Here I am, updating a month later! I'm sorry, but I had a humongous school project, and our swim season was ending. I promise to update faster next time. Thanks so much to everyone who is reading this! I appreciate it more than you will ever know!

"We are going to rescue your sister."

I stared hard at Jesser with the angriest face I could muster, which could not amount to much as I had never been very good at evil stares. "How are we going to rescue Lydia without an army? There's just you, and you're nothing but a servant." At the last possible second I wondered if he would take that offensively, but it was the truth. A servant was a servant.

But Jesser only shrugged. "Yes, well, servants are pretty good at listening and sneaking around. You have to be, to work in a royal palace."

I had a sudden vision of servants sneaking around, eavesdropping on every little word I said, the weird conversations I had with Willow and Lydia. Despite myself, I giggled.

"You think that's funny?" He still did not look offended. Just very confused as to why his prisoner was laughing.

I shook my head and stifled the laugh. "No, no. I just had an odd thought, that's all."

"So you don't mind that I kidnaped you."

The laughter completely vanished at that, and I truly think I managed a decent glare. "No. Of course I mind! I am the royal princess, and you have no right to... to..." The obvious answer involved him throwing a sack over my head and carrying me away, but I could not think of a less cumbersome way of saying so.

"Assist Her Highness in rescuing her most royal sister?" Jesser grabbed my hand again and rose it to his mouth as if to kiss it– all the while his eyes, twinkling with an unexpected joviality rested on me.

"How dare you," I missed, tearing my hand back. Something told me, however, that he had no interest in kissing my hand.

"I already explained my desire in helping you, so maybe you should just accept it. Besides, it will only delay us if I take you back to the palace."

The palace. Oh, yes, I had not the faintest idea as to where I was. My heart quickened as I stared around with more interest. No, I did not recognize a single tree. Then again, dusk was setting in. But the palace, certainly I could spot the spires of the palace rising above the trees. No, no, these silly gardens were too wild and bushy for that. "We are still on the grounds, are we not?" I demanded.

Jesser's grin widened. "Princess Moriah, aren't you sure?"

He was teasing me. I did not like to be teased, and I could feel tears burning behind my eyes. "I want to go home, Jesser. I want to go home." Was I speaking of Prince David's palace or my other home?

"I thought you wanted to rescue your sister," he said softly. At least the grin was gone. Heavens, but he could certainly switch a mood and an impression on me.

Lydia. Maybe Lydia really was pranking me. Or maybe she really was in trouble. The tears burst out as I slunk back to the ground.

Above me, Jesser said what I think was a swear word under his breath. "Princess Moriah, please don't do this."

But I couldn't stop. I did not know where I was but that it was dark and I was with a very strange servant. "Prince David will know that I am gone. He'll send someone after me."

Jesser scoffed. Another mood switch. "Your gallant husband is going to send someone after you? No, he won't. He's too busy wasting time planning a too-long rescue."

But he had to.

"Come on, Princess," Jesser said gently. "We have a long way to go."

No, I told myself. I was not going to go anywhere with a servant! I sniffed back the last tears and wiped my eyes. To my horror, I was standing up.

Jesser was already walking away, not that there was much of a trail to walk upon– just a faint gash in the woods. He had traded the odd yellow clothes of the palace for brown pants and a tunic that all looked a lot safer for the woods. A large satchel dangled down his back. And he was whistling. He had just kidnaped a princess and he had the nerve to whistle.

"I'm not going with you!" I heard myself shout.

He stopped and turned back to look at me with mild surprise. "Then I guess I can try to rescue Princess Lydia on my own, though I had really hoped to allow you to come with me. The way I see it, Princess, I am the one serving you. I am your servant."

"Then take me back!"

"That would take too long, I'm afraid."

I took a deep breath. I did not want to panic again. "How can we possibly rescue my sister?" I knew the answer before I had finished voicing the question. Mother had rescued Father, after all– and completely single-handedly.

"We'll figure it out when it truly gets to that point. Now come on, we can't spend the night in woods that are haunted."

"Haunted? Now that is just foolish. They are not haunted." But I suddenly was not so sure. "Jesser, I don't care if you want to rescue my sister. In fact, I am very touched that you would do so. But I must let you know that I would be absolutely no help whatsoever and you best understand that now."

But Jesser just resumed walking.

I could not believe this was happening to me. But Jesser could not have carried me very far. I was still on the palace grounds. I had to be. And the palace grounds were certainly not haunted.

Jesser was a poor villain indeed if he couldn't be bothered with tying me or doing something to make sure I stayed with him. Why, I did not have to follow him. I could turn around and find my way back to the palace. Prince David had to notice I was missing by now.

So I did. I turned around and walked the opposite way into the trees.

No, they were not haunted. I had to admit that the darkness and the trees were tantalizing to the darker side of my imagination, but if I kept myself focused on finding the palace I could not be scared. Besides, I was too old to be afraid of such things. Willow, on the other hand, would no doubt be throwing a fit. Ghosts and fairies did not exist.

The moon soon showed its brightness. Suddenly the trees were rather pretty. Very lovely, in fact. But it was still night, and I was in the trees. By myself. If Mother or Father heard a word about this, I would never hear the end of it. Well, all I was doing was escaping from a kidnapper.

I heard a crunch ahead of me. Movement. Good, the guards out searching for me. Excellent that they would come.

"I'm right here!" I called loudly. "It is I, Princess Moriah! I'm perfectly all right, though I demand that we behead the servant Jesser as soon as he re–"

It was not a guard nor was it Prince David. It was an old woman. Her face was round and soft with fine wrinkles. Her eyes were wide and staring, with a slight mist over one. Her hair hung down her back in wild gray snarls. Her entire skinny body was wrapped in a gray cloak.

It was a veritable storybook hag.

No, no, I could not think that way. It was probably some crazy old biddy who lived in the kitchens. Yes, that was it.

She stared at me, her mouth curling into a smile. Fortunately it was a kind smile.

"Hello," I said nervously. "I'm Princess Moriah."

The woman seemed to think. "Never heard of you, dearie."

Of course knowledge of me could not be expected of crazy old biddies living in the kitchens. "I am Prince David's wife."

She nodded, smile remaining. "Never heard of him. Sorry, young lady."

Oh, how I wished for a knowledgeable and sane guard! "Do you know how to get to the palace from here?"

"Palace?" she echoed. "What palace?"

"Why, the royal palace of Rantolia. The..." I paused, trying to think of best to describe the palace. "The really big house."

"I know what a palace is, dearie," she snapped. "I've seen a hundred palaces before you were born. Some of them were real beauties, let me tell you." She chuckled to herself. "The palace of Rantolia, yes, it does have its good qualities. Quite a garden, let me tell you. Children like you just don't appreciate gardens anymore, with all the goodness they have. Some say it's enchanted. Was enchanted by witches. Do you believe in witches, my dear? They're not evil, so you shouldn't be scared of them. Well, I suppose some of them are evil, just like some people are evil. You really can't say one way or the other all the time, but I suppose most of them are decent folk... what were you saying about the palace?"

"There's a palace near here," I insisted desperately. My only was that this woman was crazy. And that she knew where I was. "How do I get to it?"

The old woman's smile changed. "I know perfectly well how to get there, child. But I won't be telling you, because you won't be going there for quite some time."

"What do you mean?"

"For one thing, it's much too far for a little thing like you, especially at this hour. And for another..." She held up her gnarled old fingers and snapped.

The ground beneath me vanished. I felt like I was leaping into a stream. I screamed as my body and my beautiful dress plunged down into sand.

Quicksand, I thought. Willow had read plenty on quicksand. I looked up, but the old woman was gone. I screamed again and whipped my arms at the earth, but I only sank faster.

I was going to die. I was going to die horribly and never be seen again. Unless... "Jesser!" I screamed.

But he was already there. Or, more accurately, a giant limp was almost stabbing me through the head.

"Grab on!" Jesser's voice yelled. I could see him from the corner of my eye.

I wrapped my arms around the tree limb and squeezed my eyes shut as Jesser pulled me to solid ground.

"Are you all right, Princess?" he murmured as he helped scoop mud from my body.

I nodded, though I did not feel all right. "There... there was this horrid old woman, Jesser! She made the quicksand appear. She tried to kill me."

I almost expected him to deny it, but instead he said nothing.

Neither did I. Not caring how filthy I was or that I didn't have a bed, I immediately fell asleep with Jesser's jacket as my pillow.