Descent

Art of Escape

Axl 
That night, after a dinner I didn't attend, I grab my cloak, and sneak to the Princess' room. She annoys the hell outta me, as cute as she is. I don't want her to come along, but she paid me a good sum, and I can't exactly take the money and go. So I head to her room, and knock on her door.
"Yes?" Comes her voice from behind the mahogany wood.
"It's me," I sigh.
"Oh! Come in!" She says in a hushed voice.
I do just that.
"You don't have to whisper. I highly doubt that would conceal anything, at least not in the way you're doing it."
She purses her lips and frowns.
"Haven't you ever heard of being polite?" She asks me in an accusatory tone. 
I sit down on her chair, and put my feet up on her table. I take an apple out of a fruit bowl sitting on the side table, and bite into it.
"I tried being polite once. Hated it. I'll stay the way I am." 
She glares.
"You have a plan?" She inquires. 
"Yeah," I say, and toss her the cloak, and a wig. She stares.
"You're gonna pretend to be me," I grin.

Piama 
I look ridiculous. I mean, I look good, but ridiculous. The way that Axl has done my makeup and put on the wig so well that I look exactly like her, save for her tattoos. She covered my arms with a long sleeved blouse, and now... I look exactly like her. Axl assures me she can get away from the palace easily. 
I go to the front gates of the palace, where Kalina and Elian are gathered, along with my father. 
"Ah, Axl! You're here! Good, you can get going!"  My father says lightly. "The Sky Witch stands no chance!"
I deepen my voice, and say - 
"Yay! We're gonna save everyone!" 
Kalina and Elian look at me like I've sprouted three other arms, and my father's smile disappears.
Oops.
"Or we're gonna die trying," I add, and I see Kalina roll her eyes and Elian look away.
My father leaves us, and we leave the gates, and start our trek into the woods. At night. As we walk farther into the woods, Elian poses a very good question.
"Where do we start?" 
Kalina turns and looks at him, and though her body is stiff as usual, her eyes are soft.
"The Sky Witch was last seen in the town of Lysin, where her mages sacked and looted the whole town. We can start by travelling there, and then see what to do afterwards." 
We continue walking for about an hour, until we stop at a small clearing, and I find a bush with colourful berries, and I begin to pick some.
Kalina sees me, and slaps the berries out of my hand.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" she screams.
"DO YOU WANT TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?"
"W-what?" I say. 
"They're poisonous," I turn around to see Elian looking straight at me. "Someone such as yourself should know."
"Luckily, she's not me," Axl emerges from the bush. "Also, please never do espionage, because you'd be shit at it."
Kalina growls, and Elian sighs. Then Kalina's face changes.
"If that's you, then who is that?" She points to me.
"Oh, that's the crown Princess," she says, and removes my wig and starts to take off my makeup with a piece of soft cloth.
"We're in deep shit," says Kalina. "Deep, deep shit."

Kalina 
"The King is gonna have our heads!" 
Axl snickers.
I spin on her. "You think this is funny, don't you?"
"Yeah, just a little bit." She says, still snickering.
"Why? Why would you bring her along?" 
"She paid me." 
"That's your reason. She paid you?"
"Who am I to turn down money?"
"You'll do anything for money, won't you?"
"Yeah." 
"You disgust me."  
Axl shrugs. "You're not the first to say that, and probably won't be the last. But the thing is, she's here." Axl points at Piama. "We can't bring her back, not now, so we best take her with us and try not to get her killed."
I sigh, knowing that she's right.
"Fine. But she bunks with you." I say to Axl, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see Piama blush.
"That's really not necessary," she stammers.
"It is. We only have three tents." 
"Oh... ok.." Piama says quietly.
Axl bumps her arm.
"Looks like it's just you and me, Princess."
I slap her hand. 
"She's still the crown Princess, not your drinking buddy." 
I hear Elian clear his throat. 
"We should all rest... I think it would do us some good." 
He's right, and soon enough, we've set up the tents. I fall asleep nearly right away.