《I'm Sorry Princess, But The World Has Already Been Dominated》 Prologue - A die is cast The scent of Oera forest was ever stronger with the night dew, the full moon in clear view of the sky. It was dead silent, apart from the rustling of the wind on the trees. A dozen soldiers of various sizes and shapes, gaits, colours, tails and ears, were all ready for ambush outside the cave entrance. Swords and pikes drawn, bows nocked, and explosive crystals primed, all ready to wreck carnage on whoever would dare to venture out. Even demons had nerves, it seemed. Some of the less disciplined felt their hands shake, a cold sweat drip down their back, their hairs stand on edge, or even had their tails stick upright like a pole. Click Clack Something, or someone was coming from within the cave. The leader of the mismatched band of soldiers, a brute of a blue lizard man, 8 feet tall in slightly shinier half plate, held his left hand up, open. Or as open as a clawed hand can get. He stood at the front of the pack, attempting to lead by example, not daring to let his pounding pulse betray the mountain of fear he felt. Click Clack The soldiers clutched onto their weapons even harder, their hands audibly squeezing on the hilts or bows. They knew what they were going up against. Click Clack Bravely dying in the line of duty was their purpose, even if that sacrifice was merely to buy seconds for reinforcements to arrive. Not that half of them were even prepared to make such a sacrifice. Click Clack A horned figure emerged from the entrance, her purple skin and feather dress fully illuminated in the torchlight of the soldiers. Slim, yet exuding an arrogant level of confidence with her posture, one hand casually on her hip as a dozen weapons were aimed at them. The rookie soldiers exchanged utterly confused glances. ¡°You can put your weapons down, he¡¯s dead.¡± said the imp blas¨¦ fashion. Some of them did, but the more experienced remembered their due diligence and discipline, keeping their weapons primed at the imp. ¡°Who are you?¡± shouted the lizard captain, his glaive still squarely aimed at the imp¡¯s chest. She sighed, and began to reach into her dress. ¡°Keep your hands where I can see them!¡± he hissed with with his fork tongue extended, inching his glaive closer. ¡°I¡¯m reaching for my royal seal, you idiot.¡± said the imp pointedly. The lizard continued to hiss angrily, slitting his eyes even further. ¡°Take it out slowly.¡± he said. ¡°And keep your other hand where I can see it.¡± He made a jerking motion with his glaive, as if to say, go ahead.¡°If it¡¯s a crystal, or you start casting a spell, you¡¯ll be dead before you even know it.¡± The imp let out a half hearted chuckle at the threat, a sly smile on her face. ¡°Half of you are from the reserves.¡± she said, her amusement oozing into each of her words. ¡°Remind me, which moron of a commander sent you out here?¡± ¡°Hold your tongue imp.¡± said the lizard, his hurt pride on display. ¡°We may be the leanest of the army, but we still-¡± ¡°Would be horribly dead. Fried to a crisp, or folded seventeen times across a demiplane.¡± From within her dress, she produced a metal sigil in a shape of a claw, encased in a hellish brimstone, and displayed it for all to see. All the soldiers had now lowered their weapons, some at least glad that they weren¡¯t about to be spatially folded into another dimension. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that there¡¯s more useful things you could be doing. Than, you know-¡± she rolled her eyes and wagged her tail. ¡°-attacking the human Sage that wiped out an entire city by themselves.¡± ¡°We had our orders, my lady.¡± said the lizard trying to maintain some semblance of dignity, glaive now at his side. ¡°We followed them.¡± ¡°Hang on, did they say the sage was dead?¡± asked one of the goblin soldiers to another, perhaps a little too loudly. ¡°Yup. Very dead. Or as humans say, as dead as a doornail.¡± replied the imp. ¡°Eh? How can a doornail die? Don¡¯t they just get bent?¡± One of the other soldiers prodded the goblin angrily in the shoulder blade, right between a very noticeable gap in their armour plates. ¡°You¡¯re talking to royalty. Manners!¡± whispered the other soldier, into his long green ear. ¡°Oh ah, sorry milady.¡± said the goblin, croaking in a sort of embarrassed manner. Nonplussed, the imp shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t mind. In fact most of us don¡¯t care about these stupid formalities. Unless you¡¯re talking to Vigilance, in which case- you should care.¡± She glowered on mentioning the name Vigilance. Their brief chat was interrupted by a distant shriek from the skies. High pitched, yet guttural. All of the soldiers, even the imp were on guard. ¡°From the north!¡± squeaked a kobold soldier, pointing a clawed hand up to the sky. Silhouetted against the moonlight and the stars were seven wyverns. Even in the distance, they could make out their armour. They were the Emperors guard. ¡°All stand to attention!¡± shouted a dignified voice from the sky, amplified by a crystal in her hand, the band around it spinning, the core glowing orange every time she spoke into it. ¡°The Emperor has arrived!¡±. With their many years of ruthless and diligent training, the wyverns landed in formation behind the soldiers, one after another, skidding in the forest dirt, then trotting to a stop in unison. The soldiers on the ground began scrambling to get into position to welcome the guard, while the imp was content to lean back upon the rock wall by the cave entrance. Each of the royal guard had their plate armour custom fitted to them, rather than being the motley of plates, mail or brigandine that the normal soldiers would have to piece meal together from their quarter master. Their weapons, staves and bows were all embedded with crystals or glowing runes, made out of brilliant metals or venerated woods. Every member of the guard carried a certain air of dignity, beyond one of typical rank and file, as they formed two lines, with the most important demon in the centre, who had been gently settling down his crimson scaled wyvern, said wyvern being at least two sizes bigger than the ones belonging to the royal guards. Every demon present gave the Emperor their respect as he marched forwards in his armour, jet black and smooth, his helmet imposing and craggy, his horns large and curled on his head, towering above all others, head held high. The lizard captain had worked up the bravery to meet the Emperor, scampering up to him, and saluting him with one hand on his chest, the other on his back. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°My Emperor, we weren¡¯t expecting your presence.¡± ¡°Who sent you here?¡± The Emperor¡¯s voice echoed across the forest, powerful and commanding. ¡°Commander Gaz¡¯hul, my lord. He believed that-¡±. Raising out a palm, the Emperor stopped the lizard man from saying anything else. ¡°You¡¯re dismissed, we can handle things here. Return to base and tell the commander that I¡¯ll need to speak to him about his tactics and strategy. There was no need to risk your men here.¡± ¡°I- I see sir.¡± Turning back to his men, the lizard captain hissed out his orders. Most of the grunts, wheezes or sighs of relief from the soldiers were muffled in the presence of the Emperor, as they began to get into marching formation, ready to head home. ¡°Guards.¡± called out the Emperor. All of royal guard immediately responded with cries ¡®Yes my lord!¡¯, weapons raised to attention as per their discipline. ¡°Secure the area, keep an eye out for any others, especially humans. Apprehend anyone you deem suspicious.¡± In unison, they answered in the affirmative and began setting up a defensive position around the cove. One of their number quickly leapt up high into the trees in a single bound, landing on a thick branch, settling themselves as it wobbled beneath their weight. There, they took out a scope, embedded runes glowing, and surveyed the dark treelines for any incoming targets. The imp was still leaning against the rock wall to the cave entrance, brushing the hem of her feather dress with her slender fingers. ¡°Hi Dad.¡± said the imp, waving half heartedly. ¡°Misery. What are you doing here?¡± asked the Emperor. ¡°Seizing the moment I guess? A bit of random guessing here and there lead me to here.¡± Misery waved her hand, index finger out, as if pointing to said guesses. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to show up in person.¡± ¡°Given who we were dealing with, this situation demanded my personal intervention.¡± ¡°Why not bring the whole family then?¡± she asked, half teasingly. ¡°Not necessary.¡± The Emperor looked down at the cave entrance, his eyes glowing blue through his helmet. ¡°Especially since the sage is dead.¡± ¡°Shame. I thought this forest could do with a new crater lake.¡± The Emperor ignored her whimsical jibe, and entered the cave, his metal boots clanking loudly against the stone floor, deep into the murky darkness. Misery followed in turn, but not before extending her palm out, coalescing the mana in the air, the energy that fuelled all things magical. In an instant there was floating glyph before her. A circle of magic runes shimmering in the air, interlinked with lines connecting them. The casting circle glowed brightly, then faded away. In it¡¯s place, there was an orb of light, no more than a couple centimetres across, hovering over her hand, illuminating the dark cave walls. ¡°Is this the entrance?¡± asked the Emperor. What was in front of him was nothing but cave rock. There was absolutely nothing notable about it, no out of place pebble, switch, or even a fake covering. ¡°There¡¯s a special sort of trick to opening it, you see-¡± Misery was interrupted out of her smug explanation by a sudden loud clang. Then the crumbling of rock, tumbling to the ground. The Emperor had elected to simply punch his way through the wall. ¡°I guess you can do that Dad. What if there was some sort of trap?¡± ¡°Would¡¯ve seen it.¡± His fist had already wedged itself into the crevice of what seemed to be a door. He ripped it off it¡¯s hinges, along with a signifiant amount of rock, almost tearing down the entire cave wall. ¡°Ever heard of a cave in Dad?¡± Misery asked, for once genuinely worried and shielding her face from the debris. ¡°Are you going to pretend either of us would have an issue with a couple falling rocks?¡± he replied, entering through the wide open doorway. ¡°Yes a minor issue, but still an issue!¡± she followed suite behind him, heels clicking on the floor. The cove itself was more of a study. Befitting of a sage really, with reams of paper spilling off the desks. Devices and tools crammed against the walls, magnifiers, crystal refineries, scribing stations and even a crystal radio. There was a section of cave cut out to make a garden, with all sorts of exotic plants growing various foods, including one that seemed to be growing cakes. He even laid down wood flooring and a carpet, with dancing magical lights hanging from the chandelier above. The strong bitter scent of earlsweed was in the air, coming from the smoking pipe that laid on a table beside the motionless sage by the fireplace, who was still in his rocking chair. ¡°He seems at peace.¡± The Emperor laid a hand on the sage, gently rocking him. ¡°The man deserved a more painful death.¡± Misery clicked her tongue several times. ¡°I thought you were above petty revenge.¡± she said in a scolding manner, or at least the mocking imitation of one. The Emperor merely let out a dissatisfied grunt in response. "This wasn''t your kill, was it Misery?" he asked. "Dad, I know you think highly of me- well at least in the ways that I don''t appreciate, but do you really think I could''ve beaten him?" "Battle is inherently unpredictable. Anyone can lose a fight." The Emperor let go of the sage, and the rocking chair began to settle. There was one other major oddity with the study- all the books were gone from the wooden shelves lining the upper part of the walls. All but for one shelf, which was still crammed with books. ¡°Hm.¡± The Emperor could sense something was slightly off, the mana in the area around the bookshelf being dimmer, the very essence of magic itself being sucked away. ¡°Y¡¯know, it¡¯s a very human thing to leave a trap like this. You make it just out of place enough, so that you can¡¯t help but investigate it.¡± said Misery, carefully inspecting the row of books. Each one was leather bound, with indecipherable markings on the spines. ¡°Why are you so certain it¡¯s a trap?¡± asked the Emperor, quickly assessing the states of the other shelves above him. ¡°The guy went ahead and burnt every other book, but stopped here. Not as if he was in a hurry, otherwise he wouldn¡¯t have sat down and let himself have a nice smoke. Before going off to beyond yonder¡± Tapping her nose, Misery smirked. ¡°It¡¯s a trap. We should leave it.¡± His blue eyes glowing, the Emperor touched the bookcase with his metal gauntlet. He could feel his mana gently being siphoned away. Blue eyes glowing through his helmet, he could see the mana flow through the ground. With his metal gauntlet, he traced the mana across the wooden floor. Misery stepped back, tapping her heels, arms crossed His gauntlet scraped loudly along the wooden floor as he continued to follow the dimming mana, up until he hit a wall. ¡°This is an artificial ley line.¡± said The Emperor, getting up from his knees. ¡°It¡¯s channelling mana to somewhere. The book case itself, or some device inside, is what¡¯s used to donate the mana.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve seen something like this before Dad?¡± asked Misery, curious. ¡°On a smaller scale.¡± he replied, stepping back and looking beyond the wall itself. ¡°This ley line stretches far beyond just this cave though.¡± ¡°How far?¡± ¡°Far.¡± he replied simply, sensing his own mana slowly fading in the distance. ¡°We¡¯ll have to follow it on foot.¡± ¡°We?¡± Misery seemed offended. ¡°I have better things to do than trudge through the woods.¡± ¡°Like actually handling your military duties?" His tone was firm, not quite angry, but disapproving. "If you¡¯d been wearing your uniform, you would¡¯ve had a better chance of avoiding a friendly fire incident.¡± ¡°You saw that?¡± said Misery, meekly. ¡°Not much can escape my eyes.¡± ¡°If you say so Dad.¡± The Emperor gave the cove one last sweep. The radio had been stripped of it¡¯s crystal, and there was no hope of getting the frequencies used on it. None of the tools were any use to him, and most of the writing on the desks happened to be fanciful poetry, than actual usable intel. ¡°Prepare to-¡± He cut himself off. Misery had already left while his back was turned. She had certainly mastered the art of casting teleport spells. Quickly at that, in both senses of the word. Walking towards the rocking chair, he gave the sage one last stare, his blue eyes bearing down upon his wizened face. The sensation would freeze the innards of anyone else, though the sage had the fortune of already being dead. Was it really bitterness welling up inside the Emperor? He¡¯d already come so far, sacrificed so many for the sake of his campaign. The seeds of petty feelings could not be permitted to exist in his hardened heart. These choice coincidences pointed to one thing. That some sort of turning point was inevitable. Whatever this sage had been powering with his mana was about to fail. Given the scale of his power and the nature of his schemes, it certainly wasn¡¯t benign. Taking out a radio crystal, he spoke his orders, the crystal glowing with every word. ¡°Royal Guard, prepare to fall in line. We have a long march ahead of us.¡± ¡°Yes my Emperor, we will wait for you outside the cave.¡± came the response from Illi, the leader of the guard. Both an excellent fighter and a commander, and someone he believed could take tips from. The shackles of leadership were one he wished he could make an excuse to loosen. If only total infighting wouldn¡¯t be the result of letting loose those chains- what would he be doing if he was free? He had no hobbies, he had no other talents, only waging war and the winding the shadows of deception. No other equals, no other friends, he was alone upon that throne, desperately sailing a ship that he had felt he no control over. Would there be a civil war? Would the humans rise up again? Buried already in schemes that threatened to spill and mix into each other, the situation demanded a flexible mind and strong spirit. No, there would be no more self doubt. He would hold himself to his promise, no matter what. Burning the body of his so called enemy with a fireball, the Emperor marched out of the study, smoke billowing out of the cave as he left, his sights set westward. Following the ley line to either his glory or doom. Chapter 1 - Huff, Puff, And It All Blew Away ¡°It won¡¯t open you know. No matter how many times you try Prim.¡± said a black cat, which was content to curl up in the corner of the foyer, watching the little princess perform the first part of her daily routine in her blue morning gown, dotted with white stars. The ritual was simple - pulling on the handle of that great oak door leading to the outside world. The one that had denied her freedom. Every time she¡¯d try to do things just a little bit different, whether it be tugging at a specific angle, with an increasing amount of force, to just pleading the door to open. That or she¡¯d get overwhelmed by frustration and start pulling on the handle with her entire bodyweight. Said incident nearly lead the princess to split her head open on the stone floor when she lost her grip, only saved by the cats timely intervention. This time though, she seemed satisfied to gently tug on the handle with her index finger, and let it go. ¡°I know. But I have to try Seth.¡± said Prim. She spun around, her crimson locks and hair twirling with her, kneeling down and gently stroking Seth¡¯s back. Her amber eyes met his eyes, which too were the same shade. Though for the life of him, Seth couldn¡¯t figure out why she was smiling. ¡°You know today¡¯s a special day.¡± ¡°Really?¡± the cats response wiped the smile off the princesses face, and she squeezed the bottom of his furry chin, haughtily puffing her cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you forgot.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t exactly been keeping count of the days.¡± said the cat, trying to free itself from her grasp using every single one of the dedicated ¡®Prim Escape Techniques¡¯ he had mastered over the years. ¡°You know I¡¯ve been keeping track of it on the wall. A mark for every single day.¡± ¡°I stopped counting after we reached a thousand.¡± ¡°Well maybe you should start counting again.¡± said Primrose. ¡°It¡¯s my birthday today, and I am going to celebrate!¡± ¡°Oh joy.¡± The cat leapt up the steps of the tower, after the princess who had an undeniable degree of bounciness to her stride. The plants in the garden had been kept as pruned and healthy as ever, the rows of plant pots all watered by pipes that were affixed above them, all originating from a cylindrical tank attached to the east wall, with a glowing blue crystal in the centre. Primrose plucked her favourite ingredients from the plants, humming a little ditty as her basket filled with raw sausages, chicken legs, eggs, stickleberries, a bag of flour, a bag of sugar, panilla pods, and jam spread. How the plants could grow the paper bags for the flour or sugar was a question both Primrose and Seth pondered, but ultimately left unanswered. Satisfied with her choices, the princess skipped out of the room, towards the kitchen which was next door. The feast was assembling itself nicely, as the pots and pans stirred and churned, bottles containing spices and salts floating around and seasoning the food as appropriate, the smell of cooked sausage wafting throughout the tower. Primrose herself was conducting her imaginary cooking staff with a small oak wand, dictating the tempo as a maestro would. As Seth watched on, curled up on a counter, even he wondered if too much isolation was bad for the soul. ¡°Haven¡¯t thought of any new escape attempts then?¡± asked Seth. ¡°Not today. Today I just plan on relaxing.¡± replied Primrose. ¡°So, same as every other day.¡± ¡°Oh come on, you know that I¡¯m always trying to learn new stuff. Or make things for when I finally escape from here.¡± The cat waved her off with his paw. ¡°Wishful thinking. Like that time you thought you could make a crystal so sharp, it¡¯d break through the outside window.¡± ¡°I thought the window was just made out of something hard! I didn¡¯t think it¡¯d be magically reinforced!¡± ¡°Nearly blew off your hand. You know I still think I can see some of the scorch marks on the window from that.¡± ¡°Oh be quiet.¡± said Primrose, returning her attention to the food. ¡°The windows are all reinforced, I¡¯ve checked every single brick in the wall and none of them are a secret button. And there¡¯s no book you pull to open a secret passage.¡± She turned back to Seth, who was still curled up on the counter. ¡°What do you think we haven¡¯t tried?¡± ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t planning any more more escape attempts?¡± ¡°Yes today. Not tomorrow.¡± ¡°Ah, well I¡¯m fine playing the long game.¡± There was another haughty ¡®hmph¡¯ from Primrose. ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of becoming a dried up prune, Seth?¡± ¡°Not really. For now I plan to take life one step at a time, and enjoy the moment.¡± With that, he decided to curl up fully, and nap. ¡°I would¡¯ve gone insane without you for these four years but- can¡¯t you give me a little more help with my escape attempts Seth?¡± The cat didn¡¯t reply, and continued to enjoy it¡¯s mid afternoon nap. Eventually, after a good hour and a half, the food was ready, presented in the small dining room on several plates and dining dishes. It was all far too much for either of them to eat. ¡°Okay, dig in!¡± And with immediate gusto, the princess began to heap food onto her plate, as she did all those years ago in the balls and parties she used to be invited to. Except this time there wasn¡¯t anyone telling her not to eat like a trotter. It wasn¡¯t as if she was gaining weight, and wasn¡¯t the whole point of a party to splurge? Seth pawed a sausage off the table, and nibbled on it, having no desire to gorge himself, or witness the princess¡¯s annual destruction of the sanctity of table manners. The princess leaned back in her chair, rubbing her stomach gingerly. She¡¯d given herself heartburn, yet again. ¡°I wonder if I¡¯ll have any room for the cake.¡± said Primrose, letting out a longing sigh while staring at the iced fondue cake placed at the centre of the dining table. It had been decorated with strawberries around the rim, and sixteen candles. ¡°You¡¯re probably going to be eating it for the whole week.¡± said Seth. ¡°Just light the candles so we can get this over with.¡± The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Always such the spoilsport, aren¡¯t you.¡± With a flick of her fingers, a small red glyph manifested in the air in front of Primrose, shimmered brightly, then vanished. All sixteen candles on the cake were then suddenly lit, with a mild hiss. She brought the cake closer, leaned in, clasped her hands and closed her eyes. ¡°Happy sixteenth Prim.¡± Taking one deep breathe, she blew out all of the candles. ¡°Not going to make a wish?¡± asked Seth. ¡°It was the same one as always.¡± ¡°Suppose it would be useless to wish for anything else.¡± For a while they both sat in silence, sombreness seeping into the air. That silence was interrupted by a rumble. The plates and cutlery began to shake, clattering against each other and the table. The chandler swung, the shadows cast upon the wall starting to flicker and dance along with it. Decorations began to fall from the walls, crashing upon the wooden flooring, a cacophony spreading throughout the tower. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± yelled Primrose, panicked. ¡°This is what we call an earthquake. It¡¯s probably nothing to worry about.¡± A bit of crumbling rock landed right beside Seth, dust catching on his fur. ¡°Nothing to worry about.¡± There was a loud cracking sound from above. ¡°Okay, this might be something to worry about.¡± The cat and princess had made it to the stairs, stumbling over their feet as the shaking intensified. ¡°Down or up?¡± asked Primrose. ¡°We go up, we¡¯ll have the roof collapse on our head. We go down we¡¯ll get stuck on the door. And also get crushed by the roof. I think we should just say our last rites.¡± The cat placed it¡¯s both it¡¯s paws together in prayer. ¡°Prim, it was nice knowing you.¡± Aghast at the cats resignation to their fate, Primrose made the decision for them. ¡°Down!¡± She flew down the stone steps, her legs carrying her as fast as she could go, all the way down to the bottom, through to the foyer. In front of her, that accursed oak door to the outside. There was no time to think, it would either open, or it wouldn¡¯t. Eyes closed, muttering a prayer to her father, she gripped the handle and pulled. It didn¡¯t move. ¡°Question.¡± The cat maintained his cool, despite the rumbling getting ever louder. ¡°Have you ever tried pushing on the door?¡± ¡°I-¡± The splintering of wood from above interrupted her. She pushed on the door with all her might, straining her delicate shoulder against the oak. It creaked. Wobbled. Then with one last push, opened wide. There wasn¡¯t anything that could be salvaged from the wreckage. Once a tower, standing tall in the forest, was now just stone rubble, broken memories and the impetus for a journey. ¡°To think, we were trapped in there for four years, because you didn¡¯t think to push on the door.¡± said the cat, casually waltzing on top of the crumbled remains of the tower. ¡°I must¡¯ve leaned on it once.¡± said Primrose. ¡°I must¡¯ve!¡± She was knelt down, on the dirt, panting, one hand to her mouth, trying to stop herself from vomiting after running so hard. ¡°Look on the bright side Prim. Your birthday wish has finally been granted.¡± Primrose suddenly perked up. ¡°You¡¯re right.¡± She gently brushed the dirt besides her, playing with a tussock of grass, the texture wonderfully different than the plants in the garden. It was the ''outside'' she had longed for all this time. Her wish had finally been granted. Pointing off into the distance, down the path winding into the forest, she yelled. ¡°Off to advent-¡± The giddy feeling in her stomach had finally caught up to Primrose, and she puked off to the side. ¡°We should probably go look for some water first.¡± said the cat, trying not to look at the steadily widening puddle of sick. Beside the riverbank, Seth watched the pot of water begin to boil over the fire campfire the princess had made. Of course, he had to go get the wood. ¡°Why go through all that effort to boil it? And pour it through that strainer?¡± he asked, as Primrose rifled through the contents of her pink, flowered handbag. ¡°Well, all river water is poop water.¡± ¡°Poop water.¡± repeated the cat. ¡°Yes. As in people dump their poop into the river.¡± ¡°Did you read this in one of your books?¡± ¡°Yes. I mean it makes sense, right? Villages on the outskirts don¡¯t have toilets or even sewage. Poo is bad for you, and dumping it into a pit means someone has to deal with it when it fills up.¡± ¡°The ever so enlightening knowledge that poo is bad for you.¡± Through the many years Primrose had been together with Seth, there were times where his snark was grating. ¡°The point is, that most villages are going to take the easy solution of dumping it in the river, no matter who might be downstream of it.¡± ¡°Makes sense, but you¡¯re still drinking poop water, no matter what you do to it.¡± ¡°Doing this at least makes it safe to drink.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± Once the pot had reached a boil, Primrose picked up a ladle that came from her bag, and began to pour water into a cup. She raised the cup to her lips and took a sip- ¡°Ow!¡±- then proceeded to blow on her tongue rapidly, scrunching her face. ¡°At least blow on it first.¡± said Seth. Rather than blow, Primrose elected to cast a spell, invoking a blue glyph. A chilly wind blew across the cup, that Seth could feel across his fur even though he was opposite the campfire from Primrose. ¡°Guess you could do that too.¡± Primrose made a pained noise in the affirmative, as she began to drink. Letting out a satisfied sigh, she leaned back on the grass. ¡°We¡¯re good on water for now. And I¡¯ve got some food stocked up.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been planning this for a long time, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Of course I have.¡± she smiled, raising her handbag. ¡°I¡¯ve been a rolling stone down a hill, and now it¡¯s time to use all that momentum.¡± ¡°To do what exactly?¡± asked Seth. ¡°I-¡± she took a moment to think. ¡°First I need to see daddy.¡± ¡°We¡¯re headed to Ingras then. It¡¯s been a long time though, do you think they¡¯ll recognise you?¡± ¡°Daddy would never forget me. He hid me away to keep me safe.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t sound so sure.¡± A flurry of questions and doubt began to bubble underneath the surface of Primrose¡¯s subconscious. She wanted to escape that prison she was stuck in. Why was she suddenly defending that choice to hide her? She had wanted to be there, by her fathers side, no matter how dire the situation was going to get. No, there was no need to doubt her father or his judgement, or to overthink things. ¡°We¡¯re going to Ingras! You can¡¯t change my mind!¡± Unfazed, Seth continued to stare at the princess, upright, vigilant, his eyes reflecting the burning campfire. ¡°Then do you know which way it is to Ingras?¡± he asked. ¡°I have a map, but we need to know where we are on it first.¡± She produced a roll of parchment, bound by some twine. ¡°How do you plan on finding out where we are then?¡± ¡°Simple, we follow the river till we find someone dumping poop in it!¡± ¡°Practical, as ever.¡± said Seth. ¡°You don¡¯t think that people might use the river to drink or wash?¡± ¡°Actually, we might find other people travelling too if we¡¯re lucky.¡± said Primrose, ignoring the question. ¡°They might have directions too, assuming they aren¡¯t also lost.¡± She yawned. ¡°For now though, I¡¯m just going to have dinner and sleep till tomorrow.¡± ¡°Sleep where though?¡± ¡°In here!¡± With some difficulty, Primrose began tugging inside her handbag. Whatever it was, it was struggling to slip past the opening of the bag. Eventually with enough persistence, she freed it. ¡°It went in a lot easier than it went out.¡± In her hands was a hoop made out of a very flexible wood, judging by the fact it had not broken in spite of it¡¯s prior abuse. Looking through the hoop, you could see a small area, with a small cotton quilt, a little stove, and some canvas on the walls. ¡°You¡¯ve really spent too long preparing for this adventure, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not as if I had anything better to do.¡± she replied, pouting again. The evening passed uneventfully, as Primrose made a rou¨¦ out of some oil and flour, to thicken a soup boiled with some reserved jerky from her food stocks and wild root foraged from the forest. With full stomachs, both the princess and cat slept inside their extra dimensional cubby hole, till the first light of the next day. ¡°My feet hurt.¡± The princesses pace had slowed down to a drag along the river bank, all prior enthusiasm having completely drained away. Her new adventuring outfit, a proper tunic, cloak, leather boots and leggings, fashion choices that had been consternated over for hours while inside the tower, gave her no extra lustre. ¡°We¡¯ve but only been walking for half an hour.¡± replied Seth, hardly any worse for wear. ¡°I know.¡± she whined. ¡°At least take the crown off your head, you¡¯re begging to be robbed by the next highwayman or bandit.¡± ¡°No. This crown is part of my identity, and I shall wear it!¡± she said, adjusting the golden crown on top of her head, which at least had the benefit of being stuck on there by magic. It was only one minute later when the inevitable occurred. With her feet pounding, her legs strained, she let herself buckle onto the river bank. ¡°With this pace, we might make it to civilisation in perhaps a year?¡± said Seth, also choosing to come to a stop by the river bank to lap up some of the cool flowing water. ¡°Poop water.¡± said Primrose, watching him drink. ¡°Oh please. Don¡¯t make this a habit every time we go to the river.¡± Just as he was about to finish drinking, his ears began to twitch. A familiar noise, too familiar. A cry of a human. No, several humans, all combined. He craned his head around, searching for the source. ¡°What¡¯s wrong Seth?¡± ¡°Trouble is on the wind, it seems.¡±