"NIKE-SAMA!

"Oh for the love of... Ow!"

Neil gave her a sharp rap over the head with his fist as she looked over the sheets she had been hanging out to dry.

"What was that for?!" she cried, rubbing her head. Neil stood seething over her.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times, Nike-sama! Leave the chores to the maids and stop straining your body!"

"I'm not straining anything!" she said defensively. "I'm just putting up the laundry! You fuss too much, Neil," she grumbled. Since Lanra and Mikia had divulged her secret to Neil and the medic, the chamberlain had become obsessed with Nike's habits and health. He was terrifyingly strict and she kept having traumatic flashbacks to the time when she had first arrived in Ginitarix and he had begun her spartan "re-education."

"Hah! Last week I caught you practicing sword forms in secret, and just yesterday Lanra said she had to stop you from jumping out the second floor window!" he said, giving her another smack on the head for good measure."When is it going to get through your thick skull that you need to be careful, Your Highness?"

"Ow! Hitting me isn't going to help!" she said, covering her head to protect herself from further abuse.

"If His Majesty knew you were being so reckless..."

"Don't even think about it, Neil-sama." Mikia crossed into the garden, balancing a basket of fresh laundry on her hip. "Not a soul outside of us maids, the medic, and yourself better hear a word about this, or Lanra and I will have your tongue," she said in an threatening undertone as she put down the wet clothes. As they liked to remind Nike from time to time, maids were quite skillful with knives. "As for you, milady, please stop giving us heart attacks every other day; the rest of the staff are going to find out at this rate," she chided as she pulled a handful of clothespins from her apron pocket.

"I'm not doing it on purpose," Nike muttered, dropping to the grass without a thought. Neil made a noise halfway between a yelp and a whine. "I'm just not used to sitting around doing nothing."

"A little exercise is good for you, princess," Mikia said as she unfolded a cloak. "But that doesn't mean you should be running around like usual either. Keep it up and we'll tie you to a chair for the next six months."

"You might as well," Nike sighed, stretching out on her back and staring at the clouds. "It's not like I'm allowed to do anything else anyway."

"Don't be so dramatic, Nike-sama," Neil scolded. He took some pins from Mikia and began helping her fill the clothesline. "You're pregnant, not dying."

"Shush," Mikia hissed.

"Ah, sorry."

"Why did we even bother telling you?" she muttered. "All our efforts to protect Her Majesty will go to waste because of an overly talkative chamberlain and the princess' own carelessness."

"Don't say that, Mikia," Nike said, a bit hurt by their lack of faith in her. "I'm trying to be careful... I just sometimes... don't remember."

"You're going to be the death of us, milady," Neil sighed.

Staying locked up was difficult for someone as free spirited as Nike. She longed to sneak out of the tower grounds, just for an hour or two, but she didn't dare. Guards patrolled the premises throughout the day and night and she couldn't be sure that Livi wouldn't have her whole household killed if she was caught.

The garden was the closest she ever got to freedom, but with Neil constantly breathing down her neck there wasn't much to do in it. Most days she wandered around the grounds aimlessly, singing to herself or following the maids around as they worked. She almost missed being busy, but nearly all of her duties as head of state had been relegated to Bard, whom she hadn't seen since she left the castle. The only thing she was still expected to do was to answer her correspondence, though there wasn't much of it.

As the winter wore on into spring, Nike spent increasing amounts of time thinking about Livi and about the little life growing inside her. She wasn't sure how she felt about becoming a mother, and even less sure about how Livi might react when he finally found out.

We're too young for this, she thought for the millionth time since she'd missed her first course. Though she and Livi had been engaged for years and the topic of children had cropped up from time to time, they always spoke of it as something in the far future, after they were well into their married life. It had never crossed Nike's mind that it might happen after their first and only night spent together; they might be the king and queen, but they were still hardly more than children themselves.

It's too late to think of that now, though, she sighed, dangling her feet out of her open window. A gentle breeze was blowing in from the south, and the trees were making a sound like the waves of the ocean as they rustled. She closed her eyes, thinking of Sheila.

Did you regret it? Bringing Livi into a world like this one? Was it scary, knowing how much danger he would be in?

Of course, no one answered.

She hugged her arms around her waist; it was still possible to hide the curve of her belly, but it wouldn't be for much longer. The rest of the staff in the tower would find out sooner than later that Nike wasn't simply gaining a bit of weight, and if she managed to make it alive past that, it would be infinitely more difficult to keep an infant hidden.

"How am I going to protect you?" she whispered. If Livi were here, what would he do?

Imagining that didn't help; if Livi was there, there would be no need to hide the existence of his heir. The whole kingdom would know about it and security in the castle would be tripled to protect the royal family from harm. In exile, however, Nike had to be very careful. She wasn't naive enough to think that no one would want to take advantage of the king's absence to get rid of her and her child. She couldn't trust anyone outside of her personal retinue, not even her own cook. The guards were just as much her jailers as they were her protectors, so she couldn't count on them either.

All I can really do is wait, until someone else makes a move. She kicked her feet into the cold air out of frustration.

"Livi, you idiot!" she shouted into the evening air. Her voice echoed and a flock of birds erupted out of the woods in alarm. "Some father you're turning out to be, you jerk," she added under her breath. Don't worry, little one, I'll give your daddy a good beating when he decides to finally show his face.

"Aha, I win again!"

Livi groaned. "Are you serious?! You're cleaning me out, here!" He begrudgingly pulled two sols from his pocket and handed them over.

"Who knew you were so terrible at cards, Your Majesty?" Talea grinned, adding the gold to her already sizeable pile of winnings.

"Livius," he corrected. "And I'm not bad at it, you're just too good."

"Oh, right. Sorry, it takes some getting used to," she said sheepishly, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

Livi picked up the deck and began to shuffle. It was a nice change, seeing Talea cheerful for once. Even in her own home, her smiles were rare, and he found he much preferred her company when she was in a good mood.

"Tell me when you want to sleep," he said as he dealt the cards. They'd been playing for a couple of hours already.

"Just one more game then." She looked through her cards and leaned over just a bit too far to place four silver coins on the space between them. She flinched violently.

"Ack, be careful!" he said, immediately kneeling on the mattress to gently push her back to a sitting position. Her wounds were still healing.

"I forgot," she gasped. "Did I rip the scabs open?" He moved forward to inspect the back of her chemise and sighed with relief when he saw it remained white.

"You're fine. But you're worse than Nike, how can you forget about injuries this bad?"

"You get used to the pain, to some degree," she said, grimacing. "So you forget it's there after a while. Though Her Majesty is a different case altogether," she added, putting two cards down and taking another from the deck. "I once saw her slice her calf open with her sword by accident, and two days later she was planning to ride a horse."

"She's seriously an idiot," Livi muttered as he organized his cards by suite. "Every time she gets hurt she drives us all mad with worry. She's so careless!"

"That's part of her charm too, though," Talea offered, initiating a swap. Livi bit the inside of his cheek as he traded one of his unwanted cards and checked the new one.

Tricky game she's playing...

"Mmm," he agreed. "But do you know how hard it is to get her to stay still? The royal doctor dreads dealing with her."

Talea laughed. "Poor doctor, I pity anyone trying to look after her health." She put down her cards. "I win again, Livius," she added proudly. Livi sighed in defeat.

"Fine, fine, here, take the rest of my pocket change already." He tossed her the last of his gold and stretched. "Let's head to bed then. Here, I'll unbutton your chemise so you don't rub it against your back in your sleep."

Lord Evan Dainer was very pleased with the way his plan was taking shape. The king had resisted more than he'd expected at first, and he was astounded at his daughter's disloyalty when she lied to cover up for the boy, but once he had made sure she remembered her place, things fell into place quite easily.

In fact, things had gone better than he could have hoped. His Majesty's obsession with his worthless princess was so infamous that he was surprised when he realized that the king and Talea were hardly seen apart from one another. Even though his spies asserted that they did not always sleep together when she was sent to his room, that they did sleep together from time to time was undeniable. As Talea recovered from her wounds, His Majesty seemed more and more taken with her; Lord Dainer could only assume that the king's taste in women had improved after discovering how much more satisfying a quiet, docile woman was compared to a spitfire like Princess Nike.

He was expecting good news from his youngest daughter soon, so when an unexpected letter arrived from the capital in early spring, he was understandably furious.

That little bitch!

He reread the short letter again, his temper rising with every word.

Milord, I've confirmed that Princess Nike is pregnant. She has been hiding it for months, but her retinue seems to have been aware all along. We await your orders.

"I gave her too little credit," he mumbled angrily, throwing the parchment into the fire. She's cleverer than I thought.

He pulled two fresh pieces of parchment from his desk and quickly scribbled a note.

Dismiss the guard around the White Gold Tower immediately. Don't let the princess catch on. Don't even think about warning her if you don't want your lover and her sister to die.

He sealed it quickly and moved on to the second.

Kill her. We'll find something else to hold over the king's head. She's too dangerous to live.

Nike woke up in a cold sweat. She stared up at the ceiling of her room, trying to catch her breath as her heart pounded loudly in her ears.

It was the middle of the night and everyone was supposed to be asleep, but something about the usual silence was unnerving her.

No, it wasn't silent. Her ears just weren't picking up any noise because the sounds were coming from somewhere else.

Get up, princess. You have to go, now!

Someone was tapping into her consciousness, but it wasn't a presence she recognized.

Who are you?

That doesn't matter, hurry! They're coming!

Who?!

Go! Your secret is no longer safe!

She felt ice crawling up her veins.

"Mikia! Lanra! SUNYA!" she screamed, throwing her sheets off. She didn't stop to wait for them to arrive and wasted no time throwing on her thickest cloak. The maids threw open the door.

"Milady! Are you alright?!" Sunya shouted. All three of them were in their nightgowns, and they were all clearly alarmed. Nike saw Neil run up behind them and she knew she didn't have time before the remaining staff and guards caught wind of what was going on.

"We're leaving, immediately!"

"What?" Mikia asked, frowning.

"It's not safe here anymore, they know," she said urgently as she grabbed her sword's scabbard and buckled it hastily over her chemise. It was tight over her waist but she didn't have time to worry about discomfort. Sunya and Mikia still looked confused, but Lanra immediately dashed down the staircase. Neil seemed to have caught on as well.

"What are you doing, just standing there!?" he shouted at the two maids. "Hurry! Grab your cloaks and something to fight with!" They jumped at his tone and scurried after Lanra. "Milady, this way!" He took her hand and they dashed down the stairs, ignoring the sound of the remaining staff opening their doors sleepily to ask what was going on.

They reached the landing, where they found Lanra carrying a pack of some sort over her shoulder. Her cloak and shoes were on, and she held a rather cruel looking dagger; she shook her head when Neil gave her a questioning look. She led them toward the kitchens, where there was a back door to the grounds. Mikia appeared from a side corridor a second later, followed by Sunya.

"There's someone coming down from the main road," Mikia whispered. "It looks like more than one person; they're carrying torches."

"How far?" Neil asked.

"About ten minutes away, I'd guess. I saw them from the window in my room upstairs, so they were still a bit far, but they'll get here quickly if they're on horseback."

"I won't be coming, milady," Sunya said quickly, throwing Neil a similar looking pack and handing him a short sword that Nike recognized from the armory. "I'm too old, I'll only slow you down."

"We can't leave you behind, Sunya!" Nike cried. "What if they kill you?!"

"We don't know what they'll do, milady," Neil said, throwing the pack over his shoulder. "And not everyone on the staff is guilty of being a spy, what about them? We have to abandon them too."

"No! I won't leave a friend to die!"

"Princess, please, don't worry about me," Sunya said, taking her hand. "We've been preparing for this, just in case. All I want is for you and His Majesty to be happy again, so I'm begging you, forget me. You need to survive, no matter what. Your child is counting on you." She squeezed her hand and Nike threw her arms around the elderly woman's shoulders.

"I'll never forget you," she sobbed. "Forgive me, Sunya. I'm sorry..."

"Milady, we have to go!" Neil hissed, pulling her away. Alice and Beth, the scullery maids, were sleepily calling out from the landing, asking what was going on.

I'm sorry, for all of you...

"I'll try to get everyone out if I can," Sunya promised as Mikia fumbled with the lock in the dark. "Be safe, Princess Nike. It was the greatest honor to serve you."

Before Nike could reply, Lanra shoved her bodily out the door.

"Stay quiet," Neil breathed as they hurried through the garden. Nike had to stifle her sobs as they stuck to the shadows. Mikia hadn't been exaggerating; within minutes, they heard the faint sound of hooves on stone echoing closer from the other side of the fortress.

"Get to the woods, hurry!" Lanra whispered urgently. Mikia grabbed Nike's wrist as they broke into a full run.

They reached the cover of the trees just as they heard a commanding voice bark an indistinguishable order behind them.

"Soldiers?" Lanra hissed at Neil.

"I don't know," he mouthed as they kept running.

"Where are the guards?!" Mikia asked suddenly. Nike felt the hair stand on the back of her neck; they had yet to meet a single person despite the fact that the grounds were supposed to be well guarded.

Neil shook his head. They kept running.

"How are we going to get through the wall and the moat?" Nike was trying not to wheeze. Her body felt heavier nowadays.

"Don't worry, we have a plan," Mikia whispered.

A sudden bout of screams nearly petrified them.

Sunya! Everyone!

"We have to go back," Nike cried. Her heart felt like it was tearing in two.

"No, milady!"

"I can't leave them to die for me!"

Neil whirled around and grabbed her wrists tightly. "Listen to me, Nike-sama. All of us, even the cook, are ready to lay down our lives if it means protecting you. We need you, His Majesty needs you. Even if every single one of us is slain before the night is through, even if your child is taken from you, promise me, you must survive." She shook her head frantically, tears running down her cheeks. "Promise me!" He shouted, shaking her. "If you won't do it for us, if you won't do it for the king, then do it for the kingdom! We need you at His Majesty's side!"

"But-"

"No, milady! Don't you understand what will happen if you die?! His Majesty will be crushed, destroyed! Are you fine with consigning him to such a fate?!"

The thought of Livi, grieving over the loss of yet another person in his life, steeled her heart.

"No," she said shakily. "I can't do that to him."

"Good, now hurry, they're bound to figure out you've fled by now and they'll be onto us in minutes."

She wasn't in the tower.

Someone must have warned her, tch.

"Search the grounds. She must have fled into the woods. Find her."

"Through here, princess!"

Mikia took off her shoes and waded into the small pool. It wasn't very deep but there was a grate on the side of the defensive wall that allowed excess water to drain into the moat on the other side. The blond maid pulled one of the iron bars hard and it came away, making a space just big enough for a person to slip through.

"When did you find this?" Nike asked as she tied her chemise and cloak at thigh-level to prevent them from getting wet. She splashed into the water quickly as Neil and Lanra did the same, carrying their shoes in hand.

"Find? I filed through this thing myself," Mikia said proudly as Nike passed through the space and into a short tunnel beneath the wall. "I've been working on it for weeks." Once all four of them were through, she pulled the bar back into place. The grate looked as impenetrable as ever.

"When did you find time to do all this?"

"We've been doing a bit of prep work for an emergency in our spare time," Lanra explained as they waded through the tunnel. "We've had supplies packed for ages. I grabbed some food before we left, but we already had money, medicine, and a few changes of clothes prepared in case we had to run for it. We even grabbed a few daggers from the armory for self defense."

"As well prepared as ever, I see," Neil commented. "I wasn't aware of your preparations, but I'm thankful for your foresight nonetheless."

"Of course," she added smugly. "We aren't Her Majesty's maids for nothing."

"Shh, we're approaching the moat. We have to get across without being spotted by the guards on the wall," Mikia warned.

"You're not going to make us swim, are you?" Neil asked apprehensively. The water was freezing.

"Don't be ridiculous, we can't make Nike-sama swim in this cold; she'll miscarry!"

"Then how-"

"You've worked under His Majesty all these years and you still don't know?" she asked incredulously. Neil looked abashed.

"His Majesty didn't tell me everything," he mumbled.

"As Mikia was about to say," Lanra interrupted. "There's a raised path submerged in the water at a point to the north of here. It's invisible unless you know it's there and it was made for use by the Royal family in situations like this. There used to be a secret passage leading to it, but it collapsed and was sealed many years ago. His Majesty informed us of all the secret passages in the palace when we were chosen to look after the princess. If we use it, we should be able to get across without going any deeper than knee level."

Nike was about to comment that she should have been filled in on these passages herself when a sound from the other side of the wall struck them dumb.

"Any sign of her?"

"We found footprints nearby, but they vanished around this area. They might have backtracked to lead us in the wrong direction."

"Check the perimeter of the wall. Shoot to kill if you spot them."

"Yes sir."

Mikia silently pointed toward the end of the tunnel and they tried their best not to make any noise as they slowly waded out.

"Livius, are you alright?!"

He heard Talea's voice but he couldn't seem to find his own. His body was unbearably hot and his head was throbbing. He felt her hand touch his forehead.

"You're burning up!" There was a rustling sound and he heard the door open. "Rosalind! Rosalind, get the doctor! His Majesty is ill!"

No, it's not me! Nike! Nike's in danger!

He wasn't sure where he'd gotten that impression, but he was certain it was true.

Talea, send help for Nike! Save... her! Hu...rry...

He almost lost consciousness.

They managed to avoid being spotted by the guards on the turrets. They crossed over onto the bank on the other side of the moat, now in Ginitarix proper.

"No time for rest, milady," Neil urged as Nike swayed a bit on her feet. She was feeling rather drained, but she followed as quietly as possible, Mikia bringing up the rear.

"Where do we head now?" she asked.

"We need to get out of the inner city next. That should be easier, but the walls will still be guarded. After that, we need to get a transport across and out of the outer city," he replied. They circled around the main street, ducking into a quiet alley lined with trees. All four of them pulled up their hoods and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as they hurried along.

"We're leaving the capital?" Nike asked, concerned.

"We have to get as far away from our enemies as we can. We have no idea who's after us; it could even be His Majesty himself," Neil said grimly.

"Never," Lanra said firmly. "His Majesty would never send assassins after the princess."

"I have no idea what His Majesty is capable of right now, Lanra. But whoever it is, they've got command of an army, perhaps even the royal guard itself. Those men weren't ordinary assassins; they were trained soldiers."

Nike suppressed a shiver. The thought of Livi ordering her death was too horrible to think about.

"If we don't combat his fever immediately, he'll die, milord."

Where...

"Then what are you waiting for, you fool?! You there, send for ice from the kitchens, and get a tub ready! If His Majesty dies here our work is all for nothing!"

"Livius, please hold on!" He vaguely felt a slight pressure on his hand.

If I die here... of course... why didn't I think of that?

If he could, he would have laughed.

I've been such a fool! The answer was right here all along; if I die, even if it's too late and Talea has my child, there will be no one to vouch for their blood! At best they would be granted status as a bastard, but Nike and Bard would be higher up in the succession regardless. Without me, the plan can't succeed!

He felt delirious with relief. He didn't have to do a thing! He just had to peacefully pass away and Nike would be safe again...

No, she's not safe right now!

"Livius, don't die! Please!" Talea's voice came again. She was holding his hand tightly.

No, Talea, not me! You have to help Nike! I have to die here, but she needs your help!

The words would not form on his tongue.

"Please, if you die, Nike-sama will be all alone!" she begged.

She doesn't need me, she'll still live, but only if you go now!

"I can't tell her that I let you die in front of my eyes, Livius... Livi! If you love her, please, fight!"

Of course I love her! And so do you! So help her!

"And... I can't lose you either, Livi!" he heard her sob. "You're the only true friend I've ever known! Weren't we going to save her, together?! Don't leave me! We have to protect Nike-sama!"

"What foolish nonsense are you spouting, stupid girl?!"

"No! Leave me alone! Livi! Listen to me! Don't die! I have to get you home to your wife! No matter how long it takes, I promised to see you back to her! You can't do that if you're dead! Livi! Livi! Father, let go!"

"Shut up, you useless bitch! What are you talking about?! What bloody stupid plan have you hatched now?!"

"Let go! Livi!"

He felt her hand pulled away.

No... If you don't help, then she's lost...

"Ni...ke..."

"If we can't trust the royal guard, how are we getting into the Outer City?"

"If only we'd brought some wigs or something..."

"That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard."

"Shush, I'm thinking," Nike said, cutting out the others' argument. "Let's ask someone to help us through."

"No way, we don't know who we can trust!"

"The people have nothing to do with this, so maybe someone can smuggle us through the wall."

"They would be thrilled to help you, but are you okay with endangering civilians like that, princess?" Lanra asked.

"Of course I'm not okay with it! But what else can we do?"

"What if... I go as decoy?" Mikia said quietly.

"What?!"

"If I go cause a ruckus along a different area of the wall, then the guards will all rush to go see what I'm doing. Then you two can sneak Nike-sama past the checkpoint and escape."

"What about you?!" Neil cried.

"I'll be caught, I suppose. I'll do my best to get away and meet up with you, but I can't guarantee it. Promise you won't wait."

"No! I forbid it!" Nike almost shouted. "No more sacrifices! We're getting out together or not at all!"

Mikia gave Neil and Lanra a look, and before Nike had time to figure out what was happening, they grabbed her arms.

"I'm sorry princess. Live on, and know that I loved you." She kissed Nike's forehead and ran back down the way they'd come.

"Mikia! Stop!" Neil's hand clamped over her mouth, muffling her cries.

She bit him until she tasted blood, but he still would not let go.

"Enough, princess. You'll give us away and she'll have done this for nothing," he said quietly. The fight went out of her, but the tears wouldn't stop.

Why do all these people have to put themselves in danger for me? I'm not worth it!

"Hurry, over here," Lanra said, looking round the corner. Her cheeks were also wet.

They edged around the building nearest to the checkpoint, sticking to the shadows.

There were two guards, one on each side of the gate. As they watched, they heard a loud scream from somewhere to their right. The soldiers exchanged a glance, and one of them ran off to find the source of the noise. The other stayed behind.

"Shit," Neil muttered. "Lanra, we'll need to take him out."

"Got it," she breathed, pulling out her dagger. She disappeared down a side alley and a minute later emerged around the other side of the building.

"Be prepared to unsheathe your sword, Nike-sama, just in case. Don't use your magic. You'll exhaust yourself and they'll figure out where we are." He stepped out of the shadows and headed for the guard.

"Good evening, sir," he called out cheerily. Distracted, the guard turned to address Neil and didn't notice Lanra sneaking up behind him until her knife was at his throat.

"Drop your weapon. Don't move or make a sound," she growled, just loud enough for Nike to hear. The guard complied and let his spear fall to the ground. The maid gestured for Neil and Nike to hurry past.

The guard twitched at the sight of Nike's figure appearing out of the shadows but Lanra knocked him unconscious before he could say anything.

"Let's go, quickly!"

"We have to wait for Mikia!" Nike insisted, planting herself right in front of the gateway. Neil shook his head.

"No time, the guard will wake up soon and he'll alert the rest of the soldiers that we passed this way."

"She wouldn't want you to wait, milady," Lanra said, but Nike heard the quiver in her voice.

"If there's a chance-"

A gunshot cracked through the night, and a terrible scream permeated the air. Down the street and out of the corner of her eye, Nike thought she saw a flash of blonde hair dyed red.

She turned on her foot and automatically made to draw her sword, but a heavy blow hit the back of her neck and everything went dark as midnight.