They rode all through the night. Sometime along the way, Iora, seeing Aliana gradually succumbing to sleep, tied the mares together. She did it so the princess could sleep without worrying about drifting off course. The princess slept fitfully slumped over the saddle until the morning. There were a few times during the night that Iora had to stop and reposition the princess so she would not fall off her steed.

As the sun began to peek over the distant horizon, providing a faint glow in the forest, Iora woke the princess by whacking her with the rolled up map.

"What?" Aliana mumbled sleepily. She rubbed her eyes and squinted at the guard. "Why did you wake me."

Iora held the map in front of her. "We are almost to a town."

"So?"

"We will be stopping. I need to gather supplies."

"Are we far enough from the castle?"

"Not in the slightest; we are not yet into the Northern Lands. But it is you the guards are looking for, not me. I shall be safe if you stay hidden in the woods on the outskirts."

Aliana gulped and began fidgeting with Avenger's reins. "Will I be safe?"

"You have scaled the wall of a tower, escaped the blade of an assassin, and become a wanted criminal in less than twelve hours, but now you balk at the idea of spending some time alone in the woods?"

"It is not that," Aliana huffed. "I am simply worried that I will be found."

"There is a lake on the edge of town which many small rivers flow into. I will settle you next to a stream so the horses can be watered and you can maybe get some rest." Although she would not let the princess know, Iora was also worried that Aliana would be discovered, but their need for supplies was genuine. It would be days before they would pass another town, the saddlebags did not have enough food to last that long, and she could not afford to count on the forest to supply it. She also knew that if she was spotted, the guards would instantly know the princess was in the area. What she was about to do was highly dangerous. But then again, everything they would do would be highly dangerous. That is, unless the miracle they were praying for happened: Alina being cleared of all charges and suspicions, then being crowned queen.

They rode through the forest towards the lake until meeting up with one of the rivers. Here Iora tied the horses, making sure they could reach the water. She also took out her blade and quickly cut off the saddle patches that were embroidered with the royal crest. "Follow me," she ordered as soon as she finished..

"Where are we going?"

"I want you to be as safe as possible. I am not leaving you near the horses, just in case they are spotted." She guided Aliana half a mile or so away from the horses to denser area of the forest. Once she deemed them far enough away, the guard glanced as they walked, looking for the ideal hiding place. Finally, she found an area with pine trees, some of which had fallen over.

"I know this won't be the most comfortable of places," she told the princess as they approached one of the fallen trees, "but I believe we can both agree that your safety is of paramount priority. I need you to please, without complaining, allow me to help you under some of these branches. I will then cover you up better and make my way back to the horses, covering our tracks as I go. You can sleep here, but do not move or make any noise, especially if you hear someone. I will return as quickly as I can to help you back out, and when I do I will be sure to announce myself so as not to catch you off guard or frighten you."

Aliana was still very tired, and wanted to pout and fight about having to sleep on the cold, hard forest ground under a fallen pine tree whose needles would surely poke her. But she was too exhausted, and frightened. She knew Iora had a point.

Her guard had been kind enough to bring a small blanket. She laid it on the ground, so Aliana would not have to lay on dirt.. She then rigged some thick twigs to where they would raise the pine a bit away from Aliana's body but not give away her presence. After doing so, Iora proceeded to do exactly what she had said she would, backtrack to the horses, covering their tracks as she left.

Laying there under the pine, Aliana heard her guard's footsteps retreating, and terror took over. Going beyond worry, she began to twitch at every noise or rustle, constantly thinking someone was coming for her. Her heart pounded violently, and she thought it could be heard by her enemies for miles, and they would use it to track her down to where she lay. This fear consumed her until, eventually, she dozed off into a fitful, nightmare-plagued sleep.

It was a few hours before Iora returned as she had taken a very out-of-the-way, meandering path both to and from the village and tried her best to ensure no one was following her. She first made her way to where the horses were to ensure that nothing had happened to their main form of transportation. When she found them safe, she retraced her steps where she had left Aliana. She whistled sharply as she approached.

Iora ducked under a low-hanging branch and approached the lean-to she had constructed for the princess to rest and take refuge in. The young lady was still asleep, but stirred as she felt and heard the branches moving.

In a timid, sleepy voice she said, "That better be you, Iora," as she fought to open her eyes, afraid of what, or rather who, she would find.

"It is, and we have quick work to do. Please, get up. We need to get back on the road and as far away as possible as quickly as possible. I have been gone for hours, and while it was needful, I regret that so much of the day is now spent. Not to mention, while in town, I spent the rest of money." She helped Aliana up out of the lean-to and onto her feet, both ladies brushing off the debris.

"What did you get in town?" Aliana questioned upon catching a glimpse at the thick satchel at Iora's side.

The guard opened her bag and pulled from it a grimy bottle of alcohol.

Aliana raised an eyebrow. "You spent the rest of our money on liquor?"

"It is not to drink."

"Then what is it for?"

"Watch this."

Pushing her cloak aside, Iora took off the bandage wrapped around her wound. Underneath it was a long gash crusted with dried blood. Before Aliana could say anything, the guard clenched her jaw and dumped the alcohol on it. Her eyes went wide and her muscles tensed, but not a word nor scream escaped her closed lips. When the pain had subsided, she recapped the liquor and began bandaging her arm with a fresh piece of cloth.

Aliana watched the events in front of her unfurl with a mixture of horror and sickness. "What did you just do?" she asked in shock.

"I am making sure that my wound does not get infected. I cannot protect you if I lose my arm."

"But that is so-"

Iora waved her hand in the air. "Enough about me; I will be fine." She pointed at the cut. "See? It was not even that deep. It will heal fine. It is you I am worried about. I do not know if you are going to approve of the rest of my plan."

Iora took a deep breath, bracing herself for what she needed to do next. "Now, please, your highness, hear me out before you protest. We are vulnerable with your horses, and even more vulnerable with you dressed the way you are. Everyone in the kingdom knows of the lovely princess with the stunning golden hair. We need to be able to ride down actual roads here shortly, as there are regions coming which are otherwise extremely dangerous to pass. We need to do this without drawing attention to ourselves." She took another deep breath, still unsure how to broach the subject further.

"What is it, Iora?" Aliana asked impatiently. "Just tell me what you need me to do. It cannot be that bad!"

Iora snorted. "I got you new clothes while I was in town. I need you to change."

"Why did you not simply say so? I do need to change. These clothes are torn and dirty. They will need a good washing and mending. Thank you for being so thoughtful and buying me some new clothes." She took the bag from Iora and opened it, balking at the contents. "But...but...these are men's clothes! And not just any men's clothes, peasant clothes!"

"Yes, Aliana, they are. That's my plan, you see. If anyone recognizes you, or suspects you in any way, we are done with! Dead! They won't even bother to take you back to the palace to do the deed! If you do not change into these, you will die!"

"But...!"

"But nothing! If you refuse to change, I may as well just take you back to the palace right now, for all the good it will do us! I helped you escape, but now you must help me in return."

Aliana huffed, and pouted, but when Iora started walking away, that was the final straw, and she consented. "I'll need help. I cannot unfasten this dress on my own."

Within a few minutes, she had changed and Iora put her old clothes into the bag she had been carrying along with a few large stones. "We'll need to hide these best we can. I'm sorry. We simply can't afford either to have them found or to take them with us."

"What are you doing with them?" When her guard started walking away, she followed, whining all the more. "Iora, answer me! I demand you answer me!" Then it clicked, Iora was nearly to the deep, swift river's edge. "No! Iora, do not!" She ran but she was too late, her clothes were sinking into the river's current.

"If you're mad now, just wait! I am not through yet!"

"What do you mean?"

"I bought you men's clothes, your highness. But, with that hair, no one will believe you to be a man. It simply must go." She pulled a dagger from her satchel.

Aliana, finally realizing what was happening, screamed. "No! Not my hair!" she cried, grabbing it into her hands as if to protect it.

"Fine, have your way. Good luck to you," Iora said, and started walking away once more.

That did Aliana in. She sat on a fallen tree trunk and broke down in tears. "Just get it over with. Please, Iora. I'm sorry."

"If this were not necessary, I would not be doing it." Her words were meant to be sympathetic, but Aliana - although her back was to the guard - could tell she was struggling to hold back laughter.

Aliana took a deep breath as she felt Iora grip her long hair at the nape of her neck and pull it taunt. Without any warning, she felt the sharp blade begin sawing at her thick hair. It took much longer than she thought it would. Which each strand severed, she felt her heart breaking; her hair was her pride and joy, and now it was gone.

When finished, Iora took a pine tree branch and used it to sweep the large amount of blonde hair under a fallen tree where it would not be seen. They could not afford to leave behind any evidence of what they had done to disguise the princess.

While Iora was busy hiding evidence, Aliana ran her fingers sadly through her mangled hair. Elegant curls that had once reached down her back were now gone, jagged ends that stopped at the base of her neck replaced them. All she wanted to do was look at her reflection, but she was scared at what she would see.

Iora, finished with the hair, knelt down to the ground next to the stream and scooped mud into her hands.

"What are you doing?" Aliana said, panic in her voice as Iora walked towards her, the goopy river mud in her hands. She took a few steps back.

"Now, remain calm, your highness. I am just going to fix your hair color."

"No, you will not."

"Yes, I will."

Aliana tried to turn to run, but Iora was quicker; in the blink of an eye she darted forward and deposited the mud on the princess' head. She rubbed the filthy stuff into Aliana's already ruined hair, and all the while the princess screamed and tried to slap her.

Finally, satisfied with her work, Iora released her. Aliana collapsed to the ground, her fingers tangled in her stained hair. "I hate you!" she cried.

Iora admired her handiwork proudly. "I honestly cannot tell that you are even a girl, let alone royalty."

"My hair is ruined! You did this!"

"I had to," she shrugged. "No one will suspect you. Now, get up. We must leave. Enough time has already been wasted."

There was more that needed to be done before too long if they were to safely make it to the Frozen Lands, including selling the horses, but Iora knew Aliana needed a reprieve after the hair incident and it would more of a strategic advantage to wait on the other things. The horses were fine enough to be recognized by the castle guard even without the royal patches and were worth a small fortune. Iora planned to trade them for two lesser quality horses and get a bit of money as well. She knew she would not be able to get as much as they were worth, however, especially since she would have to sell them somewhere a bit out-of-the-way to avoid being caught. Because the steeds were so quick, they would ride them a few more days to gain as much distance in as little time as possible, but then they would have to go. Iora was not looking forward to that conversation; Aliana wouldn't want to part with the last bit of her father she possessed.

For now, the two women walked back to where the horses were tied and started back on their way, praying for safety.