Hanna stared at the blade that was halfway through her stomach. More than anything, she was preoccupied by how wrong it felt. That piece of metal did not belong in her body.

“Nice, Fritjof!” Frida called, her sword still buried in Hanna’s gut as she slowly fell to the ground, gripping the exposed blade tight.

Hanna cursed, more the pain and her own naivety than Fritjof’s betrayal. In hindsight, she had been rather foolish, blabbing left and right about her plans of escape. She should have expected this outcome.

“The rest of you, down on your knees if you want to live”, Frida instructed while Fritjof sauntered over to the guards with a smug smile.

“You shouldn’t be so trusting Hanna”, he tutted. “Never forget that”

Won’t happen again, Hanna promised herself as anger finally flared in her, a burning fire that intermingled with the pain surrounding the sword. She ripped the blade out of her stomach and pushed herself to her feet, in one explosive motion twisting it around and jamming it through Frida’s jaw. For a single second, everyone was too shocked to move. By the time Frida’s corpse fell to the ground, the room exploded into motion. Lena and her friends did their best against the armed guards, dodging swords and trying to wrestle weapons away. They were unarmed but they had the numerical advantage.

Every single movement from Hanna sent waves of pain through her body. She pushed all thoughts of the pain to the back of her head away and soldiered on. Frida’s unnamed colleague was still stumped by the turn of events. Hanna took her down before she had a chance to put up much of a resistance, cutting through half her stomach with a quick swipe. That left Fritjof standing in front of her, his previously gleeful smile replaced with a pale face and shocked eyes.

“Wait a minute, Hanna…” He tried. But Hanna destroyed his kneecap with a sharp kick that sent embers through her stomach. He screamed in agony and began to fall. Hanna swung her sword at him, his head hitting the floor briefly after the rest of his body. That done with, Hanna spun around with a feeling of catharsis, searching for a new target. She found it in the last guard not caught up fighting Lena’s crew. He was staring slack-jawed at Fritjof’s decapitated head. As Hanna turned towards him he made a feeble attempt at hitting her. Hanna blocked the sword with a casual swing, then she took a firm grip of his collar and headbutted him, carefully angling her head so that she struck him with the metal that covered her scalp. The base of his nose was smashed into mush and Hanna’s face was painted with blood. A lot of it entered her eyes. Ugh. Not doing that again, Hanna noted as she tried to regain her vision with a session of furious blinking.

The fight was over. They had won, but it had cost them. The only survivors were Hanna, Lena and four others from her room. None of them were uninjured, but at least Hanna’s wound had mostly closed up. It still hurt a lot, probably some internal damage that had yet to heal. It was comforting though, knowing that she could take a blade through her gut and still fight on.

“Everyone okay?” Lena asked, looking over her companions.

“More or less”, one of them said. Hanna noted that it was the young guy she had fought in the arena. He was holding a deep cut on his arm. She was honestly surprised that he had survived the fight. It was probably more luck than skill.

Lena turned towards Hanna. “Now what?”

Hanna shrugged. “Don’t know. I was betting on Fritjof sorting that out but, well you know” Hanna said, pointing towards Fritjof’s head on the ground.

“I see”, Lena said with a disapproving tone. “You should come with us then”.

“Where are you going?”

“You’ll see”, the woman answered with a smile. Hanna considered her options. On one hand, she had literally just learnt the consequences of being too trusting. On the other hand, she didn’t really have any better options and the woman had at least fought by her side. That ought to mean something, right?

“Okay, I’m in”, she said, hoping she wouldn’t regret her choice.

They spent a couple of minutes snatching everything remotely usable from the guards. Hanna kept the sword that had gutted her and made sure to grab a helmet in her size and a knife. Unfortunately for her, the only helmet that fit properly was the one that covered the wrong side of Frida’s mutilated head. Not that it mattered. There was no way Hanna was going to town with her metal head exposed.

Hanna took the lead as the group tentatively opened the door to the next room. It turned out to be an empty antechamber, holding the last door that barred their freedom. It was locked but had a key conveniently stuck in it. Hanna turned it around and opened the door slowly, fully expecting someone to guard the outside.

The only thing that awaited them on the other side was the cool air of the night and the liberating sensation of freedom. They had made it out. The building that they came from was walled in, but at least no one was in sight. They had probably fought all the guards that was in the building. It didn’t make much sense having more around if they weren’t expecting an attack, and if they had more guards they would probably have joined the others in the fight. Hanna and the others still opted for caution, sneaking along the dark shadows of the wall until they left from the main gate.

Lena took the lead from there, guiding them away from the compound. From what little Hanna knew of the city, they were in that first section of it that they had passed when they travelled in the carriage. The trip took longer than Hanna had expected, only partly because one of Lena’s friends had an injured leg that forced them to set a slow pace. They must have made a hundred turns as they twisted their way through alleyways, eventually ending up in what was obviously the poorest part of the town. The buildings here were small and barely more than shacks. Lena stopped in front of one of the buildings that in no way stood apart from the rest. She knocked out a complicated rhythm on the flimsy door. Through the thin walls, Hanna could hear someone push a chair across the floor, and a moment later the door was opened by a frail old man. He peered at them suspiciously until his eyes landed on Lena.

“Lena, is that you?” He asked as if he couldn’t believe what his old eyes were telling him.

Lena shone like a beacon. “Yes pa, it’s me”

The old man’s eyes began to water. “I thought…” he began, before stopping to fight his overwhelming feelings. “I thought I had lost you forever”.

Lena walked over to her old man and gently embraced him. “They didn’t kill me, pa. They didn’t kill me”, she said and stroked his thin hair. When the two of them broke their embrace after a while, the old man had a broad smile. “Come in, my friends!” he urged, waving them over. Hanna took a quick glance around to see if anyone had spotted them before she entered the shackle. The streets around them were empty and silent.

“Your friends…” The old man began.

“Can be trusted”, Lena interrupted him. “Right Hanna?”, she asked, giving Hanna a challenging look. Hanna had no clue what that was about. She nodded sagely just in case.

The old man looked back and forth between Hanna and Lena a couple of times. “Okay then. Just a moment”. He said and pushed a rug away, revealing a large, hidden trapdoor. He opened it with slow deliberate movements, huffing by the time it was wide open. “Go on then”.

Light was shining from whatever lay underneath the floor. A wooden ladder could just about be seen half a meter down the hatch. Hanna and the rest followed Lena’s lead and climbed down. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting. She just knew that a large, underground complex with plenty of people wasn’t on her list of stuff that should be found inside a small shackle in the slums.

Lena waited on them down on the ground. She had her hands spread wide and her smile spread wider “Welcome to the peoples’ democratic movement!” She announced with pride once Hanna and the rest was firmly on the ground.

Hanna scoffed. That was a fucking coincidence.

Lena gave her a sharp look, her smile fading with it. “You don’t support us?”

”Uh, sure I do.” Hanna began. “I just wasn’t expecting to meet you so easily”.

Lena seemed somewhat appeased. She turned to the rest of the survivors of the arena. “I want everyone to know, that even if it was the thief’s guild that held us and forced us to fight, it was done with the full support of the queen. Everything they do is either sanctioned or ignored by the crown. By escaping today, you have made an enemy of the guild, sure. But you have also made an enemy of the crown, and it would be in your best interest to join our fight!”

The survivors all seemed perplexed. Hanna smiled. Nothing was ever given for free. Of course a group like this one wouldn’t miss the chance to recruit new members.

The young guy that Hanna had fought looked particularly bothered. “Look”, He said. “I’m grateful and all, but I’m just a normal guy. I don’t want to fight anyone, I just want to get back to my old life.”

Lena laughed. It sounded a bit more callous and disdainful than Hanna had expected. “I’m sorry my friend, your old life is gone. If the guild finds you, you will be back in the arena in no time. If you’re lucky!”

The kid gripped his wound and looked down. “What would you have us do?” He asked with a defeated voice.

Lena patted his head. “Nothing bad”, she said. “Just whatever you can do to help us”.

The kid didn’t answer, he just nodded quietly.

Lena removed her hand from him and turned towards Hanna. “You and I need to talk”, she said.

Hanna and Lena left the others behind and walked off in search of a secluded corner of the base. Finding an empty place to talk was harder than expected. While the underground complex was large enough, every single nook and cranny had a table where people was sitting, shifting papers. Provided that it wasn’t just busywork, the peoples’ democratic movement seemed to be a rather sizeable organisation. As they walked, people stopped what they were doing. They were definitely the centre of everyone’s attention. Lena’s return had caused quite the stir among the members of the people’s movement.

“What clan are you from?” Lena asked when they were finally out of earshot.

“None”, Hanna answered, knowing that it wouldn’t be accepted as an answer.

“Bullshit”, Lena swore. “No human could walk away from a sword in the gut”.

Hanna shrugged. “I’m not from one of the clans. You are just going to have to accept that as the truth it is”

Lena pursed her lips. “Be that way then”. She shifted her head, searching for a softer approach. “You know, we could use someone like you. Would you consider joining us?”

“Nope”, Hanna said. “Not happening. I’ve got places to be and stuff to do. What have you got against the kingdom anyway?”

Lena scoffed. “You mean apart from the fact they rule their subjects like despotic tyrants? The queen is a monster, Hanna!”

“Because she rules like a despotic tyrant?” Hanna asked in a deadpan voice.

“No”, Lena answered. “I mean yes, but apart from that, surely you have heard about the abductions? Hundreds of people have gone missing, my own sister one of them”

“What happened to them?”

Lena leaned in closer but didn’t lower her voice. “No one knows. But they never return and there is no trace of them. Yet the queen sits on her throne year after year, never aging”

Hanna leaned back to spare her eardrums “So you think the queen does something to them that keeps her young?”

“Like I said, no one knows. But this kingdom is sick, and the queen is the rotten, festering core that keeps it going” Lena took a deep breath, loosing some of her built-up tension. “That’s why we need fighters like you. Won’t you reconsider?”

“For the last time, no”, Hanna growled. “But I think we have common enemies. Is there a way for me to contact you if I need to get in touch?”

“We are not running a charity, Hanna. Why would we help someone who refuse to help us?”

Hanna crossed her arms. “Uh, because like I said, we have common enemies. And you owe me for breaking you out of the arena”

Lena tapped her cheek. “Fare enough. Do you know where the green dragon is?”

Hanna shook her head.

“Okay, how about the three barrels?”

“Yep, that one I know”, Hanna said, trying to calculate the odds of Lena naming the one tavern that Hanna knew off.

“Good. Then if you ever need to reach us, go there and ask for me. They’ll know what to do”.

Hanna left the compound as soon as she could, waving to the old man goodbye as she left his shack. She was the only one leaving, the people’s movement had managed to rope in every single one of the other survivors. It felt like a cynical thing to do, turning other peoples suffering into a recruitment pitch. Then again, running an anti-monarchy movement in the heart of a kingdom probably wasn’t the easiest thing to do. Unsavoury as it may be, Hanna found it hard to care about a few people that were forced to work for a good cause.

Next on Hanna’s agenda was returning to the castle and Elsa. She desperately hoped that Elsa hadn’t left yet. It would totally suck if she would have to make the return trip on foot. That reminded her, unless she still had the writ of passage, just returning to the caste would be a royal pain. Hanna patted her armour down with a growing sense of urgency, until she found the folded piece of paper along with her money, making her breath out in relief. It bothered her that her stuff was still there though. Picking peoples’ pockets seemed like the least you could expect from the thief’s guild. Unprofessional was what it was.

Thanking her lucky star, Hanna tried navigating back to main street, randomly guessing at the direction. She probably should have asked for a guide or something. Too late now. If she went back she would probably have to endure another recruitment pitch anyway. Hanna walked through the empty streets of the slum until she arrived at slightly more affluent neighbours, marked by the tipsy people that sig-sagged their way home from a night of revelry. She stuck to the trail of a larger crowd and eventually found herself on what must be main street. It looked like a different thing entirely compared to its daytime version. Gone was the cacophony of noises and the crowds of people. Instead there were smaller groups that strolled its length, stopping here and there at the few stalls that were still around, selling fatty foods and trinkets.

Hanna shot paranoid glances around her as she walked, despite knowing that no one knew where she was and what she looked like. A good thing about these medieval times was the lack of cameras and security systems. Unless she bumped into Greta or if the guild had painted a very detailed picture of her without her noticing, chances were probably low that she would be identified.

Hanna’s walk along main street was uneventful. She passed the two gates unmolested, a quick wave of the writ of passage was all it took for the gates to open. As she walked through the gates she studied the huge walls that surrounded them, pondering on what she would have done if she didn’t have that paper. She hadn’t tried her jumping prowess yet. Logic dictated that she ought to achieve some extreme heights given her light weight and high strength, though she doubted it would be enough to clear those walls.

Eventually she found herself back in the courtyard where they had arrived with the carriages. It was dead empty. Hanna walked up to the door that lead to the rooms that she and Elsa’s guards had been given. It was locked. She gave it a few frustrated knows, making it shiver in its frame. A minute or so later, the door opened and a guard stuck his head out.

He seemed half asleep and had crusted drool in the corners of his mouth. “Can I help you?”

“You can let me inside, I need to get to my room”. Hanna wasn’t sure yet if she just wanted to grab her gear and make a run for it, or if she would sleep the night. The former was the smarter option, the latter was the comfier one.

The guard frowned. “Your room?” Then realization dawned on him. “Ah, you’re that girl that disappeared. Kurt told us to look for you”.

“Sure”, Hanna said. “Will you let me in or not?”

The guard shuffled to the side and let her in, then he ran off to wake Kurt.

Inside of the door was a table and two chairs, as well as several more doors that lead to the different bunks that the guards used. Hanna pulled one of the chairs out and waited. She sat there for a solid fifteen minutes and was on the point of dozing off when Kurt finally came.

“Hanna!” He exclaimed with worry. “What happened to you?”

Hanna shrugged. “A long story really. I stepped in to stop a fight, got beaten down and was made to fight in an arena.”

Kurt looked guilty. “I uh… How did you get out?”

Hanna smiled at him. “With determination and violence. How else do you get shit done?”

“That’s troubling to hear. They must be looking for you, you should avoid showing your face around”

“Why? Can’t the guards just raid that place and sort everything out?”

Kurt shifted on his feet. “It’s complicated Hanna. I’m afraid I can’t do anything, it is out of my jurisdiction”.

Hanna scoffed bitterly. “So it’s true then. The queen is supporting the guild”

Kurt frowned. “My loyalty is to the crown. You wont hear me backtalk the queen”.

“Won’t or can’t?”

“Drop this”, he growled. Hanna raised an eyebrow at his outburst. The two of them studied each other. Eventually Kurt cleared his throat. “You must be looking for Elsa?”

“Yeah, where is she?”

“She left one night ago in a great hurry”

Fuck. “Okay. That sucks. Is my stuff still around?”

“In you room”, Kurt answered. He fidgeted with a button on his armour, looking conflicted. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think you deserve to know”. He paused, taking a deep breath. “My hands are tied with the arena and other… less than savoury things. But my loyalty is not with the count. And this thing with the dwellers. It’s a rouse. The count is coming for them. They have maybe weeks left”