Eliana looked down from the roof; the roughness and coldness of the tiled roof underneath her feet made her shiver. She was only wearing my nightgown, and it barely covered her body from the biting cold of the night. Aware that she didn't know how she got there doesn't mean that Eliana didn't know how to go down.
Walking towards where the metal pipe was, Eliana did not spare any second thought to using it. The mossy feeling of it under her palms made her think of how these pipes went through rain and shine, how many days and years it was there and turned mossy for its purpose.
Thankfully, the pipe was strong enough to carry her weight which was not as heavy as many would have thought, as Eliana was known for being unladylike and eating a lot. Gripping the pipe in between her legs and hugging it as if her life depended on it, she glided down and reached the balcony on the third floor of the castle.
With great effort, Eliana gripped the pipes harder, and when she stopped before the balcony, she reached her hands out to grasp the balustrade and threw her weight over, setting her foot on the edge of the balcony. Her gown swayed in the air as she jumped towards the balcony. Thankfully, Eliana safely landed back to the center of the balcony and started to walk to her room.
As strange as it was to wake up on top of the roof, Eliana didn't want to think about it for now. Not when the oncoming arrival of uninvited guests was disturbing her people's sleep. There were a lot of things that she wanted to think of actually, but she'll probably worry about them tomorrow.
If there will be tomorrow for any of them.
Pushing the door open, Eliana bent down near the bed. She reached her hands out, feeling for the ground, and touched something cold and smooth – something familiar. Eliana pulled them out where she hid them under the bed and held her bow and quiver.
Turning around, Eliana faced the door, ready to storm out of her room when it opened from the other side. Daisy was standing there with the door opened and looking at how she was staring at her. Eliana was sure that the maid would disapprove of her going out tonight.
"This is a bad idea, milady." Daisy entered the door, closing it behind her. "You cannot go out there and fight."
"What am I supposed to do then, Daisy?" Eliana asked her in turn before adding, "My people are dying."
"They haven't reached the Castle nor invaded the gates separating us from them. No one died–"
"Not yet," Eliana interjected and looked at Daisy. "Our soldiers are far too few than the Duke's army. I may not be able to stop them nor defeat them. I know this. But I want to be there when they arrive and fight with my people, and you can't stop me."
No one will.
Daisy knows this, but she still shook her head. And Eliana knew what she was thinking. She am the princess of Ashbourne Castle, the only daughter of Lord Castellio, and her existence was far more important than most, only second to Lord Castellio. Eliana know that. But she was also aware of her duties as the Lady of er people, and Eliana didn't want to disappoint them.
Eliana sighed. Grateful when Daisy stepped away from the door, "Be safe," the maid said.
Knowing that Eliana got her friend and companion's permission, Eliana hugged her and kissed Daisy on her cheeks before slipping from the door to the corridors with her bow and quiver slung behind her back.
Wearing only a cloak under the light of the moon, Eliana avoided the guards who were making their way towards the Gate of the castle. The Gate surrounded the Ashbourne Estate and protected them from harm that may come from outside. There were only three openings of the Gate; the front where envoys from different estate and kingdoms officially enter, the back door where the castle was connected to the back mountains, and the secret doors that only a few people knew.
As luck would have it, Eliana was one of the few people who knew of this secret backdoor.
Crossing the street unnoticed, she quickly stepped towards the stable. The horses in there seemed shocked to see a hooded figure enter their humble abode and made long-pitched neighs. Ignoring these whiny creatures, Eliana went to the farthest area of the stable, where a black stallion stood tall and unbothered.
"Hey there, buddy." Eliana greeted the horse with a smile on her face. The horse naturally didn't respond as always and looked annoyed at her appearance. "Now, now… Don't look down on me like everybody else and tell me that I shouldn't be here."
Eliana kept talking to the horse like she was out of her mind and opened the barred box where the black stallion stayed. The stallion was her father's favorite horse. Other than his majestic beauty that bested other horses in the stable, the horse has a nasty attitude and disliked others from nearing him. The last time that someone dared to touch him, that person was sent to the Healer's hall and had to stay there for a month over a few broken bones.
The stallion stepped back from me and let me pass by him. Eliana discovered that the horse didn't like her as much as he liked her father, but the feeling was mutual. Nevertheless, the horse never tried to hurt her whenever she tried to get near or ride him.
Found it.
Eliana was delighted when she saw the hidden door below her feet. She was glad that the only thing she had to do was sweep the dirt and hay that fell on the floor before she could find the hidden door. If other people did it, they might rethink that idea. After all, they must face the evil horse that resided in the box and acted as the Cerberus guarding the Gates of Hell.
Eliana instantly smelled the scent of earth that wafted from the gaps as she opened the hidden door. It creaked eerily and made her heart thump in fear of alerting the stable boys guarding somewhere. She hoped they were still asleep and tucked under their blankets, undisturbed.