I made a mistake. Not too sure if it's one I can get out of. Repeating the words "it'll all end well" doesn't exactly work when reality likes to shove itself in your face. I'm learning that my impulsive actions are not always the best choices. I like to know what's going on in town, just like my parents do. It was that stupid guard, and more honestly, my temper. But when you've got a man covered in metal shoving you about, you start to do some strange things.

                                                                                       ~*~

         The thought of sleeping in a thief-infested inn might have also had something to do with it, but a lot of my sleepless night was fueled by pure curiosity. Laying on a rock-solid bed, the image of a screaming princess kept appearing on my mind. So did my father's words of warning. But those darned posters were everywhere, with little to no information on this "test." And every customer I had talked with had the same questions. What exactly was this test? And what was the reward? I knew that my parents didn't care about my first profits, but part of me foolishly wondered if there were monetary gains to be made. And helping a princess would always be considered a good deed.

          Maybe it was better to sleep on it, but that annoying guard flashed in my mind, with his mocking words prodding my little pride. Suddenly, my mother's reminder to never use the entire sleeping perfume grabbed my senses, and I jumped out of bed in a panic. I might have sent him into a dark, deep sleep that would last for weeks. If so, I would be committing a crime, and on my first day in the city no less. Breathing slowly, I  remembered carrying my mother's herbs for alertness and energy. So I picked up a few charms and herbs from my bag, grabbed my knife and those winged pigs. The pitch-black night was effective for sneaking back to the royal gates. Only a few lights were still on in the surrounding houses, and only the feint scuttle of pigeons was heard.

          A cold, shiny body slumped against the wall greeted me as I reached the gate. I couldn't help but be amazed. The perfume had knocked the guard out cold. I appreciated my mother's handiwork in creating the perfume, but promptly tied the dainty bag of herbs near the buckle strap by his shoulders. After silently apologizing, all felt right in the world, until the sound of clanking metal came from around the corner and on the other side where the empty market tents were. My idiot self forgot that guards were always on patrol, even in twilight. I was going to get caught. I picked up the keys hanging on the man's waist and opened the side gate without a second thought. Sneaking in was never my intention when I spilled the sleeping perfume on his feet, but life never turns out the way you think it will. 

         I was in. Inside the castle, with nowhere to go and definitely with no option to go back out. Following my instincts, I carefully drifted through curved hallways and rooms until the smell of freshly baked bread wafted up my nose. It must be the kitchen, which was usually a safe place. But upon turning towards the smell, I found a peculiar sight. Instead of a cook, a man with mud swept clothes was hunched over by the oven, grabbing loaves of fresh bread and shoving them into his dusty brown pockets. Picking the loaves like he belonged there, the man took everything like he hadn't eaten for days. My fingers slowly curled around the knife hanging by my side.

         "You picked the right time to sneak into the castle. Most of the guards are too busy keeping all the scrappy young men in order before they take the test. Though I can't imagine why you would choose this room, there's nothing here that's worth much." Contrary to his dirty clothes, his voice was light and soft. As he turned around, I saw that his face fit both the images of a dirty beggar and a wise old man at the same time. Moppy black hair covered his dark brown eyes, whose brightness revealed the truth of his youthful age. But he held himself like an old man that was trapped in a young man's body. He was completely unsurprised as I pulled out my knife.

         "Judging by how you've been hoarding that bread, I'd expect otherwise," I replied. Cautiously pointing the knife towards his musty tunic, I shifted my feet for a better stance. He laughed offhandedly.

         "Judge how you will. I know I don't belong here." He took a moment to look at me in detail, as if his eyes saw something deeper than the stiffness of my coat. His eyes paused on my necklace. I shoved the winged pigs inside my tunic. "You don't look like you belong here either," he said with a sudden smile. Without a warning, he threw a loaf of bread at me. It sunk smoothly into the blade before I could move. I removed the bread from my knife in surprise. It was amazingly warm.

         "Eat. You'll need it."

         I kept an eye on him as I bit off a piece. It was delightfully fluffy. He clearly wasn't in the mood for a fight. I put my knife down.

         "I appreciate that you haven't called for the guards."

         "Let’s just say... I know what you're seeking. And by you, I mean all of you. Even those boys waiting to prove themselves with that stupid test." Despite the bread offering, I kept my distance. Something about him seemed off. 

         He continued, "No one really knows what the princess's curse is. When you have a test that's reserved mainly for nobles and young well-bred men, they've had a lot of breaking and entering just within this Spring season. But I've already seen it with my own eyes. You can too, if you'd like." Little flickers of the fire illuminated in his eyes. Before I could speak, he took out a scroll.

         "This little map shows you every hidden passage to get to the princess's room," he explained with a hint of pride in his voice. It was an outline of the castle, with sketches and arrows that pointed to different directions and hidden doors. Some led to the dungeon, some led to the royal quarters. It was brilliant. And creepy. 

          "You're the one causing the screams at night, aren't you?" I pointed my knife at him again. His eyes went from teasing to genuine surprise. 

          "See with your own eyes. No one forces those screams. She does that to herself," he said plainly. 

          "I didn't come here to help the princess," I insisted. But he laughed like it was a lie. 

          "You talk about judging, but I believe I'm the better judge of character. There's no use in pointing that sharp knife at me, it won't do you any good. Let's make a deal, shall we? You want to get out of here alive, and I need someone to run an errand for me. Don't make that face, I know you snuck in. You must have attacked a guard, although how I can only imagine." His eyes flitted to my necklace again."Poor girl, sneaking in easily counts as a crime. Especially when they don't want ANYONE seeing what goes on in here." His dark eyes grew darker. I had walked into a devil's pit. What a great first day.

          I sighed. "What are the terms?" He chuckled and rolled up the parchment.

         "Smart girl. Your parents must be traders," he teased.

         "State your terms," I growled, trying to hide my fear.

         "First, see for yourself. Take the map with you, I can't bother to use it again." He went back to picking loaves of bread from the oven. Biting my lip in frustration, it dawned on me that my options were not ideal. And just because I had a knife, doesn't mean I was ready to fight with one. Thankfully, even in a pinch, there was still room for negotiation, as my parents had taught me. And he was clearly interested in necklaces. I took out a thin chain with golden flowers that encircled a small, cleanly cut ruby.

         "It's for prosperity," I offered. "Get me out of here alive, and we'll call this a done deal."

         Whipping around, he smiled and replaced the trinket with his map. I was surprised to see clean hands, free of marks or wrinkles.

         "A scholar…" I whispered. A man with soft, clean hands was either secretly a woman or a scholar that didn't have to do manual labor. But his moppy brown hair wasn't convincing enough to classify him as nobility.

         "Close enough," he grinned. "I'll accept this as payment... for the map. But you still owe me an errand. Now, now, no protesting. That's what you get for sneaking into places you shouldn't. Follow the map, find the princess, and I'll get you out of here. And don't you dare run away, because I will find you." In an instant flash, he disappeared into the darkness. I scoffed at his unnecessarily dramatic exit. Trinkets and charms were useful little bits of magic for a merchant to have, but this man operated on an instinctual level. I had never met a magician before. 

         There appeared to be no choice, so I opened the map. After navigating through an endless amount of hallways and crawling through tunnels, the princess's tower was finally within reach. I grumbled as the secret tunnel door closed behind me. Getting up from the floor, I made my way towards the final set of stairs. It would have been so much easier if she had lived in a hole in the ground. At least it would be more hidden than her stupid tower, which loomed over the open square like an ominous shadow. After what seemed like hours of stairs, I crawled through a small entrance at the top. Opening the flap, I gasped as a pair of wide-eyed, sapphire colored eyes stared back at me.

         "You're different. Are you like that other one? I'll say it again, no one is allowed in here at this hour," her quiet, soft voice whispered. She was trembling. Everything I had practiced on the way up instantly vanished when I realized I was in the presence of royalty. Scared royalty. So I tried to be civilized.

         "Princess, you must be confused. My name is Alma Riverland, merchant's daughter. I specialize in selling trinkets and healing spells." Despite her trembling, I took a step forward and closed the door.

         "Maybe I can take a look at your curse. Don't you want to get out of this tower? The air up here is so thin." Clearing my throat, I swiftly took out a light charm. Immediately, light emerged from the center, glowing up all around her room. As the light touched her face, I found her hiding behind her couch. She had a petite figure, a small button nose and a pair of very thin lips. Her blonde wavy hair was like the moon, and her pale ivory skin was painted with tints of rose red. I couldn't help but be amazed at her hair until my eyes caught sight of her face. Faint freckles spread across her cheeks like the milky way spread across the sky. There were a lot of them.

         "Please, don't come any closer. I don't know what you want, but you mustn't come near. I'm cursed," she said in a strained voice.

          "I don't really see anything." I placed my hand over the light and it grew brighter.

         "Stop! I order you to put that damn light away!" To my surprise, her sweet voice quickly turned harsh and low. As the light grew, the freckles turned into swirls that spread past her face until her entire body looked like a canvas that was filled with them. Her eyes flitted to the mirror across her bed, and she screamed.

         "Don't look at me!" She collapsed into a small, trembling bundle as she covered her face with her hands. Trying to assess the situation, I continued to stare at her orange swirls.

         I snapped my fingers. "You look... like a pumpkin?" She began to howl. "In a good way!" I added frantically. Grabbing the nearest thick blanket, I threw it over her head in attempt to soothe her, but it was too late. Soon we heard the familiar clanking of metal armor as the guards were running up the stairs. In a panic, I contemplated on whether or not to jump out the window.

          "Jump!" A stranger's voice encouraged my panicked mind. I looked down below to see a familiar, tiny-sized magician waving his hands, but the unbearable sight of the stone grounds did not look inviting. I wanted to puke. "Jump. Or do you want to be jailed by the guards?" the voice yelled in my head. The screams of the princess got louder, and the sound of keys rattling the door reached my ears. So I closed my eyes and jumped.

                                                                                       ~*~

Surprisingly, I'm still alive. That jump was... one of the craziest things I've ever done. The strangest thing was that falling didn't feel like falling–it felt like flying. I expected a thud, but instead I landed softly on a hay cart lying around. Moppy haired-magician was nowhere to be found, but at least he kept his word. An unlocked back door came into view when I emerged from the hay, and I ran out before anyone else saw me. I was planning on returning home tomorrow, but I think I'll have to stay a couple more days due to this immense body pain. At least my head is still working. Actually, scratch that, I can't even think anymore. All I see are strange pumpkins swirling around.