In the act of sneaking out, there were two feelings that dominated; the first, the thrill of engaging in forbidden and extremely unladylike adventure, and the second, the fear of being discovered. It was these two feelings which caused my heartbeat to quicken as I slipped into the kitchen pantry unnoticed that fateful day. 

     I dragged a low but quite heavy stool to the large window and peeked out. Over a hundred feet below, the clearing in front of the castle looked undisturbed. No guards were around. Reveling in this discovery, I jumped off the stool and descended the narrow staircase which led to the stony balcony of the servant's quarters. I quickly caught sight of the crevice I had noticed two months ago on one of my aimless wanderings around the castle. It was my key to freedom, and unknown to me at that time, the doorway to a totally different kind of youth.

     Being a member of the royal family was never a silver spoon affair. With the overbearing name of Princess Alexandra Elizabeth Edith Bethany Reignsford, His Royal Highness, the king of Clardonia, King Edmond Wilbur Mark Reignsford as my father, Queen Delta Rosamond Rowena Reignsford as my mother and a thirteen year-old elder brother already learning the heavy responsibility of royal leadership we all revered as Prince William Edward Richard Reignsford and the beautiful Princess Dawn Esmeralda Magdalene Reignsford as my older sister, everyone was always busy, and a silly, blubbering eight-year old like me was always prone to be forgotten even if she was the last born of the royal family.

    I was tired of seeing stone walls and lace curtains everyday when this land I had a privilege of belonging to possessed even much more. When the perfectly manicured gardens lost their charm, and hearing the awful voices of my mother's 'human nightingales' didn't appeal to me anymore, I decided to step out to explore Clardonia without anyone knowing about it. After all, who cared about what I did? I knew I definitely wouldn't be missed.

    I tiptoed down the narrow pathway covered with dust from years of no transverse, and dodged the cobwebs which blocked out the light.  When I emerged, I put my hand to my mouth to stop myself from yelling. Sprawled carelessly on the floor were the soldiers on duty, fast asleep. I slowly backed away from the one I almost stepped on, and tiptoed around his companion who had his shiny helmet more than half way off and obviously wasn't aware of the number of flies battling over the wound on his cheek. I shuddered, and turned resolutely to the door.

      The large wooden gate creaked as I opened it, making me wince. No one seemed to notice, and I sighed in relief as I slipped out. Breaking into a very graceless, joyful run, I bounded down the well carved street which led to the castle, and into the busy bustling town full of merchants and nobles, Steelemont. I felt my lips curve into a smile as I observed and recognized the carriages of the many wise heroes who sat in council with my father everyday, and pulled the dark blue cloak I had brought along, which my mother detested but couldn't throw away as it was a birthday gift,  over my hair to further conceal my face.

     Soon, the streets grew narrower and uneven as I drew closer to the less privileged side of town. Here, there were even more people, but these were gloomier, rougher and in an even greater hurry. I wandered through shops of different sizes, enjoying the view, till I noticed the people were getting fewer, and the road was now a wide leveled dust path. Catching sight of my face in a glass window, I trudged closer to it to have a look at myself. 

     My green day gown looked dirtier than usual, and my bright red curls looked quite unruly, going their various ways and looking quite wild even under the cloak. A pair of large, fierce green eyes blinked at me, and my freckles shone in the harsh rays of the sun. I sighed in disappointment, thinking wistfully of Dawn with her tame beautiful curls, soft brown eyes and flawless skin. I was the only one with hair like my father's but mine was wilder with an even brighter shade.  If only my hair was nicer, or my eyes were bluer- I sighed, throwing my cape back on. I still had a lot of places to see before sundown.

    As I moved into the more woody side of town, I heard snatches of a song in the quiet, soft voice only a little girl could have, and I followed them till I got to the other side of the town, the village district, and got distracted at the sight of a large oak tree. This must have been the Redbond.

   Legend was told of a time when the hearts of the people of Steelemonte grew cold towards one another, and man refused to be his fellow man's keeper. At that time a young boy planted an oak tree, and  wished it would be an ever living witness to reunion. From then on, the people had met every year there to eat, drink and share life's sorrows with one another, and the good intentions of the boy were rewarded.

       Underneath this tree, a girl sat. She was studying what looked to me like a flower, and she didn't notice me watching her. she had beautiful, long wavy hair and a narrow oval shaped face, and her pink lips shone in the midst of her pretty pale face. I took a step closer to the fence which surrounded her and the tree, and felt something loosen from my neck and fall off. I felt for my butterfly necklace and when it wasn't there, I dropped to the ground in panic, and caught sight of it glistening in a nearby bush. I snatched it, sighing in relief.

    I'd had it for as long as I could remember, and I liked it a lot. One side of the butterfly had beautiful, delicate carvings and many tiny precious stones embedded on it while the other side was a plain and simple gold plated shape. I put it back on, and sighed when I noticed the girl was gone. I turned and moved on, oblivious to the two pairs of eyes watching me.

     After a while, I heard the voice again, and this time I found her.

      The first person I was to call friend. My sister from another mother, Erin.