1 Moonlight

She skipped across the moon-bleached cobblestone path; cloak swirling at her ankles, occasionally ebbing away to reveal the cotton white nightgown she wore underneath.

It was terribly inappropriate to leave the castle in such clothing and she knew if her nanny ever found out she would be thoroughly scolded.

The thought made her smile a little as she pulled her cloak back around her, keeping one hand resting on her stomach, holding the two sides together.

The other hand held something wrapped in a bread cloth tied up with a hair ribbon. She shivered in the night wind and was glad for the moons gentle glow; discrete in its illumination but still bright enough to show her the path.

She arrived at the lake without incident or interruption and took a deep breath. She undid the ribbon and held the pouch open in her palms.

Resting on them was the only thing that could possibly incarcerate her - a jewel-encrusted hilt on a curved, dull blade. It had been a gift; completely decorative in intention.

She picked up some pebbles, placing them in the cloth to add some weight before tying it back up into a small bundle. She would make sure this blade never saw the light of day again.

She watched the ripples that spread across the lake, the milky glow of the moon making the sinking of the knife appear far more beautiful than it should be.

She waited until the ripples stopped and the lake was calm once more, before pulling her cloak tightly around her once more and making her back up to the castle.

Any proof of her betrayal now lay at the bottom of the lake - and she would once again become the clueless little princess who could do no wrong.