Sonya nodded. ‘You know the tourney coming up for the princess’s hand in marriage?’
‘Of course, everyone does. Castletown is in a frenzy trying to prepare for it, and the subsequent wedding on the summer solstice. Almost everyone in the Outskirts is involved, one way or another.’
‘Well, I didn’t want to get married. So, I…left.’
‘You ran away?’ Winnie asked. Sonya nodded, feeling dreadful, but Winnie only looked awed. ‘Wow.’ Winnie blew out her cheeks.
‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner.’ She braced. ‘Are you angry?’
‘No!’ Winnie said. ‘I had a feeling something was off; I ought to have connected the dots sooner, but you really were in quite a state when we first met.’
Sonya let out a laugh at that, relief flowing through her. If anything, Winnie looked almost pleased.
‘Come on,’ Winnie said. ‘You should head home before that meat spoils.’
Sonya looked around. ‘Erm, about that…’
Winnie laughed. ‘You’re lost? Sonya, what will we do with you? Come on, I’ll take you.’
Sonya knew that Winnie would never betray her, so there was no need to worry on that front. ‘Thank you,’ she replied, and they walked together back to the cottage.
As they walked back, Sonya mentioned that she had seen Enzo at the butcher’s. ‘He said you’re holding a grudge because he beat you at the annual spelling bee,’ Sonya said, then watched with some amusement as Winnie’s expression contorted as quickly as dry logs catching fire.
‘That is RICH coming from him,’ she said. ‘I doubt he mentioned the chess competition I absolutely demolished him in?’
‘He did not mention that.’
‘Of course not.’ She scoffed. ‘Anyway, I am not holding agrudgefrom when we werechildren. He’s just…annoying. He has an irritating face and an irritating personality.’
‘Mhm…’
They made it back to the cottage rather quickly, then stopped by the front, while Sonya thanked Winnie again.
‘Will you ever return to the castle, do you think?’ Winnie asked in a whisper, curious.
‘I don’t know,’ she replied honestly. It was a question she had asked herself but hadn’t thought of too intently. ‘Not anytime soon. Hopefully, if I never turn up, the suitors will be so offended, they’ll leave me be and never return. I just need to make sure I don’t get caught before then.’
‘Don’t worry, you won’t,’ Winnie said, gesturing at Sonya’s hair and outfit. ‘You fit right in here. You just need to work on your accent. You sound much too posh for the Outskirts.’
‘Oh dear.’ Sonya pressed a hand to her mouth.
‘When you speak,openyour mouth,’ Winnie instructed. ‘Draw out the vowels and prolong the sounds. That should help.’
‘Like this?’ Sonya tried.
Winnie smiled. ‘Good, keep practicing.’
Sonya let out a long breath. ‘Thank you, Winnie. You’re a true friend.’ She hugged Winnie, a bit awkwardly with the basket between them, and Winnie held her close.
‘I never had a friend who was a princess before,’ Winnie said, with a mischievous smile. ‘I think it ought to be good fun, as long as I don’t have to call you ‘Your Majesty’ or anything of the sort—?’
‘The technical address is Your Royal Highness,’ Sonya teased. ‘But to you, I am not a princess, only a friend.’
‘Well, good, because that is a mouthful,’ Winnie teased back.
They both laughed. It began drizzling a bit then.
‘You really ought to go in,’ Winnie said.
