Heart Over Sword

Though Evanna's words were confident, she still couldn't help dread fill her chest as she stared across the river leading to the waterfall that was to come. Could Nesrin really help her with this? If Cedric and the others were not aware of her leaving, she could have taken a different route, but it was best to throw them off track this way.

~ I have your back, don't worry ~ Nesrin hopped off from Evanna, flapping her wings to stay above her. Evanna glanced once more at the high wall to her side leading to the palace and Cedric's form climbing over it with a rope.

The princess gritted her teeth together, more confident by the fairy's words. She jumped into the water and stilled in shock as the icy temperature forced her body to freeze, almost making her mouth gape open and inhale the liquid. Evanna kicked her arms and legs into motion, swimming back to the surface as she felt herself being swept away and towards the gushing sound of the approaching waterfall. She gasped for air; her eyes panicked at her own stupidity.??

She knew the water was cold, but she didn't expect it to be freezing to the point her lips began to go blue and her teeth chatter.. She shook her head; this was not the time to panic! Evanna didn't bother to swim; the water was so strong that it wouldn't take long until she followed it down the fall. Her breaths came out uneven as she looked at the approaching edge.

Everything seemed to be still for a single moment as she found herself staring at what looked like the edge of the world. Even in the dark, she knew of the beauty surrounding her that took her breath away as her belly began to drop and flip. Her body fell forwards along with the water; she covered her face and tucked her legs.??

"Ugh!" Evanna landed uncomfortably on a bed of flowers. She pushed off from the unsteady ground of flowers that floated above the water and rocks at the bottom of the waterfall. She was hovering a few feet above what would have been her death. The princess stared wide-eyed to her left, where the rushing water plummeted murderously into the ground.??

~ Move it. The spell is dissolving! ~

Evanna stood up and glanced at the flowers and petals starting to fall from the outer edges of the flowerbed. She leapt forwards after another bunch of flowers formed, and for the next few minutes, the princess jumped across flower beds like steppingstones to reach land. Evanna hopped one last time before landing at the edges of the water, disrupting its still surface as she sloshed through it with her boots. She looked up at Nesrin and grinned; the fairy stayed dry after all.??

But even with this little triumph of not plummeting to her death, she reminded herself to keep moving forwards. The Flori would not stop searching for her until they found her body, at least. She knew in her heart, though, that Cedric was not fooled by her little stunt because what idiot really would jump to their death unless they had something hidden up their sleeve. She already proved to him that she could jump down that balcony without gaining any injuries.

Evanna checked her mask and hood was still in place and wrung out water from parts of her clothing. Then, she set off at a jog, sticking to the shadows of the houses, hiding from the elves that seemed to be stargazing on their roofs and others still in the trees. Evanna hid behind a tree further in the woods and looked back at the grand palace of the Flori, standing for a moment as she processed the next part of her journey.

She stared longingly at the place she became comfortable with and sighed. Although her circumstances were that of a prisoner in luxury, she couldn't help but already feel a pang of sadness shoot through her chest. If things were different, could she have stayed? Evanna scowled and looked down at her feet. With the prince and Rina and others she had befriended, she felt more at home here than she ever did her own palace.??

~ Evanna, we must go. They have been alerted of your disappearance. ~ Nesrin spoke softly in her mind, urging her to move. But her feet stayed rooted.??

The Flori, legendary woodland elves who were heartless, deadly and scary to the outside world, were more normal than she ever anticipated. They were brave, elegant, and only protecting their land, their families from intruders. She respected them immensely and knew these final hours and days of escaping were going to be her hardest because Evanna couldn't find it in her heart to kill someone following orders over a thief escaping.??

With those last thoughts, she kicked herself into action. She would never let them find her, and by doing so, she wouldn't be taking their lives. They were skilled, but so was she.??

Evanna rushed through the forest then started to climb higher into the trees. She ran across their long connecting branches, jumping and sliding, never stopping for the next four hours for fear of Cedric, Anwel and others catching her. When her legs finally began to tremble from exhaustion, Evanna stopped and leaned up against a tree, looking down at the forest floor. Her sense did not alert her to any monsters or elves following her, and so she slid down and spread her legs out across the branch.??

Nesrin jumped off from her shoulder and landed on the princess' knee, who bent it so she could see the little fairy properly. Evanna closed her eyes briefly, wondering where the fairy led her. Unlike last time, she had no map or Axel to point her in the right direction, and from how Nesrin was fidgeting, Evanna knew she would be leaving.??

~ I wish I could stay to help you get out of the forest, but the Queen has been insisting on my return ~ Nesrin's voice came out small, making Evanna open her eyes again and look at her sad face.

"I'm grateful you turned up, Nesrin. It made my escape quicker. And I can see how much you want to return; I will not hold you back on that. I will just miss your company and wish our reunion was much nicer," Evanna whispered, looking down at her hands resting on her lap.??

~ Always so sweet, princess ~ Nesrin giggled, "When the war has settled, I will find you!" The golden fairy flapped her wings and hovered in front of Evanna's face, "And if you get lost.. Ask the trees. They will guide you."

Evanna blinked back in confusion. "You can speak to them; it is part of your gift!" Nesrin continued after seeing the princess' blank expression.??

That was right, but she didn't think trees would help in directing her the way out of the forest.

"Of course, they will. The trees don't want any trouble! And if they can feel your gift then they know you mean well to nature," Nesrin exclaimed in excitement.

"Are they these spriggans?" Evanna asked, remembering how the trees caused issues when her group first entered the forest.??

Nesrin shook her head. "No, it is your gift, princess. There are no spriggans here, or if there are, they have not revealed their magic to me."

Nesrin flew closer and pecked Evanna on the cheek before hovering backwards and whispered sweetly, "Would you like me to help you sleep before I go?"

Evanna shook her head, "That will put me into a false sense of security. Thank you though, for everything." The princess smiled again then wiped away a tear that ran down her cheek as the fairy flew away into the night. The little ball of light got smaller and smaller into the distance until it looked nothing more than a star then nothing at all.

Evanna pulled her legs in towards her chest and hugged them as she stared across the shadows of the trees. She was now utterly alone on this journey, though she expected it on her escape, the feeling of loneliness finally sunk in. With a sigh, she allowed herself to close her eyes and rest as much as possible, for the following day would be more arduous.??

Somehow, Evanna managed to sleep in the tree without falling off, though she did jolt herself awake occasionally, finding herself not to be fully asleep but not awake either. When the sun slowly rose to break the dawn of a new day, Evanna's lids slid open, and her mind became fully aware of how tense her body was from sleeping in such a position. After a few stretches, Evanna slowly climbed down a few branches to see if there was anything distinctive about the area she was in. But much to her disappointment, it all looked the same.??

With a sigh, Evanna placed her hand against the bark of the tree. Already she could feel the life force of the tree she stood upon, but just as she was going to 'speak' to the tree, a shiver ran down her spine and grew colder by the second. A snapping sound echoed through the woods, disturbing the bird's morning song that quietened.

The princess reached her hand behind her, grasping at the handle of her sword as she slowly turned, looking for what her body sensed to be a danger. Evanna pulled both swords in front of her as the forest became still and silent. Her body was tense and pumping with adrenaline, ready for what was about to come.??

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something come towards her at incredible speed. Her eyes widened as she saw a tail and pincer come straight towards her face. She swiped her sword, blocking it, but the pincer rotated, twisting the blade from her grasp and flinging it to the side. Evanna swung her other sword and stabbed the tail into the ground, a screech sounded from above her, and she felt its leg kick her.??

The princess lost her balance and her footing from the tree; she fell backwards and out of reach from the faceless creature now scurrying towards her before her body would smash into the ground below.