Maude’s eyes fluttered open. It had been so long since she’d last thought about the vow that she’d made to herself. Reliving the experience once more lit the fire in her heart again. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, reorienting herself to her comfortable prison in the Rosenberg estate.

What would I give to continue a comfortable life like this? She mused. I was born into the wrong family.

Maude put her feet into the slippers on the floor. I can’t go back to that, she thought. I’ll die.

Maude looked over at the love seat she’d been sitting in while Duke Rosenberg had scolded her. The sun was peeking in through the edges of one of the curtains, leaving a stream of light on the back of the sofa.

I hate to admit it, but he was right about that. It won’t be the emperor who kills me if I go back though. It will be my father.

She yawned and stretched. Another gown was laid out over the chair again. This one was a dark navy blue. She pulled it on, then brushed and braided her hair.

Why does he treat me so well as a prisoner? She wondered. What is his goal?

She shook her head. He was so confusing, why not just throw her in his dungeon and let her starve to death? That is what Zara would have loved to have done.

Maybe it’s only a matter of time, she thought. I need to try to escape again.

Would taking a walk around the garden be too obvious? She opened the curtains to her balcony and spotted the gazebo in the center of the garden. Perfect, she thought.

Maude knocked on the door that opened into the rest of the manor. One of the guards opened it and stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He was tall and handsome, with sparkling warm brown eyes.

“What can I do for you, my lady?” he asked.

“Would it be possible to have tea in the garden?” she asked. The guard hesitated, as if he wasn’t sure what to do. “Duke Rosenberg said that I was allowed to take the stroll in the garden if I wished,” she continued.

Relief spread across the guard’s face. “In that case, I’m more than happy to get that set up for you,” he replied.

“Wonderful,” she said. “Please have my breakfast served there.”

“Yes, my lady,” the guard answered.

Maude pointed at her shoes. “And make sure to bring a suitable pair of shoes and a cloak for me as well,” she added. “It’s a bit too chilly for just a gown.”

“Understood, my lady,” the guard replied, bowing and stepping out into the manor’s hallway. “I will have these prepared for you.”

~

The warmth radiated from the teacup into Maude’s hands. Autumn was nearing its end. Maude didn’t think she’d ever be able to forget the look that the maid had on her face when the guard told her that Maude was planning on taking her breakfast outside. It was cold enough to be concerned that Maude wasn’t in her right mind to be eating breakfast in the gazebo.

She smirked slightly, careful enough to not let the guard see her facial expression. Not only had she been able to get her hands on a cloak as a result, but she would also have plenty of time to scope out the garden to come up with a better plan to escape. Her choice was no longer going to have to be between shredding the sheets up for a large enough rope to escape or keeping herself warm–she would be able to do both.

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Her one disappointment was her shoes. She had specifically asked the guard for appropriate shoes for the garden, forgetting that she was supposed to be a lady. Ladies typically wore shoes for aesthetic purposes, not for practical ones, and so she ended up with decorative flats instead of boots that would be appropriate for running in. The flats would be easier to deal with than the slippers, but she was still liable to slip and fall on her face if she tried to run too hard in them.

The steam of the tea warmed her chilly nose. It was fragrant, smelling of lavender and warm black tea. It was a blend that she had never had before, not that she had much time to spend drinking tea in the past. It was a bit too floral for her tastes, but the warmth as it went down was nonetheless pleasant, in spite of a bitter flavor overall.

She looked down at her plate and took another small bite of the eggs on her plate. She scanned the garden. In some ways, she was grateful that she hadn’t made it to the fence the first time trying to escape. The area in which she had been headed towards was a very thick grouping of trees. In the night, it had looked like a dense forest, but during the day, it looked very different; it was a small densely packed area with trees, but not far beyond it was an open field. It would have been only a matter of time before she had been caught.

Though the distance was far greater, attempting to escape through the back of the garden would behoove her. The trees were dense, the fence was shorter, and there seemed to be endless trees in that direction.

But getting there without getting caught was going to be a feat in and of itself. In the daylight, Maude could see that there were several guards patrolling the garden. There seemed to be far less rhyme or reason to their movements than the guards who faced her balcony. Because the speed of patrolling was based on several factors, their movements would be far more unpredictable than the guards who watched the back of the manor.

Then, getting up and over the fence was surely not going to be easy in a dress, flats and a cloak. Most of the fences she’d climbed in the past were shorter and she’d always been wearing pants and boots.

She sighed, picking at the food in front of her. What would I give to be a bird to fly away from all of this nonsense? She thought. I’m so envious of them. They are free. No one gets to tell them what to do or who they are supposed to be.

“Are you alright, Lady Maude?” the guard asked her. What had he said his name was again? Jakob? “Is the food not to your liking?”

“No, the food is wonderful,” she answered. “Sorry, I was just lost in thought.” Jakob nodded at her and smiled.

“Please let me know if there is anything you need,” he said.

Maude nodded and smiled, and went back to picking at her food.

Where would I go if I choose not to go back to the empire? she wondered. What would I do if I was truly free?

She thought back to how impressed and in awe she was when she’d first seen the grove of trees over the border into the kingdom. As far as she could remember, she’d never seen so many trees all at once. The clearing prior to the battle had been a level of majesty that she’d never experienced from a landscape ever before.

Surely there is more to this world than the empire’s farms, she thought. And probably even more beautiful things outside of the kingdom’s trees.

She paused and remembered seeing some wooden houses on the border of the kingdom. Maybe I could create something like that for myself, she thought. I’m capable enough to hunt and find food and water on my own.

She closed her eyes, and imagined what life would be like, living on her own. She’d have no one to answer to. She could wear pants every day, and eat whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted, without being dictated by someone else’s schedule. She could finally relax, and just rest. There would be no more walking on eggshells around her step-mother or her father. No more pretending that Callum could ever possibly be a half-decent duke, or that he could ever beat her in a sword fight. There would be no more snickering, sneering, or spiteful maids. She wouldn’t have to worry about being executed, or the emperor ever commanding her to go to war ever again.

She took a deep breath, the cool air filling her lungs. A cabin in the woods alone sounded like paradise.

She watched the patrolling garden guards for a few more minutes.

I can pull this off, she thought. I will make my haven a reality.