_______
Lucina
The night was supposed to be calm.
I had been sitting alone in my room, trying to gather myself after the strange tension that had hung over the palace all day. The ornate walls, the soft glow of the lanterns, the distant hum of night insects—none of it soothed the crawling unease under my skin.
Then—
"SMASH!!"
Glass exploded inward like a rain of glittering daggers. Light shattered across the room. My heart leapt violently in my chest.
Before I could even turn fully, a figure burst through the window—
all in black, face completely hidden behind a mask, his movement sharp and predatory.
"LEAP!"
My breath froze.
"W–WHO ARE YOU?" I choked out, my voice trembling.
The man's presence was suffocating. A living shadow. I opened my mouth to scream—
"HELP! SOMEBODY—SOMEONE HAS BROKEN INTO MY ROOM—!!"
But the palace, so grand and opulent, felt hollow and dead.
My voice dissolved into its cold silence.
Why wasn't anyone coming? There should've been guards. Servants. Someone.
My thoughts barely formed before a rough hand clamped over my mouth.
"GRAB."
My scream was crushed into a desperate, muffled "MMPH!"
I flailed wildly—
"FLAIL—FLAIL—"
but he barely budged. His strength was monstrous, his grip iron. Panic clawed up my throat as he dragged me backward.
Then—
From the doorway, a woman appeared.
Her dark hair flowed like ink, her posture relaxed, her clothing scandalously revealing. Her lips curved into a cruel, triumphant smile.
"What a foolish girl," she remarked, amusement dripping from every word.
Her eyes glittered with satisfaction at my helpless struggle.
My heart sank like a stone.
There would be no rescue.
I had been seized. Controlled. Outnumbered.
And she—
She was part of it.
I was utterly, terrifyingly alone.
---
The woman with the dark hair watched me being dragged away, her smile widening with venomous pleasure.
"Now," she said lightly, "I'll just tell Hakan that she ran away… terrified of the punishment awaiting her."
Her tone was casual—too casual.
Then, more softly, almost gleefully:
"Lucina will be long dead by then."
She didn't think Hakan could save me. Not now. Not ever.
"There's no way he'll find her," she continued smugly, "no matter how hard he looks."
Those words echoed in my ears even as the masked man hoisted me onto a horse and rode into the darkness.
The night swallowed us whole.
Trees whipped past. Wind tore at my hair. Rain began to fall in heavy sheets, hitting the world with a sudden, furious—
"RUMMMBLE… SWOOSH!"
The masked man cursed.
"What the—why is it raining all of a sudden?!"
The downpour worsened instantly, soaking everything. The horses whinnied, struggling on the slick forest floor.
"They won't be able to move quickly in this weather!" the other masked man shouted through the rain.
Then he pointed ahead.
"Look—there! Enough shelter for now."
The horses slowed with a "STEP… STEP…" before they dismounted.
"That should be big enough to keep us out of the rain," one said, adjusting his mask. "It won't last long. We'll rest here before—"
"W-We won't get caught, right?" the other asked anxiously.
"No way," came the confident reply. "There's no chance he'd return from Mezaluc this quickly."
As they pulled me deeper into the shadows, another scene quietly unfolded elsewhere.
A small bird perched on a branch, feathers ruffled from the storm, looking around anxiously.
"Why isn't Hakan back yet?" it seemed to wonder.
"RUSTLE—"
A sound stirred the dark forest.
And the storm held its breath.
---
The rain beat against my skin, cold and relentless, as I lay sprawled on the muddy ground.
The pain in my leg pulsed sharply—
"THROB… THROB…"
Then came the warmth—too warm—
A thin, crimson line beginning to slide down my calf.
"TRICKLE…"
Blood.
My blood.
A panicked whisper escaped me, trembling and small:
"Oh no… am I… bleeding…?"
Above me, a shadow shifted.
One of the masked captors stood over me, water dripping from the edge of his cloak. His lips curled beneath the mask, even if I couldn't see them—I could feel the sneer in his voice.
"You foolish girl," he spat, lifting his knife.
"Did you really think you could escape?"
My breath hitched. My heart pounded erratically—
"BA-BUMP… BA-BUMP… BA-BUMP…"
I tried to scramble back, but my injured leg screamed, and the mud held me down like quicksand.
Both masked men closed in, their boots splashing in the puddles around me.
My hands pressed into the wet earth, trembling.
My chest heaved, desperate for air.
This was it.
This was where it ended.
But then—
A voice cut through the storm.
Mocking. Familiar. Terrifying.
"Hakan?" one of the men repeated cautiously, his head jerking toward the shadows.
The woman—the dark-haired accomplice who had watched my abduction, who had smiled as I was dragged away—stepped forward, her silhouette framed by lightning.
She let out a short, amused SCOFF.
"Hakan? Is that the name of the savage you married?"
The men turned toward her, just long enough for the atmosphere to shift—
for the forest itself to seem to listen.
And then—
"DASH! DASH! DASH!"
Figures burst from the storm.
Armor gleamed under each stroke of lightning.
Swords drawn.
Faces grim with purpose.
They surrounded the two masked men in a swift, practiced formation.
Steel clashed with steel, sparks briefly illuminating the rain-soaked air.
My captors staggered back, outnumbered and overwhelmed, their knives raised in futile defiance.
My heart lurched—
not from fear this time…
but from something dangerously close to hope.
Because among those figures…
A presence emerged.
Tall.
Commanding.
Unmistakable.
A sword in hand, dripping rainwater, gleaming with resolve.
His silhouette—broad shoulders, powerful stance—was etched against the storm like a beacon.
The world seemed to slow around me.
My breath caught.
"…They?" I whispered, disbelief swelling in my chest.
He stepped closer, the downpour cascading off his armor, his gaze locked on me through the chaos.
And when my eyes met his—
Everything inside me cracked open.
"Hakan…?" I breathed, voice trembling, raw, hopeful.
He was here.
He had found me.
Meanwhile
Hakan
Far from the stormy woods where I fought for my life, the palace stood tall and silent under the moonlight.
Then—
"CLIP CLOP… CLIP CLOP…"
A lone rider approached, hooves striking the stone courtyard with urgent rhythm.
Hakan.
His armor gleamed faintly beneath the lanterns, soaked from travel, but his posture was rigid with a single, driving purpose.
A guard hurried forward, nearly stumbling.
"YOUR MAJESTY!"
Behind him, a servant woman stepped out, startled.
Her eyes widened.
"WHY ARE YOU BACK SO SOON?"
Hakan didn't waste a breath.
His voice was deep, unwavering, threaded with worry.
"I WAS WORRIED ABOUT MY WIFE."
He strode into the palace.
No hesitation.
No delay.
Inside, a figure rushed toward him—
"DASH!"
A familiar face.
My personal maid.
Hakan's sharp, commanding voice broke through the air:
"AREN'T YOU LUCINA'S PERSONAL MAID?"
The maid bowed immediately.
"BOW."
"T-THAT'S RIGHT, YOUR MAJESTY," she said, her voice trembling.
"DID SOMETHING HAPPEN IN THE QUEEN'S PALACE?"
Hakan demanded, stepping closer.
"DID SOMETHING HAPPEN WHILE I WAS AWAY?"
Her hands shook—
"FIDGET FIDGET…"
She swallowed hard.
"THE TRUTH IS… the former Queen accused my lady of using black magic… and she confined her to a room."
Hakan's face darkened as if a shadow passed over him.
His jaw clenched—
"GRIT."
Rage simmered beneath the surface of his warrior exterior.
"How could they fall for that so easily?" he growled.
"Did everyone believe what Giaret said… about Lucina using black magic?"
His fury was quiet but deadly.
"I'M GOING TO SEE LUCINA RIGHT NOW."
With a sharp STRIDE STRIDE, he left the palace and headed out—toward the storm, toward the danger, toward me.
---
Meanwhile, the forest was a world of chaos.
Rain hammered the earth, drenching everything in its path.
I staggered through the mud, every breath a struggle.
I had freed myself—
"SLIDE…"
fallen—
"BUMP…"
and run.
But my leg gave out with a sharp—
"THROB!"
I collapsed.
Rain plastered my hair to my face as a dark stain began to spread down my leg.
"TRICKLE…"
"Oh no… Am I bleeding…?" I whispered, fear clawing up my throat.
A shadow loomed above me.
One of my masked captors.
Knife raised.
"You foolish girl. Did you really think you could escape?"
His accomplice stepped beside him.
"We HAVE to kill her now."
The first man nodded coldly.
"That's fine. We just need to dump her body somewhere far away."
I stared up at them—
helpless, trembling, drenched in rain and despair.
Then—
A voice behind them:
"Hakan?"
The cruel woman who orchestrated my kidnapping let out a derisive SCOFF.
"Is that the name of the savage you married?"
Before the men could turn fully—
"DASH! DASH! DASH!"
Armored figures surged from the storm, swords drawn, surrounding the kidnappers with practiced precision.
My breath caught.
A familiar armored woman stepped into view.
Her eyes swept over me with a mix of recognition and challenge.
"IT'S BEEN A WHILE, LUCINA."
But she was only a blur on the edge of my vision.
Because behind her—
Through the rain—
Through the lightning—
A tall, powerful figure approached.
My pulse stuttered.
"…They?" I whispered, barely believing my own eyes.
And he stepped fully into the light.
Not hakan
Rain clung to his armor.
His sword glinted.
His presence filled the clearing like a force of nature.
Emotion crashed into me—fear, relief, disbelief—until only one word could escape my lips:
"who are you ?"
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