STILL VERY MUCH IN ORODEN

Naomi knew she should probably be frightened since she'd been caught breaking into the solar. But she couldn't help but notice that this particular stranger's hands tasted a lot like sugar.

"I saw you looking around as if you didn't want to be discovered. I've never seen or heard of another Shade in the palace. So," he squeezed his grip, "tell me exactly what you're doing here."

She should've flinched at the tightening of his hand and how threatening he sounded, but Naomi wasn't paying attention to those. In truth, she hadn't even been listening to half of what he'd said. As soon as she'd heard his voice, she'd frozen, recognising the familiar Ravencorff twang.

It only took a second for realisation to set in.

"Yaah shay!" she exclaimed, her words muffled in his palm.

"What?"

Naomi repeated, excitement bubbling inside her, "Yaah ah shay!"

"What?"

Getting too elated to continue stressing herself, Naomi pulled his hand away from her mouth and quickly turned to face the stranger, "You're a Shade!" ready to be released from her tongue. However, those words died the very moment she came face-to-face with a thick pair of breasts.

Naomi's neck bent as she pulled her head back to stare up at the pair of brown eyes that appeared so similar to hers. And his face...was, well, cute?

Extremely confused, she slowly did an appraisal, trying to figure out how and just...why?

He was a Shade, she was sure of it now, since she'd seen no mark. But Naomi had never in her life met a Shade that big. Ever.

They were either really skinny, or lean-muscled. Never, well, fat. The conditions in Ravencorff left no room for fat. All the Shades she knew, even the ones that had made a living for themselves outside of Ravencorff, had never been well-off to gain this much weight.

And although some were tall, they certainly weren't that huge. He was like a mini-giant. His tunic hung on him like his body was a clothes line, his middle's outline showing quite prominently.

The Shade-stranger rose an eyebrow after moments of silence, as if waiting for her to be done with her assessment of him.

"Are you finished?"

Naomi stared at him, not understanding why her brain felt so muddled. But she tried as much as possible to shake the feeling off.

Not having the patience to wait for her to respond, the other Shade let go of Naomi and took a step back. Then, as if suddenly realising where they stood, his eyes landed on the door of the library, down at her, and back to the door again.

"Were you going to—?"

"Find my way to the guest chambers?" Naomi quickly cut in. "Yes, yes I was. What a fool I am. It isn't obvious at all that this is the king's solar." She laughed a little too forcefully and tugged an invisible strand of hair behind her ear.

"Of course it isn't," he said dubiously, apparently not falling for her lame attempt at trying to be evasive. But she wasn't about to be the one who looked like the nervous intruder.

"I was really looking for the guest chambers. But it seems as if fate led us to meet," she said with a curious smile. Whether he knew it or not, he was going to help her. That thought alone brought her excitement back up again. He might not be the bastard prince, but it was a start at finding a loyal Shade who could aid her in her mission.

"Is there somewhere private we can talk?" Naomi innocently suggested, not thinking twice about how her words would appear.

The stranger narrowed his eyes, unfortunately taking her request the wrong way. "A nameless Shade sneaking into the palace's library is not normally what I—"

"Naomi Stone." She dipped down to perform a curtsy before he could say more, almost thrusting her head into his stomach. The other Shade jumped back in alarm.

Goodness, Naomi. Don't frighten him just yet. Easy.

She cleared her throat. "I am Princess Laya's personal maid, Prince Micah's betrothed's maid, if you're not familiar with the name. You were probably not in the Great Hall after our arrival was announced so I don't fault you for not recognising me."

"Who the hell taught you how to curtsy?" he asked, surprised.

Naomi lifted her head to peer up at his. "Myself."

"Hmm," was his only response. Still startled by her, the Shade-stranger took a step back before introducing himself with a short bow. "Well, I'm Judah Locke, first bastard son of King Rho—"

"The bastard prince!" Naomi's heart immediately skipped a beat. It's him!

Completely forgetting herself, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into the library, shutting the door behind them. Making sure no one was around, she cornered Judah at the door and grinned brightly at him.

Naomi couldn't believe she hadn't guessed it from the moment she saw him. His clothes were of fine cloth, something which no normal servant would have on. She couldn't believe her luck in that very moment.

He had absolutely no idea what was about to befall him.

Even though he wasn't exactly the way she had imagined, it was worth a shot getting him to know her and eventually start confiding in her.

"I can't believe I couldn't tell before!" She paced, thoughts running up and down within her wheeling brain. "You can do magic then, right?" Naomi asked, eager for the answer to be a solid yes. Yes and only yes.

Judah looked hesitant for a moment, as if he was debating whether he should or should not share such information with a stranger—no less a simple princess' maid from Drakonwell. But Naomi didn't bother herself with that, the answer already obvious to her. Since he didn't have the mark, he'd have the power, she only wanted to hear it from the horse's own mouth.

"Well," he cleared his throat, moving away from her creepy advances to cross the small library and seat himself in one of the settees. "Yes, I can actually."

Yes!

"Can you show me?" she asked, grinning like an overexcited goblin.

"No."

Disappointment flooded her that instant, but Naomi wasn't going to be discouraged.

"Fine, don't show me," she said with a nonchalant shrug, moving to stand in front of where he sat. "But I would like to make you a proposal," she bowed her head dramatically, "Your Highness."

The prince's eyebrows raised, and Naomi could only imagine what was going through his head at that moment.

"You're mocking me, aren't you?"

Naomi shook her head. "Of course not. I only want you to be aware that I respect your position and would like to make you an offer I'm sure would bring you down to your knees," she quickly made another exaggerated bow, "Your Glorious Highness."

She peeked through her eyelashes to see the bastard prince watching her with a curious look. "You don't really know how titles work, do you?" It was more of an observation than a question, but for some reason, it made Naomi's cheeks burn slightly. Just a little.

"That's not the point." She stuffed her hand inside her pocket and brought out the envelope. "This is."

"An envelope?"

"Not just any envelope." She waved it over her face, trying to increase the suspense. "This contains a coded letter written by King Rhys to your father. It is an acknowledgement of a hidden treasure that no one, save for King Rhys and King Drokah, knows about. Apparently, it is a treasure worth a thousand nations—"

"Hold on, let me understand something." Judah locked his fingers together, trying to process exactly what was happening. "You want me to help you find a treasure that would surely make us both immensely rich. A treasure that is entirely based on a letter that you stole from your king's possession."

Naomi sent a prideful nod his way. "That's about right."

Judah couldn't help but chuckle, rubbing his forehead in amazement. "I didn't realise how insane you were."

"I am insane," she agreed, not ashamed to admit it. "But I shall not be that way for much longer when I have the power and riches of a thousand kingdoms!"

"You are committing treason, you ignorant Shade," he said plainly, but Naomi could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he leaned back in his chair. "Why on earth would I want to be a part of that?"

The ambitious maid shrugged. "I don't see it as treason. I believe it's more of a harmless treasure hunt that would be undertaken in secret."

A doubtful look was thrown her way. "I don't suppose your princess nor your king is aware of this little plan you've got here."

"That's not important." Naomi brushed the comment away with a wave of her left hand. "What is, however, is what it would mean for both of us at the end of the journey."

"Let's say I believe whatever nonsense you're saying, why am I included in this ridiculous idea?" Judah asked incredulously. "I have everything I need right here. I don't even know you. Why would I risk my life for this?"

"Because, Your Highness," she ignored his frown at the use of the title and continued, "It's not just about the treasure, but the quest itself. You might have everything you think you need here, but there is one thing that you lack. Proper respect."

His sudden change in expression told Naomi that she'd got him there. Just keep talking.

"You've heard of the dangers that lurk the forest and the pathways at night, even at day," she said, her words growing more and more convincing. At least, to her ears. "It isn't safe for normals like us, we are expected not to survive, but you and I could prove everyone wrong."

He watched her intently. Brown eyes not diverting from her own. His gaze was so intense that Naomi almost got lost in how captivating they were in that moment.

But thankfully, she didn't waver. "I need a partner; someone useful, someone smart enough, someone who understands the hardships that Shades go through from experience. Someone who is strong enough to fight against the enemy and protect me with some butt-clenching magic against the imps and the griffins and the witches and even the most terrifying demons we've ever seen."

"Wait—"

"I know you are that person, Your Highness." Stepping forward without breaking eye contact, Naomi proceeded with her speech, letting Judah see the determination in her eyes. "I know that you don't have the heart to turn a fellow Shade down. I can also tell just by looking at your strong, mighty physique that you've got what it takes to embark on this journey with me and make our lives much more than they are now."

Taking his sustained silence as a positive sign, Naomi grinned and held out her hand, already feeling the waves of achievement thrashing inside her.

"So, will you join me, Your Highness?"

*~~~*

VERY CONCISE A/N:

So Knights, what did you think about their first meet? (∩_∩)