Tiptoeing across the quarters, the Princess held her dress in her hands while making her way to a secret passageway that only she knew about. Situated in the middle of the court ladies' outdoor laundromat was a small door behind the vines. It was a door made by the King for the Princess; only to be used in case of emergency.
This was that emergency.
The door had two paths; one leading directly to the Royal Court whereas the other one led to the outside. The Princess couldn't possibly go to the Royal Court and hold herself questionable in front of the King. She was aiming for the outside world. The passage was very small and she had to crawl her way to the other side of the long tunnel.
It was built specifically for the Princess after all.
The King knew what dangers could befall the Princess if he died unexpectedly. He had to make sure his daughter was going to be alright even after his temporary life.
The Princess, however, used the King's generosity for her desires. She safely crawled outside, stood up, and brushed her dress clean. As someone who had always enjoyed afternoon strolls, she even knew her way around the town.
The Royal guards were patrolling the street and the Princess hadn't brought a cloak to hide with. Being spotted outside like this was going to get her into trouble. Therefore, she tried to sneak her way toward the mountains.
With Royal guards at every single corner of the streets, the Princess found it tiresome to crouch and walk in such a big dress. She cursed herself for being a woman. Then again, maybe she could've just left with just her underdress. Would that be too vulgar? Technically there were 3 layers of clothing beneath her underdress too but still…
The Princess shook her head to throw useless debates away. After minutes of sneaking, she finally reached the foot of the mountains. She sat behind a small cart and observed the guards patrolling for a few minutes before trying to go inside the mountains. A realization hit her that the 'high security' around the mountains wasn't necessarily that high, considering the patrolling pattern of the guards.
As soon as the two guards walked the opposite way, she found her opening to rush towards the mountains. Gathering her big dress in her arms, she ran as if it was for her life.
And with the blink of an eye, she was inside the mountains. They were green, full of trees, weeds, and shrubs; a true forest. Maybe it was because no one visited the mountains.
"You?!"
The Princess looked behind her with a jerk as she suddenly heard a voice. It was the old lady from the other day!
"You were daring enough to enter the mountains!" The old woman exclaimed.
"So were you…" The Princess murmured.
"No." The old woman shook her head, "I am a chemist. I come here for herbs." She added nonchalantly. "Let me tell you a secret amongst us common people," She chuckled, "The mountains are safe. Only the peak is not. Every animal we brought with us to test the mountains proved to us that the peak of one of the mountains somehow sucks everything around it."
The Princess nodded, "That is why the man frequented it too…"
"Yes." The old woman nodded, "Everyone in this village knows that the mountains are safe. Hence, everyone knows that the poet of the mountains lives here."
"He lives here?" The Princess asked.
The old woman nodded, "He mentioned he has a cottage somewhere in the mountains. But as you can see, my old body would never allow me to go too far inside. Others have not had the chance to see the cottage either. It must be too far. After all, the mountain range is not that small."
Clenching onto her dress tightly, the Princess nodded.
"But I must ask," The old woman murmured, "What is a noblewoman doing here? It must be the traveling energy of yours." She chuckled, "I suggest you travel to some expensive place. These mountains are not of noble worth. Only some herbs are as good as gold."
"I will see what I have to do."
"But I warn you not to. The peak is not for us to see."
"Thank you for the warning." The Princess expressed her gratitude, "However, I am running out of time. I shall see you again." She turned around to walk further into the mountains.
"1." The old woman said loudly, "Do not go to the peaks of any mountain."
The Princess turned her head to look at the old woman.
"2. Do not go too far into the mountains as wild animals are present everywhere."
Scoffing, the Princess turned around once again.
"3. If you wish to go deeper into the mountains nonetheless, at least take some food with you. The mountains are huge."
The Princess smiled and walked away from the sight of the old woman. She couldn't believe she believed that old woman the other day when she was just a small chemist. How imprudent!
As the Princess struggled to walk on the rough path, she saw a silhouette a little uphill. She narrowed her eyes to look closely. It looked like a man! The Princess once again gathered her dress in her arms and tried to rush uphill.
The old woman had warned her not to reach out for any peak. However, if the man in front of her was safely standing there, so could she. Hence, she stumbled her way to the man. The only problem was that the man was also constantly walking uphill. His steps were way bigger than hers. It was hard to catch up to him.
The Princess had to see him before he could make it to the peak. Therefore, like any normal person, she yelled.
"Hey!!"
The moment the man looked back, the moonlight shined all over his face.
"M-My lady?!"
…
"Killian?!"