Sigvard, Benno, and I meet in the palace foyer after breakfast. It's strange to move about so freely without grasping the edges of a dress. Today, I opted to wear brown pants and a dark green shirt. Not spring colors, but I figured the dark fabric would hide any stains.

A servant joins us minutes later, the same one that gave me the horse at the festival. It feels like so long ago, an eternity in the past even though it's only been three weeks.

"Hello," I greet him. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"Your Highness," the servant says, bowing so low that the three bows and quivers he carries nearly touch the tile floor. As he rises, he glances over my attire. "Are you planning to go to town like that?"

"We're not going into town," Sigvard says. He takes his birthday bow and arrows from the servant's arms. "We're going hunting."

The servant's eyes widen. "That's why you wanted bows and arrows?"

"Well, we weren't planning to play harp with them, if that's what you were thinking," Sigvard replies.

"Is that really a good idea? I mean—" The servant turns to me, and I fold my arms over my satiny shirt.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing, your highness," he says. "Only..."

"I can hunt just fine," I say. I grab a bow and quiver from him, slinging the latter over my shoulder.

"When Duke Rothbart and your tutors agreed to let you leave the palace grounds, I didn't realize they meant this," the servant says.

"What they don't know won't kill them," Sigvard murmurs.

"Come again?"

"Nothing." Sigvard and I exchange a slight smile. I nod to the two servants standing at the front entrance, and they push the double iron doors open. We head toward it, the servant several paces behind.

"Aren't we hunting in the woods?" he calls.

Sigvard stops. "Yes."

There's a pause before the servant pipes up again. "Aren't the woods back there?"

"We're not hunting in those woods. Remember, we can leave the palace grounds today. Why would we stay here when we can go somewhere more interesting?"

The hush of voices pulses through the front courtyard. I squint past the hedge leading to the rose garden. Clemaina's pink skirts cascade over the stone bench she sits on and onto Sewale's stiff uniform. I press my finger to my lips and nod in the garden's direction. Sigvard cranes his neck behind him to see what I'm talking about. A frown creases his face a moment later, and he turns around.

Once we're past the gates and on the open road, Sigvard speaks.

"They're like parasites always latched onto each other."

"At least they have a mutualistic relationship," I say. "Opposed to latching onto the rest of us." A question wriggles its way into my mind. Whenever I saw Clemaina, she seemed to be with Sewale, even now at half past eight in the morning. I'm usually knee-deep in my lessons at this time. When did Clemaina do hers?

The rest of the hour-long walk is mostly silent, except for the occasional comment or joke. We can't talk about our investigation due to the servant. At last, we reach a green canopy held up by hundreds of brown trunks. The forest stretches for miles, impossible to see where it ends. Dirt road turns to sodden leaves and twigs that are decomposing into a thick layer of mulch, which the heels on my leather boots sink into. It has a distinct earthy scent, giving my nostrils a break from the palace's perfume.

"What are we hunting?" Benno asks.

"Whatever we find," Sigvard says. He pulls an arrow from his quiver and loads it, pulling the string taut. "We should split up."

"What?" a trembling voice behind us says.

The three of us face the servant. Fear paralyzes his wide eyes.

"We can't traipse through the forest together," Sigvard says. "The animals will hear us."

"But I can't be in three places at once."

"Then you'll have to pick one of us to accompany."

The servant glances between us. Irritation pricks my skin. I have a feeling he might choose me just so he can "protect" me from harm.

"Stay with Sigvard," I say. "He'll make sure nothing happens to you."

"Hey!" Sigvard exclaims.

"We'll trade off," Benno says. "Start with Sigvard, then me, then Aylo."

I offer Benno a grateful smile. He must know that I want to be alone with my thoughts. Either that or his perfect suggestion was a coincidence, but I'd prefer to believe the former.

Reluctantly, the servant nods. Sigvard rolls his eyes to the left before starting in that direction, the suited servant on his heels.

"Later, Aylo," Benno says with a wave before disappearing straight into the trees.

I don't move immediately. I close my eyes and bask in the cool forest air on my skin. It's so peaceful, the most calm I've felt in weeks.

Leaves rustle to my right. My eyes fly open, and I head in the noise's direction. Bushes and grasses grow unbridled beneath the trees. Right now, I'm just as free as they are, if only for several hours. I inch through the vegetation, back hunched and knees bent so I'm lower to the ground. I pass under low hanging branches, careful not to jostle them and send a warning signal to creatures.

At last, crouched amongst tangled roots, I spot a rabbit. It has dark fur that blends into the bark. But my senses are hyper alert right now. I load my arrow, the thick string digging into my fingers as I pull it back to my ear. The point lines with my target's heart to ensure a swift death, no suffering.

The rabbit darts away. I slacken the arrow and meader onward. There's no need for frustration; it's only the first one I've seen.

I follow the sounds of scampering, sometimes a bird's cooing deeper into the forest. A few times, I spot squirrels, but I don't attempt to shoot them. We mainly eat deer, rabbit, and poultry in Saursi. Neither the palace nor the townspeople can use a dead squirrel, and I have no reason to kill an animal just for the sake of it. Not even Sigvard and Benno, who need the target practice, go after animals that can't be used for both their meat and fur.

Time spirals away as I wind deeper and deeper through the never-ending trunks. A twig snaps, and a flurry of wings passes overhead. The flock of gray and white is too quick for me. They disappear before I can aim properly. I'm sure Sigvard and Benno have caught plenty of game by now. They'll probably tease me not finding anything, but I stopped trying a while back. I already know I mount my arrow and line up the shot too slowly to be effective. Instead, I got lost in nature and stealth. Sometimes, I even imagined myself at the palace sneaking into another room, digging up more clues. Except in my daydreams, I found the answers I sought.

Hunger summons me from my daydream. The same dim sunlight glimmers through the trees, so I don't know how much time has passed. It isn't dusk, probably not the late afternoon either. But it's been a while, and I should find Benno and Sigvard. I take several steps, then pause, realizing that I don't know where I am. I should've been more careful rather than letting myself get carried away. The trunks blend into a monochrome mob. Another pang carves through my belly. Why hadn't we planned out our food before?

I decide to pick a direction and follow it. I'll find them at some point. And even if I don't, the worst case scenario is that I reach the edge of the forest and return to the palace without them.

Nothing familiar surrounds me, so I listen for footsteps or voices. The only sounds I hear come from my boots squishing into the dirt or claws scuffling over bark. Apprehension prickles my skin, but I keep going.

Leaves crackle behind me. I whip around, scanning the bushes.

"Sigvard? Benno?" I call tentatively.

No reply. It must have just been a rabbit. I take several more paces before another scuffle disturbs the undergrowth. I freeze, pulse rising. This time, I see rippling leaves, hear a series of twigs snap. It goes still, and my heart counts the seconds in double time.

Two. Four. Six. Eight.

A growl rips through the air. Gray fur lunges from behind a tree trunk. Jaws snap above my face, and I throw myself backward. Screams tear from my throat as I grab an arrow from my quiver. The animal leaps again, and I hold the arrow in front of me. Weight falls onto me, crushing me into the dirt. I thrust it off and scramble backward until I can't go any further.

Hysterical sobs wail from my chest, and my heart punches inside me. It takes a minute for me to process the motionless creature on the ground, the blood oozing onto the ground.

I stare at the matted fur, eventually processing that it was a wild dog. They usually prefer to be alone, but I load an arrow on my bow just in case there's more. As I push myself to standing, pain sears my ankle. The scuffle must've hurt it. I don't think it's broken, and I can limp in the direction I was headed in, though my progress is slow.

I don't get very far when my stomach growls, louder than before. My organs ache from a lack of nourishment. My gaze drifts to the treetops, where red fruit dangles. It's an apple tree, I realize. If only I didn't have this sore foot, I could reach it.

Two seconds later, I set my bow on the ground and grab the lowest branch. I'm too hungry to let pain stop me. My arms do most of the work hoisting me up. I straddle the branch and stretch for the nearest apple. It's barely in reach, my fingers just long enough to pluck it.

The apple's skin is smooth, mostly red with a few yellow specks. It looks fine to eat, no signs of infection or that it's inedible. That's one thing I remember from my pre-princess days. Not even the best education provides all the tools a person needs.

My teeth sink into the crisp flesh, and sweet juice releases as I chew it. I devour it in a few minutes, then look for another to satiate my appetite. I shift my positioning, anchoring my good foot in the crook of two branches. My right hand tightens around a branch sticking from the main trunk, which I wrap around as I twist another apple from its stem. I support myself on my right side returning to the original branch.

After I catch my breath, I enjoy the second apple more slowly than the first. I feel better now that I've eaten, and I'm ready to continue looking for my brother and Benno. Carefully, I lower myself to the forest floor.

Is it my imagination, or does the sunlight grow dimmer over the next time period? There's still no sign of Sigvard or Benno, and sweat moistens the wooden bow I clutch. I stop to rest against a tree. Dismay has set in, and I'm losing hope that I'll find the boys. What will I do if I get lost?

Correction: I am lost. The only question remaining is how long it will take for Sigvard and Benno to notice and send a search party after me. And then there's the matter of Wolfgang and Uncle Rothbart. They'll flip when they find out I'm lost. Since I have nothing better to do, I brainstorm all the ways they might punish me, us rather—it wasn't only my idea to go hunting in The Great Forest.

Darkness closes in on the forest, settling between every branch and bramble. I sit on the ground, afraid I'll only go deeper into the endless trees if I keep walking. Insects' chants buzz in the air, cut by the occasional owl's cry. I'm too scared to add Sigvard or Benno's names to the night's choir.

Exhaustion floods my body. I lean into the coarse bark behind me, allowing my eyes to shut. I'm too tired to move, and my thoughts drift from my surroundings. Any moment now, someone will find me. Any moment now...