Tatiana dragged Ailidh, against her will, away from the Main Council Chamber. Morgana's men seemed to be everywhere, at every door and in every corridor. It made it almost impossible to get past any of them. If they confronted the men, they would both end up dead. Ailidh's heart pounded against her chest feeling the rush of adrenaline running through her veins. Diving down an empty corridor Ailidh stopped in her tracks. She looked back over her shoulder as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Then came the sound of footsteps banging against the stone floor.

"Come on milady." Tatiana said tugging at Ailidh's wrist.

Ailidh let her feet obey and they started to break into a run. The corridors seemed like a maze to her. She had never explored this part of the castle before, but there was no time to take in the sights. From this point on the corridors became dark with almost no light. Grabbing a torch from the wall, Tatiana held it in front of her, the orange flames licking the walls. She let go of Ailidh's wrist to open the door on their right.

"Where are we going?" Ailidh asked curiously, looking over her shoulder to check no one had caught up with them.

"We are taking you down a passage that will lead to safety, away from the castle and out of reach of that witch." She said those last words as though they were pure venom.

Carefully opening the door making sure it made no noise Tatiana ushered Ailidh through. Despite closing the gap, she managed to peek through the crack to see two of Morgana's men pass. She had to wait before she tried to shut the door as quietly as she could. Walking hurriedly down the dark tunnel, they were all on their own with no indication of whether anyone was close by besides hearing them first. The flames of the torch started to flicker as they ventured further into the tunnel.

Ailidh felt a breeze on her face when she spotted the moonlight at the other end. Rushing to the way out she found herself trapped from the outside world by thick metal bars. She grasped a hand round them feeling the coldness spread through her. She ran her hand over the bars in search for something that would allow her to get out. Her fingers ran across a hinge on the left of the bars.

"There must be a lock as these metal bars have hinges." Ailidh said with delight.

Tatiana dropped the torch to the floor with a clatter. She rushed over to help find a lock. It had to be small since the tunnel was not that spacious. She took out two pins that held her hair in place and placed them in the lock. She hoped that it would act like a key to unlock the bars. There was a sudden click and squeak as the bars swung open.

"I heard something down here!" a gruff voice shouted.

Shadows loomed on the walls at the end of the tunnel and footsteps began to echo down the chamber. Ailidh did not know what to do. Would she stay and risk being captured or just run for her life? She glanced over to Tatiana who looked as though she was trying to hold back the tears. The voices were getting louder by the second so a snap decision was in order.

"I cannot leave you." Ailidh turned to Tatiana.

"You have to. They will find you and she'll kill you." Tatiana said hanging onto Ailidh's arms.

"She'll kill you too. I will not let her do that."

Tatiana had been Ailidh's maid for only a short while but she was more than just a servant. She had been a loyal friend that had been there when Ailidh had needed her the most. Losing her was not something Ailidh wanted to think about.

"Come with me." Ailidh was on the verge of crying but she managed to hold them back.

"My duty is to protect you and that means holding them off. Your life is worth far more than mine. Now go!" She said trying to make Ailidh hurry up.

Soon the guards would be upon them, catching them both. Tatiana wanted Ailidh to be safe. For her that was more critical. It meant she had done her duty and would die knowing it. She knew that once she crossed the line, Ailidh would be on her own.

"Run! Keep on running and don't look back!" Tatiana urged.

Ailidh muttered her thanks before breaking into a run, towards the forest, hiding herself in the dense trees. She slowed down in time to hear the click of Tatiana locking the metal gate. She could hear the hoarse voices of the men arguing below. Hearing a heavy thud made her wince. Tatiana's words played over in her head. Obeying them, she started to run again. She kept telling herself that everything would be ok and that she would run until she was far enough away from the castle, her home. She wanted to look back and see what had once been her home for the last time.

She decided against it, feeling that the pain would be too much. Her legs were beginning to ache but she could not rest. What happened if Morgana's guards had followed her? She did not know where she was heading or where she was. She had never been allowed to explore the forest on her own. There was no distinctive path running through the trees, not one that she could follow. For all she knew she could run into another kingdom or a wildren cave. She wove in and out of trees, hearing the rustle of fallen leaves and the snap of branches as her feet pounded the ground.

The further she ran into the forest the darker it got. The trees were thicker; light could not get through the canopy to light her way. Ailidh almost felt like she was blind as the light began to fade. She had no idea how long she had been running for. She slowed and stopped to lean on a tree to catch her breath. She was constantly searching her surroundings and listening for any other presence. After a minute or two she began to run again, running off into the distance.