Buried Truths

Chapter 2

**POV Change: Zornitsa**

Someone knocked on the carriage door and I heard the coachman's nasally voice saying,

"Princess Aolani Alana, we have arrived,"  I open the door making sure the princess's body can't be seen and hop out with a confident smirk.

"Sir, The princess says she'd like to go some'ere private," I whisper, leaning into his ear.

"Tell the boss, that'er royal highness is busy sending an urgent message to 'er aunty up in the B'ham palace, and that if 'e wanted to interrupt'er, 'e can take it up with 'er majesty the Queen herself," I smirk a little and then whisper, "I'll be driving towards the stables now, make sure no one follows us and sees 'er highness near such'a place. Understand?" The man looks around nervously then nods quickly,

"Of...of c..course sir, I'll go do that right now, if you'll excuse me," He bows slightly, tipping his hat to me and scurrying off.

"Well, that was easy," I muse quietly to myself. I climb into the driver's seat and grab the reins, now that I've gotten everything under control this can all go smoothly. 

As we near the stables I stop the horses and jump out, hastily opening the door and pulling the princess towards me, careful not to dirty her clothes. I strip off the sentry's clothes and unwrap the binding off my chest with a heavy sigh of pleasure, oh that is so much better, I snap out of my thoughts quickly and slowly take off the princess's clothes leaving her in her underclothes. 

I cry internally at the sight of the many layers and at the thought of how stuffy I'll be before I hear a branch snap from the back of the stables. 

"Jeez, take your time, it's not like I needed you or anything back there with the coachman," I huff indignantly trying and failing to put on the tight corset. 

"Well, if you hadn't failed the first plan, you wouldn't have been stuck there anyways," A deep voice chuckles, it's owner leaning on one of the stalls. 

"Plus, you can clean up well as a man anyways, it was worth it." He carries on, I give him a dirty look still fumbling with the stupid laces behind me, 

"I'm completely following you, let's jeopardise a whole mission just to see Zornitsa as a boy, and for God's sake why do they make these stupid things so hard to rutting tie," throwing my hands up in frustration I turn around and glare at Cae,

"So are you going to just stand there or are you going to put your ugly ass to use," Grinning, he strolls up to me leisurely,

"There isn't an inch of me that is ugly and you know it," He winks before taking a hold of the laces and tightening them, I suck in a breath and mentally curse the maker of these stupid corsets,

"For your information, you can blame Roxey Ann Caplin," He whispers into my ears,

"Stop. It's like you're reading my mind, and it's creepy," I mumble walking away from him and squeezing into the huge crinoline, he comes up behind me and slips on the thick petticoats over the top of my head and ties the ribbons on my back again. As I roll on my evening gloves and tie my bonnet, Cae looks at me with a glint in his eyes,

"You clean up well as a girl too- Woah," Just narrowly missing my thrown dagger, he laughs before picking it up and walks back to me, leaning towards me he breathes out,

"I thought you had better aim than that shadow," Clenching my hands I snatch my dagger and turn around just wishing someone did me the favour of clubbing him. He walks to the princess's body and raises her in his arms before winking at me and running off. I roll my eyes and take a deep breath before walking out from the stables with my skirts raised and face impassive- ever the impatient and stuck up Princess Aolani Alana.