As the days continued, she hid as much food as she could in her bag. She'd found a map in the library, and was slowly reaching her goal. She wasn't completely sure how she was going to get out, but she had a small idea. There was no way she could just walk out through the gate without being seen, but she knew there was a shoot that led to the stream. She wasn't sure how far it ran before it would reach a bank, and it had to be cold, but it was worth a shot.

So, under the guise that she was returning a bag full of library books, she hid her pack where she could access it later, everything else she would need, she could more easily transport without drawing any unwanted attention. Even her bow and arrows she could conceal individually in the fabric of her dress. Ok, so that's a start, now on to the actual escape. She waited in her room till everyone had gone to the dining room to make her move. She'd been about to step out but stopped. She'd be leaving again, without a word. Like she did so long ago. She supposed the king was right, it was cruel to do that to her mother, but this time, it wasn't just because she wanted to be free, she really had to go! There was no way her mother was going to understand why she ran away again. It would crush her, particularly now that she was to be a grandmother. She would just disappear again, without a word...

She stopped and rifled her room in search of parchment, a quill, and ink. It wasn't much, but anything was better than nothing. So she wrote, "Mother, you're not going to understand, and I get, you're going to want to kill me, but just know that I'm sorry, but I have to go. If I can, I will come back, I promise, but things are simply too complicated right now. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, but for the sake of the child, I have to go. I may return after the war is over. No, I'm not dumb enough to try to fight in it, cause I know that's what you'll be thinking I'll do, but I can't explain right now. I'm sorry, I'm not the daughter you need, and I understand you only wanted to help, but I have to do this. So, until next I see you. Sincerely, your fool daughter." and with that, she folded the paper and left it on the vanity.

She stepped out the door and began casually strolling, as was normal. Her guards had grown painfully accustomed to her disappearing while she walked about, so it didn't really raise any concern when she ducked back around a corner, as she did frequently. After all, they always found her again. But not this time. Creeping to her stash, she closed the door so as to not be seen where she pulled her bow and pack over her shoulder and bound the quiver to her back. Slowly creeping from the room, she carefully closed the door as to not be heard.

"My lady?" she jumped with a squeak of surprise, coming face to face with Dani. "Dani! Um... Hi..." she said not knowing anything else to say. "Not again." said Dani in exasperation. "I... well... You see..." she fumbled. "Now? Of all times?" she gave a sigh and she relented, "Dani, look, you don't understand, I have to go." she reasoned. "I do understand." said Dani, "No, you really don't! I have to go, I don't have a choice! I'll come back, but you have to let me go!" she said. Dani shook her head. "You will keep trying to run away if I tell your mother, won't you?" Dani asked. She nodded. "I thought so. But my lady, I can't just let you go." she said. "Dani, I have to go!"/"I know, I understand that is how you feel. But my lady, you are with child, and we do not know when it shall be due, what do you plan to do?" questioned Dani. "I'll handle it, I know what I'm doing!" she said, but Dani only shook her head.

"No, you don't. But I know you will keep trying, so I have only one option." said Dani. Elayin prepared herself to make a mad dash, but instead of call the guards, Dani pulled a bag onto her shoulder that Elayin hadn't noticed in her panic. Realizing her intention, she raised a brow. "What? No. No, no no, you can't follow me, you don't know anything about survival in the middle of nowhere!"/ "True, but I can learn, and you won't be able to handle everything on your own for very long." Dani countered. "You can't be serious! Dani, I'll be gone for months! What did you even pack? You don't know what all you'll need!" Elayin argued. "Credit me with some basic logic, my lady! Regardless, I'm better prepared than you, how do you even plan on escaping?" she asked, "The wine shoot." she said. "What, then you'd swim up the river?! Its winter! You'd catch your death!" she exclaimed.

"And you have a better plan?" she inquired. "Well, for a start, I am not forbidden from leaving the castle. I seldom do it, but I am permitted. I don't think anyone would be suspicious if I left to... harvest some herbs!" she suggested. "I can distract them whilst you slip out with our bags."/ "Dani, even if it worked, you'd be putting your job at risk, not to mention your life!" reasoned Elayin, "You'd have to return home for me to lose my job." said Dani. Elayin gave a sigh, then she gave a laugh. "Clever old thing." she chuckled. "Dani, you really shouldn't do this. It's too dangerous, and you don't understand." she said, giving one last try to dissuade her. "My lady, this is only half for you." she said.

Finally, giving in, she said. "Oh, alright, it's not like you'll let me go if I don't. I'll do what I can to bring you back safely by the end of this. But we've got to go now!" she said, "Very well. Come my lady." she said, turning and jogging down the hall. Elayin rolled her eyes with a smile, but followed. They approached the gate, where she slowed her pace, and passed her bag to Elayin who was hiding around every corner she could find. "Hello? Gayil?" Said Dani, startling the gatekeeper awake. "Huh, what?! Oh, it's you. How are you, Dani?" asked the man. "Fine, fine, but can you get the gate?" she asked. "Oh, sure thing. Wait, what are you doing out and about at this time of the evening?" he asked. "I don't think that's your business." she said, her hands on her hips.

"Alright, alright, sheesh! Keep your hair on, just asking." he said as he got up and started to open the gate. The gate was just ajar as it was only her going out. "There you go. How long will you be, only I have to close this soon." he said. "Um, just a moment." She said as she slowly stepped out. There, between Elayin and the woods, stood the gatekeeper, and two guards. No way she could slip by them! Dani had come to the same conclusion and was quickly thinking. She knelt down to a bush that sat beside the gate. "Definitely worth coming out here." said the keeper, impatiently. "Hush, you!" she snapped. "Actually, come here!" she said. With a roll of his eyes, he did. "What?"/"What does that look like?" she asked. He peered at the plant long and hard, appraising it carefully. "Hmm... Er.... A shrub." he answered.

"Oh, you're hopeless. You two!" she said, shaking the guards from their thoughts. "Um, yes, ma'am?" one asked. "Come here, I need a helpful opinion!" looking to one another, they did as she said. "What is it?" he asked. "What does that look like to you?" she asked. Elayin slowly began approaching the exit. She quickly stopped as the gatekeeper stood straight, about to return to his post. "What does it matter?" he questioned. "A great deal!" said Dani quickly. "Unless you want the expecting, lady Elayin to eat toxic herbs!" she said, which effectively got his attention. "What does she want eat'n it?" he questioned.

Elayin began quietly tiptoeing out as they spoke. "My lady suffers greatly from morning sickness and needs a remedy." she said. "Or are you just so unfeeling to her plight!?"/"Good grief, don't even suggest that, my wife still accuses me of being "unsympathetic", and I don't need fuel for that fire! I'll have a look." he said. "I don't think it's toxic, but I don't think it got any healing properties. Standard bush to me." said one of the guards. Elayin, finally getting out the door, crept away, hiding from tree to tree. Dani, seeing that she had left the line of vision, gave a shrug. "Well, I guess I should just keep looking. I'll just have a quick poke about. Might as well close the gate. till I get back, you know, just in case." she said. The keeper gave a sigh. "Fine, fine. Need someone to go with you?" he asked. "No, no, I'll be fine, thank you!" she said as she began to walk away, following Elayin's path.

She followed her slowly, trying to look casual until she got far enough that she jogged the rest of the way. "My lady?" she quietly called. "Over here, come on." she said as she motioned to her, but instead of wait for her to catch up, she turned and began running, forcing Dani to race after her. They'd run a short ways when Dani called after her urging her to stop. "Dani, we have to keep running, we have to make as much distance before they find out I'm gone and start tracking us!" she called back. "But my lady... we can't... run... forever... I certainly can't..." she said through puffs of breath. Finally, Elayin began to slow to a jog before she stopped completely, letting her catch up.

Elayin took a deep breath, only a little winded, while Dani was panting heavily, bent over, her hands on her knees. Elayin wasn't tired in the least, she was finally back in her element! The cool, crisp air, the rustling of the trees, the sound of animals! She didn't just feel a second wind, she felt a third, and a fourth! Dani, on the other hand, was out of her element, and quite inexperienced. Elayin took a deep refreshed breath before saying. "Ok, so take a moment to catch your breath, then we've got to keep running."/ "My lady, we can't keep running!" she said, "We won't run the entire time, just till we're far enough away that they'll lose our trail." Dani groaned.

"Look, we're not too far away, you can go back now, no one would question it." she said. Dani immediately rose to her full height. "No, no, I'm fine!" she exclaimed. "If you say so. Well, while you catch your breath, I'm going to change." she said, dropping Dani's bag and walking away with her own. She grabbed her travel garb, from the pack. She'd previously inserted some extra leather in-between the seams to give it some extra space. Leaving the corset in the pack, she traded her dress for these, pulling on her boots and her vambrace. She chose to wear a belt rather than the corset to hold the fabric out of the way, figuring it would be more comfortable.

She stretched and straightened the garment, happy to be back in a familiar situation. "Alright, well, it's time to head out. Do you have anything more... Suitable to wear?" she asked. "Well, I'm wearing boots!" she said. "Good, but what about the rest?" she asked. "Well I'm wearing some durable flax and wool." said Dani. "Well, you'll be warm, but that's not very resistant against wear and tear." she said doubtfully. "Well it's all I had..." she said, "I didn't really have time to make anything stronger..."/"Yeah, actually on that note, how did you even know I was leaving to know to pack?" she questioned. "My lady, I clean your room, don't you think I would look under your bed?" said Dani with a raised brow. "Fair enough." she replied.

She pulled the map from her back and gave it a quick glance, before rolling it back up. "Ok, we need to keep southwest. Um... That way!" she said, "Come on, we can rest later!" she said as she began to run again. "My lady, don't over-exert yourself! She yelled after her as she ran to keep up, but Elayin wasn't listening, for one thing, she had to make some distance, and for another, she was too happy to slow down, she was out, she was free.