Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A Clarinese village along Tanbarun’s border suddenly came down with a mysterious virus. People who contracted it got blisters all over the skin and survival without lasting damage to their bodies was slim.

A full shutdown of all the roads in the area was ordered once the neighboring communities began reporting the same symptoms appearing.

The guard outpost stationed in the area that reported the disease was ordered by King Izana to set up a quarantine zone. Setting up tents outside their base to house the sick and facilitate treatment.

The royal court pharmacists, Ryuu and Shirayuki were sent to investigate the outbreak as well as develop a cure.

Everyday, dozens of sick people were brought to the camp. For weeks all Shirayuki could do was make the patients more comfortable, while helping Ryuu research possible cures, all with Obi by their sides for support

Finally they had a breakthrough.

It was late afternoon and Shirayuki rode horseback with Obi to her right sharing his saddle with Ryuu, and Zen to her left. The four of them had just finished a long day of distributing the cure to some of the surrounding villages and assuring them, that by taking it, the disease would soon be eradicated.

Zen, for the last few weeks, had been patrolling the roads, directing people away from the area and instructing families to take their sick to the encampment. Yesterday he was finally given permission to enter the area, a permission he took advantage of immediately. Aside from his personal desperation to see Ryuu, Obi, and Shirayuki all safe, he said that his presence would also demonstrate the crown’s trust in the cure the royal court pharmacists developed.

The four of them were all laughing and joking now, reveling in a job well done while Shirayuki recounted to Zen the daring tales of pharmaceutical work.

“So that’s when we discovered that the milk maids-”

Obi suddenly held out his hand motioning for them to stop their horses. They fell silent. His head moved slowly from right to left, his eyes scanning the trees. Zen did the same, his hand going to his sword, though he wasn’t sure what Obi was looking for.

After a long moment Obi spoke slowly, “I thought- I saw someone-” His head suddenly jerked to look behind him just as a figure swung down from the tree and slammed into him and Ryuu, knocking them off the horse.

“Obi! Ryuu!” Shirayuki yelled.

She moved to dismount when Zen yelled, “Shirayuki don’t! Run back!” His sword was drawn and he moved his horse to block her path forward. She saw now that several other figures wearing masks were emerging from the trees. Zen dismounted, putting himself between them and her. “Get help, go!” he yelled.

Shirayuki pulled on her horse’s left rein and kicked. The horse obediently carried her in the opposite direction of the fight.

Obi was wrestling his assailant on the forest floor. He was able to get them to drop the dagger being held to his throat, but he wasn’t in any position to grab it for himself. He was on the defensive, constantly breaking strangleholds and keeping hands from reaching the blade.

Behind him, Zen was was facing three opponents at once. They were cautious and meticulous with their strikes. They never attack all at once, even though they would surely over power him, instead they would tag team. One would come in for a front attack while another maneuvered behind to strike and with three of them it barely gave Zen time to breath between attacks. His years of training with Mitsuhide and Kiki, however, had prepared him for this. He pushed away the front attacker and, with lightening speed, blocked the strike coming down on his head. He noticed, however, that it wasn’t the blade he glanced away, but the hilt.

So that was their game.

They wanted him unconscious, not dead. Knowing this, he intended to turn the fight around. He took the offensive and charged at the nearest enemy. They skirted away from his attack with as much ease as Obi might. He tried attacking again and again, his sword never finding purchase, but he at least forced his attackers back a few feet and gave himself a moment to catch his breath.

“Let him go!”

Zen looked to to see Obi knelt on the ground, his throwing knives ready, and a man holding a knife tightly against Ryuu’s neck.

Before he could react, the wind was suddenly knocked out of him.

That split second of distraction was all that was needed for one the assailants to dropkick him from behind. He landed face first in the dirt. His hand still clutching his sword, he moved to spring back up, but one of them stomped on his wrist and wrenched it away. Soon three sets of hands were holding him down and pulling his arms behind his back. Some cords were produced and, despite his struggling, his hands and feet were quickly bound. The side of his face was pressed against the forest floor, a heavy boot between pressed between his shoulder blades prevented him from sitting up or rolling over.

“That’s it. Nice and easy.” Zen heard the man holding Ryuu say.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Obi standing up slowly from his crouched position, his hands held up and empty, his knives by his feet.

Zen heard someone by his head take off running. “Obi, behind you!” Zen shouted.

Obi was already on it. He flicked his wrist and a knife appeared from his sleeve into his hand. The attacker was several feet away from Obi, sword already poised to slice him in half, then Obi threw his knife. It struck and the assailant crumpled, first to their knees then landing face first at Obi’s feet.

Zen and Obi locked eyes. Wordlessly, Obi promised to turn the fight around and Zen nodded, assuring him of his trust.

Then they heard Ryuu gasping for air.

Both their eyes opened wide with terror as they turned their attention back to the knifeman. He held Ryuu’s head back, opening the slash he’s just left. “You shouldn’t have done that.” The man said. Ryuu’s lips were moving but only the awful sound of air slowly escaping from a tube came out. He dropped Ryuu who fell to his knees and quickly grabbed his throat. The man held is knife ready to go one on one with Obi again. Obi went for the knives at his feet, but Shirayuki’s scream froze them in place.

“No!” Zen yelled, fruitlessly struggling to get free.

Everyone’s attention turned to the approach of Shirayuki’s horse, but she wasn’t alone on the saddle. A knife was being held to her throat by the man who was seated behind her wearing a mask and cloak.

“Ryuu!” Shirayuki screamed. She grabbed at the arm holding the knife, but it didn’t budge. Obi clenched his jaw and grabbed one of his knives.

“Drop it!” the man said as he pushed the back of Shirayuki’s head towards the knife. “We already cut the boy’s throat, do you really want to take a chance with her?”

Obi’s eyes flashed around his surroundings like he was a cornered animal. Zen was tied up on the ground with swords pointed to his back, Ryuu was holding his windpipe closed with a knifeman looming over him, and Shirayuki was being held hostage in the lap of the ringleader. Obi gripped the knife tight and glared at the man on the horse.

The man sighed “Let me make this easy for you. All we want is the prince, so I’m going to let you leave here with the boy and, if you’re fast enough, maybe you can save his life.”

Obi’s eyes narrowed and his features looked like that of a wolf. “What about her?” he snapped, his voice deep and full of killing intent, instead of it’s usually playful tenor.

“We’re taking her as insurance,” the man said like it was a matter of fact.

“Like hell!” Obi shouted, raising his knife.

“I promise I won’t fight!” Zen yelled, “Take me, but leave her!”

“I’m not letting them take either of you, master.” Obi growled, his eyes shifting around, forming a plan.

Then Ryuu started to gasp again.

The knifeman was behind Ryuu, holding his arms down by his sides and pulling his head back by his hair.

“No!” Shirayuki screamed and she clawed at the arms with the knife again.

“Stop it!” Zen yelled struggling against the arms holding him down, “He has nothing to do with this!”

Obi’s eyes went from Shirayuki, in hysterics, to Zen, completely helpless then finally to Ryuu, his young face turning dangerously pale.

“Fine!” Obi shouted, “Let go of him!”

The knifeman released Ryuu, took a step back, then kicked him forward for good measure. Obi ran to him, took him up in his arms, and removed his cowl to press to his throat. There was blood, but not enough to believe that they’d hit a major artery.

Obi’s eyes clenched shut in frustration as he helplessly listened to Zen beg them to leave Shirayuki behind. The boss produced a vial and handed it to one of the men, “Not to much, I want him awake later.” They sedated Zen and slung him over the back of Obi’s own horse. Obi watched over his shoulder memorizing which direction they took. Then he saw Shirayuki lean past the man holding her to look back at him. Her eyes were fire and her lips were forming words… No… numbers. She was counting. Despite his boiling rage, the corners of his mouth turned up.

Already planning an escape, he thought.

Ryuu slipped his hand up over Obi’s and showed him where to apply pressure. Then Ryuu did his best to speak.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“It’s not your fault, little Ryuu.” Obi slipped his hands out from under Ryuu’s so that he kept the pressure while Obi scooped him up bridal style, “We’ll get them back, you’ll see.”

Obi jogged with Ryuu in his arms the whole way back to the guard out post. He couldn’t go too fast and risk doing something that would get Ryuu’s blood pumping and Ryuu was a lot heavier now than he was a couple years ago.

He made a brief stop in a village he passed through to ask if they had a surgeon, but they said that any surgeons in the area went to the encampment to help the sick anyway they could. So he carried on, only focused on getting Ryuu to help.

Ryuu’s breathing was raspy, but consistent. Obi’s cowl was slowly getting soaked and Ryuu’s face was beginning to turn dangerously pale again. This time from blood loss.

The second the towers of the outpost, now lit with torches, came into view Obi started shouting, “I need a surgeon! Have a surgeon ready!”

The guards at the gate’s entrance, not liking that a man was running at them, shouting, and carrying someone covered in blood, held out their spears in front of them. “Halt! Identify yourself!” Obi stopped at the tip of their spears his face within their fire light. “Sir Obi?” they looked down at the bundle in his arms, “Master Ryuu?”

“Open the gate.” Obi commanded, his chest heaving.

The guards quickly pushed the gate open for him. Obi ran inside, shouting again, “Where’s a surgeon?”

That’s when he saw Izana.

The king stepped out of a tent filled with recovering patients wearing a smug smile that Obi knew was meant for his mistress. Zakura was stationed next to him and a small outfit of guards followed behind.

When Izana saw Obi, alone, a bleeding Ryuu in his arms, his smile melted and his eyes went wide with understanding.

Obi only tore his eyes away from Izana when he noticed a man with a white beard carrying a bag was coming toward him as fast as his old legs would carry him, “Let me see him.” The old man pulled some white fabric from his bag and had Obi remove the blood drenched cowl. The clean fabric was placed on the wound and held firmly in place. The old man instructed a couple of young men nearby to carry Ryuu back to his tent being sure to keep pressure on his neck. Obi handed him off and turned back to Izana.

Obi approached without bowing or even a greeting the king, a formality that surely wasn’t lost on the military men charged with escorting the nation’s sovereign. Obi spoke quickly, “We need armed men combing the forests, now.”

“What happened?” Izana’s calm voice betrayed by the glimmer fear in his eyes.

“We were ambushed.”

“Where’s Zen?”

Obi wanted to tell him what he wanted to hear, ‘Shirayuki’s been taken again and I couldn’t stop Zen from running after her,’ at least then he could be angry at Zen.

“They wanted him,” he said instead.

Izana’s eyes closed and his his brow tightened.

Obi pressed on, “They tried to kill Ryuu, and they took Shirayuki as a hostage to insure I wouldn’t follow them.”

“Do you know who they were?”

“They wore masks, there were five, but there’s only four now. Your men will find the body on the road, west of here.”

Izana raised an eyebrow, “You’re not going after them?”

“Of course I’m going after them, I’m just not waiting for your men.” Obi turned to leave.

“Obi.” Izana’s voice was commanding and without thinking Obi stopped in his tracks. An old habit from years of taking hard orders. “I’m putting you with Zakura.”

Zakura’s whipped his head toward the king, “Iza-” Zakura started then corrected, “Your majesty, I don’t need-”

“The prince has been abducted,” Izana asserted and the words fell heavy on all who heard them. Obi felt shame heaped onto his head. “I need my best men leading the search.”

“Yes, sir,” said Zakura, eyeing Obi.

Izana turned to Obi once more, “Mitsuhide once told me about your tracking ability and how it aided in the search for Shirayuki when she was taken in Tanbarun.”

Obi nodded, why’d he have to bring that up now?

“Find her again,” he told Obi then turned to Zakura, “bring back Zen.”

For a moment Obi thought he saw Zakura look just as miserable as he felt. Izana was now addressing the guards that had been following him and gave his orders

“-and use discretion,” his voice was firm, “they’re using a royal court pharmacist as a hostage.”

Chapter Text

Somewhere around second 8,148, the masked men stopped. The sun had set and though they were still surrounded by trees Shirayuki could hear a loud roaring. The ocean.
The intrusive thought of being put onto a ship entered her mind and she had to keep herself from panicking. She needed to stay calm.
The man behind her spoke suddenly. “We rendezvous on the beach, do not leave the cover of the forest until then,” He dismounted and helped Shirayuki down. She wasn’t tied up and he didn’t have his knife currently out, in theory, she could try to make a break for it. Then she saw Zen still bound and unconscious, slung over the back of Obi’s stolen horse. ‘All we want is the prince,’ the words rung in her head. She didn’t attempt to run away.
The man put a hand on her shoulder and led her to where his men were congregating for a short rest. “Sorry miss, I know you’ve been on nothing but good behavior, but,” he pushed her into the nearest man, “Tie her up.” He strode back to his horse and remounted, “The prince should be out for a couple more hours. Make sure she doesn’t go wandering off before I get back.” He kicked his horse and road away in a gallop.

They carried Shirayuki, her feet now bound and hands tied in front of herself, and laid her upon a patch of sandy grass a few feet away from themselves. Then returned seconds later and placed Zen down next to her.
They walked away again this time and began to talk amongst themselves. She laid still for what felt like hours. They bickered over dining plans. One was adamant they shouldn’t start a fire while the other insisted that they needed to celebrate in some way. They finally settled it when they remembered a secret rum cellar their group had nearby. This must be a popular rendezvous spot for them. They sent the third out to find it and bring back a bottle. She laid silently as the remaining two half heartedly lamented that their comrade who Obi killed wouldn’t be there to share in the rewards. While they were distracted she finally dared to turn her head to Zen. They had laid him on his side facing her, his arms still tied behind his back. “Zen?” she whispered.
He stirred.
“Zen, please.” she whispered again, she needed him awake if they were going to escape this. He moaned and his eyes fluttered. Shirayuki’s chest heaved a sigh of relief. Slowly he opened his eyes, he looked in an ill mood, but he usually was after waking. “Are you alright?” she asked.
“My head hurts.”
“That’s probably from hanging upside down all this time. That vial, though, I thought I recognized it.”
“Lucky us,” he tried to smile, but it looked pained. “I would probably have been out for an entire day, but…” he trailed off.
His resistance, she finished in her head, it was an asset they couldn’t risk these men over hearing.
“Who are these people, where are they taking us?”
“I don’t know, but more of them are coming. We’ve been riding for two and half hours, we’re near the ocean.”
“This is bad.” Zen said, “I'm so sorry.” Feeling the distress in his voice nearly broke her. As discreetly as she could, she inched herself towards him until they were close enough to touch foreheads.
“I promised once that I would never put you in the position where you’d have to choose between me and duty. I'm sorry I got caught-“
“Don't.” he cut her off, “They were after me. It’s my fault you got dragged into this.” His eyes were dark, hardly able to look at her.
“Zen, do you remember what you said to me after I told you that I loved you?” His eyes met her’s suddenly and his face was soft.
“You warned me that your title wouldn't always be able to protect me, that it would even harm me at times.” He began to look away again, the darkness returning. She moved her bound hands to grab his face, “I took your hand, Zen. I knew what I was getting into.”
Zen raised an eyebrow, “You knew you’d be in a hostage situation?”
“With my record, it crossed my mind.” It wasn’t funny, but the nervousness made her smile.
Zen chuckled for likely the same reason. “We’ll weather this storm,” he said.
“We always do.” she replied. She glanced over at the two men neither were paying any attention to them, “... We should untie each other, right?”
“You first. I’ll roll over.”
The masked men were still a dozen or so feet, but without a fire it was dark and the oceans roar hid the noise
He untied Shirayuki’s hands and she moved to loosen his.
“No,” he said, “Untie yourself first.”
Shirayuki looked at him, concerned, but they didnt have time to argue. She slowly sat up and began to untie her ankles, eyes fixed on their kidnappers the entire time. Promise me,” he whispered, “If they see us, no matter what happens, run and don’t stop.” She finished untying herself and turned to loosen his knots.
“I’m not leaving you alone with them.”

Obi and Zakura lead a band of guards through the forest at a frustratingly slow speed. Anytime Obi tried to move ahead Zakura would be there pulling him back to his side. When the second hour passed with zero reports back of any signs of the kidnappers, Obi was ready to begin doing things his way.
“Sir Obi,” Zakura said, as Obi lead his horse towards the farside of a formation of rocks, “how many times must I tell you stay where I can see you?”
Obi stopped and made a pointed look at Zakura. “You’re not my mother, sir, I don't need to hold onto your skirts, but if you’re so concerned about losing me..” Obi made a great show out of stirring back to the path, but made a point to trot ahead several feet.
“Trust me, I’d love nothing more than to lose you.”
“Then we’re in agreement. You even told his kingness you didn’t need me.”
“His majesty wants us working together.”
“Yeah, well that involves actually working with me.” Obi looked back over his shoulder with a smirk. Zakura glared back. Obi shrugged, turning his attention forward again, “but then nobles never do see my sort as equals.” There was a moment of silence then Zakura bursted into laughter.
“My sort?” he said between laughs. Obi carried on his pace but looked back, interested in an explanation. Zakura pointed to his face.“You think I got this scar from a training accident at Sereg?” he said, still laughing.
To say that the slash across the bridge of his nose was hard to miss was an understatement. Most knights in the palace were gleefully whispered about by tittering maids, except for Zakura. Most servants and minor nobles avoided him out of fear that the rumors of what he does to anyone who stares at his scar were true.
Despite Obi’s present annoyance he always thought it was a shame that Zakura didn't get enough attention for his otherwise handsome face and the rumors, he saw, often resulted in the king’s aid overcompensating in kindness.
Zakura’s chivalrousness and close proximity to the king had always read as “highborn” and he never had any reason to think differently. It had never occurred to Obi that he might not have been the first rogue hired by a prince.
Obi wanted to ask him how he did get his scar, but his hand unconsciously went to his chest where he felt his heartbeat. He knew better than to ask a man about his past life.
Zakura breathed, finally calming himself, then a shadow crossed his face. “The way you came to Prince Zen’s side is not dissimilar to how I came to Izana’s.”
Obi raised his brow. “You’re on a first name basis with the king, I see,” he teased.
Zakura chuckled, “I know what you’re doing when you don’t call them by their names.” Obi stiffened and fixed his eyes on the road ahead. “It’s a trick so you don’t get attached, so your body can remain light and leave as it pleases. I used it too.” Zakura’s stare held to Obi's back, but Obi made no attempt to turn and meet it. Zakura continued, “Eight years ago, Izana held my life in his hands... I’ve served him everyday since and my body had grown heavy… I don’t trust your lightness.”
“You mentioned our paths being similar.” Obi drawled, as much as he hated bringing up that day he wouldn’t need to mention her, he just needed to scare him. “Tell me, whose life did you break into the palace to make an attempt on?”
“Prince Zen’s,” Zakura said without missing a beat. Obi’s teeth clicked together. “Though, everyone was killed before we ever stepped foot inside the palace.” Two of his fingers traced over his scar, “I was lucky to walk away with only this.”
“How…” Obi found the word pulled from his lips by pure shock. Even on his most back alley of deals none of it ever came close to regicide.
“I was hired by the Lido family. I was desperate and the pay promised upon the completion of the job was enough to never have to worry about food or shelter ever again.” Zakura looked distant like he was remembering a past life. “I thought, no matter what it was, it’d be worth it for that sum...”
“I meant how are you still alive?” Obi asked snapping Zakura back.
“I suppose for the same reason you’re not rotting in prison still: His majesty and the prince are both kind, despite who their father was.” He shrugged, “And I made him laugh.”
Zen’s laughter ran through Obi’s head, he remembered how hard he would try to make him laugh back during his probationary period. How he still tried to draw a reaction from him daily. Then of Shirayuki and how ready she was to forgive and forget… she had never brought that day up, not once.
They walked on in a hollow silence. Suddenly there was a shout and the sound of pounding hooves approaching them.
Obi instinctually drew his knives for the ready. His eyes narrowed on the figure barreling through the woods. He was about ready to loose a knife when he saw that the rider was frantically waving his arm and his voice finally reached his ears.
“We’ve found a body!”

Chapter Text

Minutes went by with no noise other than their own breathing, the roar of the ocean growing further away, and the otherwise peaceful sounds of a forest at night.

Then, they heard the horses.

Their streak of luck had come to an end. If they kept running out in the open they’d be overtaken. The pounding of hooves grew louder, they’d see them any second, and recapture them. They needed a place to hide. They ducked behind a wide tree trunk and desperately climbed.

Once perched amoungst the branch they froze, their hearts beating in their ears in tandem with the approaching horses. They watched as the two galloped past and waited even longer until they were both sure it was safe to speak. “They’re heading in the direction they brought us.” Shirayuki noted.

“That’s fine, we just need to get to the nearest town,” Zen said. “East.” He pointed.

They climbed back down from the tree and ran. Slowly, through the thick of tree, lights appeared.

“Is that it?” Shirayuki asked through heavy breaths. Her eyes wide with hope. Zen’s eyes were the same, as he tugged on her hand.

“Come on.”

They sprinted towards the lights seeing them get closer, already feeling relief rush over them. The lights moved. They froze.

They weren’t running towards a distant town, but an approaching party of men on horses.

They pulled eachother behind a cluster of trees and peaked out to watch.

“It might be a search party.” Shirayuki said.

“And maybe not,” said Zen. “We’ll wait and see.”

It took a minute before the group was near enough to see in the darkness. They weren’t Clarines guards. Zen and Shirayuki hundled closer into their hiding spot. There were about fifty of them and only a few lanterns amongst them all. They wore dark clothes and they all had masks, just like their kidnappers. Some wore them, others had them resting on their heads or attached to their saddles.

Then they saw a familiar man leading the pack, the leader of the small band. His mask more ornate than the others.

“Zen,” Shirayuki whispered, we was smiling, “I have a pla-mph!” A hand clamped over her mouth and pulled her up. Zen tried to lunge, but a pair of arms wrapped around him. The two bandits that had passed them earlier had snuck up on them and where already yelling to their boss. Shirayuki bit her assailant on the hand and started running.

Zen bent his body, like Obi had taught him once, and flipped the man who had grabbed him onto his back. Zen took off after Shirayuki who stopped to look back to see if Zen made it.

“Go, go!” Zen yelled.

They sprinted, but they weren’t faster than horse and were quickly over run.

They were tied again and gagged. A small outfit of guards stood around each other them, careful to not give them the opportunity to coherence a second time.

The leader approached and dismounted. He scanned his men and pointed out the two men whom he left them with.

“Congratulations on catching these two.” He said lifting his arms with gravitas. The men began to smile. “Strange though, because I thought we had caught them already.” He drew his dagger from his belt.

The men threw up their hands begging for their lives, the leader approached, Shirayuki tried yelling something through her gag. The only thing that stopped the approach of the dagger was a voice asking, “What happened?”

Everyone turned to see the younger bandit, holding a bottle of rum. His stagger said he had already helped himself.

“Him!” the two men yelled, “He abandoned his post for rum! He let them escape!” The young man dropped the bottle, his face as white as a sheet.

The leader did a slow turn and approached the young man. Shirayuki continued to shout, through her muffled cries were ignored. “Kaito, please! I-I mean- Your majesty, I-” The leader, Kaito, grabbed the young man’s shoulder and drove the dagger into his gut. Shirayuki turned her head away, tears falling across her cheeks.

Kaito pulled a rag from his pocket and wiped the blood from his dagger as he walked towards his prisoners. He squatted down between them looking at Shirayuki who was glaring at him through her tears and Zen who sat with his back straight, chin up, and a dauntless expression.

“I see, now.” He laughed, “I thought you were just being heroic back when we picked you up, but you actually care about Red, don't you?” He got inches from Zen’s face and smiled toothily, “You love her.”

Zen narrowed his stare, refusing to betray the fear swelling within him.

“Before, I took her to keep that bastard knight of your’s off our trail, but now, you see,” he fiddled with the knife between his fingers, “as long as I keep her around you’re going to keep getting ideas about saving her and running away.” He stood and began to pace around in front of his men like he was a scholar giving a lecture. “That, however, is the opposite of what I want. I take away any will you have to live, slowly and painfully, meaning,” he stopped and turned to Shirayuki, “I’m going to have to get rid of Red.”

Zen’s dam broke. He jerked and pulled at his bonds and yelled through his gag. Hands grabbed his shoulders to keep him from slamming into Kaito. Kaito waved his dagger around Shirayuki’s face lackadaisically making her flinch. He looked over his shoulder at the tears in Zen’s eyes. His jerking was becoming more and more spuratic and desperate.

“Shut him up!” Kaito ordered and a hand pulled Zen’s head back by his hair and another wazed a vial below his nose again.

The world blurred and the last thing Zen saw before the blackness overtook his vision was the gleam of silver against red.

Zen slumped to the side and Kaito slid his dagger back into its sheath. He grabbed Shirayukihime roughly by the shoulders and brought her to her feet and shoved her into a couple of his men. “I’m not taking my eyes off him again,” he said pointing to Zen, “Sell her to Kou.”

“How much you want for her, Majesty?” one asked.

“I don’t care, it’s yours, if you don’t mess it up.” He eyed Zen hungerly. “I’ve got the key to everything I want, right here.”

The men holding Shirayuki chuckled, their hands tightening on her shoulders. They tugged her away and she watched Zen’s limp form being foisted on the back of a horse again.

They were separating them. Bile rose in her throat and she felt herself beginning to panic, Her breathe became short as she was pulled on another horse. Her head was pounding.

Count, she told herself, but the numbers tripped around in her brain. The roar of the ocean grew louder and louder, until it was all she could hear.

---

“Who is she?” Kou, a fat pirate asked tapping Shirayuki's chin with a his cane. She felt herself being nudged back to her wits. She was on a dock, a small ship was tethered to it, and a few burly pirates walked up and down the gangplank carrying loads. “I don’t want trouble following us.”

“She’s a nobody,” one of Kaito’s men lied. “We mugged and killed her family. We would have just killed her too, but Kaito didn’t think you’d ever forgive him for offing such a rare beauty.”

Kou searched Shirayuki’s eyes. She imagined she looked pretty pathetic at that moment, tied up, still in a daze, too tired to fight. He combed his hand through her hair and laughed heartily. “Your boss was right!” He held Shirayuki against his large chest with one thick arm. Smiling, he fished out a bag of coins and tossed it to the men who pulled and fought over it.

Still holding her tight, he brought her aboard the ship to the lower levels where there where a few other women hung their heads. Kou helped her sit against a wall. He tisked and ungagged her, taking care of his precious cargo.

“No screaming,” he said, “No one’s going to hear you anyway.”

---

After less than two days of travel the boat anchored and she and the other woman were brought out into the sunlight. They were on the coast, though Shirayuki didn’t know where. The cliff face ahead of them had a prison carved into it. They were shuffled inside and locked in metal cages. Nearly every person she saw was sick and weak. Soon, she learned, their symptoms were the same as the villagers they had just encountered.

Anytime her cell door opened all her muscles screamed at her to run. Her mind was the only thing keeping her grounded to formulating her plan. If she could call it that, it was more of a hope still. She just kept reminding herself that if she ran and got caught, it would ruin everything. She’d be put under higher surveillance, never be allowed to treat the prisoners, and she’d be sold and sent even further away from home than she already was. If escape wasn’t guaranteed, she needed to stay put.

Anytime the cell door opened she’d patiently wait for it to shut again.

The opening and closing of the door was usually due to several other girls being put in with her. The empty cots eventually filled and overflowed to the floor. Shirayuki gave up her bed to a girl with a high fever, she was nothing but skin and bones.

Keeping the sick comfortable was all she could do... for now.

---

Shirayuki awoke to the sound of someone dragging a baton across a row of bars and a small voice shout, "Overseer's inspection! Everybody up!"
Shirayuki sprang out of her cot and ran to the bars. She saw a large, wide man banging a baton on the cell bars and his assistant, a short, hunched over man walking beside him shouting. Obviously their sick prisoners weren't moving fast enough for them.

“Aye you! Get up!” the Overseer shouted. There were murmurs from the prisoners about someone too sick to stand, but the Overseer wouldn't hear it, “Get up or I’ll drag ye out! and beat ye!” he banged his baton on the bars.

“Stop!” she shouted, “These people need treatment!” The banging and shouting stopped. Footsteps approached her cell.

The large silhouette of the Overseer stood before her. “Well, if it isn’t the little red head that’s gonna’ make me rich,” he breathed through the bars, a cloud of onions and curdled milk.

“Yeah, I'll make you rich, because I can treat these people.”

“Better keep your mouth shut-”

“Healthy people sell for mor-”

He slammed his batten down on the bars right next to her head. Her ears rang, but she didn’t break eye contact. The small man cowered and his eyes flicked between the Overseer and Shirayuki.

The Overseer leaned in close to her face so that there was no escape from his rancid breath. “I don’t want to have to do something’ that’d hurt your pretty face before auction.” He leaned away, confident that he had the final word, “That’s bad business.”

He turned to go, rolling the sleeves of his velvet jacket up as far as they would go, but his grease stained coat looked two sizes too small for it. He itched at his wrist where his skin, she noticed, was covered in a bright pink rash that rose into scaly circles.

"If you put a poultice of barren lavender and uclary on your skin before bed it'll stop itching. You'll see an improvement with the rash by morning."
He stopped and looked back at her slack jawed.

"I'm an herbalist. You can listen and stop the itching or keep scratching until your skin tears off. Your choice."

He looked her up and down then spat at her feet. He wiped his sleeve across his face and walked away continuing to scratch. Shirayuki's heart sank, but she refused back down. Her glare bore into the back of his head the entire time it took him to get to the cellblock door. The assistant looked between them one last time before exiting and closing the door with a ca-chunk.

---

When the door opened again, early in the morning, nobody stirred from their sleep. Shirayuki woke with a jump when her boot was kicked.

“Get up. Boss wants to see you,” the man said.

“What for?” she asked as she stood, trying to keep her wits about her after being woken suddenly.

The man grinned at her, his eyes looking her over. “Could be anything,” he said with malice.

Her body went rigid and she held her hand against her chest in a tight fist.

She was brought to a dimly lit office with loose papers strewn about and books with illegible writing open in slapdash ways over the furniture. She stood alone before the Overseer . He reclined at his desk and his assistant was setting out tool seemingly preparing to give him a haircut. With only a thin wisp of greasy hair on his shiny scalp, Shirayuki wasn’t sure what he planned to do.

“So ye weren’t lying’ about being a herbalist.” He pulled his arm out from under the smock that he had tied around his next and revealed his fat, scarred, and rashless forearm.

Her heart pounded. This was it. “No, sir. I ran a small pharmacy in Tanbarun.” Knowing about the palace would be detrimental to her plan.

“Isha made me a poulta-what’s-it like ye said and I was impressed.” He hunkered further back into his chair and closed his eyes, obviously the relief from the itchiness of his rash had improved his mood. “So I got thinkin’bout whatcha said and I brought ye here to talk business.”

Shirayuki blinked. He was going to let her do it! She was going to be able to help these people!

“What supplies are ye needin’ for this?” he asked, absently, scratching his chin.

Shirayuki thought back to the cure Ryuu had just made for all the villagers. She wished she had her notes, but her memory would have to suffice.

“I'll need jars, a pot and stove,” her eyes looked over the room, “a clean work space, sugar, and lots of moldy food.”

“Moldy-” The Overseer bursted out laughing, “We’ve got plenty of that, but just how long will it take to get me merchandise in proper selling order?”

Shirayuki tried to not let her disgust show. “A few weeks, at least.” His eyes shot open and he shot to the edge of his seat. Shirayuki knew this wasn’t what he wanted to hear.

He shook his head, “Ye go on market in a couple days,” he laughed, “ye don’t have that long, sweetie!”

“Then give me time,” she snapped, dead serious. The Overseer’s laughter ceased. With his glare boring into her she continued, “If you think you’ll get the best price off me in a couple day, go ahead, sell me. But, if you wait a few weeks I can help you make a better -prophet- off those people and myself. You can tell all your wealthiest clients across the continent about me and have them gather here in a month. How much more do you think you’d make?” They stared each other down. “It's just better business sense,” she finished.

The Overseer leaned back into his chair and considered this. “I’ll admit ye have a point, but me clients ain't traveling over country borders just on my word of having a rare red haired beauty.”

Shirayuki closed her eyes and took breath to calm herself. It wasn’t ideal... but this might actually work out to be the best part of her plan.

She opened her eyes again and glared at him, determination burning in her eyes. She grabbed a fistful of her own hair and pulled it taunt from her head.

“Then cut it off and show them!”