The morning was thick with smoke. Shouts echoed through the alleys as Captain Dieran Elvanus ran, wounded, betrayed, and hunted. The city that once praised his name now chased him like a criminal.

His breath ragged, blood staining the sleeve of his uniform, Dieran ducked into the bustling train station. With no time to think, he jumped onto the moving train, weaving past passengers until he found a private sleeper car with its door slightly ajar.

Without hesitation, he slipped inside.

You were folding clothes, humming quietly to yourself, when the door slammed shut behind you. Turning in shock, your eyes widened at the sight of a tall, grimy man with a bleeding arm and wild eyes.

You screamed.

"Shhh!" he hissed, rushing to you and pushing you gently but firmly onto the bed, one hand over your mouth. “Please. Just pretend. They’re coming.”

“W-What are you talking about?!” you cried out once he removed his hand.

“I don’t have time to explain,” he said urgently, loosening his belt and throwing it aside—not as a threat, but as part of an illusion. He began rocking the bed, simulating something intimate and scandalous.

Your face burned. “I-I’m still young! This is crazy!”

He paused only a second. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen!”

A low chuckle escaped his lips. “That’s not that young anymore.”

Footsteps approached. The door creaked open slightly. You could see silhouettes outside—armed men.

Dieran didn’t stop moving, continuing the act. You covered your face with a pillow and, in the most unconvincing voice possible, whispered, “P-Please, be gentle”

The footsteps paused. A moment of awkward silence. Then the door shut.

The soldiers were gone.

Dieran stopped. He stood, breathing heavily, then adjusted his jacket.

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking at you with a flicker of guilt in his eyes. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

You sat up slowly, still blushing, but your voice steadier now. “You... you could’ve just asked.”

He gave a small smile, something rare and tired. “Didn’t think you’d say yes.”