Steph woke up screaming. She was in bed. She pulled the covers off of her and looked down at herself. She was still dressed the same, but her hair was in a long brown braid down her back. Quiet as a mouse, she descended down the stairs. When she saw the floor covered with blood, she gagged. Matt had probably been missing for a couple of hours, but it may have been enough to kill him. 

She looked around for clothes that wouldn't have her burned at the stake for witchcraft. Hanging on a clothesline was a simple day dress with a (dirty) white short-puffy-sleeved top, a comfortable brown skirt that only reached her ankles, and a green vest. She put it on without thinking, just worried about sticking out. She managed to find a pair of boots that were very thin, but snug enough so that they wouldn't fall. She grabbed a small white apron and tied it around her waist so that she could have it's pockets at her use. Hanging on a nail was a red cloak, which she quickly swung over her. Now she looked the part. 

She stepped outside to see the trolley. The guards saw her, but she stepped back. Since she wasn't interfering, they ignored her and went on their way. With no where else to go, she decided to follow Melody's path. She had seen a few of the speed runs, she knew what to do. 

Steph ran back inside to grab something that may help her. She found a wicker basket of bread and a bit of money. She calmly followed the trolley with the basket in tow. Once in a while, they would turn back to her and give her the evil eye, but Steph just shirked back and looked at the ground. 

Eventually, the guards got too suspicous, and one of them, (the missing guy who Steph recognized,) raised his sword to point it at her. Steph didn't move. 

"You better be heading to town, peasant. Because the only other way is to the palace. And if we find you there, we will not hesitate to kill you." 

Stephanie nodded. "I'm- I'm just going into town. To sell this bread." 

The guard gave her another dirty look before turning around to head off towards the castle. Stephanie decided not to push her luck. She decided to head off to the town.

The town was grey ad gloomy, with beggars on the street. "Missus? Any money for the poor?" 

Stephanie felt bad. She wanted to give to them, but she had limited money, and she knew the state of the kingdom was bad enough. She had to keep it. "No, I'm sorry." She said quietly. As she went to turn around, something tugged at her shirt. One of the other beggars, this one a bit younger, had grabbed her skirt. She shrieked, trying to pull herself away, when someone else, this one a woman, grabbed her from behind and covered her mouth tightly. The woman's hand was also blocking her nose, so Stephanie couldn't breathe well.

"The basket! The basket!" One of the men shouted. Just as another was about to pull it off her arm, the hand on her mouth let go, Stephanie falling forward for air. Despite her panting, she managed to grab all the coins and even the bread. She heard all of the people running away. 

Looking up, she saw someone that she would not have believed to see, but there he was, right in front of her eyes. 

"Nate?!"