Talia hit the ground hard and rolled. Speed was of the essence, and she knew it well. She got to her feet even though the world around her spun precariously and began to run.
She did not look back to see if Fioira followed. She did not check to see if the carriage driver stopped or if bandits had followed him into the woods. What was most important, was putting as much distance between herself and the carriage as she could.
Panting, she noticed that the ground rose slightly to the west and changed directions, heading for higher ground.
She heard the crash of someone running through the brush behind her and the labored breathing of a woman unused to physical exertion and smiled to herself. Fioria was no fool, after all.
She continued to run as best she could as the incline steepened, sometimes holding on to thin saplings as she hurried picked her way uphill. She stopped twice to see that Fioria was still behind her. They exchanged a quick nod each time, reassuring each other that they would keep going.
Near the top of the hill, the terrain became rocky and trees more sparse. It was fairly difficult to climb, and Talia was grateful that she had been given boots and not a lady's fancy slippers to travel in.
She stopped at last behind a large boulder to catch her breath and wait for Fioria to catch up.
She had heard nothing in the woods during their escape that sounded like pursuit. It seemed they had gotten cleanly away, which was strange. It had simply been too easy.
Fioria joined her at last, falling down beside her exhausted while she breathed in great shuddery gasps. Her beautiful blue skirt was torn and stained with mud and other grime, but at least she too had thought to wear boots.
"We aren't stopping here," Talia informed her. "Rest for a while, catch your breath, and then perhaps we'll be able to see something from the top of the hill."
"Wait!" Fioria panted, shaking her head as she reached out to catch Talia's sleeve. "This... this... Sir Ilya... he said... this might happen... it isn't..."
"Alright, alright, don't talk until you've got your air back," Talia reassured her. "I'll listen."
Fioria nodded and closed her eyes, taking several deep breaths.
"Sir Ilya hasn't betrayed you or Prince Mikhail," Fioria said at last. "It was always my duty, from the beginning... that is why I was chosen, because our appearances are so similar."
"I had assumed as much the moment I saw you, that you were meant to replace me," Talia nodded.
"Not replace you, no. To act as a diversion should you ever be attacked-- to be a guard of sorts, to stand in your stead," Fioria corrected her.
"You were asked by Sir Ilya to use your own body as a shield for mine, and you agreed to it?" Talia frowned.
"Not by Sir Ilya, but by Prince Mikhail. He approached me and said that he knew of my loyalty to Queen Ora and asked if I was willing to use my life to defend House Eosin," Fioria corrected her.
"And you believed him? Prince Mikhail... who you appeared to be so afraid of--"
"I was.. I AM afraid of that man," she insisted. "He is immoral, violent and cruel. He has done... horrible things, but he also supported Queen Ora in secret. He introduced her to powerful influences in the Emperor's circle, and he kept you from the Emperor, at great risk to himself. I cannot say that I trust him. I cannot say that he keeps you from the Emperor out of the goodness of his heart. I don't think he has one to be honest, but I knew that if I agreed, no matter what his purpose truly was, that I, like my mother before me, would do everything in my power to protect Vezda and House Eosin. That is why I agreed. You may not believe me, but in my heart, I will always be a daughter of Vezda first."
"I believe you," Talia nodded grimly, "but I fear your loyalty was used to serve Sir Ilya or Prince Mikhail's purpose, not Vezda's. I go today to speak to the Emperor on Vezda's on behalf, and I do not go unprepared. Something had changed which may give Vezda the ability to bargain for more. I don't believe that Sir Ilya simply suspected an ambush! He has spent days trying to stall or slow my journey to the capitol. He seeks to prevent me from meeting with the Emperor, and I believe the ambush was orchestrated by him. He intends to gravely injure or even sacrifice you so that he can say that the Princess was attacked and cannot stand before the Emperor."
Fioria nodded her head, confirming Talia's suspicions.
"Yes. The Emperor does not seek a negotiation. His only goal is to acquire the last member of House Eosin. He is a cursed man and desires the blood of Eosin because he believes it will free him of that curse. It was only a matter of time before he found a way to take you from his brother."
"And Prince Mikhail told you that?" Talia guessed, her lips twisted into a smirk that she could not suppress. Odd that she suddenly felt a twinge of bitterness at the thought that Prince Mikhail had confided his suspicions about the Emperor to the pretty girl and not to her.
"No... I know a few things about the Emperor that others do not," Fioria admitted slowly, and the way her gaze suddenly dropped to the ground as the color rose in her cheeks, signaled to Talia that there was something more to that statement then the girl wanted to admit.
"Forgive me for being blunt, but I have little time and patience. How would a foreign slave working as a lady's maid in a small inn know anything of the Emperor of Unaria?" Talia demanded.
"I was not always a lady's maid. Before that..." Fioria's voice faded, and she pressed her lips together nervously. She looked as though she might cry.
"Before that?" Talia prodded her.
"I worked at one of the Imperial brothels in the capitol," Fioria admitted in a rush of words. She stole a quick glance at Talia as though gauging her reaction, but Talia could only stare blankly back at her, not understanding how that explained anything.
"I was a prostitue," she added, her face stained deep red.
"That is unfortunate, and I am sorry to hear that you suffered the indignity that so many of our Vezdan sisters-"
"In an IMPERIAL brothel!" Fioria stressed, cutting off Talia's condolences. "My clients were nobles, influential men connected to the Emperor, even the Emperor himself frequented Grieta's where I worked. Men say things in bed that they normally would not."
"Why would you hide this from me?" Talia frowned.
"My mother spent most of her life serving Vezda and House Eosin under Sir Brahl in the North Vezdan army. She was a warrior and a good one. I am proud to be her daughter. I have spent most of my life lying still beneath the enemy... a prostitute, hiding in the shadows, avoiding speaking, fearful, cringing, and accepting of my fate. I am ashamed of the life I have lived. Ashamed until now," Fioria said and lifted her chin.
"You have nothing to be ashamed of then or now. Your mother had a sword in her hand, a leader to follow, and her fellow soldiers by her side. She was very brave, but you faced your enemy every day alone with nothing but your wits and a desire to survive. That is also very brave," Talia said sternly.
"It is not the only reason," Fioria admitted. "You must understand that girls who belong to Imperial brothels are treated differently than other slaves. A slave can try to buy their freedom after working for a number of years, but girls like me can't do that. We can only buy our freedom if we first agree to have our tongues cut out by a hot iron blade. That is why most never leave the brothels they serve in. The madam took pity on me after I was injured by a client and traded my name and papers with another slave from an inn that she owned. I was asked never to speak of my past, and I agreed. It would be a poor repayment for the kindness she showed me if the slave office somehow learned of what she did."
"I understand," Talia assured her. "I need you to tell me why you feel so certain that the Emperor-"
"Because of the prophecy, my Princess," Fioria answered quickly. "There is a prophecy concerning the blood of House Eosin, and the Emperor will do anything to see it fulfilled. It is why his father went to war with Vezda. It is why he-"
"Sssh!" Talia ordered as she covered Fioria's mouth with her hand.
Far below them came a distant shout and then the sound of horses crashing through the underbrush.
"Come on!" Talia hissed, yanking the girl to her feet. She turned and continued climbing the hill. There were several large rocks, but few trees to provide cover where they were, and the men were close. She had to find better shelter and quickly. If any of them turned uphill and went even a little ways, they would quickly be spotted. Especially quick, since Fioria wore such a flamboyant blue color!
The two women moved quickly, keeping low to the ground and not speaking to one another, even when the sound of horses moving through the forest seemed to grow fainter, suggesting the men had chosen a different path.
Just as she was about to cross the final rise, Talia stood to catch her breath and waited for Fioria to catch up to her.
As Fioira approached, Talia offered her hand for support and gave her a reassuring nod, signaling without speaking that they were almost there and would rest soon.
As they climbed the rise together, they saw a barren hilltop and a horseman wearing the colors of the Emperor. The sun glinting off the golden sun crest on his armor.
"There you are, Princess," he greeted them with a cold grin. "We've been looking for you!"