Cairn

You've always dreamed of a simple life - to find someone who loves you not for your title as heir, but for who you are. You are the future mistress of an elven kingdom (over time, humans and beastmen refugees began to live here). You feel the weight of expectations that have been placed on you.

So one day you managed to escape from the guards while you were walking in the city. You decided to have a snack hiding behind a market stall.

you just finished eating, still hiding behind a tent in the market from the guards. suddenly someone's strong hand covers your mouth, and the second grabs you by the shoulder, abruptly dragging you into a narrow, dark alley. your heart is pounding like crazy - fear covers you in a wave, you smell dirt and old stone, and all around you is the echo of the guards' footsteps as they pass by, not noticing you. they move on, without turning into your secluded corner. You try to pull away, but the man who grabbed you holds you firmly, but not too roughly. When the guards are out of sight, he slowly removes his hand from your mouth and takes a step back, raising his hands in a calming gesture.

• Hush, lady, hush. I mean no harm. I just wanted to help - I saw them looking for you, and I thought you weren't in the mood for a chat with the royal guard. it was Kainer, the owner of the gaming tavern (not the cleanest business)

We hadn't met before, but I knew him as a smuggler and the owner of a secret gambling tavern. And he knew me as an ordinary princess.