Cecilia pushed the curtains in the carriage window apart to see her rescuer stand to the side just before the carriage started to move. She waved gently to him, hoping that the small gesture could convey her gratitude. She had expected to march to her death today, and instead he had led her to an escape. But she was far from out of the woods. The carriage ride was far from leisurely. The sound of sixteen hooves beating on the path made her insides turn nervously. She kept her head down, but couldn’t help but peer through the curtains to watch the castle walls race by. They cleared the gate as the alarms blared through her head. They knew that she was gone. They were looking for her. Through her limited viewpoint, she saw confused commoners and peasants alike being pushed aside as soldiers and guards poured into the streets. Her breath caught in her throat and she ducked away from the window. She couldn’t risk being found. Not now. Not when she was finally outside of the castle walls after five long years trapped inside of them. The princess didn’t look out the window again until the distinct sound of hooves on cobblestone changed to hooves on dirt road. It was a deeper sound. Less echoey and hollow. They were out of the city. Stone walls and tin roofs cleared away to lush greenery and impossibly high trees. When the trees cleared, she could see rolling fields in the distance that seemed to go on forever. Compared to her tiny cell, they [i]did[/i] go on forever. Far in the distance, the mountains were visible. Cecilia had never been to the mountains. Her father had always promised that they would go there one day. With the city behind them and infinity ahead, the sound of the horses was almost soothing instead of nerve wracking. She felt her eyelids grow heavy. The princess returned the curtain to its rightful place and laid her head against the window instead. Her eyes closed and her breathing slowed until it was deep and steady. She hadn’t slept the night before... there would be plenty of time to sleep when she was dead. Well, she wouldn’t be dying today. Not anymore.