Rina had no choice…
Ron wasn't just her friend; he was the first spark that had lit up her desolate world, her childhood companion who had never abandoned her in the darkest hours of her life.
Her promise to him was like a secret vow:
"We'll stay together… as long as I can breathe."
So how could she now sit idly by while danger crept toward him?
How could she allow a hidden hand of betrayal to touch someone she loved, when she had already felt the bitter taste of loss once—and could never endure it again?
Her heart fluttered like a frightened bird, and she bolted—seeing no faces, knowing no paths in the mansion, ignoring the calls that tried to stop her.
All she felt was a pounding heartbeat and one repeated thought:
"Ron… Ron… I must reach him before them."
She ran… as if the ground itself were on fire beneath her feet.
She ran… her hand clutching her still-aching bandage, but she didn't care.
The night was heavy and empty, the streets nearly deserted, but her fear was stronger than the darkness, stronger than her headache, stronger than any warning—spoken or unspoken.
When she finally reached that small house, the old man's home where Ron often took refuge…
she knocked with a force that revealed her trembling fingers and a panicked heart.
She hadn't expected Ron himself to answer the door.
He froze for a moment, stunned, as if seeing a ghost in the night. He rubbed his eyes repeatedly, disbelieving she was really there, then spoke in a voice strained by her actions:
"Have you gone mad?! Don't you see it's—"
But his words cut off when his eyes fell on the bandage wrapped around her head.
His expression changed—the shock melted away, replaced by sharp concern.
"What happened to your head?"
She didn't answer.
Instead, she grabbed his shoulders with a desperate grip, as if clutching life itself, and shook him:
"They're after you! Ron… I swear… they're criminals!"
Ron furrowed his brows and reached cautiously for the bandage, lowering his voice to reassure her:
"Calm down… just calm down a little. Tell me what happened."
But she couldn't calm down.
Her whole body shook.
The fear she had lived through just minutes ago still lingered in her chest, echoing in her voice, choking her breaths.
She spoke faintly, stammering:
"It's the guard… the guard who was with me… he's after you because you doubted him… he is—"
Ron interrupted with a long sigh, as if trying to organize the chaos pouring from her lips:
"Calm down, Rina… I won't understand anything if you're like this. What happened to your head?"
She lowered her eyes and whispered, her voice trembling:
"He pushed me… in front of the house. I hit the ground… and… my head opened."
Ron paused.
A faint light in his eyes went out, replaced by a quiet, heavy anger—not shouting, but sharp enough to cut through the air around him.
"That scoundrel…"
he muttered, as if from the depths of his chest.
Then he looked directly at her:
"Did you tell your father?"
She shook her head quickly.
Shock still haunted her.
"As soon as I got up… I heard him and my aunt talking… planning to get rid of you. The bandits might be close… Ron, we have to get you out, we have to—"
But she couldn't finish.
Her breaths betrayed her.
She was trembling… not from the cold, but from genuine fear, a fear she had never felt so deeply.
"Let's walk a little… you'll calm down, and I promise the bandits won't find me so quickly. Don't be afraid… I'll get someone to help us later."
He tried to soothe her in a low, steady tone, like trying to steady a runaway heartbeat. Even though Ron's words brought a touch of reassurance, her fear still ran beneath her skin like a biting frost.
She walked cautiously beside him, her eyes devouring the space around them—right, left, front, back—as if the shadows themselves were stalking her.
Suddenly, her breath caught. Amid the still branches… she spotted a moving shadow.
Her body shivered violently, as if the winter cold had sunk into her bones. She grabbed Ron's arm, shaking him, pointing silently in terror.
Strangely… Ron didn't flinch.
His breathing didn't falter; his expression didn't change. He seemed as if he had expected this all along.
He raised his voice calmly, a confidence that made the air itself listen:
"Come out. No need to hide."
Indeed… one by one, the men emerged, carrying their weapons, their mocking laughs scratching the silence.
Rina felt the ground vanish beneath her feet. She could barely stand, on the verge of collapse.
One of them sneered disgustingly:
"A rebellious little boy… and the princess too? What luck."
Their weapons aimed at them with deadly precision.
In an instant, Ron pushed Rina in front of him, drawing her close enough to shield her from any danger. She didn't understand how he moved so fast, or why he seemed… unshakable.
Then he smiled—a sharp, confident smile she had never seen, as if something inside him had awakened.
"No one will dare touch the princess… as long as I'm breathing."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small weapon. Its appearance didn't inspire fear… which was exactly why the bandits laughed.
In a swift moment, without giving her a chance to comprehend, he placed his hand over her eyes firmly but gently.
"Don't look."
She didn't understand… but in a second, she realized this wasn't just a threat.
Sharp, rapid sounds erupted, so fast it seemed time itself had lost balance. Crashes, chaotic movements… things her small mind couldn't process.
She trembled behind his hand, clutching his shirt unconsciously. Each sound was like a knife opening a new shiver in her heart, each part of her screaming not to look… yet she tried anyway.
When he shifted his hand slightly… she saw enough to know the truth.
Not details… but the outcome.
The men who had threatened them seconds ago… were motionless.
The ground around them was eerily silent, as if the forest itself held its breath.
She didn't understand how… or why…
But one thing was painfully clear:
No thirteen-year-old could do this.
It could only be someone with a history unlike other children…
or a secret too heavy to speak.
She looked at Ron, and though he still stood steady, his eyes held something…
something she couldn't describe, but it made her heart whisper:
Who is Ron really…?
> Important question: After this chapter… do you trust Ron or not?
🤍 Yes
❄️ No
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