"So are you Chloe's twin sister? You two look so alike!"

Graham, the story's hero, smiled handsomely at me, closing the distance between us.

I grunted in response, otherwise ignoring him as I reluctantly led his group into my small home. One young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties, clutched an infected wound at her side with a groan as she walked. I helped her to my bed, uncovering the wound and gathering medical supplies to treat her with. I kept my face nonchalant, projecting a calm air, but on the inside I was bitterly complaining.

Stupid hero. Stupid plot. Even in the middle of the forest they manage to find me? Just what does a poor girl have to do to avoid these harbingers of doom?!

Unaware of my inner raging, Chloe had already stepped forward a bright smile on her face.

"Sister! I was so worried about you!" She reached out, and ignoring my efforts to step away, managed to pull me in for a tight hug. I struggled briefly, feeling uncomfortable. "I thought you were dead!"

I was happy that Chloe was still alive. Despite the bitter way we parted, I had never wanted anything bad to happen to her. But that didn't mean I was pleased with her bringing the story's plot right into my backyard.

I pulled away from her grasp. "I'm still very much alive."

"Why did you never mention you had a sister, Chloe?" Graham's face was mildly confused as he stared at her. Chloe froze, and I smiled to myself as I settled back next to the injured girl. Chloe obviously hadn't talked about me, as she didn't want Graham to know she had abandoned me, but how was she supposed to explain it now?

Her answer was apparently to cry loudly.

"I thought she was dead! I was so sad, I just couldn't talk about it!" She sniffed back further tears, looking pitifully up at the story's hero. "I wasn't trying to hide anything. I just didn't dare hope..."

I tried to hold back my laughter, and it came out in a suppressed snort. Chloe glared daggers at me for a moment, before turning back to Graham with a sad expression once more. He reached out to pat her shoulder, handing her a handkerchief to dry her tears.

"It's okay, Chloe, I'm happy you were able to find her again." His smile was so bright it was almost blinding.

Shuddering, I turned my attention to the wound in front of me. I carefully cleaned the dirt and dried blood, mixing herbs to stop bleeding and prevent infection to pack in her wounds. The actions reminded me of doing a similar task for Luke years ago. Smiling idly at the thought of him, I briefly touched the bracelet at my wrist.

I hope he's doing well. His last letter said he was fine... but I would feel better if I could see him. Even though we only spent a few months together, I missed talking to him.

As I sat there, lost in thought, I slowly noticed that the room was silent. Glancing over, I caught sight of Graham's face. His friendly smile was gone, replaced by a serious expression. His gaze was fixed on my bracelet. I felt uneasy, and tugged my rolled up sleeves down to cover my wrist, but even after his view was blocked, I felt his eyes still watching intently.

"Where were you and Chloe before you escaped?" His voice was quiet, but I felt a chill run down my spine.

I kept my attention back on his injured companion, wrapping the wounds while I answered. "At the household of one of the minor Lords."

"..." The silence dragged on, causing a cold sweat breaking out on my forehead, but eventually he turned away, starting a different conversation as if he had never asked in the first place. The tension drained from the room, and I felt myself relax slowly.

_____________________________

Later that evening, I sat out on my porch, my weapons close at hand, staring up at the sky. I was drained. I had spent so much time living in solitude since Blade left (not that she had been one for social interaction even when she lived here), that the now full house with all the chatter and noise was giving me a headache. I rubbed my forehead, looking at the stars, feeling lost. There was a sense of foreboding, of an inevitable fate bearing down on me that I couldn't shake no matter how hard I tried.

"Do you need to talk?" At the sound of Graham's voice I groaned quietly, turning towards him, feeling slightly ill at the sight of the overly-sweet smile he wore.

"No."

He seemed undeterred by my unfriendly tone and expression. "It's okay, I just want to help you. Everyone here has been through terrible things, but we're stronger now that we've banded together." His voice was earnest, his eyes kind, as he sat down beside me.

I inched away from him. "That's nice."

"You could join us, you know." His smile widened. "Be with your sister again. And the others? We're much closer than mere companions. We're a family, you know? And you can be a part of our family."

It sounded so simple when he spoke. As if I would be happy and welcomed with opened arms. I glanced at him, idly wondering if he had given a similar speech to all the other young women in his group. If they had joined out of loneliness, a desire to belong, slowly falling in love with the man who had welcomed them so gently. All of them thinking they were special to him, when he only saw them as tools to be used to achieve his goals. And he wanted me to join them?

Even the thought was suffocating. "I prefer to be alone."

"No one wants to be alone." He sighed quietly. "I was once like you. Not trusting anyone, thinking the world was against me. If it weren't for your sister Chloe finding me... believing in me... I don't know where I'd be."

"..." I stared up at the stars, not caring enough to answer.

"We could really use your help, to be honest." He laughed, a self-deprecating gesture. "To tell you the truth, I'm not just a simple traveler.... I'm a prince."

Was I supposed to be impressed? I tried not to roll my eyes. Stop trying to drag me into the plot!

Graham stared intently at me, and seemed disconcerted at my lack of reaction. "Did Chloe tell you already?"

"No."

"Oh.... Well, maybe you understand then. Being a prince in Armaria isn't all that special. I'm just one of many sons that lecherous old fart has. The real challenge, the real test... it's the throne."

Graham stood up, obviously filled with restless energy, and began pacing back and forth as he continued.

"There's three tests that one must pass to be named the sole heir to the throne. First is simple, you must possess the token of affection passed from the king to the mother of the son in question. For those women who bore my father multiple sons... well she has to choose who she thinks is the strongest." He paused, looking down on me as if wishing to gauge my reaction to these words.

I shrugged, bored at hearing again the exposition from a book I didn't even like. Graham finally frowned at this, tugging at a something at his collar before holding it before my eyes. It was a beautiful strand of pearls, with a small golden amulet hanging from it. "This is my token, handed to me by my mother before she died. It will stay with me until I've successfully reached the throne... after which I will give it to my one true love as an engagement token."

I raised an eyebrow. "Congratulations, who is the lucky girl?"

"... I'm not sure yet." He hesitated before he spoke. "I've yet to fall in love... but I feel that it could change soon." His words felt loaded with meaning, and he was smiling charmingly at me again.

It honestly made me feel sick. I had never liked Graham's character even in the book. For all that he seemed nice and friendly, he was too... disingenuous. Too willing to tell his companions what they wanted to hear. To easy to abandon them to their horrible deaths. The fact that everyone praised him as a hero while he did so made it all the more chilling.

Even Lucien the villain is better than him. I thought suddenly. He might be a violent killer, but at least he's open and honest about it. This "hero" makes me want to keep a hand on my wallet and sleep with one eye open!

"Well, good luck with that." I answered him unenthusiastically. I hoped sincerely that he didn't choose Chloe. Whichever "true love" he eventually picked would have a difficult time with this dishonest man.

Graham laughed at my answer. "How rare to see a girl like you who doesn't covet anything."

"I covet plenty of things." Safety. Silence. Separation from the plot. "Just nothing you can give."

"All the more reason to have someone like you at my side." He sat down again. "The second task is much more dangerous, you see. One must travel to the Northern Desert. The place is crawling with dangerous animals and large lawless bandit gangs. Each gang leader has a Tarif, a small amulet that serves as a symbol of their undying loyalty. To reach the third and final test, a prince must be able to acquire one of these Tarifs and bring it back to the Western City."

Seeing he was finally done, I shook my head. "It's seems like you already have a good group here. You should be just fine without me."

"We need someone who can track. And it wouldn't hurt if she could hold her own in a fight too. " Graham sighed. "Lula, the girl you just patched up, was supposed to help with tracking the bandit gang, but now... there's no way she would survive out there while recovering from an injury. We need you."

I smiled at him, and he seemed to relax for a moment, obviously feeling confident that I would agree.

"No." Standing up, I turned to walk away, only to have my arm grabbed and held back. I turned coldly towards Graham, who refused to let go.

"Don't you want to be a part of something bigger? Something greater?"

Like this awful plot that kills off the majority of its main characters? "Nope."

"You would be a part of the small group of people who placed the future king on his throne! Forever remembered in legends!"

"Not interested."

His eyes widened at my calm answer, a faint trace of panic visible in his eyes. "What about your sister?! Don't you want her to be safe? Shouldn't you stay by her side as she faces danger?"

I shrugged, still trying and failing to pull my arm back. "My sister has made her own choices, as I've made mine. You and Chloe are different from me, going out to face danger and accomplish wonderful things." I smiled, but it felt more like a grimace. "I prefer to stay at home. Some people are just not meant for greatness or adventure."

"..." Graham continued to stare at me, and as the silence stretched out I became more and more uncomfortable, but I refused to show it, looking back up at the stars.

"You never told me your name." When he finally spoke again, his voice was strangely serious. I glanced over, surprised to see a look in his eye I couldn't quite understand. Fortunately he finally released his grip on my arm, allowing me to put some distance between us.

"There's no need to. I've never been important enough to have one." I laughed briefly, shouldering my weapons and walking out towards the forest. "I'm going out to patrol. Goodnight, Your Highness. Good luck with winning the throne."

Graham didn't answer me. He just silently watched, his gaze boring into my back as I left him behind.

_____________________________

I thought that would be the end of it. At least, I hoped it would. After all, I had turned down the prince multiple times; he had to give up at some point, right?

But when I woke up the next morning, it was to Chloe's desperate tears.

"You have to come with us." Her voice cracked as she spoke, her face pale, her hands wringing together in front of her. She looked so different from the confident girl she had been back in our world, the one who had left me behind with only an angry glance.

"I made myself very clear to your hero last night. I'm not going." I got up, washing my face from the cold water in the basin by my bed, trying to wake myself up faster.

"You don't understand! Graham says that if you don't come along, he'll leave me behind!"

"Good." I smiled. "You remember how many of his companions died in the Northern Desert? Chopped to pieces, shot with arrows, poisoned... Better if you can meet up with him in the Western City. Then at least if you die there it will only be a quick stab in the back."

Chloe stepped back, her face drawn. "How can you be so cruel? I can't abandon Graham and my friends now!"

"Then follow after them. No need for me to go."

"But..."

I shook my head, feeling frustrated. "Chloe, I'm living a happy life out here in the forest, away from the plot. I don't want to risk my life for Graham. Don't ask me to."

Chloe sank down to the floor, staring up at me. "Please. I need you." She hesitated, then reached out, her hand pulling on my pant leg. "This... this hasn't been going well. I thought if I found Graham first, was his main support, he would see me as special. That I would be the heroine. But..."

"He still gathered everyone, treating everyone the same." I completed her sentence after she hesitated for a long moment.

"Graham really needs someone who can track. If I convince you to come... He might look at me differently." She sounded miserable. I tried my best not to care.

"It won't change what kind of person he is, Chloe."

"Please. This is my only chance." She pulled herself to her knees, kneeling in front of me. "I'm begging you. If you do this, I will never ask for you again. You can come back here and live the rest of your life as a no-name background character. But please. You're the only one I can rely on. The only family I have left. "

"..." I wasn't an idiot. I knew she was using me. Chloe had always been selfish, always needing me to be the one to give in, to let her have her way. She had left me behind, never looking for me, and only now wanted to claim that she missed me, that she needed me.

Part of me wanted to laugh in her face. To ignore her and watch her struggle without me. To have her realize that she couldn't always have her way.

But I couldn't. Because deep down, no matter how angry or bitter my feelings toward her had become, she was right about one thing:

She was all the family I had left, in our world and in this one.

Just one more time. I promised myself silently. One last time I'll give in, give her what she wants. Then I'll hide away so deeply that she'll never find me again.

"I'll come along for the second task only. After that you and your plot are on your own." My voice sounded tired as I finally answered her.

Chloe jumped up, excited "THANK YOU..."

"On two conditions." I interrupted with a grim smile. "First, I want your word that after this, you will never try to involve me in this madness again."

"Of course!" Chloe promised without hesitation. "What's the second condition?"

"Forget my name from our previous world. In this place, in this life, I'm not someone important enough to have a name."

"Really?" She looked shocked. "Do you really think that by not having a name you'll be safe? That's pretty silly..."

"Silly or not, it's my choice. I'm not a main character, Chloe. I'm the nameless woods guide who will help your group for a chapter. After that I fade from the story, never to be heard from again. Got it?"

"Got it."

I watched her agree with a smug grin, feeling sad.

I already regret this.

It's just a short interaction with the plot, right? ... What could go wrong?

I groaned at my own thoughts, leaving to pack my bags.

_____________________________

I sat down next to the campfire, feeling tired, although more emotionally than physically. The long day of riding on horses was tough, but nothing I hadn't experienced before while searching for game. In fact, that had ended up being the least of my worries. The problem was the stupid hero of this story, who wouldn't leave me alone.

Graham was annoying.

Despite his initial happiness at my agreement to help out their group, he seemed dissatisfied with my desire to not be too close to them. Which led to him trying to get me to open up.

It was giving me a headache.

At first he kept trying to have "heart to heart" talks, asking personal questions, trying to guess my feelings and motivations. When that didn't work he began dropping "private" details about himself, acting as if I was his only confidant. (Which wasn't very interesting, as I knew most of the things he spoke of from the book already). When I continued to ignore him he began challenging me to contests of skill, from knife throwing to archery to even smaller things like cooking. Perhaps he thought that if he could develop a rivalry with me, we would become friends?

At first I beat him quickly, trying to shut him up, but that only seemed to make him want to challenge me again. The last few times I lost on purpose, hoping he'd lose interest, but now he seemed to want to spend time "teaching me" about the skill I'd lost in. There was no way to win, so I'd gone back to ignoring his challenges.

I poked at the fire, imaging his smiling face instead of the charred wood, feeling bitter.

Doesn't he have a whole harem to manage? Why does the hero have so much free time to bother with a nameless side character?

"We arrive at the desert tomorrow."

Speak of the devil.

I looked up at Graham who had sat across from me, and frowned. "Should we expect trouble?"

"Perhaps. I'm not the only Prince after all." He shook his head. "The King passed on six personal tokens to his various women, so there will potentially be five other opponents besides us in the desert."

"How many Tarifs are there?" I tried to remember what I had read in the book, but couldn't.

"Three. So only half of us will go the Western City to face the final test."

"I see." I didn't ask any further questions, trying to ignore the feeling of being stared at.

"Thank you for helping out scare away those bandits, earlier today." Graham spoke up again. "You're an amazing shot with a bow."

I shrugged. "Be pretty difficult to be a good hunter if I couldn't shoot." I had aimed to miss near their heads, and fortunately the small group of armed men had run off without a fight.

"Either way, I'm glad you're here." Graham smiled again, making me want to sigh.

"..." I'm not glad to be here, though.

"Won't you tell me your name?" He asked quietly, after I stayed silent for a long few moments.

"Don't have one."

"We can't just not call you anything. Can I come up with a name for you?"

His persistence was irritating. I found myself missing the days with Luke back on the ninth lord's estate. We had spoken every day for months, but he had never pushed me to give him a name, or make one up. I felt somehow, that he understood me, my desire to stay out of the spotlight in this terrifying world.

I moved to touch the bracelet hidden under my sleeve, but stopped myself in time. "No thank you. I prefer to not have one."

Graham sat back, rolling his eyes. "You're very frustrating."

I smiled for the first time since he sat down. "Likewise."

_____________________________

We arrived at the desert the next morning. A large ravine separated the Eastern Woods from Northern Desert, with only a few bridges serving as possible crossing points. I grew more nervous as we neared the largest bridge, remembering in the story how Graham's party had been ambushed here.

Fortunately Chloe had already tipped off the group. Everyone had their hands on their weapons, ready to fight at a moments notice. We slowly crossed over the bridge, and a relieved sigh broke out over the group as we touched ground on the other side. I, on the other hand, felt more uneasy, looking at the large rocks around us, many of which were large enough to hide enemies.

THUD

An arrow whizzed by my face, striking the young woman next to me in the chest. I jumped back, looking for cover, cursing under my breath.

Of course this horrible plot won't go smoothly.

"Prince Graham." A sinister voice called out. "I'm so glad you could make it." A young man stepped out from behind one of the large rocks, his bright green eyes almost seeming to glow in the bright sunlight shining down. His handsome features were marred by the look of vicious pleasure on his face. He glanced at the girl who had been killed behind me and laughed quietly, making me dislike him even more.

"Corran." Graham spat out the name, and I nodded with understanding.

Prince Corran, a secondary villain from the Deadly Crown series. He was less capable than his villainous half-brother Lucien, but still managed to kill off quite a few main characters before being annihilated by Lucien in the end.

"Do you really think you can get the crown, brother?" Corran smiled, looking around our group. "Maybe if you spent less time finding girls to fall in love with, and gathered actual warriors..."

THUD.

My arrow struck his shoulder, knocking him to the ground. I cursed, my aim had been slightly off as I shot as soon as I looked around my cover.

"WHO DARES STRIKE THEIR FUTURE KING?" Corran struggled to his feet, his pale face angry.

I stayed silent behind cover. Who would be stupid enough to step out to take credit after sneak attacking the villain...

"I did it!" Chloe clutched her own bow, stepping out with a smile. "That's what you get for underestimating Prince Graham! HE's the true future king, no a pretender like you!"

I groaned quietly, preparing to shoot again.

"..." Corran's smile widened. "Very well. I had initially planned to leave some of you alive..." He whistled, and ten men stood out from cover, weapons drawn. "But since you have a death wish, I should be kind and grant it for you!"

With loud screams, they rushed forward, I fired shot after shot, disabling a handful, but as they reached our group, it was difficult to shoot without friendly fire. Fortunately several of the young women in Graham's team were excellent swordswomen, but they were outnumbered.

I drew my sword, feeling frustrated. What happened in the book again? How did Graham escape? I struggled to remember, even as I moved closer to the fight, my heart beating nervously in my chest.

Oh wait...

As it struck me, I heard terrified screams from Corran's men.

It wasn't that someone showed up to help Graham...

The sounds of fighting grew louder.

Wasn't it just that an even bigger villain showed up?

Fighting his way through the group, a strangely familiar figure cut through Corrans' men, his blade moving faster than the eye could follow. With his help the tide turned, and soon there was only Corran left, injured and enraged.

"WHY DID YOU INTERFERE?!" His screams were answered by silence from the man who stood in front of him.

I stared at his back, feeling a growing unease. Even without seeing his face, I felt I knew him... My hand reached over, touching the beads at my wrist.

But it can't be him... why would he be here? Unless... A terrifying thought, one I had always avoided, came back at full force. I shook my head, trying to clear it. I must be imagining things.

"If you destroy your token, I will spare your life." The man's quiet response caught everyone by surprise.

"You lie!" Corran scoffed. "There's no way you'd let a threat like me live!"

The man shrugged. "Without your token, you can't compete for the throne. Why would I need your life?"

Corran stared at him, silently struggling. I remembered from the book that he was a proud man. The idea of giving up probably sat poorly with him. But was it worth his life?

The answer it seemed, was no

"Very well." He finally, reluctantly spoke up. He reached into his pocket, bringing out a golden ring. "I will destroy..."

An arrow bloomed in his throat, blood tracing a path down to soak the collar of his shirt. A startled expression frozen on his face, Corran's body fell to the ground, the soft impact seeming unbearably loud in the shocked silence.

I stared over at Graham, who still held up his bow with a bright smile. Seeing the gazes of the crowd turn towards him, he shrugged. "I'm avenging our fallen teammate, Alara."

Poor Alara. I shuddered as I thought of the girl who had died at the beginning of the fight. She was one of Graham's most trusted companions. But she was a main character, and this terrible plot wouldn't let her go.

The dark haired man who had rushed to our aid stared at the dead body of Corran for a moment, before turning to walk away without another word.

"WAIT!" Graham called out after him. "Are you really going to just help us and leave without saying a word?"

The man kept walking.

"Not even to say hello to your fiancé?"

He froze in his tracks. My breath stopped for a moment as he turned around to face us, praying silently that what I suspected wasn't true.

At the sight of his familiar face, I let out the air I had held in, feeling lightheaded.

"What do you want, Graham?" He didn't look angry or annoyed. If anything he seemed... nervous.

"Not much, brother." Graham smiled, stepping closer. "Just thought it might be nice for you two to talk after so long apart. Even if she's technically helping out your competition."

"I appreciate the concern." The young man's smile was forced as he moved away from Graham, stopping in front of me. I studied him silently as he drew near. He was different than I remembered, he had grown taller, his face more mature and filled out. But his eyes... the blue so dark they seemed almost black... they were unchanged. A brief flash of guilt shone from them as he looked straight at me, and a helpless smile tugged at his lips.

"Hello again." His voice was barely over a whisper, but I felt my heart beat faster.

"Hello Luke." I paused for a moment, feeling tired. "Or I guess I should call you Lucien?"

He didn't deny it, and I felt a pain in my chest.

He was my first friend in this world, one of my closest friends in either to be honest.

But he was also the story's villain. The violent murderer who slaughtered everyone who opposed him? Whose parts in the book I often skipped because the descriptions made me sick to my stomach?

That villain was Luke?

I hate this story.

I looked up at the one person I had trusted in this world, feeling lost.

"I think we need to talk."