A/n: Yay! At last a relatively long chapter…that still ends with Rella going to sleep. Crappers. Lol, oh well.

She was awakened the next morning by warm sunlight and soft voices on the other side of the campsite. Sitting up, she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

The two fairies sat on the other side of the clearing, talking to each other quietly. Ruby, looking up, realized Rella was awake and waved. Rolling out of her bedroll, Rella climbed to her feet and dug in her packs for clothes.

"You need to decide what you are going to do with yourself now that you're free of Rhianna," Emerald told her, coming over. "We can go anywhere you like, or we could stick around here; I don't recommend that, though, since somebody could recognize you and report you to Rhianna."

Shrugging, Rella pulled on one of the new outfits she had bought yesterday, and began to lace up her brand new, still shiny black boots. "Um," she said thoughtfully as she began to coax a brush through her tangled hair. "I don't know, really."

I would almost like to go back home, find my father...But who knows where he is, or even if he's still alive? We were always traveling, after all, so there's no way to know where he could be...

Emerald walked over to her bag and pulled out something, a single scroll of parchment. Walking back over to Rella, she sat down and spread it out across her lap, revealing it to be a map of the entire Liarian continent. "We can pretty much go anywhere you like," she said, gesturing at the map. "We could go down here to Hakar, where they have all those dedicated warrior-types, up north to Likaria, with their trick riders and mages that can talk to horses, or any number of other equally interesting places, really. It's up to you, Rella. You can see the world."

Placing the brush back in her pack, she buttoned it back up and shook her head. "Where would you suggest I go? I honestly don't know what to do with myself." Sighing, she pulled her knees up to her chest and propped her chin on her knees.

"Um, I dunno," Emerald stated helpfully. "I'd kind of like to go to Likaria, myself, but it's up to you. I always have wanted to see those mages up there. But you can decide."

Rella shrugged, sighing, and closed her eyes. You can do anything you like, a part of her whispered. Go anywhere you want, do anything you want...you can go anywhere in the world you want to...the castles of Ergash...the plains of Hakar...the deserts of Sarai...the horses of Likaria...anything, anywhere...you can see the world...

Opening her eyes, she looked towards Emerald, who was watching her with a strange expression on her face. "I've decided," she announced. "We're going to Likaria." Nodding, Emerald rolled up the map and placed it back into their pack, as Rella got to her feet and stretched.

They traveled for nearly an hour without incident, and the sun was high in the sky when they stopped to rest, tethering Honey to a tree nearby and pausing for a meal--Emerald, who Rella had discovered not only owned a longbow but was quite proficient with it, had bagged them three small rabbits, enough of a lunch for all three of them. After eating, they continued on their way, and it was almost another half an hour before they came across any other disturbances.

It was then that they heard the sound of a horse's hooves on the forest floor up ahead, the sound of twigs breaking and leaves rustling--whoever it was, they weren't doing a very good job of concealing their presence. Emerald had looked back at the other two, holding a finger to her lips for silence--the two nodded, and she whispered, "Could be one of Rhianna's spies." Drawing an arrow from her quiver, Emerald put it to her bow and alighted up a tree with remarkable speed, branches concealing her from sight.

"Keep going," Ruby told her, barely audible. "If they're an enemy, we'll protect you." With that, Ruby herself alighted up a tree as well, and was, as far as Rella could see, gone.

Suppressing misgivings, Rella continued. It was at that moment that Honey chose to raise her head and call out to the other horse she heard in the woods, her neigh echoing throughout the forest.

"Come on, Cloud, keep going," Rella heard a man's voice say. "I know you're a coward, but you really shouldn't be scared just because another horse tries to say hello--" Darting under an overhanging branch, the speaker came into sight. Seeing her, he checked his horse's slow walk, and swept her a bow, an odd contortion in a man on horseback. "Greetings, milady."

Getting a closer look at his face, she frowned. "Wait a minute...I recognize you!"

Peering down at her, a look of recognition lit up his face. "You were the Bard with Rhianna," Rella told him, at the exact same moment that he said, "You were the maid with the beautiful voice."

Blushing, feeling rather awkward that she had made enough of an impression on him for him to remember her voice, she shrugged. "I'm not that good," she protested.

He merely raised an eyebrow at her. "I certainly thought you were. But, no matter. Bard Bardic North, at your service." He swept her another bow.

She blinked. "Bard...Bardic?"

He grinned sheepishly. "I think my parents knew all along I was going to be a Bard, so they decided to give me a head start with my name."

She couldn't help but grin back; his smile was infectious. "I'm Rella," she told him, doing her best to curtsy, although she wobbled and nearly fell over. "I am--was--Rhianna's scullery maid."

She heard a sigh from the treetops above, and Emerald descended from her position in the tree branches, picking leaves out of her hair. "I take it you know this person, Rella?" she asked, looking from the Bard to Rella and back.

"Well...not really," she explained, hearing Ruby descend behind her. "I mean, he came to Rhianna's castle a while back and played. He heard me singing and said I had a pretty voice, but I don't really know him. I mean, this is the first time we've really met."

The man was busy staring at Rella's companions, brown eyes wide in his slightly tanned face. "If you would mind introducing me to your companions?" he asked faintly.

"Oh, sorry," Rella said, turning back in his direction. "Um, this is Emerald, and this is Ruby. They're...well...um...they're fairies."

"I could have guessed that," he said, and cleared his throat. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistresses Emerald and Ruby, and something of a surprise as well. I had, of course, heard tales of fairies, but I had never thought them to be true...Well, if you don't mind, I believe I must stay for a while," he said, dismounting. "I should certainly like to hear the tale of how Rhianna's scullery maid ended up in the company of not one, but two fairies--that is, of course, if you three lovely ladies don't mind extending your hospitality towards a lonely traveling Bard such as myself."

Rella looked towards Emerald and Ruby, wondering how they felt about this charming man. Emerald met her eyes and shrugged. Looking back towards the Bard, she nodded. "None of us mind, sir. We were just about to stop for a rest and a meal anyway, and we'd be pleased if you'd join us."

"And I'd be pleased to join you," the Bard replied, leading his small dapple-gray pony off the well-traveled forest road. "But I'm not 'sir.' Just Bardic."

Rella shook her head, feeling a little bit bewildered; she wasn't at all used to important people like Bards telling her to call them by their first name. "If you say so, sir. Um...Bardic."

The four were quickly settled around a small campfire built by the two fairies. Bardic was, as he had said, very interested in how a scullery maid had ended up travelling with the woods with two fairies, and, surprisingly enough, Rella found herself telling him the entire story, including the fact that she had run away from Rhianna and the sorceress was no doubt looking for her now. Emerald had given her a surprised look when she had included that part; after all, how were they to know? The charming bard could very well have been sent by Rhianna to look for her. But for some reason that Rella wasn't sure of, she trusted Bardic.

They shared the rabbits Emerald had caught and the biscuits produced from Ruby's pack among the four of them, and Rella was again quite full, something she still wasn't used to. After the meal, the faeries sat off to one side, talking to each other in hushed voices, and the Bard stretched out on the ground, leaning against his dapple-gray pony, whom Rella had learned was named Cloud.

"Quite an interesting story you have," he commented. "Might make a good song someday."

Rella snorted and raised an eyebrow. "A song about Rhianna's scullery maid running away in the forest with two fairies and meeting a Bard? Doesn't sound so spectacular to me."

He shrugged, then grinned. "We could always embellish the tale a bit and say that after you ran away you went to the Prince's ball and married him, and then the two of you lived happily ever after."

Rella couldn't help but grin back. "It would be more realistic to say that I went to the Prince's ball and he didn't even look at me and married some prettier and more deserving maiden."

Bardic opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted when the fairies decided to rejoin the two humans. Ruby walked over to the campfire and sat down, but Emerald strolled over to Rella and casually stood beside her. "So where might you be going to, sir Bard?" the blonde faerie asked.

"We happen to be going to Likaria," Ruby added. Emerald shot her an undecipherable glance, but said nothing, and Ruby appeared not to see. "And what of you?"

The Bard raised an eyebrow. "Likaria? Really? What an extremely interesting coincidence! That just happens to be exactly the same place I was traveling to. I'm scheduled for a visit to the home of one of their horse-mages, you see."

Emerald smiled. "Knowing Bards, more likely you weren't going any such place and have just now decided to go there, in hopes that you will travel with us, learn more of our story, and turn it into a ballad."

Bardic shrugged unabashedly. "Maybe yes, maybe no. You'll never know unless I tell you, now will you?" He gave Emerald an innocently charming smile. "But as it is, I just happened to be thinking, since we are going to the same place, after all--"

"--and there's safety in numbers--" Ruby put in.

"--you were wondering if you could come with us," Emerald finished, and grinned. "I suppose it's up to Rella."

Rella blinked. "Me? Why me?"

"Because you've sort of become the leader of this little group," Ruby explained.

She blinked again, taken by surprise. "Me? Leader?"

"Haven't you?" Emerald asked. "You're the reason me'n Ruby are here. You're the one that made the decision to go to Likaria, and not to go to the Prince's ball."

She shrugged half-heartedly. "Well...I dunno." Looking up, she realized everyone was waiting on her to come to a decision. "Um...I guess he can come along?"

"Is that a yes or a no?" Ruby asked, looking like she was holding back laughter.

"You sound so enthusiastic," Bardic put in dryly.

Rella blinked once more, then laughed. "All right then. Sir Bard Bardic North"--she resisted the urge to giggle at the tongue-twister of a name--"I would be very honored if you would accompany myself and my companions on our journey to Likaria. Happy now?"

He grinned back at her. "I most certainly am, and I most certainly will."

The now-rather-large group of four ended up staying in the same campsite for the rest of the day, as the sun was already almost below the horizon when they had stopped at first. Later on, for dinner, Bardic proved to be proficient with a longbow as well; he caught a whopping five small plains-rabbits, more than enough for dinner for four, supplemented with the food from Ruby's pack. The leftovers they packed into Emerald's pack, and then the four stretched out onto their own separated bedrolls. Rella stretched out onto the pallet, which was incredibly soft to her, and was instantly asleep.

The next morning the four set out, and over the next few days travel became something of a routine--get up, eat breakfast, pack up Honey and Cloud, and leave. Rella was never too sure of the direction in which they were traveling, but Ruby and Emerald would occasionally pull out their map and confer briefly with each other, and the fairies were the ones that decided which way to go when they came to forks or other decision-points, so Rella assumed they were guiding the group correctly.

By the time a week had passed, Rella was much used to the work of travelling. The aches and pains from stretching the normally unused muscles used in riding had faded, and the swollen big toe she had gotten after Cloud had accidentally stepped on her foot--with many apologies afterwards--had healed. The days had faded into a sort of endless routine, and although they weren't even outside the borders of the kingdom of Valava, Rella was becoming bored.

Bardic had proved to be both a helpful and pleasurable travelling companion. He and Emerald single-handedly caught most of their meals, and Bardic provided entertainment at their campsites with his harp and splendid musical voice. Rella couldn't help but wonder if all Bards were as good at what they did as Bardic was, or if he was the exception. She had asked him once, but he had simply stated modestly that there were plenty of Master Bards in the Bardic Halls scattered around the continent that were much better than he was. She wasn't sure if he was telling the truth or just being modest, so she remained silent.

They had been travelling for almost two weeks and were drawing closer to the Valavian border when the fairies brought up the matter of the Prince's ball again.

They had just finished the dinner Emerald had caught, and were sitting comfortably around the slowly flickering campfire. Rella had just, out of curiosity, asked Bardic if nobility was required to become a Bard. She wasn't sure why she wanted to know; she already felt awkward enough sometimes calling a Bard by his first name, without nobility being added to it.

But he had just shaken his head. "No, not at all," he replied. "The Bardic Halls let pretty much anyone with a gift join. After all, my parents were just farmers. I never even really thought I would be a Bard, even though I had a head start with my name, but one day I was sitting outside on the fence, shirking my chores, playing my little harp I had bought with my own money, and a real Bard happened to be riding by, heard me, and ended up toting me off to the nearest Hall." He grinned. "It's been a few years since then, though. As it is, I'm still just a Journeyman. Not anywhere near a Master, probably never will be. I'm just a plain old Bard, when it comes right down to it."

Rella didn't think there was any such thing as a plain old Bard, but didn't say as much. Instead, Bardic continued, "Now that you've heard practically my entire life story, what about you? How did you end up becoming Rhianna's scullery maid? Assuming, of course, that you weren't born there."

She shook her head. "No, my father was a merchant. My mother died giving birth to me, so I never knew her. We were always travelling all over the place, which I didn't really like, because I never got to stay in one place long enough to make any real friends. But then one day when I was ten, Rhianna came and kidnapped me." She didn't feel like confiding her suspicions of being sold right now, even to the fairies and Bardic; looking at the other three, she suddenly realized that Emerald, Ruby, and Bardic were the only real friends she had had her entire life, besides Cook and the horses.

"Your turn," Bardic had said, looking at Emerald with a grin.

Emerald had just shrugged. "Not really much to tell. We're just a couple of ordinary fairies." Then she had laughed at herself. "So, Rella," she said, changing the subject, "what are you planning on doing when we get to Likaria?"

"Um..." She shrugged. "I...don't know. Wait a second, don't they have mages that talk to horses there? You said I could talk to horses because of my fairy blood. Do their mages have fairy blood too?"

"Sort of," Ruby explained helpfully. "The first few horse-mages were half-fairies with just that one gift, and after them, the gene bred true most of the time. So yes, they do have fairy blood, but it's several centuries back. But their abilities are different from yours, anyway. They can do more than just talk to horses."

"You know," Emerald said thoughtfully, subtly changing the subject once more, "if you really don't know what you're going to do in Likaria, maybe you should go to the Prince's ball instead for now. After all, it's something to do."

"Why don't you go to the ball?" Bardic asked interestedly.

Rella sighed. "Because if I go, knowing my luck, either I'll fall madly in love with the Prince and he won't even look at me all night, or the Prince will want to marry me and I'll hate his guts. Besides, I know Lianne and Anastasia will be there. They'll recognize me and tell Rhianna."

Looking around, she suddenly got the distinct feeling that everyone sitting around the campfire besides herself wanted her to go to the Prince's ball, and no matter how long she protested that she didn't want to go, in the end, she would just be delaying the inevitable. She shook herself, trying to get rid of the odd feeling, but it didn't go away. Looking up, she realized the two fairies were watching her curiously.

"I still think you should go," Emerald said. "After all, every eligible maiden in the kingdom is supposed to go, and you're certainly an eligible maiden, and you're still in the kingdom."

"But I won't be for long," she informed the fairy, rising. "And I don't want to go, so if you'll stop bothering me about that stupid ball, could we please go to sleep now?"

That night, she stayed awake, thinking. Emerald does sort of have a point. After all, I really don't know what I want to do once we get to Likaria, and going to the ball would give me something to do in the meantime. And I know the fairies want me to go to the ball, at least. Maybe I should go, just to make them happy. After all, I know the Prince won't even look at me. I'm just a scullery maid.

She turned over, yawning. But then again, Lianne and Anastasia might see me, and if they did I know they'd recognize me. Ruby and Emerald said they'd protect me, but how could they keep Lianne and Anastasia from seeing me as who I was?

Oh, well. If they want me to go to the ball, they probably already have it all figured out. Maybe I should ask them what they were planning...

Turning again, she realized that her mind was already made up to go to the ball and get it over with. Sighing, she yawned once more, turned on her stomach, and fell asleep.