Heiran sat in the middle of her bed, legs crossed as she waited for her day to begin. The heavy curtains draped around the four-poster bed were tied shut, concealing all from view. They wouldn’t be untied for another fifteen minutes. Her fingers were itching to pull them apart, to have a conversation with the maids, but that wasn’t allowed. She could never understand why, and every time she asked her mother or father it was always ‘because I said so’.

Five minutes left.

She was never allowed to interact with the maids or servants. They would announce their arrival first – to make sure she was hidden behind the curtains – before they entered the room and would state when they were leaving so she knew when she could exit.

Three minutes to go.

Heiran loved her morning schedule. While unable to speak to the workers, she loved the chatter they spread amongst themselves. It was exciting, to hear about who’s been kissing who – even if she was unable to place names to faces – and to hear about what was going on outside the castle walls.

One minute.

The castle. She didn’t even know much about the castle. She knew all the nooks and crannies of her bedroom, and she knew all about her bathroom. But that was it. She knew nothing else about it. She knew that her parents were in power, but she didn’t know why she wasn’t allowed out. No one knew. According to the chatter of the maids, most of the villagers didn’t even believe she existed. No one had ever seen her face.

Heiran jumped at the sharp rapping on the door, a deep voice announcing the arrival of the workers. She crawled to the edge of her bed, moving as close to the curtains as she could as the door creaked open. That deep voice was always an intriguing one to her; it was the only male voice she heard – besides her fathers. Quiet whispers filled the room as the maids did their daily cleaning, collecting her worn clothes and opening the curtains on the windows. They could be opened for an hour a day; that was Heiran’s other favourite time. She could hear the birds singing and see the village market from there. No one could see her though; she was too far up.

She was pulled from her reverie as the curtains rustled and she held her breath as one of the senior maids scolded a younger one for getting too close to the bed. A small gap appeared, and she hesitated, staring at the gap. Heiran never wanted to disobey her parents, but a small peek wouldn’t be disobeying them, would it? It’s not like she was speaking to them.

The princess moved to the gap, leaning in to peek through the gap with one eye. She couldn’t see much, just the view of her bedroom wall. With a small sigh Heiran began to sit back, reaching out to pull the tie on the curtains tight again. A small thud made her pause in her actions, watching as a male reached down to grab the book that had fallen. She was transfixed, staring at the male. He was tall, much taller than her, and had weird drawings and scars littering his skin. He said nothing as he knelt to pick up the fallen book, and the princess leaned closer, intrigued by his looks. He looked nothing like her father. He was tanned and muscled, not pale and pudgy in the middle like the king. With a sigh he made a move to stand, looking right into the gap in the curtains as he did so.

Heiran froze as they made eye contact, unsure of how to react. Neither of them moved until she snapped to her senses, reaching out and tightening the cord. She threw herself backwards onto the bed, heart pounding in her chest. Had he seen her? She was certain of it. Remembering the look in his eyes sent a shiver down her spine; there was something mysterious and hidden about them. Trying to keep her mind off him, she thought back to the book he was picking up. That worker must be the one who chooses new books for her every few days and takes away the old ones. Heiran goes through an awful lot of books, being trapped all day.

The soft clang of a tray being placed on the table signalled the end of the morning routine. A maid announced their departure, and upon the closing of the door Heiran quickly threw open the curtains, stepping off the bed with a groan and stretching her stiff limbs as her eyes grew accustomed to the brightness. The smell of her breakfast was enticing, but she paused to look at the stack of books beside her bed first. She ran her fingers over the cover of the top one, remembering the male. He was beginning to understand her taste in books, as she favoured the adventure novels. She hoped that one day she would be able to have adventures like the heroes did in the books. With a sigh she dragged her fingers away, moving to the table and sitting down to eat.

A breakfast of eggs and fruit was normal for her, meat not being a part of her diet – her mother said it was something about her poor constitution. She stared out her window as she ate, breathing in the fresh air. She picked up her glass of juice, walking to the window and moving to sit on the bench that stretched the length of the window, pulling her knees up to her chest as she sipped the liquid, staring out at the city below. Heiran loved to watch the hustle and bustle of the city, to imagine herself down there with everyone else. She placed the glass down on the floor, getting on her knees to lean out the window slightly at the sound of a commotion of guards yelling and shouting. She gasped as she watched a figure swing themselves up onto one of the roofs, expertly climbing the walls to get away. A small brown sack was tied to his belt and he looked for his next route of escape. He made eye contact with the princess, sending a bright smile in her direction and a small salute before jumping from that roof and out of sight.

Heiran almost fell out of the window as she leaned out so far to see if he made it down safe. Luckily, she caught herself, falling backwards off her seat and knocking the glass over, shattering upon impact. A knock on the door was heard after the glass broke, a voice speaking out to her. It was a male’s voice, but it wasn’t the voice of the male who chose her books.

“Princess? I heard something break. I’m coming in to check” The unknown voice spoke up, the key in the lock being turned. Heiran made haste for her bed, cutting the palm of her hand on one of the glass shards as she scrambled from the floor. Hurriedly she tied the curtains closed, just in time for the door opening. The footfalls were heavier than that of the workers, and she winced in pain as she looked down at the gash on her hand which was welling with blood. She listened, hearing the tinkling of glass shards being knocked together and picked up as he placed them on the tray.

“Princess? Are you injured? There’s blood on the glass” the voice came closer to the bed, and she pursed her lips. She wasn’t allowed to communicate with others, but she had nothing to stop the bleeding. With trembling hands, she reached out to the curtain, creating a small gap and pushing her hand through. She heard a small gasp at the movement and jumped at the feeling of skin on hers. His hands were large whereas hers were small, his palm calloused and rough in comparison to her soft skin. Heiran hadn’t felt skin like this before, both her parents having smooth skin from work that required little effort.

“Don’t worry, Princess. I’ve got just the thing to stop the bleeding” One hand was removed from hers and she heard the rusting in a pocket, a soft fabric soon being tied around the palm of her hand. He moved to let go but she grasped his hand, startling him. Heiran ran her fingers over his callouses once more before dragging her hand away from his, back into the darkness of the curtains. “I’ll be off now, Princess, before they notice me gone and I get in trouble for being in here. I’m supposed to be keeping guard” A deep chuckle left his mouth as he walked away, Heiran listening to his footsteps. Keeping guard? Was this one of those knights she read about in her books? She felt a tingle of excitement in her chest as the door closed. Oh, how she wished she could talk to him, and hear his stories of adventure. It would be so much better than the books. The princess looked down at her hand, running her fingers over the handkerchief, blushing. There was a knock on the door and she sat up, eagerly awaiting to hear the person announce themselves. Maybe the knight had returned. Maybe he left something in the room by accident?

“I’m just picking up your tray, Princess” Heiran was crestfallen at the sound of the feminine voice, pouting as she laid back on her bed. It wasn’t the knight. The window was closed once again, as was the door, and she reached through the curtain to grab one of the books left for her. She began to read, but soon fell asleep to dreams of men with drawings on their skin, males running across castle roofs and knights on their daily escapades.

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By the time Heiran awoke, everything was dark. She glanced at the clock, only to frown. The workers should have awoken her with their knocking half an hour ago. She hesitantly opened the curtains, looking around her bedroom. It was oddly silent, even outside the walls of her bedroom. She could usually hear chattering this time of day. Gathering courage Heiran walked to the window and tugged back the curtain, staring outside. The sky was black. Had she slept longer than she thought? It took a moment for her to realise that it wasn’t night time; the blackness was smoke. Smoke rose from the quarters below, and panic rose in Heiran’s throat. Her ears began to pick up the screams and yelling of civilians, and screams coming from in the hall. The voice was her mothers and she ran to the door, tugging at it to no avail; it was still locked.

“Mother!” She screamed out, tugging at the doorknob and causing the doors to rattle, but not give.

“Heiran! Heiran!” Her mother yelled back, her voice growing more distant. “Hide!” A scream left her mother’s house and the colour drained from Heiran’s face. She stood shakily next to the door, staring around her room.

“Quick, you dolt, hide. Be like the characters in your adventure novels and hide” She muttered to herself, slapping her cheeks a few times. Heiran ran to the one place she had always been safe and hidden from the world; her bed. She grabbed one of the vases that held flowers on her table and smashed it on the corner, flinching away as it shattered. Scrambling to find the biggest piece she picked it up and ran to her bed, tying the curtains and sitting in the middle, the piece of glass clutched in her fingers as she stared dead ahead.

The door knob of her bedroom doors started shaking and rattling, Heiran’s breath hitching in . She didn’t know who would be a friend and who would be foe, she knew no one. The door finally busted open with a loud bang, and creeping footsteps entered the bedroom. She held her breath, listening to the heathy breathing.

“Priiiinceeeessssss” The voice was low, teasing, with a hint of malice. A shiver ran down her spine; she had never heard a voice like that before. “I know you’re in heeeeeeere. You can’t hide forever, treasure” She let out a small whimper as the curtains around her bed rustled, and the man let out a laugh. “Peek a boo, I see. . .” The curtains were torn from their railings, Heiran letting out a loud scream as the man dove at her. “You!” The figure yelled reaching out to grab her arm. She covered her face, waiting for the tight grip to come. It never came, and she shakily lowered her arms, still gripping the glass shard in her hand. Her gaze settled on a hand that was outstretched towards her, and she followed the arm up to look at the male’s face.

“Princess, come with me. I’ll keep you safe”