alice.

“ The cold stone isn’t very forgiving, is it?”

“No. No it’s not. In fact, I think I’d rather stay in a nice comfy bed,” Melissa said, already moving to get up. How strange it all was. Just minutes, no, moments ago she had misguided thoughts about this royal girl. But…well, who was she kidding? She had nothing now. No home. No family. No kingdom.

But she did still have a princess. Yes, Alice had, ignoring the magic incident, been kind to her throughout her time here. Kindness was wasted on her these days, especially with her tarnished physical appearance. And Alice hadn’t even screamed out when she saw her missing eye.

Alice.

Melissa suddenly felt a prick of uncertainty in her side, though it was not mistrust this time. Something…else. This feeling made her feel shameful and she turned her head away to hide what probably was a streak of red on her pale visage. She couldn’t be….no. It was just a sense of friendship and…new loyalty.

“You Highness? If I can ask you of this…I don’t want to waste my time being a burden to you. On normal circumstances, I would be executed immediately, probably even tonight. However…”

A pause.

“…however, I’ve been…touched by your consideration for me. And so…me and Miranda would…well…c-can you…c-can I serve you your Highness as a loyal knight? I’ll become your tool! Your soldier and guard to use freely! We want to be of use to you! So please…can I serve you?”

When Melissa rose, Alice was jarred from her rest, and she blinked a few times before following suit. The girl turned away inexplicably, but the princess still looked at her quizzically, trying to meet her eye.

At the white-haired girl’s request, Alice smiled softly, albeit a bit sadly. That would be a hard request to address. However, the princess was determined to follow through with her many promises and vows to be fair and just and serve all who beseeched her.

“You...are not a burden.” Her eyes held something unspoken, something Alice herself couldn’t decipher within. She went on though.

“However, if you are sure you want to be a servant of Crescentia, I will not stop you. Tomorrow in the morning I’ll have the charges against you rescinded, and later we’ll do the oath.”

It was surely foolish of her to be doing so much for someone she hardly knew. Someone who could very well be conning her. But if it was so, she would bear the consequences of her foolishness, because the rewards she reaped were much greater, even in the short time she’d known Melissa. She’d become vastly more prone to sharing some feelings of hers, which had gone unspoken for several years. Perhaps it was because they hardly knew each other before that they could bond so quickly. Perhaps it was the low stakes at the start which encouraged them to keep on raising them.

“As for your sleeping conditions...why don’t we sneak you upstairs, get you cleaned up, and you can take mine. I hardly sleep in it anyway.” Alice hardly hesitated to crouch down to Melissa’s ankle and unlock the shackle around it. When the restraint was undone, the princess extended her fair hand to guide the former captive through the complex corridors, and the smile that crossed her face was a rare genuine one, albeit slightly nervous and unsure.

Melissa visibly relaxed at the princess’ words. Her princess now. The thought of being given a newfound purpose was made her body feel lighter than usual, and she giggled despite herself at the thought of it all. For once she would do what she did best, even if she was a little rusty at it. Stooping down, she scooped up Miranda into her arms and prepared for the journey upstairs eagerly.

“As for your sleeping conditions...why don’t we sneak you upstairs, get you cleaned up, and you can take mine. I hardly sleep in it anyway.”

That statement in particular gave the one-eyed girl some pause. Disbelief crossing her face, she stared blankly at the other girl as if she had lost her mind to madness. Given that one of the two weren’t quite right in the head, it couldn’t have been the royal.

“Er, Alice? Is that a…good idea? If I get caught in your bed, I’ll be put to death immediately. Unless this is all just your plan to kill me after all?”

Seriously, what was with this girl’s obsession with death? Specifically hers?

“Also,” Melissa carried on, “That’s like the worse of the worse crimes to do in a kingdom. I’m sure of it! Sleeping in the same bed of royalty…that’s madder than me! See…even Miranda agrees!”

Soon enough though, the two girls had reached the top stairs, now making their way further up and into the princess’ personal chambers.

“Well alright, if you don’t trust me, that’s fine. It was just a suggestion.”

Alice was a bit deflated, which surely must have been visible on her face. She did her best to hide it, however. Melissa didn’t need to be empathizing with her silly feelings. It was just a decline to an offer which was doomed from the first place. The one-eyed girl was right, after all. It would be dangerously improper to have her take her bed. Yet the princess didn’t understand it. Why was it so wrong to be charitable? Why did people look upon her scornfully for seeing people’s suffering and trying to help?

“You could sleep with a blanket on the floor if you want, but it won’t be any more forgiving than the dungeon,” her voice was quiet, and neutral, though it shook very slightly with uncertainty from the hit her confidence had already taken. What a silly girl to be so affected by people! It wasn’t even people, really, but just this one person. She didn’t know why, but it was so.

Soon, they arrived at the chamber door, and Alice opened it without hesitation. She released Melissa’s hand and ignored the cold empty feeling to motion for the new guest to sit down. Retrieving a washcloth, she wet it in a pail of water that her servants has already put out for her to clean off her own face. However, she took the damp cloth and put it to Melissa’s skin tentatively.

“It might hurt in open wounds, but it’s just a bit cold.”

The princess began to pat it clean gently, smiling at the pale skin which was being revealed under caked-on layers of blood and muck.

“You already look so much better without that guck all over you,” Alice intoned quietly, running her thumb across the clean spot on the white-haired girl’s cheek in a soft caress. Realizing her out-of-place actions, the princess drew her hand back slowly (reluctantly?) and began to dab again wordlessly, though her heart rate was going so much faster with the new nerves.