THE PERFECT PRINCESS – The Perfect Princess and men

A true Princess always keeps her dignity and never lets herself go too far with someone she does not know well or does not reach her height.

It took me a short time to take Noxas where I wanted to. In fact, he seemed to want it even more than I did – which is rare. Anyway, it was great. A fantastic start to my adventure… oh, if every night of my life could just be like that…! Love under the stars…
In fact, I noticed Noxas had a strange smell. No, he was not stinking (I wouldn't have let him so close if he did… nah, okay, I'd have… but only after making him take a bath in the river of which I heard the sound not far from us)… I can't really describe that smell. Something like apple, fresh water, lavender and spice. I knew it wasn't a perfume, or maybe not completely. It had some of his natural smell. I knew I'd be able to recognize him anywhere, though, just from the smell. Why are you looking at me like that? Man, it was night, I didn't see him clearly, I am not an owl!

Next morning I woke up completely satisfied, and, as I was expecting, Noxas was gone. Who cares. I called out for Kitalpha and he soon appeared, so we began riding once more.
Soon we arrived to the small river I've heard, which ended in a little lake.
I gazed at my reflection in its still water… and realised with delight that I looked like anything but a Princess. I wanted to be unknown. To be myself. To be Ranni. I still remember how Mom fainted the day I sneaked out of the Palace and came back showing two tattoos on my upper arms: different entwined dark red and blue lines. My lute was hanging on my waist, along with two magic bags, in which I kept The Perfect Princess and some clothes Mom insisted on giving me, even my full royal costume… I just didn't feel like I wanted to throw it away. It can be useful sometimes. By then I preferred my yellow stuff.

I knew the frontiers weren't far away, so I told Kitalpha to hurry up. I wanted to get as far as possible from the place where I am known as Princess Olránia Burnington-Elfland.

Okay, I think it'd be dull to describe how I passed the frontiers and kept on galloping for 2 weeks or such without meeting anyone and resting under the stars, drinking the fresh water of the streams, hunting and collecting fruits to eat. It was adventurous for me, but I guess you'll fall asleep as I tell it, so I'll get to the point.

Well, I had no idea at all in which kingdom I ended up, but in two weeks I hadn't meet a single human, or elf, or halfling or anything, so, you understand, there was no one to talk with (and, if male, do else… hehe). Finally I ended on a road which passed through several villages and smaller towns. What could I do, I rode through them all, played my music in the local taverns, had some advetures with local men, just the usual. It was fun, anyway.

Then one day everything changed. And my life as well, but, of course, at the time I had no idea about that. A middle-aged man called Granard approached me after dinner in one of the taverns.
- I've heard your songs and tales about adventurers of old times. They're really great, I must admit.
- Thanks – I said, taking a sip of beer (Mom would die!).
- My caravan is going to the remote lands of the Silver Marches, and we'd like some company.
- Really? – I asked, biting my piece of cheese. Haven't heard about those Silver Whatevers, so he didn't make a great impression.
- And to the village of Hilltop.
I drank the rest of my beer in one long síp, then stared right in his eyes.
- Let me guess: you want me to come with you?
- Exactly.
- And why would you need me? Telling tales all day long? And what makes you think I want to go to that Silltop or anything?
- Maybe these – and he handed me a bag. I heard the familiar sound of gold pieces.
- Let me see your caravan first.
Leaving Princess Olránia Burnington-Elfland behind. Becoming Ranni.
The people of the caravan were pretty insipid, even the men. But I wanted to get far away from my land, that's all. It was nothing to worry too much about.

So I went with them. Stop! I know what you're thinking, and before you tell me, I'll cut it down by saying you're wrong! Insipid men have no chance! Duncan and the castle guards were tall, strong men who could speak of weapons and wars, and Noxas... well... he's another subject ;-). And men at the taverns were all cute and looked adventurous.

The first day they put in front of me a plate full with some undefined substance, calling me a „dinner". I instantly threw it out on the street, walked into the cooking car, threw the cook out and quickly made everyone the best dinner they've ever tasted. More than a bard, I became the cook of the caravan, and of course received much more gold.

We must have travelled for a week or such, and from two or three days snowstorms kept on hitting us. I sat in the warmth, telling stories or cooking, well, it wasn't too exciting, but at least I was getting farther and farther from the kingdom of Myan, ruled by the Burnington-Elfland dinasty.

I was just in the middle of a tale about the heroes of Myth Drannor (the one I knew best, for it includes Princess Kathalyna Elfland and his future husband, Kevin Burnington), when suddenly I heard a loud thud and a cracking, then the whole caravan trembled and stopped.
- What was that? – I jumped on my feet and looked out, without caring of the fact that I was wearing only my usual extremely light yellow clothes. I didn't have time to see clearly when the car fell on its side, and I ended up in the middle of barrels full of beer, one of which broke and of course spilled everything over me. I heard screams. What the hell was going on?
Somehow I managed to climb out and saw masked men struggling with the people of the caravan. I have just put my hand on my dagger when someone caught me from behind.
- Ooh, what a lovely girl they're bringing along!
- Take your dirty hands off me!
- Come, baby!
I never forget about cold blood and acrobatics. I twisted my body, turned back and hit him on the head with my lute, which somehow stayed intact. He fell in the snow unconscious. It was piercing cold, but I had to fight the bandits, couldn't change clothes there and then, or get back to the warmth to take a short nap. Not that moment.
Suddenly I stepped into something warm. I noticed screaming that it was blood, coming from Granard's body! I felt something tickling my eye, but I quickly flickered my eyelids to make it stop. No one would ever see me cry. And that moment there was no time to lose. I turned around and attacked with my dagger and a couple of weaker bard spells. The bandits must have been about five or six, but the fat, tired and insipid men of the caravan were no match for them. But they didn't count Ranni. The first thing that surprised them was that one of them fell down dead; the second, that it was a young woman who killed him; the third, that my dagger hit another one them before they could recover. But I was too hotheaded as always. I might have been strong, but they were more than one.
- Kitalphaaa! – I screamed when they blocked my hands and put a knife to my throat, ready to slit it.
He didn't let me down. He jumped betweeen them dividing their lines, and I could mount him and escape. It wasn't heroic, I know. But the caravan was broken, and I could see spots of blood everywhere. I didn't want to end like them.
- Go, Kitalpha! Let's reach Milltop! Or whatever...

Pieces of ice were filling my hair. Even in my warmer clothes, I could feel the cold. Kitalpha was shaking. We couldn't rest. No forests. No mountains. No signs of people. No signs of Willtop...

Then the end came. Kitalpha fell. I ended up in the snow. I could see him breathe, but weakly.
- Kitalpha, buddy! Don't leave me!
Tickles in my eye. Batting my eyelids to make them stop.
- We'll make it, old buddy... – I hugged his neck. Cold. Freezing. Then... nothing.

Won't change this to M. :-)