Ancillary

⁰² ✦ First Step ✦

The palace was quiet, the heavy footsteps of guards echoing faintly down the vast corridors outside Princess Enica's chambers.

Though the guards were keeping their routine, Enica could sense a difference in their movements, a subtle slackening in their posture, a slight ease in their steps.

Without the King around, the pressure was off, and their vigilance softened, if only slightly.

She knew they wouldn't expect anything out of the ordinary tonight—exactly what she was counting on.

"Princess, we'll lock the door now! just knock three times to open it as usual,"
a maid called from the hallway.

Enica rose from her seat by the window, glancing briefly at the heavy lock on her door.

"I understand! Thank you,"
she called back, doing her best to keep her tone polite and composed.

She heard the solid click as the door locked from the outside, sealing her in for the night. This nightly ritual had started long ago, her father's insistence since she was young: whenever he was away, she was to be locked in her room each night for her "protection." She didn't even have the key, and though they had once told her it was because she might lose it, she suspected the real reason was that they didn't want her slipping away.

She waited, listening to the muffled sound of retreating footsteps until they faded down the corridor. Finally, she let out a quiet breath, moving silently back to her bed and sinking down on the edge.
From behind her pillows, she drew out a folded piece of parchment that had been hidden there for weeks.

She spread it carefully on the bed, her fingers tracing over the map she had studied countless times before, memorizing each line and mark.

The map was well-worn, its edges frayed from how many times she had unrolled and refolded it, her fingers gliding over every detail—the winding path from the palace, the village streets, the forests, and finally, the coastline she had dreamed of reaching.

Her finger hovered over the marked spot near the coast, the one she had chosen as her meeting point. She'd been preparing for this for months, gathering supplies and planning her route in secret. Everything was in place.

Underneath the map, she kept a small bundle she had hidden away: a cloak, sturdy walking boots, and a plain tunic that would help her blend in outside the palace walls. She couldn't risk being recognized as the princess, not if she wanted to slip away undetected.

Her heart fluttered with a mix of excitement and nerves as she went over the plan in her head.

Every detail had been calculated, every risk considered, but still, there was a uncertainty.

She glanced around her room, taking in the sight of the lavish furniture, the delicate tapestries, the bed that had been hers since childhood. She wondered, for a brief moment, what it would feel like to truly leave it all behind.

Enica took one last look at the map, memorizing her path again, and carefully tucked it back beneath her pillows.
The night was still young, and she had time.
She'd wait until the palace grew quieter, until the guards settled into the comforting lull of their night patrols.
Then, she'd make her move, ready to leave the confines of her tower room and the gilded cage of palace life behind.