Alice was still asleep when I returned, though I roused her as soon as the door closed behind me. She sleepily stood from her huddled sleeping position on the chair and stumbled to the wash basin to refresh her skin and regain some clarity.

"We are leaving, but are going to be taking another girl with us."

She turned from the wash basin and looked to me with an inquisitive glance, but I held my hand up to signal her silence.

"No questions, I will provide no answer. Simply do as I say. We will be returning to my kingdom as soon as we are finished here."

The girl, being sharper than I gave her credit for, did not say anything further and instead finished cleansing her skin, then helped me to repack my bag. If not for her obvious magical talent, she would have made a good handmaiden or chambermaid.

Once packed, I threw open the door and marched to the entrance, pointedly not making eye contact with the guard. The unmannered innkeeper was still at his post, unwilling to retire until his distinguished guests were gone. He barely gave me a glance as I threw a gold coin before him and moved to the door to await the retrieval of my horse. The wretched man had the audacity to let out an audible groan as he pulled himself to his feet, I only held my tongue out of the desire not to draw any negative attention from the princess' entourage.

Once my horse was prepared and waiting outside the door, I strolled out, looking around with disinterest, though I was indeed interested in the layout of the gathering men. A half-dozen where lazily preparing their steeds for the day's travel, buckling saddle bags and tightening bridles. Another half dozen were tasked with securing the carriage horses to their proper positions. Their relaxed pace told me that they weren't in a hurry to leave, but that it would not be long until they left to complete their journey.

We rode away from the inn, not looking back or giving any indication that I was interested in the entourage's business. I needed them to see me as nothing more than a well-wisher who happened to be passing through and nothing more. While I was certain my presence would make it back to the ears of the King, I wanted him to have no direct proof that the princess' disappearance had anything to do with me. War would likely be inevitable, but the more time House Yser could have to prepare, the better.

As soon as the sound of the working men faded from my ears, I pulled the horse into a sharp left, commanding the beast stray from the main path towards the tree line where the forest encroached upon the edge of the village. Out of the very corner of my eye, I could barely see the top of the inn over the cresting hill and, most importantly, all of the men were out of sight. At the treeline, I swung down from the saddle and led the beast, still carrying Alice into the trees. The girl looked at me questioningly, but remembered my oath that I would not accept or answer any questions about what was happening.The horse and girl tucked behind enough foliage to be disguised from the road, I tugged on the fabric of my dress and willed it to become a plain, brown frock that would blend in wth any other peasant well to do enough to live within the village proper. The transformation elicited an excited gasp from the girl, but I paid her no mind and began the walk back towards the road.

It seemed that the village was just starting to wake up in earnest, the road bearing an old man with a cart and horse, the back of his cart loaded with what looked to be large sacks of grain. His tired eyes passed over me briefly, but did not linger, seeing nothing out of place. The cart had passed by the time I had made it to the road, I had been cautious not to move too quickly or with a purpose, the less attention I drew, the better. I wandered up the road, a thoughtful look on my face as I strolled. I sorely wished that I had thought to create a basket to hold so I looked like I was out to shop.

As the idle chatter of the guards became close and any closer would put me in direct line of sight, I meandered off the main road and beside a tailor's shop. Their was an tight alley that ran behind the buildings until it met up with the inn, it would be the only spot potentially secure enough for me to do what was necessary. The alley appeared to be empty, the windows that overlooked it free from any prying eyes. With a swift flick of my wrist, I faded from view, the strain of the magic tugging slightly on the core of my body. It was not a simple trick to hold invisibility for long lengths of time, but it had been a favorite spell of mine when I was young and more apt to be causing michief. The extra experience of feeling the tug of resistance to the upkeep of the spell would allow me to maintain it for long enough to complete my task.

Hidden from the world, I made my way to the end of the alley and turned the corner back to the inn. The carriage was fully prepared and ready to go, most of the men getting ready to mount their steeds. My next challenge was to get into position at the side of the carriage while not making too much noise with my steps, but several of the horses were antsy with the anticipation of traveling, their hooves crunching and clopping loudly onto the well-packed earth. Timing my steps with the short burst of movements from the beast was effective in slipping by the men and readying my position.

It was scarecly a minute from my taking position when the door to the inn swung open and the princess appeared. Her hands were folded neatly in front of her and face clear of tears or any negative feelings. Perhaps she would do well with us, the ability to squash her feelings and carry herself with dignity was a trait that seemed difficult for many women. The man leading her on her right spoke something to her that was met with a nod and walked before her, opening the door to the carriage with reverence. Her steps were light and practiced, though her eyes did flit to the other side of the vessel for the briefest of moments. She went out of view as she approach the carriage, the vessel swaying gently towards the opposite side as she ascended the stairs.

As the door clicked shut on the other side, the door next to me tentatively popped open, the Princess looking wide-eyed at the world around her. I reached out and clasped her hand, thankfully she was able to restrain a squeak of surprise. I pulled her to the ground and slowly, softly pushed the door shut. With a gentle tug on her hand, I willed her to become invisible as well, the strain on my core swelling until it was a dull ache behind my ribs. The men mounted and swiftly the carriage rolled forward, leaving us standing completely still until the carriage and the men on horseback crested the hill and disappeared on the other side.

I breathed deeply in relief and let it out, the hardest part was over, but we still needed to get back to my horse undetected. It had been simple enough to don the appearance of a peasant to make my way back to the inn, changing my own appearance was so natural that I could hold the glamour even in sleep, but it was sometimes difficult to do so for others. The tugging at the magic in my core intensified, manifesting from a dull ache to a stabbing pain, I wasn't going to be able to get back to the treeline holding the both of us at invisibility. I dropped my own invisibility with relief, the stabbing pain subsiding to just an uncomfortable pressure.

"You are still shrouded, my child," I whispered in a low tone. "Simply follow me and make no sound."

Adding only a small amount of additional strain on my magic, I changed the glamour on my face to something a bit more plain, with a large mole on my right cheek as an obvious physical feature that I would not wear again. Anyone who may pay attention to me now would not recognize me as the same peasant that had come up the street and would not be able to accurately describe an appearance that would match me again.

Disguised, I walked at a leisurely pace down the road while ensuring that I did not get too far from the child, the farther I got from her, the more difficult holding the glamour would be. Luckily, I could sense exactly where she was, so I could slow down or speed up based on her movement. I could tell that she was apprehensive, unused to being out in the open without an extensive amount of guards. While I knew it was not her fault, but a product of her environment, the knowledge did not stop my irritation. I needed her to move faster, I could not guarantee how long my well of magical strength would last before becoming too painful to bear.

"Hurry your steps," I harshly whispered, eyes scanning my surroundings for anyone that may be listening. I reached a hand into the top of my bodice and manifested a plain handkerchief to pull to my nose as if I had sneezed instead of saying anything.

The girl said nothing, but quickened her pace much to my relief. I continued to dab at my nose and eyes as if I had suddenly come down with symptoms of an illness to further prevent anyone from approaching. The plan worked and though it took longer than I would have liked, after several uneventful minutes, we made it to the trees and I was able to drop the glamours safely.

Alice's hands flew to her mouth to cover a shriek as both my appearance melted melted away and Princess Tiffany faded back into existence. I nodded at Alice approvingly for having the foresight to prevent herself from making any sound loud enough to draw attention. She stared with wild eyes at me, their gaze uncertain about what was going on, though I could feel her magical aura swelling and swirling around me, as if investigating how I managed such a feat.

"Up onto the horse," I commanded Tiffany, my words hoarse as the throbbing in my rips had not yet subsided. It had been far, far too long since I had last seriously stretched the boundaries of my magical capabilities.

"I don't know how," Tiffany said softly, glancing at the beast like it was some mythical creature she had never encountered before. "Father said it was unladylike to ride like a man."

I let out a disgusted huff and helped the girl awkwardly clamber onto the horse so that she was situated behind my young ward. It seemed that every time I interacted with the outside world I found some new, frivolous limit put on woman. In my youth, everyone knew how to ride, commoner or monarch, it was imperative for royals to know how to ride in the event of attack or attempt to hold for ransom. Young royals, especially those in line to the throne, were in particular danger of being accosted whenever they traveled.

Finally on the horse myself, but decidedly less comfortable now that I had an extra rider to worry about, I pulled the horse towards the direction of the sacred stone and set us trotting towards home. My core still burned and ached, but I would pull through, though it did not escape me how such a stunt would have caused me little trouble only a few years ago. The fear of my own mortality sat as a frozen lump in my throat and the image of my sister's true form at death floated through my consciousness. I could feel the icy hands of death closer than they had ever been to encircling my neck and claiming my life. I held my head high and proud as I brought the new recruits back to the House Yser, but I wondered just how many more times I could pass the barrier before it would be my last.