As she walked down the castle steps Elysia silently went over the plan in her head. She would tell the guards that were currently following her down the steps, that she wanted to spend the evening in the Square. The Square was the part of Lyra that separated the upper living from the lower to middle class people. The closer you lived to the castle, the higher financial and social status you held. The Square was an open area of land where upper class people typically ate their lunches and played with their children. The trees that lined the back portion of the Square were what truly separated the different styles of living. Once you made it through the woods, you would enter the middle class area and if you turned left you would be going toward the lower class where Phillip lived.
Having lunch in the Square was perfectly acceptable for a royal such as Elysia. She would be surrounded by upper class citizens, people of high society. Therefore, eating lunch there would be considered both acceptable and safe in the eyes of her father. Not only that, but it would explain her reasoning for getting some food from the kitchen, which she planned on giving to Phillip and his family. She hoped the food would serve as an offering of apology when she broke the news to Phillip that she would no longer be able to see him. She also had half a dozen Pents in her pocket to help them financially. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
The hard part of devising the plan was figuring out how to break free from the guards. Anything drastic would ensue the wrath of her father, but drastic measures were what Elysia knew best. She needed a reasonable way for the guards to willingly go with her into the Phillip's village. Unfortunately the only reasonable thing she could think of was against her very nature. If she could think of nothing else, then she would have to resort to wooing at least one--if not all--of the guards. The mere thought was enough to make her cringe.
The guards came to a halt as Elysia stopped in front of the kitchen's side entrance. She heard one of the guards' stomach rumble with hunger and looked back to find that several of the men were practically salivating from the effects of the sweet aroma drifting from within the kitchen.
"Perhaps now would be a good time to take a lunch break," Elysia suggested.
She noticed now that two of the guards were younger, barely even considered men. This made them weaker targets as compared with the other three older and more experienced men. If she could get rid of even one guard then that was one less thing she needed to worry about.
"Whenever you eat, we will eat," An older man with a greyed beard replied.
Elysia eyed him suspiciously. He had an air about him that made her suspect he would be the hardest to fool.
"I wasn't planning on eating until I reached the Square, but maybe a couple of you could stay behind and enjoy lunch while it's hot and fresh." After her suggestion she noticed the two younger guards instantly perked up at the idea.
"You're not getting rid of us that easy," the grey bearded man huffed, crossing his arms.
It took a great deal of effort for Elysia not to roll her eyes in annoyance. "I'm not going to misbehave or try anything outrageous," she lied. "All I want is a nice lunch in the Square while there is still a nice breeze in the air."
There was a pause and then finally someone said, "Maybe two of us could stay behind. After all, she's only going to the Square and King Alan didn't say we couldn't have a lunch break. We've been following her around all day and nothing remotely mischievous has happened."
The grey bearded man sighed in defeat. "Fine, you two can stay and eat," he said pointing to the other older guards. "When you're done, report to General Hank and see if he has anything else for you to do." Then he turned his attention to the other two. "You lads will help me watch her."
The younger guards looked slightly displeased that they wouldn't be getting any hot food but did not argue. Elysia waited for the two guards to depart and then she went into the kitchen to search for Sirey.
The young apprentice-chef was found working hard over the fire, stirring a large hanging pot of stew. She groaned when she caught sight of Elysia approaching her.
"What is it you want, Elly?" she asked.
Elysia feigned shock. "Why must I need something in order to see my closest and most dear friend in the kingdom?"
Sirey stared at her and then narrowed her eyes until Elysia caved. "Fine, I need some food for lunch. Enough to serve me and three other guards." Then she leaned in close and whispered, "And anything you can come up with for Phillip's family. I need enough to keep them satisfied for a while."
Sirey sighed heavily and stopped stirring. She set the wooden spoon aside and walked over to one of the other apprentices. Sirey whispered something to the male apprentice before she briskly walked out of the kitchen.
Minutes later the girl returned with a covered basket, which she shoved into Elysia's arms. "There's some slightly stale bread in there with some goat's cheese and a jar of honey. But seriously Elly, this is the last time. I can't afford to keep stealing food for you to give away. Sooner or later Mr. Pots is going to find out and I'm going to be in serious trouble."
Elysia softened her gaze and stepped in to embrace her friend. Sirey resisted at first, but eventually gave in and returned the hug. "I promise, this is the last time. You're a good friend, Sirey."
"Yeah yeah, just don't say I never do anything for you."
Half an hour later Sirey had finished making up some hot food for Elysia to take with her to the Square. Knowing the chicken would be cold by the time they got there, Elysia suggested eating it before departing.
The younger guards were excited with the prospect of eating hot food and agreed to wait until after the chicken was eaten to leave.
Once their bellies were full with the warm food, Elysia gathered the remaining meal in a basket and then grabbed the other covered basket with food for Phillip. The youngest guard, perhaps only 17 years of age, eagerly offered to carry the two baskets of food for her. Elysia gratefully accepted and stared at the young man for a minute, finally noticing that his hair was the color of wheat and his eyes were sky blue. He was practically the picture of youthful innocence and Elysia hated herself for any trouble she would soon cause him.
When they stepped outside, a carriage was ready for them. The older grey-bearded man stepped up first to help Elysia onto the cart. Then he took a seat in the front by the driver and Elysia sat in the back, squeezed between the two younger guards.
Knowing she may later need this information, she decided to ask the boys, "What are your names?"
The blonde-haired boy answered first. "I'm Louis."
"And I'm called Jacob."
Jacob seemed to be the more mature and wiser of the two. His eyes were dark brown and appeared to be full of the desire to improve in his rank as a young and inexperienced guard to eventually become an officer. Judging between them, Elysia decided it would be easier to persuade Louis to go with her to the village. Then maybe he could talk Jacob into it.
Making small talk with the two of them was easier than she expected and the ride into the Square went by quickly. Once the carriage stopped, Louis helped her off and then the bearded guard suggested they find a spot to eat.
Elysia panicked as she realized she still needed to get rid of the older guard in order to have a chance at getting to the village. She looked around anxiously, trying to come up with a solution.
Luckily for her, a miracle seemed to happen.
A brawl started amongst a group of men near the trading post, drawing everyone's attention to them. The scene was uncommon in this upper class part of the kingdom but they did occasionally happen. Elysia's oldest guard looked quickly at the other two lads. "There doesn't seem to be any law enforcement here to break them up. I'm going to have to intervene and take them somewhere to calm down. Can I trust you two to keep her safe?"
The two young lads nodded their heads a little too eagerly. It was obvious they were excited to be the ones in charge here.
"And by keep her safe I mean don't let her out of your sight. She's a tricky one, don't let her fool you."
Elysia opened her mouth in shock. "I'm right here!" she exclaimed. "I can hear you."
The man turned his head to her. "Oh don't act innocent, you once scaled down the walls of the castle after dark and outran four knights."
She smiled at this as if it were a compliment and watched as the guard gave further instructions to his two younger men. Then he left to take care of the fight that had ensued.
Elysia could not believe her stroke of luck. Now all she had to deal with were these two young and inexperienced guards. She smiled at the simplicity of the task.
For good measure she waited until lunch was eaten before making her move towards the village. They had chosen a sunny spot on a hillside to eat and now Elysia held her covered basket and began to walk aimlessly down the hill and towards the trees. She knew that once she started walking the path into the woods and took a left, Philip's village was then just a half hour walk away.
"Where are you going?" Jacob shouted from the top of the hill. He came trotting down to her before she could even answer.
She feigned innocence. "I was just thinking how lovely it would be to take a walk in the woods. The sun is quite hot at this time of day and it would be a relief to be under the cover of the trees."
"But the Square is the opposite way and the carriage will be waiting," Jacob argued.
At this point, Louis had finally realized the dilemma and came to a halt next to them. "What's the problem?" he asked.
Elysia turned to Louis before Jacob could explain. "I was only wanting to take a short walk through the woods to cool off a bit. I get so tired of being cooped up in the castle all the time, it would be nice to stretch my legs."
Louis turned to Jacob. "What is so wrong with her taking a walk? We would be right beside her."
Jacob rolled his eyes. "The plan was to go to the Square, have a nice meal, and then return her safely to the castle. What happens if we meet someone in the woods, maybe someone with ill-intent? We don't have enough men to be able to protect her against the dangers that could be lurking in the woods."
Elysia knew it was time to chime in, before Jacob would talk Louis out of this. She tried at flirting. "I am confident that--in the off chance we meet any danger--the two of you will be more than sufficient to protect me. In fact, I'm glad to be rid of that older bearded fellow in charge. He's such a bore and so old, I'm sure he is far too decrepit and slow to fight off any enemy. Not like you two, you're both so young and...strong," she could feel the bile rising in her throat.
Both boys ducked their heads and blushed. It was working. She kept going. "Wouldn't it be alright to take a short walk in the woods? It would be an innocent evening, walking and talking. I'm dying to get to know more about both of you."
She could tell that Louis was completely willing but Jacob needed just a touch more of convincing. So, despite her dignity, Elysia leaned in towards Jacob and gently took hold of his hand. A small tug of the hand was enough to get him to follow her anywhere.
So off they went into the forest, Elysia in the lead with the other two following closely behind, their thoughts warm and fuzzy.
The ground crunched underneath their footsteps as the small group finally emerged from the woods and into Ledeberg, the small village that Phillip lived in.
"I didn't even realize there was a village here," Louis remarked.
"We must have been walking for longer than I realized," Jacob added, he seemed to be in a daze from walking in the woods with such a beautiful princess. "Maybe we should head back?"
Elysia panicked and immediately grabbed his hand. "No! Um, I mean, it would be a shame to waste a journey and not explore a little bit."
When she met no defense from either boy, she pulled the hood of her cloak over her head and tightened her grip on the basket. From here on it would be easy.
She already knew where to take them to ease their minds of any duties they had to her. The pub was one of the first buildings in the village and they walked straight in.
"What business do you have here?" Jacob asked suspiciously.
"Oh no business," she said. "Just a bit of fun. Don't tell my father, but sometimes I come here to drink a bit and hear the latest gossip that's going around about the royal family." This was a complete lie but she needed to get them a little drunk if she was going to slip away unnoticed.
"You drink?" Louis asked, clearly appalled.
Defiantly she placed her hands on her hips. "What? A girl can't drink once in a while?"
Both boys laughed. "I wouldn't expect someone like you to."
"Well prepare to be proved wrong," she said as she walked up to the bar and ordered a round of drinks. Her hood did well in hiding any distinct features of her face that gave her identity away.
When the drinks were ready, she swallowed back her fear and made the first gulp. The liquid burned going down and she struggled not to cough. As soon as she set the glass down, the other two wasted no time in drinking their worries away. In less than twenty minutes she left the two of them, drunk and dancing around the room with one another.