Sonya pushed the thought away and kept walking, until the darkness of the forest finally gave way to reveal the lights of a town ahead of her. It must be the Outskirts; what else could it be?
She took in the sight from higher ground: cobblestone streets between buildings squashed close together. The faint sound of carriages and people drifted towards her, and though her legs were sore, she felt relief.
Sonya released a long breath. She had escaped—she was free.
But the solace quickly morphed to trepidation.
Now what?
2
Sonya had been so focused on running away that she hadn’t planned out exactly what to doaftershe had escaped.
Putting away her dagger, she walked away from the quiet of the forest and towards the buzz of the town, which seemed like a good place to start. Then, she would find someplace to sit for a moment, to collect her thoughts and come up with a plan. She had enough coin to secure lodgings, and after a good night’s rest, she could work out the rest.
Knowing her father, she was certain he would keep her disappearance on a need-to-know basis. To declare her as missing would only put her in danger. What if the wrong sort of people got their hands on her? No, the king would look for her quietly. And they would not find her.
There were fewer carriages here in the Outskirts and many moremen, laughing and talking as they went from one establishment to the next. Her ears rang from the noise as she went down a lane. It looked to be an area for travelers; she saw a sign for a carriage stop that would take passengers to different cities.
Sonya considered hopping onto one for a moment, but just the idea made her shrink with fear. Being this far away from the castle felt frightening enough; going hundreds of miles further would be too much too soon.
Shivering, Sonya wiped her face. Her newly cropped hair was sticking to her face and neck. While the short length was much lighter, it felt messier, untidy. Now that she was safe, she suddenly felt overwhelmed.
Sonya was used to everything being neat at the castle—fastidiously clean—from her appearance to her rooms to everywhere she went and everyone she interacted with. Because of her health, her father was strict about keeping everything unsullied and immaculate. She had spent many days watching as a team of maids scrubbed and cleaned and organized. There was never a speck of dust to be found in her room; the sheets and towels were washed continuously; and she wore a new dress every day.
The dress she wore now was far from starched and new. She needed to get out of the rain. Sonya looked around, and she spotted a few people leaving a tavern.
Nobody batted an eyelid at her as she entered. Even so, she was still self-conscious.No one will recognize you here, she reminded herself. Having been kept tucked away all her life, there were very few people outside her family who’d recognize her like this, and none of those people would be found within miles of the Outskirts.
Sonya had never seen a place like this. The tavern was quite old and run-down, two hundred years old at least, and with hardly any upkeep. Wooden tables and chairs filled the hall,chipped and worse for wear. Cups like barrels with handles lined the tables as people drank; the cups were much bigger than anything she’d used or seen to drink beverages before. Nothing like the fine crystal goblets or dainty porcelain teacups she was used to.
Nibbling on her lower lip, she wondered what to do. Sonya wasn’t sure of the etiquette of such places. Standing by the side, she stood and watched. The front door opened and two girls who looked about her age entered. They walked to the end of the tavern, where a woman and man were standing behind a counter. Behind them, a door seemed to lead into a kitchen.
The girls spoke to the woman, then went to sit down, finding empty seats at one of the tables, though most of the tables were full of people eating, drinking, and talking. It was so loud in there that Sonya’s head had begun to hurt after only a few minutes.
Sonya watched as the woman at the counter filled two metal cups with something and, a few minutes later, the man returned with two plates of food. He balanced them in one hand and took the two cups from the woman, bringing it all to the table where the girls sat and setting it down in front of them. The drinks sloshed over the tops of the cups.
Interesting. Gathering her courage, Sonya walked to the counter. She braced herself to be recognized, but the woman hardly spared her a glance as she filled another cup.
‘What’ll you have, love?’ the woman asked. Her accent was rough, and Sonya tried to mimic the way the woman spoke to conceal her refined accent.
‘Em, can I have your best…’ she started, but the words most definitely sounded strange, and she found she didn’t know exactly what it was that people were drinking.
Luckily, the woman nodded. ‘Anything to eat?’
As if on cue, Sonya’s stomach growled. She had been so anxious during dinner in her castle rooms earlier that she had hardly eaten, and the long walk from the castle to the Outskirts had certainly made her famished. ‘Yes, please.’ She thought about it for a moment, then decided for a safe answer: ‘Whatever you have will do, thank you.’
The woman gave her a funny look. ‘Sit down, then.’
Sonya nodded, thanking her again before turning to find an empty seat. She didn’t wish to impose on any party, but there was no table void of patrons entirely, so she had no choice. She made her way to a table with a bench and squeezed in on the end. Luckily, there was a bit of space between her and the group of men beside her, and they were so preoccupied in their own conversation that they didn’t spare her any attention.
Folding her hands on her lap, Sonya looked straight ahead. The tabletop was covered in breadcrumbs and spilled liquid. Sonya considered that she’d feel disgusted by such things, but she wasn’t. Conversely, she felt…excited.
She had left the castle and was out in the grand world! It felt like an adventure, the type she had only read about in her novels. A few moments later, the barkeep brought over one of the cups she had seen earlier, along with a bowl of food. It was massive.
‘Ale for you, and some stew,’ the woman told her, setting the cup and bowl down. She was gone before Sonya could give her thanks.
Sonya turned her attention to the food. She took a tentative sip of the ale, which was warm and had quite an interesting taste, unlike anything she’d had before. It was robust and fruity, which she hadn’t expected. The foam on top tickled her lips.
