Because the hotel which housed the Eastern Court was still a working hotel, charging thousands of dollars a night for wealthy humans to sleep under the same roof as us, all the rooms on our floors were remodeled to have both service halls in the back of the rooms and high halls which we, the nobility, used. This was mandated because a faerie would only sink to personal service of the nobility, but so much more needed to be done. So the human staff needed to have access to our rooms as well.

Also, we, as magical nobility, refused to ever be in a situation where we might be accidentally confronted with the presence of a human.

They knew: to never, under any circumstances, enter the high halls; to only work when we were out of the rooms; and to leave a small red LED light next to the key box lit, that would warn us of their presence in case we return unexpectedly.

Our fae servants didn't have the same opportunity to avoid the non-magical staff or even the human guests. They were certainly expected to use the service halls since they had already been built. Also, their apartments were on the same underground level as the human employee break room and locker room.

I knew that Sam's only priority was me and us escaping safely. But I had loyalty to Gieuxmera and Dicelina. So I told her the tiny falsehood of we needed to go down through the servants quarters before going back up and out through the kitchen. Which we did with the stairs I had us take, but there were other ways down that didn't.

"How much do you trust these maids? Do we give them any information?" Sam asked as we approached their quarters.

"I trust them with my life. Their loyalty is as far above question as your own. Also, I am fond of them I would like to continue with their service if possible. We will need servants when we get where we go." I replied.

The girls were in their long flannel nightgowns when we arrived. Sam grabbed them by the front of their nightgowns and pulled them out the door before running again, assuming they'd follow.

"We're passing through on the way out. But I would have stopped anyway, to pay you back for alerting me that the princess was in trouble. I have rendered the Prince unconscious but not before he called the guards. They must have discovered him by now and are looking for us. We only have moments. I will take the princess and go to the Western Court. We will go to Los Angeles where the Court itself is, but will try to hide in secret. We just want to be nearby if we're discovered, then we'll be petitioning for asylum within the hour. But we cannot be caught. You must understand that. We must leave you behind, we need to travel as fast and unencumbered as possible. You are welcome to meet us there."

"Yes, please meet us there. Please, promise me." I said knowing how I loved and depended on them.

"Okay, the princess requests you meet us there. But you must be certain you are not followed. You must be more certain than certain. You will never forgive yourself if you cause the princess to fall into her brothers hands again. Especially after what's been done to him tonight. And what he'll see as us doing to him now. Stealing his property."

We left them there at the door to the human employees section of the parking garage in their night gowns and slippers. "We will give you a week to arrive and then for an hour at noon each day we will look for you on the Santa Monica Pier. It is crowded enough to not be obvious. Near enough to the Western Court to not be the only faeries around and far enough to make it unlikely there will be anyone there who had ever met the Princess before

Sam walked me through one door and back through one kitty-corner walking straight to the big laundry cart and rummaging in it. "This happened so fast. I'm glad the plan's as advanced as it is. You can't ride my motorcycle in your bloomers and camisole you'll freeze and you'll be recognized. The smallest maintenance worker wears a size small uniform. But it's a men's small. But we'll just roll up the cuffs and you'll leave your underthings on and-here it is!."

Sam pulled out a navy blue coverall that had some stains and bleach spots and smelled like floor wax.

She held it out to me. It was the poorest garment that I have ever been asked to put on. Both in quality and condition. But I wasn't the sort of maiden who balked at such things. To me it was like a raiment of finest gossamer. Almost holy. This meager human worker's uniform would take me safely from my brother's grasp.

Even with my clothing underneath, and the sleeves and legs rolled up, I was still swimming in the uniform. But Sam announced it good enough to pass muster. When she brought me to her motorcycle, I was frightened and exhilarated. I had been in a motor vehicle less than two dozen times in all my life. Each time to go with my family to some royal function.
Every year there was the North American Summit when the Eastern, Western, Northern and Southern kingdoms met.
It rotated where it would be, so three out of four years we traveled.

Every seven years we would grace what I was raised calling the Low Blood Jamboree.
Called simply the Eastern Court Jamboree by participants and thrown each year by the mixed blood, low-born and other non-faerie fae.

Finally, in my lifetime, my parents had been invited once to attend the Faerie Queen at the High Court in Eriu, what the humans called Ireland.
She also had a Summer Palace in France but my parents had yet to be invited.
Of the New World fae, only the Western Court had ever been invited there.

The Summer Palace was mainly for those nobles the Queen considered friends. The only reason the West had been invited once is because since the Court itself was practically in the lap of Hollywood geographically and figuratively, they had a much closer relationship with the human media. It would seem even the Faerie Queen can benefit from good publicity.

Sam put her helmet on my head with my hair tucked away. The klaxon alarm started as we drove up the subterranean driveway.
Sam visibly looked around when we drove through the last level. She looped wide and picked up a large push broom that a cleaner had left against the wall.

I just had time to think a push broom lance wouldn't be strong enough to break the wood and metal structure of the barrier, as we drove up the last hill to the exit.

At the last moment Sam swerved onto the walkway where the crossed piece of the large broom could work very well to push any bystanders who refused to move out of our way. Luckily every staff member we passed figured it was more than their job was worth to interfere.

Every one up until we got to the actual barrier operator. He wasn't a security guard on the staff exit so he was unarmed, even at our palace hotel.
He did dodge at the last second, but the edge of the brushy part still caught him.
Luckily, Sam was trained for jousting, even in this day and age, so she knew how to brace for the impact then release and push it away all in that split second time-frame she had. She knocked him to the ground and then we were free.

Free to face New York City traffic.

But this was life and death and Sam knew that, and respected it.
She was driving on sidewalks, center medians, wrong way down a one way street just hugging us tight to the walls of the side buildings.

Lucky for us Sam had superhuman reflexes and a strategic mind. So she not only could handle her bike better than the cops that kept tailing us for a short distance before being lost. But she also could plan her moves four or five down the road. So by the time she got to the next move, she was more than ready.

That's why when we hit the place where two police cars blocked the road she turned into a subway entrance, down the steps and through the station. As we neared the wall she jumped the cycle down onto the tracks. Needless to say I did a lot of screaming during the entire trip. But once we were on the tracks it became pretty well nonstop. Especially when she hit the gas as we rattled along because suddenly there was a train gaining on us. I could just barely see a light ahead, even with my better than human senses. We were approaching a tunnel out, but with it being night outside it blended. The outside dimly lit by the moon and stars, maybe streetlights in he distance, the tunnel dimly lit by caution lights. They were very much alike in tone.

Even though I screamed like mad, with Sam in control we were out of the tunnel and turned off the tracks before we were in any real danger.

I guess her eyes are better than mine. Because she saw that there was only a small space between where the train came out of the tunnel and the beginning of the fence line that kept people and cars off the tracks and she arced the wheel perfectly to pass through the space without pulling to the side too much.

Then after about twelve yards there was a hill that we rattled down with me screaming the entire way and Sam barely keeping us upright but still somehow managing to make me feel reasonably safe, given the situation. I was glad of the muffling effect of her helmet on my screeching with fear.

It wasn't bad really. There was plenty of space between the trees and the ground was fairly solid not all craggy and full of deadfalls.

I did breathe a sigh of relief that sounded suspiciously like a sob when we hit an actual paved road and started driving level again. It wasn't long until we were out of the grassy tree lined hills area and into a commercial warehouse looking area, but the traffic was very light and there were no trains, so even if I didn't know where we were or where we were going, I liked it.

I mean I knew our final destination of course, but not how one got there. Especially not from here. Since I also didn't know where 'here' was.

Sam pulled into a small service station we passed as we traveled.

She pulled into the back where there was a door labeled rest room and a symbol: a triangle with a circle on top. I knew from seeing similar signs when I have been allowed in the human sections of the court hotel, that this designated the women's lavatory.
Initially I was disappointed in the first one I went in, there at the court hotel. There were two couches in the area with the vanity mirrors, but I certainly could think of a more pleasant place to rest than next to a bank of toilets. I've heard that there are some in less palatial buildings that have no couches at all, and if you wish to rest you have to just sit on the toilet seat. No thank you. I would rather sit on the ground by a nice tree, if I feel tired, than on a toilet seat.

When we approached the door, I saw a sign that said 'Restrooms for customers only. For key, please see attendant'.

I touched Sam's arm and pointed to the sign. She smiled. "I'm not a religious girl. One of the reasons I am with you tonight. I don't pretend to know where our magic comes from, any more than your own. But no lock may bar us." She reached out her hand and turned the handle.

I don't know if I felt/heard the ocean like roar of magic being used, if I did it was very subtle. But the door opened easily.

The extent of what I know about Sam's lineage is hearsay. And not much of that. The tale is: in ancient times the gods gathered their most faithful servants in the animal kingdom and gave them the ability to take the form of man. (This was before humans lost their power and left the fae). To act as their investigators and avengers. They were called the Hounds of the Gods, which apparently meant hunter, as dogs had not been bred separate from wolves yet. Hunting dogs take their name from the Hounds of the Gods not the other way around. No one knows how they get their assignments but they live in quiet contemplation serving the gods as givers of charity among the poor until they hear a calling and somehow know where to go and what to do. It is said in the beginning they could move smoothly between their body and the form of the most perfect specimens of their ancestral beast. And the first humans called them werewolves, werebears, wereboars according to their beastial nature. Because that meant man-wolf...et al; and they were frightened of them because they brought the wrath of the gods. And eventually as humanity turned their eyes from the Ancients and to new gods there were tales of the were-fae being devils and monsters.

Today, since they primarily wed within their kind, they had features of many animals when they wear their beastial nature. It was almost unheard of for them to choose not to follow their lineage into service. But it would seem that if they didn't they would use the adapted human term werebeast. At least I presumed so from what I had heard from Sam tonight.

In addition to their beastial nature, they had several powers that even a secular girl like me would say seemed particularly suited for their work: no lock could bar them (as I believe I just witnessed), they were immune from magical attack (as I saw when Sam faced my brother), they had perfect direction of not only north south east and west, but also 'which way is the bad man's house?' or even 'which way is the fish merchant?'. Also, they always knew if they were being lied to. I had heard they always know the truth behind the lie. But I couldn't be certain until I saw it or Sam and I had a chance to discuss who she was and what brought her to my service.

Sam spoke to me as we entered the lavatory. "I chose this for the privacy, not for the mirrors. But I don't know how it works and they're here if you need them. We need you to glamour your face. You are one of the more recognizable faces in the country and we are fugitives. I'm hoping you can tone things down and look mixed perhaps or at least low born." She blinked at me as I stared at her. "How much experience do you have changing your appearance?"

"None," I said.

"Not even when you were traveling so you wouldn't be mobbed?" She asked.

"We had guards so we wouldn't be mobbed. But when we travel my parents want us recognized. How else will people know how to treat us." I explained.

"Well do you know how to glamour your appearance? Can you make yourself look low born?"

"First question, yes it is something my teachers stressed. Second question, I believe I can."
I looked in the mirror, even though I didn't need to. This was my first time and it might require fine tuning.

High born faerie had a light. The light of our power I assume. So we all had hair that could be described as looking metallic or like spun gemstones, though it was far softer than human hair. Our version of blonde looked like ultrafine silver wire and went through almost every color in existence.

So the first thing I must do is dull my hair from a burgundy garnet sheen to more of a rich red velvet color. Still something a human would never naturally wear, but more uncommon than rare or unheard of in low born faerie.

Next I focused on my skin taking my pale buttery caramel flesh that had an almost translucent glow like the sun moving through actual confectionary. I dulled it until it was almost within the human range, if a human existed without blemish, scar, or visible pores. It was maybe twenty minutes of work including fine tuning and randomly spot checking all over my body. To make sure I'd gotten it even.

Sam agreed it was complete and then she pulled my hair into what I'd heard called a ponytail. Which she then wrapped to my head and secured with bobby pins. This would keep it tucked into the helmet but also would help with my disguise when I wasn't wearing the helmet, as I had only been seen publicly with my hair up a handful of times at formal state dinners and never like this.
I was fine and happy like this. But the public's perception of Princess Catarina of the House of Valentine, which was nothing like the real me, would never be seen in stolen soiled coveralls with her hair messily twisted together and pinned to her scalp.

I followed Sam into the small mercantile attached to the fuel station when she went to give the workboy money for motorcycle fuel.

When I saw the racks of convenience foods. I realized I was quite hungry.
I hadn't eaten much at Sam's Accolade. I was too nervous. Both in the good way because of Sam seated only six places away from me at the foot of our table. But also in a bad way, as the Mad Prince was staring at me with what appeared to be a melange of hate and hunger.

"Sam. I am hungry." I announced. "Look here Sam, they have chocolate in bar form. I have only had it from a serving tray. But I saw it unpacked once. It came in a white box wrapped in tissue paper. Are these bars better? They are certainly large. I wouldn't want to eat more than one. But that certainly isn't much variety. A single piece of barred chocolate that is the same throughout... what?"

Sam was giving me a look. I glanced up and the workboy was giving me a look as well. It would seem I said something wrong.

"She doesn't get in off the farm much." Sam explained.

"Don't know of any farmers who haven't heard of candy bars. Or one wearing a janitor uniform. But honestly miss, I don't care. Do your thing." The workboy said.

Sam said that a sugary snack would just make me crash and we had more to do tonight. So she promised we would find a restaurant soon and that she would get me candy another time. She asked if she got it now if she could trust me to save it. But I had to be honest with her and say no. "Thats alright." Sam said. "If all you've ever had is box chocolate anything you find here will taste like floor sweepings covered in chocolate scented wax. But there are nice bar chocolates, as you call them, in larger food stores and other places."

Sam told me that we would head toward the highway and find a truck stop. Which turned out to be a kind of all hours restaurant that catered to humans who drove goods from place to place in large vehicles for a living. She said they tended to have good food because when catering to people who drove for a living it was too easy to just wait til the next town if the food was better.

As it turned out they offered beef stew which was a very popular starter course at faerie feasts. But I decided to take a chance and ordered a hamburger sandwich with the traditional accompaniment of a potato sectioned into sticks and fried in deep oil.
I had only had one once before. After hearing about them so much on the small amount of human entertainment I was permitted to view, I requested one for my birthday dinner. But since it was interpreted by our chef I think it lost something. I asked that the human hotel chef prepare it but was told that would be unseemly.

However a human certainly prepared the one at the truck stop. It was a tiny bit crunchy on the outside, almost to the point of being slightly charred on the edges. And the potato sections were delightful. Salty and crisp. In the end I would say I was pleased to have the experience, but I enjoyed the potatoes more than the sandwich.

Many humans came to the table because fae were uncommon in this place it would seem. Sam was very rude to them. But in my belief as a princess of the Eastern Court, these humans were my subjects in a way. At least enough that I didn't want to be rude to them unless they misbehaved.

I will write one meeting down with the understanding it is a typical example of at least ten similar meetings.

Human: Are you some kind of elf?

Me: While there are three kinds of elf, that are not related though they are each called elf. I am none of them. Unfortunately no pureblood elves remain. I am a faerie.

Human: Fairies are little people with wings, I've seen them on tv. (Or in one case in real life when the human was a child and he went to the Western Court.)

Me: Indeed you are correct. But if you listen closely I didn't say fairy, I said faerie.

Human: I don't hear a difference.

Me: It is subtle. Let me try to exaggerate it for you. Tiny individuals with wings. Usually butterfly or dragonfly but feathered or mammalian sometimes, are fairys. Fair-ees. My race which has some common ancestors with elves but are often stronger magically and have round ears. The lineage of our King and Queen is faerie. Pronounced fay-ree. And third is all magical races together often colloquially called the fae because of this exact confusion but the proper designation is Faery, pronounced fayrr-ree. Was I more clear this time?

(Whether yes or no they were already distracted by something I said.)

Human:So you can do magic? Do some magic right now. I want to see.

Me: Unfortunately, I am not a magically adept individual. That is why I am working polishing floors.

Most took this in good humor and thanked me for meeting them and taking the time to teach them the differences of the three 'f's. The few that did not take their disappointment as well as others, Sam was right there to encourage them to move on.

When we finished our meal and left, a human jumped out and grabbed me as we walked behind the building to where Sam had parked.

"If you catch a faerie they have to give you their gold to release them. Now give me your gold." This human seemed a little drunk and that strange mix of jolly and dangerous.

I decided to err on the side of caution. "Good sir, I'm sorry. I'm afraid that's ridiculous. That tale has been going around this country since we came here. It's been going around Europe centuries before that, with us, with leprechauns, with tomten; but none of it's true. We don't have magical caches of gold. I'd be wearing a beautiful dress and I would sing and play theatrics with my friends all day if I didn't have to work for my wages just like you or any other person on this earth."

He looked puzzled for a moment then clearly had a thought, saying, "You're just saying that so I'll release you."

"You'll release her regardless." Sam said. "I was happy to let my friend be nice to you. Because your drunk, not much older than us, and clearly don't have a weapon. But we have a train to catch."

"Oh I have a weapon, I just knew I didn't need it against two girls who are both smaller than my sisters. And I never had a problem fighting them, even both together. But I can pull it, if it will stop the bullshit and get me my gold."

He reached toward his pocket and Sam grabbed his wrist. He struggled with her for a moment to assure himself he couldn't get away. Then his hand that had loosely been on my neck began to tighten. "We can play this any way you want." He said, beginning to choke me.

Sam immediately had her fingers pushed into the loose fist of the hand she held, before he could tighten, wrapping her fingers around his thumb. "It's a relief to hear you say that. I want to play it where you let my friend go or I break your thumb."

"Come on girls. You can't blame me for trying. C'mon." He released me quickly and took a step away. He didn't go farther because Sam still held his thumb.

Sam looked at me questioningly, more than willing to break his thumb anyway just for threatening me. My parents would probably demand his death or at minimum two broken limbs, not a single digit. But, being always reminded I was near worthless, I didn't value the sanctity of my person to any significant degree. And as a lifetime victim I hated to see anyone hurt. So I not only didn't tell her to break his thumb, I picked up a small rock.

"If you're going to brain him you'll need a bigger rock." Sam said.

"Oh Sam, you're so vicious and violent. There will be no breaking of young boyish heads today. I want to show him something." I explained.

I closed my hand over the rock and after a moment of doing my concentration breathing. Slow and even. In through the nose, out through the mouth; and focusing my power.
I opened my hand and was holding a gold nugget. I reached out to hand it to him. "Faerie gold. It will turn back into a rock at sunrise or if it is touched with iron. Anyone who buys gold knows to check. And that is the only gold any faerie has that isn't earned or inherited just like a human would. Tell your friends."

He was so shocked looking at the gold I don't know for sure if he heard me. And as we walked away Sam pointed out he might line up a buyer who isn't used to buying gold and kidnap a young faerie and make them change a whole basket of rocks and then deliver them.

I thought it was a ridiculous stretch. But I still made her come with me to chase him down in the parking lot to say, "And before you get any ideas, I can only do one. Anyone at my age and experience level can only do one. And anyone who could do more than one has other powers you couldn't deal with."

He looked truly confused but said okay.

Now I was comfortable returning to Sam's bike feeling like I had done some good. "Are we really rushing to catch a train." I asked.

"We are near the train yards and I'm thinking we could jump a freight train heading in the right direction. Travel while we sleep. Get off and drive while we're awake tomorrow, to avoid the train security who are more active in the daytime. Do the same tomorrow night and we might be able to make the trip in two days."

"Why not just buy tickets and ride?" I asked.

"Two reasons. First because we are being trailed. We have to be. You've changed your look some. But they know you can do that. So even two girls traveling together of our basic ages will be suspect. So we don't want to stay around the same group of people long enough that they get to know us at all.
Second, my motorcycle can go faster than a train, and since it is not limited to tracks can go straighter than a train, and doesn't need to make stops every twenty miles or whatever."

"Okay," I said, I'd just been curious. I wasn't pushing for a change of plans.