Fiona's heart raced as she carefully laced the small blade with poison. It was hard enough to concentrate on her unpleasant task without her brain flitting back to that moment in the garden.

Worry twisted alongside excitement in her stomach as she recalled Kiana's shocked face along with the touch of her smooth skin and the way her fingers had tangled in Fiona's hair...

Fiona spilled the water she'd been diluting with and stifled a yelp. She grabbed the blanket off her bed and dabbed up the spill. “Stupid.” Now was not the time to daydream. She only had about five minutes before she would be escorted to her first meeting.

Carefully, she slid the small sharpened letter opener into its makeshift sheath and slid it carefully into the lacings up the back of her dress. It was covered with the same fabric, but still Fiona fluffed her hair out a bit more to hide it.

She looked at herself in the mirror and grinned. The irony of wearing a sword openingly but hiding a small dagger made her laugh. For a moment she was tempted to pull out that blade, making it appear suddenly the same way her mother did.

Fiona looked like the queen, had the same high cheekbones and sharp chin. Her hair was darker and her eyes blue, but there was no mistaking the resemblance. Fiona shuddered before striding to the door, eager to get started.

It took all her concentration to pretend things were normal. She helped her father through his first meetings and lunch with a visiting Jarl. She knew she should probably keep paying attention, but it was all she could do not to vibrate in her seat.

She still had to convince her father to leave. Fiona had it all planned out, how to best explain the plan and get her father to trust her. He was nervous and scared underneath his mask of control and Fiona knew she'd have to fight that.

Carefully, she watched him through his last meetings. His irritation at his own inability popped up a few times and she helped him through, all the while praying he'd end up sending all the stewards away again.

The gods answered her prayers and by the time the sun started to set, her heart was in her chest as the last steward left. Julien stood by the door and carefully, Fiona slid the knife out behind her back.

"I'll check if anyone else is waiting," she said and stepped over to the door.

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Julien watched her, bored, and as soon as his eyes left to return to the king she stabbed him in the side.

"What the—” his armored hand grabbed Fiona, crushing her arm until his eyes rolled up and he fell with a clang to the ground.

Fiona held her bruised arm and turned to her father who had stood up with concern. "Father, we have to go. I have a plan to get us out and I promise it'll work. Do you trust me?"

She ran over and led him out from behind the desk. She'd expected him to argue, to tell her this was stupid and dangerous, but instead he just pressed his lips into a worried line and muttered, "I do trust you. Lead the way."

No time to question what her father might be thinking, Fiona took his hand and opened the door to glance in the hallway. It was clear and she ran as quickly as she could down the darkening corridor. As she reached the king's bedroom, she pulled open the door and whispered, "It's your room, quickly inside!"

The king stepped in with a bit more confidence. Fiona retrieved the rope she had stashed under his bed earlier and began carefully knotting it, doing her best to remember how her uncle had done it.

"We're going out the window. I'm tying the two of us together. It'll be a bit of a ways down but Kiana's waiting for us at the bottom with a wagon."

Fiona checked three times that the rope was secured against the heavy oak bedframe and pulled her father onto the window edge. He gripped her arm tightly, his blind eyes unable to see the drop but knowing it was there.

Hsi daughter tied the two of them together. "Alright, get on my back, it'll be a bit of an awkward descent but I need to use my legs to guide us down."

It took some maneuvering and the king sucked in a breath as his weight shifted to being held by the rope. Fiona lowered them over and she clutched the rope in a death grip with her gloved hands. She tried not to look down into the darkening drop, instead focusing on her father's haggard breathing and her own pounding heart as she bounced down the wall and the cliff below.

After what seemed like forever, Fiona felt her father find his footing and her exhausted arms let go, her butt hitting the ground hard.

"Fiona, are you alright?"

The princess shook stars out of her eyes as Kiana helped her up. "I'm okay," she said but Kiana looked her over anyway.

"We don't have much time, quickly into the wagon." Kiana pushed Fiona forward and she climbed into the back of the wagon where the king already was. For a moment she was hit by deja vu, another secret trip in a wagon coming to mind and she shook her head at the irony.

"There's a long box there. Your Majesty, please lay down inside."

Fiona helped her father into the long wooden back, his pale face seemed to glow in the night and Fiona crawled in next to him. "I'm right here, don’t worry."

He took her hand and held it on his chest. She could feel his heart pounding. She gave Kiana a nod and with a forced smile, Kiana slid the lid shut. Fiona closed her eyes in the dark and whispered, "It's going to be okay. I promise."

Through force of will, Fiona made herself believe it.