Chapter 131 - Escape 2.0

Earlier that evening in the Flori palace, Evanna paced in her room. In the afternoon, she called out to Nesrin in her mind while holding the flower, but she was yet to respond or show up. Evanna was not sure if it worked or not, and this was probably her best shot at escaping. She confirmed with Cedric that the prince had left the palace and might not be back until late that evening or the early hours of the following morning.

Even without the fairy's help, Evanna was going to escape. Now with her own powers at a suitable level, she could use them to aid her. When Arawn left her, the princess practised her gift in ways he had not taught her. It came to her naturally, and though Arawn helped her, he did not have her gift and could only understand to a point. 

Evanna stopped by her bed again and looked at her bag; the only thing she was missing was her swords and blades. Maybe while she waited to hear from Nesrin, she could search for them. The last she saw of them, they were in the tower she was first brought to in the palace.. But they couldn't possibly be in the same place, it had been over a month, and if they were taking precautions, they would move them somewhere safe. It wasn't like she couldn't steal someone else's sword, but they were her mothers and now hers. 

Evanna nodded her head and pushed her bag under the bed. She had already sent Rina away for the evening; the poor handmaiden dressed her in a nightgown only for her to get changed into the attire she first arrived in. The princess pulled her mask up, covering her nose and her hood over her head as she walked through the patio doors and started to climb the trellis. She tried to be mindful of the flowers, but time was of the essence, and she soon leapt over and landed on the prince's balcony. 

Her footsteps were as silent as a cat approaching his balcony doors. Even though she knew Arawn was yet to return, she still kept a sharp eye and picked up on the most minuscule of sounds. She crept through to the prince's chambers and began searching for her weapons. This could be the last place he would leave them, but she had a feeling he kept them close. She remembered him admiring her blades when she was behind bars, and so if they weren't in his bed chambers, then in his many other rooms. 

However, Evanna did not have all night to search those rooms. With that in mind, she searched through the prince's closet, walking up and down the aisles of his luxurious clothes. With a sigh, she returned to the bedroom, and like basic instinct, she lowered herself down to check under the bed. Such a simple hiding place, but one she would not avoid checking, but as she suspected, her weapons were not there. 

She jumped back up and strolled towards the living room space, her hand gliding against the back of the sofa as her gaze followed the walls. It was strange that she had been in Arawn's chambers quite a lot but did not pay too much attention to little details. She was always very aware of the 'wolf' in the room more than anything else. 

Evanna walked towards the fireplace, crossing her arms against her chest as she scrutinised it, tilting her head to the side. The tools set on the side to manage the fire was in pristine condition, yet they had used the fireplace on various occasions. Once she went to use the golden poker but as soon as her hand wrapped around the handle, Arawn's large hand was on hers, stopping her. At the time, she thought it strange until he told her to relax, and he would attend the fire.

She didn't know why she was so fixated on it now, but thinking back on it, she remembered him using a different poker. The princess believed it was because the golden tools were for show, but now, she realised how silly that was. Arawn could easily replace the tools. Evanna crouched down and wrapped her hand around the poker in the middle of the stands. She tried to pull it out, but it did not budge; she frowned and tried again. Maybe it was just for show?

~ Move it to the right. ~

Evanna followed the instructions and gasped when the fireplace slid to the side, revealing a wall full of weapons. She reached forwards after seeing her swords, then halted as her eyes went wide. She spun around and gasped again.

"Nesrin!" She squealed and flung her arms around the human-sized fairy. Tears sprung to her eyes, and she sighed into her friend. The fairy giggled in response, her own arms around her, her hand patting the princess on the back.

~ I expected you might need my help. Did you forget about me? ~

Evanna shook her head. 

~ But you forgot about the gift I gave you. ~

Evanna pulled away from the golden-haired fairy and bit her lip. "I'm sorry, so much has happened.." She whispered with a pout. 

Nesrin giggled again, the delightful sound only in her head as she cupped the princess' cheek in her hand. "It is okay; I forgive you. To be quite honest.." Nesrin trailed off in a hushed tone. 

~ I may have failed you if you called earlier ~ The fairy relaxed her hand onto her hip, her gaze looking off as though she was not there at all. It was then Evanna took note of Nesrin's attire; she looked battle-ready. The gentle fairy wore a sword on her hip; her clothing was of leaves and vines wrapped around her like a short dress with some golden armour at her torso, her hair pulled back into a ponytail. 

~ Is everything okay? ~ Evanna enquired as worry formed on her face. She knew it was best they spoke with their minds; she did not want to attract any attention into the prince's room.

~ We are at war with the pixies, and the spriggans have also become restless from our constant battles and have caused some issues ~ Nesrin replied as she walked towards the fireplace and stroked Evanna's short jewelled blade.

~ Spriggans? ~ Evanna followed the fairy and reached for her swords, instantly placing them on her back.

While Evanna was re-attaching her weapons, the fairy twirled around the room in amusement. She halted at the bookshelves, looking back at the princess. ~ Spriggans are tree-like creatures, also of fae kind, but they prefer to stay hidden in dense forests. Left alone. They have vile tempers if you wake them up. ~

Evanna sheathed her dagger at her hip. ~ Ah and they are retaliating because you have woken them up? ~ The princess assumed.

~ Exactly. Anyway, we need to leave. I can help you escape, then I must return, I'm afraid. My people need me. ~ 

~ Of course! ~ Evanna nodded her head and pulled the poker leaver back, watching in amazement as the fireplace slid into its former spot. She wanted to check out the mechanism for longer, but they didn't have time. She led the fairy towards the patio doors again. ~ I need to collect my bag. ~

The fairy nodded, then shrank in size once more, her wings sprouting out from her back as she once again sat on Evanna's shoulder like she never left. The princess felt a pang of sadness as she climbed the trellis once more as she started to think more of her journey to the Flori palace and her friends. She landed gracefully on her balcony once more and crept back inside her room.

This was it. Evanna had Nesrin; she had her bag and her weapons. It was time to leave. But as she eyed her room, she felt overwhelmed. She couldn't go without saying anything, could she? Arawn's icy stare flashed across her mind, and she shook her head, deciding to leave a letter. That she could at least do. 

Evanna's hand scribbled messily over the paper on her table. She wanted to say so much more, but she couldn't find the right words or what to say. She read it over twice and sighed. Short and straightforward was best when there was no time to struggle over the right words. At least, there was a note for him.

Evanna felt frustrated at what she wrote but knew she would return the gem once everything was over. Even though she might be temporarily imprisoned in her bedroom when she returned home. But she would make sure to get the gem back to Arawn. Her heart fluttered at the idea of seeing him again, even if it would be brief, possibly to drop the jewel in his hands before running away without being killed.

~ You seem very conflicted, princess ~

Evanna sighed and dropped the quill before folding the paper and placing it in an envelope. She did not know how to respond to Nesrin's comment and instead distracted herself by putting the letter on the bed. Just as the envelope dropped on the bed, the door creaked open, revealing her handmaiden. Rina stopped, wide-eyed at Evanna's attire, who looked like a bandit crouched over the bed.