Evelyn found Brianna waiting for her in an alleyway close to the castle. Brianna grinned when she saw her stepsister, like the devil she was.

“You look cute,” she remarked.

“Shut up,” said Evelyn, blushing from the embarrassment. Brianna walked up to her, and took one lock of light-brown hair in her hands, inspecting it.

“Is this a wig?” she asked.

“Of course it’s a wig, Sherlock,” Evelyn retorted, impatiently. It looked nothing like her real hair, after all. “Goodness, I’m so glad I don’t have to work in that castle for real,” Evelyn told her. “They were gonna make me wear this every day until my hair grew shoulder-length again.”

Brianna furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?” she asked. Her confusion was understandable. Eve had long hair, didn’t she?

Rather than explaining, Evelyn simply took off the wig, and discarded it in a trashcan nearby.

The blond girl’s eyes grew wide.

“It’s... quite a big change,” Brianna observed.

Evelyn ran her fingers through what remained of her hair. It was so short that it might as well have been shaved. “Apparently, the royal hairdresser considered my old haircut to be beyond salvation,” she explained. “Where’s Cat?”

“Hiding, for now,” said Brianna. “We got us a room at an inn nearby. Come on, I’ll take you there.”

Brianna started walking down the alleyway, with Evelyn following close behind. She kept looking back to stare at the other girl’s new haircut.

Evelyn sighed. “Is it really that bad?” she asked, unsure if she wanted to hear the answer to that.

“No, no,” said Brianna. “It’s just... different, is all.”

—

Cat was waiting for them in a small bedroom on the second floor of an old brick building. She, too, smiled at the sight of Evelyn’s new haircut.

“Hey there. Looking good, Evelyn!”

Evelyn frowned. “Please don’t mock me.”

Cat wrinkled her forehead. “I wasn’t,” she said, sounding apologetic. “I really think this look suits you.”

Evelyn considered Cat’s reply for a moment. The girl seemed sincere, but Eve still had doubts about the whole thing. She’d always thought short hair didn’t suit her.

“So, what now?” Brianna asked. “Where do we find a witch?”

“Not around these parts, I’m afraid,” said Cat. “Witchcraft is outlawed in the entire kingdom. I mean, sure, there are witches and warlocks who’ll work for you outside the law, but that’s just the basic stuff. We’re looking for someone with the skill to reverse a transportation spell and break a curse, we’re gonna need someone better than that. I’m thinking a High Sorceress, at least.”

Brianna and Evelyn exchanged a look. Even knowing nothing about this alternate reality they were in, that didn’t sound like someone you could come around at every corner. “So... where can we find one of those?” asked Brianna.

“Sol Kingdom, to the East. That’s where I was planning to go,” Cat explained. “It’s the birthplace of many types of magical arts.”

“How far is it?” Brianna asked.

“About a fortnight, by foot,” Cat replied.

“A fortnight!” Evelyn exclaimed, dismally. They didn’t have that time. Her mother would probably think they’d been killed if Evelyn and Brianna went missing for that long. There would be cops on the lookout for them, and their faces would be printed on the backs of milk cartons.

“By horseback we could get there in a week, give or take a few days,” Cat suggested. Eve winced. That was a little better, but still bad.

“Where can we find horses, though?” Brianna asked.

Cat smiled, joyfully. “I think I know a place.”

—

Being a queer anarchist with a poor sense of self-preservation, Evelyn always knew that there was a fair chance she could end up in jail, one day. She even made a list, once, of what crimes she conceivably be convicted of, one day. Things like defacing private property and resisting arrest. Stealing a horse, however, was not on that list.

Brianna, Cat and Evelyn were breaking into the castle stables in the dead of the night. Cat knew her way around incredibly well. Could she have been employed as a groom there at some point? It was certainly possible, Evelyn supposed.

They tiptoed through the hayloft. Cat unlatched a tall door, swinging it to reveal a larger area with empty stalls. She expertly picked the lock of a box stall, and the three of them walked in. There they found a beautiful black stallion. He raised his head as soon as the girls walked in, alarmed. It was clear that at any moment he would utter a neigh and blow their cover. Cat acted fast. She hurried over to the horse and placed both her hands on his snout.

“Shh... it’s okay, Sirius, it’s okay. They’re friends,” she told the horse, while caressing his head. “We’re going on a journey, old friend. What do you say, you in?”

It took a while for Sirius to get used to the three girls’ presence there, but Cat had a way with him, and she eventually managed to calm the horse down. Then, Cat walked outside, went into another box stall, and brought a second horse from there, a white-and-brown mare.

“Her name’s Antares,” Cat told them. “Do any of you know how to ride a horse?”

Brianna raised her hand. “I do,” she announced. Eve remained silent, since it was the first time in her life that she was seeing an actual horse, outside of pictures.

“That’s good,” said Cat. “I’ll ride Sirius, so you two take Antares. She’s the strongest of ours, so I think she’ll be fine. Let me just get you a larger saddle.”

Eve watched Cat go about replacing Antares’ saddle, astonished.

“You mean... you want me and Brianna to ride together?”

Cat nodded. Oh, boy.

“Can’t I ride with you, instead?” Eve asked, and the girl smiled.

“I’d love to,” she said, “but Sirius won’t let anyone ride him but me.”

Eve and Brianna exchanged awkward glances. Neither of them was too thrilled with the idea.

Cat finished setting up the saddle, and handed Antares’ reins to Brianna.

“Now listen,” said Cat. “The moment we set foot outside the stables, the guards will see us, and of course they’ll come after us. We’re getting a head start, but you’ll be riding double, which puts you in disadvantage. Our only chance of losing them is if you ride as fast as you can to the Crimson Forest, to the Northeast. I’ll lead the way, but we’ll be going so fast we might get separated. Don’t worry about me, okay? You two just keep going, no matter what happens. Once you’re in the forest, keep heading East. East, remember. You’ll see a mountain as soon as you’re out of the woods. There’s a river at the base, it’s our meeting spot.”

Eve repeated Cat’s instructions in her head a couple of times, trying to make sure she’d memorized the important bits. Northeast to the Forest, then East to the mountain. Meet at the river.

Cat fished a compass from a hidden pocket inside her robe, and handed it to Brianna. “So you don’t get lost,” she said. “And remember: go as fast as you can.”