Out of Bounds (Book II)

I - Sunrise

I - SUNRISE

White moonlight illuminated the cobble stoned courtyard below the window. The girl remained hidden within the darkness of the room as she peered through the glass to see if anyone was about. She smiled to herself when she found the coast was clear. Turning away from the window she looked at her friend and nodded.

"Ready?" She asked.

Her friend looked up; the light from the window cut across her face in a jagged line, highlighting her sharp cheek bones and pink lips. Her lips pulled back as she grinned. Pulling on a pair of riding boots she rose from her chair. 

"Ready." The Princess confirmed.

The two friends had been planning this for weeks. Secret late night meetings, whispered discussions and extra precautions not to get caught had all led to this moment.

The Princess swung the strap of her bag over her head and clutched the satchel to her side. Inside the bag were the contents that would lead to her freedom. The two of them quietly made their way over to the other side of the Princess' chambers where her bookcases were located.

"Which one is it again?" Abigail asked.

Georgiana rolled her eyes at her friend's foolishness and jabbed a finger at the third bookcase. They took a step forwards and grabbed a side of the wooden case each.

"Three, two, one," Georgiana counted before they both dug their boots into the floor and pulled the bookcase away from the wall. They smiled at each other when the small gap between the bookcase and the wall came into view.

"That's enough." Georgiana said.

What the bookcase revealed was a thin slot in the castle's stone wall, just big enough for a person to slip through. Georgiana had come across the secret passage as a child.

"Ladies first." Georgiana grinned at the grimace she was receiving from her friend.

"How kind of you, Your Highness." Abigail bowed and lifted her hat.

"Keep the hat on," Georgiana hissed, pushing the hat back down on her friend's head, "Our disguises are what are going to get us out of here."

Abigail huffed and started to push her long hair back under the hat.

"You can do that on the way. Hurry up." Georgiana said, giving her a small push towards the entrance of the tunnel.

Georgiana followed through the small gap behind her friend. When they were both in the tunnel, they grabbed onto the small rings of rope situated on the back of the bookcase and pulled it back into place against the wall. No one would be any the wiser.

"I know you said we weren't going to light a torch but its pitch black in here." Abigail whined.

"A torch would be too much of a risk and I'm not taking any more risks than are necessary." Georgiana said keeping her composure, "Besides, I know these tunnels like the back of my hand."

She led the way with a nervous Abigail following behind her.

The tunnels had been around for centuries. The walls were damp and the air was cold and stale. There was no light, no flicker of a candle or a ray of sunlight had ever reached these parts of the tunnels. They ran for miles under the castle, weaving in and out, up and down. A few wrong turns and you could become lost down there forever.

"You must have a huge amount of trust in me and my sense of direction." Georgiana whispered into the darkness.

"I think I know you well enough to know that you're not going to get us lost. Not when there's so much at stake." Abigail replied. Georgiana grinned into the darkness.