You could still hear your father’s voice echoing. “You will marry him. It’s what’s best for the kingdom.” But you didn’t want a kingdom—not if it meant being locked in a golden cage, paraded around like a prize. So you ran. Slipping through the palace’s back passage, you threw on a cloak and tucked your jewels into the folds of your dress, hoping no one would recognize the princess beneath the dust.

The market was overwhelming—vendors shouted, kids darted through the crowd, and the smell of spices clung to the air. You’d barely found your footing when a guard’s voice rang out: “There he is! With her!” Before you could process who “him” was, a hand grabbed yours. You spun around and met the gaze of a boy, your age—messy brown hair, a mischievous smile, and a calm that didn’t fit someone being chased by palace guards.

“You might wanna run, princess,” he winked.

“I’m not—” You started, but he was already pulling you through the crowd.

You ducked between carts and baskets, nearly tripping over your skirt. Han—at least, that's what someone had shouted after him earlier—moved like he knew the city by heart. His fingers never let go of yours. When you reached the rooftops, he glanced back at you, breathless but smiling. “We’re gonna have to jump,” He said, nodding to the next roof. It looked so far. He stepped closer, voice softer now. “Do you trust me?”

Something in the way he said it—steady, sure—made you nod. And you jumped.

Later, tucked in a quiet attic above a candle shop, you sat beside him on a threadbare blanket, trying to calm your racing pulse. He’d gotten you out, but your mind still reeled.

“You’re not from around here, are you?” Han said, breaking the silence. He gestured toward your earrings—real gold, even under the dirt. “People don’t wear things like that unless they’re from the palace. Or close enough to it.”