The Inheritor of Light

"I have no greater friend, nor confidant than the princess. I have served her faithfully since childhood, and I will endeavor to do so in the future. I believe in her, and the ruler she will become in the future. Although she likes to put on a pretense of nobility, she has a kind heart. She loves this nation and her subjects, save the aristocrats who continuously infuriate her. Every day I pray that the Exalted will protect her. I can only hope to be there when she takes the throne. On that day, my heart will soar like the birds of heaven."

- Talia, Royal Knight of Milzoc (589 SA)

Johnathan must have made a wrong turn somewhere. He had made it out of the depths of the palace only to find himself in a maze of corridors, hallways, and rooms. Now, he not only needed to concern himself with avoiding guards and soldiers but with the palace staff as well. At every turn, he was met with maids, butlers, and the like. He had long since become visible again as to not tire himself further, and so his pace slowed to a crawl.

"I'd have better luck breaching the Gray Wall than escaping from this place." Johnathan quickly darted behind a statue to avoid being seen by two maids.

His luck did not improve as he moved farther along. It wasn't that he had no sense of direction, but rather that the palace itself was a sort of labyrinth that had been built into the mountainside. Only someone familiar with its layout or with a map could navigate the complex structure. Since Johnathan had neither of these things, he was left fumbling around the place like a deaf bat through a cave.

"If I could only get some sort of directions from someone. Perhaps I should grab one of the staff and question them in an empty room . . ." he mused.

It wasn't such a bad idea. In fact, it had the kind of merit Johnathan required. All he needed was an empty room and a member of the staff to interrogate. The corridor he had just turned into only had three doors in it. The first one he came to was a small room containing cleaning supplies. It was far too small for Johnathan's needs and quite likely to be used by someone else far sooner than Johnathan would like. The second door he came to was locked, which, after a moment, became unlocked. He opened the door quietly and snuck in.

Johnathan gave a cursory glance around the room. It was a nicely furnished room—most likely for a woman. He did notice a nicely polished set of armor by the entrance as he shut the door and locked it. He saw two more sets of doors. The closer one was undoubtedly a closet, useful. The other was open. He wasn't quite certain where it led, but it really didn't matter to him right then. He had to get things ready before he grabbed someone. Taking a hostage was very serious business and not one to be done rashly.

Johnathan had just begun to poke around when he heard humming coming from a back room. The sound grew notably louder; it was obvious that the owner of the voice was coming back into the room. Johnathan knew he'd never make it back out the door and into the hallway in time. Luckily, the door to the closet was right next to him. He opened it quickly and ducked inside. His assumption was correct; he was indeed inside a closet—at least by the look of all the feminine clothing that surrounded him.

He could hear footsteps outside. They were small and feminine yet with a slight heaviness to them. They drew nearer to the closet and Johnathan held his breath; then they stopped altogether.

Johnathan waited in silence; his heart pounding in his ears. He dared not move for fear that he might be discovered. He waited for what seemed an agonizingly long time, so long that his legs began to cramp in the awkward position he had taken. He was just about to check outside, when the handle turned and the door opened.

The person who had opened the door was a rather tall woman with short black hair. She must have just had a bath because her hair was wet, and all she was wearing were her undergarments and a loose cotton tunic. She had a modest bust and well-toned legs, but that is where Johnathan's observations ended because, at that moment, the woman screamed.