Hello.

By the time Griselle came to, she was in a dark alley. She knew it was dark since she could only barely make out the position of the sun from behind a back wall of a brick house. It was covered and there was to be no light. 

Griselle winced as pain stabbed into her consciousness like a hot needle. She mildly felt it coming from a spot on her back that burned so bad she thought she would black out again. She felt her feet moving, yet her body felt unimaginably heavy. Two figures supported her on either side, holding her up by her shoulders as she slumped on theirs. The instant Griselle started moving again, they stopped for a while but continued moving soon after. Griselle could see their mouths moving, but their words sounded like a toneless buzz as they were drowned out by the ringing in her ears.

" W-Where?…..I?" Griselle croaked, her voice failing her.

The two figures on her left and right stopped again and looked at her. She couldn't see their faces very clearly as of now but since she had come to, her eyes were beginning to work a little better.

" W-Where?" She repeated, but her throat burned so hard it made it hard for her to say anymore. 

 The figure on her left, a man with bear-like ears moved from under her arm to her front. He held up three fingers which Griselle counted off. The man breathed a sign of relief.

The figure on her left slowly set her down on a series of steps as the other figure pulled out a water skin and set the opening to her mouth. Warm liquid trickled down her throat, wetting the parched surface and bringing relief. She received the skin from her disciple's hand and guzzled the water greedily. The water made her feel more awake, although that also meant that she felt the pain more clearly. 

" Report." She winced at the touch of Kaelen's rough care. 

Ragnar looked over her shoulder at their werewolf companion, his face contorting with anger for an instant.

" Master, we.." he started.

" There's nothing to report." Came Kaelen's voice. " Other than the fact that you've disgraced yourself and trampled the dignity of all us beastman in front of a hoard of monkeys." He spat.

" You..!" Ragnar's face had turned a deep shape of purple under his brown fur.

" You're no better!" Kaelen roared back.

" You think you're so loyal, but all that's just embellishment for your disgusting incompetence!" 

" What are you even doing here? To slow us down? If it weren't for how slow you were I would already have made it and the princess would already be-"

Ragnar's fist flew and landed squarely on Kaelen's snouted face in a vicious uppercut. The werewolf staggered but shot back with a roar. Ragnar ducked and the two jumped at each other's throats.

" ENOUGH!" 

Griselle had stood to her full height, her voice booming. Kaelen's eyes narrowed, questioning. Daring. Griselle met his gaze directly with hers, daring him back to threaten her authority.

Slowly, Kaelen moved away from Ragnar. His clawed feet landing softly on the stone pavement as he glided smoothly without a sound to stand before her and he looked into her eyes. Despite the fact that he was a whole head shorter than her and of slimmer work, his eyes showed only defiance. Resistance, and not a trace of fear. And Griselle knew she must not allow him to see any in hers as well.

Griselle glared back, shifting her weight so she could use her height to tower above the smaller beastman. A sign of weakness and Griselle knew she would soon find herself on the floor with a knife pressed to her throat and her authority stripped from her. In her current state, fighting simply wasn't an option. 

Two pairs of eyes searched each other for a long time. Stormy grey irises against desert yellow, black pupils for both, one the narrowest of silts, the other rounded like a full moon. When Kaelen eventually huffed and turned away, Griselle knew that she had succeeded in denying him what he had wanted to see.

She held back a sign of relief and forced herself to continue standing tall, despite the terrible pain from the charred crater on her back. Then she realised.

" Where is Princess Diana?" She demanded.

______________

Diana was spoilt for choice. She didn't know which sounds she should listen to. Or perhaps which sounds she should run away from would be more apt. Diana tugged the cloak she had stolen from a drying line more tightly over her shoulders and pulled the hood a little further over her head. The cloak was damp and it carried with it a faint scent of sweat from its previous owner. Clearly nothing other than water was used in washing it. 

Diana started to run again, keeping her footfall quiet as to hear approaching danger. The image of the giant beast woman who had fought for her, and who had…..died for her was burned deeply into Diana's mind. The pungent scent of burning flesh made its mark on her nostrils. But the guilt hurt the most of all. 

Diana vaulted from roof to roof, clambering up balconies and climbing up walls. Around her the city flew by, chimneys, streets, people and the cloudy sky.

Running wasn't too much trouble for her, she had plenty experience in that when trying to run from her mother and her army of handmaids in the past. They were nasty women, all of them. Everyone of them as painful to deal with as her mother herself, nagging her to pull her corset tighter, to brush her tail out more neatly, to walk more gently. 

But what would she give now to have any one of them here with her. 

Diana rounded the bend and stopped, facing a deserted stone street. Before her, a massive cathedral stood, its white walls bathing in the meagre light of the sun. The cathedral was the area of five of the large red houses that she'd seen combined, its design was an art piece unlike anything she'd ever seen. A massive red gate stood at its entrance, flanked by the marble statues of maidens carrying baskets of fruits and up it rose, with the cathedral's very top adorned with a great white bell tower rising from the back of a dome of glass.

It was already afternoon by now and the sun was soon reaching its zenith although it wasn't very bright since it was winter, but it meant to Diana that her time was running out. Diana scanned the area, not seeing anyone in the vicinity, she risked the moment to bolt into the open to the cathedral. She flew over the grass and dug her claws into the marble, scrabbling slightly for purchase as the marble turned out stronger than she had expected before finally vaulting up, panting and pressing her body against the inner face of one of the cathedral's pillars.

Diana took a deep breath and exhaled deeply, peaking out to look upwards and squinting as the sun met her eyes. She needed to be up there. In that bell tower where she could see the whole town. And the whole town could see her. 

She was sure that she was being pursued. But she didn't know who by. Unironically however, that made it even worse. 

Diana ducked back into shadow as the shape of a man emerged from the corner of her eye. Her heart accelerated wildly as she peaked from the corner to see a door open and permit him entrance. The doors closed again with a thud and Diana breathed a sign of relief. 

It was a gamble. But she trusted that her rescuers could reach her before her pursuers did. If that beastman woman was here for her then maybe there were others. Maybe uncle Kaelen would be here. Maybe her father...

Diana didn't dare hope but she gulped and squinted again as she looked up the sheer walls of the white building. She could see the way up already. From the handholds to feet placement to the spirals where she would be able to use her tail to grab on for better grip. She gulped again and ducked back inside, resting her back against the wall.

She would climb up the side of this cathedral to reach the bell tower. Then, she would howl. Yes, she would howl, and she would be able to get the attention of rescuers. And they would come. Yes, and then she would be safe. 

' Yes….then I'll be safe.' She breathed.

Diana looked across herself and suddenly, she caught the faint glimpse of disheveled, long white haired boy staring back at her from the polished marble floor.

His features were stained with grime and dirt, his white hair almost grey and the torn rags he wore included only a singlet and torn pants that showed the small cuts on his skin. The faint outline of a woman's breast peaked out from his left left side where the singlet's arm strap had torn and fabric was left hanging loose.

If someone looked at her right now, no one would think Princess. No one would think a god blessed girl of the white lord.

They would only see a frightened boy want-to-be who was far from home.

" Mother was right.."

Diana could feel the tears welling up. She quickly rubbed them away but they came back again. The emotions she had bottled up with fear were finally overwhelming her. 

" I shouldn't be here..." 

" I shouldn't have run away…"

" I shouldn't be here.." 

She didn't know when but eventually she was breaking down, crouched on the marble floor and trying her best to stop the tears that were falling like rain.

She knew she shouldn't be crying. She had cried enough already. In all those cellars, through all those beatings and lashings and whippings. She shouldn't be crying anymore. 

But then, why did she feel so bad? Why wouldn't the tears stop? 

" Mom…Dad…" she cried. 

" I'm.sniff....sorry…" 

" Please come get me.." 

" Please..help me…" 

 " ......"

" Uhmm, are you okay?" 

Diana jolted to her feet so hard, her head hit the marble pillar she had been resting against. Pain exploded in her head as her hands flew up to her head and face to wipe the tears that clouded her vision simultaneously.

She scrambled away haphazardly as she tried to make sense of who had spoken. 

A boy stood some distance away from her. A white robe of fine cotton and silk covered his small body and harmonised with the snowy bed of white hair that was growing on his head. His eyes were wide with…worry?

He was much younger than her. Diana knew instinctively that he had seen many less summers than her and surely only less than five had passed for him. His skin was fair, and his eyes a deep emerald colour. 

Diana took a step back instinctively as the boy stepped forward. His hands were raised in a sign of peace that Diana told herself not to buy. But yet why? 

" Please..I mean no harm. You-You're hurt." He said, his emerald eyes inquisitively taking note of the small cuts on her body.

" Who are you? " Diana demanded. 

Why was it so easy to feel at ease when gazing into those emerald pools of his? Why were her tensed shoulders falling? Why was she relaxing her guard? Diana didn't know the answer to any of these questions.

The body looked a little surprised. He smiled and suddenly, his voice, air and atmosphere changed. He bowed and his hands came up to his chest and his voice sang a name that Diana would eventually never forget.

" My name is Rumius de Eldmich. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Milady."