Xenovia
As the hour grew even later into the evening, Xenovia carefully prepared to carry out her escape. Everything was in place, per Helga’s assurance. The plan itself was simple, though she was sure it would prove to be effective. Since no one knew of her disappearance earlier that day, Xenovia would once again slip away using the balcony ledge. Only this time, she would exit the room below, dressed as a servant and not a princess. Helga’s role would be to ask the guards outside her room for cake and tea in order to ease her mistress’ supposed tears and anxiety. Afterwards, she would lace the food with a sedative and eat a portion of it herself. When the servants came knocking on her door in the morning, a report would be made to the king that his daughter had drugged her own maid before fleeing into the night. Meanwhile, Xenovia would have nearly a full night to put some distance between her and Halvar’s men, who would no doubt come searching for her.
“Mistress, are you ready?” Helga asked, putting a brown bonnet over her head.
Xenovia nodded as she looked at the humble reflection of a servant staring back at her from the mirror. “Yes. Thank you, Helga. I owe you immensely for your help this time.”
“This time?”
“For all the times, I mean!”
Her maid smiled. “Just remember to discard your disguise as soon as you exit the palace. Else your appearance will raise suspicion in town.”
“Why else would I keep my travel garments on underneath this horribly uncomfortable dress?”
“Alright, no more jokes now. You must remain alert and be on your guard constantly. If anyone figures out who you are, you’ll have more to fear than a simple arranged marriage,” the woman warned.
“I know. As a woman, I must always be careful.”
“Not just careful, mistress, but cautious too. As a princess with such great beauty, you must be wary of anyone and everyone. Do you understand?”
“I do.”
“Remember, life outside of the castle will be unlike anything you have ever experienced. Move quickly, act wisely.”
“I will, Helga.”
The maid clasped their hands together. “Good. Now, go.”
With that, Xenovia grabbed her bag and walked outside to the balcony. Her maid quietly shut the door behind her and locked it, hiding any evidence of her being there. Then, in the same manner as earlier, she secured a hook and rope to the ledge and lowered herself down to the room below. After entering through the window, Xenovia made sure to lock the glass back up as she hid her rope and bag beneath the folds of her apron. Then, with her head down, she opened the door to the hallway and departed.
As she made her way downstairs, she noticed many of the servants were preoccupied with preparations for the royal wedding. Thankfully, this meant that no one was even half paying attention, which led to a rather smooth transition from the inner palace to the garden, where she joined a group of maids who were headed into the gated woods to pick flowers for the next day’s ceremony. At this point, Xenovia only needed to wait for an opportune moment to slip away without detection. The rest was easy. She simply found a secluded section of the wall and waited in the bushes for the patrolling guards to pass by. Then, like a stealthy cat, she climbed the security gate all the way to the top.
As expected, there were a couple of watchmen stationed on the upper part of the towers that decorated the wall and acted as lookout posts. However, since the Flower Forest outside the castle was nearly impervious to a large attack, the men here were not situated close to each other. In fact, their position was more of a formality, as no one would normally expect an intruder to enter from this side. So, all Xenovia had to do was wait patiently until no one was looking before crossing over to the other side of the wall, where she slowly climbed back down.
Once she reached the bottom, her next move was to retreat into the forest. As soon as she had gone far enough within to avoid being seen, she removed her servant clothes and discarded them in the trunk of a tree. But before dashing away any further, Xenovia paused to admire the scene in front of her eyes. The Flower Forest was indeed a wondrous sight to behold. Tall trees of every color decorated the land, alongside large, house-height flowers of varying breeds. Lilies, tulips, and daisies were the most common types that grew, but giant roses and morning glories would also bloom in certain areas around the castle. In the moonlight their petals twinkled like the stars, giving the forest a tranquil and magical appearance.
Xenovia now took a moment to gather her thoughts and get her bearings before pressing forward. Since Halvar would never suspect her of taking the path that led into Flower Forest, she could take her time to traverse the area. However, since this path was riddled with dangers, she still had to remain on her guard and avoid unnecessary delays. For now, her best bet was to follow the forest’s trail until she reached the famously called Cliff’s Edge. From there, she could travel to the town of Judor, the very last place anyone would think to search for a runaway princess. It was a small countryside village with few natural resources and even fewer townspeople. And since it was only a two day trek, her current supplies should be sufficient to complete the journey. After arriving, she could restock her food and water before heading out again, this time setting out for Luxo’s main army base by the city of Hardune. From there, as the king’s one and only daughter, she would join forces with the generals and aid them in fending off their invaders. And if anyone tried to defy her request, Xenovia knew that Sir Kurain, a good friend of hers, was a commander stationed there. He was well aware of her skills and would be sure to at least give her a chance to prove herself. After the defeat of their enemies, she would return to the capitol, but not as the same helpless princess as before. Xenovia smiled to herself, imagining just how shocked Havlar would be to see her then.
“Just you wait,” she mumbled. “I will return a hero. Then you will be sorry you ever dared to cross me!”
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