My freedom was not fated to last if I continued to stand next to the wall like an imbecile. I began moving, first walking out into the forest and using the trees to hide myself. I tried to walk in the direction of town, but I wasn't really sure where 'town' was. I made sure that I could see the wall through the trees to keep me from getting too lost. I eventually had walked the length of the wall and I reached the end of the trees. I could see the people of the city leaving their houses and headed out to do whatever it was that townsmen do. I felt excitement bubble up inside me and I almost ran down to the town without any care for the guards still stationed at the gate.

I paused, allowing myself to be excited for a moment more before taking a deep breath to calm down. I was going to have to find a way to get past the guards without drawing attention to myself. I looked down at what I was wearing: a long gown in a pale shade. I furrowed my brow, quickly straightening it out with a thought to Fianna's words. I should have worn something more peasant-like, or at least a cloak. I bit my lip, trying to come up with a plan when suddenly the two guards turned and ran back to the mansion. For a moment, I was confused, but I quickly came to the realization that they had probably discovered that I was missing. It was to my benefit, however, since now they weren't guarding the front.

I slipped out of the woods and lifted my skirts. I ran full speed, my legs completely exposed, but I didn't have time to be embarrassed. Reaching the end of the path between the palace and the town, I could see many people staring at me. I felt my face flush, my embarrassment catching up with me. I dropped my skirts and ducked into the nearest alley way, out of the main eyes of the city.

I took a deep breath and arranged myself. Glancing at the girls around me, I pulled my hair in front of my shoulders and attempted braiding it together in a simple braid, as the other girls did. When I was searching myself for a ribbon to tie my awful braid, one appeared in my vision, held by a tan hand. I followed the hand to an arm, then a coarse fabric covered torso, and a man's head, covered in dark brown hair. He smiled, his dark eyes crinkling.

"You're not from 'round here are ya? I saw ya runnin' down from the palace, what were ya doin' up there? Ya don't happen to be the run'way princess do ya?" He rambled on while I took the ribbon from him and braided it into my hair. I waited for a moment before replying, building a lie in my head. I took a little bit of what I had read in books and a little bit of what I had heard from Fianna.

"I'm not from around here. My parents grew up here, but they were... sea merchants and we never stayed here. I was up by the palace on accident. I had been exploring the woods when I suddenly was beside the wall. What's this about a runaway princess?" I asked, trying to change the subjects of my origin as quickly as possible. My fake life story was very minimal and I would rather not try and get into it too much.

"Another one a the princesses ran away, but no one down here really cares that much. Can't say I fancy the princesses too much myself, livin' all high and mighty up there..." I raised an eyebrow at his comments. The town didn't adore the princesses? I had always been told that the peasants living here had wanted to see us and had thrown celebrations at our births. I had always felt bad that we were not allowed to leave. I shook my head slightly, trying to clear out the thoughts. That wasn't what was important. I was here to look for the singing man of before. I opened my mouth to make a comment when the dark haired man in front of me spoke. "What's ya name, anyway? I'm Faylorn."

"I'm..." My mind stuttered, I had been about to say Mona, but going by my real name would get me caught quicker than lightning. My mind raced, looking for a name. I pulled the first thing that came to mind. "Orla." I smiled, proud of myself for thinking of the name of my old lady-in-waiting. He looked at me skeptically before nodding.

"Alright. I'll believe ya for now. I think you'll be needing to change though, you'll stick out somethin' fierce here in that getup. I'll see if one a my sisters can give ya something," He grabbed my arm and lead me out of the alley and into the main street. Weaving through the people in the street, I noticed that there was a large lack of excitement in the streets. In face, the mood of the town seemed fairly dismal. Everyone seemed to be trudging around and even the market that we passed seemed to barely have a noise. I looked at Faylorn's back as he lead me. He seemed chipper enough, why was everyone else so sad?

He finally stopped in front of a door. It was attached to a building that went on for a good while. It seemed that most of the building in town were actually multiple establishments all attached to each other. He pulled out a key and unlocked the door. He gestured me in first before following and locking the door behind him.

"Ma, I'm back!" He called out loudly. It seemed atrocious to me to be yelling in a household, but I assumed things were different for those not born of noble blood. An older woman came out, looking a good bit like Faylorn, though her eyes were a lighter honey brown than his. She smiled to me and I did the same, dipping my head.

"Faylorn, who is this? Ya never bring girls home," She gave Faylorn a look that I didn't understand and Faylorn laughed sheepishly.

"I'm not really bringin' this one home either, not really. She's new around here and needs new clothes. Her's are a little too much to be worn in this place. The guards'll snatch her instantly." I looked at him, mildly aghast at what he had just said.

"What do you mean by that? Are the guards here not fond of a particular way of dress?" I asked, my eyes clouded with confusion. Faylorn's mother looked at me pityingly.

"Ya really aren't from around here, are ya? The knights take any pretty thing and use her for their own purposes... Hardly any of 'em come back..." her voice trailed off and Faylorn scowled to the ground for a moment, before looking back up at me.

"Anyway, one a my sister's is probably about your size. Ya can wear somethin' a her's. Though, I'd suggest hidin' your face when knights come 'round anyway. You're pretty fair." I flushed at his words, though he didn't seem to think much of them himself. I followed him past his mother, who still looked as though she was upset by the last topic of conversation. I dipped my head to her as we passed, trying to show respect in the only way I knew how. We went into a small alcove off the side of the main room and for the first time I really noticed how small this house was.

"How many people live here, Faylorn? Surely not more than you and your mother?" He scoffed at my statement.

"Of course it's more than me and my mother. I have si-" he stopped himself and paused for a moment, "Five younger sisters too." I frowned, but let the subject drop. It wasn't my place to ask for his personal history when I was lying about mine. Faylorn rummaged through a chest of fabrics. He finally pulled out a dress and displayed it for me. It seemed simple enough, though still a nice, rich brown. I took it from him, and he left me alone, pulling a curtain closed and making the alcove private so that I may change. I flushed at the idea of changing with a man so near, but shooed the idea away. I changed quickly, my extravagant gown hitting the floor. It wasn't important to my current life anymore. I would discard it quickly. I took a moment to think while I was changing.

What had they meant when they said that the knights took the girls "for their own purposes"? Had they mean that? That which is referenced only in quiet and erotic novels? I shuttered at the thought. Fianna hadn't mentioned anything of the sort with the knights she was with, however she was only ever a knight in training, she never achieved full knighthood. I was positive my father didn't know anything about this. How could he allow it other wise? While I'm sure Papa wasn't perfect, I had always been told that he was a fair and just ruler. I straightened myself, confident in my decision. My father must not know anything about what the knights are doing. I resolved myself to find a way to inform him later.

Grabbing my clothes, I folded them as best I could, having never folded clothes before, and pulled the curtain back. The dress had fit me fine, though the shoulders of the original wearer had been a bit broader than mine. I carried my own dress uncertainly. I wasn't quite sure what to do with it until I dispose of it. Faylorn turned to me. There was a girl with him this time, one not to far from my own age. She smiled at me, her eyes crinkling the same way that Faylorn's did. One of his sisters, I presumed.

"Looks fine on ya! Ya can do whatever with that one you got there," Faylorn exclaimed, looked me over. He put his hands on the girl beside him. "This is Miren, she's the oldest a my younger sisters. That's her dress you're wearin',"

"Oh, thank you, Miren. I'm sorry to impose like this." Miren shook her head, dismissing my apologies.

"Don't worry 'bout it. I'll take that dress, if ya don't want it anymore. I can use it for scraps." She replied, pointing to the dress in my arms. I offered it and she took it gladly. Faylorn grabbed the braid in my hair.

"You've never had to braid your own hair 'efore have ya?" He took the ribbon he hand given me and pulled it out of my hair, causing the braid to fall apart. I grasped at my hair, hoping to salvage my hard work. It was a fruitless effort and I looked at Faylorn, my face a mask of hopelessness. He laughed at me and used my shoulders to turn me around. He pulled all of my hair behind my back.

"I had to learn how to braid when I was young. Having so many girls in the house, Ma didn't have enough hands to braid all a their hair. So I had to help out. Your hair is a lot softer than my sisters though," I felt him working my hair together and finally he threw the end of the braid over my shoulder. I ran a hand down it, it was much better than my own. He turned me back around with a smile. I returned it and my mission rose back in my mind.

"Faylorn, do you have any singers in the city?" I asked, playing with my braid absentmindedly. A wicked grin covered Faylorn's face.

"Ya, we do. But only after dark." I looked at him in confusion and he grinned in return. "Things like singing aren't allowed here. But ya can go to the underground show, if ya wanna," I frowned, what does he mean singing isn't allowed?

"That's ridiculous. Why isn't singing allowed? Is it the guards again?" I asked, outright. My father would definatly hear about this. The knights had let their power go to their head just because my father never left the castle.

"That blasted King-" However, before he could finish, another girl burst through the front door.

"Ma, Faylorn, what are you doing? The mill master has been asking all over for you! You better head out and go to work!" Faylorn said I word I had never heard and turned to me.

"Sorry, Orla, but we better head off. While I would like for ya to stay in here, the girls'ld never hear a it, since they don't know ya and all." He explained quickly, ushering all of us outside and locking the door behind him. "Stay out of trouble, ya here? I'll fetch ya when works done and maybe we can go and find ya a singer, yeah?" He ran off, following his sister, his mother walking briskly behind him. I watched them go for a moment before heading off to look around the town. It wasn't that big a town, but, of course, my father reigned over much more than this small town. There was a vast countryside that he had power over, as well as a few other towns.

Thinking of my father made me think of what Faylorn had said and the control of the guards. I sat down on the edge of a fountain that wasn't running and started paying attention to the life of the people around. There was an older woman pulling a younger woman's hood down as a knight passed. I copied the mannerism myself, keeping my face hidden from the knight. After he passed, I looked back up. A young boy was crying and clinging to the cloak of an older man as he tried to push him off, tears in his own eyes as well. A woman ran up and pulled the boy in her arms before another knight came up and pulled the boy from her arms. I furrowed my brow as I observed the hardship of these people. What had my father done?  

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A/N: Please let me know what you think! I was going to wait to post this chapter tomorrow, like I'm supposed too, but I'm too impatient and I wanted you guys to be able to read it now, so here you go.

All comments are good comments, even if they're a critique~!