Being a princess, she'd never driven a cart before. But as Calliope tugged the reins to slow the stallion down as they approached the next village, she felt proud to have managed to steer them down the main street without causing any property damage.

The cart came to a halt beside a rickety inn surrounded only by the smell of urine. Despite the uninviting odour, the small, inconspicuous, poor excuse for a building would serve as the most ideal place to lie low for the night.

The Princess made sure to hide her distinct hair within her hood as she paid for a room with the few coins left in her pouch.

When the innkeeper shot her and Samuel a curious frown as she and him carried a bloodied Touya up the stairs, Callie convincingly joked that the lanky figure had lost more than money during a heated game of hazard.

"Some folk are just bad losers," the innkeeper grumbled, shaking her head as she watched them scale the creaky stairs.

The room they had rented for the night was even smaller than those the castle gave the servants. And smelt far worse too. There was only one bed in the room that the three of them would have no choice but to share. Though, judging from the temperature in the room, body heat would a necessary addition- Calliope could see her breath as she panted beneath the weight of Touya's arm around her shoulders.

The bedsheets were threadbare and discoloured straw stuck out of the thin, stained mattress. Calliope tried not to look too hard at the grime, masking the repulsion in her features with a look of concern towards the third member of their party as she and Samuel eased him down onto the bed.

As Samuel went to fetch the lantern closer, Calliope set to rummaging around in her satchel. Out came some ointment and a rag which she promptly used to tend to Touya's cut face. Now that she was this close to him, she could see that this wasn't the first time he had taken a beating. As she wiped away the blood from his cheeks, she could make out the many, white scars that peppered his skin, resembling the stitch-work of a haphazardly sewn quilt. Without all the claret, the extent of his injuries were revealed to be far less alarming than previously feared. Nothing seemed to be broken, only cut or swollen.

When the rag touched his split lips, he winced loudly. His eyes had finally opened and when they locked onto hers she sighed.

"I'm so sorry, Touya." She wasn't referring to his lip.

"For what?" He responded, his voice rasping slightly. "You guys saved me back there."

When she made to dab at his face once more, he grimaced and pulled away. His fingers wrapped around her wrist to gently lower her hand.

"Anyway, I should be the one apologising." He took the flask Samuel had thrust under his nose. The strong scent of liquor greeted their nostrils. Touya took a sip, grimaced again at the taste, then continued. "I shouldn't have been such a bastard towards you, Princess. It's none of my business what you choose to do with your life."

His tone and the look in his eyes proved his sincerity.

Calliope smirked in response. "Indeed. It isn't," she hummed, relishing his change in demeanour. "And you may call me, Callie."

It seemed Touya appreciated the slight smugness in her tone, it had caused him to return the expression that still danced on her features.

"Right. Well, thank you Callie. And thank you, Sam." He turned to his friend and thumped him jovially on the back. "Between the three of us, we might just survive this strange adventure we seem to have found ourselves in."

Samuel grunted, arms folding across his chest. "Yeah? Well don't speak so soon." He cautioned, eyes dropping to the sheets beneath Touya. "There's a high chance sleeping in this bed will kill us all."

And together, they laughed. Despite their disgusting surroundings, each one of them had successfully escaped something that night. An arranged marriage, a humiliating job and a pair of bandits.

After lugging some of Touya's animal hides up to the room and replacing the filthy sheets with them, the three of them managed to settle down to sleep.

*

"As expected, your fool of a brother was nowhere to be found." Sir Bakugo growled, drumming his fingers against the hilt of his sword as he swung it lazily over his shoulder.

"And neither was Princess Calliope." Sir Kaminari added, approaching the meeting point on the back of his horse.

Russel and the rest of the knights had spent the good part of three hours searching all the inns and taverns within the gates. Only one barkeeper had mentioned seeing Samuel and informed the Knights that the jester had been seen talking to a merchant that often stopped by the town, as well as a hooded figure.

"I imagine the merchant is that shady Touya character your brother chooses to frequent," Sir Bakugo drawled, leaning against his horse after sheathing his sword.

"And we can assume that the hooded figure was most certainly the Princess," Sir Midoriya added, casting a somewhat apologetic look towards Russel who could only sigh in agreement. What on Earth was his brother thinking?

Sir Kirishima was looking excited. Out of all the knights, he had been the one itching for a new adventure the most. He clapped his eager hands together. "They must have taken off together. They could well be in the next town by now. We should set out straight away!" He reached for his steed and climbed onto it. "Looks like we're off on another quest, men!"

Russel cast Sir Bakugo a meaningful look. Although the King's circle of knights consisted of 5 men in total, it was Russel and Bakugo that were most often appointed the task of looking after the Princess. They both knew the King looked to them to bring her home safely.

But what they also knew, was that the future of Russel's brother hung in the balance.

Sure, the King adored his jester but would he really be able to pardon him for playing a part in his daughter's disappearance?

Russel swallowed hard and nodded his head.

The gesture got the knights springing into action. As per routine, they would split up to gather supplies, then meet at the gates to begin their journey.

And like every time before when Russel had to leave the sanctuary of the kingdom's walls, he had one last person to visit.

The young woman in the woods was often mocked by the townsfolk for being, well, a little strange. But Russel had always found her peculiarities rather charming. Not only that, but Penelope's wisdom had never steered him wrong so far.

Despite the late hour, she opened the door to him with a bright smile and a wave of her heavily bangled hand.

"Sir Russel! I did suspect you'd be coming to see me!" As usual, her voice was light and airy and her hair was wild and colourful. Russel always suspected she may have faerie blood running in her veins. And every time he laid eyes on her, he could feel the beat of faerie wings in his stomach.

"Do come in!" She chimed, her voice as bright as distant, morning bells.

As usual, he refused the strange concoction she referred to as 'tea' that she offered him. It was neither the colour nor smell of the beverage but likely the source of the peculiar aroma that filled her little cottage.

"Penelope, I suspect you know why I'm here?" He queried.

Admittedly, there were two reasons, but she only foresaw the first.

"Oh yes. Your brother feels far from you already. But despite the distance between you- you siblings that have always been so found of each other and so close of heart, Samuel's remains full of warmth whilst yours grows cold with worry."

She relayed this with a vacant smile and glassy eyes. Russel hadn't even bothered to interrupt her to tell her that she was overfilling her teacup. The slightly lumpy liquid dripped onto the floor through the cracks of the rickety table between them. He ignored the foul smell that came from the growing puddle and nodded his head.

"I think he is involved with the Princess' disappearance. In fact, I know he is."

This time, it was Penelope's turn to nod her head. One hand twirled the fuchsia coloured hair at her ear while the other drew shapes in the puddle of swampy liquid on this tabletop. She hummed dreamily while Russel watched with baited breath.

"A lost princess and a lost prince..." she cooed, eyes once again slipping out of focus.

Russel couldn't make out what her finger was tracing upon the table. Nor did he know why she referred to Prince Tomura as 'lost.' He didn't dwell on it too long though, for she spoke again.

"Love and happiness, wrath and disaster. Choose the right path. Cherish that what matters..."

Her finger stopped moving. Her eyes slid back into focus. She smiled serenely as she popped her finger in her mouth.

"You should get going, Sir Russel! It was lovely to see you again."

The knight could only stare in quiet disbelief. No matter how many times he visited her, Penelope always left him speechless and he never ever got used to it.

Well, whatever he made of her cryptic monologue, he knew she got one thing right; he did indeed have to get going.

As Russel approached the gates, the horizon was beginning to turn blue; morning was just around the corner. As were the rest of the knights, who greeted him all ready and eager to go.

As they set out on their next quest, Russel pondered Penelope's words; love and disaster...

Yeah, it sure seemed that way.

Was his brother really willing to risk it all for a woman he had barely even spoken to? Then again, there was still a chance that this was all just a big coincidence.

Whatever the reason, he just hoped Samuel knew what he was doing, wherever the hell he was.

*

In all fairness, Callie had had worse nights sleep back in her lavish room at the castle. She had spent many nights tossing and turning, filled with the dread of her looming wedding day. But last night, she had only woken once due to an angry, drunken shout from the street below. The noise had also roused a drowsy Samuel, who blinked sleepily in the bluish hue of early morning. For a moment, he had looked startled to find Calliope smiling beside him. But his face had soon adopted a similar expression and he hadn't protested when Calliope shuffled deeper into his warmth. Touya was snoring, his breath puffing out in misty clouds on Samuel's other side. It looked like it was going to be a miserable day. Yet, in that moment, the Princess felt quite content as she drifted back off to sleep under the jester's arm...

"Alright, enough of that..." Touya's loud voice rang in her ears. The sound awoke her with a start, her eyes shooting open as the last of a gasp past her lips.

Calliope sat up to see the merchant's face grinning down at her- it was far less swollen this morning. That ointment the woman in the woods had given her had really done the trick.

"Good morning, Callie. Sleep well?" His previous comment and the mischievous glint in his eye was no doubt in relation to the fact he had caught her nestled in Samuel's loose embrace. What did he expect? It was cold last night...

"As a matter of fact, I did." She replied, pursing her lips and jutting her chin. "Thank you for asking."

Beside her, Samuel was grumbling moodily as his eyes slowly creaked open. The princess turned back to Touya's playful smirk. "And judging from your snoring, you slept pretty good too." She quipped.

Her hands went to fix her hair as Touya laughed off her teasing jab.

"I did indeed." His eyes then fell onto Samuel, who was rubbing the last of his slumber from his still tired-looking eyes.

Calliope suspected the perpetual dark circles beneath them must have simply been a physical trait of his and not due to actual lack of sleep, for the princess had never once seen him without them. Despite the imperfection, Calliope always found that his smile made up for it. It differed slightly, she'd noticed, now that he wasn't performing in court. It was lazier, less forced. She liked it better this way.

He cast one in her direction after stifling a yawn behind the back of his hand. "Mornin." He greeted, his low voice still a little groggy.

Now that they were all up, it didn't take long for the trio to notice just how hungry they all were. Even the stench of urine-coated earth couldn't quell the rumbles in their stomachs as they left the inn for the market place.

Eventually, the smell of stale piss was replaced by the scent of fresh bread and Calliope was thankful to find she had enough coins left to buy them enough food to last the rest of the day.

Samuel had helped her identify the best produce on offer while Touya coached her through the art of bartering. Between them, they managed a decent haul that Calliope stashed away in her satchel. Two days out of the castles and she already felt as through she'd learnt far more useful skills than how to mend a tapestry or how to play a harp.

After wolfing down a hefty portion fruitcake, Touya left to fence her mother's pendant. Samuel had asked her if she was sure she was willing to let it go.

"It's just an object." She'd replied with a shrug. "My mother left me with more than just a pretty rock."

By this she meant her long, green hair and golden eyes as well as her knack for riding horses and climbing trees.

Her father had always spoke so fondly of the late Queen's love for animals and the outdoors. Which was why Calliope always found it frustrating that he barely ever let her leave the castle unaccompanied. And Sir Bakugo never made the rare occasion she visited the woods or the lake enjoyable. He would always bark at her if she strayed too far or attempted anything too risky, like scale the old oak or swim to the island in the middle of the lake.

"I'm not carrying you home if you hurt yourself!" He'd growl.

At least Sir Kirishima let her get her hands and feet dirty, and Sir Kaminari had a sense of humour.

Sir Midoriya was a little anxious about her risk taking, but he was great with horses and she enjoyed her long rides with him.

She only left the castle with the other knights when Sir Bakugo or Sir Russel were busy elsewhere. The latter was her favourite knight. Unsurprisingly, since he was Samuel's younger brother.

Like his older sibling, Sir Russel had a charming smile and a pleasant aura about him. He stuck to the rules, much like Sir Bakugo, but never raised his voice and always let Calliope take a break from being a princess.

A princess- she hadn't felt like one for almost 48 hours now. The thought had her smiling from ear to ear as she ate her breakfast beneath the shelter of a leaning willow. Samuel's eyes were cast towards the lake. He'd barely taken a bite of his food. Calliope frowned at the realisation.

"Something on your mind, Sam?" She asked, nudging her elbow into his.

The pensive jester blinked away his trance and turned his face towards hers. "I was just thinking about my brother." He sighed, picking at the crumbs of his fruitcake.

Calliope hummed in acknowledgement. "Yeah. I suppose the knights have surely been tasked to come looking for us by now."

"Yup." Sam heaved. "If they ever catch up, I'll have a lot of explaining to do." He managed one of his lazy, lopsided smiles and even a mouthful of cake.

"What would you say to him?" Calliope asked curiously, crossing her legs at the ankles and reclining back to gaze up at the swaying willow.

Samuel chuckled, mirroring her movements after chewing up the last of his breakfast and dusting off his hands. "That I'm just an innocent jester who was kidnapped by a crazy princess and her dodgy accomplice."

Calliope scoffed a laugh and bumped her shoulder into his.

"Like anyone would believe that," she huffed, lowering her eyelids as Sam continued to chuckle.

"Ah, you know as well as I do that I'm a very convincing story teller," he grinned.

When his gaze dropped to her smiling lips, only then did Calliope remember their encounter in the woods.

What with their run-in with the bandits, Touya's injuries and all the new experiences she was having, the memory of her almost-kiss with Samuel had almost slipped her mind.

Remarkable really, considering she'd daydreamed about the feel of his lips on hers many a time at court. A shameless pastime, admittedly, but one she couldn't deny. After all, despite how lovely and undoubtedly handsome all the knights were, the jester was the only person at court that really lifted her spirits. With his bold jokes and far-fetched anecdotes, his impersonations and his hilarious skits, Samuel always made any fatiguing feast or boring ball all the more enjoyable.

She found herself leaning into him again, spurred on by the cold wind around them and the warm feeling inside her. "Are you worried about what will happen if the Knights take us back?" She asked quietly, her head going to rest on his shoulder.

"Are you?" He asked back.

She nodded solemnly.

But when his hand found hers, she felt her worries leave on the breeze that rustled the leaves on the sagging branches overhead.

*

"You do know how this looks?" King Shigaraki's voice echoed through the empty banquet hall.

King Toshinori gave a curt nod. "Of course I do. But until my knights return, we can't be sure what the circumstances of my daughter's disappearance are."

King Shiguraki clicked his tongue, his chalice hitting the table with a loud clunk. "From what I've heard, the reason is quite clear. Your daughter has eloped with non other than that ridiculous jester of yours."

Beside his father, Prince Tomura cleared his throat. "I have to admit, your grace..." he began, a finger picking idly at his chin, "Princess Calliope did seem quite taken with him the other night."

Toshinori shook his head and waved one of his large hands dismissively. "My daughter merely finds him entertaining. As do I and many other members of my court. It doesn't mean she has upped and run off with the man!"

Though a glance towards the prince he had arranged for her to be married to, only solidified the King's knowledge that that is exactly what had happened.

Tomura was still scowling his chapped lips and glowering behind his lank hair.

Though the Shigaraki family would grant her a strong army and a vast kingdom, Toshinori knew that they could never make his daughter laugh the way Samuel could. Yes. The first time he'd heard his daughter snort loudly at his jokes had brought him secret relish. She was usually so glum about the castle.

There was no doubt about it, wherever the jester was, she was. Though the King proceeded to deny the accusation when King Shigaraki persisted.

He held up a hand. "King Shigaraki, all I can say is that I have sent my entire circle of knights to find her-"

"Well then!" Shigaraki barked, "Let's hope they do and do so quickly! If not..." he and his son exchanged a dark look, "then I will take her disappearance as treason and have my armies take this pretty kingdom of yours by force instead! Mark my words."

Prince Tomura's face split into a wide smile. The image made Toshinori want to shudder. It was the first time he'd ever seen the prince pull such a face. And of course, it was elicited only when the threat of violence was mentioned.

Did he really want his knights to even find his daughter at this point?

Yes. Of course he did. He needed to know she was safe. But also no, because the more time he spent in the company of the Shigaraki's, the more he was beginning to side with his daughter.

Oh, to be a King and have to make such difficult decisions.

"I understand." He replied firmly, rising to his feet. "Let's hope it does not come to that."

Prince Tomura gave a low bow. "Indeed." He uttered.

But King Toshinori glimpsed the grin beneath his mess of pale, lank hair.

Author's note: Hello readers, new and old, drop me a message to know what you're making of the story so far :) It's always a pleasure to hear from you all!