They had me up before the sun had risen, to be dressed in layers of yellow, weighted, frilly fabric and satin. Only to place me outside the castle gates beneath a wide tea hat and leave me there. The cold seeped through my aching feet and I wasn’t allowed to rest in the carriage they set beside me. A leaf green bauble with butterflies carved into its frame. Its accents were dipped in gold and the horses had seen more pampering in a day than I have in my life. 

It was all for show—so the people could say goodbye to their princess. They let a crowd gather by the gates. They cheered and tossed flowers in my direction, all of them bidding their princess–me–farewell. Yet, as per my orders, I wasn’t allowed to look at them. The king wasn’t taking chances; they would believe she had left, even though her “freedom” would never reach beyond the castle walls. Not that she had ever mingled with the common folk enough for them to truly know her.

Through it all, I held my place just beyond the castle doors until the king finally stepped out, welcomed by an eruption from the people. He descended the stone steps with Collins at his side—coming to bid his daughter goodbye. Not that I wanted to share a single word with him. If it was up to me I’d give my last minutes to Penelope. However, the princess never conversed with servants, so she wasn’t allowed a proper goodbye. Instead, she hovered nearby with a few servants, mouthing me sweet wishes and waving as energetically as she could. 

As the king approached me he pulled me into a tight hug—this wasn’t planned. My whole body went stiff as the scent of overdone cologne and sweat filled my nose. While his coat buttons dug into my skin.

“Play your role well, and I might reward you if you return,” Lionel whispered, his breath warm against my ear. He released me a moment later and did not look back. “Smile. They're here to celebrate my daughter, so be thankful you get to hear it. Otherwise you’ll make them worry.” 

After that kind word—he gave a light wave to the citizens—then sauntered back into the comforts of his castle. When his back turned I snuck a glimpse at the crowd, wondering to myself: How many servants or citizens could pass for Her Highness as I do? How old or young….? 

Maybe there’s a young girl out there, younger than I, who walks to the well by day and listens to the fire crackle at night. She laughs with her friends, lives in a warm house with her family—free, because I was here instead.

“Princess?”

The voice snapped me back to the shouts of cheers and brisk Sunday morning. It was Collins, he hadn’t left with the king. Instead he stood there, watching me with a ruffled brow. 

“Winslet?” He mumbled. 

“I'm…fine, Collins.” 

He nodded. “If you remember everything I taught you, then you will be.”

He shifted his weight, glancing around at nothing. “I spoke with Lionel this morning, and there’s a possibility I’ll be sent to check in on you in a month or so.”
“To see if he needs to chop my head off yet?”
“No, not like that. It was my request. He couldn’t care all that much, but I’ll make sure things are running smoothly, and guide you where it’s needed.”

“If that’s the case, then don’t take too long. I’d hate to be the only one at the party.”

He smiled, and for a moment, silence settled between us. After a month spent together, the thought of seeing neither him nor Penelope for weeks was unsettling. All I had was his teachings, my tidbits of knowledge, and Penelope’s encouragement to guide me. Whether it’d be enough, that’s something I don’t wish to discover.

“Princess, it’s time to go!” the carriage driver called as he made his way into the seat. 

I gave Collins one last look. “Thank you.”
“Always.”

I lifted the hem of my dress, and with a hand from Collins, stepped into the carriage. Cushioned and surprisingly spacious, my home for the next few days,  though I’d still miss the thin hay of my bed back in the servants quarters. Where the lull of gossiping voices puts you to sleep.

“I hope to see you again, princess.”

“As do I, Lord Collins.” 

Then the door shut, and with a light whip, the horses’ hooves clomped against the ground. We set off, through the main gates and into a sea of citizens, all clamoring to get closer. Not that I could see behind the curtains. I wasn’t allowed to move them, to even return a light wave. Still, even ignoring it, they called out to me.

“I’ll make a song to play when you return, Your Highness!” 

“God keep you, Your Majesty!"

“We’ll count the days until you return safely!”

“Mind the cold, princess!”

My eyes welled—each farewell made me clutch the plush frame a little tighter until the cotton thinned beneath my fingers. For people she had never truly known, their goodbyes were painfully thoughtful. By the time we left the kingdom behind, I was sobbing in the back of the carriage with nothing to dry my tears. The only escape was to lay my head against the cushions covering my ears until sleep finally took me.

*** 

It’d been around a week of traveling, all of it back straining and boring. We rode during the day, taking occasional breaks for the horses to rest, then at night I slept on the hard earth beneath a rudimentary tent, barely a blanket for comfort. The routine was monotonous, and the driver was less than welcoming of conversation. Even with all my efforts, the only thing I learned about him was his name. 

“David, can I please open my curtain? It’s been days! All I’ve heard for hours are the sounds of the forest. We haven’t been within range of anyone for days. No one will see me.”  

“The instructions are to keep you safe, Your Highness. If an unsavory folk realized who was sitting in here—”

“The carriage has already given me away.” 

He said nothing in return. So, I pushed open the thick cloth; wind blew in, gracing my tired face. Bringing in a strange smell from a forest of unfamiliar trees. In my life I’d barely seen anything but oak. Yet here, there were all types clumped together in an array of life. Still, the sun shone through, reflecting—a glint of metal hit my eye. 

I blinked then took a look closer through the foliage. Something was definitely shining a little ways off the ground in the treeline. It was moving, kind of erratically. Almost like….

“Stop, halt the carriage!” 

I pounded my fist against the wall, at the back of David’s seat, and to my surprise he listened. We came to a stop. I threw the door open, leaping out onto the dirt path below. 

“What’s the matter, my lady?” He asked, hurrying down from his seat.

“There,” I pointed, “in the trees, someone needs our help.”

David didn’t even glance the way. “Your Highness, it isn’t safe to go wandering around the woods. We need to get to the Western Kingdom.”

“They might be hurt, we can’t leave them.”

“The only people in danger are yours. If you don’t get there by the designated time, war could start.” 

I bit my lip. He wasn’t wrong, but if I left now the What Ifs would get to me:

What if it was someone, and they died because you walked away? 

What if it was a lost child, scared and alone? 

What if it was a dying animal stuck in a trap? 

“I can’t leave until we check.”

“Why don’t I get you to the castle first, then you can ask the king to send someone out here to check?”

“It might be too late by then.”

“I assure you, it won’t. We’re but a day ride away.”

I crossed my arms, thinking to myself, I’m sorry, David, but—the princess gets what she wants, as I adopted a pout I had often seen from Vivian herself. Everyone in Lionel’s castle knew it all too well. You either gave in or got lost.

He sighed. Pacing for a moment before saying, “One minute. That’s all we can afford. We’ll check—from a safe distance—then return to the carriage. Does that satisfy you?” 

“Yes, it does. Thank you.” 

Leaving my satin gloves behind, I stepped into shrubbery, followed reluctantly by David. Who jumped at every light rustle of leaves and tweet of birds. Until we came to a small clearing, where I saw him, a knight. Though not exactly in the situation I imagined. His horse was fine, tied to a nearby tree and grazing grass. While he dangled in the air from a mix of vines and branches. 

His armor was muddy, but the sigil was clear. Black embroidered cloth with a silver spider weaving its web. He was one of Wulfric’s men.

“Are you okay up there?” I shouted out. 

The knight strained his head towards us. His face flushed with blood. “Who are you?”

“I’m—” David grabbed my shoulder, shaking his head. “Not important.”
“Well, not important, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You look troubled—entangled, really. How long have you been up there?”
“A while,” he replied, struggling against the branches.

“Can I ask how you got caught like that?”
“Through an unfortunate and dramatic series of events.” He wriggled one hand free, with a sigh of relief. “Here, hand me my sword. It’s somewhere down there.”

Eyeing the ground, I spotted the blade just below him, resting in a pile of crushed leaves. It was heavy with a swirling design on its handle; most knights back home were lucky to get a sharp blade. 

“Reach your hand out,” I said, stretching it to him.

The knight seized it, gave me a quick, “Might want to step back,” then cut through the entanglement of vines holding him. He fell with a thud, but after a small groan, he staggered to his feet, shaking off the dizziness. 

“Alright my lady,” David whispered, “You’ve helped him. Now we must go.”
“Go where?” The knight asked. He sheathed his sword, gaze studying us. “You’re wearing Eastern green. Expensive. And the servant bears the sun–snake symbol on his coat. You’re Princess Vivian, aren’t you?”
I bowed lightly. “And you are?”
“Sir, William, but you may call me Liam. Now, allow me to escort you back to your carriage. I’d like a word with your guards. You shouldn’t be wandering around the forest alone.”
“Thank you, but there’s no one to talk to. It’s just us.”
“Your father sent you without a guard?”
“He didn’t deem it necessary.”

I gripped my wrist. It was less an oversight and more an acknowledgment that I wasn’t worth the effort. Collins tried to reason with King Lionel to send at least one, but he wouldn’t have it. I might get figured out before I even step foot in the castle. 

“Then, it's my duty to take you the rest of the way.”

“That’s very kind of you.”
“Simply my job.” 

He went to his horse’s side, a stallion bearing more armor than he did—not that it seemed to care—grabbing its reins to lead it alongside us. 

“What’s his name?” I asked as we began our walk back. 

“Oh, Fenley."

“What’s it mean?”

“Depends who you ask. I didn’t choose it for the meaning though. He’s named after my pet back home.”

“What kind of pet?”

“Rabbit," he said shyly. 

We pushed our way back through the shrubbery and into the carriage, visible relief washing over David as I settled inside and we finally set off. Sir Liam rode alongside us, his horse keeping an easy pace.

His black locs were tied back with a thin band, a few fragile leaves still tangled among them. I don’t know whether he caught my staring or was simply being fanciful, but he swept his arms wide in a dramatic flourish and called, “Princess, welcome to the Western Kingdom.”

I looked out my window, and as we crested a hill, it all came into sight. A stretching black castle intertwined by towers and bridges. Watching over its people who had more homes and markets than my eye could catch, before we descended back into the tree line.