The Escape Plan

"The palace seems awfully quiet today," observed Anna as she walked down the long hallway with the Kasai prince who was whistling a happy tune. The royal was in high spirits ever since breakfast and his personal maid couldn't pinpoint the reason for his unusual cheeriness much less explain the strange peacefulness of her surroundings.

I wonder what's up with him? She peered at the boy from the corner of her eye. Did I go easy on him during our tutoring session awhile ago? She shook her head. Making the prince stand on the balcony on one foot until he had answered all her questions correctly was not an easy task. He was shaking all over the whole time! Perhaps he's just too happy because he's momentarily free from the physically taxing training Amidamaru is imposing on him. The warrior left the palace days ago but Anna swore she wouldn't let the prince enjoy this brief period of relaxation.

"Well, Father left with Tamao early this morning," Yoh grinned at her as if he knew that she was trying to read his mind. He couldn't hide his joy for finally getting some peace.

"Now that explains everything," the blond girl muttered.

"Father told us last night during dinner that he needed to visit a sick friend overseas. Afterwards, he asked Tamao if she would like to see Horo-Horo's younger sister, Pirika at the Royal Patch Academy since it's in the same area," the prince scratched his nose then smiled at her, "They're good friends, you know."

"Oh, that's something new," Anna raised an eyebrow. "I thought your fiancée's clinging on to you like some sort of shadow. She can manage to leave your side after all."

"Erm… That's because Pirika and Tamao haven't seen each other for a long time," explained Yoh.

"So when will they come back?"

"Probably after a week or more…"

"Is that so?"

The blond girl marched ahead of the prince then turned around to face him with glowing eyes. She pointed a finger at his chest and stood menacingly close such that they were just a few inches apart. "This would be the perfect time to escape this place. We can think of a way to slip out of here while the king is gone!"

Yoh gulped. That was a very dangerous suggestion coming from her. "But Anna, he might have asked the royal guards to keep an eye on me. It'll be difficult to move around. We'll be punished if we get caught sneaking out of the palace."

The blond girl glared at him even more, "Isn't being your servant enough punishment for me?" She clenched her fists in front of the frightened prince. "Besides, are you saying you can't help me?"

"No, I didn't mean it like that, Anna," Yoh waved his hands frantically. "It's just that it'll be safer to schedule it during the palace servants' day off. We can blend with the crowd as they leave the palace three weeks from now. Believe me, we would be in bigger trouble if they see us climbing out of the walls in the middle of the night."

"Fine!" the blond girl folded her arms. "So what are you going to do when that day comes?"

"Er…." The prince scratched his head and grinned nervously at her. He hadn't thought of it yet. He was already accustomed to having Anna around that he almost forgot his promise to her.

Anna's eyes blazed with fury while Yoh slowly backed away until he hit a stone wall. The enraged girl was about to strangle him when he spotted a wooden door across them.

"I have a plan!" the prince squeaked.

In the Kasai palace repository of antique documents...

Anna brushed the dust off a wooden chair before sitting on it. They were in a small repository with shelves as old as the volumes they contained. Her companion had spread a large scroll which looked like the blue print of the palace grounds on the table in front of her. The prince was quietly examining it.

"Where are we, Yoh?" inquired the blond girl. It was slightly cold inside the room.

"We're at the old Kasai library. We keep ancient books here that nobody likes to read anymore."

Anna rested her chin on her hand, "So what's your plan?"

"Er… Like I told you earlier, three weeks from now most palace maids will take a day off. Only the head palace servant and those who don't want to leave the premises will be left behind."

"The two royal guards stationed here," the prince pointed at the palace main gate, "…I'm sure you can still remember them as we have met them before, are much stricter towards the people who enter than the people who exit the palace vicinity. Their assumption is that anyone who leaves this place poses no threat since he had been given the permission to enter."

"Okay, so we are going to blend with the crowd so that the gate keepers won't notice us. What will we do after we leave?" His personal maid was getting impatient.

"Erm… We'll hitch a ride from the Central town to Chikyuu then we have to go on foot until we reach the forest and the Great Spirit's River."

"That's it?" Anna shot up from her seat and slammed her hands on the old map. "How very creative!"

"I'm sorry…" the prince lowered his head. "I couldn't think of a faster if not a better way to get you back to your kingdom… "

The blonde girl sighed. Maybe she was expecting too much from such a laidback royal. "The palace people will eventually find out that you have left if you'll be gone for some time. You'll be in big trouble as soon as you come back, Yoh. Just help me get a ride towards the border then I can manage on my own."

The Kasai heir shook his head, "No, I won't do that Anna. A promise is a promise. I'll accompany you throughout your journey home."

"Oh really? Maybe you're just finding a good excuse to escape from these prison walls."

Prince Yoh turned around to hide his flushed cheeks, "Or maybe I just want to make the most of the remaining time we have before we say goodbye to each other…"

The blond girl fell silent.

"You'll become the queen of Kouku upon returning home… and as for me, I'll be the king of Kasai someday…"

Anna let out a slight smile, "so you finally realize that you want to lead this kingdom after all…"

"Once I'm king I'll work hard to free the four kingdoms from the strict rules of the treaty so that we can truly live in peace and harmony even if it would take ages or even if I'll die trying."

His personal maid nodded approvingly. Old queen Kino would be glad to hear that her grandson had finally accepted his responsibility to the throne. She might not approve of his plan to open lines of communication with the enemy kingdoms though.

"Can you promise me one thing, Princess Anna?" Yoh grinned at her goofily.

"It depends on whether you are asking for too much."

"If I fail on this one and we couldn't see each other anymore, promise me you won't forget about me…"

"You won't fail, Yoh," the girl told him sternly, "and if we can't meet each other in one another's palaces, then maybe we can see each other by the Great Spirit's River. You'll be on Kasai's side and I'll be on Kouku's side. Nobody can accuse us of trespassing."

"That's a good idea, Anna. I'll be watching you from the other side when you get married to Prince Ren, when you play with your children, when you tell stories to them about your adventures in Kasai, when you stroll down the riverbank when you're already old..."

The blond girl sank back to her seat and felt a slight pang in her chest. Why is it suddenly painful to leave him behind?

"Don't mind me, okay? I'll just be hiding behind the trees when your husband or your soldiers are there. But that would make me look like a spy or a pervert though... Maybe we should agree on when we should see each other. Anna… Are you crying?" The prince thought he heard a stifled sob.

"No, no, I'm not. Something's just in my eye, stupid."