Noelle was hungry; her stomach ached and protested with every step she took.

Noelle was tired; her eyes drooped closed and she tripped over her own feet as soon as she lost focus.

Noelle was scared; she was paranoid that Adron's soldiers would ambush them out of nowhere and drag Roland and her back to the castle.

Noelle was dirty; walking through the contaminated sewage water had stained her clothes and the putrid smell clung to her skin.

She stopped counting how long they have been walking. At first, she had tried to keep a conversation going with Roland, but soon they both realised it was no use as they found themselves even more exhausted and with a stitch.

"Is... is that a house or am I hallucinating?" Roland wheezed.

Noelle looked up to where he was pointing and saw a big, red house with two floors. It was just sitting on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere. Other than the road, it was the only man-made object for miles.

"Should we knock?" Noelle asked, as they tentatively stepped towards the house. Roland considered the question.

"They might give us food and a place to stay. I'm all for trying," he reasoned, and Noelle did not argue any longer. In reality, she wanted to rest just like he did, if not more. "Also, they must have a car if they live in such an empty place, how will they go shopping?"

Roland looked at her, perplexed. "A car?"

Noelle stared at him, unable to believe her ears. Did he not know what a car was? If Dacnella had modern buildings and bathrooms, how was it possible that they didn't have necessities like cars?

"Don't you know what that is?" Noelle asked. "Does Dacnella not have cars to travel?"

"To travel? No, we have horses or carriages and walking, but no cars. What are they?"

Dacnella was a strange world, on the brink of being medieval and modern. Noelle wondered where the line between that was but could not wrap her head around it. Was she in a completely different timeline where certain things weren't even invented yet? And who invented the things that were already present if no one from her world lived here? Noelle's head spun with questions and she felt dizzy from all of the revelations.

Noelle finally walked up to the red door and knocked. She noticed that the whole house was painted red, and even the curtains inside held a deep crimson colour. They waited patiently as they heard shuffling inside before the door cracked open to reveal a gleaming blue eye.

"Hello?" A female voice croaked from behind the door.

"Hello miss. We are travellers, and we need some rest and shelter. Will you help us?" Roland took charge and spoke to the woman, flashing his best smile. The woman critically observed them, dragging her eyes from their crown to their feet, and back up again. Then, she opened the door to let them inside and reveal herself.

She looked to be around 70, with long, silver hair that cascaded down her back and a short, hunched figure. Her wrinkly white face broke into a smile when she saw them.

"Children, hello! Welcome, welcome... My name is Willow. It has been so long since we've had visitors!"

Noelle and Roland quickly looked at each other, but they came into the house without question. Willow wrinkled her nose when they stepped in, waving at the air with two fingers over her nose.

"Phew! You children need a hot bath. What are your names?" Willow asked, shutting the door gently and ushering the pair upstairs.

"I am Noelle, and this is my friend Roland."

"Well, Noelle, you go in here. Roland, follow me," said Willow, showing Noelle to a bathroom. She then took Roland away, presumably to find another one for him.

Noelle stripped herself of her dirty clothes and folded them neatly on the toilet seat. She turned the hot water on and crawled into the tub, sighing as the water spilled over her body.

When she was done, she took the towel that had been left at the door as well as the clothes Willow had given to her. They fit her perfectly, and Noelle wondered who they belonged to, as they for sure weren't Willow's.

Noelle wrapped her damp hair in the towel before going downstairs to find the elder woman.

"Noelle?" She heard Ronald's voice call. She turned, and there he was. He jogged up to catch her before diving into his speech.

"Don't you think it is strange?" He questioned.

"What?"

"The fact that Willow let two strangers into her house, just like that! She even had clothes that fit us perfectly!"

"That does seem odd-"

"Children! I've cooked dinner for you!" Willow called, interrupting their conversation.

"Well, that's all we have," Noelle pointed out. "Best we make use of it."

They sat down at the large dining table where four bowls were laid out. Each for Noelle, Roland, Willow, and...

"Who's the other bowl for?" Roland asked Willow as they sat down at the table. In the presence of the kind woman, Noelle felt uneasy, and she couldn't explain why.

"Oh, that? It's for my granddaughter, Lolita. She left to pick mushrooms for tomorrow's dinner. She should be arriving soon now," Willow trailed off, looking thoughtfully at the clock, before turning away completely. She picked up the cutlery from the kitchen and placed it on the table, as well as a large saucepan full of tomato soup.

Noelle greedily took her spoon and dug into the soup, and Roland did the same. After a day of hunger, finally eating something was euphoric to her taste buds.

"It's delicious!" She complimented Willow, who smiled humbly and bowed her head.

She scraped the bowl clean and asked Willow for seconds, who happily obliged.

"Grandma? Who are they?" A new voice spoke, belonging to a young girl. It held a slightly strong accent that was just fading away. She stood in the doorway with a basket full of mushrooms, and a confused look on her pretty white face. Her resemblance to Willow was striking. She had long, platinum hair tied into a high ponytail and short bangs hiding her ears. She wore a simple dress: chequered and black, with a white blouse underneath it. She bore a resemblance to another figure Noelle could not place her finger on.

"Lolita! You're just in time," Willow fondly approached her granddaughter, guiding her to the table as she took the basket from her hands. "These are Ronald and Nora, they're travellers."

"Hello," Lolita greeted them, smiling shyly. "My name is Lolita."

"Hey, I'm Noelle. This is Roland," Noelle corrected Willow quietly.

"You mustn't mind my grandma, she gets things wrong a lot," chuckled Lolita, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. For a split second, Noelle thought her eyes flicked to Roland.

"Do you know how long you are staying for?" Lolita asked.

Roland spoke up before Noelle could answer. "Well, we're hoping to set off again tomorrow morning. We have something very important we need to get to."

Noelle was confused at his words. They hadn't ever established how long they would stay, or where they were even going to head. Roland stubbornly ignored her raised eyebrow.

"Where are you going?" Lolita curiously asked.

"Um- nowhere important," Roland quickly backtracked, returning to his food to stop the conversation.

"Oh, okay... oh! You're wearing my dress!" Lolita exclaimed, happily looking at the grey dress Noelle was wearing. "That one's my favourite, it looks so good on you!"

"T-Thanks." Noelle blushed at her compliment.

"So where did you two come from?" Lolita persisted with her questions. Her big, ice-blue eyes were wide open with wonder. "I bet you have so many stories! You must tell me all of them."

Noelle and Roland briefly made eye contact and a quiet agreement was made.

"We came from up North, do you know where Tripillis is? We come from a small village just at the borders," Roland explained, lying through his teeth. Noelle admired how flawless he was at it.

"I'm quite good at geography, what is the town?" Lolita challenged, and Noelle knew she saw right through their lies.

"Well, it actually isn't on the map, because it's so small. There's only like, what, 30 residents?" Noelle added in, and Roland nodded his head in emphasis.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we call ourselves Grabbe though," Roland finished, and Noelle was pleased with their story. Lolita thought about it, tapping her chin with her head propped on her hand.

"Grabbe is a very ugly name for a village," she concluded, and their conversation was finished when Willow returned to the room.

"You children are all talking nonsense," she announced, picking up their bowls and heading back to the kitchen. "Lolita, show our guests their rooms."

Lolita motioned for the two to follow her, and they went upstairs down the long hallway. "Roland, you'll be in the guest bedroom," she said, pointing at the door. "If you have any bags, leave them there. Noelle, we can share my room!"

They left Roland behind and headed to Lolita's room, marked by a small sign on the door.

Lola's Room.

"Come in!" Lolita urged, and Noelle stepped inside. The first thing she noticed was the strong scent of vanilla in the room. The four walls that boxed the room were all painted white, even the ceiling, and the floor was made of dark wood. Around the single bed was a grey carpet with some chairs next to the large bookshelf on the wall. Opposite the bed was a desk, propped up against the window. There were a few books scattered on it with a block of lined paper. The window revealed the view of the ugly sand road and a few bushes and trees planted in the background.

"You have a nice room," Noelle said genuinely. Lolita smiled brightly at her compliment and sat down heavily on one of the chairs.

"Thank you," she replied.

"So," Noelle searched for a conversation starter. "Do you and your grandma live alone?"

"Yeah, she's getting old now so my mum sent me to help her while she works. She has a really good job so she is able to provide for the house."

"Oh? What job does your mother have?" Noelle asked, joining the girl on the chairs.

"Um, well she's part of the council of the neighbouring town," Lolita answered, before turning the conversation away from herself. "You must be really tired from your journey, why don't you get to bed? I can get some hot water bottles for you and Roland, how does that sound?"

Only when Lolita mentioned bed did Noelle feel the exhaustion really overwhelm her. She stifled a yawn, nodding her head to Lolita's proposal.

"Where should I sleep?" Noelle asked, motioning to the bed in the room, which was far too small to fit them both.

"Oh, you can take the bed, I'll have a mattress on the floor. Take a nightgown from the wardrobe," answered Lolita, giving Noelle a wave and leaving the room.

Once alone, Noelle heaved her heavy limbs off of the chair and made for the bed. She threw off her dress and folded it on the chair, before opening the wardrobe and taking a look at the clothes provided. She noticed that most of Lolita's clothes seemed to be in dark colours, ranging from shades of grey to white to black. She saw a single pink dress, which was much more extravagant and well-made than the others, suggesting that it was for formal events only. Noelle took a white nightgown from its hanger and pulled it over her head, examining her body in the full-length mirror. It looked nice on her, much better than anything Adron had forced her to wear back in the castle.

She left the room to go to the bathroom again to wash her face and brush her hair. Passing by Roland's temporary room, she could hear the sound of soft snores from behind the door. Continuing on, Noelle passed the stairs, where she could make out the hushed voices of Lolita and Willow and the whistling kettle. She opened the door to the bathroom, letting the water run and ducking her head under the tap. Once she was done with her bathroom duties, Noelle returned back to Lolita's room where she was already waiting for her.

"I've put the bottle in your bed so it will be warm for you," Lolita said. She was setting the mattress down on the floor and putting the duvet on. Noelle rushed to help her with the sheets. They finished in no time, and Lolita turned the top lights off while Noelle turned on the lamp on the bed stand.

They were silent until Lolita finally said what was on her mind the whole time.

"Are you two really from Grabbe?" she asked, her voice prominent in the dark room. Noelle froze at her question, unsure of what to reply. She felt like her silence only confirmed Lolita's suspicion, so she quickly replied.

"Why?" She said in an accusing tone.

Way to go, Noelle. That definitely diverted her suspicion away from you.

"Roland is a really bad liar," Lolita giggled. "You are too. It's fine though, you don't have to tell me. You guys have a right to secrets after all."

In the short time they have known one another, Noelle felt a strange connection to Lolita. Though they only just met today, she felt like she had known Lolita her whole life. She felt prompted to trust her and tell her the big secret Roland and she had been trying to keep between them. After all, neither of them have ever been beyond the castle walls and they could use someone who knew the surroundings and map well, just like Lolita.

"You're right," she finally decided to say. Noelle felt like she was swallowing a pill in her throat. "You can't ever tell anyone this, Lolita! Promise!" She cried, sitting up in the bed and staring straight at the girl on the floor.

"Okay, I promise," Lolita said, sitting up to match Noelle's position with full seriousness.

"Roland and I... we escaped from the castle. I was kidnapped by Adron to be his bride, and Roland saved me and we got out of the castle together. I don't know if anyone has been looking for us, but right now we are on the run," Noelle said, the syllables spilling from her mouth like a gun. She took a deep breath, looking at Lolita's dumbstruck reaction. Her mouth was hanging slightly open, and her eyes seemed to be larger than dinner plates. All the time, she did not say a word, only stared at Noelle without moving.

"Is... is that true?" she whispered, furrowing her eyebrows as she processed the information. "That is - wow. So, what are you guys going to do?"

"I-I don't know. I never thought we would even get this far. I suppose I just want to go back home to London," Noelle answered, her voice solemn and low.

"London? Where's that?" Lolita asked, tapping her chin in thought. "I've never heard of it."

"London? It's in England! Don't you know where it is?" Noelle started, staring at the girl in shock. Her world slowed down as she waited for Lolita to say the words she dreaded.

"It doesn't exist. The map does not have London or England... there's just Dacnella and a few other empires, most under Adron's rule," Lolita began, her words slow as she stared at Noelle, worried not to provoke an unwanted reaction out of the girl. "I'm sorry... I wish I could help-"

Noelle did not even register the tears spilling from her eyes as she wiped furiously at them. She refused to let Lolita see her cry. Suddenly, there was a chance that after all she did to escape from the castle, she might never see her family again. She will never again be enveloped by her parents and comforted by Valerie, she would never go out with Ivan, Melanie, and Rupert... and she would never hold Zuzanna's hand again and spend each day in her presence.

She could never go to school and see all her favourite teachers and learn her favourite subjects, she could never go to her favourite diner again and order her favourite meal, she could never go to her favourite hangouts with her favourite person in the entire world.

The idea that she could lose all this and never return to London crushed her.

"...Lle... Elle... Noelle!" She was awoken from her spiral by Lolita, who was crouched before her with a fearful look on her face. When she saw Noelle's eyes focus on her relief flooded her face, but she still looked at Noelle with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine... just bad thoughts, that's all," Noelle reassured her, not wanting to give the girl a reason to worry. "I sort of, zoned out for a moment."

"Was it something I said?" Lolita asked. From her mannerisms, Noelle could tell she felt awful and blamed herself for her panic.

"No, it's fine! Don't worry about it, Lolita," Noelle reassured her, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders in comfort. Her voice was still shaky, but she was calming herself down.

"Can I... join you guys? I want to help you get home and just do something," Lolita begged, her voice so full of hope Noelle could not tear her down.

"Of course, we could really use your help. I'm sure Roland won't mind either," Noelle said, smiling at the girl.

"Should we go tell him?" Lolita questioned, jabbing her thumb at the door behind her.

"He's sleeping now, so we'll tell him in the morning at breakfast."

"Oh thank you, Noelle! I promise I won't let you down!"

Noelle smiled, her spirits lightly lifted again. Aurora always said it was no use going to bed upset, as the only thing you would gain was nightmares.

Just think positive, it's not that hard, is it?