After feeding my Princess, I have settled here in my window seat, where I can see far and wide over the glorious summer meadows and the western wood, and a small bit of the village. But now, back to my story.

The steady swish of the oars and the warm sun began to lull wet Jazeara to a daze.

"Oh no!" Uttered Kharlil. Jazeara's eyes popped open.

"What?" she mumbled, closing her eyes again.

"The witch's soldiers!"

Jazeara fully awoke and scanned the shoreline where the dirt road laid. A line of well~armed soldiers paraded on horseback up the road.

"Don't let them see you!" Kharlil whispered. "We're almost to shore, and they might recognize you. Turn around slowly, as if looking out to sea!"

Jazeara did as she was told, praying and hoping they would not recognize her. She sat in that position for five more minutes listening to the swishing of the oars and the clip~clopping of the horses hooves fade away.

"Alright, missy. They're gone." Kharlil whispered.

Jazeara slowly turned around and glanced toward the bend in the road where the soldiers had disappeared.

"Hop out and take these fish to Noley to clean and cook." Kharlil ordered as he tied the fishing boat up to the dock.

"But how am I to carry them?" asked Jazeara.

"In your skirts." answered Kharlil.

"But they shall get all dirty and smelly and a princess never, ever,"

"So? You shall get them much more dirty than that later on. Get used to it, miss." Kharlil plopped the fish into her skirt.

Jazeara rolled her eyes and did a little huff, stomping off of the dock, over the beach and road, through the trail in the woods and up to the cabin. She kicked the door open with her foot.

"Noley, you are to clean these, and..." Jazeara looked around. Noley was not there.

"He must not be back from picking mushrooms with Mudglump." she thought. So she laid the fish in the wash basin and went out to find Kharlil. He was coming up the trail with the fishing nets and spears.

"Noley and Mudglump are not back from mushroom hunting, and I am in extreme hunger!" Jazeara complained. "I haven't had a thing to eat all morning! Do you have anything else that I could eat while waiting for breakfast? A girl like me is used to punctual meals, you know. Why don't we, Oh! Look! There's Mudglump!" They both looked up and there was Mudglump coming down the trail, looking upset and mumbling to himself.

"What's the matter with you, Mudglump?" asked Kharlil.

"We've been doomed!" he groaned.

"Doomed? Whatever are you talking about, Mudglump?" questioned Kharlil.

"Some Berwick soldiers spied us picking mushrooms, and asked us if we were on our own property." Mudglump began. " 'No,' we answered, 'But we live nearby.' Then they asked us if we'd seen Princess Jazeara or King Ronam since they fled from the castle, and we answered 'No' once again. But they seen the lie in our eyes and took Noley to be questioned by the witch Sisrin herself!"

"Oh, no!" Jazeara cried.

"They sent me back here and told me to stay put if I ever wanted to see Noley again, and that they'd be back to have a 'look around'. I'm telling you, it'll be the fate of all of us! Death by hanging or drowning I shouldn't wonder. Maybe even having our heads cut off!"

"Stop it!" interrupted Kharlil. "That is quite enough, Mudglump."

"What shall we do?" whimpered Jazeara.

"I'll tell you what we are going to do," Kharlil answered. "We're going to hide you in the cellar until they have gone away from our buisness and then send you somewhere safer." Kharlil started for the cabin with a determined look upon his face.

"Hide me in the cellar?!" Jazeara shrieked. "I think not, Kharlil! Do you think that I would,"

"I know you protest, Jazeara, but you must realize what this means!" Kharlil interrupted. These are the finest soldiers in all of Chittan, from Berwick, sent by the witch. They are her private army, and most harsh in deed and word, to be sure. They are on the look out for you and your father, my Princess. Please, we must hide you for your life's sake!"

Jazeara sighed. "I suppose I must." She packed her few belongings down in the cellar, which was hid under a secret door in the floor boards of the cabin. Dusty and cramped, the cellar remained Jazeara's hiding cavern for several days.

"