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Prologue

the girls, blinking. "Hello," he greeted. Y/N put her knife back in her skirt and sighed. "You don't look dangerous at all," she stated. The other girl, however, wasn't very inviting when it came to him.

Her lids started to nictitate, "Please get out of this carriage."

"I can't," the boy replied. Both of the girls turned to each other and arched their eyebrows. "I'm in hiding. Bit of a to-do. Bribed a porter to put me in this and put me onboard." He inhaled sharply and smiled mischievously, "Very daring."

Y/N only looked at him cluelessly. "Get out of this carriage right now!" The girl dressed up as a boy scowled. The well-dressed mate looked at her scrutinizingly. "You're a . . . strange-looking gentleman."

"You think you look normal?" The 'boy' replied as the actual one silently exclaimed a revelation, "You're not a boy at all!"

"Bloody hell," L/N muttered under her breath as she slumped her back on the seat. "He's a boy. How rude of you to assume otherwise!" She defended making the girl turn to her with a grateful smile.

"What are you wearing? Why is it like that?" He asked as he looked down to her torn dress. She rolled her eyes.

"I fell on a rose bush. Got any more questions?" She asked.

"Who are you both?"

'What I said was supposed to be rhetorical yet you still ask such queries," Y/N said.

"What are you?" The 'boy' answered back.

The well-dressed young man pursed his lips and held both his hands out for them to shake whilst he introduced himself as, "Viscount Tewkesbury, The Marquess of Basilwether."

"You're a nincompoop"

Y/N snorted. "She's not wrong."

They only stared at his palms, refusing as Tewkesbury closed his hands and pulled them back. "I'll have you know I've just undertaken a particularly daring escape — "

"You have not escaped. There is a man in a brown bowler hat currently in this train searching for you, and once he finds you, he will think we helped hide you, and we are going to be endangered by this. Therefore, I ask you to get out of this carriage!"

They both stared at each other while Y/N enjoyed the entertainment unfolding before her.

"You remind me of my uncle," Tewkesbury said, straightening his blazer. "I've left him at the station. He's bossy too. Left them all; My mother, My grandmother, but, I'm fine, I'm free" He added and put the bag back where it belongs.

"Good. Get out of the carriage, then."

"A man in a bowler hat?"

He looked at Y/N, "You can stay in mine. Just beside this one. I have no one there. Just like you, I ran away and escaped." She said with a polite smile. He exhaled sharply and returned the gesture.

"Thank you, but I have to go." The Viscount slowly walked out of the compartment peeking through the door, "It'll be fine, It'll be fine." He mumbled as his figure faded.

"Hope that works out well for him because I doubt it will be," the girl in the torn cream dress said in a hushed tone and hidden humour. The other sighed.

Not even a minute passed, the Marquess of Basilwether came rushing back to the carriage startling the occupants. "He's coming!" He exclaimed.

Y/N stood up, "Well, good luck with that. I won't let myself get in too much danger. Especially when I'm not even halfway through my plan." She said.

"Of course." ── "He's checking every carriage!" ── "Wonderful."

"He didn't see me" ── "Of course he did. Therefore, I say good day to you, Viscount Tewkesbury, Marquess of Basilwether." ── "You both have to help me!"

"I wish I could, but, I also have the objective to lay low," Y/N interjected. She then walked out of the carriage and returned to hers. The girl dressed as a boy then walked out of her compartment. "You really do remind me of my uncle. You have the same stare!"

L/N watched as she left, brushing shoulders with a man who looked like he was going to kill someone. 'That doesn't look good,' she thought. Getting out of her carriage, she called for the person she met earlier. "Ah, there you are, sir." They heard followed by a few struggling grunts. Both girls' eyes gaped.

"He's in so much more trouble than I've ever thought," the h/c haired girl stated. "As have I."

"We must help him." ── "We must."

Walking slowly towards the small pullman, they looked through the glass. Poor Tewkesbury was holding onto the door for dear life. Silently, Y/N and her unknown acquaintance opened the door. She tried to reach for the knife under her small, narrow, crinoline, but couldn't. The other girl grabbed the cane they assumed to be the man's and stunned him with it in one swift movement.

The Viscount screamed even louder on the top of his lungs as he watched out for the tunnel that got closer as the train continued to go on. She helped him and the girl pulled him back until . . .

He's safe. "Run!" The trio then started to sprint away from there. Y/N's never felt more alive. The soft organza laces of her dress flew behind her with grace. "Who is that? He was trying to kill me! I'm not ready to die on a train," the boy yelled.

"I'm not ready to die at all! I wasn't going to before I met you!"

"I'm ready to die anytime, but not in that way and certainly not for that reason!" The feminine girl replied. "Where are we going?" He asked. "I don't know. Let me think!"

They poked their heads in a compartment full of elders and left when they realised it's useless. "Terribly sorry."

Opening a door to reveal a dead end, they gasped. "So, we're going to walk on the roof like one of those scenes in some novels?" She asked. Then, she started undressing herself but leaving a thick layer of petticoat to cover herself, removing the crinoline below the coats of her skirt divulging countless knives.

"That's a lot of knives for a delicate lady of poise and grace like you." Tewkesbury commented, boggled.

"Close your mouth and take these," she said, giving him three knives and throwing the others away. "Now, I'm ready. What do we do?"

"Is this truly the best way to come?" ── "Can you think of a better way?"

Crossing from their side to the locomotives. Both of them did the same. Though, Y/N slipped. Tewkesbury was quick to hold her hand and help her. "Thank you," she said breathily. He nodded and smiled. "Do you trust me?" They heard the other ask.

"No!" ── "I don't know! Do I?"

"If we time it correctly, we can leave him stranded!" She said, "Time what correctly?" The boy inquired.

"If it means I get to live and die at the right time, then I'll do whatever mind-boggling idea you have!" L/N answered. "Listen, Tewkesbury, we have two choices!" ── "And which one involves me not dying?"

With that, the door opened revealing the angry man who just tried to kill. "Uh, guys?" Y/N called. They all stared at him and with that, the Viscount grabbed her hand as the disguised girl pulled them with her off the train yelling, "This one!"

The trio came rolling down the grassy slanted land successfully. "That was exhilarating!" The girl exclaimed and stood up with excitement.

"Are you serious? We could've died!" Tewkesbury said in disbelief.

"Yet we didn't. Mother used to tell me, 'Don't focus on what could've happened. Focus on how you made it'."

The 'boy' who just saved their lives looked at her in bewilderment, "Strange to hear you quote your mother after an almost death experience."

The Marquess of Basilwether groaned, whimpered and yelped uncontrollably making the girl with her hair tucked in a bun peer at him. "You do make an awful lot of noise, don't you?"

"Well, it turns out being thrown off a train hurts considerably more than what you think. And, I've lost a button."

"You're complaining about a button when you could've just thanked her for saving your life. Are you joking?" Y/N asked.

"Not entirely."

"You do know you've entirely ruined phase three of my plan?" ── "Phase what? Who the hell are you both?"

"My real name's Y/N L/N, but I'm disguising myself as Adeliameonette. I really don't know what to do with myself. I have a plan, but they're not exactly specific." Y/N said.

"Well, is that even a plan?" Tewkesbury asked.

"I suppose not." She replied.

"Then, what are you going to do?"

"Concoct a plan within twenty four hours until we all go our separate ways."

"Who is she?" He questioned again as he pointed his index finger to the other girl.

"Do you ever stop asking questions?" L/N asked.

He shrugged. "Look, I believe our recent brush with death deserves me at least a name."

"Enola Holmes."

"Holmes?" Both Y/N and Tewkesbury replied at the same time. "Like . . . Sherlock?"

"And I am undercover, so forget I told you that piece of information." She said.

"Undercover working for him?"

"Undercover from him." ── "Hence why you're dressed as a boy." ── "Hence why you are to say nothing!" He straightened his blazer and only looked at her, confused.

"So?" The girl asked. "What?" He responded. Y/N facepalmed.

"Thank you? You're supposed to say thank you."

"For what?"

"How are you such a git?" L/N intervened. "Am not." He stated. "Are too!" She fired.

"Am not!" He said. "Are too." She answered. "No" ── "Yes" ── "No" ── "Yes"

"I can't comprehend how mature this is." Enola commented.

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They walked and walked until the daylight sky turned to dawn. The sun started to set as they grew tired. "We should think about sleeping soon." Holmes said.

"We should think about eating soon." The Viscount stated.

"We have nothing to eat." Y/N mumbled.

"Of course we do!" He beamed and started pointing to various kinds of plants. "Arctium Lappa, which you'll know as Burdock. Very tasty. Erm, and then there's Trifolium. Clover. And, is that . . . Yes, I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Y/N asked and followed him.

"Mushrooms! Agaricus Lanipes. The Princess. Delicious." He said and handed it to the e/c eyed girl.

She exhaled joyfully. "Nice to know you're not actually a barmy."

"If you can get a fire started, I can make us a feast." He said.

"Fine." Both Enola and Y/N answered. "I'm not entirely an idiot, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah." L/N responded in defeat.

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The fire crackled as they cooked whatever they had. Y/N cautiously examined the mushroom in her hand as the boy watched her. "You know, if I wanted to kill you, I would've done it a few hours ago." He said. She glared at him and nodded considerably. The girl took a bite of the mushroom he gave her and hummed. "It's delicious."

Holmes then spoke up, "I've been thinking. You need to disguise yourself a little more. How do you feel about your hair?" ── "Never cared for it. Cut it off with a knife. Of course, you will."

"I can help," Y/N said. The Viscount cocked an eyebrow.

"Now, where are the knives I told you to take?" She asked. He sighed softly and gave him three of the sharp blades. The girl took it and smiled.

"Those appear to mean a lot to you." He started.

"Yes. The other one was given to me by my mother and the other, by my father. The other one is from a person I never knew much of. A boy I met when we were on the outskirts of town. He said his name was Dukestorie. That happened almost 10 years ago. I don't recall much, but he saved my life from getting killed by an imaginary dragon," she laughed. The boy didn't reply. Instead, he just stared at her, taking in her features.

One thing he noticed most of all are her captivating e/c eyes that seemed to shine under the moonlight. Her h/c hair looked so soft and silky, framing the outline of her face just right. He wondered how dangerous she was despite her ladylike movements. What was the reason she ran away?

"It's rude to stare," she said and turned her head towards him, locking eyes. Tewkesbury gulped and cleared his throat. His cheeks flushed red from embarrassment. "Sorry."

A few seconds later, he changed the subject by watching Enola sharpen her knife. "Who taught you how to sharpen like that?" He asked.

"My mother," she replied with a smile.

"Your mother is very different from mine." They all chuckled.

"Who taught you about flowers and herbs?" "My father." "I never really knew my father." "My father's dead too."

"So, you both have daddy issues?" L/N asked. They hummed and turned to her.

"That's an unusual way to say it," Tewkesbury said.

"I've read really vulgar books before. The term almost doesn't exist as not many would know what it is." She wiped a moist spot on the metal blade, "My father is somewhere abroad. He was quite a loving man until my mother somehow disappeared for being a feminist. I just woke up and then she's gone." Enola looked at her with shock and surprise then looked away before she could catch her.

"I'm sorry," the three of them said in unison. They all smiled. "It seems like we're going to get along very well," the cream dressed girl said.

A few minutes passed, they stayed like that, talking amongst themselves. "Why have you both run? From home, I mean." The boy asked.

"I didn't want to go to Miss Harrison's Finishing School For Young Ladies," Enola said. Tewkesbury chuckled alongside L/N. "Why have you?"

"A tree branch broke above me while I was collecting wild mushrooms. It should've crushed me, but I managed to roll out of the way, and I realised I . . . "

"What?" "You what?"

"You'll laugh at me." "We won't."

"My life seemed to flash before me. I was just about to take my seat in the House of Lords. I had these ideas about how we might progress the estate, but my family was set on me joining the army and then going overseas just like my uncle. And I realised I was scared. Scared I would hate every second of the rest of my life" He said. Y/N sighed and put her knife down.

"Why would we laugh at that?" Enola asked.

"Don't I sound pathetic?"

"No. I understand." Y/N said.

"What about you? Why did you run away?"

"Besides not wanting to see the bossy face of my aunt, I'm also out here to create something to encourage everyone to fight for the rights of women. Fight for feminism. While I do that, I'm also hoping to spot my mother and change my father back to the loving and responsible gentleman that he once was." The girl simply replied as if it didn't look so hard to do at all. "Believe me, I am aware of the probability of that goal, but I have to keep trying. It's the only way to solve one of the world's problems. Like Enola, other women are being unwillingly trained to be someone they don't want, but can't do anything for it is out of their hands. I want to change that along with my life."

"You're pretty ambitious," he said. "Pretty idealistic if you ask me," L/N said.

"No, but I find it inspiring." Tewkesbury stated. She smiled and blushed. "So, Enola. Why were they sending you to the finishing school?", he asked. Holmes only sighed and ignored his question, "In the morning, we'll have to move fast. The bowler hat man will be hot on your tail-" "Where's your destination? I'm going to-" "London", they chuckled.

"It's nice how you both have planned it out. I'm still thinking about mine. Rubbish and stupid of me, really," Y/N said and laughed. Tewkesbury looked at her and smiled, "You could join me."

The girl chortled thinking he was just horsing around. Then, she realised, "You're not joking?"

"Of course not. Why would I?" "I'm a stranger you just met a couple of hours ago." "Sometimes strangers can be trusted more than the people you've known your entire life. Besides, you don't have the intention of killing me or turning me over, right?", he asked. She let out a breath of excitement. "Right."

He laughed happily, "Well then, shall we, um, stick together? The three of us. If you like." The Viscount told Enola. "No. We'll get to London and go our separate ways. Understood?", she asked. He nodded rapidly and cleared his throat after saying, "Understood. Totally. Entirely. Do you have to be so brutal with the hair?"

"Yes."

Y/N found it fun, so she joined her in cutting locks of his hair...

And almost messing up.

The rest of the night was peaceful as they all slept under the blanket of stars that went to infinity. Y/N has never felt so important and adventurous before. Meeting Enola and Tewkesbury might have been the best thing that happened to her. Because of them,...

She didn't feel alone.

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