“Tiffany is missing,” Eugene mumbled. He laid on his back on his bed, arms splayed beside him. Jams let the door to Eugene’s room click into its lock behind him.

“You already know?”

The prince pointed to the open window. His room bordered on the courtyard. “I heard all of it.”

“You were with her, last night, weren’t you? Did you see something strange?” James asked as he sat down on the bed and laid his hand in the prince’s. “Perhaps you could help them find her.”

“If Tiffany doesn’t want to be found, she won’t be found,” he sighed.

“Your highness?”

Eugene wrapped his arm around James’ waist. “She said she ‘needed time’. For my money, she wasn’t abducted; she ran away.”

“Ran away?” the servant repeated. “Doesn’t she have plenty of that over here? Maybe you should tell the king and queen. They’ll be so relieved!”

The prince rolled over on his stomach and leaned his chin in the palm of his hand. “It’s not that simple, James. She is one of the only friends I have and she already feels like I betrayed her. I can’t break her trust again.”

James nodded. “I suppose we’ll be sitting this one out, then?”

“Exactly.”

*

Under any other circumstances, this sunny summer afternoon would have been perfect for a long stroll through the woods behind the castle. But Noah had no time to admire the way the golden rays of sunshine tumbled through the verdant leaves and onto the emerald moss which she trampled under her running feet.

She had been running along the castle wall for a while and was starting to wheeze by now. It was a challenge, finding her way back to the cabin where she and Tiffany liked to get away from it all. The old wood the cabin was built with, had turned green with algae and was covered in moss; it completely blended in with the green algae and moss that grew on just about every tree in the woods. So the only way to find the cabin was to retrace Tiffany’s steps. Except, Noah couldn’t walk through the castle anymore. This posed the first problem.

Slowly and reluctantly, Noah ground to a halt. Her hands rested on her knees as she caught her breath. On her left, there was a door in the castle wall. “Alright Noah, think,” she mumbled to herself. “When we came out of the wall door, we went straight ahead.” Full of renewed vigor, she turned on her heel to her right and started on her way. Until she stopped herself. “But surely this isn’t the only door in the wall. Was it even this one?” she mumbled. Nothing to do but check the castle walls for more doors, then.

With a deep sigh, the squire started to drag her feet again. “Oh Tiffany…” she said, kicking a pebble out of her path. “Running away from home is fine by me, but at least let me know how I can find you, the next time.”

A few minutes later she happened upon the next door. Noah planted her back against it and gazed into the woods. The view into the woods was exactly the same as it had been at the last door. She turned back to the castle wall. Not a single uniquity about it, either. A growl escaped her. The sight of the castle wall all but sickened her. She turned right and walked right into the woods.

“I mean, what would Sir Lance say if he were here? Nothing, of course. He would have helped you escape. If only I’d helped you. Then at least I would have been with you and I wouldn’t have to be worried like this. There was more than enough room for the two of us in that little rowboat… Stupid Noah, why didn’t you help her?! Now Tiffany is somewhere in this forest, all alone, and there’s nothing I can do about it! Congratulations, No, you’re officially the worst bodyguard in the history of bodyguards.”

*

The sunlight on the moss had turned from gold to orange, and by now, had disappeared. And where Noah, a few hours ago, still had good faith that she would find Tiffany, she was starting to lose faith that she, herself, would be found. Her stomach grumbled. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast. She was tired and footsore. All she wanted was to lie down in her tiny little bed and go to sleep. But nevertheless, Noah rubbed through her eyes again and trudged along. Sleeping in a bed of moss wasn’t at the top of her to-do list for tonight. After all, if Tiffany was where Noah thought she was, there would be an actual bed for her to rest in. The idea alone was enough to make her yawn.

Noah gasped. Something rustled in the shrubbery. Carefully, she reached for her sword. Her sword… which she was forced to turn in when she was fired as Tiffany’s bodyguard. Her sword that was not presently with her. Her breath caught in her throat as she took a step backwards. Who knew what could hide in the shrubbery. A wolf, perhaps? A bear? Or maybe an exceptionally grumpy skunk? Noah took another step back in hopes of fleeing in silence, but tripped on the root of a tree and fell backwards into a fern. “Oof.”

“Noah?” asked a voice from the shrubbery.

Noah struck a fern leaf out of her sight to see who was speaking to her. “Who goes there?” she asked, but before she could see who it was, the fern struck back. That was it. She gave up. Footsteps came dangerously close. Leaves crunched underfoot. Noah almost screamed when her wrist was grabbed and she was pulled to her feet. Her knees gave out and she fell against the other. Arms wrapped around her torso. She feared for what might happen next, but nothing did happen.

“My, don’t you look pale?”

Noah looked up. “Tiffany?”