Guard! Guard!" Jada yelled, her deep voice resounding throughout the massive dungeon. Some other unseen prisoners yelled for her to keep quiet, but Jada ignored them. Brynn lay upon the hay, motionless on her side. Her disordered hair, damp and muddy, was sprawled across her face.

The guard's hurried footsteps echoed down the passageway as he came near. "What is it?" he asked as he scrambled to the cell. His eyes fell upon the dormant woman. "Is she dead?" he almost squeaked.

Jada shook her head, "I don't know. She just collapsed!" The guard continued to stare at Brynn, uncertain of what he should do. "Aren't you going to do something?" Jada demanded. "You have to at least look at her!"

"Y-yeah," the guard offered reluctantly. He shuffled among his clothes for the keys. Jada stepped away from the door to the near wall. The guard found his keys and nervously unlocked the door. His eyes remained on the woman as he stepped into the cell, worried but intrigued. He leaned over Brynn and whispered, "I've never seen a dead body before." Jada quickly laced her fingers together, lifted her arms and struck down on the guard's head. Without a sound the guard collapsed on top of Brynn. "Stick around long enough and maybe you will."

"Ugh, get him off of me," Brynn exhaled as she attempted to roll him away from her. Jada eagerly kicked at the guard's limp body, sending him rolling across the hay. She offered a brawny hand to Brynn to help her to her feet. Brynn brushed herself off quickly. "Thanks."

Jada didn't answer. She squatted by the guard and began emptying his pockets.

A short time later, the women walked quietly down the passage. Brynn played at her new clothes. The guard's uniform was too large for her, but it would do for a short time. Her bruised and bloody back still pained her, but she was willing to suffer a little more. The hay that had been stuffed hurriedly to fit her in the clothes provided some unexpected comfort against the wounds, but it itched even worse than the throbbing on her back. She looked up at the tall knight, not sure what to think of her yet. She had made a quick judgment, but it was the only chance she had, if it was a chance at all. The female knight had come up with a scheme quickly once Brynn had spoken the words that she wanted to escape. Brynn still felt a bit surprised that the woman allowed her to escape with her, but perhaps Brynn's judgment of the knight was right after all. She wanted to believe that the knight would get them out of the prison safely and she wanted to believe that the knight was not going to turn against her. She couldn't imagine why the knight would, but she knew little of the soldiers here. The knight, Jada - Brynn had learned her name - seemed a bit perturbed that Brynn had known she was really a woman, but Brynn couldn't be certain if it was because she knew of it or of how she came to know it. Brynn imagined she would be upset if she got a reaction like the one the guard had for Jada earlier.

Brynn looked about the cells. Most of them were empty now, though occasionally she heard the soft crunching of prisoners turning on their hay beds. Anyone of them could open their eyes and spot them walking casually down the corridor. "You're sure this will work?"

Jada shot her a quick glance, but she did not slow. "It will have to work."

"Yeah," Brynn whispered, scratching her arms, "but this hay is just horrible!"

"It's the best I could think of in short notice," the knight explained. She spoke quietly, but she still held the tone of authority that reminded Brynn that she was with a commander, a Protector of the Kingdom. "Those clothes look too big on you otherwise. We'd never get anyone to believe you're a guard."

Brynn accepted that. She was too short and slim to pass as a man without the hay to fill in the uniform. She still felt uneasy. "What if someone stops us?" Brynn pleaded in a whisper. "What are we going to do?"

Jada took in a deep breath. Brynn wondered if it was a sign of irritation at her questions. From the lack of emotion on the knight's face, it was hard to tell. "Just keep your arms crossed and your head down." She sounded just like a man.
Brynn shifted her eyes about the passing cells again, no one seemed to notice them. She kept arms tucked under to keep the hay in place as she was told. Her short legs worked double time to keep up with the knight. This was ridiculous! Escaping the prisons with a knight! And dressed like a man herself! She spoke without thinking. "You're not setting me up to get some kind of pardon?"

Jada stopped and looked at her gravely. Her green eyes showed that the knight allowed no nonsense. Brynn found herself swallowing as she faced that hard stare. At her full height she stood well below the shoulder of the knight. She was going to have to be careful with her tongue. Woman or not, this knight was imposing. She could easily knock Brynn out as she had done the guard with her bare hands. She didn't let herself think long on what else the knight could possibly do with her bare hands. Jada brought the face plate of the helmet down off her forehead with a soft clank. Securing it expertly with one hand, she breathed coldly through the steel bars, "You're going to have to trust me."

Brynn let out a sigh of relief. She certainly could not afford to get this woman angry with her. She could be a fierce enemy or a valued ally. Brynn was determined to gain her as an ally. The knight certainly seemed to be in control of things, so collected and demanding even though she had shared a jail cell with her. As she tried to see through the bars of the face plate to look into to the knight's eyes she grimaced. It was one thing to be in the same cell with her and another to be able to trust her with her life.

"Hey!" a voice came from down the passage. Brynn froze.

Jada inhaled and looked in the direction from which the voice came. "Keep calm. I'll handle it," she whispered out of the side of her face plate. She turned also to see the newcomer. Brynn had no doubt Jada could handle a charging bull with the way the knight carried herself. She wasn't so sure of herself, though. Her hands shook lightly under her arms.

Out of the dim light a figure appeared. A man dressed in the black and green shades of the Kingdom stood with his hairy hands on his hips. The two embroidered gold rings entwined together on his chest gave him away as a soldier and the gold embroidered leaf below them told her that he was an officer, though Brynn was not sure of his rank. The ways of the Dackarian people were still a little confusing to her, but she knew these symbols well enough. The soldier had his attention on Brynn and she tried desperately from breaking out in a cold sweat. "You weren't at your post!" he spat. "You're wanted outside."

"For what?" Jada asked cautiously.

The soldier gave a bit of a start when he realized the one who addressed him was a knight, though maybe not his direct commander, but his superior just the same. He straightened visibly under the knight's stare and held his chest out. "They're planning that traitor's hanging," he boasted confidently as if reporting that an attack was upon the Kingdom and he alone would see that it was stopped.

Brynn shifted on her feet, trying precariously to keep the unruly hay in place. She kept her head down so not to show her face in the light. The subtle scrunch of the hay caught the soldier's suspicion. He eyed her spitefully. Brynn's heart raced despite her efforts to remain calm.

"What are you doing here?" he ordered. He craned his neck to get a look at Brynn's face, but she avoided his stare. Her mouth went suddenly dry as she tried to think of something, not to mention if she could shield her voice deep enough to pass as a man. She did not understand how Jada accomplished it. The soldier leaned closer, his hot breath not an arm's length away. "Why weren't you at your post? I 'm writing you up!"

Jada took a step closer to the soldier. Her eyes were sharp with natural authority through the slits of her face plate. "This man was assisting me with a prisoner." The soldier looked up at her hurriedly with a quick flash of anger, or was it fear? "Surely, he can leave his post for that."

"Yes, of course." The soldier backed away. "I was just doing my duty."

"Perhaps you should go back to basic training," she hissed. Her tone was cool and unreserved. "I don't recall anything about harassing guards in the line of duty."

"Y-Yes, sir," came the meek response. He lifted his right hand to the symbols on his chest in a salute.

The knight ignored it and turned to Brynn. "Now, let's go see about hanging this traitor."

Brynn, still keeping her eyes down and her arms crossed, proceeded to walk toward the back entrance of the dungeon. The scrunching grew louder as she walked. She hoped the soldier hadn't noticed the strange noise. He squinted and tilted his head slightly as he watched her, but he remained in the salute.

"Funny," he uttered, "I don't remember him being so fat."

Jada gave the soldier a brazen look then fell in beside Brynn in two easy steps. The soldier remained where he stood, his hand finally coming down from salute, until the two disappeared into the shadows of the dungeon.

"That was close," Brynn whispered nervously.

Jada continued her comfortable gait. The sound of her creaking leather armor covered the noise of the hay. "We'll go to my quarters quickly and retrieve some necessities."

Brynn gave a side glance to her. The knight sure seemed to get herself out of that hopelessness Brynn had witnessed back in the cell. As they walked up the stones steps leading to the back exit, a guard nodded slightly at them and continued his guard. Brynn kept her head down and walked beside Jada as if she were a soldier herself. She looked at the knight from the corner of her eye as they walked. She wondered if it really was hopelessness that she saw in the knight earlier. Looking at the knight now, showing no signs of despair, she wondered if she had just imagined it.

"Jonas!" Emma exclaimed as she opened the door. She stood on her toes and hugged Jada. Jada returned the hug carefully. "What is going on?" Emma managed through the knights' chest. "Rydal came by - is it true?"

Jada stood back, her long arms resting on Emma's soft shoulders. "Yes," she sighed deeply, "I'm afraid it is."

"Well, come on in, come on in." Emma stretched her neck to peep around the tall knight. "And your guest?"

Jada took a step aside. "Emma Josev, meet Brynn Lockern."

Brynn nodded briefly. "Nice to meet you, Ma'am."

Emma jerked her head back, she gave a quick look to Jada, then back at Brynn. She hadn't expected such a soft voice. Her face reflected slight amusement as she eyed the strange woman in a man's clothing. "Well, nice to meet you, eh, Miss."

Jada walked around the room looking for her traveling equipment. Brynn stood quietly near the front window.

"Jonas-" Emma began softly as she closed the door.

"No," Jada assured her, "it's all right. She knows."

Emma took in a deep breath and folded her thick hands in front of her round waist. "Oh." She was a big woman with the eyes of a loving grandmother. Her long gray hair was done up in a bun at the nape of her neck, the fashion for older women in Dackar. Her pale blue silk dress, which fell to her ankles, was wrinkled as if the woman had not bothered to change for some time. The gray of her eyes were a prefect match to her hair.

Jada began to load her traveling pack with equipment about the small house. She glanced at the sword on the wall, her father's sword. She wanted to go to the weapons room in the castle to retrieve her own sword, but knew that would prove futile. She searched her mind for the equipment needed, but found herself unable to think of anything that was not also in the castle. Everything had happened so fast, it hardly seemed real. Normally, she had a good head for planning a strategy, but not today. Today would mark the end of her old life and she would have to learn to cope with it like she had so many other things throughout her young life.

"We're going away for awhile, Em," she explained rather calmly. "I don't know if I'll be back. Things are going to be different now for me - for us."

Emma took a seat on a small wooden chair in the corner. "Jada, what's going on, exactly? Rydal spoke of your arrest," she gave out a frustrated chuckle, "for treason of all things!"

Jada stopped and looked anxiously at her. "You mean he doesn't know yet?" Rydal's reaction to the news was something she did not want to think about.

"Know?" Emma asked, fearful. "Know what?" Her face was tense with anticipation. She folded her wrinkled hands in her lap, waiting for Jada's reply.

"That I'm not Jonas," Jada replied seriously. "I've been found out."

Jada sensed the peasant woman's surprise. She hadn't mentioned why she was in the cell with her, the woman didn't need to know. It was too late now. If the woman proved to be a threat to her then she would see to that later. Emma shook her head slowly, her eyes focused on Jada's solemn expression. "Oh, my dear girl." She erupted into tears and brought her hands up to shield her face.

Jada proceeded to stuff equipment into her traveling bag, allowing the older woman's tears no effect on her. Her heart went out to Emma, but this was not the time to be soft. She needed to think. "If only I knew some place safe that the other knights didn't also know."

Emma continued to cry. Her plump body shaking with each anguished wail. She wanted to go to Emma and tell her that she would fix things. She wished to tell her there was nothing to worry about, but she couldn't when she knew it for a lie. Jada forced herself to ignore her friend's crying and proceeded to think. She racked her memory for a place to retreat before she could be found by the king's men. Brynn gave a hard look towards Jada, but she ignored that too. Let her think I am a heartless beast. Brynn went to the crying woman and knelt beside her, patting her hand. Emma's cries softened as she gained some composure. "Can't Jerell do anything?" she sobbed. "He's the Head Councilman."

Jada stared again at the sword on the wall. She would need a good sword. She silently prayed that her father would forgive her for taking it. Slowly, she removed her father's sword from it's support on the wall. "No," she finally answered Emma, tossing the sword in her hand for balance, "and if he comes here, don't believe anything he says." She gave Emma a serious gaze. "He's the real traitor." She stuck the sword into the empty sheath strapped against her back. "He betrayed us. He betrayed my father."

Emma shook her head. "No."

Jada swallowed hard, fighting back the rage that burned inside her chest. Her sober look convinced Emma that Jada spoke the truth.

"Why?" Emma wailed again.

Brynn continued to pat her hand reassuringly. She looked back at the knight, but Jada dismissed her bitterness. Jada ignored Emma's rhetoric question as well and surveyed her inventory. She would like to know the answer to that herself. Could it be Jerell's narrow minded jealously of her father's status? Had he wanted to get back at him once more by betraying her? She couldn't be sure and couldn't stay around to find out. She quickly threw her pack over her shoulder. "We have to be going. They'll be looking for us soon," she announced.

"Where will you go?" Emma sniffed without lifting her head.

Brynn got to her feet, releasing some loose hay from her sleeves as she did. "It may not be very pleasant, but my people live not far into the western mountains. We could go there."

Jada was concerned. Why would it not be pleasant? That was a question for another time. It was something, though and she needed a direction quickly. "How many days travel?"

Brynn slowly shook her head. "I couldn't be sure. More days than fingers, but less than the moon's full cycle."

"Ten to thirty days?" Jada blinked, perplexed by Brynn's counting methods. "You can't be more specific?"

"No," Brynn lamented quietly. "I'm sorry, I never learned to count."

Jada sighed loudly. They should have at least taught her how to count at the castle, if not to read a little. "All right. We'll go." She gave the peasant woman an incredulous look. "You know the way?"

Brynn nodded. "That I do know."

Emma raised herself from the chair, restraining the tears. "What will I do without you?" she whined softly. "You're all I have left now."

Jada walked over to her, "You'll be fine." She hugged her. Emma's sobs returned. "I don't know when, but I promise you I will return someday. I may not be the knight you know now, but I'll be back. Dackar is my home."

"This is your home," Emma barked. Brynn jumped at the woman's fierceness.

Jada backed from the embrace and looked sternly into the old woman's eyes. "If Jerell and his men come, you know nothing. He will not suspect you if he has any brains left in his head. You've done nothing wrong. If he questions you - "

Emma nodded, her face swollen from tears. "I'll know what to say," she said.

"Don't trust him," Jada intoned flatly.

"What about Rydal?" Emma asked, her voice squeaking.

Jada shook her head. Who knows what he will make of this? Someone's got to know that Jerell is up to something, but bringing Rydal into this could prove to be fatal for her friend. She didn't want him to be accused of being part of her deception. She wished that Emma wasn't, but Emma was capable of being a strong woman. She could fight her own way out of it. "Use your own judgment," she told the old woman. "If he suspects you, then anything you tell him will be taken as a lie." She licked her lips in thought. "Perhaps you can spread word that Jerell is planning something. Rumors spread faster than disease around here."

"What could he be planning?"

Jada sighed. "I don't know, but my gut tells me there is something more to this than just the truth being known about me."

Brynn walked to the window and peeked out. "Someone's coming!" she cried in a loud whisper.

"Through the back door," Jada exclaimed, pointing the way. She turned back to Emma, her voice soft. "Goodbye, Em."

"Where is she?" Jerell commanded, his eyes shifting about the room. Emma didn't answer. "Search the rooms," he ordered his men. He turned to Emma. His black eyes were lit with a dangerous air. "Where is she?" he repeated.

Emma shook her head, not sure what to make of him. "I don't know what you're-"

He grabbed her arm furiously, shaking her. "Where?" he snarled. His dark eyes pierced through her, causing her to loose her breath. She shook her head frightened by the sudden change in him. Jada was right. Jerell had betrayed them all.

His sinister stare remained on Emma as he dropped her arm abruptly. Through clenched teeth he spoke to the closest guard, "Arrest her."