"Let go of me! LET GO OF ME!" She tore wildly out of his grasp. "LET GO!"

"Rue, you can do nothing for him! We need to get you out of the city before they do the same to you!"
The crowd surrounding the guillotine began to look in the direction of the tall house they were in. Murmurs began to sound…

"Run, Rue!" Autor shoved her towards the stairs. Together, they fled out of the house to the guards in disguise. The clatter of the gathering at the square began to move their way…

"Take her!" Autor pushed her into the grasp of the guards. "You remember where to go?"
"The catacombs under the city, sir," said one of the guards.

"Right. The carriage should be not a half mile out! Now get going, already!" He swept back towards the houses. "I'll feed them some more lies…"

Rue's hand reached out and caught his sleeve.

Autor turned to look at her.

"Autor… I… I don't understand you." Rue's grip on him loosened. "Why?! Why must you all die for me?!" Her voice rose sharply. "Do you think I want to live in a world without all of you –

Autor gathered her into his arms and held her. Rue froze, stiff, unsure of how to react – Then he released her, and it was all over.

"We don't need a reason, Rue. You're too adorable." Autor smiled wryly.

Rue's brow furrowed, her lips quivering. "After all this time, that's the only thing you can think of to say?!" But she was all too aware that the waver in her voice considerably softened the sharpness she intended.

His smile broadened, then he was sprinting away. "Get her out of here now!" He shouted to the guards over his shoulder.

The guards took her by the hand and ran with her, their feet clattering on the cobblestone. Breathless, Rue looked back only once. Autor was gone, and the sound of the crowd approaching grew louder by the second –

"In here!" The guards kicked down the door of a cottage and hauled aside a table, revealing a trap door. One guard pulled up the door while the other bolted the door behind them. "Quickly, Your Majesty!" They led her down into a narrow dirt tunnel, closing the trapdoor above them.

Inside the tunnel it was dark and dull. There was no light to see by, and the ground was nothing but packed dirt. Rue coughed and sputtered. Invisible dust and cobwebs caught and flew about the trio as they rushed through the cramped space.

Overhead, there was a violent rumble. The guards paused for only a moment before they continued to usher Rue along. "They're getting closer," one murmured to the other. Rue's heartbeat was a hammer in her ears.

"Now listen, Your Majesty," one of the guards began in a rush. "This tunnel leads us outside the city. As Autor explained, there is a carriage waiting to take you to the north-west woods, where there is an Inn. The hostess and owner of the Inn is a sergeant in our own royal army, and her and her husband will give you a safe place to stay."

"Right," Rue gasped as she stumbled over a large stone on the ground.

"We should be nearing the exit…"

Rue looked up. A sliver of gray light was visible in the distance…

Then they came to a grinding halt, and the guards were reaching upwards. They lifted another trapdoor, and a rope ladder came tumbling down. "After you, Your Majesty," the guards boosted her up. From far behind in the decrepit tunnel came a glow of torchlight…

Rue climbed up quickly, and a hand came down to pull her up. "Your Majesty," a man in the uniform of a carriage driver greeted her.

"Get a head start now, while you can," the guards addressed him.

Why do they act as though I'm helpless?

"Princess Rue, good luck." Then the guards slipped out of the house and were gone.

"Shall we be going then, Princess Rue?" the carriage driver asked, tightening his hat about his forehead.

A distant thunder rose, and the carriage driver peered out the nearby window. He paused, and then spoke. "Probably going to want to tighten and lower that hood some about your face, though."

Rue went to the window cautiously. In the distance, shapes were appearing on the horizon. She squinted in puzzlement – then her eyes widened. The thunder was that of a hundred horses and knights of the White Kingdom, galloping towards the city.

Are they… Are they here for me?

Then Rue's hand went to the belt about her waist and produced a hunting knife. She examined it for a moment, turning it about in her hand and watching the white light catch its smooth surface.

"Princess?" The carriage driver sounded anxious.

Rue didn't reply. Her grip on the knife's handle tightened.

No. I can't give up now. Not after all of the sacrifices they made just to keep me safe… Fakir, Autor, Edel… It will not be in vain.

I am not helpless.

Rue lowered her hood, shook out her hair.

The blade of the knife came slicing at her –

The carriage driver cried out and reached out –

With two swift blows, Rue's long hair fell in waves and locks to the floor. Once sure that her dark hair, of which she'd been so proud, was shortened to an unrecognizable length, she sheathed the knife once more.

The carriage driver fell back, though the shock didn't leave his face.

"Maybe I'm a little less recognizable now, hm?" Rue ran her hands through her hair, roughing it up. "And my clothes are quite plain." Her voice was emotionless. She pulled her hood back up. "Let us go."

She passed the stunned driver and settled into the carriage. Regaining himself, he sprinted after her and took up the reins. Settling onto his bench, he turned back to Rue. "You may want to close the curtains a bit, Princess."

He snapped the reins, and the horses charged off. They ran into the forest, heading away from the cloud on the horizon.

Rue braced herself inside the rickety carriage and drew the curtains slightly together. The thick curtains shut out all light except for a block of solid white that threw bleached squares onto her lap.

The thunder of the horses grew closer and ear-splittingly loud. Rue's hands came up to shelter her ears.

Then the clamor and vibrations of the hundreds of animals passed.

The carriage came to a halt, and Rue chanced a peek outside.

A single horse and knight had spotted them, and had forced them to halt. He dismounted and strode towards the carriage…

Rue's heart began to pound, and in an effort to slow it, she held her breath.

"What do you have here?"

"Just a traveler."

"No one is to leave the city, under order of the White Kingdom. Were you not aware of this?"

"No, sir."

"Of course not. Why don't you show me what kind of traveler you're carrying, exactly?"

Rue heard the carriage driver dismount, and she bunched the fabric of her skirt tightly into her hands.

The sound of footsteps came to the door of the carriage, and paused. Then the carriage driver drew open the door slightly, and Rue stared out into the light.

The carriage driver pursed his lips and moved to the side. The knight, in his thick metal armor, took his place. He looked quizzically at Rue.

"A stable boy?" The light did not touch her skirt.

Rue did not answer.

"He's frightened, sir. As he should be," the carriage driver hurried to make excuses. "But please, don't hurt him. He worked in the palace, and is on his way to be with relatives…"

"Is that so?" The knight sighed and stepped back. "Well, I'd get a move on if I were you. At first glance, this looks awfully suspicious…" He threw another glance at Rue before striding back to his horse and mounting. "Good day to you."

Then he was gone.

Rue's body finally relaxed, and she exhaled.

The carriage driver rocked on his heels, watching the knight depart. Then he sighed and looked back at Rue. "Better keep those curtains closed, eh?" He straightened his hat. "Not that it'll do any good, and yet…" He climbed back onto his seat, and the horses resumed their gallop.

Rue fell back against the seat of the carriage, relieved beyond words. Her hands shook, and she pulled mindlessly at her skirt.

The jolt of the carriage soon faded into background noise, and her head drooped. She was tired, but couldn't bring herself to close her eyes… Whenever she did, she only saw the faces of those she'd never meet again.

Fakir. Autor. Edel.

Her eyelids lowered steadily despite the rush in her head.

Fakir. Autor. Edel.

Tears fell onto her lap.

Stay with me. Protect me. Don't… leave me yet.

I won't let your sacrifice be a waste.

She drew her knees up to her chest, and did not move for a very long time.