The storage of the huge Carriweather vessel was dark. It was so dark that Jade, the stowaway, couldn't see her hands - let alone the baggage and barrels around her. She could only hear the rattling of the carts and barrels. As if someone, or some people, were continuously knocking on wooden doors around her. The vessel was bobbing unsteadily in the rough waves of the Turquoise Waters, the only waterway that leads to Jade Hills. According to her presumed calculations, she would be arriving at her home country in a day or less.

She had been in the vessel for two weeks now. Or so she counted. She would take note of the barrels and what they contained when the sailors came into the storage to fetch some food or water. She would carefully hide herself in the darkness, and when they left, she would replenish herself.

She made her guesses about her location and the ship's directions by eavesdropping, or rather, listening in on the sailors' conversations when they came to the storage. This time, they had quite an interesting topic to talk about. Jade saw as the hatch opened and the moonlight flowed into the storage.

"... King o' Jade Hills is taking his own sweet time to respond to the letter sent by the captain," complained a sailor.

"Watch what you say about him, he'll put your head on a spear," cautioned the other sailor. "The Queen Jade was killed when the King was the knight of the kingdom," reminded the sailor "Rumor has it that he killed her," warned the sailor.

"I pity them people of Jade Hills," sighed a sailor. They left the storage with some fruits and water bags. She let out a sigh of relief as she was alone again.

Without a few days of sleep due to the anxiety and uncertainty of the sailor's visits, she was quite tired. She hid herself well with her black cloak, then dozed off.

***

The abrupt opening of the hatch woke her up. The sailors kept the hatch open and left to grab a carrier. She took the chance to escape the storage and blended in among the passengers of the vessel. The sun's rays blinded her, but she welcomed it. She hadn't seen sunlight for days. The vessel stopped at the Great Jade port, and everyone got off. Usually, there would be a bunch of her family members waiting for her arrival among the crowd, and she would have a great homecoming. However, this time, no one was there to welcome her or receive her. In fact, no one could recognize her. She made sure to cover her face well and lower her head. Because to everyone at Jade Hills, she was dead.

She strolled through the brick path of Jade Hills, and looked for the place where she was supposed to meet someone. The one who called her home, and the one who knew that she was alive, despite what everyone else believed. A clock shop caught her eye. It was glassy, classy and empty. There was an old man in the shop, and there was a young man and woman with him. The sign outside the shop had a familiar print on it, so she entered the shop.

"Good morning, how may we help you today?" greeted the young woman.

"Perhaps you have a broken watch that needs fixing?" asked the young man.

"Or perhaps you're here for business!" exclaimed the old man.

Jade pulled out a watch she had on her, made of jade. Everyone in the shop was shocked. Such a watch could be found only in palaces or with aristocrats.

Observing the humble watch shop, she saw that under the glass counter were countless fixed fancy watches. Some looked ancient, some elegant, a few looked expensive, and all the others looked like they had been saved from off the floor.

"I found this watch on my way here," Jade said, placing the watch in front of them on the glass counter. The old man inspected it carefully, pushing aside the watch he was working on, gently.

"This is a watch from the palace!" the old man announced, his eyes looking inhumanely widened through his set of glasses. Jade pretended to be surprised by imitating the old man's eyes.

"How much would this cost, if I were to sell it?" asked Jade, estimating the worth in her mind, and reverting her eyes to normal.

"It would be at least worth one gold coin," said the old man, with all seriousness. Jade raised her eyebrows under her cloak's hood. That was too cheap for a watch from the palace!

"I'd like to sell it then," she said, taking the gold coin and making her way out of the shop. One gold coin wouldn't be enough for her to stay here for a few days.

The young man and woman were looking at each other in deep thought. They both looked at Jade, in her black cloak.

"Are you Her Highness Jade, by any chance?" they asked, anxiously.

Jade stopped where she was, and lifted her black cloak slightly, so they could all see her jade eyes. She looked at each one of them, and then smiled under her black cloth mask.

"Thank you for believing that I was alive," she smiled with her eyes, as she turned back to leave. Just then, the young woman grabbed her hand. Jade was startled, so she turned back sharply.

"I'm sorry, your Highness," she started. "But can you stay over for a while? We have something to discuss," she concluded. Jade looked at the old man and the young man then at the young woman. She inspected her surroundings thoroughly with her glance, then concluded that it would be safe for her to stay here for a while longer.

***

The old man brewed some tea and brought it over at the glass table on the corner. The young man, young woman, and Jade were seated around it. Jade removed her mask, as she concluded that these people were safe for her to be around.

"I'm Fiona, and this is my brother," she said pointing at the young man.

Putting his cup of tea down on the glass table, he said, "Harold" Holding the tip of his hat.

"Are you the ones who sent this letter?" Jade asked, pulling out the letter from her leather bag. Fiona and Harold examined the envelope and the paper material of the letter. They looked closely at the handwriting. Jade titled her head, confused. If they sent her the letter, they would be able to tell right away!

"I... sent this letter in a bottle when I was a teenager..." remembered Harold. "And now I'm twenty-four," he finished.

Jade calculated the years. She received this letter quite a few years later. Letting out a deep sigh, she apologized.

"I'm sorry it took me so long, but I'm here now," she said. "So, tell me, why did you send me that letter?" she asked with all seriousness. Fiona and Harold looked at each other. Harold gestured to Fiona to talk first, but she gestured over him telling him to talk first. By the end of their gesturing battle, Fiona began to speak.

"Jade Hills' worth and prosperity has dropped significantly after the new king took to the throne," she recalled, dejectedly.

"People don't have enough money now, so the worth of things are dropping significantly," informed Harold, pulling out a handwritten receipt.

"The people of Jade Hills have no money, or very less money, but the royalty is sitting on mountains of gold and jade coins," retold Fiona.

When Jade was princess, people used gold coins or silver coins as the main currency. However, the people now use copper coins and some wooden coins. The royals use jade, gold or silver coins. What Jade could understand from all this is that her country is no longer the country she was born and brought up in. She sighed deeply.

"I'll be frequenting this shop during my stay here," said Jade, putting her empty cup on the table. "I'll hope to talk with you again," she concluded, adjusting her cloak. Fiona and Harold bowed.

"We'd love to talk with you again, your Highness," they said. Before leaving, she exchanged that one gold coin for forty copper coins, then headed to the town to find her hideout.

Six years ago, was the last time she saw Jade Hills. Some things were unfamiliar, others were strikingly familiar. The language, the words, the dresses, the bags, the shops - everything was nostalgic. She remembered her childhood undercover missions with her parents and elder siblings and sighed. She walked till she reached the river that flowed from the top of Jade Hill. There was a small wooden boat with an oar on the side of the river. She carefully climbed on it while it creaked. Then she pushed herself away from the land with the oar and rowed till she reached the opposite side of the river that led to her hideout.

From the top of Jade Hills, she could see her country bustling with life. Everyone was going about their business, the birds and animals roaming in the forests and the palace that looked so grand behind the Jade Hills.

The palace that was once her home.

But she cannot return to it now.

Tears trickled down her cheeks. She was fighting this battle on her own. She was the only one who remained from the royal family six years ago, and she was the only one facing the tortuous reality of breathing the fresh air of her own country as if she were just another guest, unwelcomed, dismissed, and ignored.

Then her thoughts wandered to the clock shop she visited earlier, Fiona, Harold, and the watchmaker, who recognized her as the queen and relied on her to bring the country back to its prime. She wiped away her tears and frowned at the palace. The knight that betrayed her family and herself was now sitting on that throne enjoying the bliss of palace life. She was not going to let him slip away with that so easily. But she needed a plan.

She couldn't just walk up to the knight and command him to leave, since she's no longer in rule, and presumed dead. She needed a concrete, well-thought-out plan. Perhaps Harold and Fiona could help her out? Three people were nowhere near enough to overthrow the current government, but she had to start somewhere.