"Ow! If you put another pin on this you'll be sewing the dress on me!"

Estelle stood stiffly as the dressmaker put the last couple of pins in her dress and started taking her measurements.

"Well, all done," said the dressmaker as her assistants picked up scraps, scattered pins, and tape measures. Estelle waited until only the last assistant was in the room, searching for the tiny metallic tips of pins and needles. Estelle searched for the assistant's name... Alice, wasn't it?

"Can you help me?" Estelle whispered, her heart beating so loudly she was afraid that the assistant could hear it.

Alice turned around, alarmed, she almost seemed to be saying, "Uh-oh! What have I done now!"

Seeing her panic, Estelle softly assured Alice that she hadn't done anything wrong and that she only needed her help.

"I need you to sew me a female peasant's attire, including nightwear,"

Alice looked bemused, then after a couple of timid minutes she asked, "What for?"

Alice bit her lip, afraid that she had asked something too private.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that, but since you have I'll have to tell you without telling you anything too discreet."

Alice's eyes widened, amazed that she would not be scorned for asking the Royal Princess something so private.

"I need it to go into the village and other... places,"

At Alice's slightly raised eyebrow, Estelle added, "So people won't recognize me and bow down to me; where I can be a normal person for once,"

"I'll try to obtain some plain fabric from the village," Estelle was so relieved to hear this that she hardly heard Alice's next words.

"How fast do you need this?"

"As soon as possible,"

It was a week later and Estelle had a plan budding from the recesses of her mind. Alice had given her the clothes the night before, Estelle still couldn't quite believe that what she would do with them; it was much more than just tottering around the village, that was for sure.

Now Estelle waited for midnight, when her plan would begin. She anxiously looked at the sky again, hoping to see a black curtain draped across the sky, but only saw the beginnings of dusk. Sighing she got up and started to pace, hoping it would help. Unfortunately it only riled her more.

After trying to pace a little more, and failing, she sat down. Too exasperated she got up again. She sat down, irritated, she couldn't think of anything to soothe her nerves. She stood up, thinking that her bum and legs were getting sore form all this. She sat down again, contemplated what felt better, sitting or standing. She stood up, thinking it felt better to get the blood running in her body in an adrenaline rush. She sat down once more to feel the suppleness of the relaxing chair, then stood up, rushed out of the room, dashed down millions of stairs, and sprinted down corridors until she got to the entrance to the castle.

She suddenly stopped and gazed up at the huge menacing doors that lead to escape; to where she could run and run forever and never have a stone wall to stop you, a governess to tell you to be ladylike, a father to arrange betrothed marriages to a man three times as old as you; a place where you were normal, a common peasant. But for now she could only taste a little of this tempting freedom; she would have to wait for midnight to swallow the rest of liberty's enticing dessert.

But for now… for now she was to savor what peasants dreamed for; a little girl's dream, a princess's fate.

And, abruptly, she pushed the doors open and ran. Shocked ladies and surprised knights stared as she ran through a garden of splendor, maidens and lads a-courting, a jest's amusing tale, and ran on still. She ran till she was at the top of a hill, overlooking the castle. Then she stopped.

She stared at everything. The beauty and, what she knew to be, the hard truth of the castle, people who were punished and tortured because they supposedly "lied" to the king; princesses who were confined in their own house; princes who were destined, almost doomed, to rule; kings who cared little to nothing for their own children; queens who were greedy only for money.

Her family… they weren't family, just blood-related people, who were just about strangers to her.

Her eldest brother, Prince Reginald, at twenty-three, was snooty and pompous. Her second eldest brother, Prince Fredrick, at the age of sixteen, was very timid and quiet. She herself, only 15, was very enthusiastic and maybe a little too saucy. Her last and youngest brother, Prince Peter, an eleven year-old, who, taking after his sister, was very feisty and animated.

But the thing they lacked was love in their hearts for each other. And, maybe, if they didn't need it so much Estelle might not carry through with her plan. She might have found a reason tolerate her prison-like residence.

But, regrettably, there was not any love for each other. Of course, Estelle was fond of her little brother, Peter, but not enough to stay and watch him grow, to watch him discover the world.

She was now sitting on the grass, despite the stains in her dress. She looked up at the sky, surprised to see that it was deep blue and sprinkled with stars. Estelle jumped up and walked swiftly down the hill and towards the castle.

An hour later she was dressed lightly in a tight-fitting tunic and tights that she had stolen from the stable, a scabbard and sword (she had secretly taken fencing lessons) that swung loosely around her waist, and an old worn riding bag that held the peasant's clothes, a sack of money, and provisions.

She threw a cloak on and slowly snuck out of her room and walked through the endless corridors until she stood once again in front of the entrance doors. She thrust the doors open.

What she had not been expecting was a guard standing outside of the doors…