a daring escape.

He heard a whistle, recognizing it as a guard signaling, heard voices through the open window. Someone had seen someone entering the castle, the guards moved to intercept silently. Aarni knew the procedures; he’d fallen afoul of them several times sneaking out or back in. He counted a few seconds then dropped a rope out of his window, checked to make sure no one heard, kissed Erna one last time and climbed out the window.

“Go with the goddess, my beloved prince.”

“I’ll never forget you Erna, go with the goddess.”

He slid down the rope, landing silently. He knew the best path to avoid being seen, had figured it out years before, but it had never worked, he had always gotten caught. Hopefully this distraction would be the assistance he needed.

He only really had one stretch that was dangerous, passing in front of the rear entrance, the guards that didn’t go to intercept the potential invader would fall back to the gate, limiting their sight lines, but Aarni still had to make it past the entrance unseen. Fortunately, they were talking to each other, wagering on whether it was a servant or a guard trying to sneak in after missing curfew. Aarni practically just walked past, they weren’t paying attention to the entrance, as the intruder had been found.

“Unhand me, let me go!” cried a high pitched voice, “I didn’t do anything!”

“Princess Tove, does your mother know where you are?”

“I don’t have to answer to you, I’m a princess.”

Aarni smiled, Tove was a perfect distraction, half the castle would be awake before they got her back to her room if she wanted to draw attention to herself, and tonight, that appeared to be her goal.

“When my father hears that you tried to kidnap me, he’ll throw you all in the dungeon!”

Her voice was rapidly raising, drawing attention from all over, Aarni took his chance, and slipped away, running into the woods, if anyone saw him, they didn’t raise any alarms, and when he circled back in the woods, no one was following him.

Walking to the temple was not ideal, especially with the added distance using the woods required. But he made it there alone, and as far as he knew, without his brother knowing he was gone. Aarni bowed and pushed the stone, slipping into the temple.

“You took your time, I was beginning to think you wouldn’t make it.” Mother Blomte looked worried.

“I wasn’t followed, I checked.”

“We’ll see, did you get the closure you needed?”

“I think so.”

“And do you have a cover story?”

“Yes. I’m leaving on a supply caravan heading to Afjal early in the morning.”

“Good, we will get you out of the city before it leaves, and hopefully you will be far from the city before they realize. Come, you can rest until then.”

Mother Blomte led him to a room with a cot, a desk and a bookshelf. It was small, unattractive and the bed was stiff. It was nothing like his room in the castle. Aarni sighed, that life was over, he needed to get used to very different circumstances.

He laid there alone and uncomfortable for hours, unable to sleep as he thought about the state of things. At some point he fell asleep, and all too soon was awoken and taken to the back of the temple. She brought him to a wooden cart, it looked like a small house, and was marked with symbols that would make it clearly recognized as from the temple. Mother Blomte led him inside and hid him and his gear in a box. There was enough room to turn sideways, but not much more.

“How long do I have to be in here?” he asked.

“Until you are clear of the city patrols, half a day or more.” She replied, her face and tone apologetic, “There’s no other way.”

Aarni knew she was right, being from the temple gained them a lot of leeway, but the cart would still be looked into when they left the city. The presence of anyone questionable wouldn’t be ignored.

“Okay,” he sighed as she handed him a small and uncomfortable (at least by royal standards) pillow.

“Stay still, stay quiet, and live, son of Astra.” Mother Blomte said as she kissed his temples.

The lid was closed and nailed shut. Aarni felt the panic raising in him. The small gaps between the boards let in a sliver of light, and gave enough air for him to breathe, but being trapped inside what felt very much like a coffin was deeply disturbing and he was doing his best to stay calm. He turned to his side, his arm scratching on the rough wood, he did his best to relax, he thought back to his younger years, pretended he was camping in the north with his father. Fortunately, he was desperately tired and soon fell asleep.

His sleep was fitful, he was awakened by bumps on the road, and the night guard stopping the cart at each checkpoint in the city. He could tell where they were in the city by the sounds and smells, so when they reached the southern gate, he was ready for the cart to be inspected. He was surprised with how cursory the inspection was, they essentially looked in the back, made a suggestive comment about the mattress and blankets, flirted a bit with the ladies, then let them go.

Aarni could smell the fields outside the city, he knew the road they were on, could close his eyes and picture the scenery around them. It felt appropriate being trapped in the dark, leaving his life behind and all he could do is close his eyes and try to remember what the tree line looked like. He held his sword close, found some comfort in its familiarity, curled up, sunk his face into the pillow, and fell back to sleep.