TW: attempted s/a

The whole time, Mina had been observing them through her little peephole on the door. For most of the night, she couldn't take her eyes off of the king, watching how he glided among the other nobles as if walking on air. He boasted the biggest smile in the room, and his deep blue eyes appeared to shine with glee. Most of the other nobles seemed to avoid eye contact with him and noticeably stood up straighter whenever he approached, as if his mere presence forced them into a subservient trance. But she knew that wasn't true. Everyone who was there had earned the king's favor in one way or another, meaning they willingly took part in his wicked bidding. They were no better than him, and the kingdom would only know peace once the king's entire web of influence was toppled for good, starting with his son.

Whenever the king was out of view, Mina's eyes turned to Magnus. Though he didn't quite match his father's air of haughtiness, he still held himself tall as he smiled and talked with the guests. He sure didn't look nervous, even though earlier he had expressed his dread about being there, so maybe he was just good at faking it. Looking back and forth between his father and him, she couldn't stop her anger and loathing towards the king from seeping into the prince, further staining her perception of Magnus. She couldn't believe that he would actually change the kingdom for the better once he took the throne, or rather, she refused to believe it. His father must have influenced him in some way, so it seemed impossible that Magnus could be as good as he presented himself to be. He had to have a darker side that was just waiting to rear its ugly head. Even in the face of the slew of evidence that he was different, she blinded herself to any hope that he offered, instead choosing to see him just as another extension of the king's power.

"What are you doing here, little dove?"

The sound of a familiar voice snapped her to attention, and she whirled around to see an older man standing there, his greedy eyes drinking in her image. She froze, her hands tightening the fabric of her skirt.

"Why, you've grown so much, I almost didn't recognize you," Lord Victon purred, stepping closer to her.

His voice made her skin crawl, and she backed away, her heart racing in her ears. Of course there would be someone who'd recognize her from the tea house, and of course it had to be the one who was known for hurting the girls, herself included. She felt sick to her stomach and just seeing the way he looked at her made her want to cry. He had her cornered, so the only way to try to get away would be to try to run past him and hope he wouldn't grab her.

"Serving the king now, hm? That's quite the improvement."

"Please let me go," she whispered, her mind racing. "I don't do that anymore."

"Really? I'm sure you wouldn't mind just one more—"

Before he could finish his thought, she attempted to dart past him, but he caught her, grabbing her by the arm and slamming her against the wall. She grunted in pain, feeling her eyes start to fill with tears.

"Not so fast," he hissed, his hot breath hitting her cheek. "You're not getting away that easily."

At that moment, every other thought disappeared from her mind. She wasn't thinking about appearances or maintaining her cover or playing the part of an helpless little maid. She wasn't thinking about how he was a lord or that they were in a castle surrounded by royalty and nobles. All she knew was she wasn't going to let him have his way with her. At the tea house, she couldn't fight back, but this was different. This was like all the times she had to defend herself from creeps like Joss at her camp or thugs on the street, and she knew how to deal with men like him.

Letting out an animalistic shriek, she jabbed her knee into his stomach, causing him to stumble back in pain. She didn't waste a single second, raining punches on him as his arms flailed wildly in a poor attempt to defend himself. He obviously wasn't used to his prey fighting back, and Mina didn't hold back from unleashing all her pent up pain and rage on him. She kicked him in the crotch repeatedly until he doubled over, crumbling to his knees on the ground. Her chest heaving, she tried to step back, but he caught her by the ankle and yanked her down to his level.

"You wanna give me a hard time, huh? Well, I'm gonna give you something to scream about," he sneered, reaching for the top of her dress.

Gritting her teeth, Mina delivered a strong kick to his side with her free foot. She managed to free herself from his grip just enough to grab onto his head with both hands and slam it against the wall. Seeing him go limp, she scrambled to her feet and bolted away, tears streaming down her cheeks. In their scuffle, he managed to rip open the top part of her dress, exposing her right shoulder. Holding the shredded material together as best as she could, she looked around for a safe place to hide. She had done what she had to, but now she knew she was in for a world of hurt as soon as anyone found out what she had done.

Turning the corner, she nearly stumbled over her own feet when she saw the prince right down the hall, talking with the lady he had just been dancing with. Magnus turned when he heard her footsteps approach, and his face immediately fell upon seeing her appearance. Mina could barely take a few steps closer to him before she felt a strong hand latch onto her arm and tug her back, sending her tumbling to the floor. Before she knew it, Magnus's guard had his sword drawn and poised at her neck, causing her to freeze in place.

"Easy, Sylvan," Magnus cautioned, but remained where he was, looking down at her with confusion and dismay.

"Magnus?" the lady questioned, peeking out from behind him with wide eyes. Her face appeared to be also streaked with tears. "Magnus, what's going on? Who's that?"

Mina wanted to spit in disgust. What reason did this girl have to cry about? What a spoiled little lady. Looking behind her, she half expected to see Lord Victon stumbling after her, but that sniveling weakling probably couldn't even get up from where she left him. Feeling the blade press against her throat, her head snapped back to stare at Sylvan, their fiery gazes meeting in an icy stalemate.

"Mina, what happened? What did you do?" Magnus questioned, his voice strong and commanding.

"That piece of shit back there tried to...he tried..." Mina gasped, her voice breaking as she tried to get the words out.

"Sylvan, back off," Magnus ordered, knowing immediately that she was no threat to him. Sylvan obeyed, but still kept his sword drawn just in case she tried anything. Slowly and carefully, Magnus approached Mina, trying his best not to distress her further. "Are you alright? Where's he now?"

Mina instinctively scooted away from him, not wanting to be near, much less be touched by, anyone in that moment. Magnus stopped where he was, but his eyes fell on her exposed shoulder, focusing on a discolored, jagged scar marring her pale skin. Mina was quick to cover it up, but there was no going back. His lips parted in a gasp, and he took a step back as he was overwhelmed with a rush of emotions. He felt Kydia's gentle touch on his shoulder but her voice was muffled in his ears as he continued to stare at Mina, curled up there on the ground with absolute pain and terror in her gaze. He knew that look, he knew that scar, he knew her. But his memories were cloudy and the more he tried to clear the air, the most pain he felt in his own chest. What was going on? Who was she?

Hearing the sound of shouts and approaching footsteps, Mina turned to see more guards approaching. Her blood ran cold and she attempted to rise to her feet, only to be forced back down.

"Would someone like to explain why Lord Victon is lying bloodied on the floor back there?" Erik demanded, his sharp eyes burning into Mina.

She glared back at him. "He had it coming," she spat.

Erik glowered and made a move to strike her, but Rook, another guard, caught his arm and forced it down. "Calm down, you're not helping."

"Someone take her away," Sylvan ordered, stepping closer and sheathing his sword. "Is someone attending to the lord?"

"Jameson and Tirian stayed behind with him," Rook responded. He cast Mina an almost sympathetic look, but she was too overwhelmed to notice.

Erik grabbed her roughly by the arm and yanked her to her feet. "I'll take care of her."

"Don't hurt her," Magnus's voice rang out, finally snapping out of his trance. His jaw was set firmly and his eyes blazed with purpose. He stood up tall, locking all his personal fears and worries away once more and resolving to settle the matter at hand himself. "Kydia, go back to the ballroom and stay with Finley. Erik, take Mina back to the maids' quarters. Rook and Sylvan, come with me."

They all bowed to his commands before parting ways. Erik dragged Mina behind him as she struggled to keep up with his long strides. She clawed at his armored gauntlet, but he just tightened his grip on her. He didn't say a word the whole time they walked, but she could just feel the rage threatening to come crashing out. Instead of taking her back to the maids' quarters, Erik shoved her into one of the empty storage rooms, slamming the door behind him.

"Hey—" she barely had time to protest before he struck her firmly across the face, causing her to stumble back.

"What do you think you're doing?" he sneered. "Pulling a stunt like that? Are you crazy?"

She glared, wiping the blood from her busted lip. "I had to defend myself!"

"You could have ruined everything!"

"What would you rather me do? He deserved it!"

"Then maybe you deserve everything that's coming for you."

She raised her chin. "I'm not scared of them."

He scoffed. "You haven't been here long enough to know what kinds of things they do to people who cause problems. It'll make you wish you'd just kept your mouth shut and let that lord get his way with you."

She shrieked in fury, raising her already bloodied fist to punch him, but he swiftly caught her hand and delivered another strike to her face. She tasted blood in her mouth, but she pulled herself upright, keeping her eyes locked on his. "Just wait til the prince hears of this. He told you not to hurt me."

"Oh, you think your precious prince is going to save you?" he mocked. "That's cute."

The sound of pounding on the door snatched their attention. "Who's in there?" Jia's voice rang out.

"Jia!" Mina screamed. "Jia, help! I'm in here!"

Erik made a move to grab and silence her, but seconds later the door swung open to reveal the head maid. If looks could kill, Erik would not only be six feet under but severed into little pieces with the way Jia stared him down. It was hard to believe that someone so small and frail looking could appear so fierce.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she hissed at him, though Mina detected that the question was partially intended for her as well.

"Your maid here has caused a mountain of trouble tonight," Erik responded, his voice now a low smooth tone in contrast to the rough one he had just used on Mina.

Without a shadow of fear, Jia entered, grabbing Mina by the wrist and pulling her over to herself. "If any of my girls are causing problems, they'll answer to me. Don't you dare lay a hand on one of them again."

Erik raised his hands, acting all innocent after what he had just done. "Yes, ma'am."

At that, Jia turned and motioned for Mina to come with her. Mina gladly followed, knowing that even if Jia was upset with her, it would be nowhere near as bad as what she had already experienced that night. To her surprise, instead of going to the maids' room, Jia ushered Mina into her office, shutting the door behind them. Mina's head swirled with thoughts about what to say and how to explain herself, but she was caught off guard when Jia handed her a handkerchief, motioning her to clean the blood off of her hands and face. Mina complied, still silently bracing for a scolding, but instead Jia spoke to her in a composed, almost kind, voice.

"What happened? Are you alright?"

Mina raised her chin. "The lord tried to force himself on me, so I fought him off. And then that ass decided to beat me for it." She forced back tears. "What else should I have done?"

To her surprise, Jia didn't scold or yell at her. Instead, her gaze softened and she approached Mina slowly. "You did the right thing, Mina. You did what you had to."

She couldn't speak, choking on the inability to form the right words. Sighing, Jia opened her arms and pulled Mina in an embrace. Mina stiffened at her touch, unsure of what to do, as tears began to run down her face. She was surprised she still had any left to cry, but the ache in her chest was too hard to ignore.

"Shh, it's okay," Jia whispered, running a hand through Mina's hair. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you. You must have been so scared."

It was an outpouring of tenderness that was foreign to her, at least unlike anything she had felt in a long time. It made her yearn for a mother she had never known, someone who would have taken her hand and held her close. She had always dreamed of someone like that who would comfort her and guide her through her darkest times, but most of all, someone who loved her and wouldn't abandon her. Mina wanted to accept the comfort Jia offered, but it was too much, too strong, too fast. She pulled away, wrapping her arms around herself, her own touch failing to replace the warmth of Jia's.

Jia sighed. "You need to get some rest. If you open the wardrobe back there and slide away the back panel, there's a passageway that leads straight to your room. Get washed up, and I'll find someone to bring you some new clothes."

Mina nodded, barely batting an eye to the revelation of another secret passageway, and stood up to go. They were interrupted by a knock on the door, making Mina's heart sink at the thought that this night would never end. Casting Mina a worried glance, Jia made her way to the door and opened it. There stood a tall, brown haired guard that Mina had seen just earlier.

"Rook," Jia greeted.

"Jia," the guard responded. "The prince wishes to see that maid over there."

Mina stiffened, so Jia stepped forward. "I'll go."

"Jia—" Rook and Mina attempted to protest.

"She's under my charge. If his Highness has a problem, I'll handle it," Jia asserted.

Rook nodded slowly. "I suppose we could try. Come with me."

Holding her head high, Jia gave Mina one last reassuring look before stepping out and shutting the door behind her. Mina slumped to her knees on the floor, her sparse tears morphing from soft whimpers to ragged sobs. Unable to cope with the hurricane of different and confusing emotions that had overtaken her, she could do nothing but cry, wishing she was anywhere else but there.