As expected, the Queen continued the interrogation in Caitlin’s bedroom. “I’m so glad you’re going to see Odonia. How long do you think you’ll be staying?”

“A few days,” Caitlin said. “I’m meeting a group of her family’s emissaries shortly, so they’ll be with me the entire trip and back.” She packed her last change of clothes into her luggage and shut the closet. Cumbersome as it was while travelling, it served as the perfect temporary hiding place for her equipment.

Equally important, though, it added credence to the deception.

“I’m just curious,” the Queen continued. “Was this excursion deliberately scheduled to avoid the Godfreys?”

Caitlin shrugged. “Let’s call that a happy coincidence.”

That got a laugh from her mother. When silence followed, she got the sense Mother was preparing another lecture, but the Queen looked deep in thought, unable to find the right words.

“Caitlin,” she began. “I’m aware I say this frequently, but I only want what’s best for you. I want you to be happy, and whether that’s studying history or plants or baking expensive pies, I want you to go for it. You’re a brilliant young woman, and you are capable of so much.”

That wasn’t exactly a lecture, but as hollow as the platitudes were, Caitlin was indeed capable of anything. “I know. And I appreciate all you and Father do for me,” she needed to leave, things were about to get even more saccharine. “I should be going, it’s almost time.”

“Will you be needing your Auburn Blade?”

Now was the most perilous part of her quest. Caitlin could only silently pray her mother wouldn’t call her out. “That won’t be necessary, we’re meeting right outside the castle.”

She nodded. “Okay then, that should be fine. Give the Melsaras my best.”

“I’m sure they’ll be glad to hear it.”

The Queen departed, but Caitlin waited a few moments before allowing herself to indulge in another victory. With the utterly flawless deception complete, the most difficult portion of the journey was over. All that was left now was saying goodbye to her sister and father. She went down the hall to Lilith’s room to find her sister examining various pieces of clothing in front of a mirror.

“Have you finally come around on the Godfreys?”

“I know you’re going to miss me today,” Caitlin said. “But I’d rather sleep on a bed of hot spikes than spend another minute with those idiots. I merely wanted to wish you good luck, you’re going to need it far more than I am.”

“You leap at the chance for a fight, yet you’re repulsed by teatime with dear Jacqueline.”

“There’s a smaller chance of a fatality.”

“You’re an enigma, Cait, but is there any specific reason you’re here? Typically, you’re only in my room if you’re pulling a prank or testing out some new insult.”

“I have just cause,” Caitlin said. “I wanted to ask if you’d give me a haircut.”

“You mean what you call a haircut?”

She clearly wanted to drag it out. “How do you like putting it? A styling? I’m requesting a styling.”

Lilith paused for several moments before she moved to the window. “I’d be happy to, but first I need to make sure the sky isn’t raining blood.”

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “You’re an expert in the study, Lilith. I have no problem admitting that your ability and knowledge far exceeds mine. Is it so unusual for me to request your assistance?”

“Maybe not, but I needed to make sure this isn’t prelude to the end of the world,” Lilith moved away from the window and pulled out a pair of scissors from a drawer. “Take a seat and tell me what you’d like from your makeover, Cait,”

“I believe I said styling. Don’t think you’re going to rope me into anything beyond that. I’d like my hair shortened, that is all.”

“Ever the tomboy, but I’ve always admired your taste. It’s unique, if I’m being charitable” Lilith went to work, so Caitlin closed her eyes, assured of her sister’s taste. After a brief and welcome lull in the conversation, she spoke up. “So, Cait, might I inquire as to what motivated this desire for a new look?”

“There are a number of big changes happening in my life,” Caitlin said, knowing exactly how her sister would interpret it.

“I see,” Lilith said. “Could it be that Caitlin Faraday has finally found a man worthy enough to try to impress?”

“I don’t recall saying that, either.”

“Of course, I won’t tell Mother, but I need details. I am so curious to know what type of man appeals to you. If I were to guess, I’d wager he prefers long walks over the corpses of his enemies to romantic walks by the sea. I also suspect you like his big muscles, though more so for their ability to snap necks rather than hold you in the middle of the night.”

“Am I supposed to convince you it’s not about being appealing to a man? Is it my responsibility to disabuse you of all your ridiculous opinions?” Caitlin responded.

“You haven’t done a good job of it so far.”

“And I’ll make no further attempt to stop you.”

Lilith ceased the inquiry and remained quiet until she made a deal of progress. “Well, how do you like it so far?”

Caitlin reopened her eyes. Her hair on the right side was shortened so only a few loose curls wrapped around her ear. The rest was parted left and came down to her neck.

“Perfect.”

“Not even complete and it’s a masterwork? I’m humbled, Cait.”

Caitlin brought herself closer to the mirror to inspect the finer details. It really was the perfect styling for the journey. Short enough that scoundrels would have a difficult time grabbing it, but enough remained to make it distinct. A true warrior needed a signature look to inspire fear in her enemies. “You’ve done well, Lilith. Even I’m impressed.”

“If you’d really like to thank me,” Lilith said. “Might I be given more information about your mystery man?”

“What time is it? Oh, I’m already running late. Odonia’s guards will be here any minute,” she quipped, stopping at the door. “And I’ll fall in love with a mystery man as soon as I sprout wings and wield a magic sword.”

With the styling complete, the final step was saying goodbye to Father. This early in the morning, he was probably in a meeting with his advisors and ambassadors, but Father’s door was always open to family, no matter the time or day. He also understood the world in a way Lilith and even Mother never could.

But now that she was on her way to see him, Caitlin wasn’t so certain. After years of training together, Father knew her better than anyone. Without so much as a hint as to her true intentions, he would know something was amiss.

And if Father knew the truth, he’d never agree to let her go.

“Arahkum on High,” she whispered. “What am I to do?” After everything he’d done for her, Caitlin could never disgrace her father by directly lying to his face. Giving her mother a little white fib was one thing, willingly dishonoring Father was below the worst cretins.

However, her father was, and always would be, a knight: he knew better than most that their life was one of sacrifice. Knights were sometimes called upon to make the hardest choices for the greater good, and only those with the strongest wills could be called to serve. If anyone was capable of understanding that, it was Father.

Before anything could further cloud her judgement, she picked up her luggage and made her way out of the castle towards destiny.

____________________________________________________________________________

Caitlin would’ve liked to sell the luggage to a struggling business for far less than what they were worth, but she settled for leaving them in an obscure part of the castle the servants were unlikely to find. If discovered, her parents would hopefully assume she forgot her clothes and would have to ask Odonia to borrow some.

About an hour after she said goodbye to her mother and sister, Caitlin was in the outskirts of the countryside, her only company were birds and the serenity of nature. The sun was high in the sky and bathed the world in its rejuvenating glow, but the air was temperate. She preferred a warmer climate, but if it remained at this level for the rest of the day, there wouldn’t be a problem.

Alone with her thoughts, she had time to reflect on the morning’s events. Deceiving Mother and Lilith was easy enough, but her hesitance to talk to Father made Caitlin wonder: was she wrong to lie to her mother and sister? Of course, she didn’t enjoy lying to her mother and sister, but what choice did she have? They never understood her desire to become a warrior, the Queen in particular. Whenever they were training, Mother always threw a big fuss about how Caitlin didn’t understand what she was getting herself into and Father was a fool for encouraging her. What was so wrong with wanting to follow in your mother’s footsteps, especially when your mother was once one of the most legendary knights in all the lands?

No, Caitlin was totally justified. In fact, she was more resolute than ever

The deception and escape were complete. Next, she needed a horse.

Seeing as borrowing one of her father’s was out of the question, the most logical solution was to purchase one, but where? A random vendor in Amorado was likely to give away their most prized stallion free of charge and keep the exchange a secret if she asked, but that jeopardized the mission. There existed a possibility, however remote, the information would get back to her parents. Walking the whole way wasn’t ideal, but the nearest place one could make the transaction without incident was off course from her destination, so she was at the mercy of fate.

Caitlin’s heart stopped. About fifty feet in front of her was a stunningly beautiful, powerful horse. The only thing standing in her way was the rider. She picked up a stone and hustled forward. ____________________________________________________________________________

After the scuffle with the merchant, the rest of Jamie’s day was uneventful. Some of his coworkers were averse to boredom, but he was willing to tolerate a lack of excitement if it meant the people of Amorado were safe. After saying goodbye to Claire, he went home, said his thanks to Arahkum that his grandfather hadn’t taken Malcot, and started the journey to the O’Doerery farm. Even if he was running an errand, returning to one of the most significant places of his youth after a few years away was a treat. Jamie also didn’t have to work tomorrow, so the O’Doererys were likely to insist on him staying the night and for breakfast.

As the two moved at a gentle trot, Malcot’s milk white mane billowed in the breeze, and the sun gave her chestnut coat an almost orange sheen. Being able to ride her again was a treat. Jamie fondly recalled how it had taken quite a bit of coaxing to get her to trust him. She was nervous around strangers despite her strength, but once he got her out of her shell, they were a pair to fear. Giving her to the O’Doererys all those years ago was a painful but valuable lesson about the necessity of sacrifice.

“What was that?” Jamie said to the forest.

Jamie brought Malcot to a halt and to assess his surroundings. No birds in flight, nothing leaping from one branch to the next, but there was a stone sitting a few feet away from them. Was that there before?

“Take your hand off the sword and get off the horse,” a slightly muffled female voice said. “Now.”

Jamie retracted his hand and slowly placed both at his sides. A thief with an arrow nocked and ready to fly into his face had snuck up on him.

“I won’t ask again,” she said.

As instructed, he slowly dismounted Malcot, carefully examining his assailant. Her bow was brilliantly crafted, almost like it was dipped in silver, and her hood and facemask looked to be made from a garment far outside Jamie’s salary. This was a skilled, dangerous thief. No wonder she managed to sneak up on him.

“What’s your name?”

He squinted at her. “I’m sorry?”

“What’s your name?” she restated.

Jamie had no idea why she was so interested in his name, but it was probably best to play along. “Raymond. Raymond Christopher. Why?”

“I’m going to give the horse back when I’m done.”

That was either a laughably transparent lie or the strangest thing Jamie heard from a criminal in his year as a knight. Since when did thieves care for compensating their victims? “She doesn’t like strangers,” he backed away as she sidled towards Malcot, the bow still trained on him. “This isn’t going to end how you want.”

“I’m sorry, but you’d never understand,” she hopped onto the saddle only to be sent plummeting into the dirt after Malcot bucked her hind legs.

“I told you, she doesn’t like strangers,” Jamie readied his sword and shield, ready to make the thief regret her career path.

Her steely blue eyes flared with frustration and she was on her feet a second later, nocking another arrow from her quiver. Jamie moved his shield in front of his face to block it. He prepared to charge, but the thief was on him a moment later, swinging her bow at his head. The impact of the weapon on his shield reverberated throughout his whole body, almost taking him off his feet; one blow from that would be more than enough to incapacitate him. Jamie wasn’t quick enough to deflect her driving a boot into a part of his shin left vulnerable by his armor, sending him to one knee. The thief lifted her bow high and Jamie brought the shield over his face. His knees almost crumbled beneath the impact and his sword hand gave out.

“Yield,” she said, pressing the cold point of an arrow into Jamie’s neck. “I’ll return your horse as soon as I’m done. You have my word”

Now that Jamie thought about it, her voice seemed...familiar. Like he knew her from somewhere.

Doesn't matter, can’t let her take Malcot. Most criminals viewed fights as kill-or-be-killed, but this one insisted on taking Malcot and sparing his life. Between that and the promise of returning his beloved horse unharmed, did this thief genuinely hold some sense of honor? Twisted as it might seem to him, perhaps that could be used to his advantage. Jamie burst to his feet, knocked her bow away, and wrenched down the thief’s hood in one swift motion.

As intended, the move briefly flummoxed her, forcing her to drop her bow and turn away. The plan had the unintended side effect of also leaving Jamie stunned. The earth beneath him could’ve opened and consumed him, and that probably wouldn’t be enough to distract him. Jamie only saw the briefest glimpse of her face, but he’d recognize her anywhere.

“Caitlin?” He barely whispered.

The thief who accosted him and attempted to steal Malcot was none other than Caitlin Faraday. The Princess of Amorado, second daughter of King Benjamin and Queen Mary, just tried to kill him and take his horse.

Hundreds of questions stormed to the forefront of Jamie's mind, each fighting to escape. What was she doing in the middle of the forest, so far away from the city? From the castle? Why was she dressed in a hood, a face mask and boots? Why did she try to take Malcot? What did she do to her hair? It was so radically different from what she’d worn throughout the years, but she was still heart-stoppingly beautiful. When did she learn to fight like that?

The Princess whipped around and knocked him on his back with a thunderous punch to the nose.

Jamie needed several seconds to regain his composure. He propped himself on an elbow and put up a hand to yield, just in case she planned to strike again. “Caitlin, wait! I’m a knight!” he said. “I’m from Amorado and I serve your father!”

“I knew that,” she said, clearly aggravated with him for some reason. “That’s why I was going to return your stupid horse when I was done.”

At a very slow pace, Jamie rose to his feet, careful to not make any sudden movements. “Why did you want my horse? Couldn’t your father get you a horse?”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Caitlin pressed a hand to her face and ran it through her gorgeous hair. “Tell no one what happened here or where I’m going,” she said before continuing her walk through the forest.

Still reeling from the events of the last few minutes, Jamie remained motionless and watched her walk away. The Princess just gave him a direct order after punching him in the face, but he was certain that contradicted the King and Queen’s wishes. There was no way to get in contact with them, but he was reasonably certain they’d never agree to let her go without an escort. That meant he had to follow Caitlin until such time as she was safe.

Jamie opened his mouth to call out to her, but his voice failed him. Circumstance forcing him to talk with Caitlin should’ve delighted him. He fantasized about the possibilities countless times, but the reality was petrifying. That he managed a few sentences earlier was a miracle, likely attributed to the adrenaline from the fight. He didn’t know if he had the courage for anything more.

But he also knew any member of the royal family was a prime target for mercenaries, bandits, bounty hunters, and anyone with a vendetta against the Faraday name. And what if they knew she was all alone in a forest, unprotected? Just the thought of Princess being put in danger because of his negligence was enough to make his body go cold and his mouth dry up.

“My Lady, wait!” Jamie shouted and nearly broke out into a sprint to catch up with the Princess, but he made sure to keep a comfortable distance between them. “You can take my horse to the castle. I’ll make my way on foot.”

She continued walking without giving him so much as a glance. He wondered if he merely imagined saying those words until he heard another sigh and a deadpan “go away.”

“Uh, I promise I will, m-my Lady, I will plan to go away, I mean I will go away as soon as I know you’re safe.”

“I don’t need protection from you or anyone else.”

“My Lady,” Jamie deepened his voice and steadied himself. This was certain to halt her, and if the price to pay was a busted nose, so be it. “I know you may not want to hear this, but if you insist on going into the forest, I think it’s best that we stay together.”

“This conversation is becoming increasingly difficult to tolerate,” Caitlin said. “I don’t need my father to make you regret disobeying me.”

Jamie knew nothing he could say or do changed anything if Caitlin truly wanted him gone, but he also knew she wouldn’t kill him for continually badgering her. True, she snuck up on him and tried to steal Malcot, but she only tried to incapacitate him. That was a powerful indication of her character. The Princess wasn’t going to kill him.

At least, he hoped that was the case.

“My Lady, I know you ordered me to go away,” he felt warmth on his face as he started talking. “But either I go with you or I tell the King and Queen where you are and what you’re doing.”

That got her to stop and look at him, if only because she wanted to scowl at Jamie like he suggested they get married. “Excuse me?”

“I-I know how that sounds. I’m not trying to overreach your command, but I swore an oath to the King and Queen, my Lady, to protect all the people of Amorado. And that includes you,” despite her unyielding anger, Jamie called upon his years of training and stood his ground. “That means I can’t let you go alone.”

She turned away in a fury, her fists balled. Jamie was preparing himself for another punch to the face, but the Princess calmed herself. “Fine.”

“Fine?”

“I’ll let you come along until I deem you unnecessary,” she clarified.

“Really?”

“Do you wish to stand around and discuss it further?”

“Right. Right, yes, we should get moving,” Jamie whistled and Malcot dutifully trotted over. “She won’t buck you off if I’m riding her. If you don’t mind me directing her.”

The Princess joined his side and lightly rubbed Malcot’s neck. “At least you have a beautiful horse. What’s her name?”

“Malcot,” Jamie knelt and outstretched his palms to boost her up. “I’ve known her ever since she was a filly. She’s one of my oldest friends.”

The Princess almost kicked him on his backside as she nimbly hopped onto Malcot’s saddle. “I mastered horseback at age thirteen, my father’s tutors said I was the most gifted pupil they ever taught.”

“I apologize, my Lady, that was rude of me,” Jamie said as he pushed himself to his feet. He probably should’ve known that was unnecessary considering how she got onto Malcot’s saddle with ease during their fight. Another dumb mistake, but he also feared not making the offer to a member of the royal family was a violation of customs.

“Rude and stupid, but I suppose I’ve come to expect that of you.”