Sitting on the only made up bunk within her dormitory; Astrid stared at the contents of her brown leather bag. It didn't take long for her to pack her belongings - for she didn't own much. All that she managed to gather was her bed clothes, some soap, teeth cleaning equipment and her hair brush.

She pulled the straps of the bag, watched the opening scrunch together and swung it over her shoulder. She wore the only clothing that was available to her - her yellow rank uniform; even though she knew that she would need to find new clothes as soon as she possibly could.

They were leaving that night. Her and True. They came up with a plan and he was going to arrive outside of her door any minute!

She waited in the dark. Her long ebony hair covered her shoulders, her violet eyes pierced the shadows as she counted down the seconds before her only friend's arrival. Her heart was hammering at her ribcage. She hushed the breath that left her, so that it didn't drown out the faint sound that they agreed upon to communicate with each other.

She didn't wait more than three minutes before she heard a hushed owl "hoot" from behind the wooden plank that she stood in front of. Without a beat of hesitation she opened the door and closed it silently behind her before being led, by the hand, down the dark corridor. They were careful not to make the slightest tap under foot so to not wake anybody behind any of the doors they passed. They made their way down staircases and through a number of swinging doors until they came to a sudden halt at the dormitory building's locked front door.

"W-what now?" a small breathless voice interrupted the still darkness.

"I told you, you don't need to worry about a thing, my Astrid," True answered as he blew into his light orb that sat in his open hand. It lit up Astrid's bewildered face, with a soft white glow. "Stand back," True whispered, letting go of her hand and taking a step back. True crouched down, then without a warning he slammed the orb into the wooden door. It flattened and spread across the large surface, creating the perfect sized archway for them both to step through.

True grabbed Astrid's hand and they walked through the archway with ease before True yanked the light magic back into his palm and hid it back inside a pouch he had tied to his belt.

"Wow..." Astrid glanced at the locked door behind.

"Yeah," True sighed. "Come on, we're not out yet!"

He pulled at Astrid's hand and they both began to run again, across the marching ground and the combat yard. They ran past the different buildings that stood between them and the outer wall. It felt as though they would never get there. Astrid's feet ached as they pounded the hard concrete that lay beneath them and her frantic breath stung her hardworking lungs. Until finally they reached the twenty-foot wall that surrounded the Emerald Army's training grounds.

"Here will do!" True exclaimed with laboured breath, slapping his hand onto the cold bricks that stood proudly between them and their freedom, then reached into his pouch.

"Hey! Stop!" A distant voice bellowed from behind them.

"Someone's coming!" Astrid squeaked in panic.

True blew into his hand with a rushed gust and flung the magic onto the layered bricks where a much smaller opening presented itself within the thick wall.

"Quick, Astrid climb through, now!" True lifted her up, so that she could stand on his bent knee before clambering through. She landed with a roll on the grassy ground on the outside before jumping to her feet. She then watched True try and squeeze through the gap in the wall that she only just managed to fit through.

"Astrid! Help me!"

Astrid ran to him, grabbed his arms and pulled on him with all her might, but he wouldn't budge.

"True! What do we do?" Astrid could feel frightened tears spring to her eyes but she choked them back.

"Astrid, touch the light, it'll grow!"

"What? I don't... I've never..."

"Do it! Do it now! Before... Argh! Get off!"

The Emerald recruit had finally caught up and now had a hold of True's leg.

With a quick, desperate glance at Astrid he gave her a nod and Astrid reached out and touched the light. She had no idea how to work the magic but she knew she must try. To her amazement seconds after her right hand made contact with the light surrounding True, it began to grow making the gap widen so that True could pull himself through. He dove to the ground with such grace that Astrid couldn't help but stare as she took a step back.

As soon as he reached his final crouching pose on the grass outside the wall. The two of them were plunged into darkness and an agonising scream could be heard faintly behind the now sturdy, brick wall that no longer had an opening.

True, as he dived through the wall, managed to grab the magic that kept the gap open and hide its light within his pouch before the other recruit could be pulled through the hole as well.

"Run!" True shouted before breaking into a sprint, closely followed by Astrid who managed to keep up with no trouble. "Quick, Astrid into the forest!" he yelled and darted towards the tall, shadowy trees that stood yards away. Before they could lose each other True found Astrid's outstretched hand and they dodged the trees together as an unstoppable unit. Their breath equally heavy as their legs flew in the darkness.

They kept on running until True felt they were at a safe distance to stop, collapsed in a heap and took shelter under a fallen tree - ripped up from the roots. Once they were sure that they were fully hidden, they cuddled into each other for warmth and panted to catch their breath.

"Woah, my heart..." True managed to say through erratic gasps, "my heart feels as though it may burst!" The air around him was quiet with only the faint sounds of the forest interrupting the silence of the night. "Astrid?" Astrid did not answer him but the sounds of her subtle snores reached his ear and filled him with peace. "Sleep tight, my Astrid," he whispered before leaning his head against his new wooden pillow. He closed his eyes and allowed the heaviness of slumber to take over and he joined Astrid within the land of dreams.

"Yoo-hoo... Wakey wakey..."

Astrid's eyes flew open and she saw standing over her a woman whom she had never seen before. She was wearing a dark-green, woolly jumper, a warm, brown, mid-length skirt with a flowery pattern woven into the fabric and knee-high, black leather boots. Her silver-streaked, dark hair hung in thick, fluffy waves, past her shoulders. Astrid's eyes grew in fear and with a quick jab with her elbow she tried to wake up True, who was snoring loudly beside her.

"Ow, what?" True groaned heavily in his sleep.

"Wake up now, Boy," the woman said with a gentle authority that made True shake himself awake.

"Who are you?" he asked once fully alert.

"Excuse me, Lad, but you two are the ones sleeping on my land! So I think if anybody should be asking who's who it should be me!" the woman argued with her hands resting on her hips.

"We're sorry..." Astrid whispered. The woman gave them a kind smile and held out her hands to help them both to their feet.

"Never mind," the woman chuckled. Her change of tone took both True and Astrid by surprise; they didn't know what to think.

"You two look chilled to the bone! Come with me. You must be starving!" she said and turned to walk along the invisible path that she was somehow able to follow. She stopped in her tracks as she felt that the two youngsters were hesitating to follow her. "Come along, I won't bite!"

With a shared glance and a shrug, the pair started to walk behind the woman deeper into the forest.

They followed her steps until they reached a wooden hut, standing in a small clearing. Smoke swirled through a chimney pot sitting in the centre of the hut's moss covered roof and its surrounding walls embraced an inviting, warm space that they could see through its wide open door.

"In you go, make yourself at home."

True and Astrid stepped sheepishly over the threshold and looked around.

"Take a seat, I have some porridge on the stove. You two must eat." The woman waved a hand indicating the small table where a bench was ready to be sat on. They both did as instructed with no objection. "So, what are you two doing out here in Strelle Forest?" the woman asked over her shoulder as she spooned two generous portions of porridge into separate wooden bowls.

"Erm... w-we..." Astrid began, but couldn't find the right words.

"We were just resting," True finished with an awkward shrug. The woman set the two bowls on the table in front of them, stood with her hands on her hips and watched as the two quickly dug in; their hunger took over with no thought for their dignity.

"Resting? I see. Well, it was a bit silly of you two to choose the middle of the night to travel from the Emerald Army grounds! Was it not?" The woman asked and hugged her arms across her well-endowed chest.

True leapt to his feet in panic and his gaze flicked to the, now closed, hut door.

"Sit down, Boy, you are safe here," the woman assured him. They shared a look of understanding before he lowered himself back down onto the bench.

"H-how did you know?" asked Astrid, not able to hide her worry.

"I recognise that uniform. Where else would you have come from wearing a green rank jacket and a yellow rank waistcoat?" Her attention was then on Astrid's shivering arms. "Dear, that will not do! Come with me."

She managed to convince True to let go of Astrid's hand and then led her through to a small bedroom at the back of the hut where she began to rummage through a very full wardrobe where she pulled out a clean blouse and a warm, thick, woolly jumper.

"Take off your waist coat and shirt, they are no longer fit for wearing and put these on," the woman said, whilst setting what she found on the edge of the bed. Astrid chewed on her bottom lip and looked up at the woman with wide eyes, then gave in and began to unbutton her waistcoat.

"Good girl, now, come and join us back through there when you're changed, leave your old clothes on the bed," the woman instructed with a kind smile on her face. She then gave a brief nod and headed out of the door.

Once Astrid was changed she felt much warmer and happier. Smiling peacefully all the way back through to her seat next to True.

"Now, why would you run away?" the woman asked taking a seat at the opposite side of the table.

"Erm, I'm terribly sorry, but we don't know you. How do we know we can trust you?" True asked, not taking his eyes off the woman sitting in front of him.

"Oh, silly me! I am Naomi, Naomi Slànacus."

"Slànacus? You're a healer?" asked Astrid with a beaming smile upon her face.

"Yes, well done! I'm glad they taught you the family trades despite everything! That's wonderful!" Naomi praised the now very confused girl that stared back in silence.

"Well, of course. Everybody knows the family trades..." True replied, a scowl etched on his brow.

"I wasn't sure they would have taught her about them considering her parentage," Naomi continued in a straight forward manner.

A gasp left Astrid's mouth as fear gripped her throat and True squeezed her hand under the table ready to fight by her side.

"Now now..." Naomi started to say, noticing the tense atmosphere that began to crush around them. "Calm down, Dìl-Aeternia."

"H-how do you know me?" Astrid's voice shook in panic.

"You can't take us back there!" True warned squaring up to Naomi, who didn't so much as flinch in response.

"I don't mean to," she said with an amused smirk, "I told you, you are safe here."

"But, how do you know me?" Astrid asked again.

"I was there, at your birth. I was the healer who delivered you into the world," Naomi announced, reaching her hand across the table towards Astrid. "Dìl-Aeternia, believe me, I don't ever wish to harm you."

"The healer who..." True began but was hushed by a slight movement of Naomi's hand.

"Would you like some more porridge? Err..."

"True," True answered the question that he didn't let her finish.

"True," Naomi confirmed with a nod before confusion reached her eyes. "True?"

"Yes, we renamed each other. We felt our given names did not fit," True explained defiantly.

"Outrageous! I like it!" Naomi said with a wink.

"Yes! I named him True and he named me Astrid!" Astrid announced with a grin, all worry she once had now melted away by Naomi's warmth.

"Oh, 'Astrid'. That is a much better fit," Naomi responded, moved by the girl's happiness. "Well anyway! We have plenty of time to chat and plenty of porridge too!"

"Thank you," Astrid said with a new sense of peace inside of her. She now understood that Naomi really was their only ally and their only hope to survive on the outside. "We really have nowhere else to go."

"Yeah, we didn't plan very well," added True.

"I understand," Naomi said, her smile starting to waver, "then please, stay here, my home is yours."