The Dream

 Chapter One

Kaia

 

It began with an evacuation.

            It was well past midnight, and well before dawn when I awoke to my long-time personal guard shaking me awake.
"Princess, they are breaking down the palace doors, they will be in very soon if they are already not, we /must/ go now." Groggily, I rubbed sleep from my eyes.
"Wha-...Ander, what are you talking about?" I gazed at my friend of nearly 1o years, blinking, trying to wake up. It must have been urgent if he was so rudely awakening the princess of the Alleoira Unified awake in the middle of the night.

"The Zitkaduta." He hissed to me, dropping the formalities of being my guard, and spoke just as one of my best friends. "Kaia, they're ransacking the city, burning what will, killing any who don't run. And breaking down the palace door. We have to get out. I have some of your money and a weapon, that is all we really need right now. Your parents are waiting for us in the tunnel." I was awake now. The word Zitkaduta knocked the breath out of me. I gritted my teeth and rose. Ander turned his back so that I could dress, not that he hadn't seen me in my underwear before; it was one of the hazards of being the personal guard to the princess. As I pulled on the simplest skirt I could find, I asked him,
"Do we have to leave the city?" I swallowed, zipping the skirt, and pulling the least dramatic tunic from my over-expansive closet. I really did have more than I needed. The capital was one of the only places left that was almost totally on the side of the royal family, and that was simply because the city knew it's family, its princess king and queen, and loved them dearly. They had seen them almost every day, witnessed their kindness, their honesty, their willingness to be familiar with the people a million times over, and that was why they did not, for a moment, believe the rumors that had been spread about the family.
"Of course. Everything is burning. A lot of people are dead or dying. Most are running. The army was sent, not to fight but to rescue anyone who needed it, and to urge people to run. Very few are fighting. You mother told the soldiers to run too when they can." Seeing that I was dressed, he grabbed my wrist, and looked me in the eye. "Let's go." I looked Ander over as I trailed behind him, stumbling out of my room, and down the hallway, away from the front of the palace to the back, the most quiet part, least populated. He had his normal clothes on, not his guard uniform, with is sword strapped to his belt. It seemed normal enough.

    This part of the palace was way to quiet, it made me uneasy. I guessed that everyone else had already run away. I wondered to myself how bad it was out there. I was mostly worried about one of my really close friends, who lived on the streets. I hoped he wasn't stupid enough to  have  stood and fought, stupid enough to get himself killed...he was one of my only really friends outside the palace.

    Anders' hand slid into mine comfortably, and he picked up his pace, drifting swiftly down flights of stairs, and al the way to the deepest corner of the palace, the wine cellar. He dropped my hand to tear up a square of the matted grungy old carpet, and lifted a trapdoor in the floor, ten descended into the hole, which seemed to be lit. I followed him faithfully down, jumping off the bottom of the ladder onto the floor. I knew where we were.

    These sewage tunnels hadn't been in use since 2o years before I was born, so over 3o years. They barely smelled. Both of my parents stood in the tunnel, lit by fixtures in the wall, with their own personal guards, prepared to go. And we did.

    My parents were the King and Queen of the AU, their Royal Highnesses King Bradley and Queen Lacey. Yes, I too thought that all of their titles were a bit much, so I just call them mom and dad. Don't tell Dad, but I think mom wears the pants in the relationship. But mom only wears skirts, as the Queen, that is.

    The three Guards all agreed that it was somewhat safer in the tunnels, so our pace slowed considerably. I got bored very quickly, the tunnel was very much the same, yard after yard, and there was no way to tell how far we'd come in the dimly lit space. We came around a corner, my parents conversing in a whisper. Suddenly, Ander stopped dead in front of me, and pulled me behind him protectively. I glanced over to my parents, whose guards had fallen back into defensive positions now. Ander spoke boldly.
"State your name, and your reason for your presence down here" I tried to see around Ander, but he was too tall, and he was determined not to let me be visible. I was a measly 5' 3", while he was 5' 8", almost. Curse him. My pulse roared in my ears, I could feel the tension. What was this new danger? "I think I should be asking you who you are, because, I was here first, and I'm the only one who is ever down here, all the time." The voice was familiar to me. I felt like I should be able to place it, but I couldn't.
"I present their Royal Highnesses King Bradley and Queen Lacey, and their daughter, her Royal Majesty Princess Kaiara. The other three of us are their personal guards, sworn to protecting them from any threat to their lives. I pray you don't fall into that category." Ander responded boldly, sounding doubtful that the other man was not, in fact, a threat. There was silence for a moment, and Ander shifted his weight. I noticed that the hand that was on his sword was shaking. My friend spoke bravely, but he was sensibly scared. A moment later, the response came.
"....Kai?" The voice was disbelieving, incredulous. I knew who it was now. Shocked, I darted around Ander, desperate to see my old friend's face.
"Quel!" I said, just as surprised to see him as he was to see me. I started forward to embrace him just as he moved toward me, but Ander's hand locked onto my wrist, jerking me backwards, so I spun to face him.
"Are you crazy or stupid? He could be one of them." He breathed quietly through clenched teeth. I took his rudeness lightly; he had his tendencies to be overprotective. I spoke to him as if I were explaining to a child.
"Ander, I appreciate your caution, truly, and I understand. However, in this situation, it is misplaced. This is Quel; I've known him since I was five or so. I trust him with my life completely, and after what you told me about the city burning, and people dying, I though he was gone. Now please let go of my wrist so I can properly greet my old friend." Over the course of my explanation, Ander's expression had changed to one of abashed comprehension.
"Sorry, Princess. If you trust him that far, and have known him that long, then I should have no trouble trusting him to the same extent. My apologies." he was still being so formal with me. I smiled and rolled my eyes, turning Then, he to Quel, giving him a tight hug. Or I tried anyway. He was a lot stronger than me. He stuck his hand out to Ander.
"Sorry for my, er, aggression earlier. I never see anyone down here, and I figure you were one of those guys ransacking the whole friggin' city. Friends?" His expression and tone were hopeful. Ander grinned, and shook his hand.
"Of course. You come down here often?"
"Whenever it's cold or wet out there. If you don't mind me asking, what are the royal family and their personal guards doing down here?"
"Escaping. This tunnel leads out into the middle of the forest."
"I see."
And just like that, my two best friends became best friends. We continued out of the city via tunnels, Quel and Ander walked ahead of me, talking fervently, and I lagged behind. I wondered how long we had been walking, my feet hurt quite a bit. Then, the tunnel split right in two. My mother turned to me.
"This is where we split up." My heart dropped like a rock. I hugged her tightly, wishing that I didn't have to say goodbye.
"Why do we have to split up?" I asked, really confused.
"Honey, you need to stop this. People trust the media, and the media has told them that we did terrible things. End the rumors and the lies. I can't do it, and neither can your father. The entire country is after the three of us, and some people will kill us. Everyone you meet may be out to get you. Be cautious and listen to Ander, he knows what he's doing. And Quel too. Stick with those two. Be careful. I love you." She kissed my forehead and pulled away before I could see too many tears. My father gave me a hug as well.
"Kaiara, darling, listen to me. Doane, captain of the guard will be coming soon. He'll come to your mother and me first, where we're hiding out, and then he'll come to check up on you. He'll manage to find you somehow, I believe. He'll come back to your mother and I to tell us where you are, but then come back to check up on you. He’ll check in every now and then.  I just thought I'd let you know.  I love you. I'll see you again soon."

And so we parted. I let the tears roll for a while, trailing close behind the two boys, who spoke and laughed like they were old friends. I yawned three times in a row, and then tripped over my own feet, barely keeping myself from falling over.  Ander stopped and turned to look at me.
"Whoa, Hun, you look seriously tired. You've had along night, I don't blame you. Want me to carry you?" I glanced at him, uncertainly, brushing a lock of orangeygold hair out of my eyes.
"Do you mind?"
"Not at all." I climbed onto his back, piggyback style, and pressed my cheek into his shoulder, and abruptly fell asleep there. When I woke up, I wasn't on Ander's back; I was on Quel's.  I looked up and around. We were in a forest, but a strange one. The trees were all the same. They had reddish brown bark, and grew straight up; branches grew straight out, perpendicular to the tree, parallel to the ground. It seemed almost misty, but I couldn't tell if it was my eyes playing tricks on me. The trees were very spaced out, and the ground was flat, however much covered in sticks and deadfall.
"Where are we?" I asked in a confused question. The strangest forest I had ever seen. It was really serene feeling.
"And so she awakens." Quel announced dramatically. I laughed as he let me slide off his back. I walked between the two of them.
"We're in the Red Pine Forest."
"I've heard of this place. It's beautiful here."
"Yeah. It is." "...So how long have I been asleep?" I asked, hoping the act of carrying my weight hadn't put too much strain on either of them."
"Oh, “Quel replied smoothly, "a good six hours." He shrugged as my jaw dropped.
"S-six hours? Why didn't you get me up and make me walk?"
"You're not that heavy, and we switched off. Twice. Anyway, it's about 9:3o." Ander said nonchalantly, as if it was no big deal.
"You let me sleep until nine?" I demanded.
"Yeah. You had a long night, and I figured it would be better to let you sleep."
"For three extra hours?"
"Whatever. You're up now, ain'tcha?" Quel said, clearly not thinking that it was a big deal. "Sleep keeps you gorgeous, hun." He shrugged. I glared at him as we walked. After a while, I asked Ander,
"Where are we going?"
"Well, we'll probably be camping out here for a while, so we're going to go into the nearest town and purchase some clothes and a tent, then we'll scout out an area to camp. Probably somewhere with a stream or source of running water nearby."
"Ooookay....and how long should we stay? And why do we need to camp here? Why can't we just go?"
"Go where? Look, the two things are linked. We need to stay because we need to figure out where we're going, and how to get there. How long we stay depends on how long it takes us to find the resources we need. We'll camp in the woods here instead of staying in a hotel because someone could recognize you if we spend too much time in the town."
"Alright. And how are we going to figure out where to go? I know we need to hunt down the leader of the. The, uh... them, and prove myself and my parents innocent. But how do we find the leader."
"Leave that up to us." The both turned to me and grinned, in unison, like twins, then cracked up laughing. I rolled my eyes. Boys. The ground started to slope upwards, and I realized that we were reaching the top of a hill. Through the trees at the button of the hill, I could see a road. We walked down the hill to it. The front part of the town was a large outdoor marketplace, much like the ongoing, never-ending bazaar back at the capital, However, in this town, it seemed, the entire town was one main road, with the bazaar and the shops all on the main street, then east of the road were dwellings and west were back roads, then a half mile of rolling green hills, then a half mile of plains, then woods. The Red Pine Forest.
Red pines were great trees; fully grow about three feet in diameter. They grow only on wide expanses of level ground, and not very close together, yards apart. The roots go deep and wide, so not many other plants grow in Red Pine forests, but red pines. Limbs of these great trees grow at 90 degree angles to the trunks. The bark is a reddish color, and the forest always looks like it's shrouded in a light mist, even when it's not. The leaves are green, as is normal for a tree. This forest surrounds this small town.
"What is the name of this place?" I asked, a little bit loudly, to be heard over the bazaar. Ander looked at me and put a hand on my back, moving me forward faster, to a quieter spot, further from the noise of the bazaar, closer towards the side of the street with the shops.

“It’s Hillsborough.” He said to me, once we were in a slightly quieter spot. “It’s a long way from the palace, by normal standards, but traveling underground is a bit of a shortcut. Three miles underground, and one through the woods. Right now, what we need to get is a big tent, and a plan.”

“I’ll take care of the details.” Q said, seeming somewhat mischievous. “I know people here….” He threw a glance towards an alley, then looked back to me, unconcerned. Then, he disappeared into an alley. Ander shrugged at me, and we wandered away from the roar of the bazaar, and towards the quieter part of the street, crowded over with shops. We plodded in and out of shops we suspected might carry some sort of camping gear, until we were almost at the end of the line, where the shops ended and the houses and hills begun. The last store on the road looked very suspect, so we walked in. Quel was there, waiting for us. I was about to ask him how he got there, but I changed my mind. I wandered towards the back, looking for a tent, while Quel and Ander conversed about Q’s finding, trailing about a yard and a half behind me.  I paused at a large metal stand with boxes advertising tents stacked on it. The boys stopped short behind me, still talking for a moment more. A girl appeared from behind the rack.

“Do you guys need any help?” She asked, sounding relatively friendly. I looked at her closely. She was older than me, that much I could tell, but not by much.

“No, I think we’re alright.” Ander responded from behind me, stepping forward, almost in front of me, but not quite.

“Alright, if I can help you with anything, princess, let me know.” She curtsied, and turned to walk away, but Ander caught her by the wrist and spun her around, his face tense.

“What did you say?” He hissed, pinning her against the rack of tents.

“I recognized her from the parade two years ago.” Her voice was calm and even, and she looked Ander straight in the eye. She didn’t seem frightened at all. “She looks older now though.” She glanced past him to me, meeting my eyes and smiling briefly at me before refocusing on Ander. “I honestly didn’t mean to offend you, though your reaction is warranted, there are people in this town who would do terrible things if they knew she were here, or could get their hands on her. I, personally am one of few who believe that the royals were framed. It’s impossible that a person could go on being good and well for so long and then suddenly begin committing acts of evil with no conscious. Most people just don’t think.” Andre looked back at her, a blank stare on his face, unsure of how to respond to this. Then, his stare turned hard.

“I think you should come with us for a little while.” He said, releasing her from her position against the rack but still holding her wrist.

“Yes, because we’re terribly paranoid and we become suspicious if anyone is on our side because that’s just not possible.” I said sarcastically, mocking Ander. The girl smiled.

“It’s okay, I understand.” She said, nodding. 

“You’re not helping.” Ander growled to me. Quel, still behind me, shook his head, hair falling into his face, hiding his expression.

“I will gladly come with you, I just need to tell my boss that’s I’m heading out.” Ander eyed her carefully, and then nodded. Quel grabbed a tent and carried the oblong wooden box over his shoulder after Ander released the girl’s hand. We walked to the front of the store, the girl in the lead. She paused at the counter and called out,

“I’m heading out for the day, I’ll call you when I can work again.” A gruff voice answered from an unseen position,

“Alright Bienne, see you in a few.” I looked behind the edge of the wall that obstructed the end of the counter, and saw a door, partially cracked open, and assumed that her boss was sitting in there. I left three aureates sitting on the counter to make up for the tent that we were taking, figuring it would be more than enough. Ander led the way out, I walked beside the girl, and Quel brought up the back. I felt minor irritation at Ander for being so overprotective of me and for dragging this poor girl along, even though she didn’t seem to mind. I glanced over at the girl, who smiled brightly at me. Then, I looked back to Q, who had his upper teeth clamped down on his lower lip, and upon meeting my eyes, shrugged an looked at Ander. I followed his gaze. Ander, back rigid and shoulders tight under his uniform, led us to the alley beside the shop from which we had just exited.

“What did you say your name was?” I asked the girl beside me.

“I didn’t.” She stuck out her hand, which I took. “My name is Bienevenutio, but you may call me Bienne. I am graced with your presence, princess.” After shaking my hand gently, as if I were fragile and might be easily damaged, she dropped it and curtsied, which seemed odd, for she was wearing a brown skirt, which covered her to mid-thigh, and was tight against her skin. Considering that, her whole outfit was a bit strange, at least, from what I had ever been exposed to in the capital. She wore a top, the same color brown, that exposed her belly button, and two belts crossed over each other at opposite angles, hanging off her slender hips, each the same hue, an earthy orange. She wore a silver pendant that looked like a fishing weight, on a leather thong around her neck. Her top hugged her curves, and the thick straps arched over her shoulders on either side. She wore suede boots that came up about her ankles. Bienne had several pouches hanging off the back of her belts, I noticed carefully; suddenly wary of what she might be hiding in them. It was then that I remembered something Ander had said to me, five years ago, and had repeated with increasing frequency over the years and of late.

“If someone does not make their intentions clear to you, you should have a healthy amount of fear towards them. You don’t know what they think about you. You have to be careful.” I recited this silently in my mind, my lips moving as I internalized the mantra.

I stopped a foot short of walking into Ander. We had walked about halfway down the alley, and were still in partial sunlight. Quel stood about a yard and a half down from Bienne and me, leaning against the wall. Ander walked over to him, and began to speak in a barely noticeable whisper, from which I could make out no words.

“You don’t have to call me princess, since, technically, that’s not really my title anymore. I mean, it is, but I’m not feeling very royal, and certainly not enough to be called a Princess.”

“Aright. Kaiara then?”

“Just Kaia.”

“Okay. Kaia then.”

“I wanted to ask you, Bienne, what is it that makes you so faithful to me and my family, when everyone else hates us?”

“It’s easy. I think for myself, and don’t bother following the media. All of those Editions and ‘Torials that they put out, it’s almost all just propaganda. Unfortunately, the majority of people, even this close to that capital, all trust the media, like it’s their best friend. They’re pretty blind. Another problem with this town is that a lot of people were taken from it, when the slaughter happened, so they have even more hatred for you. I think if there was someone else to blame, they would, but they’re so upset that they find to most convenient scapegoat and use it ruthlessly. That happened to be you, in this situation. It’s still pretty unacceptable, either way.” I was startled by her response, I was much more than I had expected to hear, but I was glad to hear it. I straightened a little, and paused before speaking, using the skills I had leaned in Etiquette. It’s always better to pause and be silent than to go “Uhhhhhhhm…”

“I’m so sorry. I don’t-…Did you lose anyone?”

“No, not me, personally. But my boss did, and he’s very upset about it. He’s older, you know? And he had a son...” I nodded, unsure of how to respond. After a moment of silence and straining my ears to overhear the quiet conversation between the two boys, I asked a question that had suddenly come to mind.

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen. But I’m a bit smarter than most my age.” She said nodding, a twinkle in her eye.

“I’ve been to pre-med school, and taken the psych-Haman course. I’ve always wanted to be a doctor. Honestly, A royal doctor.” She blushed a little. I looked at her again. She was eighteen years old and had already taken the three years of school that pre-med took, and the two that the rigorous Haman Psychological Method took to learn and master. Then, startlingly, I realized that if she had passed psych-Haman, she would certainly know how to work and play people. I had learned the psych-Haman, but had never quite mastered the material about the interaction between the theory of deception and basic human nature. I could not lie to save my life. Recognizing one was even difficult. It, I found, gave me a certain innocence that people seemed to want to protect. I wasn’t naïve, just a little under-perceptive. For the record, I mastered the rest of the psych-Haman.

“Well,” I responded, choosing my words carefully. “You might get that chance. I don’t think Ander will let you go very far. I’m really sorry about all of this. You probably would have been better off not mentioning that you recognized me…”

“I don’t mind. I would do anything to help my country and my Princess. I might have even offered to come along anyway if it—“ Bienne was cut off when Ander turned around abruptly and covered the space in a stride and a half. Quel stood a half step behind him, looking resolved, one hand resting on the wooden box, the other shoved into his pocket.

“Would you consider traveling with us for a while? We could use some more people on our side.” Ander asked. It was a challenge. And it wasn’t really an offer. It was a demand. I knew, should she refuse the “offer” that he would make her come, one way or another. I glared at him, disappointed in his tactics. But Bienne responded gracefully. Her actual words were not surprising, however.

“I would be honored to come with you. If there was anyway that I could help, I would. May I ask your names?”

“I am Ander. That’s Quello.” Ander jabbed a thumb over his shoulder towards the other boy.

“Quel.” He corrected with a nod. Quel pulled a hand out of his pocket and offered it to Bienne. She shook it gently.

“I am Bienne.”

“Pleasure.” Ander said in that thin, taught, formal way that told you just how tense he was. I looked at his features, his dark brown eyes, his strong chin, all of the little details that told you how close he was to being a man. He was standing completely straight, rigid, knees locked. His arms were crossed, enforcer-style, over his chest, his legs were shoulder length apart. Very intimidating, if it weren’t for that stupid cowlick that made a large sandy blond banana curl fall across his forehead and onto the bridge of his nose. I smiled lightly. Just as he was about to speak again, I noticed something.

“Ander.” His whole face, not just his eyes, turned to me. His entire position changed, he seemed to relax a little even. “You’re still in uniform.” I looked at myself then, too. “And I look…well, I look like a princess. We need to get out of these clothes.”

“S**t,” Was his immediate response. “We’ll get that taken care of, but we have other priorities first, right?” I nodded. I could practically see he mentally filing away the idea of going shopping. It was not an activity that he would enjoy. He turned back to Bienne. “Do you have any weapons on you?”

“A knife, and that’s it. Unless you consider medical equipment weaponry.”

“Equipment?” He asked, raising one eyebrow.

“Scalpel, syringes, anesthetic, stitches, medications, the like. Let me guess. You want the needles, scalpels, stitches, and my knife, right?” She reached behind her.

“Sure do.” Ander responded just as aggressively. She handed him two pouches off of her belt, and then reached down into her boot and pulled out a short knife and handed it to him. Ander passed it behind him, to Quel, who stuck it down his shirt, where it stayed. I grinned at him. I was one of two people who knew how he did it. He was the other. He winked at me, taking the two pouches that Ander handed him, and shoved them in his pockets.

“Precautionary, you know?” Ander said, meeting Bienne’s eyes.

“Of course.” She nodded.

“I think,” Quel began, straightening and lifting the long box over his shoulder again, “That we need to set up a place to camp, before we do anything else,”

“Fine.” Ander responded, taking the lead into walking down the alley. I followed, Bienne behind me and Quel behind her. I had never seen Ander the way he was now, but I considered the circumstances, and decided that I was probably going to see a lot more of this kind of tension. I picked up pace so I could walk right beside Ander.  I looked at him.

“Do you have an idea where you’re going?” I asked quietly, so that Bienne and Q, just behind us, would not hear.

“I have a general idea, yes.” With his back turned to the others, and no one but me looking at his face, it was much more relaxed. He seemed to be in thought, looking very serene.

“Why are you so suspicious?” I asked tentatively. It wasn’t meant to offend him, I was generously curious. But the tone of his voice told me that he was unhappy with my question.

“Is there something so wrong with wanting to protect the person closest to you, the one you care about more than anything else, especially when their life is in danger every time they meet someone new?” I stared at him. “Look. People are good liars, and a lot of them will go pretty far to avenge a loved one. I just want to be careful, so you don’t become the innocent victim of one of those revenge-crazed-whackos. Is that okay with you?”

“Sorry I asked.” I mumbled, a little too sarcastically. Ander was silent. I slowed until I was behind him, glaring at the back of his head, feeling ridiculous. I hated fighting with him, but I was so angry. The whole thing was pointless. I wasn’t trying to instigate, nor was did I feel that I was worth going that far for. My position might be worth protecting, sure, but I wasn’t really anything special. I had been, however, surprised to hear that I was Ander’s closest friend. The feeling was pretty much mutual, though there wee some things I would share with Quel and not Ander, though only out of fear that Ander would become angry with me. Ander had known me longer and knew everything about me, unlike Q, who had known me for only ten of my fifteen years. I knew that either one of them would put their life down for me, which was all that mattered. It gave me chills that someone would go that far for me. I hoped that I could do the same for them, if it ever came to that.

“No.” Quel said from behind me. Ander and I both turned to face him.

“What?” Ander asked.

“It’s a left here, not a right.” I watched the exchange with bare interest.

“No? I could have sworn…”

“You can take a right, and I’ll take a left, and we’ll see who gets there.”

“Nah, I trust you. You know this area far better than I do.”

“Thanks.”

I looked at our surroundings, surprised to find myself in a narrow, semi-dark alley. I realized that we had probably been working out way through a small yet complex alley system for the past twenty minutes, but I had been so consumed in my thoughts that I had not noticed. So I paid more attention to the turns that Ander led us through. I wondered what all of the buildings that made up the sides of the alleys were. I guessed that they were abandoned, use before the town became as small as it was.

It wasn’t long before we reached a wide pebbled trail bordering rolling green hills. I stared, shocked at the abrupt change in scenery. I turned behind me, staring at the dark path between to crumbling brick facades from which I had just exited. Then I turned again, facing the beautiful countryside before me.

“This is why the call it Hillsborough.” Bienne whispered to me. I hadn’t even realized that she was by my side. “Because an odd ring of hill circles the town on each side.” I nodded. Quel jogged up to the top of the hill right before us, and said

“The woods aren’t far from here.” He jogged back down, and beckoned to the three of us. We followed him, weaving through the little valleys between hills until we hit the edge of the woods, which seemed to be completely flat. The journey across the hillside was completely silent, and it covered about half a mile.

The woods seemed to hum, quietly, with vibrancy and life. We walked about three hundred yards into the woods and found a small clearing. Quel and Ander had the tent up in a matter of minutes while Bienne and I stood awkwardly together and watched. I wondered what it was, exactly, that made Ander able to get along so comfortably with Quel. He didn’t seem suspicious of him even a little bit. Quite the opposite, in fact, they seemed to get along like old friends. I would have to ask him about that later.

It was almost one, but I was exhausted, and I felt like I was about to fall apart. I found, the more I thought about the whole ordeal, the harder it was not to scream.I was being hunted by the people who had once loved me, the people I loved, because someone had done something terrible in my name. Now I was separated from my parents and my friends, and had no way to protect myself, or prove the rumors wrong. I had nothing. My hands clenched into fists, and I closed my eyes for a moment, collecting myself. I took in a deep breath through my nose and held it for a moment, focusing on the smell, the let it out just as heavily. Then I opened my eyes, and followed the others into the surprisingly large tent, and sat down beside Ander.

“We have two things to do before tonight. We need to get lots of supplies, and civilian clothes for Kaia and I. This means we have to go back into the bazaar.” He paused.

“Can I stay here?” I asked quietly. Ander looked at me and nodded.

“I’ll keep ‘ercomp’ny. You ‘n Bienne can go do th’ shopping?”

“Sure.” He said, nodding.

“I’ll go with,”

“Of course.” Ander responded quickly, nodding. Bienne stood, stretching, and Ander leaned over to me.

“Are you okay?” he asked, his face wrinkled with concern. I nodded.

“I tell you about it later.”

“Aright. See you two later.” Bienne and Ander both exited the tent. It was just Quel and I in the tent, which seemed to be made for ten people. There was a divider that was rolled against the top, and I let it down so that the tent only looked half as big. I sat back down on the canvas material next to Quel, and closed my eyes.

“What’s on your mind?” He asked me, as he lay back, flat on the canvas. I lay down as well, put my head on his chest.

“I’m just tired.”

“No you’re not.”

“I know, it’s this entire thing. It’s like…it couldn’t really touch me when I was back at home, but now I’m here, and everything is ten times more real. And it’s so sudden. Everything is too…real.” I really didn’t want to start crying right there, but I did, I couldn’t help it. At least I wasn’t sobbing or anything embarrassing like that. “I can’t believe that millions of people want to kill me. People that, not too long ago, liked me. I don’t know what to make of anything. I can’t even protect myself. I have to have you do it for me.” I paused, wiping my cheek. I sniffed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to do this to you. To drag you into all of this. You should have just stayed back there.”

“Shh. S’okay. I don’t mind. You’re my best friend; I will always be here for you. I promise. I will protect you.” I nodded. I could tell how sincere he was being because he chose his words carefully, and spoke out the entire word, not using slang the way he was brought up. He untangled my hair gently with one hand. I closed my eyes and tried to get some rest.

 

 

Chapter Two

Ander

I walked side by side with Bienne out of the alley system and into the bazaar, glancing around. She seemed to be okay to me. I think, if she were being deceptive, she would have made her move by now. Still, you could never be too cautious. I looked over her again, not really finding anything threatening.

“Let’s go to my house first.” She said to me, starting forward. I paused to consider. If she was going to make her move, it would be on her own territory. Was it worth the risk of getting supplies to possibly be walking right into the lion’s mouth? I took a deep breath. If there was ever a time for risk-taking.

“Alright.” I said, following her. She led me up past the shop where we had found her and to a small two story cottage, practically on the hillside. It was the least threatening building I had ever seen. Warily, I followed her in.

“Want the full tour?” She offered cheerfully. I shrugged. Could be a trap, but it was definitely better to know my way around if need be.

“Sure.”

“Alright, we’re alone, so no need to be quiet.” Alone. I sized her up, not for the first time, deciding that I could probably beat her in a fight, if need be. Downstairs there was the den, living room the kitchen and the dining room as well as the guest room, which was unoccupied. Above there was her room, her older brother’s room, the bathroom, and the closet, which basically served as the attic. We ended the tour back in her room.

“What do we need first?” She asked me, sitting down on her bed, which was neatly made.

“Probably bags. Things to carry other things in, you know?” I asked, raising one eyebrow. Simple logic. She nodded.

“I think I get the idea.” She hopped off the bed and walked over to her closet, and tossed out five large backpacks. “This should be enough for now. Let’s see now. Camping equipment here…” She pulled out a wooden box from the shelf of her closet and set it on the floor with a thud. It was bigger then just a box, but it wasn’t quite a crate. I stared. “My family used to go hiking in the north. Don’t give me that look, if you were normal you would do it too.” Bienne said to me before going back to the closet. “And a medical kit. Considering our purpose I might as well just bring my whole arsenal, right?” She began making a stack of things on the floor. I seated myself on her bed and looked on, amused. I was assured, at this point, that I was in no danger from her. I smiled as I watched.

She opened the box and began taking things out. There were three brass lanterns and extra oil for them, a flint, lots of blankets and pillows, a rain tarp, and metal pot with a gaslight for cooking. There were quite a few other useful things, among them two large filter canisters for water, and snowshoes. I stared at her as she set down the snowshoes.

“It’s summer. You really think snowshoes are going to come in handy?”

“No, but come winter, they will.” She proceeded to take out three more pairs. I actually hadn’t thought that far ahead, would we really still be at this six months from now?

“I think, if we need them, we can buy a few pairs when the time comes.” She looked at me skeptically, and I wondered what she was thinking. I could never seem to figure out what was going on inside a girl’s head. She just nodded and put them back into the box. I stretched and rolled my neck.

“Is it alright with you if I pack some more knives?” She looked up and me from her kneeling position on the floor, both hands in the box. There was something more in her gaze than a question, but it wasn’t intimidating. Sighing, I nodded.

“Ehh, sure. I think that would be alright.” She began to pack the blankets and pillows into the bottom of each bag, then the tarp and lanterns. I watched as the bags slowly filled up. The last thing she put on top was the rest was her medical supplies. She left the two canisters out, and one empty bag.

“You two needed new clothes, right?” Bienne asked as she stood, taking up a backpack on each shoulder with a grunt. I easily lifted the other two, plus the empty one and the two empty canisters, and followed her out of her room and down the stairs.

“Yeah, we do.”

We put the bags on the table. Then, we went back upstairs to her brother’s room.

“He’s twenty now, but about your size, so you should fit into his clothes.” She opened his closet, and took out a brown shirt with sleeves that went down all the way to the wrist, and a pair of dark grey trousers. The shirt was far too large, and the trousers were a bit tight, so we tried again, this time she handed me a long sleeved white shirt the held tight to my skin and a black short sleeve to go over it, as well as a new pair of grey-blue-ish pants. This time the clothes fit perfectly. When I came out, she nodded.

“Not half bad. I don’t think he’ll miss those very much anyway. Now, your ward.” I followed her back into her own room, standing behind her at the wooden dresser. “I don’t believe you have any business seeing a woman’s undergarments, so if you please, have a seat.” She motioned toward the bed. I snorted.

“As you wish. It’s not as if I’ve never seen a demi-corset before. I help Kaia get dressed everyday.

“Well shouldn’t she have a bedmaid for that?”

“I’m the only servant she’s ever had or needed. I do anything thing that she needs done or help with.” Bienne rummaged through her top drawer for a moment. Then she sighed.

“Alright, what size is she? It would be horrible for her to have the wrong size.”

“Three and a quarter.” I said with a smile.

“Perfect.” She pulled out a demi-corset and a slip, and then went one drawer down.

“Now, we need something fit for a princess, but quite inconspicuous…” She paused, looking through her options. “This looks like it will be wonderful. She held up a navy blue skirt that diagonally faded to brown, with strips of white silk ribbon and cream lace, alternating, falling from mid-skirt length to about an inch and a half past the end of the skirt.

“It’s beautiful. Is it a seven or eight?” I asked hopeful. I could imagine how it would look on her.

“Mmm…” She checked the stitching. “Seven. Is that good?”  I nodded.

“Perfect, she can barely keep an eight on her hips.” Bienne moved down to the last drawer on the dresser, and pulled out an elegant yet simple white blouse, and a small brown bodice to go over it.

“That ought to work just fine.” I said, nodding. I held the pile of my old clothes and accessories in my lap. Bienne folded the pile of clothes that she had picked out for Kaia, and we went back downstairs. She went outside to fill the two canisters at her well, and I put the clothes for Kaia, and my old uniform, in the extra bag. My accessories: my belt, my swordbelt and my black cloth bandolier, which I had noticed a lot of men wearing in the bazaar. I packed my dagger back into their proper places on my person, and zipped up the top of the bag, just a Bienne returned. I quickly unzipped it, making room for the two large canisters. After she had set them in there, I zipped it. The bag was still about half empty. We went into the bazaar, but I wasn’t sure what else we could need for camping. I knew that Bienne had emptied her savings jar before we had left, but I wasn’t sure how much money she had with her.We browsed around the bazaar for about a half hour, trying to find anything else we might need. I split from her to buy food that might last us for a week. She returned carrying a ornately carved wooden box, another empty backpack, and three hot bags of food. We filled the rest of our empty space with the food, extra supplies, and box, and then left the bazaar, deciding that it was time to go back to the tent. The alleys were easier to navigate on the way back. Once we were in the hills, I asked her about the box.

“What’s in the box? That must have cost you a bit.”

“It wasn’t so pricey for what it is. It’s a sign of good faith from me to you. I want you to be able to trust me, and I figure that giving you something like this will show you that I trust you.

“What is it?” I asked again. I had actually begun to let myself trust her a bit, seeing the way she was treating me. I was pretty sure, at this point, that I had no rational suspicions about her.

“You’ll have to wait and see.” She said, a mischievous smile on her face. I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t have much of a choice do I?” She continued walking. Women. I lengthened my stride to keep up with her pace, and for the first time, I considered the fact that she was two years my senior, and then shrugged. I also noticed that she did not complain about carrying three heavy backpacks a half mile, not once.

When we returned to the campsite Kaia was asleep on Quel, who was doing the same, on the floor if the tent. I stared at them for a moment, dropping the bags to the floor. The way that Kaia curled up beside him, her face turned in against his stomach, one hand resting just below her mouth, and he, a hand splayed across her hair on his chest, showed just how much she trusted him. Their faces in total repose were so different from their waking visages. Quel seemed to constantly hold a slightly apathetic, slightly critical, and a little bit smug look, and Kaia always looked composed, and a little bit worried, and always friendly. Asleep, they both looked completely relaxed, without a doubt of their safety. It strengthened my faith in putting doubtless trust in him, as I had, on the basis that Kaia had known him for so long, and trusted him unconditionally, as she did with so few others. I could feel that Quel and I would be good friends. Bienne walked in behind me, and Quel sat straight up at the sound. His hand held Kaia’s head as he sat up, seeming to instinctively keep it from falling. Her head came to rest in his lap, and she unconsciously adjusted herself to a more comfortable sleeping position in it. Quel ran a hand through his brown mess of curly hair, pulling it away from his eyes.

“Welcome back. You guys get everything you could think of? Any trouble?” He met my eyes as his lips framed the last phrase. I shook my head slightly at him.

“No, everything was fine We got just about everything we’ll need for a good week or so.”

“Great.” Quel said, nodding. “Wait—“ He paused sniffing the air. “What’s that smell? Are those…kabobs?” I shrugged, sitting down.

“Hell yes.” Bienne replied, sitting down on the other side of me. She opened one of the bags and handed it to Quel. “Lamb. You like kabobs?” She passed me a bag that had the word ‘beef’ scrawled on it messily. I nodded as I took it.

“I do. The last time I had one was at the parade two years ago.” Quel responded enthusiastically. I put my hand gently on Kaia’s back and shook her to wake her up.

“Hungry?” I cooed to her as she groaned with the horrid feeling of having to wake up.

“Iguunnsh.” She murmured, sitting up slowly. She stretched for a moment, and I watched with amusement. “I guess.” She repeated, blinking away the droopiness from her eyelids. “What did you get?”

“Well, we got lot’s of stuff, but what’s hot are kabobs.”

“Oooh, yum.” She said nodding. Bienne tossed her a bag with something utterly illegible scribbled across it. Kaia sniffed it and wrinkled her nose. “Chicken…” She said, looking abashedly at Bienne. “I don’t eat meat. Sorry. Thanks though.” She passed the bag back.

“That’s alright, I have a fruit kabob here, if you want that one. I’ll eat the chicken ones instead.” Kaia’s face lit back up.

“Thanks.” She said. We ate slowly and quietly. Halfway through a bite of beef, I paused. Could these be drugged? Bienne had gone to get them alone, and had had more than enough time to mess with them. Then I considered that she had not known that Kaia was a vegetarian, and that she was almost done with hers already. I dismissed the possibility, and enjoyed the rest of my lunch. After everyone had finished, it was almost three in the afternoon. I took a walk with Kaia, leaving Quel alone with Bienne in the tent, unpacking some things.

“How long do you think we’ll be here?” She asked, not looking at me, but rather, around at the foliage and fauna.

“I don’t know. Maybe a week, maybe less. We need to figure out where we’re going, and what we’re going to do when we get there. Our major goal right now is pretty vague, we need to figure out some steps to get there…” I looked away from her, staring straight out into the redwood forest. It was flat, and relatively clear, yet seemed to go on for miles. The sun came through it, making little patterns on the ground. It was cooler in the woods than it was in the city, hot and grimy.  We circled back after about a half hour of walking.

“You’re okay, right?” I asked, just a few minutes before we were back at the tent.

“Yeah, I’m just…overwhelmed by my situation. There’s too much for me to think about, and not enough time for me to process and adapt.”

“I know what you mean. Is there anything I can do to help?” I paused, putting a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, her blue eyes seeming to smile on their own.

“I will be just fine. Thank you.” She hugged me tightly then, and I returned the gesture, holding her for a moment. I smiled as we walked the rest of the way back to the tent.

“That’s what I’m here for.”

            Back in the tent, Quel and Bienne were laughing and talking as they organized all of the stuff. I looked at the pile of clothing that was waiting for Kaia in the corner, and looked to her.

            “You need to change.” I said to her. She nodded. I grabbed the pile of clothing and held the divider aside for her, and then we were alone on the empty half of the tent. Kaia took off her bodice and skirt quickly, and then her slip. She was left in her underwear and corset. I unlaced the back of her delicate corset quickly with one hand, holding the new, more casual corset in the other. Once the corset was loose enough for her to take off on her own, I handed her the other one, and turned away, until she said

“Okay.” I turned back and laced the other one snugly over her back. She picked up her the new clothing, and slid into it easily.

“How much did this skirt cost you? It must have been a fortune.”

“It was Bienne’s.” I stated, buttoning the back of her skirt.

“She just gave it to me?”

“Yeah, that was just about my reaction.” It was silent as the buttoned the front of the blouse. She turned to me, and took a step closer so that her nose was brealy an inch from mine. She buttoned the rest of her shirt, knuckles brushing against my chest as she whispered,

“What do you think of her?” in my ear. She took a step back and put the small bodice on, turning so I could latch the back for her.

“I think she’s fine. And she’ll make a wonderful addition to our tiny little group.”

“You think she’s okay?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. I knew it was important for Kaia to know that I felt safe. She would too. We went back onto the other side of the tent.

We sat and talked, the four of us, well into the darkness, Quel, at one point, lit up the lanterns. We didn’t talk about anything serious, we all felt too lighthearted for anything too deep. When bedtime finally came, it was done pretty quickly. We just handed out the blankets, and laid down. I was tense, I didn’t know if Bienne would betray us tonight. I didn’t think so, and yet I still wanted to sleep lightly. Kaia curled up beside Quel, and I blew out the lanterns. And not surprisingly, I slept the night through, undisturbed.