.

Lei tried to sneak back into the castle, but all the doors were locked. Worse, the vial was still chilling in her pocket, which would mean certain death if she was caught, and her maid uniform, which had some white in it, stood out in the darkness. 

Yep, she had messed this up majorly. 

Lei put her hand into her pocket and gripped the vial. 

The footsteps of guards echoed, a few feet away from where she was standing. Lei held her breath, throwing the vial into the bushes, and then stepped out just as the guards turned a corner and candlelight danced along her face. 

"Oh, I got lost while hanging the sheets. Could you open the doors for me?" Lei asked innocently, and the guard exchanged glances, then took out a ring of keys and wrenched open a few large oak doors. 

Lei sighed and went inside. The guards followed her to her room, respectfully said goodnight, and then turned and left down the hall, their boots echoing on the wood. Lei opened the window and jumped out, her skirt billowing out behind her as she ran down the path. Finally, she stopped at a familiar gutter and fell to the ground. Lei sat on the ground, and a tear dripped down her cheek. 

Oh, how useless she was. She couldn't do anything right. A hand silently reached out to gently wipe her tears. Alderia didnt ask what was wrong or why she was crying. She just kept wiping all of Lei's tears. 

"Everything is falling apart. Alderia, I dont know what to do." 

Lei stayed there, sobbing into the darkness, until she fell asleep.