Jade's rough hands clung onto the staff as she jostled herself upwards. The slick mud beneath her feet did not make her trip easy.

With another grunt she found herself on the empty farmland that was taken over by the soldiers. The girl found them industriously at work on a wooden contraption. Where they got the wood from she couldn't even fathom for so high up the trees had dwindled in number.

The soldier guarding them got up from his post and gave her a flustered bow. He gave his furry hat an incline despite the frozen weather. He had been one of the soldiers in their previous quest and was still having a hard time adjusting to her new gender.

Jade acknowledged his greeting and limped slowly ahead, knowing all eyes were upon her. The soldiers' gloved hands continued their work but their beady eyes followed her progress. She tried not to care because her interest in their project surpassed her embarrassment. She circled around the scattered wooden parts and came to a halt in front of the Prince who worked along side his subjects.

"I almost expect you to bring out our beans," Luke remarked coolly as he laid down his axe. He had been chiseling wood stumps for the mystery project.

"My pockets are empty although I did make use of them. They've been planted in some pots in the cottage to ensure I don't lose them," Jade answered. The fog unfurled from her mouth and travelled to the Prince.

"In the middle of winter?" The Prince raised his brow. He gave her his arm but Jade stared at it blankly. She kept her weight on the staff and resumed her perusal of the wooden parts.

"It'll be spring in an heartbeat. The plant will reveal itself," Jade answered. She paused a distance away with the intention of leaving soon. Her bones were beginning to ache. She finally asked the question the entire town was curious about, "What are you doing?"

"Making a carriage," The Prince answered as a matter of fact.

"Why? Didn't think you your Princely rear needs the rest, your highness," Jade controlled a noisy snort at her own pathetic joke.

"I doubt you'd enjoy a trip over horseback," Luke replied without reacting to her amusement. His grey eyes were upon her, waiting for his friend's reaction.

"This is... Far beyond what I deserve. It's too much,"Jade swivelled herself away, her stiff skirt shifting very little with the movement. She fully intended to remove herself from the scene as her colour heightened. All this effort was for her.

"Why would you not deserve a comfortable transport. The witch disappeared because of your efforts. Your bravery is not heard of in this day and age," The taller man called out to her back. Jade slowed down her descent and allowed the Prince to join her.

"Has there been no trace of her?" The former secretary asked with her eyes on the bleak horizon, "I floated in the river for as long as I could. The witch clung so hard I had the marks even after. She tried to drag me under water but I pushed her off me. I don't know what happened next. I lost consciousness and woke up in Jemima's bed."

The Prince did not reply as they began their steady pace down the mud laden hillside. He looked as if he were controlling an outburst. The man swallowed heavily and spoke with measured tones, "Your actions were dangerous. I-I don't know what possessed you to take such risks. Never again must you act with such impulsiveness."

"It was the ideal moment. No one was looking at me. The witch anticipated correctly that you would try to free the girl first," Jade explained and felt no chagrin at his scolding. She was certain her actions at the time were correct.

"Is that what you think of me. That I would leave you to your suffering. That I would choose someone else," The wounded look in Prince Luke's troubled eyes made its presence felt.

"That girl is - was the love of your life. Who was I to assume you would not save her first. I was there for your months of pining," The brown haired girl replied with a bitter edge to her voice. Despite his assertions she knew the truth. The frantic desperation he had quivered with throughout their search for Cinderella was never lost on her.

"Believe me. The thing I regret the most is letting my eyes off you. I regret letting you go. I will atone for my poor choices for the rest of my life," Luke uttered gravely. His words felt like soot to Jade's ears. She did not wish to be a burden on his conscience.

"You were enchanted, my

Prince," Jade replied, delicately. She gripped her staff as she manoeuvred over a puddle. The pair continued their descent through the mist.

"Not in Edenshire castle. My mind was clear and bright. I am to blame," Luke shook his head firmly.

"I refuse to hear another word of your self pitying diatribe," Jade growled, suddenly unable to keep her vexation out of her words. It agonized her to hear about the suffering she had caused him. The girl resolutely looked away.

"You died! You were gone for months. Should I have rejoiced in my failiure?" The Prince's words were frantic, rushed as he stumbled over his words.

Jade tried to find comforting words but she was no longer play acting. Her real personality was as harsh and glacial as the weather they were facing. Her words were plain and to the point, "You have found me, Luke. I am alive. You never failed."

"Are you a dream?" The man breathed and Jade jerked back as his fingers reached out and nearly grazed her face. Her brown eyes narrowed at his actions.

"I'm real as the frost under your feet and the sleet adorning your hair," Jade replied, curtly. She gave a short bow and dismissed the man. It would have not been a slight if he were any other mortal but as a Prince he deserved more reverence. The man took no offence and allowed her the easier way forward.

Jade slumped against her staff as she watched the retreating back head towards his axe. He eventually merged into the fog and if Luke gazed behind him to see her she would not know. The girl also turned around and found her other friend lugging a large piece of wood uphill. He stared curiously at the two people departing from their meeting spot.

"I should accompany you back. The hill is not safe for one with your injuries," Dimitri's freckled face was red with exertion but his breath was low and even.

"I would have managed, Dimitri," The taller girl, uttered with half a smile, "I lost my mother long ago. I don't need to be mothered."

"I know you're always going to be wilful and independent. You've always been this way. From Prince Luke's recollection you rather heroically banished the witch to her doom and I believe his tale despite his attempts at proclaiming you a saintly martyr," The bodyguard dropped his log and easily changed paths. It seemed she would not be allowed to walk down alone after all.

Jade stiffled an acerbic laugh, "I don't even know whether the witch lived or died. Make sure of that at least."

"She couldn't have survived running water. Her magic wouldn't have allowed it," Dimitri declared as if the matter was closed.

"Perhaps. Tell me at least the Prince shows no continued sign of enchantment," Jade pleaded.

"The Prince is still sleeping very poorly but I don't think it is witch related. I thought after we completed our quest he would find peace but..."

"My supposed death robbed him of that chance. I sometimes wondered what it would be like to be the focus of his absolute attentions and I never realised it would be this unpleasant. I wish I had longed for other things," The taller girl sighed wistfully. She allowed her friend's arm to hold her weight.

"Love not meeting your expectations?" The bodyguard said quietly and his friend exhaled fog in frustration.

"Nothing about his obsessions are about love. I have yet to see myself as anything in his eyes but a burden. I'd rather he not think of me at all," Jade's two small braids gently caressed the sides of her face by the chilly wind.

"I know it pains you but you should spend time with him. That witch distorted his reality. The more he stays with you the more he shall believe you are real. It'll be like the old days," Dimtiri nudged her side and Jade shrugged his elbow away.

"I want things to go back to the way they were but it's all changed now. We will have to part ways sooner or later. Why not now."

"You cannot give up hope!" The man was earnest. He realised they had reached the end of the hill. The village stone paved path was beneath their boots.

"I want to protect my heart before it's too late," Jade muttered and looked down at her feet. She clapped her hand on her friend's shoulder in farewell.

"The clock has already struck, my friend..." Dimitri whispered though Jade was already too distant to hear his remarks.

...

Jade had no time to spend climbing hillsides or frolicking with the Prince. Her days were consumed with making as much bread as possible. She put out loaves day and night until she was certain it would last the two elderly women through the winter if frozen properly.

"Oh, Jade, I shall miss you," Agatha wiped her wet cheeks with an embroidered handkerchief.

"So shall Bernard," Jemima giggled into her slender fingers, "but who cares about him when you've got a Prince dangling after you."

Jade just rolled her eyes with a beaming grin at her companions and gave each a firm hug.

"We shall never meet again. I can no longer travel for I am too old," Agatha's spirits did not improve and she clung on to the younger girl. Jade patted her back with gentle movements.

"Hush, you're my younger sister, not old at all. You should thank the Prince for the improvements he brought to our town," Jemima looked offended by her sister's allusion to her age.

"There will be an army presence in Edenshire from now on. His royal Highnes has reassured me of that. They will rebuild the villages, take over the castle. They have already captured more than half the bandits. This area will no longer be neglected," Jade gave Agatha a watery smile. She hoped the villagers found the promise of prosperity welcome news.

"The soldiers being left behind are so handsome," Jemima winked at the youth leading the way. Behind them two other soldiers were carrying Jade's meager belongings.

"I'll write to you," The girl promised.

"I'll be waiting," Agatha exhaled as if she didn't believe her.

Jade had visions of either of the two women passing away before she could come visit or even send a letter and felt tears well up in her eyes. It was very much possible they would never meet again. She looked away with a sharp inhale and held her breath as she was led into the newly formed carriage.

To the villagers the newly polished wood gleamed as if the most exalted mode of transportation but an experienced rider could see many deficiencies. The fitted doors were mismatched and creaked open while the shutters lacked the glass that disallowed the winter air.

Upon her entry Jade was surprised to see the vehicle wasn't empty. Reclining on the goose feather pillows was the heavily cloaked Prince. She sat down on the seat opposite his. He quietly watched the girl tearfully wave at the gathered villagers. A sob escaped her attempts to squash all signs of emotion.

"The perks of being a woman. I can be a watering pot where ever it pleases me," The former secretary tried to hide her pain with a bark of a laugh.

Jade sniffed again and blinked away her tears and found herself staring at Prince Luke offering her his handkerchief. It was made of very delicate yellow silk and embroidered all over. The material was almost finer than anything she wore back at home baring her ballgowns. Jade took the offering and blew her nose unrepentantly.

"My Lady, my Lady, you've forgotten these," Bernard raced towards the slow moving carriage and handed Jade two of her pots through the window.

"Thank you Bernard. You've been a dear..." The tall girl gave the younger boy a kind smile. She shifted her skirt, an elaborate construction by her two elderly hosts, to make room for the soil filled pots. The boy waved his hat in farewell and soon diminished into a tiny dot in the distance as the carriage tumbled ungracefully down the unpaved path. Jade held onto her hat as the twists and turns moved the passengers to and fro.

"You've made his day," Luke said with a mirthful tone.

"Hardly. Now, that I'm gone he shall realise Eloise, the milk maid, has been sending him the most ardent looks," Jade predicted as her hands struggled to find a surface to keep her upright. Her staff rolled around on the floor with each turn.

"Your beans, I presume," The Prince eyed the plant pots.

Jade nodded although the wildness of their ride did not allow her to express herself more clearly.

"I was worried I would have to pry you from this place. I did not believe you would even want to come once I saw the company you kept... They seemed very fond of you," Luke looked unnervingly composed despite the carriage movement.

"While I have no home to go back to and I made many friends here I could no longer bear it to be such a burden," Jade said. She had her own reasons to depart with the Royal party but why the Prince wanted her with him was a mystery. She supposed he wanted to set things right and rescue at least one maiden if not the one he had chosen.

"My sister says otherwise," The Prince's reply was probing.

"I shall have a long fight at my hands to regain my lost property. I should have started the process months ago but my incompetence was to blame for the delay," Jade muttered, almost to herself. She wondered what had become of her family home and her loyal servants whom she had abandoned to their fate.

"I have already had your stepmother reported," Luke enunciated so softly Jade wished he would repeat himself.

"You what? Why?"

"I was furious at the thought of you dying without wrecking vengeance. It was unfair. I could not allow your stepmother her win. I opened an inquiry into your father's death and his will after my sister handed me over all the information," The Prince's grey eyes met her brown ones as if anticipating critique.

Jade's hands trembled and squeezed them into a fist in her lap, "What was the outcome?"

"Foul play was found. The copy of your father's real will was found in his country estate. Your step mother thought she had burnt the two copies, one of which was provided by the solicitor. All evidence suggests Lord Marckley was involved. It's safe to say the court proceedings are not going in their favour."

Jade brushed back her fine hair with her long fingers and let out a shaky laugh. She wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"Did you know my step mother meant for me to marry that Lord Marckley so she could be rid of me," The girl added, finding she was not comfortable sharing her true emotions.

Prince Luke wrinkled his nose with disgust. George the Filthy as Jade called him was infamous even among the Royal circles.

"You would never have been trapped. You would have found a way out," The Prince declared.

"I did, didn't I. Dressed as a man out in the world was one such attempt," The tall girl laughed at her own daring. She fondly remembered the day she had set forth dressed as a man and how her life had turned around.

"You will have forgiven me for my incivility when I discovered your identity, I hope," The Prince's eyes shone with regret. Jade's heart was suddenly filled to the brim with disappointment to have only caused him negative feelings.

"My deception was too great to be ignored," She replied stiffly. She looked out of the open window despite the cool air. Her nose turned red as her face was exposed to the elements but she was determined to enjoy the last scenes of her former lodgings.

The looming mountains from afar led her to ask, "How will we climb the mountain that will lead us out of here. A carriage will be most impractical."

"We have discovered a tunnel. It will cull the length of our journey significantly," The Prince replied, with his eyes firmly stuck on her tired face.

"Can you show it to me on a map?" Jade asked, shifting in her leather chair. Despite its comfort she was having difficulty in finding the optimal position.

"You are no longer my secretary. You needn't trouble yourself," Luke replied carefully. Jade felt exasperated at being treated like a nest of vipers but pressed her lips in a parody of a smile hoping he would find her agreeable. The man surprised her by unfurling the worn map hanging in a pouch on his belt.

Jade followed his long fingers along the familiar path right down to the deviation that turned them south. They would reach Princess Delilah's castle a good three days earlier then they had previously.

"It isn't mentioned in the map which must mean a long time of misuse," The brown haired girl wondered, "Or the witch concealed it for reasons unknown. And when the magic ended so did the concealment."

"I'll admit I didn't think that far. I was just delighted we found an easy path for our travels. I've had my men traverse it as far as they could from both sides and they confirm it is useable," Luke informed his companion.

"I would continue the journey on high alert and perhaps take off the royal banners?" Jade bit her lip with a speculative look on her face.

"What are you expecting? Trouble?" Luke frowned at her assertion, "The only trouble I forsee is from my sister who will throw an absolute fit when you show up without a chaperone."

Jade looked heavenwards at the information. Of course the closer she went to civilization all the constraints were hurled back at her for daring to try and defy them. She knew the Prince shared the carriage with Jade to quell any demands of her own horse. He knew her too well but she knew him well enough to know that riding alone with her was not something he preferred.

"I'm sure she shall rectify our lack of propriety," Jade nodded firmly and took another pillow to allow her back some rest. Eventually she discarded thoughts of making the Prince uncomfortable and took off her shoes to reveal her woolly socks.

The Prince said something in hushed, gentle tones but Jade was too drowsy to comprehend. She arranged her feet on the entire length of her seat. She had meant to ask the Prince to repeat himself but her eyes were too heavy to open.

...

When Jade awoke from her sudden slumber she found the cabin empty. She pried the shutter open and saw the light had dimmed down. The day was nearly at its end. Her pocket watch confirmed her assumption.

She looked at the horses leading the way and tried to find signs of the Prince but the dust swirling in the flat plains did not allow great visibility. Suddenly there was a tap on the other window and the girl found the Prince riding on his steed. He was apparently leading the horses at the rear.

"You missed lunch," The Prince declared over the sounds of his panting horse and handed her a wrapped bundle. Jade gingerly unravelled her packed lunch. The Prince tipped his hat and joined the other riders surrounding the carriage.