The window went up slightly before it gave a small squeaking sound, just the slight whine of glass being disturbed by wood. Nya held her breath, her eyes focused on the young men sleeping on the floor. The noise was nothing like what she’s seen in her mind’s eye as she’d played the scenario out a few times; it didn’t match the versions of reality where she was caught by the sleeping servants, who did nothing to stop her but sounded the alarm so that she’d be met outside by a legion of the king’s guard. Instead, it was just a whistle of a noise, a disturbance that was unsettling to the princess but not enough to wake the slumbering lads. The window went the rest of the way without protest, and Nya was able to leap up and out before anyone was the wiser, landing solidly on the ground about five feet beneath the window, her boots sinking into the wet earth so that she didn’t make a sound and was uninjured.
She couldn’t reach the window now to close it, so she’d have to leave it open. No doubt, when the kitchen staff came in later, they’d box the ears of some of the boys for being so frivolous with the heated air, but there wasn’t much Nya could do to help that. She was out of the castle now, fresh air filling her lungs, and it was on to the next step of her plan. Make it to the stables without being captured by the troops who patrolled around the castle grounds.
This would also be a difficult task to perform, and she would rely, once again, on her newfound ability to catch a glimpse of the future as she moved in the shadows of the castle and then from tree to tree, her feet light as she glided over the ground, nearing her target area one short bolt from shelter to shelter at a time.
She knew there were soldiers about. Not only could she hear them, occasionally, a scene would play out in which she was caught, and she’d be forced to stay put until she was certain her next move would allow her to reach another hiding place. At one point, she found herself sliding around the trunk of a wide oak tree so that passing guardsmen didn’t see her, each step silent and measured. Once they had passed, and she was certain she could make it all the way to the stables without being seen, the princess darted across the grounds, hoping she hadn’t miscalculated just how long this escape would take. The sun would be coming up in an hour or so. If it took that long for her to secure her ride and make it out of the stables, she would surely be caught leaping over the lowest part of the stonewall that ran around the castle, an architectural failure very few people were aware of that the princess was banking on being her exit point.
The stables were quiet except for the occasional whinny from one of the hundreds of horses kept here. She didn’t hear a single human sound as she made her way through the barn door, which was propped open, for what reason, she couldn’t say; she could only be glad that this was the way she’d found it. Inside, she took a moment to look around, letting her eyes adjust to the difference in light. A few torches were lit between some of the stalls, but they were few and far between. She couldn’t hear a single human noise, and as she played through the scenarios in her head, as far as she could tell, no one was around for her to disturb. She imagined the stable boys were either all sleeping up in the loft or at the far end of the massive building.
She didn’t need to go far. The stall she was looking for was the twelfth one on the right from where she’d entered. She’d hidden a saddle in the hay in Warrior’s stall earlier in the day and was confident it would still be there. When she reached his pen, the large horse was staring at her, his dark eyes seeming to say he’d been waiting for her. While she didn't think that it was possible for the horse to know her plan ahead of time, she was grateful that he didn’t make a sound as she opened his gate and slid inside, securing it behind her.
She petted his nose, stroking it with long, confident movements to reassure him that he was in good hands. There was a chance the horse could be injured in what she was about to do, but she’d go to great lengths to make sure he was far away from the dragon. The last thing she wanted was yet another innocent creature to be harmed by that bastard. Once she was certain that Warrior trusted her, she moved into action, locating the saddle she’d secured in the hay, along with a bridle and the few supplies she’d be taking with her, and went about readying the horse to ride.
It all seemed too easy. Princess Nya thought something still must go wrong or else she would most certainly be spotted riding away from the stables. How was it possible for her to make her way inside here, get someone else’s horse ready to steal, and then just ride him out without anyone noticing? She recognized that her gift had allowed her to do much of this, playing out the different courses and choosing only the ones that she could see working, but it all still seemed to be working in her favor, which was unsettling in a way she couldn’t describe.
Nevertheless, she had no choice but to push on. Just as Nya was about to open the stall door and guide Warrior out, she heard footsteps and noticed a change in the light in the walkway between the two rows of stalls. Someone was coming.
Nya ducked down in the back of the stall, praying that whoever was coming by was simply making rounds and wouldn’t look too closely at the horses. If he did, he’d surely see that Warrior had a bridle on, which wouldn’t make sense. He’d come in to take it off and potentially discover her. Nya envisioned it in her mind. Most of the time, all was still, and he walked by without noticing. It was only if she breathed too loudly and disturbed the horse that he looked over and noticed and came in to catch her in the act. Then, she’d have to take him out.
Nya held her breath, waiting, watching the approaching light, praying she could keep her lungs from giving out on her until the boy with the lantern was out of sight.