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The celebrations went on long after dark, the sounds of drunken laughter echoing through the night. He had slipped in with a group of dancers when they had arrived and managed to break away to duck behind a bush unnoticed, his bow in his hand and mud concealing the colour of his hair. He hadn't moved since he had arrived and watched shadows dart around by the windows and people moving around the gardens while trying to ignore the stiffened in his body.

He waited as the castle filled up. He waited as the servants went around doing their work. He waited as the temperature dropped.

He was aware of a shadow nocking an arrow from behind a rosebush and firing it at the castle, the arrow sailing through the air and missing its target, a girl shadowed by the receding light. An arrow flew out from nowhere in response and soon the shadow had fallen, lying in a pool of their own blood.

Will waited and was silent.

He waited even when his whole body was cramped and his throat parched and dry, craving a drink. Hunger also ate away at him, but he was still. He felt himself drifting into sleep and slowly succumbed to his weariness. His position was concealed enough that only someone looking for him would have found him.

It was pitch black by the time Will woke up and snuck out, certain that most of the guards would be more interested in watching the outside of the castle than the inside. Plus, the darkness hid him well, and most of the servants were inside.

He walked until he could see the tower that Caius had told him about. There was a single candle light flickering from the window at the top. The rest of the windows were covered by curtains or dark.

Will took out Caius' knife and an arrow and began to climb, digging the blade and arrow into the gaps between the stones. It was dangerous, and he had a rope with him that he had stolen from a traveller to keep him up. One end was tied around the knife, the other around his waist. His arms shook slightly with the strain and he forced himself to keep going, his only thought of the humiliation he would feel if a guard on the battlements turned and noticed his movements in the dark. From there, he'd just be a little spider, a pesky insect for them to shoot down.

His arms were aching as he made it to the window, which was open wide, and peered inside to see a figure curled on top of her quilt. He knew who it was as soon as he saw the thick and wavy auburn hair sprawled out around the figure. It had lost its redness, Will noticed, and was more of a brown colour. A simple shift covered her thin body, hanging to her knees with loose sleeves and a low dip, and she was staring into darkness.

Will anxiously stepped in, suddenly regretting it. All he wanted to do was to run and leave. He hadn't thought it through, and his face was burning, unsure of what to do if she told him to go.

He found himself just staring at her, unable to make himself believe that he truly was in front of her again.

"Audrey?" he asked, unable to stop himself.

The figure turned, and Will quickly noticed the movement of her hand as she went to hit him. He dodged just in time.

Will quickly threw his hands in the air. He could now tell that it was Audrey... the intelligent blue eyes, the light skin.

Dead eyes, hollow and unhealthy. Just a shell of a girl that he had once aided in archery.

"Will?" she whispered. "What... no, they sent you away..."

"Well, they tried." He kept his hands out. "I'm stubborn."

"Leave me alone," she said, her voice a plea as she backed away, her eyes delirious. "You're not real. You're not..."

A fox snarled from the shadows and Will jumped.

"I think I'm pretty real?" Will offered. "Please, I know I should not have..."

She sank to the floor, burying her head in her arms. A sobbing sound had escaped her lips and Will felt his heart break.

"Please," she whispered. "You're not really there."

Has she gone mad? he wondered. He felt the urge to pick her up and whisper to her until she came back. What have they done to her?

"I'm here." He kept his voice steady. "In the flesh and bone."

Her eyes, rimmed in red, looked up at him.

"Will, is that you?" Audrey muttered after a moment, as if unsure of what she was seeing.

"That's me," Will said with a wry smile.

"You bloody bastard!" Audrey spat. Her eyes glared at him with surprising anger as she stood and strode toward him. Will flinched, preparing himself for a fight, when he felt her hands wrapping around his neck. He hugged her back, feeling her thudding heartbeat at a fast pace as he held her steady.

"You really are here," she whispered into his tunic, awe in her voice.

"I am."

"What are you doing?"

"Uh... saving you?"

"You should go now," Audrey said, pulling away.

"But I just got here."

"It's not safe. Landon will come and kill you. Please, just leave me."

"I spent effort searching for you."

"And thank you. But you should go back. I heard you got away with Luella Hill. Go back to her and have a good life together. I don't know why you're here, but if it is anything other than to kill me..."

"Luella was killed," Will said bitterly, trying to push her face out of his mind. Her brown hair and eyes, the birthmark shaped like a moon, the crooked teeth. Everything about her, he pushed out of his mind, even as it gnawed away at his insides, tearing him apart. "I am here to get you out of this place. Yay?"

"I don't need help," Audrey said stubbornly, but Will noticed the small flicker of hope in her face. He clung to that, knowing that if he didn't believe in it, he wouldn't have the strength to stay.

"Yes, you do. Do you like it here?"

"It isn't a question of whether I like it or—"

"Do you like it here?" Will's voice was sharp. Audrey paused.

"No," Audrey said. "It is hell. But I can endure hell and more. My whole life has been hell."

"I know you can. But you don't have to." Will paused. They had broken her, that much was clear. He could see a large cut down her left hand, and she had many bruises across her body from punches or abuse. "I can get you to Ulysses."

"He wouldn't take me."

"Fine. Filip, Adebiyi, whoever. Just come." Will offered her his hand. "Please. Give me your hand and trust me."

"Why are you doing this?" Audrey's eyes moved down to his hand, her voice wavering slightly. "You hardly know me. I could..."

"Just give me your hand," Will said firmly.

"I'm marrying Landon tomorrow." Audrey lifted her chin and looked at him. "I can help my people best here."

"You're afraid of failure," Will replied. "And you want to be here to honour your people. I can understand—"

"No, you can't!" She shouted. "You're just a commoner. You understand nothing!" Ouch, Will thought. "What if I want to marry Landon and go against the South? What the fuck do I owe to Ulysses?"

"You would kill Junia?" Will asked. He remembered the small blonde princess, always surrounded by books. The Northern guards secretly mocked her for being weak and timid, but Will had always respected her modesty and cleverness, despite never speaking to her.

Audrey blinked, as if coming out of a trance.

"Junia," she whispered back. "Gods, Junia, how could I ever..."

"You don't want to marry Landon." Will was taking a wild leap, madly guessing at her character. "Not if it would ensnare you. You have done enough playing for now."

"I can't leave my people," Audrey said, shaking her head. "I have a duty..."

"Be selfish, Audrey, please, I know you secretly despise politics after all it has done to your life. This is not your war to wage. And by leaving, Landon will lose power." Gods, please tell me she is not in love with him. "Take my hand."

Audrey paused before slipping her cold hand in his. Will smiled at her as well as he could, as much for his sake as hers.

"Now go get dressed in good clothes. We're going to leave tonight," Will said.

"Tonight," Audrey echoed. She squeezed his hand. "What do you gain from this?"

"I lost everything I had. I want to do something good, for once. This sounds stupid... gods, I look pathetic. But I always fancied myself some sort of... destined saviour. Everyone does at some point, right?" Will shrugged. "I have nothing to lose, so everything is open for me to gain. I am unafraid, and I owe Lucian a debt. Maybe you are supposed to be a way of... salvation for me."

Audrey was quiet for a while, watching a crane fly throw itself against the window, scurrying up and down the glass, its little legs prodding and poking, expecting a way out without realising the glass was an invisible barrier to freedom. "Can you promise me something?"

"What?" Will was instantly wary. He knew he couldn't keep promises.

"That you won't betray me," Audrey said. "I don't want to kill you."

Will immediately nodded. That was a promise he could keep. He could never promise to keep her alive or to find her a better life, but he could promise to stay by her.

"I promise," he replied to the princess.

Light sparked in her dead blue eyes before she looked in her wardrobe, pulling out a green cloak and clothes practical for riding. She hesitated outside the door to a conjoining room in her chambers.

"Did he send you here to trick me?" Audrey asked.

Will didn't even need to ask to know who she was referring to.

"No," Will replied. "I hate his guts. You don't?"

Audrey smiled ruefully. "Oh, you would never understand what I feel for him."

She disappeared to get dressed, leaving Will standing alone in her vast room. His eyes moved around, trying to make some sense of the princess just by her choice of interior, but it was very vague. Heavy curtains open to expose a big windowsill, walls made of smooth stone, a fur rug... it showed little about her.

Will's thoughts were interrupted as Audrey emerged, the cloak wrapped around her tightly and her hair tied in its usual braid. She pulled on some dark leather boots and a necklace before looking over at him.

"Do you need anything?" Audrey asked doubtfully. "I might be able to find it for you."

Will shook his head. "I am fine. Come on, we can't wait any longer."

She turned to the fox sitting in the shadows of her room, watching her with amber eyes. Will suddenly felt guilty as she walked forward and picked the animal up, scratching it behind its ears. The fox mewled, burying its nose into her hair.

"I'm sorry," Audrey said. "But I have to go."

The fox jumped down and curled up on the bed as if it understood. Audrey sighed before taking a pair of leather gloves and pulling them onto her hands. He wanted to ask about the fox but knew that they had to leave soon. There was no time for questions.

"Is this door guarded?" he asked.

Audrey nodded. "We won't be able to get out through the tower."

"Here." Will threw her the end of the rope. "Tie it around you and start climbing down. I've got the end, and this side of the tower is thankfully facing away from the battlements."

Audrey nodded. "Will?"

"Yes?"

"You're an idiot." Audrey smiled, tying the rope tightly around her waist.

Will grinned in return.

"You're welcome, my lady," Will replied with a mocking bow, getting a grip on the other end of the rope and tying it to a hook on the wall made for candles. He grabbed the end as well and watched as Audrey disappeared over the other side. He instantly felt the strain on the rope and began to slowly unravel it, a bit at a time. He waited until the strain completely stopped and peered over to see a shadow that had to be Audrey at the bottom. She untied the rope and he hauled it back up before doing the same as Audrey had but without someone at the top, using the darkness as a cover. He reached the bottom and cut the rope. There was no way for him to get it down since the top was still tied to the hook, so he left it hanging. He looked around for Audrey in the dark and soon found her in front of him.

"Why have we not been noticed yet?" Audrey asked, looking bewildered.

"Because there are so conveniently festivities going on," Will said with a teasing smile. "And the guards are more worried about checking the other side of the castle. Plus, it's dark if you haven't noticed."

Audrey blinked. "That's... good timing."

Will shrugged before freezing as he heard something. Footsteps. He turned to find that Audrey had already rushed to hide behind a bush. He quickly followed and ducked just as a group of three guards walked straight past them.

"Swear I saw somethin' there," one of them muttered as they reached the bottom of the tower, all stopping abruptly.

"Then you shoulda fired an arrow then, ya dunderhead!" the other snapped.

"And if it was one of them squirrels?" the first one shot back. "Waste of an arrow."

"Shut up." The third voice was cold marble and held more authority. The guard wore a different uniform to them with polished silver that gleamed in even the darkness. "You imbeciles really need to have your eyes cut out, since you obviously don't use them."

The speaker looked over at the other two, his facial expression unreadable in the dark.

"Huh?" the first one asked.

"Yes, sir?" the second asked, a lot smarter. There was a tremor of fear in his voice as he addressed the third.

"Because you bastards haven't even noticed the rope hanging right in front of your eyes!" the third guard snarled, grabbing the first and throwing him to the ground.

There was a snap as his skull was cracked open and the guard went limp. The second guard froze.

"Inform the king of this at once while I check the room. And call Jax," the third one spat, walking up to the second until their faces were only centimetres apart. "Or I am sending you to the torture rack and will personally rip you apart."

"Yes, boss!" the second squeaked before running away, almost tripping as he ran.

The third guard assessed the surrounding area, his face barely visible in the dark, before deciding that there was nothing and running towards the tower entrance.

"Come on Audrey!" Will said quickly, then turned to find that she had frozen. He began to shake her. "We need to go!"

She was staring at the limp body of the dead man.

"No. Go away," she said hoarsely. "Tyrek... he tried before. It will not work, so please go. I can deal with Landon. I can't have you end up like..." She gestured at the body of the guard. "The guard that ran to the tower. That's Jasper. He is a psychopath. If he is on the search for—"

"I don't care who Tyrek is. Audrey, get up," Will said as the sounds of a horn blared from the tower, up in her rooms. Jasper or Chege had found her missing. "Oh no. Audrey, we need to go! Do you want me to die?"

That snapped her to attention. She stood and grabbed his hand. "We need to hide here, in the castle."

"Are you stupid?" Will asked. "We need to run out. Now, while it is dark."

Audrey paused before nodding. "Fine. I have an idea."

She began to run, and Will followed her. He noticed the shadow of a guard and ran faster, letting her pull him inside a tower and shutting the door just as the sounds of footsteps could be heard running past.

"This tower leads to the battlements," Audrey said. "We can climb down and run."

"But the castle is on a cliff. That's why Kael had to use trickery to get up." Will frowned. "What, you want to go cliff diving?"

"Trust me," she replied before drawing up her hood and running up the steps. Will ran after her and watched as she walked through an archway onto the battlements, swiping the dagger from his side as she did so.

"What are you doing?" Will hissed under his breath, then ducked behind the archway as four guards turned to face her.

"It's the princess!" one said.

"C'mon, sweetheart," one grinned. "Let's get you back to your fiancée, huh?"

"Too bad she's already taken," another mused. "Landon would have my head if I tried anything."

Will nocked an arrow and aimed at a guard.

Is she giving herself in? Will thought with shock. No. She can't be betraying me. Not her.

Will's finger remained around the arrow, but he did not let it go.

"Stop playing around," one snorted, nudging the guard that had just spoken before turning to Audrey. "You're coming with us, princess. Landon'll be happy we found ya."

Audrey didn't move, and he lunged for her.

She launched herself at his back in a single movement, driving Will's dagger into his back quickly. The other guards watched her in shock before realising what had happened. One unsheathed his sword.

So that was what she was planning, Will thought.

"Now you're asking for it, sweetheart," he sneered.

Will turned his bow and let go of the arrow, hitting the guard in the neck. The guard stiffened and began to cough blood, his eyes widening in terror as he clawed at his throat.

Audrey had already attacked another, and Will reloaded to shoot again, hitting the guard in the back. The last guard looked for who had shot the arrow, and Audrey took that moment to go in for the kill. A simple thrust was all it took to end him, and Will ran out to check if she was okay. Audrey helped herself to a bow and quiver from a guard and offered him the bloody dagger once she had slung the bow and quiver around her back. Her face was blank, desensitised to death.

"Woah, you're a bad bitch," Will joked, trying to make light of the fact that they had just killed four people.

Audrey smiled weakly in response before stepping onto a crenel and jumping over the wall. Will immediately ran over to the side to find that she was climbing down, her fingers gripping small gaps in the mortar. She jumped to the floor after a few stones to land in a cart of straw, in a crouched position like a cat. She gestured for him to follow.

"There! I can see someone!" someone yelled, and Will panicked. He climbed over and got a grip on a stone at the top. The sun was rising, and he could distinguish the shapes of things around him. That was when he saw Landon for the first time, walking toward the battlements flanked by four guards. Will froze upon seeing him: a tanned, sharp-featured boy with black hair and hazel eyes boiling with hatred as he spotted Will. He had never seen such hate before as they met eyes, and Will felt a shiver run down his spine.

A fox was at his feet and King Landon muttered something to it. The fox rushed at Will.

Will quickly threw himself over as a knife whizzed past where he had been standing. He climbed down, his legs blindly kicking around for a foothold on the wall.

"Jump!" Audrey's voice said from below her.

Will let go and fell, landing ungracefully in the patch of straw and manure. His feet stung, but he stood, anyway. Audrey gestured for him to follow her and he did so, going with her as she ran down the sloped path leading down the cliff, the downward slope powering them onward, but not fast enough to put distance between their pursuers. She paused, holding out a hand to make him stop too, and looked down to judge the distance to the ground.

He looked down and felt sick when he saw the drop to a large water source beneath them. It wasn't that far, but they didn't have enough time to run down the rest of the way.

"You want us to commit suicide?" Will managed to say, trying to contain the fear in his voice and failing.

It is either this or being torn apart by a fox, he reminded himself.

"My brother and I did this a few times before," Audrey said defensively. "It's the quickest way down."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Jump," Audrey replied.

Will shook his head. "No, no, no. We can't. The impact will kill us. I'm afraid of heights--"

Audrey turned as the sound of footsteps could be heard thundering behind them. And a fox, coming at them faster than any human.

Landon stood back, his lips twisting into an amused smile. He slowly walked forward, his eyes on them like a victorious hunter cornering its prey.

"Trust me, it's not that high! Keep your body streamline, point your toes, and don't fall on your stomach or head!" Audrey said quickly, facing Landon with an unreadable expression.

Before she pushed him.

Will yelled as he felt his legs flailing around. The ground raced up to meet him from where it surrounded a large area of water and he felt sick at the sight.

This is it. Audrey has killed me. I'm going to die from impact, Will thought, shutting his eyes and stretching out his body into a straight shape. The quicker it was, the better. He let his mind wander, leaving him. Death was oddly peaceful, Will decided as he fell, the wind whistling in his ears.

Then there was a splash, and his body screamed with pain.

Will felt himself sinking and did nothing about it, letting his limbs loosen and relax in the icy water as it bit at him, sinking its cold teeth. The cold gnawed at him as he slowly fell deeper into its depths.

He was at peace.

Water rushed into his body, crawling in through his ears, eyes, mouth...

He began to thrash, but the water was consuming him, the cold numbing him to the bone.

I don't know how to swim.

Arms wrapped around his waist, kicking upwards. From somewhere within him, he found strength and helped her, moving his own legs to help.

They broke to the surface, and he gasped. Audrey practically dragged him out and then curled up into a ball and went still. Will sat next to her in silence, their shivering bodies pressed against each other. The weather was cold, but it was starting to warm up as the sun rose. Audrey still shook uncontrollably from under her cloak as Will patiently sat by her side, his teeth chattering. At least the water had washed the straw and manure away from his clothes.

"I can make it from here," Audrey said, picking a spot to stare at and not moving her gaze from there.

"No, you can't," Will said, taking her hand to find it shaking. "We are going through with this."

"I am." Audrey stood, wringing out the water from her cloak and hair. "But you aren't."

Will stood as well. "Audrey—"

"Go back home, Will. I am fine," Audrey said, turning away. "I said thank you."

"I don't have a home. You know that. I ran away from my last home and moved to your father's. But now your father is dead and so is my family. I want this, and if I die, then it's my fault and you shouldn't blame yourself." Will found himself reminded of Luella, how she convinced him to escape with her rather than alone. And Luella had died because he hadn't been unable to protect her.

"Listen." Audrey wheeled around. "It's not that I don't trust you. But I have seen death too many times. I don't want anything to happen to you because it would break me inside, and I'm already falling apart as it is. Don't you see?"

Will paused before grabbing her wrist. "I won't die. Don't leave me, please."

Audrey's pale face met his. "I can't do anything for you. I will end up killing you."

"I don't care. I will come with you wherever you go, whether you want me to or not," Will replied.

There was a lengthy period of silence when they both eyed each other, a silent conversation happening between them. He was surprised but comforted when her hand reached for his fingers, intertwining them so that they were holding hands. He looked down at their joint hands, feeling the scars on her calloused skin.

Then Audrey began to cry.

Tears streamed down her face and Will caught her as her knees gave in, stopping her from hitting the ground. He brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear and embraced her, feeling her lean her head against his shoulder after a moment. Time seemed to freeze as they stood, her arms around his waist and his around her neck. Her breath was cool against his skin and he gently rubbed her back. He didn't know how long they stayed there before he pulled away, feeling cold without her warmth.

"Come on Audrey," he said after some time. "We need to go before Landon catches up. If we are going to walk..."

"But we're not going to," Audrey said, her face hardening as she brushed the tears from her face and stood. Will saw the change in her and smiled to himself slightly as he saw the old Audrey that he had met in the archery range come back. Some fire had come back into her eyes, lighting her up.

"We're not?" Will asked.

"No." Audrey smiled faintly. "I know how to get us out of here."

Woohoo Audrey managed to actually escape this time

Although for how long is a completely different question ;)

Jkjk,, no spoilers

My search history is now full of things such as can you jump off a cliff into water and survive

Love you all,
Shelly M x