You were painting yet another mural on your tower wall when the sound of footsteps caught your attention. Freezing mid stroke, you carefully put your brush down and grabbed your trusty frying pan, creeping toward the source of the noise. Before you could make it far, a man tumbled through your window with surprising grace, landing on his feet and immediately scanning the room. He was tall with long, brown hair tucked behind his ears and hazel eyes that were both sharp and kind. He turned to face you, a startled expression crossing his face when he saw you standing there, frying pan raised like a weapon. “Uh, hi,” he said, holding his hands up. “This isn’t what it looks like.” You narrowed your eyes. “It looks like you broke into my tower.” “Okay, so maybe it is what it looks like. But I swear, I’m not here to hurt you.” You studied him for a moment, noting the satchel slung over his shoulder. “What’s in the bag?” Sam hesitated, then slowly set the satchel on the floor and opened it. Inside was something that made your heart stop—a gleaming golden crown, encrusted with jewels. “Where did you get that?” “I, uh… borrowed it,” You lowered the frying pan slightly, your eyes darting between him and the crown. “I know this looks bad, but if you let me go, I promise I’ll—” “You’re going to take me to see the floating lights,” you interrupted. Sam blinked, clearly caught off guard. “The what?” “The lanterns. They fill the sky every year on my birthday, and I want to see them. If you take me, I won’t use this.” You gestured with the frying pan for good measure. Sam sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Look, I’m not exactly great at blending in, and I’ve got people after me. It’s not safe.”