CHAPTER ONE
Isabelle looked over her shoulder as she continued to tear through the forest, twigs and leaves catching on her dress. Her elaborate hairstyle had long since unravelled and her long curls whipped around her, snagging on braches as she sprinted past. She could still here her father's guards chasing after her on horseback, but since she had diverted from the path she'd rapidly gained distance from them.
Not seeing them, she allowed herself to slow for a moment, leaning up against a tree to catch her breath and wishing her corset hadn't been laced so tight. Taking a moment to observe her surroundings, she noted that even the animals seemed quieter in this part of the woods, and it was not an area she had ever seen before, even when she had sneaked out at night without her guard.
Heaving a sigh, she started forwards again, praying she'd find somewhere to rest for the night. She had no idea what she was going to do. Anywhere she went people were likely to recognise their princess, and she simply refused to return to the palace. Not while her father was still talking of balls and princes and weddings! No, she'd rather die out here in the woods than be forced into a loveless marriage so her father could gain more land! She'd seen his interactions with her mother, and while she didn't know much about relationships, she knew there had to be more to them than the cold silence that normally occupied the dinner table.
Isabelle noticed the trees were started to thin slightly, and she could see a light flickering through the trees. She edged closer, looking cautiously around the last trunk to see a modest cottage nestle amongst the trees and a small fire burning through the window of what must have been the kitchen.
After examining the small clearing once more to insure her father's guards were not hidden waiting to leap out at her, she moved forwards, but hesitated at the front door, instead moving back around the cottage to where she had seen the fire. Gingerly, she knocked at the backdoor, absently trying to fix her bedraggled appearance as she anxiously wondered what sort of person she might encounter, hoping that whoever it was would be generous to lend her a bed for the night and not raise the alarm as to her whereabouts.
She held her breath as she heard the clanging of a lock being drawn back and the door creaked open slightly.
A man about her age peered nervously round the door. His face was smudged with soot and his hair may have been brown underneath the grim that coated it.
"H-hello?" he stuttered.
"Um, hello." Isabelle started, unsure as to how to go about this. All her training in culture and etiquette had never taught her how to politely request a bed for the night. "I-I was wondering if maybe I could come in? I've found myself in a spot of bother and I need somewhere to stay." She hoped she didn't sound too posh. Despite her (admittedly now rather stained and torn) dress, the boy appeared not to have recognised her yet, and she preferred to keep it that way for the moment.
"Of-of course!" The boy responded, opening the door nearly as wide as his eyes and he let her walk past him into a small kitchen.
To be continued (eventually)