"Hey! Have you read the fourth book of 'Deadly Crown' yet?" Chloe grabbed me as soon as I returned back from my shift at the bookstore , waving the book in question in her hand.

I paused, looking back at her. I was already tired from a long day at work, the last thing I wanted to do was get in an argument with my life-long friend, now roommate. Having grown up together, children of two single parents who married when we were young, we were best friends as well as family. But Chloe and I were opposites. She was loud, a social butterfly, always confident, seeking the spotlight. I was the quieter one, the planner, hating to stand out. Despite our differences, we still got along well... at least as far as anyone could tell. Privately, I admitted to myself that our relationship's stability was dependent on me being willing to compromise. If we both wanted something, I gave it to her. If we argued, I apologized first. It was frustrating, always being the one giving in, having to be the understanding one, the bigger person... but I still did it every time.

She was my friend, my only one. And I needed her more than she needed me.

Sighing, I mentally prepared myself and answered. "I told you after the third book that I was dropping the series."

THUD. The book had slipped from Chloe's fingers, her other hand gripping my arm almost painfully.

"WHAT? You never said that!" She looked so offended, I almost believed her, even if I knew I had told her this at least three times. "Why would you stop reading it?!! 'Deadly Crown' is the best fantasy series ever!"

"It's depressing and violent. Almost every major character except the main hero and villain gets killed and replaced." I started listing reasons, holding up fingers as I spoke. "The main villain is terrifying, he murders people in horrible ways, but the book focuses on him half the time, describing his violence in excruciating detail!"

"So? He's dark and mysterious!"

"It's...just not something I like reading." I hoped she would understand this time, but even this faintest positivity was crushed as her face became more stern and angry.

"That's stupid! Even if you don't like Lucien, there's still Graham, the hero!" She sighed happily. "He's so wonderful, I wish he were real!"

I shook my head. "He's not so great. I mean, he practically has a harem! Think of all those women that he leads on! Each one of them thinks she's special to him, but Graham just fools around and tells them that 'his heart is conflicted'."

"He's a sensitive soul!"

"He's a jerk, who likes to manipulate women to get what he wants!" I threw up my hands. "Why are we even arguing about this? It's not like he's a real person! He's just a character."

Chloe's hand tightened its grip even more, her fingers digging into my arm. Gasping with pain, I tried to pull my arm back, only to be unable to shake her off. "Take. That. Back." She glared at me. "Graham is a wonderful hero, you shouldn't say anything bad about him."

"But he's just..." My words trailed off as the pain in my arm grew unbearable. "Fine. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it."

I hated myself for backing down.

"And you'll read the fourth book?" Chloe didn't relax her hand until I nodded silently, but then smiled, pressing the book into my slightly numb grip. "GREAT! The twists in this book are even better than in the last one! I can't wait to talk to you about it!"

"Yeah... great..." I let out a quiet sigh, rubbing my arm. I knew I should speak up more, not let her push me around, but... since our parents died last year... she was all the family and friends I had left.

I didn't want to be alone.

________________________________

That night I thumbed through the first few chapters, my heart sinking at the graphic descriptions of the villain Lucien tearing off his victim's arms. I shuddered, closing the book tightly.

"What a terrible world." I loved reading, especially fantasy. I spent most of my childhood dreaming of waking up in one of the magical places described in my books, of having adventures. But as I grew older, I had those thoughts less and less. It wasn't that I liked the life I had now. I just didn't think changing the place would make it any better.

"Especially in a place like this." I muttered quietly, staring at the fake blood stains that decorated the cover. "If I was a character in a book like this, it would be better to just be a nameless nobody in the background..." As I spoke, I caught a distinct smell, and turned my head, my heart racing at the familiar yet unfamiliar scent.

Gas. Had I left the stove on?

I leapt out of bed.

"CHLOE...!" Even as I shouted, I heard a loud boom, piercing my eardrums. My vision went bright white, and then faded into darkness.

________________________________

"Where am I?"

My head hurt. It felt like someone was trying to rip it into two. Covering my eyes and clutching my forehead, I staggered to my feet. With the motion I noticed something off about my body.

Wasn't I a little too short?

I slowly opened my eyes, wincing at the bright light around me. As my sight adjusted, I looked down at my hands, my heartbeat picking up in speed as I tried to understand what I was looking at.

My hands were smaller than I remembered. The scar on the palm of my left hand, left when Chloe had spilled her hot tea in my lap during an argument, was completely gone. Confused, I touched my face, my hands moving upwards towards my hair. My short curls were gone, replaced my long brunette strands that hung down to my mid-back. Confused, I looked around; realizing I was in some sort of stable, surrounded by stalls that housed different colored horses. I found a bucket of water nearby and leaned over it, staring at the dim reflection in the water.

It wasn't my face.

A teenage girl, fifteen or sixteen year old girl stared back at me from the water, not the serious looking eighteen year old woman I had gotten used to seeing in the mirror. The facial features were regular, almost delicate. My slightly crooked nose from having broken it once at a child was gone, Even my eyes were different, slightly larger in proportion to my face. The irises, which had been a light brown, were now a bright silver, catching me by surprise.

I was in a different body.

"It worked!"

As my mind was racing, I heard an excited shout, catching me off guard. Nervous, I looked behind me, where a young girl nearly identical to my current appearance was waking up, staring at her surroundings with obvious delight. As her gaze met mine, I saw her eyes were a beautiful golden shade, rather than the silver I had seen in my reflection. She smiled as she saw me, jumping up to give me a hug. Shrinking back, I tried to increase the distance between us, but the girl only clutched me tighter.

"Don't freak out! It's me, Chloe!"

I paused at that. "Chloe? Really?"

"Yep!"

"What... what's going on?!" My words were frantic. "I smelled gas, and then.... Was there an explosion? Did we die? Where are we?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, the expressions painfully familiar despite coming from a different face. "How should I know? I just woke up too! Let's go ask someone." She grabbed my hand, pulling me towards the stable's exit. Digging in my heels, I tried to resist, feeling nervous.

"I don't know if that's a good idea. We don't know where we are, we're in different bodies. Let's slow down..."

"You're always such a coward." Her cold words stopped me mid-sentence, and a thick sour sense of shame clawed at my chest. I swallowed the rest of my words, ignoring the prickling of tears forming in my eyes, and followed behind.

"Is the stable clean yet, brats?" An angry voice called out the moment we stepped out. Before us stood a tall muscular man, his scarred face adding an air of violence to his already grim expression. His arms were crossed over his chest, as he stared down at us, his gaze filled with disdain.

I frantically thought of what to say.

"We were cleaning, but I'm afraid my sister and I slipped, hitting our heads together." Chloe stepped forward with a friendly smile. "We got knocked out, and I'm afraid neither of us can remember who we are or where we are!"

You can't just make up a stupid lie like that! My eyes traveled back and forth between Chloe and the man, as his face went from mildly amused to annoyed.

"Can't remember anything?" He laughed darkly. "Sounds like an excuse to be lazy to me."

"We really..." Chloe started to argue but was shoved, falling back into me as I reached out to study her.

"Listen here brats!" He sneered. "You have the privilege of being slaves to the ninth Lord's household, the strongest of the Ten Lords of Armaria. Does that help you remember?"

Armaria? Wasn't that... My breath caught in my chest. Wasn't that the name of the fictional country where "Deadly Crown" takes place?

That's impossible.

In contrast to my utter shock and dismay at his words, Chloe seemed relatively unsurprised, instead asking another question with a determined expression on her face.

"Can you tell us our names, please?"

The man laughed. "You're slaves. What names could you possibly have?" He pointed at the stable behind us. "Now go back to the stables and make sure you've finished the job, otherwise I'll personally break your legs." With that last quiet threat, he strode away, leaving Chloe and I to stare at each other in silence.

"Did you hear what he said?" My voice was strained, reflecting the growing horror I felt inside.

Chloe frowned. "Yeah! We're not important enough characters to have names?"

"Who cares about that?!" I grabbed her hand. "He said we were in Armaria! "

"...So?"

"From the 'Deadly Crown' series!"

"I know." She shrugged as she spoke. "I mean, it makes sense, right? We woke up in new bodies and all. At least it's a world we know."

"HOW ARE YOU SO CALM!" I was trying to whisper, but the volume of my words rose as I spoke. "We've woken up in a different world!"

"It's not like panicking will help us get back to our home."

"But..."

"Besides, isn't this amazing?" She grinned, "We're in one of the greatest stories ever! We just need to escape, and go find Graham! The ten lords are in the Central Plains, so we just need to head towards the Southern Mountains to find him!"

"..." I stared at her in shock, watching as she slowly became upset again.

"It really sucks that we're not important characters already, though... I guess we'll have to work hard to impress Graham to become part of the main story!"

"... Chloe, this is 'Deadly Crown.' All main characters except the lead and the villain die and get replaced, and then their replacement die!" I ran my hand through my hair anxiously, thrown off when by the longer, straighter locks. "We're much better escaping and living normal, peaceful lives away from the main characters!"

"You might want to be a nameless nobody, but I don't." Chloe's voice was cold. "If you don't want to come with me, then just be by yourself."

"... but how do you even know when in the story we are? The main characters might be in the Western City by now!"

Chloe's laughter at my question startled me. "Did you forget where we are right now?"

"The Ninth Lord's..." my voice trailed off, shocked, as I remembered an important fact from the story.

One of the villain Lucien's earliest scenes was of him annihilating a Lord with his entire household. Men, women, children... even the animals were killed by him. It was his first step on the path to being a ruthless villain. I remember shivering uncontrollably as I read the bloody chapter, even wrapped up in blankets safely in my bed it was terrifying.

And the place of this slaughter... was the Ninth Lord's household.

"We need to escape." My voice shook as I spoke up. "Who knows when Lucien will show up to kill everyone!"

Chloe smiled. "Exactly. So let's keep our heads down, and wait for the guards to be distracted to make our escape."

And so we settled into life in the Ninth Lord's home.

________________________________

It was difficult to adjust at first. I had grown up in a modern society. And now I had lost many things: access to food, hot water... a flushing toilet... all things I had taken for granted. Chloe and I worked, cleaning every day in different areas. The "household" of the ninth lord was more like a small town, with housing for the servants, multiple buildings and courtyards for the nobility within. Hundreds of people lived within the walls, making me feel ill at the scale of the upcoming slaughter.

We needed to escape.

It wouldn't be easy. The walls were too high to climb. There were two gates, but two or three armed guards were present at each one at all times, an impossible fight for two young girls whose combined weight didn't even outmatch one of the guards. Chloe seemed confident that we could escape though, repeating over and over that we just needed to bide our time.

To my surprise, she was right.

"BRAT!" As we were cleaning on of the outer courtyards one day, near the rear gate, we heard angry shouts. Initially I was frightened that they were talking to us, only to see their attention turned to a curled up form on the ground. The tall muscular man we had met right after waking up, whose name we now knew to be Bale, held a whip in his hand, sneering as he brought it down with a loud crack.

"Look, the guards!" Chloe grabbed my arm, shaking me from my reverie. The two guards at the rear gate had walked away from their post, stepping over to watch the show as Bale continued to beat the unlucky soul. "We have to escape now!"

Not waiting for an answer, she pulled my arm, dragging me towards the gate. I felt a sense of relief mixed with nervousness as we neared the exit. What if the guards turn around? Without thinking I turned around to look at them.

And that one look changed everything.

I caught sight past the guards back of the person laying curled up on the ground. It was a young man close to my current age, he couldn't be older than seventeen. His dark messy hair was clumped together with blood and dirt, a bright red trail of blood running in between his closed eyes. His face was pale, he was obviously hurt, but his lips were clamped tightly together, refusing to let out a sound. As I hesitated, stunned at the thought of them beating up such a helpless person, his eyes opened, meeting my own. The irises were a dark blue; so dark they seemed almost black.

His gaze was direct, intense despite the cracking of the whip on his arm, sending blood flying into the air. We stared at each other, and I thought for a moment he would call out for help, revealing Chloe and me to the guards, but he stayed silent. In his eyes there was only a mild flash of curiosity, which quickly was drowned out by hopelessness. He closed his eyes slowly, as if pretending to have never seen me.

"Come on!" Chloe was pulling on me, her voice impatient, but I stayed rooted in place, my thoughts racing. "We have to go now!"

"They're going to kill that boy, I have to help him." I was shocked by the sound of my own voice. It sounded determined, brave... not like me at all.

"Don't be an idiot!" She glared at me. "Who cares about some nameless slave? He's going to die anyways when Lucien destroys the household. What's the point in saving him now?"

I shook my head, thinking of the hopelessness in his gaze. He seemed... resigned almost, as if knowing without a doubt that no one would help him. The bitterness of it stuck in my throat. "I can't just leave him."

"I'm not going to lose my chance to escape! You can stay here and play hero and be the nameless side character all you want, I'm going to where the story is!" Chloe shoved me away from her, a confident look in her eyes. "If you don't come with me, you'll be stuck here, alone."

I was always the one to compromise, to give in first. Years of being scared of being left behind, being abandoned and not having any family or friends left... years of agreeing with Chloe just to make her happy, to make her stay by my side, until all that was left of my own will and courage was buried deep, unable to be seen even by myself.

But despite the rising panic at the thought of being left alone, I shook my head slowly, calmly. "Then go."

Chloe's eyes widened. "I'll really abandon you! You'll be trapped here! Once I go I'm never coming back for you!"

The panic slowly faded, replaced by a sense of annoyance. "I understand. "

"Fine!" She spat out the word like a curse, then turned and ran out the unguarded gate, heading south. I felt a sense of relief, almost wanting to laugh at how surprisingly easy it had been to let her go. But I didn't have time to think through it further, I could hear the laughter of the men and the crack of the whip behind me. The boy on the ground laid still, blood soaking the dirt beneath him, no longer reacting to Bale's attacks.

"Is he dead?" One of the guards asked.

Bale laughed. "Nah, the little brat is like a cockroach. Best I give him a few more hits to really make sure he learns his lesson. He raised his arm, preparing to bring down the whip again.

No, he's already injured! If he gets hit again, he might die! Panicking, I ran forward, throwing myself over the unconscious boy just as I heard the sound of the weapon whistling through the air.

CRACK!

I bit my lip until it bled, the pain greater than I could have imagined. The whip had struck my back and shoulder, flaying open the cloth and skin.

"What the... get out of the way, girl!" Bale seemed shocked at the sight of me protecting his victim.

I felt lightheaded, as blood ran down from my wound, soaking my clothing, but I stayed in place. Instead I looked up at Bale, refusing to move. I could take another hit. But the boy behind me couldn't. I had to protect him.

"You want to die too?" He snarled at me, raising the whip again. "Fine. Then two brats will die today." He started to bring it down, and I tensed, preparing for the pain.

... but it didn't come.

"WHY IS THE GATE UNGUARDED?" A shout distracted the crowd that had gathered, and everyone looked over to see a young man in armor, walking closer. I recognized him as he often came to the stable to see hi shores. It was the captain of the guard.

Sheepishly the two guards who had been at the gate but got distracted walked back to their posts. The remainder of the crowd that had gathered to watch drifted away, leaving the captain, Bale, the injured boy and me.

"What do you think you're doing?" The captain's cold voice made even Bale take a step back.

"I'm... I'm just..."

BAM!

Bale flew through the air at the other man's punch, striking against the wall with a loud groan.

"Don't go too far. The boy has a purpose. If you dare interfere with our Lord's plans again, I won't even give you a chance to beg for your worthless life." The captain's sneer made me shrink back, clutching the unconscious young man tightly in my arms.

He isn't mad that Bale was beating the boy bloody. He's mad that he almost killed him without permission.

What a cruel place. It made me wonder what had incited the villain to destroy this place so completely. The book had never mentioned his motive, just indicating that he had great hatred for the ninth lord and all his men. Looking down at the beaten teenager in my arms, new and old cuts crisscrossing over the exposed skin, I felt for a moment that I might understand such a hatred.

My thoughts came to a stuttering halt as the Captain walked over. "Here." With a gruff word he handed over a small sack that had hung at his waist. Taking it cautiously, I opened it to find bandages and labeled herbs to treat bleeding and pain.

"Thank yo..."

"Make sure he doesn't die, or I'll ensure you join him." His threat cut off my words of gratitude, and I nodded silently instead. Without another word the captain left, Bale scrambling to get away behind him.

I was alone with the injured boy.

________________________________

Struggling, I laid him flat, looking him over to assess how bad his injuries were. There were multiple superficial cuts and bruises, nothing that looked life threatening. I felt along his arms and legs, nothing appeared to be broken. The worst wound was on his scalp, blood dripped continuously from his already soaked hair. Worried, I drew some water from the nearest well, washing the exposed skin clean and packing the paste marked for bleeding into all of the open wounds. By the time I finished wrapping the last of his wounds, (a more difficult task then it had ever looked to be on TV shows) his eyes fluttered open, staring at me silently. It took me by surprise for a moment, but I forced my face into a friendly smile, not wanting to scare him.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" I hadn't lifted up his clothes to check, only focusing on the wounds I could see.

He shook his head, sitting up slowly, a confused expression forming on his face. "Why did you help me?"

"They were hurting you."

"I've been hurt plenty of times before. No one ever helped me then." His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What do you want from me?"

"I don't want anything."

He frowned at my quick answer. "Then why abandon escaping to help a stranger? Are you just foolishly brave?"

I thought over the last few years of my life. How I let Chloe dictate everything I said and did because I was too scared to be alone. "No. I'm a coward."

"A coward?" A small smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "Could have fooled me."

"I really am. It's just..." I paused, letting out a frustrated breath. "I know what it's like to be alone, and helpless." I remembered the look in his eye, the one that showed he knew no one would help him. "No one should have to face something like that... much less alone."

"You lost your chance to escape." It wasn't a question this time, and I didn't bother to lie.

"Yes."

"Do you regret it?"

"No." And I didn't. Even if I had escaped, I wouldn't have been able to sleep at night if I had left this boy to die.

He smiled widely at that. "Then I guess I owe you one." Holding out his hand, he introduced himself. "I'm Luke, what's your name?"

I smiled back. "I'm not important enough to have a name." I had already decided to forget who I had been before I traveled here. It was better this way, to be a nameless side character. In a series where everyone important died, the only safe move would be to stay unimportant and far away from the main story. Reaching out, I shook his hand, but the motion tore open the wound on my back and shoulder, and I pulled back with a hiss of pain.

"What is it?" With a slightly panicked look, he got up and looked at my back, gasping. "You're hurt!"

"It's fine... I'm... Hey!" I let out a startled shout as he picked me up, carefully avoid the cut on my back, and carried me to one the nearby courtyards. It seemed dirty, abandoned. I had been most places in the household since I woke up, but I had never been called to clean this area before. There was only a building and a small outhouse. As we entered the through the door, the inside was clean, if bare, with only a thin mat and a single rough wooden chair and table. Compared to the many luxurious places near the main house, this was barely better than where they housed the slaves. Before I could ponder that too closely, however, Luke carefully sat me down on the mat, and then ran back to get the bucket of water and the medical supplies.

When he returned, he had a slightly uncomfortable expression, and stared at me silently for a few moments.

"..."

Finally I couldn't take it anymore. "What is it?"

"I... need to look at your wound." He turned his face to the side as he spoke, his ears had turned bright red.

"..." I flushed slightly as I realized the source of his discomfort. The wound was on my upper back and shoulder, and would be difficult to see with my shirt on. I reached around with my good hand, but the cut went too far back, I wouldn't be able to dress the wound by myself.

"... Just lift up the back of my shirt." I finally spoke up in the awkward silence.

"Okay. I'm sorry." With a quick apology, he knelt down behind me, gently lifting up the shirt to expose my back and shoulder. I leaned forward, clutching the front of the bloody shirt to my chest, wincing as the cloth stuck to the dried blood on the edges of my wound.

"Sorry." He apologized again, his voice barely a whisper.

"It's ok."

"No, it's not." His tone was harsh but it didn't reflect in his actions as he softly applied the medication to the cut. "I hate them. All of them. They enjoy hurting other people just because they can."

I sighed. "Not everyone. You don't. I don't."

"One day, when I'm strong enough, I'll come back here and kill them all for the terrible things they've done."

"..."

I thought of the first scene of the villain in the books, shuddering. Was this young boy one of the villain's henchman? I didn't remember a character named "Luke" but what if I had forgotten? He could be one of the many characters that got killed off!

I turned around, ignoring the pain with the movement, and grabbed Luke's hand. He turned bright red, tugging his hand back gently, but I held on, wanting him to listen.

"Do you really want to kill everyone? I know that there are terrible people here, but what about the innocents?"

The shy expression faded from his face. "There are no innocents. They know what the guards are doing, and they ignore it."

"Really? Even the slaves who are forced to be here?" I pressed on, squeezing his hand tightly in my desperation. "Even the children who don't understand what their fathers are doing?"

"So you want me to forgive them?" His voice had turned cold.

"No. I wouldn't ask that of you." I thought to all the old scars I saw branded across just his exposed skin. "But I don't want you to come back here and slaughter everyone either. Don't back down, be strong, do what you have to do... but don't sacrifice your soul in the process."

"... What if it's too late for my soul?" His voice was deadly serious as he looked down at our clasped hands.

"It's not!" I smiled at him, enjoying the startled expression. "Otherwise, why would you care if I'd been hurt?"

"..." He continued to stare intently at me, and I slowly realized that my shirt was still rolled up in the back, and we were both sitting on a bed. Feeling myself turn bright red, I let go of his hand and turned back around. After a few moments of awkward silence, he chuckled.

"Am I supposed to take life advice from the girl who says she's not important enough to have a name?"

I rolled my eyes, despite the fact he couldn't see it. "Doesn't make what I said false."

He laughed again. "Fair enough." With that he finished bandaging the wound, giving me a spare shirt to wear as mine was torn and bloody, stepping out to let me change. Once I finished he came back, sitting across from me with a bright smile.

"Are you... are you a slave too?" Even as I asked the question that had been stuck in my mind, it didn't seem right. What kind of slave had his own quarters? But it was small, bare and dirty... maybe the son of one of the higher servants?

"I'm more of a prisoner." His smile didn't falter despite the depressing words he spoke. I felt bad for bringing it up.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's only temporary situation." He reached out, grabbing my hand and holding it between his own. "Thank you for saving me."

His voice and expression were so serious. Somehow, it seemed like he was thanking me for more than just stepping in while he was being beaten. I smiled at him, glad that I had turned around to help.

"Any time."

________________________________

Months passed since Chloe left. I hadn't heard anything from her, and could only hope she had gotten to Graham safely. Despite our fighting when we parted, she was my sister and friend... I didn't want anything to happen to her. Work was still harsh on the 9th Lord's estate, even worse now that I had to do things by myself. There was no chance to escape again. After Chloe escaped, security had tightened. The guards who had been on duty the day she left had been beaten half to death, and those that remained were strict about never leaving their post. I became increasingly anxious as time went on. I had no way of knowing when the main story would start, but I knew what of the first scenes would be the massacre of the 9th lord's household. I needed to escape.

The only bright spot to being trapped here was Luke. After the day we met, we had become close friends, meeting up after my work was finished to talk. We often pooled our food rations, combining the meager food to make something mostly edible. Luke was intelligent, if a little gloomy. He enjoyed hearing stories, especially fantasy and fairy tales that I told him from my previous life. He was restrained, refusing to say much about his life before he came here, but as time went on he relaxed, sometimes telling me about his mother.

"She was a kind woman... too kind for her own good." He glanced over at me with a smirk. "A little like you. "

He never spoke about his father, and I never asked.

I told him about Chloe, and how our parents died when we were young. I didn't tell him about being from another world, if only because I wasn't sure how to explain it. I kept my stories and details vague, and much like how I didn't question him, he never pushed me for more details. We carefully spoke around each other sometimes, both afraid to reveal too much.

It was good to have a friend though.

________________________________

Then, about ten months since I arrived in this world, I was woken up in the middle of the night. A hand clamped over my mouth as I opened it to scream. I panicked for a moment, relaxing quickly when I recognized the familiar scent of Luke. He tugged on my hand silently, and we quietly left the slaves quarters to his courtyard.

"Luke, what's going on...?" My voice trailed off as he turned to look at me, his face more serious than I had ever seen.

"Tell me one thing, and please tell me the absolute truth." His voice was quiet, but it seemed abnormally loud in the silence in the dead of night. I felt nervous, unsettled, but nodded, showing that I would.

"You've told me before that you wish to avoid the spotlight. That you wish to live a long happy life of obscurity away from the intrigue and schemes of others." He paused, taking a deep breath as if to steady himself and looked up again. "Is that still true?"

I thought of the story of "Deadly Crown," of all of the terrible violent ways that the characters died. I didn't want any part of the lies and betrayal and murders that took up the majority of the plot. I just wanted to be a nameless side character. I nodded slowly.

At my response, he smiled, but it seemed in the moonlight to be a heartbreakingly sad expression. "Good. Then I have to get you out tonight."

"Tonight?" My heart beat faster, I wondered if the massacre of the 9th Lord's household was about to happen. "Why?"

His hand reached out, tucking my hair behind an ear. "If you want to stay apart from all this, it's better if I don't tell you."

He turned around, grabbing a bag and handing it to me. "This has enough provisions for you to travel for a few weeks, as well as a map with your path marked out."

"My path...?"

"There's an old huntress who lives in the Eastern Woods. She was a close friend of my mother's. She agreed to take you in, teach you her trade. It's as far away as you can get from the Western City." He reached out, holding my hand tightly. His palm was ice cold. "You can make whatever life you want there. You can stay, leave, or never go there at all. Just... be happy, please?"

I stared at him. "You're staying." It wasn't a question.

"I have to."

"But if I stay...?" I didn't finish the question, but I didn't have to, his bitter expression answered it for me.

"You'll be dragged into everything you want to avoid."

"What about you?" I felt worried, anxious at the thought of him facing all this alone.

"You've saved me how many times since we've met?" His grin was more relaxed now. "Every time Bale tried something, you distracted them or lured the captain over. I've never gone this long without injury before. You've done so much to protect me, let me return the favor this time."

"..."

"Please, I promise I'll be okay." He laughed. "I'll even come to visit sometime. But first, we need to get you out of here. Please."

It took a few minutes of his convincing, but slowly, reluctantly, I agreed to leave.

Luke let out a relieved sigh. "Good. Let's get you out." He took me to the rear gate. The guards were gone, replaced with two stony faced armed men I didn't recognize. They turned towards us as we passed them, only to move away as Luke waved them off.

I glanced at them from the periphery of my vision, but didn't ask who they were. I wasn't sure I wanted to know. As soon as we were out of the compound, I felt a tug on my arm. I stopped, thrown off balance, only to be wrapped in a large hug from Luke. Freezing in place for a moment, I awkwardly reached out and hugged him back. I felt slightly embarrassed, I had never been this close to him before, but even that confusion faded as I leaned into him. He let out a long sigh, still holding me against him.

"Fate isn't very kind sometimes."

He didn't explain his words. I didn't ask. He grabbed my wrist, gently putting on a bracelet of dark beads. Pausing for a moment, he stared at the jewelry on my wrist, a satisfied smile crossing his face. "To remember me by." I nodded, showing I understood. His hand felt blazing hot against my skin, and I felt torn between an embarrassed desire to pull my hand away, and a quiet wish that he would hold on longer.

Finally, he let me go. "Be safe."

I hesitated, staring back at him. "Be more worried about yourself. Promise to live through whatever plots and schemes you have to face and come visit?"

He paused at my words, a bright smile lighting up his face. "I promise."

And with that, we parted.

________________________________

I found my way to the cabin in the Eastern Woods. The huntress who lived there, a scarily tough older woman who went solely by the name of "Blade," took me in with a grim smile.

"You're Luke's friend?" She asked, looking me up and down, her gaze pausing on my wrist and the bracelet that Luke gave me.

I felt uncomfortable, but nodded. "Yes."

"You wish to live out in the middle of nowhere, and learn to hunt?" Her eyebrows raised as she asked. "Why?"

"I want to live a long happy life as no one important."

"..." She stared at me for a few moments before grinning slightly. "Good answer. Let's teach you how to hunt."

My new life started in the middle of nowhere. We came to a deal. I handled cooking meals and cleaning the small cabin, and in return Blade taught me to hunt with a bow and arrow, to make traps, and even trained me to fight with a sword. Despite her age she was fast and agile, and for the first year I spent most of our mock fights getting beat up. My days were filled with back-breaking chores and harsh training, but I enjoyed it, the peace and quiet of the Eastern Woods suited me well.

It was a little lonely. Blade didn't like to talk, limiting most of our interactions to meals and training. We settled into a routine over time, and it left me mostly to my own devices. I wondered often about Luke, hoping he made it out of the 9th Lord's household before the massacre. I asked Blade about it, but she would only shrug and say that he would show up when he could.

Not feeling relieved, I began to make preparations to go look for him once my training was complete. I wasn't sure if Blade noticed, she didn't seem to pay much attention to me, but one day she shoved a letter into my hand and told me to "settle down."

I sat down and opened it, breathing a sigh of relief. It was from Luke. It was brief, only a few sentences. He said he was alive and well. That he couldn't come see me, and wasn't sure when he could, but that he hoped that I would continue to live my life well and be happy. He signed it simply at the end with just his first name.

"Are you going to wait for him, girl?" Blade asked me as I read.

I shook my head, leaning back, a hand idly rubbing the dark beads on my wrist. "I'll live my life. He has to live his. If I see him again that's great, but my happiness can't be placed on another's shoulders."

She patted my shoulder. "Good answer. Go catch us some dinner."

Another year passed, and one day with just a brief note of goodbye, Blade left. She stated she had completed her task of training me, and that I could have the cabin.

"Good luck living the life of a nobody, you're pretty good at it." Was the last line of the note, making me laugh.

________________________________

I was alone. If it had been me before I traveled to this world, it might have been unbearable. I was a fairly timid and lonely person, afraid to not have others around. But now... the years of isolation and training had changed me. I felt a sense of confidence in being on my own. I had the skills I needed to take care of myself. With a smile, I settled into my life of the nameless background character. It was quiet, peaceful...

Until one morning I heard the sound of a group of people walking towards my cabin. Unsettled, I shrouded my appearance with a hooded cloak, and grabbed my sword, bow and quiver, finding a good spot with cover and knocking my first arrow. I had run into groups of bandits and hunters before, and successfully scared or driven them off. I wasn't about to back down now. I briefly touched the bracelet on my wrist for good luck.

As they drew closer I called out. "Stop where you are if you don't want to die."

"..." The group paused, and then the man in the front stepped forward, holding his hands in the air. He was handsome, with light golden hair and bright green eyes, his features regular. His movements were graceful, he was obviously trained in combat, his hands callused from long days of holding a sword. I kept a firmer grip on my bow, ready to shoot at the slightest sign of attack.

"Pardon, Ma'am, we didn't mean to trespass, but several of our group is injured and need shelter from the wild animals." He hesitated, and then spoke up again. "We would be willing to pay you well..."

"What need could I have for money out here?"

"I can trade you weapons or other items." He pushed forward despite my sarcasm, his determination impressing me. I looked over their group, noting that besides the leader, the majority of the group was comprised of young women. One girl was being carried on a horse, smelling of blood and infection. He was likely telling the truth.

"Very well, you may come in." I reluctantly stepped aside. "But if you do anything suspicious, I will not hesitate to take your life first."

He nodded, peering forward as if trying to see my appearance that was hidden under the shadow of my hood. "I understand..."

"YOU CAN'T TALK TO GRAHAM LIKE THAT!" An indignant voice spoke out, startling me, and I found myself face to face with a girl, who appearance was nearly identical to my own, except for her golden eyes. Shocked, I pulled back my hood to see her more clearly, my mouth falling open as I recognized her.

"CHLOE?!"

Had she called him Graham? I looked the handsome man beside her and groaned, coming to a terrible realization.

He was the main lead of "Deadly Crown."

Despite my efforts to hide in the woods as a nameless side character, the plot had somehow found me.

________________________________

In the Western City...

"My Lord, We have them." An armed man stepped forward, bowing formally, his quiet words echoing loudly in the mostly empty room. In a chair sitting across from him sat a young man, almost twenty years old, with long dark hair simply pulled back from his face, his dark blue eyes appearing black within the shadows of the poorly lit room. One hand tapped impatiently against the arm of his chair, and after a few moments of silence, he sighed, nodding.

"Bring them in."

The guards dragged in two men, who struggled against their bonds, cursing and shouting. Upon seeing the seated man, the prisoner laughed wildly.

"SO IT WAS YOU?! YOU BASTARD! YOU'LL NEVER SEE THE THRONE! YOU... ugh!" He coughed as one of the guards punched him in the stomach, forcing him to his knees. No one in the room blinked at the casual violence, all attention seemed focused on the seated man, as if to gauge his reaction.

He ignored the shouting prisoners, turning to the armed man who had announced their arrival. "Did you get the evidence?"

"Yes, My Lord." The man nodded. "They have been plotting to kill the fourth lord and his family for being your supporters. They kidnapped his daughter, hoping to lead them into a trap."

"The girl..."

"She's safe and back with her grateful family."

"Good." His hand tapped again against the armrest, as he sat there lost in thought.

"My Lord?" The servant was confused now. "What would you like us to do with..." He trailed off, gesturing at the bound men on the floor."

"Turn them over to my father, with the evidence."

"...But my Lord, what if the King suppresses their crimes?"

"Make sure to spread copies to every tavern in the Western City first." The young man smiled. "Even if he tries to hide it then, they'll be useless to him as pawns."

"And their families...?" The question was awkwardly spoken, and immediately abandoned as the seated man frowned.

"We don't kill innocents, Eric. Now send them off and be done with it." He waved a hand, and the two prisoners were dragged out.

"YOU BASTARD, YOU'LL REGRET THIS!!!!"

"..." A silence fell over the room at their departure.

"My Lord... why must you be so... conscientious?" Eric sighed as he spoke, looking tired. "You can bet your opponents for the throne won't be so picky about their methods."

"I can't control their methods, only my own."

"But why...?"

"Why?" The young man smiled, but his eyes were sad. "Because there's someone I want to see again, and I don't want her to be disappointed in me when I finally do."

"A girl?" Eric paused, looking shocked. "Who is she? What family?"

"She would say she was not important enough to have a name." The young man leaned back in his chair, chuckling.

"She won't be unimportant long, if you care about her." Eric warned. "Even if you do nothing... your enemies..."

"I'm aware, Eric." A soft tired sigh escaped him. "Leave me alone."

"Yes, Lord Lucien." Bowing out, Eric left him alone, to his thoughts.

Lucien stared at nothing, his thoughts far away.

"Fate has never been kind." He muttered, his fists clenched tightly, a look of pain in his dark eyes before he closed them, hiding his true thoughts from the world.