Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months. The routine remained the same. But Armelle's bond with Christopher grew stronger and stronger.
Armelle envied Christopher's eligibility to go to school, and it was as if he could read her mind. As she was writing to Dickon one day, he dropped a pile of workbooks on her desk.
"Don't tell anyone where these came from, alright?" he told her.
Armelle's eyes widened. "You stole these?!"
"Well, they were in the classroom cabinets, which usually means they were extras-" Armelle attacked him in a big bear hug.
"Gosh, so you like it?" Christopher beamed with relief.
As the fall semester passed, Armelle not only caught up to what Christopher was learning in class, but exceeded a unit or two ahead.
One afternoon, as she was reading intently about Manned Maneuvering Units created in America, Christopher suddenly asked, "What muscle pulls down when we inhale-"
"The diaphragm," she answered, not moving her eyes away from the intriguing text.
Armelle could hear a pen scratching out something. "Thank you," Christopher muttered.
Armelle began to notice changes in her dreams. They became more realistic, to the extent where she woke up one morning on the ground next to the fireplace. Throughout the day, she wondered why everyone was so quiet around her, until Christopher saw her and started hyperventilating from laughter.
"Alright, what's going on?" Armelle demanded.
"Y, your face!" Christopher clutched his stomach.
Armelle touched her face. There was soot all over her hand. But before she could wash it off, an announcement rang throughout the hallways:
The kingdom of Valencia is searching for Princess Armelle Sauvageon. If you are or you happen to know Princess Armelle Sauvageon then please report to the throne room. Guards are searching the castle as we speak.
Christopher whipped around to Armelle. "Are you-"
"I told your father that I don't know my last name," Armelle blurted out. "And I doubt it happens to be Sauvageon," she added for good measure. "But what if they mistaken me for the princess and take me to Valencia? I don't want to leave..."
Christopher took her through the halls into one of the doors in the kitchen. This door led to a winding staircase upward. They raced up to see a tiny room. They both squeezed in and shut the door behind them.
"Gosh, it's tight in here." Christopher and Armelle were literally shoulder to shoulder. Armelle said nothing, but started wheezing uncontrollably.
"Too tight," she managed to hiss.
"Gosh, then we better get out of here-" Christopher began.
There were voices outside. Men were yelling, "We haven't checked up here yet." "But would the princess really be in there?"
"Shh, shh," Christopher patted Armelle's shoulder. "They're coming."
Suddenly the door flung open, revealing the two children sitting in fear. They looked straight into the eyes of a Valencian guard. Armelle immediately recognized him.
"What are you kids doing up here?" he asked in a husky tone.
As Armelle was formulating another lie, Christopher confessed, "We were playing hide and seek, sir."
Armelle nodded like an idiot. The guard raised an eyebrow at Armelle questioningly. But just from all the filth on her face, he was sure, "Nothing of importance up here," he yelled. "Carry on," he smiled warmly at the two of them.
The moment they heard him walk out the door into the kitchen, the two burst out of the space, gasping for air.
"Gosh" was all Christopher could say.