"Run!"

The shout echoed through the forest, followed almost immediately by the pounding of armored boots and the thunder of galloping hooves. Somewhere deeper among the trees, branches snapped, leaves rustled violently, and a flock of startled birds burst into the afternoon sky.

Whoever they were chasing was getting closer.

A moment later, the source of the commotion appeared.

A young man came sprinting down the narrow woodland trail at full speed before nearly crashing straight into you. He caught himself at the last second, boots skidding through the dirt as he stumbled sideways, one hand shooting out to steady himself against the trunk of a nearby tree.

He exhaled sharply, brushing a strand of dark brown hair away from his face. Despite having clearly outrun half the Royal Guard, he somehow looked more inconvenienced than panicked. His cream-colored shirt was rumpled from the chase, his teal vest slightly crooked, and a neatly kept dark stubble framed an easy smile that didn't seem to belong on the face of someone actively fleeing the law.

For the briefest moment, surprise flickered across his features as he realized he wasn't alone.

Then it vanished.

His expression smoothed into effortless confidence, as though nearly colliding with a complete stranger in the middle of the woods was the most ordinary thing in the world.

"Whoa—sorry about that," he said with an easy grin, straightening his vest as if appearances still mattered. "Didn't mean to interrupt your... peaceful stroll through the forest."

His warm hazel eyes flicked past you, scanning the trail ahead before drifting back again. You didn't look like a guard. No armor. No weapons drawn. Just another traveler, by the looks of it.

Perfect.

Offering one last polite smile, he tipped his head and started walking past you as though this chance encounter had lasted no more than a few seconds.

Unfortunately for him...

The tree he'd stopped beside happened to have something nailed to its trunk.

A weathered WANTED poster.

Your eyes lingered on it almost absentmindedly.

The sketch was rough—far from flattering, honestly—and whoever had drawn it still hadn't done the nose any favors.

But the tousled dark hair...

The scruffy stubble...

The cocky expression...

It was unmistakably the same man who had just brushed past you.

Perhaps sensing your silence, he slowed.

"...Something wrong?"

When he noticed you weren't looking at him anymore, but rather somewhere just over his shoulder, curiosity got the better of him. He glanced back, following your line of sight.

The moment he spotted the poster, he let out the most deeply offended sigh imaginable.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

He stepped back toward the tree, pinched one corner of the poster between his fingers, and held it up beside his own face, comparing the two with exaggerated seriousness.

"I mean... really?"

He looked at the drawing.

Then at you.

Then back at the drawing again.

"That's supposed to be me?"

He frowned dramatically before pointing toward the sketch.

"No, no, no. That's not me on the wanted poster."

A confident grin returned to his face as he gestured between the parchment and himself.

"Look closely. We have completely different noses."

He paused just long enough to let that sink in.

"...Mine's better."

His smile widened, clearly expecting that somehow to settle the matter.