​“Take care of her.” The command was delivered in a voice cold enough to freeze fire. ​

The second figure nodded even as a shiver rattled her delicately blank demeanor. “I know the perfect way to draw her out.” She was careful to hide the shake in her voice. ​

The first figure’s lips seemed to curl into a smile, even though they couldn’t be seen. “Excellent.”

She glanced down at the crystal chessboard beside her and carefully selected a white pawn, moving it forward two steps.  ​

Let the games begin, little one.  

Amber liquid splashed into the empty glass as Amaya poured beer into it, sliding another already-filled mug down to the man sitting at the end of the counter. “There you are, sir,” she called. ​

"Thanks, miss,” he grinned. ​

Donghae smiled at her as she wiped up a few spilled drops on the counter. "Looks like you’ve settled in pretty well.” ​

"Like I’ve said, I can only do one thing,” she replied. “Drunk patrons aren’t as dangerous as some kinds of trees.” Donghae laughed at that while she scowled, picking at the scabs from the splinters on her wrists. ​

"This place is a lot like your tavern back home, isn’t it?” he asked. ​

Amaya smiled, but she didn’t answer. To him, who had seen so much of the world, all taverns must seem the same. She, however, had only ever known the Drunken Angel, and this place was nothing like it. The beer was much more watery than the stuff she brewed. She had the owner constantly bossing her around- ​

"Excuse me, sir.” ​

-and she was no longer the only employee. ​

One of the other girls working at the inn came over, pushing Amaya to the side as she leaned over the counter and smiled at Donghae. “Can I get you a beer, sir?”

​“No, thanks,” he replied, dismissively waving her off. ​

Amaya eyed the girl with distaste. Maybe she just wasn’t used to working with other people, but she found herself constantly criticizing their behavior. Flirting with the patrons, drinking on the job, cowering away whenever a fight broke out…she sighed and shook her head. Maybe that’s how things were in other towns, and she just needed to learn to adapt. ​

The girl looked disappointed, but then perked up again. “Oh, what about-” ​

Donghae turned away from her and smiled at Amaya. “Would you fill up this flask for me, darling?” he asked, holding out his flask. As she took it from him, he let his fingers rest on top of hers. ​

“Did you all find everything you needed here?” Amaya asked. The other girl glared at her before stomping off to collect empty glasses at one of the tables. Once she was out of earshot, Amaya wrinkled her nose and pulled her hand away as Donghae snickered. It hadn’t taken Amaya long to realize that Donghae’s womanizing sweet talk was just an act. She fought back a smile. ​

Once both of them calmed down, Amaya repeated her question as she pulled the bottle of whiskey from under the counter and poured it into the flask. As she capped it and passed it over, he nodded. “So, we’ve been here about a week to help you get settled and stock up on supplies-” ​

She cut him off, a hint of disappointment in her voice. “You’re leaving.” ​

"Can’t stay too long in one place,” he agreed, sounding rather somber himself. ​

"When?” she asked. ​

"Right now.” He slid off his seat and smiled. “The others are all packed up and ready to go. I just came to say good-bye.” ​

She returned his smile. “Donghae,” she called out suddenly as he reached the door. “Be careful.” ​

He glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “Sorry, Amaya, I can’t promise that.” ​

She forced a laugh to quell the cold pit that had formed in her stomach as she watched his black hood vanish through the door. Even though she’d only known him for about a week, it still hurt to see him go. It was worse that she wouldn’t get to say good-bye to the others, but she knew that when they came to a town, they made an effort not to appear as a group. A band of nine wanted criminals (even Siwon the horse had a bounty on his head) was more easily recognized than an individual felon. ​

Shaking her head, she quickly grabbed the nearest empty glass and began refilling it with beer. This was her life now.   ​

"You’re new around here, aren’t you?” asked a voice as its owner took the newly filled glass from her. “Where are you from?” ​

“Around…” she said vaguely. She’d kept as much of her life history a secret as possible. As far as everyone else was concerned, she’d left her hometown because it was too boring. ​

Thankfully, he was more interested in talking than listening to her reply. “Betcha hear lots of stories while on the road.” She just smiled, raising an eyebrow. “Like this girl from one of the towns across from the woods. They say she disappeared into thin air one day. Crazy, huh?”

​Amaya forced herself to laugh. “Yeah. Crazy.” ​

He drained the glass and belched before holding it out to her again. “Weirdest thing is, she disappeared right after her friend died.” Amaya’s head shot up as her fingers turned to ice around the pitcher. ​

"I heard about that,” chimed in another young man, leaning across the counter to join in on the conversation. “She got one of those poison apples, right? They say she died, but I don’t believe it.” ​

"Crazy tried to trick the governess, that’s what I heard,” a third added. “Fill it up, sweetheart, thanks. Nothing gets past Her, though-” ​

The pitcher slipped from Amaya’s fingers and shattered on the ground. The entire tavern went silent as every eye turned to her, but she didn’t even notice. Her fingers were frozen in place as if still holding it. Something had caught in her chest; she couldn’t breathe. She shook her head, imperceptibly at first, then more and more violently as her eyes stared into space, trying, desperately trying to take back what she had heard, to forget what she had just learned…

​“Oi, Amaya! What are you doing, girl? I don’t pay you to stand there and waste good beer, you know?” snapped the owner. The words were like a shock; she jolted and inhaled sharply. ​

“I’ll be right back,” she said faintly. Tearing off the apron, she sprinted for the door and down the street, barely noticing where her feet were taking her.

​Setsuko. The governess.

​Branches snatched at her sleeves and her skirt, but she continued running, without even noticing. ​

Setsuko. Disappearing.

​She tripped over a root buried beneath a pile of yellow and orange leaves. Her toe stung where she’d stubbed it, but she hardly even noticed. ​

Setsuko. Her best friend. The one who had helped her nurse her mother back to health. ​

Amaya collapsed at the base of a large tree and slammed her fists against it, pressing her forehead to the rough bark as a scream built up in , forcing its way through her lips. ​

The one she had barely thought about since she met Donghae. ​

Her raw and red-striped palms left a streak of blood on her eyelid as she rubbed at it. Pain tingled up her arm as salt from her cheeks struck the torn skin, which only served to frustrate her more. She pounded her fist into the tree again, though this time, she wasn’t dazed enough to ignore the pain. ​

"Damn it!” A flock of birds took to the sky in a flutter of panic and a squirrel dashed into its home, where it peeped out cautiously at the dangerous newcomer. ​The bark tore into her dress as she slid down the tree, landing on the ground rather hard. Burying her face into her hands and ignoring the throbbing pain in her palms, she muffled her frustrated sob. Useless, pathetic idiot! Of course the governess wouldn’t be fooled by such a stupid trick! She’d abandoned her family to save her worthless life…and now her best friend was suffering for it, if she wasn’t already dead. Damn it! Damn everything! ​

"You’re a brave girl,” her mother had said before she left. The words mocked her, pointing at her huddled figure and laughing at the pathetic sight she made. Brave? Ha. ​

What the hell should I do? ​

Find Setsuko. The answer came as easily as the question had. As if things could be that simple. As if she’d even make it to the governess’s castle alive.

​Screaming through clenched teeth, she ran her hands through her short hair, tugging at it in frustration. She really was useless.   ​

"Thank you for giving me another chance,” Amaya intoned in a dull voice. “I’m sorry about yesterday. It won’t happen again.” ​

“Better not,” growled the owner, though he seemed appeased by her submissive tone. “Get back to work. Let’s see how you do today and we can pretend it never happened.” ​

"Thank you sir,” Amaya replied, bobbing her head in a quick bow. ​

One of the other girls sauntered over with an expression of fake concern. “Amaya, darling, are you feeling alright?” ​

The sickly tone reminded her of Yasujiro calling her “sweetheart.” Gritting her teeth into a smile, she rubbed the counter a little harder than necessary. “I’m fine.”

​“Are you sure? Because I can take your shift if you want. After all, we wouldn’t want another little…outburst like the one you had yesterday.” She smirked over at the other tavern girls, who giggled loudly at the comment. ​

Amaya finally looked up from the counter, mirroring the little witch’s smile. “I didn’t know you cared about me so much,” she managed in an even tone. ​

The other girl frowned; things weren’t going according to plan. “Well-” ​

A crash from the middle of the room caught their attention as a table was suddenly overturned. “Gentlemen, please!” the inn owner protested, his voice lost in the roar of hollering drunks, screaming girls, and the shink! of metal weapons being drawn. ​

Amaya instinctively reached for the broom leaning against the wall behind her and vaulted over the counter. As one of the men lunged at the other with the sword, she smacked the handle up and out, disarming him. Twisting her arm around, she trapped the other man’s wrist against a table, pressing down until he yelped and released his weapon with a clatter. She smiled sweetly at both of them. “Gentlemen, let’s settle this civilly, shall we?” ​

The owner gave her a look of approval as the men put their weapons away with some grumbling. She smiled a little; at least there were some things she could do right. ​

If she hadn’t been so busy praising herself, she might have noticed the various sorts of unsavory characters murmuring to each other at the back of the room. ​

Luckily, she did notice the throwing knife that came sailing at her head. ​

Adrenaline kicked in the moment she saw the flash of metal and she leaned to the side. The other girls shrieked as the blade lodged into the wall behind them, but Amaya was only interest in the owner of the knife, who was marching up to her with a sheet of paper in hand. ​

He slapped it down on the counter and sneered at her. “It’s you, ain’t it? This wench.” ​

She slowly reached for the paper and stared down at the picture. The eyes were a bright sky blue and the lips were plastered in a stupidly naïve smile, but other than that, the sketch in the “Wanted” poster was perfect. ​

Amaya met the man’s gaze evenly as she crumpled the poster in her hand. “I see my reputation precedes me,” she said with a confidence she didn’t feel at all. That was all she had time to say, anyways, before he drew a sword and pointed it at . ​

“Good thing you ain’t that pretty, ‘cause then I don’t feel bad about takin’ your head,” he sneered. ​

Amaya ignored the jeers and laughter following his taunt and closed her hand around the broomstick propped up against the counter. She glanced down at the counter, blinking rapidly. Defeated. ​

Or not. As the man lowered his sword to see if she was really crying, Amaya the broom forward, catching him in the throat. Gagging and choking, he stumbled backwards, as the inn fell silent. ​

She glanced over at her boss. He looked shocked, which wasn’t a surprise, but there was something else in his expression: greed. The greed that was reflected in almost every face in the room. ​

She took a deep breath. “Um…” The entire tavern seemed to lean forward, as if waiting for her next words. “I quit.”

​And with that, she sprinted out of the tavern, crossing her arms over her head to ward off any stray blows as the tavern exploded in chaos. She skidded through the door, slammed it behind her, and jammed it shut with a piece of scrap wood.

​“Now what?” she asked out loud. ​

“Are you in need of assistance, fair damsel?” Amaya looked around, squinting in the pale starlight. She could barely make out the outline of a black horse, trotting towards her like a shadow. ​

"Siwon?” she asked in disbelief. The horse let out a snort as he stopped beside her and shook his head in amusement. ​

“Good show, Amaya.” ​

"…Donghae?” ​

The rogue grinned as he peeled himself off the side of the inn and raised a hand in greeting. She rushed towards him, grabbing his arm to make sure he was real. When her hand closed around leather and muscle, a delighted grin broke over her face. “What are you doing here?” ​

“I had the feeling you were in trouble, so I came as fast as I could,” he replied in a soft voice. ​

Siwon rolled his eyes. “Eunhyuk left his cutlass at the weapons shop when he was getting it sharpened,” he explained. “And he didn’t realize it until yesterday.” ​

"But seriously, what are you doing? I thought you were fine with your job at the inn,” Donghae frowned. “I mean, we even risked spending a week here to make sure you’d be okay-” The cloud that passed over her face made him fall silent. ​

"The governess didn’t believe it,” she explained softly. “She wasn’t fooled by the pig thing. There’s a wanted poster with my face on it circling around and my best friend is probably being tortured right now because of me.” She handed him the paper and he stared at it, before roughly crumpling it up and shoving it into his pocket. ​

“Donghae…” Siwon murmured as the rogue’s jaw tightened. A shaking hand closed around the hilt of his dagger, before relaxing and falling to his side, clenching and unclenching. ​

",” he said quietly. ​

"I’m going to save her,” Amaya announced. The words sounded odd coming from . She was pretending to be someone else again, playing a role that wasn’t hers. But this time, she needed to take on that role. Before she lost her best friend. ​

Siwon whinnied in alarm. “Are you crazy? Taeyeon is a witch and a master of illusions! She’ll eat you alive!” ​

"I’m coming with you,” Donghae told her. ​

"Donghae!” Siwon stomped a hoof in his surprise. “You’re crazy!” Amaya echoed similar sentiments. “Remember the last time you-” ​

The chaos inside the inn grew louder and the door rattled ominously. “First, let’s move before they break it down and find us,” Donghae whispered and the three of them dashed out of the town under the cover of the night. Thorns tugged at Amaya’s clothes and skin as she followed them into the woods. ​

“It’s just us,” Donghae called, hearing the panicked scrambling up ahead.

​“Geez, you guys scared me,” Leeteuk sighed as Ryeowook quickly put his bow away.

"Did they take a few years off your life?” Kyuhyun quipped and Amaya let out a giggle as Leeteuk turned to glare at the elf, which drew everyone’s attention to her. ​

"What’s she doing here?” demanded Leeteuk. ​

"I sort of quit my job,” Amaya replied. ​

Leeteuk's brow furrowed in confusion. “What?” ​

In response, Donghae pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and handed it to the older man. “They got the eyes wrong,” was Leeteuk’s only comment before tossing it into the fire. Amaya winced as she watched her smiling face blacken and crumple as it was swallowed by flames. ​

“Where’s Eunhyuk?” asked Leeteuk. “And Sungmin?”

​“The weapon’s shop was locked, so they’re breaking in right now,” Donghae replied.

Leeteuk groaned and smacked his forehead. ​“And you didn’t stay to supervise? Those two idiots will get caught for sure!” Leeteuk snapped. “Why did Eunhyuk have to forget his-” ​

"The governess took my friend,” Amaya cut in quietly. “I need to help her before She kills her.” ​There was the chance that Setsuko was already dead, but Amaya didn't mention it. If she didn't say it out loud, it wouldn't be true. 

"I’m in,” Kyuhyun said instantly. ​

"Kyuhyun, have you lost your mind?” hissed Siwon. “You’re going up against the gov-” ​

"I know. I’m in,” Kyuhyun replied simply. He glared at Ryeowook until the smaller elf squirmed. ​

"I-I’ll help too,” he said hesitantly. ​

"Forget it,” Leeteuk snapped. ​

"You know how many people she’s tortured, right?” Shindong asked seriously. “Small animals run in terror when they smell the death on her.” ​

"If you guys are serious about this, you’re on your own,” Leeteuk snapped. ​

"Fine,” Amaya replied with a nod. “You don’t have to come. None of you have to come.” She looked hard at Donghae as she said this last part. “This is my fault, not yours. I’m the only one responsible for-” ​

"The sorceress and all her underlings destroyed our kind,” Kyuhyun interrupted her dully. “Ryeowook and I only escaped because we snuck out to hunt alone that morning.” Amaya looked at Ryeowook, whose head was bowed as he quickly passed a hand across his face. “If there’s anything I can do to mess with that witch, I’m in.” ​

Amaya nodded slowly, while Leeteuk shook his head again. “You can’t be serious, Kyuhyun.” ​

Siwon’s ear twitched backwards. “Someone’s coming!”

​“We’re back!” sang Sungmin as he skipped into the clearing with Eunhyuk trailing behind, hugging his cutlass to his chest. “Oh. Hey, Amaya!” Her eyebrows rose and she forced her lips to curve upwards as she moved closer to Donghae. ​

"If you forget that thing again, Eunhyuk, I’m cutting off your hand and replacing it with that dagger, I swear,” grumbled Leeteuk. He didn’t sound serious though; it was hard to be angry with Eunhyuk when he was beaming like he’d been reunited with a long-lost friend. ​

"We heard you all arguing just now,” Sungmin said as he sat down beside Ryeowook. “What’s the topic this time?” ​

"This moron wants to take on the governess and those idiots want to help her,” Leeteuk explained, waving vaguely at the indicated people. ​

"Ah. Sounds interesting.” Sungmin stretched his legs out and cracked his neck.

​“Who’s winning?” asked Eunhyuk. ​

"We are,” Donghae replied. “You want to help out, right?” ​

"Sounds dangerous and crazy,” Eunhyuk mused. “Of course I’m in. That’s exactly my kind of thing!” ​

“So that’s five to three,” Kyuhyun said. ​

"Wait, Amaya doesn’t count,” Leeteuk protested. “She’s a…” ​

"She’s a what?” Amaya raised an eyebrow. ​

"Well, she doesn’t count,” Leeteuk finished, crossing his arms firmly. ​

“Four to three,” Donghae amended. ​

Yesung shook his head. “I vote no. Amaya’s right; it’s none of our business. We’re running for our lives every day as it is.” ​

Everyone looked surprised at such a sensible speech coming from him. “Well, since when is listening to Yesung a good idea?” grumbled Kyuhyun. ​

"So it’s a tie,” Siwon said. ​

“Sungmin?” Kyuhyun leaned forward, glowering at the young man, who looked up from the braid he’d been happily weaving out of grass.

​“Hm?” ​

"You think opposing the governess is a terrible idea, right?” Leeteuk asked, mirroring the elf’s actions. ​

“No, you want to help save Amaya’s friend, right?” Kyuhyun countered. ​

"W-wait,” Amaya blurted out nervously as the glares the two were throwing at each other seemed to weigh down the very air they were breathing. “Don’t fight over this. It’s really not…”

​Sungmin looked up, the light from the fire playing across his pale skin as he turned his dark eyes towards her. They narrowed slightly and she flinched away from his steady gaze. “I’m with Amaya,” he said finally. “She needs us.” ​

Leeteuk threw up his hands in exasperation. “Fine. But if we come close to mortal danger, it’s every man for himself.” ​

Amaya smiled. “Thank you,” she whispered. ​

He returned her smile wryly. “I should have known we’d be in trouble the moment I saw your eyes.” ​

There was something odd about the whole exchange, though Amaya didn’t realize it until she was curling up under Donghae’s blanket beside the fire. “Ryeowook,” she called softly, poking the person nearest to her. He sleepily raised his head and rubbed his eyes. “What did Leeteuk mean by that?” ​

"Your eyes are special,” he replied. “Brown is a rare color.” ​

"But why would that mean trouble?” ​The elf shrugged. “You’d have to ask him. He likes to speak in riddles. Even I don’t always understand what he means.” His head was already drooping back towards his pillow when she reached out and poked it again. ​

“Ryeowook?” ​

"I’m sleepy,” he whined.

​“One more question,” she promised. “Why did you guys have to vote on whether or not to help me save my friend? Why not just do whatever you like?” ​

He smiled as he snuggled into his pillow and let out a contented sigh. “That’s easy. It’s because we always stick together. Always fifteen, even when the others aren’t here. Well, sixteen now.” He yawned and rolled over. “Good night, Amaya.” ​

Amaya found herself smiling as she lay down on her own pillow.