He'd been so close to death.

Atsumu can still hear his heartbeat thundering in his ears, feel his hands shaking slightly from the adrenaline. What would have happened if this stranger hadn't been there to slice the arrow clean in half before it managed to strike him? Would he be dead?

He doesn't recognize them from the royal guard, and their swordplay had looked messier than any of the knights he'd seen. Which can only mean one thing. "Yer a mercenary," he says, as evenly as he can while he regains his bearings. "Why save me? What's yer price?"

Contrary to popular belief, Atsumu's not entirely stupid. He understands that people would rather see his twin on the throne someday. And he knows that this mercenary is risking losing business from those people if word gets around that they saved him.