Princess Arlia felt tears falling down her cheeks. She looked over at her sister, twin sister to be exact, though the world knew nothing about her. For years, Princess Arlia and Fiona were kept from each other, all because of the breeding violation their parents had committed. Each family from her kingdom were allowed one male and one female child. The King and Queen had to set an example and uphold this law.

The twins only knew about each other because one of the kitchen maids had told them the truth on her death bed. Princess Arlia's sister had always lived and worked within the castle. They looked exactly alike, except for their hair. Princess Arlia had red hair, and Fiona had blonde hair. It had always been a fantasy of theirs to switch places, though neither had been brave enough. Now just barely seventeen, Princess Arlia found herself in trouble. She was pregnant, though through no fault of her own. She had been mistreated by a male servant. No matter the reason, they were forbidden to carry a child before they were wed.

“If we don't switch now, you'll be punished,” Fiona said, fear making her normally soft voice, loud and agitated. “This is your chance to go beyond the walls.”

“I know, but it will be just as risky for me out there as it would be in here.”

A pregnant girl, alone in the world would be picked off quickly; Arlia had sense enough to know that. The world out there scared and excited her at the same time.

“I know, but there are steps to take. Mr. Wilber can forge the exact papers you need for a wedding certificate. If asked, all you've got to do is say your husband went missing after going on a hunting trip.” Fiona 's idea would keep her from being thrown into prison for breaking the forbidden taboo, but it would not save her from people and things that prey on the helpless.

With the help of the kitchen staff, and other people who worked in the castle, Fiona and Princess Arlia traded places. It challenged both of them; they had to learn each others way of living in less than a week. Princess Arlia also had to make a big show of coloring her hair to match Fiona 's so nobody would question the pretend princess's hair color whenever Arlia left the castle.

----

Her satchel backed with important belongings, including her fake marriage licensee, Arlia hid beneath a pile of palace trash as she left the castle walls for the first time in seventeen years. She didn't even care that the cart smuggling her smelled so horrible. It felt like a bittersweet escape.

For a while, she just wandered around the village, getting familiar with the various shops. She smiled when she found an inn. All her strength fled her body, whether from the thing inside her or from the excitement of the day, she did not know. Before going to the inn, Princess Arlia walked into the cover of woods. Magnificent trees surrounded the whole village. Trees so tall, it hurt her neck to look up at them.

She found the stream of water she had been looking for. It amazed her how the vary same stream had hidden with her behind the castle walls and now here it was, as free as she found herself. She set down next to the water. She had a lot of time to sit and think. Her name had to go. Fiona called her Lia, her shortened name, so from now on that would be who she was. Her fake marriage license even said so. "Lia Windthorn married to Nathaniel Finnegan." The dates and everything else were smudged. The fake license looked as if it had become wet quite a few times, though it had the seal that proved it was real, even if the seal itself was fake. 

"I'm now Lia Windthorn Finnegan." Lia lay on her stomach and ducked her head in the water, washing out the dye she had used to fool her parents into thinking she and Fiona were the same person. Now Fiona with her natural blonde hair ruled as the princess and Lia with her natural red hair was just another homeless wanderer. At least with the trade there would not be a big commotion about there being a missing princess and who would really care about a missing kitchen maid? Lia stood and shook her hair until it stopped dripping. To anyone looking, she probably looked crazy. She did not care. Walking over to a tree, she leaned against it and breathed deeply.

The tree let out a grumbled yell that sounded like "Getoruffme," making Lia jump away. Her heart pounding, and cheeks flushed, she looked up at what now looked nothing like a real tree. Blossom petals burst into the air all around Lia and the tree and before she knew it the shape of a young, very beautiful girl was standing before her.

"I beg your pardon," Lia said, not knowing how else to handle this.

"I am a tree spirit. I live in the trees, young lady." The tree spirit glided around Lia, looking her up and down as if calculating if she was worthy to talk to. "Your people know me as Dryad."

Lia turned pale. She had heard stories about Dryads. Some were not so good. They were very protective of their forest and could be ruthless if needed. This one looked like a normal human being, except she was far too flawless.

"Why have you shown yourself to me?" Lia asked hesitantly. 

"I sense life within you. I have to stay linked to life or my existence will be forfeit. I want to leave, explore the world. You will allow me to come with you. If you agree, I will protect you and the life inside you."

"I thought your kind had to stay connected to a tree, the forest in general?"

"That may be true, but I am not pure blooded." She grimaced. "Though I'm loathe to admit."

'Do I have a choice? She does not seem like she'll give me a choice and it would be nice to have a protector. I know nothing about the real world...' Lia bit down on her lower lip. "What can I call you?"

"Willow is the name humans may call me. I was born near a willow tree many, many years ago."

“I am A... Lia Finnegan.”

She nodded. “Then we are in agreement. You will let me go wherever you go?”

"Will I ever be allowed my pricacy and for how long will you want to "travel" with me?"

"I will give you your privacy as I understand the need, and I will travel with you bore me."

From that day on, the Dryad kept her word. She went with Lia, protecting her from bandits, keeping her out of harms way and just helping her survive. The human part of Willow was opening more and more as the days went on. They were getting tired of walking and just wanted a place where they could be welcome, where nobody felt any ill will toward Dryads, because it was very true that a lot of travelers had bad experiences with them in the past. Most of the time this had to do with when someone tried to harm their forest. It was only natural that the Dryads would react.

It was a month after she first met Willow that Lia stumbled upon such a place, or so she hoped. It looked like a little inn in the clearing of the forest they had been traveling in.

"I do not smell any danger in the air. We shall stop here, Princess."

"Don't call me that," Lia said, eying the clearing a little nervously. It was now or never. She looked over at Willow, who had tried to take on a more natural human shape, meaning she had made her flawless looks look a little less flawless.