Roaan frowned. "What did you hear?"
"They know! They know that you're back," he whispered fearfully. "I heard one of them mention that the princess was seen entering Euphoria yesterday!"
"Someone blabbed," Miles concluded.
"But why? Who would want to help Cersei?"
He gritted his teeth. "Probably did it out of fear... The same thing happened in my old kingdom. A lot of my friends joined the Clan who took over since it was the only way to survive."
"I don't blame them," Roaan said, biting her lip. "I'd probably do the same if I were in their position. Fear is a powerful emotion."
"Yeah," he agreed quietly, looking down. Roaan imagined how many people he must have lost the last time someone messed with dark magic. She didn't want that to happen again. Not here, not anywhere. She rubbed his shoulder to assure him and he smiled sadly, "Yeah, it is."
"Sorry to break up your moment, but we got company," Sam said suddenly.
Peering around the hedge, Percy held up seven fingers to signify seven more guards patrolling in front of them. This was a problem because the only way to accomplish phase two and make it inside the castle was by crossing the gardens, but given the current situation, what would normally be a casual stroll was now a game of stealth. Sam glanced over the hedge and watched the guards, noting the various pathways through the greenery in disarray.
Roaan frowned, thinking about the time she and Sam walked through here, admiring the beautiful flowers glowing in the sunshine. That was the day they shared their first kiss by the fountain. It seemed so long ago... The garden had always been one of her favorite places, but seeing it now with the colors all faded and dead, it was like the magic had faded with it.
"We'll never make it with this many guards," Sam said, discouraged.
"We have weapons," Miles replied impatiently, putting a hand on his sword. "Let's just take them out."
"No!" Roaan shrieked a little too loudly. She covered her mouth and whispered, "You agreed not to hurt anyone unless we had no other choice!"
"We don't have another choice."
She pressed her lips together and thought about it, then suddenly her eyes lit up. "Wait! I know a different way inside that will keep us out of sight..." She pointed across the gardens where the ground sloped downhill, leading to the river. "There's an entrance beneath the bridge. All we have to do is sneak past these guards and climb down.
Percy blinked. "You mean the cliff?"
"More or less."
"Let's do it," Sam said confidently. Miles frowned and let go of his sword, upset that he didn't get to use it. "Lead the way, princess."
Roaan nodded and waited for Percy to give the all-clear. When he confirmed the guards were turned away, the four of them dashed to the next hedge and Roaan gestured for them to follow her through the gardens. She crouched down and crawled beside the bushes, following the paved path that led to the hillside. They cautiously turned each corner and watched to make sure the guards weren't nearby, and as the minutes passed, they were almost to the drop-off.
"Just a little farther," she whispered behind her as they reached the end of the gardens, but all of a sudden she bumped into something. She looked up and froze, realizing that the something was actually someone.
Towering over her stood Sir Damien, the rugged young man who was both the Captain of the Knighthood and the King and Queen's foreign advisor. As Roaan sat there in fear, the others looking up behind her, she thought to herself that this was one of the absolute last people she wanted to run into right now, but here they were, getting caught.
This was the end.