At the bottom of the staircase was a small room, about the size of my closet. Luke felt around the walls before grunting and pushing in a plank of wood. The plank fell out of the wall and he reached behind to pull down on something, probably a lever of some sort. A camouflaged door sprung open beside him.

Percy stepped through the doorway confidently, me still in his arms. I was very confused. This quaint old weapon and armory shop I'd visited as a kid was harboring a secret doctor?

"Percy?" I asked quietly.

"Don't worry, Princess" he assured me.

My nerves calmed slightly, remembering his promise to keep me out of harm's way.

The three of us made our way down the dark hallway for what felt like an eternity. Percy and Luke made small talk along the way, and I did my best to listen in.

"How were things here while I was away?" Percy asked.

"Not the best," Luke admitted. "There's been rumors that the Royal Guard tracked our location somehow. People think we have a mole."

Percy shifted me in his arms. "That isn't good. We can't lose trust in each other now. We finally have the key to stopping this madness."

"True, and she's lying in your arms. You seem to have gotten really cozy with the princess."

I scoffed. "If I may interject, this whole situation is not by choice. I'm slightly handicapped at the moment."

Percy sighed. "Yeah, she got her own dagger stuck in her thigh and can't walk properly. We need to get down to the infirmary, and then I'll bring her to see boss."

I frowned. Luke's shop was definitely the entrance point to more than just a doctor's office. Finally, I saw a candle glowing faintly. As we progressed, more and more candles were mounted to the wall.

The hallway widened out into a large room with three doorways. A few people were lounging around and they all looked up at us.

"Percy!" a young boy, probably around the age of seven or eight, greeted happily. "You made it!"

Percy nodded. "Did you ever doubt me, Harley?"

The little boy, presumably Harley, blushed. "Just a little." Then he rushed over to the three of us. "You brought a girl," he stated.

I smiled at the kid. Children were never my favorite thing, but Harley was adorable.

"Indeed I did."

"She's very pretty," Harley pointed out.

I blushed and Percy grinned down at me. "You're right, Harles."

That comment just made my blush grow brighter.

"I'll see you around, okay, buddy?"

Harley nodded and went back over to the other kids he was sitting with. Percy stood and walked through the entryway directly opposite where we came from.

There were different rooms sprouting off - a kitchen, a dining room, a library, and a few others - but we didn't stop until the very end of the hallway. On the right was a large white room with rows of beds, all fitted with crisp white sheets. Two of the beds had occupants, and one of them was being attended by a young lady. An older woman was sitting in the corner at a desk, scrawling something down.

"Linda," Percy called.

The older woman perked up. "Oh, Percy! You're back!"

He nodded. "Yep, but I've got a bit of a problem in my hands," he explained, looking down at me with a wink.

Linda jumped from her seat and lifted the blanket on the bed at the end of the row. "Bring her over and tell me what happened."

Percy walked over to the bed and Luke surprisingly followed.

My black-haired captor frowned. "You should head back up to the shop, Luke."

Luke shrugged and crossed his arms. "My shift is over. I'll stick with you."

Percy rolled his eyes as he set me down in the bed. He shot me a halfhearted smile and said, "Do you want to tell the tale or should I?"

I scoffed. "If I tell her what happened, I have a feeling Linda won't have as good of an opinion on you as she seems to have now."

Linda laughed. "I like this one," she commented, sliding my heels off of my feet.

Percy sighed. "Sadly, so do I." Then, he began to explain what had happened, only including necessary details and saying them very professionally. "After I had secured my hold on her, we were heading over to my horse and she pushed me, causing me to fall. I grabbed her arm to keep myself steady but we both fell. The dagger she had strapped to her thigh lodged itself in her leg. I've changed the dressings twice and the dagger is still in her thigh."

Linda frowned, tugging Percy's cotton trousers down my legs and exposing my bandages. Luckily, the long tunic I was wearing covered my private areas. "You know the boss won't be very happy that you've damaged her. Hopefully, he will trust you to keep being his errand boy."

Percy sat down on a stool beside my bed and Luke leaned against the wall on the other side. "It wasn't my intention that she got hurt, and he wouldn't dare demote me or kick me out altogether. Too many people here are my allies, and too many people would follow my lead if I left the rebellion."

My ears picked up only a few words, mainly "rebellion." The rest of my mind was focussed on the beautiful golden dagger sticking out of my leg. I tried to push down the nauseous feeling that rose at the sight of dried blood and pink flesh.

"I'm going to take this out now, okay darling?"

I winced but nodded. "Yeah, that's okay.

I stared at the ceiling and breathed deeply. Feeling a hand caress my own, I glanced over at Percy and sent him an appreciative smile. I squeezed his hand tightly as Linda slowly pulled the dagger out of my leg.

"This is a lovely dagger, dearie," she said to me.

I nodded, trying to distract myself from the pain I felt throughout my leg. "Yeah, it is. A nice guy gave it to me about ten years ago. I hope it isn't ruined."

I couldn't help but look at Luke as I said that and caught him looking at the dagger bemusedly.

"It's one of mine," he said, taking the weapon from Linda and examining it carefully. "Were you that little girl who came to the shop with hundreds of dollars?"

I smiled weakly. "Yeah. You refused the money and gave it to me for free."

He nodded, setting down the dagger on a small side table. "How could I take all the cash from such a cute little kid?"

I blushed a little and felt Percy squeeze my hand tighter. I glanced at him, but he just nodded his head toward Linda, who was applying some kind of ointment to my thigh. I inhaled deeply through my nose.

"I didn't realize you were the princess," Luke continued.

"I'm sure the disguise helped," I commented.

He chuckled. "You smeared dirt all over your face."

"I didn't know what a peasant kid looked like," I admitted sheepishly.

"Well, you fooled me."

"You're all wrapped up, sweetheart," Linda told me.

I smiled at her. "Thank you so much. Do you have any painkillers I could take to ease the pain?"

She sighed and shook her head. "No, we don't. I'm sorry."

"That's alright," I said. "Thanks again."

Linda nodded and walked back over to the desk she was working at previously.