"A bird cage?" Brando asked, incredulous. "Why don't you just wear a servant's outfit and walk out of here like a normal person?"

"I'm the princess; everyone knows what I look like," the princess said like she was talking to a child. "Bird cages are expected to be covered, so no one will see me inside."

"I'm sorry, uh, princess," Fin stammered. "Why don't you order the guards to just stand aside."

"My name is Dezi." The princess folded her arms. "Also, my father has ordered everyone not to let me leave. He says that all I could ever want or need is right here. If I want to spend some time alone in the gardens, I have to do it with a party of twelve."

"Won't it look weird if we are struggling under the weight of a birdcage?" Brando asked, looking down at the cage that could have been meant for a baby bear.

"I might be able to do it," Fin said, sizing up the cage. "I'm a lot stronger now."

"If we do this," Brando leveled his gaze at Dezi. "We're even, right? If you get caught running around outside of here, you won't tell them about us, right?"

"If you get me out of here, I'll act as if I've never seen you before," Dezi replied and then trailed her eyes down. "And that's saying a lot because you have a horse on the front of your pants."

"Do you have a plan once you leave?" Fin asked, somehow concerned for her.

"Yeah, I'm going to run away," Dezi stated like it was the simplest concept in the world. "I'm not going to stick around while my father controls every little aspect of my life. Any other questions?"

"Let's just do it so we can be done with it." Brando turned towards Dezi. "Do you have everything you need? Like money or a dress that won't get dirty the second we step outside?"

"I'm not a half-wit." Dezi held up a black satchel. "Everything I need is right here."

"Okay, get in," Brando demanded, pointing towards the cage, earning him a distasteful look from the princess. "Look, either you want to leave, or you don't. Being blackmailed into smuggling you out of the castle wasn't my idea."

Dezi crawled into the cage. She sat cross-legged in the center and leaned back against the thin iron bars. "Okay, pull the curtains across."

Brando drew black curtains around each side and overlapped them together. "Fin, you ready?"

Fin rocked the cage back until he could get his fingers underneath. When Brando had done the same, they counted to three and lifted it into the air.

"It's not as bad as I thought," Brando said, loosening his grip.

Fin looked around. "How do we get out of here?"

"Through the door to the right and left at the intersection. It's a straight shot from there." Dezi's voice came from inside the curtain.

The two left the room, took a right, and followed her instructions. When they took a right at the intersection, they found themselves at the base of a staircase with nowhere left to go.

"Something's wrong," Fin said, looking around. "We've reached some stairs; we didn't take any stairs to get here."

"I might have meant a right instead of a left," Dezi's voice rang out from the cage significantly louder than a whisper.

"That's it, we're going to die," Brando said, losing his nerve. "There's going to be a guard nearby, and our chatty little princess is going to start chatting it up. Then, oh no, where did my head go?"

"It's fine, Brando," Fin said, turning in a half circle. "We'll just turn around and walk straight. We'll be fine as long as our giant bird shuts her giant mouth."

"Or we can kill two birds with one stone and see if there's a balcony up these stairs," Brando said, daring the princess to talk again. When no reply came, he shook his head and continued walking.

The two kept walking until they saw familiar paintings giving them familiar looks of judgment. Finally, they reached the front doors of the castle. A doorman and a doorwoman started moving when the two came into sight, opening the path ahead. They walked outside without a word in exchange.

"Steps," Fin warned.

"I see them," Brando said, taking the stairs in rhythm with Fin.

As they approached the front gate, Taddus approached them with a greeting. "I see things went well with the king. What did he give you?"

"It's a gift from the princess, actually," Fin corrected. "It's a bird of some sort."

"May I see?" Tannus asked, approaching the cage.

"It's nocturnal," Brando quickly said. "She said only to open the curtains at night. It's one of those birds that gets all grumpy and starts killing people when things don't go its way."

"I see," Tannus said, disappointed. "Do you want me to get someone to carry that for you?"

"No, it's fine," Brando said, struggling under the cage's weight. "Just open the gates, and we'll carry on."

"Very well," Tannus said before signaling his men to open the gates. "Travel well, both of you."

"Thanks," Brando said, instinctively adding, "You too."

When the gates swung open, Fin got a notification as he carried the suspiciously heavy birdcage through the castle gates. He looked at his quest completion, bewildered.

* Treasure Quest Complete: Abduct a royal princess. +1 Active Ability.

* Active Ability: Greater Stow.

* Quest Complete: Upgrade an ability two tier levels with one achievement. +2 ability points.

"I think I got it!" Fin exclaimed as soon as they were in the clear. "I have a better stow ability now. I think it's the best. It's called Greater Stow anyway."

"You got the pack-mule?" Brando asked, sharing in the excitement. "I thought you had to sleep in a vault for that."

If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

"I guess all I needed was to procure a princess," Fin said, opening his screen. "I still want to try sleeping in a vault, though."

Brando nodded his head towards a perfectly despicable-looking alleyway, and the two disappeared into it. When they were certain that no one was watching, they set the cage down and quickly assisted Dezi out of it.

"I did not appreciate you making jokes about dropping me off the balcony," Dezi scolded the two while vigorously brushing the wrinkles out of her dress.

"What about when you told the king that we weren't honored guests?" Brando countered. "We are trying to free a whole community of slaves, and you were trying to destroy our lives because you were throwing a tantrum. Dropping you off a balcony was a viable option as far as I'm concerned."

"Okay, everyone, calm down," Fin demanded. "We're all alive, the princess is free, and our heads are still on all of our shoulders. How about we part ways on good terms? I'll go first. Princess, you are a beautiful person on the outside. How you made it all the way through life with that attitude of yours is truly a feat of mastery. I know that one day you'll learn how to deal with your issues instead of running from them like a child. Who wants to go next?"

Dezi's face glowed a bright red. She looked like she was eager to spit venom. She only managed to make a frustrated sound before stomping off, leaving the alley.

"I had no idea you were so good with words," Brando praised after watching Dezi disappear out of the alley. "I think we need to get you a bard."

"It's all about diplomacy." Fin shrugged and walked over to the bird cage. He placed his hand on it and said, "Are you ready to see if this works?"

"Yes!" Brando nearly shouted. "If it does, I'll never have to carry another bag!"

Fin channeled Greater Stow; nothing happened. He lifted the cage and tried again. A massive tendril of power snatched the birdcage out of sight and into his inventory. He blinked at the empty area, not believing his eyes. "I did it?"

"You did it!" Brando cheered and then joined in a celebratory jig.

They danced around, kicking their legs and pumping their fists. When they were facing the entrance of the alleyway, their victory dance came to an abrupt stop.

The princess was standing in plain sight with a wide-eyed look of bewilderment. "How did you do that?"

Brando mumbled a disappointed word under his breath and looked at Fin.

Fin snapped out of his surprise and gave the first response that came to his mind. "Do what?"

"I saw what you did," Dezi replied, walking slowly towards them. "There was a bird cage, you put your hand on it, and it disappeared. How did you do it?"

"It's a busker's trick," Brando jumped in. "It's just smoke and mirrors. We're buskers."

Dezi walked past the two men and stood where the cage was just moments ago. She looked around and stomped on the ground. There was no smoke and no mirrors, but she did not need to tell them that. She could tell by the look on their faces that there was something more to this trick than they were letting on.

"Look," Fin said, holding up his hands. "You have your secrets, and we have ours. We've only just met you today, and so far, you've done nothing but build distrust in an already rocky relationship. If there was a secret to share, you would be the last person we would trust it with."

"I feel like we got off to a bad start," Dezi said, sounding soft and genuine. "I was not very kind to you today, and I am sorry. If I felt we could start over, I would reintroduce myself and learn both of your names all over again. I don't blame you for not trusting me. After my behavior today, I would not trust me either. You are welcome to keep your secrets, and I promise not to pry. I just have one favor to ask you, and I will be out of your hair forever. Can you retrieve the satchel that was in the cage, please? That's all."

Brando looked at Fin and imperceptibly shook his head.

Fin let out a sigh, held his hand out, and unstowed the cage.

"I knew it!" Dezi's voice lost every ounce of meekness it had just moments ago. "I honestly didn't believe it the first time I saw it. Are you two wizards? I've never met a wizard before."

Brando pushed past Fin, opened the cage, and retrieved Dezi's satchel. He quickly tossed it to her. "Here you go. Have a nice life."

Fin hesitated and then restowed the birdcage. As far as he was concerned, the damage had already been done. Besides, he could probably sell the cage at a decent price.

"I've decided that I'm going to go with you," Dezi stated, taking note of the blank stares she got in return. "To the dwarven city. It's where I want to go, and since you're already going there, I will come with you."

The words "No" and "Absolutely not" shot at Dezi in unison. Statements like "One day was more than enough" and "I would rather eat a thousand fire ants" convoluted in the air.

"The thing is, Dezi," Brando tried to channel Fin's diplomacy. "You are way more trouble than you are worth. I'll put this in perspective for you. Today you told us that if we didn't tell you the truth, you would make sure we wished we had never met you. We told you the truth, yet here we are, wishing we'd never met you. The answer is no."

"You're going to get us killed," Fin said candidly. "You'll probably complain all day, tell everyone you're a princess, and get taken and sold for ransom. They won't abduct you until after they slit our throats. You've probably never saddled a horse, and I'm not going to saddle your horse; Brando probably won't."

"It's true, I won't saddle your horse," Brando cut in.

"The biggest reason I can think of for not taking you," Fin took a deep breath. "You're used to a certain level of pampering. In a few days, you're going to realize that normal people don't get treated very well out here. You are going to get homesick, and then you are going to walk back through those gates and return home."

"And if I promise not to complain or get homesick and all that, I can come, right?" Dezi asked, making her face look innocent and pleading.

"We are not having this conversation in an alleyway of all places." Brando started walking at a brisk pace toward the road. "Good luck out there, Dezi. Also, you should probably go by a different name."

Fin took one last look at the hopeless princess. Feelings of guilt and pity tried to weasel their way into his gut. He rejected the feelings and focused on the path ahead. He quickly caught up with Brando, leaving the princess in the alley.