ON A NORMAL DAY, Lucia would not say she is prone to getting in serious trouble. Occasionally going missing for a few hours, at worst a Plan Fifteen, is nothing new to anybody in the palace, but this, this is new. And very bad.

"While I may not be in a place to make any requests, I'm going to anyway," Lucia somehow manages to keep a steady tone while sharp, lethal iron glints in the late afternoon sun.

"Shut it, princess," the glinting iron shifts closer as the man scoffs and Lucia shuts her mouth in a snap, chills running down her back.

How exactly did she end up kidnapped and being held for ransom by five brutish men? Well, escape plan number thirty-five might be to blame here in some respect, but she's not going to admit it.

Lucia sighs, slumping in her seat as much as the ropes allow for. It is a matter of patience when playing hostage, but it's never been Lucia's strong suit, something she is forced to recognize as the late afternoon sun turns to early evening. Lucia can't help but feel terribly cold and scared and impatient to see her sisters and Seokjin again as swords pass by her vision as a constant reminder of where she isn't.

She is only comforted by the dangling yellow gems in her earrings that glow gently under the sunlight. For once, she thanks Tova's tendency to prepare for the worst. Even when it seems like a bit much.

"Boys, I am going to have to be honest. I am not meant to sit still this long, dear goodness, please. I won't escape, I just need to stand," Lucia whines, flopping back in her seat, knowing full well she's asking for trouble, but she's growing more panicked by the second as she grows colder and colder.

"We told you to stay quiet," iron glints once more and Lucia can barely make herself care as she jitters in place.

"Hours ago, I'm the runaway princess for a reason. I don't sit still and play nice forever."

To be honest, she really just wants to feel the warmth on her skin to remind herself that Jin is coming, to try and trick her brain into believing she is swept up into his arms again. Instead, she's stuck staring at this dumb, dingy, wood wall that couldn't even entertain the hungriest of termites.

When no one has the manners to answer her, she continues to beg, "just drop me in front of a window for goodness's sake."

Some grumbling and shifting later, she is blessed with some leniency and sunlight. The sun is soft as it pours through the open windows, gently holding her with a comforting touch. It is too late in the day to be greatly warmed by the sunlight, but it is appreciated nonetheless.

Lucia is sure they don't regret listening to her pleas when she begins drifting off, visions of obsidian and caramel and starry nights distracting her from reality.

The clamor of hooves in the distance is the second thing to startle her from her daydreaming; the first being the shouting between the brutes as they prepare for all hell to break loose. And Lucia understands their assumption. Holding royalty hostage is easily treason, and with Lucia's sisters? To say it is a death wish is an understatement.

The oncoming cavalry being led by Verine, Tova, Kal, and Seokjin might also cause great alarm.

Lucia tries to swallow her laugh because these nimrods don't stand a chance against the, at bare minimum, twenty coming toward them at full speed.

"Well, it was nice getting to know ya boys," Lucia hums quietly, knowing it wouldn't be heard in the utter panic and chaos stirring behind her. "So incompetent you lot are."

The sun suddenly isn't warming her neck, a cold sharpness having lined her throat in a serious threat that she is most definitely not prepared for. Lucia's heart genuinely drops for a moment, fear filling her heart as bloody crests and whipping capes momentarily overwhelm her thoughts.

"Sir, that's really not a good idea," Lucia tries to remain nonchalant despite her thundering heart.

The man can barely grunt out a response before the dagger is clattering to the ground, the heavy thump of the man's body following as the buzzing in her ears quiets for the first time that day. An open window was not going to stop an archer, something Lucia thinks would be obvious to anyone. She takes a moment to take a deep breath and close her eyes before sitting up straight.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Lucia grumbles under her breath, starting to wiggle and tug at the rope tying her wrists together. "My incoming lecture just became one hundredfold longer thanks to you."

Being the biggest flight risk with very little chance of containment led Lucia to be taught some basic combat and self-defense in her teens, so she knew her way around escaping a few knots. She didn't lie when she said they were incompetent. But that would not necessarily stop Tova's worrying by any means.

Hearing the ropes fall to the floor, she grins and is quick to grab the forgotten dagger. Said incompetence caused them to forget to tie her legs so she easily wins this one, she thinks with a grin.

She just has to wait for them to vacate the upper floor and she's as good as free. And that they do. Once she's alone, and sure of it, she stands up and waves her arms to let her sisters know that she's no longer tied down.

Lucia doesn't get confirmation that her sisters saw, but she stops waving to wander around the room anyway, wasting time until she could feel the warmth of Jin's arms again.

JIN IS NOT HAPPY to put it simply. The obsidian flecks in his eyes hardened and caramel faded in the background as he held Lucia tightly. Lucia understands his frustration and stress, so she doesn't resist his grasp, even if his armor is uncomfortably cold against her arms. Jin only hesitantly releases Lucia when they reach the stables.

"Jin, I'm fine I swear," Lucia sighs, patting Jin's hands that clench the reins of his loyal steed.

"I know Lu, I know," Seokjin sighs, the sharp tension in his shoulders finally receding as his horse is taken into the stables.

Lucia chews her lip, taking Seokjin's helmet from his arms so he can remove his gloves without the need for juggling.

"Your safety was compromised Lucia, you may be fine this time but that can't be guaranteed next time," Tova, as always, does not hesitate to bluntly confront the real elephant in the room.

"It was only five numskulls and they were insanely incompetent, Tova it's fine," Lucia tries to brush it off again only to receive a sharp glare from her stressed sisters.

"You had a blade to your throat, that will never be okay."

"Can we talk about this later at least? I'm tired," Lucia sags in defeat, unwilling to acknowledge the stresses of the day any longer.

"Tomorrow then," Verine tussles Lucia's hair before heading off with Kal and Tova who seem to have more to say but drop it according to Lucia's wishes.

Rubbing her face roughly, Lucia sighs before straightening up and leaving the stables as well, Seokjin following closely behind without another word as the click of their heels echo disconcertingly throughout the palace.

THE NIGHT IS QUIET as Lucia leans against the headboard of her bed, eyes trailing over the details of the waning moon. Sleep would not greet her again tonight, so she elected to just memorize the scenery to paint in the morning.

It is not unusual for sleep to elude Lucia during troubling times, and so she is used to just painting the time away. Alas, Seokjin is still stationed in her room so she would be interrupting his rest if she made any commotion.

So there she sits, with only the quiet puffs from Seokjin across the room to keep her company in the gentle moonlight, watching a lone carriage return from the east gates.

There is an ache in her heart that sends trembles to the tips of her fingertips; an ache that concocts a brewing storm as a familiar coldness seeps into her bones. And not for the first time in her life, she aches and longs for something more that she can't name regardless of how hard she tries.

Lucia barely even registers her cries in time to muffle them, but doing so doesn't stop a presence settles next to her minutes later, enveloping her in a warmth that won't seep into her chilling body.

"I can't stand it anymore," Lucia barely chokes the words out.

"Can't stand what?" Seokjin's voice is heavy with sleep as he tries to understand Lucia's despair.

"Everything. The palace walls are much too cold and solemn, I can't stand it. Only their happiness makes it a place worth calling my own. I can't stand the coldness, the priss of it all. I just want to be happy, I want all of us to be. But how could we ever be happy in a place like this?"

Seokjin is taken aback by the heavy confession, only able to try and soothe Lucia with a quiet hum as he searches for the words.

"I think your sisters are finding happiness in and out of these walls, slowly but surely," Seokjin is careful as he chooses his words, speaking slowly as if trying not to poke the bear. "But what if they couldn't?"

"If we can't be happy here, then it's my job to find somewhere we can be." There is a heavy pause that follows the bitter bite in Lucia's tone, which Seokjin chooses not to point out as he draws her closer in his arms.

"You don't need to anymore Lucia, their stress is soon coming to a pass."

"And how would you know that?" Lucia is appalled by the certainty in his statement but Seokjin does not offer any further explanation.

Under the gentle waning moon, Lucia silently cries into her beloved's warm arms with deep regret and sadness haunting her, alongside those dreaded reddened capes in the forefront of her mind.

Hello once more :D I have no reason to delay my updates so much at this point so, here it is! Cheers :)