Moon Princess by Diane Collier Page A

perhaps Lillia's best friend in the entire kingdom, and the only one she could entrust with her secret. Tying the princess's blonde hair into a tight bun, Claire took a few steps back to admire the disguise. Once the hood was up to cover the long elf ears, Lillia was almost indistinguishable from anyone in the crowd. The two friends gave a quick hug, in which Claire gave Lillia the rope, and then quickly left the room, locking the door behind here. That way no one would get suspicious.
    Alone again, the elven princess didn't have any time to lose. She ran back to the balcony, tying the rope to the end and throwing it down to the garden below. This tradition was not new, and thanks to her developed reflexes, she climbed down the rope quickly, landing on a patch of grass off the beaten path. She left the rope as it was, knowing she'd need to return once her mission was complete. Lowering herself to the ground, she waited for the guards to pass by her, and quietly moved through until she reached another wall next to a large oak tree. This was actually the easy part; she climbed up the tree's branches and made a small jump to the ledge of the wall. There was only one real option to get down, though. Lacking any real tools, she carefully dug her nails into the crevasses on the wall, climbing down the ten foot wall. Her hands ached, her arms shook, and any moment she swore her strength would fail her and she'd let go.
    That was not the case this time, and she made it down without a hitch. Her arms were still weak, but it was a much better performance than last week. Lillia wiped the sweat off the front of her brow as she stopped to regain her breath. When she felt better a few moments later, she quickly ran off into the city proper. She remembered her first time taking this path, frightened at shadows and unfamiliar faces. But now she ran through the streets as if they were the forests of her old home, ducking past guards and heading in to the residential district. She was almost to her secret place, the tiny, unassuming house at the end of the road. The home of her lover.
    Lillia knocked on the door, which opened to her forthwith, and she rushed inside. The door closed behind her, but there was no one there to greet her. She moved forwards a few steps, lower her hood as she glances around suspiciously. No one. This was odd. Walking further into the house, she knew something was wrong. A creak in the floor startled her, causing her to jump and turn around, expecting anything to happen. This was just like him; he loved to sneak around almost as much as she did. It was all part of the little game they played, and she intended to win this time. Her eyes darted around the room, waiting for any sign of his movement when...
    “HA!”
    Coming out of nowhere , Antonio leaped out, grabbing Lillia by both arms and holding them behind her back. He let out a deep guffaw, his brown eyes shining with intelligence and glee. Young and excitable, the man was a blacksmith, commissioned by the prince to create weapons. Even with the war being over, there was plenty of demand to keep him in business, and that was how he met the lovely elven maiden. His long, brown hair was kept in a ponytail, his face was scruffy, with the beginnings of a beard forming around his chin and cheeks, and his hands were rough from years of working the forge. Like Prince Derek, his frame was decorated with muscle, but his skin was noticeably more tan.
    His captured elf struggled in his grasp, but was unable to escape. He chuckled, saying, “Lilly, you've got to stop being so predictable. We've b een together for how long now?”
    “Three weeks,” she says, still attempting t o turn around and look at him.
    “Exactly,” he replied, “If I didn't know any better, I'd say you liked it.”
    “Maybe I do,” Lillia replied, rubbing her behind up against his crotch, “So tell me, now that you've caught me, what are we going to do?”
    “Hmm...” Antonio pondered,