Imposter

If anyone asked Hana what she would do if her childhood friend turned his sword against her, she would have laughed at their face. Partly because Alex could not hold a pair of scissors without accidentally cutting himself, let alone a sword (where would be even find a sword, anyway?). But mostly because the idea was absurd. If anything, he'd be the one to protect her.

They'd been best friends and neighbours since first grade, Alex and her. They often fought, but they made up just as much. After all, it was impossible for her to stay mad at him. Alex, with his brilliant smile and awkward kindness. Alex, who gave her all his chocolate chips because he knew how much she loved them. Alex, who sneaked in through her window to hold her as she cried. Alex was–

Alex was definitely not the kind of person who would laugh as she struggled to stand up, bleeding heavily from her wounds. He was not the kind of person who would get on his knees to beg for her to be executed. He was not the kind of person who would watch silently as others attempted to kill her.

(I beg of you, father! This witch has been poisoning my mind, forcing me to feel compassion for her! She attempted to murder all those I held dear, including you! Her magic is such that I still cannot bring myself to cut her neck. My heart won't allow me to do it, though my mind knows I should. I beg you, father. Please cast out this demon!)

Right?

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Hana woke up that morning with no recollection of her dreams – just a heaviness in her stomach and a feeling that she was forgetting something important. She spent a few more minutes on her bed, trying to collect herself before starting on her daily routine.

The doorbell rang as she was getting dressed. She let it ring, knowing that her mother would take care of it. Besides, a visitor at that hour – she knew who it was.

Sure enough, she overheard her mother yelling from downstairs, telling her that Alex was there to pick her up. She yelled back for him to wait a few minutes, before settling herself down in front of the mirror.

Short red hair, dyed only a few weeks ago, framed her round face and made her look even younger than she was. With her dusky skin and pale lips, she resembled her late father more than her mother. Which was a shame, especially since the only parent she truly adored was her mother. Having to look into the mirror and see your neglectful father's onyx eyes stare back at you was the worst possible way to start a morning.

She grimaced at the new pimple she'd seemingly acquired overnight. That was one thing she had inherited from her mother – her sensitive skin.

When she finally made her way downstairs, her childhood friend was in the kitchen, dutifully helping with drying the dishes.

"Stop trying to suck up to mom." Hana scowled as she pulled out a chair for herself at the table. She heard her mother laugh from the kitchen as Alex brought out their breakfast, a cheeky grin on his face. "Stop being jealous that she likes me more than you." He teased, and joined her at the table. "If Mrs Wilson was my mother, I'd be helping her out with breakfast every day." He turned in the direction of the kitchen, "Thanks again, ma'am! I was starving, and the food at my place is as appetizing as a tire."

An ordinary beginning of an ordinary day. But Hana found it difficult to swallow her food. Her stomach was heavy, weighted, as if she was unconsciously anticipating something that was about to happen. Despite his cheerfulness, Alex seemed to be the same, absentmindedly running his fingers through his curly black hair as he played with his food. His green eyes met hers, concern evident in them.

"You're not eating anything." He noted, voice soft enough so that her mother wouldn't hear.

"Neither are you." Hana replied. "My stomach feels weird."

"Same. I'm on edge."

"I feel like something bad is going to happen today." Hana confessed. Her body was heating up. Her legs were tingling, as if readying herself to run at a moment's notice. "Do you think we caught something?"

"Idiots can't catch colds, so I'm not sure what's wrong with you." Alex managed to take a bite out of his toast. "Maybe we should just get going. We'll grab some coffee on the way?"

"Won't you be late for your electives?" She asked, genuinely concerned. Alex was infamous for sticking to his schedule no matter what. He was acting a little strange.

Alex himself seemed a little taken aback by his words. "I guess… that's okay?" He said. "I just really want to get some caffeine in me now."

Hana forced a slice of toast down her throat as Alex went to say goodbye to her mother. She followed them out to the door, looking a little worried upon noticing the mostly filled plates still on the table. "You'll both be hungry later."

"It's okay, mom. We'll eat something from uni." Hana said, noticing her mother's concern. After she put on her shoes, she turned back to say goodbye.

"I love you." She said instead.

Her mom looked surprised, but smiled affectionately in response. "Isn't that a pleasant surprise? I love you too, darling."

"I just wanted to say that." Hana flushed red. "I haven't told you that, recently."

Her mother laughed. "Alright. I forgive you for not finishing breakfast. Now shoo." She waved her away. "Don't keep poor Alex waiting."

Don't leave, every cell in her body screamed. Don't walk away. Stay at home. Stay here, where you're safe.

Instead, she found herself walking towards where Alex was waiting. He looked as torn as she felt.

"We must go." He said, and though it was odd, she'd felt the same. That if they had stayed at home, they'd be putting others in danger. Others, like her mother.

Alex grabbed her hand and walked faster. They didn't make any small talk, which was strange, because usually there were no silences between them. Usually, they'd be walking as slowly as they could, enjoying each other's company until the university came into view.

But that day, Alex walked like a madman, almost colliding into other people at times, and she followed without question. Even as they reached the intersection, even as she watched him pull them into traffic, there was only a feeling of resignation. She heard the truck screech before she saw it. Alex yelled her name in horror. Then the world went dark.

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Hana awoke in a prison cell. She looked around, dazed, feeling strangely out of place. Like she had been numb for a while, and had only now gained control over her limbs.

Her first thought was that the accident had not taken her life. But why would her being rescued lead to her being trapped in prison? And that too, a very strange prison, one that seemed to be carved out of rock and lit by fire.

She tried to stand up and look around, but her legs were still insensate. That's when she noticed her attire – it was a heavy, long dress that appeared dark brown in the light of the fire. It was torn at several places, and a hassle to move around in.

What kind of sick scenario was this?

She opened her mouth to shout for help, to alert someone, anyone, that she was awake and confused. Her throat felt parched, and it hurt to even whimper. How long had it been since she had had a sip of water?

Her chest was damp. She crawled closer to a light source so she could see clearly.

Once in the light, she let out a sigh of relief. It was not blood. But now that she noticed it, she couldn't help but baulk at the smell. She had thrown up on herself. Likely some time ago, because it had started to dry out.

And if whoever was holding her here had not cared enough to even wipe the scum away, it might be in her best interests that they don't know she was awake.

But her dragging herself to the fire had created some noise. Belatedly, she realised that her feet were in chains. The sound brought someone that looked like a guard to her cell, and once he noticed her move, he ran straight back out.

He'd gone to fetch someone, she realised.

Within minutes, there were multiple footsteps racing towards her. The cell door opened, and a rag was hurriedly produced to wipe the front of her body with no regard for how they were handling her. They treated her like a dirty pebble on the street, quickly polished for a child's inspection. One guard yanked at her chain, making sure that she was still bound. Another forcefully opened her mouth and dripped water down her throat. None of them hid the disgust on their faces.

Hana kept her eyes on the ground, scared and confused, unable to understand anything about the situation she had found herself in.

And then there was silence, until a new set of footsteps was heard. This person walked slowly, as if they had all the time in the world. They walked with authority, and Hana immediately guessed that if anyone had had any answers for her, it would be –

"Look at you, Lady Hana."

She paused. The footsteps had stopped right outside her cell, and the voice was one she'd recognise even in her sleep.

Alex was standing in front of her, his expression twisted into one of disgust. Unlike her, he seemed to be impeccably dressed, with not a single wrinkle in sight.

She'd never seen such coldness in his gaze before; not directed at her, at least.

"Alex?" She choked out, and was immediately slapped once by the nearest guard. Shocked at the action, she brought herself to look at Alex again, waiting for him to get mad, to save her, to do something.

Instead, Alex was smiling.

"Once again, you seem to have forgotten your place, Lady Hana." He said, "You are no longer my intended. You may no longer call me with so much familiarity."

"What–" She croaked, unable to get more than a single word out. Her throat, it hurt. It hurt so bad–

"What happened to your witty tongue now?" Alex chuckled. "You were so famous for it. Bringing grief to everyone you disliked with just a few words. Spewing venom like a snake, while you pretended to be a tender fawn in front of me." His eyes fell to the obvious stain on her dress. "Look how far you have fallen. You must be glad that your family still cares enough to ask for their wayward daughter to be kept alive."

She felt her eyes burn. No tears came out. Everything was confusing, Alex was confusing, her body was in pain. Her throat, her poor throat–

"I hope I never have to see you again." Alex continued, as if he gathered mirth from her misery. "As the one who nearly poisoned my future queen, it would do you good to stay away from polite society until you grow old and die." He knelt down to meet her eyes. "I could have forgiven you if you had sought my blood. You erred by going for my beloved's throat instead."

The last thing Hana saw before her conscience faded, was an unreadable expression on her childhood friend's face.