Chapter 5

I had an easier time getting out of the ball than I thought I would. But then again, I didn't dance with anyone because I couldn't dance with any girl besides Anastasia and I definitely didn't want to dance with her. Mother's lecture about being nice whooshed over my head and I left the floor muttering curses on Princess Anastasia and forced marriages. The Princess had left also, probably to go into another room and scream out her hatred towards me.

I learned counting to ten doesn't always work.

My suspicions about Carrie were correct. Shesmiled brightly andblushedwhen I mentioned Conrad, and I was tempted to tease, but then let it go with a grin.

Conrad was ready at the end of the barnwith Ares and his horse, Shika, all saddled and both moving anxiously, as if they knew what was going to happen. He had a couple packs and I supplied the rest to the saddles. As I prepared to mount, I saw Conrad looking wistfully behind him. I thought he was taking in the stable one more time, but then I saw his gaze was directed toward the castle. I smiled.

"Hey Con," I said, ready to tell him of Carrie. But then I decided not to get his hopes up too high. Who was I to try and be a match maker? I had failed in my own miserably.

He looked at me expectantly.

I thought quickly. "Do you have a sword?"

"A sword?" he asked stupidly.

"You honestly didn't think we were going to step into the world away from the protected castle without weapons, did you?" I asked.

"No, I don't know how to use a sword," he said sheepishly. He added quickly, "But I do have a bow. I'm better at that. But I really thought I was just going to use it for food. I didn't think..."

"Of course you didn't think," I smirked and swung into the saddle. He mounted next to me and we stepped out into the moonlight.

I had stepped out that barn a hundred times, even at night, but never had the world looked so big. So open. So...free. I breathed deeply and the air had never seemed fresher. I felt as if a long chain had suddenly fallen away from my wrists and ankles and I felt free and independent, a very wonderful feeling.

I nudged Ares, we had to hurry, there was a whole world waiting for me.

...and Conrad.

:(insignificant flash back):

"...And they lived happily ever after," said Lance's nurse and closed the book with a thud.

He looked up, surprised. "What? There were no more monsters?"

"No, Lance," said his nurse. "The knight had already conquered them all."

"I think that is the sweetest story in the world," sighed Elaine dreamily.

Lance wrinkled his nose. "That's because you are just a girl. And you're only six so you don't know any better."

She sniffed indignantly. "I do to know better. All princesses live happily ever after and I'm going to be one of them. And just becuase you don't believe in happily ever after stories, you aren't going to live happily ever after. So there."

"I never said I didn't believe," Lance muttered to himself. He went over to book shelf in the royal nursey and pulled out a book. He gave it the nurse. "Here read this one. I know this one has monsters in it and it lives happily ever after," he said rolling his eyes at Elaine. "But there are still twice as many bad guys in this book than the last."

A soft fluttering on face made me concious that it was morning, but I didn't open my eyes. I waved away the thing in front of my face, annoyed and confused. The servants never did anything like that, and I doubted Carrie was in here tickling my face with a duster. The tickling continued and I growled in frustration and rolled over on my side.

"Time to wake up, Sleeping Beauty."

That was Conrad's voice. What was he doing in the castle? I moved to see why and hit my hip against something sharp. A rock! I suddenly remembered where I was and my eyes flew open as I sat up with a jerk, nearly colliding with Conrad who was bending over me.

"Woah! You're alive!" he said falling back.

I looked at the woods around me and recognized theclearing as the place we had bedded down for the night after deciding we were far enough away from the castle. I saw the blue sky above me and an eagle in it, symbolizing freedom, and I grinned.

Conrad stared at me wide eyed when I suddenly leapt to my feet and yelled, practically dancing, "Yes! I'm free! I'm independent. I can do anything I want! No more His Royal Excellency Prince Lance. No more hour long scrubbing baths. No more silk and velvet. And no more Princess Anastasia."

I breathed deeply and looked around, very satisfied.

Conrad got up cautiously, looking at me warily.

"So what are we going to do first?" I asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know this was your idea, Prince Charming."

I let the insult slide when a sudden growl told me exactly what I was going to do first. Conrad laughed when I hurried over to the saddle bags and took out the food sack.I was starving!I stuck my hand in and felt around. But the sack was empty. I looked over at Conrad, trying to see if he had eaten our rations. But he was waiting expectantly.

I looked in the bag and cursed. The whole thing was empty. Not a crumb left! Mystomach growled in unision as I tossed the bag on the ground. Conrad's eyes widened and he picked it up.

"No food?" he said as I rumaged in the other, nothing.Great, the first thingI was going to do in my new life of freedom was starve.

"Someone stole it," I grunted, my happy mood gone.

Thankfully Conrad had a few bun stuffed away in his pockets and none of the gold was stolen. I practically attacked those two buns and Conrad who was use to meager mealsate hisone bun slowly and deliberately with chuckles while my stomach continued to cry out for food.

"Hey, look," he said pointing the ground. There had been a light rain during the night, and the round was soft, revealing a trail of small footsteps.

I jumped up. "The thief!" I cried and mounted my horse. "Come on, Conrad maybe we can catch him."

Conrad looked at me like I was crazy. I probably was. Those footsteps were probably made hourse ago and I was about to find a needle in a haystack. But this was an adventure, right? Tracking a mysterious thief becuase he dared to make your stomach growl and your first morning a disaster. My stomach had to be revenged.

Ares was just as excited as I when I released him and started in the forest, following the small tracks, andConrad loped behind.