Ezra couldn't stand it. She obeyed her parents. She was a proper princess- at least most of the time- and still they don't let her make her own decisions. She could find a husband if she wanted. Sure she turned down the first two suitors, but still. She didn't even bother changing into her riding clothes. She just shook down her intricate hairdo as she walked down the halls in her special dress she was required to wear to meet her fiance.

By the time she started climbing on her horse, she was getting suspicious. Why didn't her parents send someone after her? And if the prince was such a noble man, why wasn't he running after her? She had ridden to the edge of the forest when she decided to look back, expecting to see some guards riding after her. But instead she saw a faint green glow surrounding the castle. She immediately turned her horse around and rode back. The back doors were open with 4 dead guards right outside and inside the green barrier. Her parents and fiance stood on the other side, keeping their distance.

Without dismounting, she hollered, "What happened?"

Her mother opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it and everyone's eyes focused on something behind her. She turned around to see a strange woman. Her hair was pale blonde, her cheekbones prominant, full lips, dark eyes. She was beautiful. But it wasn't a graceful beauty, it was a sharp, frightening beauty.

"I cast a curse on the castle. No one can get in. No one can get out. Except for me. You see what happens if you try," she said with a smirk. "This castle belongs to me now." With that she was gone in the blink of an eye.

Without saying a word, she left straight into the forest. She didn't have time to think. She had to get to someone who cold help. No normal person or warrior was going to be able to help. She needed a sorceror. A powerful one.

This is how she ended up in front of a hovel. And that was being kind. Did an all powerful sorceror really live here? She figured a man of his stature would be living a little more extravagently. She went up to the door, her dress torn and dirty, her hair wild and messy, and carefully knocked on the door. People in the town nearby warned her of him. They said he was mischeivous. She figured maybe he was tricky and maybe charged a lot or something. She stepped back after knocking and waited for the sorceror to answer the door.

There was one particular thing about this witch: she always kept her word. Strange, that. But Zugos wasn’t about to complain as he held the crimson gem in his hands, watched as it glowed eerily in the dark. And to think that she was so willing to part with something as powerful as this, just for a couple of half-finished protective spells. The woman definitely had some evil motives that he didn’t know about. But then, he didn’t care. She got her spells, and in return, he had his gem and no nasty curse that came with it. That was more than he could ask for, considering his client’s occupation.

With an idle smile, he qucikly shoved piles of dusty old books out of the way, sending them tumbling down the equally dusty floor, then placed the gem down on the now empty table. After that, he took out a knife, began to carve arcane symbols all over the wooden surface. He didn’t have to concentrate so much, as the symbols came naturally for him now and in just moment, he had finished. However, that was just the easy part. Magic was a curious thing. It had a mind of its own, and basically, it did what it wanted most of the time. Most couldn’t control it as much as they claimed. Those witches, for example. He, though, saw the nature of magic for what it was.

The energy tugged at his fingertips, and he placed them on the table, pouring magic into the symbols. The gem glowed even brighter, heating radiating from its small form in waves, akin to a heartbeat. His head ached, a reminder that he hadn’t got much sleep for a few days now, but it was easy to ignore. After all, he was finally getting some results from an eternity of hard work. With the completion of this spell, he would be one step closer to his goal. Providing that nothing went wrong.

One of his ring suddenly heated up, its arcane symbols glowed a blinding gold. He snapped out his trance, lifting his hands from the table instinctively. And that was all it took. The spell fizzled out and died abruptly, left nothing but a strand of smoke slowly rising from the darken gem. “ By the bloody curse…”- Zugos threw his head back in frustration, hands gripping the table with all his strength. Why, of all time? That was one of his guarding ward, which meant someone had been trespassing. The witch had a change of heart and now suddenly wanted her gem back? Or worse, those imbeciles from the village wanted something again? Either way, he would have to try to keep his temper under control before reaching for that door. Zapping whoever out there would probably lighten his mood quite a bit, but he didn’t want an angry mob brandishing pitchforks at his door or a nasty curse on his head.

Swallowing his anger, he reached for his cane, a fancy thing that seemed very out of place in this mess of a house and began limping for the door, favoring his left leg. The door opened with a flick of his hand, revealing a young woman with wild hair and torn dress, but still managed to be quite pleasing on the eyes. She seemed to be upset about something. He narrowed his eyes for a brief moment, making sure it wasn’t a witch’s glamor or anything like that. Didn’t seem possible though, as he would have sense the magic right away. So with his doubts cleared, he smirked and tipped his head slightly.

“Greetings, my lady, and welcome to my humble shack. To what do I owe this honor?”

Ezra straightened up when she heard footsteps coming toward the door. "Hello, sir," she greeted. "I'm princess Ezra of Are you the powerful sorceror known as Zugos?" She never would've imagined he'd look like this. She was expecting someone older. At least in his 50s at least. Not a young man about her age. How as he able to master magic at his age? Was she at the wrong place? And why did he have a cane?

He looked like he was hiding annoyance. She must've come at a bad time. What did she interrupt? She shook the unsure thoughts away. She couldn't be worried about that stuff now. She had to focus on why she came. She had to rescue her family. They were trapped and who knew how that witch would torment them? And if she didn't get there soon enough... Would she kill them? And what of the prince? All he was doing was visiting because he was going to marry her. And he wasn't unattractive. She never gave him a chance. She had to get back. She needed this sorceror's help.

Leaning against the door frame, Zugos peered down at the distressed woman, half interested. That was, until she said she was the princess. Now this wasn’t something he saw everyday around these parts. The royalty didn’t come here. They didn’t need his services, unlike the villagers of these back water lands. They had their court wizards and sometimes, their witches. But just now, this stranger appeared at his door in all of her finery, as torn and dirty as it was, claiming she was the princess. And it seemed she was looking for him. The rumors about his abilities must have travelled fast then, for the royalty to notice. Those idiots from the village must have been blabbering, even after he had told them not to. Maybe he should turn them all into cats after this.

Seeing as there was no way he could continue his work in piece, he straightened up. She had doubts in her eyes then, probably found it hard to believe someone like him could be the famed Zugos of the western lands. After all, he was still fairly young for someone of this profession, and all those nights staying up had certainly done him no good. Not to mention the wild hair and permanent limp. Then again, he wasn’t trying to impress anyone.

“Zugos? No, I’m just a creepy loony who likes to live in the middle of nowhere for fun.”- He half smiled, eyeing her up and down. She probably wouldn’t believe that anyway. The villagers pointed her here, after all. “But you still haven’t answered my question, princess. Why are you looking for Zugos?”

She didn't believe him when he said he wasn't Zugos, but she didn't let it show. "I'm sorry. My castle was cursed while I wasn't in it. Now no one can go in or out," she said, barely staying calm. "I need Zugos' help to bring it down and save them." She decied to go along with him saying he wasn't Zugos. Better not argue with the person she was trying to get help from.

She realized she might not look like a princess. Her hair was messy, her dress- although expensive- was dirty and torn. And although she held herself with regality as she was trained to do, she probably looked exhausted. And she was. She came here without stopping at any inns. A normal trip that involved stopping to eat and sleep would've taken at least one and a half weeks. But she got here in six days because she just rode her horse here. They barely stopped and her horse was more exhausted then she. She hadn't slept in five days. One day she just passed out and slept for the day. But she hadn't eaten in all six days. She was ready to pass out, but she couldn't.

Unfortunately she had already thought of how long the trip back would take. It should take at least one and a half weeks. She highly doubted the sorceror would allow them to make their trip back without stopping. No person in their right mind would do that. But she needed to save them. Her mom and dad. All the staff. And the prince. He was only there to meet her because they were getting married. And she never gave him a chance. She should be stuck in the castle too. She didn't even want to think about what that witch was doing to them, how she could be torturing them. And if they didn't get there soon... Would she kill them?

Zugos perked up at the mention of a curse. Now that was uncharacteristically bold, even for those witches. A curse now and then on an unimportant peasant was fine, but this time, the royal family? They must be out of their mind. Or possibly not.

“No one can go in or out? So what happens when they do?”- He narrowed his eyes, tapping the cane absentmindedly. There must be a reason for this recklessness. A witch didn’t just waltz up to random people and curse them for fun. As far as he knew, a curse of that caliber, covering the entirety of the castle ground, must require a lot of work. Not something that could be done with a flick of the wrist. But why did the witch do it? Something was aloof, of that he had no doubt. Maybe an elaborated plan from those witches? Trying to take over the royal family and stuffs? Fools. The king hadn’t exactly outlawed witchcraft back then, but after this incident, he probably would. If he managed to survive.

So lost in his thoughts that Zugos didn’t realize the woman before him hadn’t given the answer to his question. Curious, he glanced up briefly, mouth opened, ready for another sarcastic jab. But upon seeing her current state, he held his tongue. The girl looked like she hadn’t slept days and hadn’t eaten a decent meal in longer. He should probably do something before she passed out right there on his door step.

“…Where are my manners? Please, princess, come in.”- He smiled, stepping inside and motioning her to follow. Limping his way around what might be qualified as a living room, he began sweeping stacks of books from the old couch to make room. “Excuse the mess. You see, I haven’t had any visitors of late. Certainly not one from the royal family." Pausing for a moment, he turned to look her square in the eyes, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. "And you're right. I'm Zugos Velarium, sorcerer and professional procrastinator, at your service."

He repeated how no one could go in or out in a question and she shook her head, but she was too focused in her thoughts to completely register his second one. In her state, she could either have many thoughts or listen. She couldn't do both at the moment. She nodded her head in thanks at his invitation to come in. "Thank you," she said, smiling faintly. "It's fine. I don't mind a mess." She sat down carefully on the couch even though she felt like collapsing. But she was there on business and was a princess. She had to keep her posture.

Ezra looked back up to see him staring at her with a slight smile which caught her off guard. What caught her more off guard was when he introduced himself as a professional procrastinator. That was something she wasn't expecting. She smiled back, ignoring it. "Thank you Zugos," she replied. She straightened her hair a little more even though she did that a lot before knocking on the door. It was embarrassing.

She thought back for a second and realized that Zugos had asked her what happened if someone tried to leave or enter the castle. "Oh! I'm sorry. I didn't answer your question earlier," she said, apologizing. "If anyone tries to leave or enter the castle, they die. We lost a few guards who tried to leave and enter." She was sure she also almost lost her parents who probably tried to leave before seeing the guards die first, but she shook the thought away. Don't think about it. It was irrelevant now. She had to focus on getting back.

Zugos rubbed his chin, tilted his head slightly as he paced around the living room with a faraway look in his emerald eyes. So this wasn’t just a barrier or a hex, but a proper, fatal curse. This was even worse. No witch could have this much power. The few remaining witch hunters had made sure of that. Then again, they were only humans, capable of making mistakes like the rest of the world. He was in no position to judge. The problem now was that curse at the castle. He could break it, that he was sure. Witches’ spells were powerful and dangerous and they can cast it with little to no effort, but the spells themselves lacked complexity. Compare to the enchantment he usually tinkered with, those curses were child play. However, to break the curse, he would have to be there himself and who knew what that witch had in store for them…

“I see…”- He mumbled after a few moment, then resumed his pacing. –“But now that I know what happened, the next question is why? Witches don’t curse people randomly, princess. I don’t mean to offend, but have you, or anyone in the royal family did something that could be seen as offensive to that witch?”

While waiting for his answer, Zugos went to the kitchen in order to fetch some food for the princess. There wasn’t much, as he hadn’t gone to the market this month. Or the last. He had been surviving on cookies and breads for quite a while now. Sighing heavily, he picked up a chipped mug and some cookies that looked remotely edible, then placed them in front of the woman. With a snap of his fingers, the mug was filled with hot coffee, but there wasn’t much he could do about the cookies. “The least I can offer, princess.”- He shrugged, catching a glimpse of her uneasiness. She must be worried, after all, her parents were still trapped in a cursed castle. –“ And I don’t think you should worry too much. If a witch that powerful wants the king and the queen dead, she wouldn’t bother trapping them.”

Ezra thought about his question. Her parents weren't rude to anyone in the kingdom and they allowed the practice of magic in the kingdom as long as it was used for good. That couldn't be it. She shook her head. "No I don't believe anyone in the royal family did anything to her. I, personally, had never seen her in my life," she responded. She watched him go into the kitchen and fetch her some cookies. She didn't pay attention to the way they looked, she was happy to have anything to eat. "Thank you very much," she said with a smile. She ate slowly both out of manners and because she knew if she ate too quickly, she'd puke.

She snapped out of her thoughts when she heard his voice speak again. She nodded. "You're probably right," she said. "Thanks." She picked up the mug and sipped on the hot coffee. It felt relieving to have something in her stomach again. She stopped eating after three cookies, but not because of the staleness. She knew she couldn't eat regular portions of food. She'd have to work her way up to that. That's what she gets for starving herself for days.

She glanced at Zugos quickly out of the corner of her eye. He was being so kind. She would make sure to reward him after his help. Of course she wasn't thinking this would be a free favor just because she was royalty. She would reward him with a new house if he wanted. And plenty of gold and food. He would want for nothing. She could never thank him enough for all the help he was giving her.

She finished the coffee and suddenly felt five times more tired. She didn't even know it was possible to feel so exhausted. She was ready to fall asleep right then and there. "I'm dreadfully sorry if this is an inconvenience. But do you have a place for me to sleep?" she asked.

While Ezra carried on with her meal, Zugos stood quietly on the other side of the room, leaning against the table, hands tapping the cane absentmindedly as he lost in his own thoughts. A journey to the castle would take at least a week, if they hurried and on horseback. Yes, mount is a must, since he didn’t want slow them down with his disability. Wouldn’t be hard to get some farmer to sell him one, and the princess had already got hers. She was probably much better at riding that he was, by the look of it.

But then, Zugos had to ask himself. Was he really going to go through with this plan? Of course, a royal favor had its uses, but even they couldn’t give him what he truly wanted. Then again, he couldn’t just send her away. He considered himself morally questionable, not heartless. She actually took her time to come all this way, maybe the girl were more than just a snotty, sheltered princess. He chewed on his lower lip, pondering. She could protect herself, right? Not that the roads around these parts were dangerous or anything. The king’s army took care of bandits and wild beasts ages ago.

Zugos jerked his head up when the princess suddenly asked for a place to sleep. He stared at her for a moment, dumbfounded. It was reasonable, since she looked pretty much like someone who had gone through hell and back, but there was a small problem. “A bed, huh? It is perfectly appropriate for young women to sleep at strangers’ houses these days, I guess.”-The smile returned to his lips as he stood up and walked over to the princess. “I’m afraid that couch is all I have. You see, I don’t sleep much. Duty calls and all that…Though I can conjure something up. But that would take time…”- He trailed off, one of his rings started to glow again.-“ You should get some sleep, princess. It seemed I have some…visitors.”

And with that, he nodded at her with a smile, before limping his way to the door.

Ezra blushed slightly at his teasing remark. She realized how her question sounded. A young woman coming to a stranger's house and sleeping over. It was hardly the act of a princess. But if she didn't sleep, she'd pass out soon. She would have to regret it later. She nodded and thanked him for offering his couch. She didn't want to make him conjure a bed just for her. He was doing enough by helping her. A couch was good enough anyway. After passing out against a rough tree and not sleeping for days, a stack of hay would feel inviting.

She sat on the couch, ready to fall asleep, when she noticed one of Zugos' many rings started to glow. Just as she began to wonder what it meant, he basically explained it by saying he had visitors. She felt strange to be sleeping while he had other visitors come over, so she attempted straightened her hair once more before looking at the door. She assumed the sorcecer would open the door to find some villagers. Certainly they asked for his help all the time. Some people were just too lazy to work towards something, so they resort to magic. Other times, they're desperate as she was.

Zugos reached for the door, assuming it was just another silly villager. They came for him all the time, either asking for potions to help them with their crops or sometimes, their love life. And every single time, his hands itched for the chance to turn them all into timber. Hardly appropriated, he knew. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to hope. However, as soon as the door opened, he sensed magic. Not his, but something far stronger and darker. Far more ancient. The stench of long dead corpse and dried blood lingering in the air, sending chill up his spine. Zugos frowned, fingers tightening around his cane.

Heavy footsteps drew closer, setting off all his wards without a thought. So the targets must be non-human then, else the spells would turn them all around by now. An armored figured emerged from the bushes, lifeless eyes stared at him as it lumbering forward. Just one? He raised an eyebrow, touching one of his rings. It remained dimmed, which puzzled Zugos even more. What kind of attack was this? Sending nothing but a shambling corpse? Or perhaps it wasn’t an attack at all, but something else entirely. Without further ado, he lifted the cane, pointed the perfectly engraved gemstone at the corpse. Lighting suddenly erupted from the blue stone, effectively blasted the abomination all the way back into the forest. The recoil sent him staggering back, but he managed to steady himself with the cane. “No such thing as overkill, they say…”-Zugos muttered, before making his way over to the twice-dead corpse.

Nothing of importance there, except for the king’s crest on its chest place, and a letter attached on it with a knife. He picked it up, quickly read the neat handwriting on the envelope. To princess Ezra, it said. That gave him a pause, then after a moment of hesitation, he pocketed it. He was curious, yes, but with her right there on his couch, it would be rather to read it without her knowledge. After that, he took the helmet off the corpse, noting the bloody symbols on its forehead. Necromancy, simple in designs, but no doubt the work of a master. This thing was only meant for delivering the letter, it seemed.

With that done, Zugos turned around and walked back into the house, offering the princess her letter. “This seem to be for you. Curious way to send a letter though… Didn’t they know there is still postal service around these parts?”

Ezra stood up as more wards went off. That didn't sound good. Standing in front of the couch, she peered over Zugos' shoulder to see a soldier from her kingdom. She felt a short burst of hope at first, but when she looked closer, she saw it was a living corpse and inhaled sharply. Most likely sent from that dreadful witch. She even recognized him. He was a good, kind, noble and loyal guard. She sighed. This was a powerful witch they were dealing with if she was even able to perform necromancy. She almost jumped when a sudden bolt of lightning was shot from Zugos.

Ezra saw that the sorcerer had picked up something that was attached to the corpse. It looked like a letter. She sat down again as he headed back to the house. She took the letter, not thinking much about the sarcastic comment he said. It was addressed to her Princess Ezra was on the front. She didn't want to read this in case it had awful news... She slowly unfolded the letter, breaking the seal of her kingdom that the witch used.

Princess Ezra

Your family and staff are still alive and mostly unharmed. Just thought I'd say that first to ease some of your worrying because I'm thinking about your feelings. I know you're worrying right now.

That said, I know what you're doing and if you don't give up and begin to return alone in three days, I'll unfortunately have to give you something to worry about. And don't think you can try to trick me and escape my knowledge. I have eyes everywhere. And I do mean everywhere princess. After three days, if you insist on playing little Ms. hero, I'll have to start killing off staff. And then quickly make my way to torturing your parents and fiance until they die an agonizingly slow and painful death. Even then, I'll have to fetch you forcefully, but that won't stop their deaths. And it'll all be on your head.

Dreadfully sorry for the threat, but it's necessary. You know what to do.

And tell lovely Zugos hello for me.

Ezra folded the letter back up. She was at a loss for words. What was she supposed to do? She couldn't go back. Then what was going to happen? Then everyone would be stuck in the castle. But she couldn't keept doing what she was doing. Then her family would die. What was she supposed to do?

She became aware that Zugos was still there, staring at her. "Do you want to read it?" she asked, raising it to him. So many thoughts were running through her head that she didn't have enough energy for. She didn't know what to do or what to think. She had never felt more helpless and useless before. It was apalling.

Zugos stood by her side, for once, keeping his mouth shut while observing her expressions. Didn’t seem like she was particular happy about the letter though. Quite the opposite. Just as soon as he began to wondering about the content of the mysterious letter, Ezra suddenly looked up and offered it to him. He raised his eyebrow, but took it from her in the end. If he were to put his life on the line for this, at least he wanted to be better informed. “If that is your wish…”- He opened the letter and read through it quickly, his expression blank. There wasn’t much he could get out of the strange letter, just the usual ‘return alone or I kill your parents’. However, he found an unsettling twist at the end. The witch seemed to know about him and was quite aware of the fact that the princess was here for his help. Maybe she wasn’t exaggerating about the ‘I have eyes everywhere’ thing. He would have to make sure all the wards were in top conditions later. He didn’t like the thought of having a witch spying on him.

“Well, princess Ezra”- He said casually, trying to clear away the heavy tension.-“Afraid you will have to decide here and now though… You can take the risk and I will follow as you return to the castle, without the witch knowing, of course. Or you can choose not to take that risk and do what she said.”- Still eyeing her carefully, Zugos crumbled the letter in his hand, watched as the smooth paper turned into ashes, then shattered when he whispered the spell. He wasn’t lying to her though. There weren’t many ways to hide from a witch’s scrying, fortunately, he knew one of them. It just basically involved a lot of energy and some specially modified cloaking spells.

Ezra just stared as he started to speak, barely hearing him. She looked up when he said that he could accompany her without the witch knowing. "Can we? You can make it so she can only see or sense me coming without you?" she asked. That would be amazing. She was left with almost an impossible choice otherwise. If he couldn't cloak himself, she would have to go back alone. So then they would all be stuck there. She wasn't going to risk her not killing her family immediately if she went back with Zugos. She wouldn't subject them to torture anyway.

"Let's do that," she said. "How are you going to make sure she doesn't know?" She knew he was strong enough to. She didn't think of it when she read the letter though. She thought she just had two options. However... to escape this witch's gaze. It was going to take a lot of magic and energy wasn't it? She hoped it wasn't too much trouble.

His lips curled up in a Cheshire cat grin as Zugos dusted the ashes from his hands. She sounded eager and not a slightest hint of doubt in her voice. Which was good. “ I can do that, yes. Though it would take quite a lot of energy. And I’m also sticking my head out for this, princess. This is no ordinary witch. So, you’d understand if I want some type of…compensation.”- He paused for a moment, thoughts rushing through his mind. There wasn’t actually anything he wanted from the royal family, at least for now. However, a favor from them might prove to be quite useful in the future. He would just have to come up with something to make sure they keep their words.-“ Let’s just say…A boon, for now. A favor that I will one day ask of the king. Nothing too major, don’t worry. But I do hope that your highness keep your words.”

With that said, Zugos turned around and moved toward his most recent project, the one that princess Ezra interrupted when she first arrived. He pocketed the glowing gem, then ran his hand along the scarred table. The arcane symbols disappeared at his touch, as if being written on sand. “I’d suggest trying to get some sleep, princess. I will have everything we needed ready by morning.”

Emily nodded when he stated his terms. "Of course," she agreed. After all he's doing for them, of course they would repay him. She would make sure of it. He didn't even have to ask. Emily watched as Zugos turned around and walked over to a table. It looked like a work table. Her eyes strayed from the table to his cane and wondered what happened. It must've been serious if his magic couldn't heal it. Quickly her mind wandered to the thoughts of how he became such a powerful sorceror at such a young age.

She snapped out of her thoughts when he started talking, telling her to sleep. Her thoughts about him distracted her from how tired she was. She nodded before laying onto her side on the couch. "Thank you very much," she said, before closing her eyes and immediately falling into a deep sleep.

That night, Zugos threw himself at work in a way he hadn’t done since forever. After all, he was getting into a fight with a powerful witch who was capable of necromancy and might as well had an army of demons at her beck and call. With feats like this, one would want to be prepared. The cloaking spell wasn’t very complicated to begin with, but in order to keep himself hidden from the witch’s sight for a prolonged period, he needed to modify it so the spell itself wouldn’t take up too much energy, and still remained effective. He couldn’t have it fizzled out and died as soon as he took a step out of this house now, could he? The king could be killed, and it would be on his head. Knowing the princess, she might blame herself though. That thought left a bitter taste on his tongue.

As the night crawled by, he finished up his spell just in time to watch the sum rose from its usual slumber beneath the horizon. Seeing as his time was almost up, he picked up the enchanted ring and put it on, before getting to see to the preparation. They could get rations later at the village, so for now, he would just prepare some coins and appropriate clothes. After stuffing everything he could into a backpack, Zugos threw on a tattered coat that had clearly seen better days, then settled himself in a chair, waiting for the princess to wake up, even though he had mixed feelings about that. She looked quite charming while asleep.

Her dreams were short and brief, quickly transfering from one to the next. They were the past few days with disturbing twists. She rode up to the back doors of the castle after seeing a green glow around the castle and turned around to find the witch. Instead of making a speech and leaving, she pointed back at where her family was standing they started choking, shriveling, and dying. Then she was on her way to Zugos. It was the third day and there was a rustling in the bushes before a horde of dead soldiers and guards come towards her, the witch standing behind them. The next, Zugos opened the door after many wards went off. But instead of a guard coming forward, her family did, moaning about how everything was her fault.

Ezra didn't even thrash around in her sleep. I twas too deep a sleep and her body was too exhausted. It was like the nightmares were on a loop, sometimes finding a way to get worse the second or third time. She opened her eyes and sat up slowly, finding Zugos sitting on a chair nearby. On no... he was waiting for her. She hoped she wasn't too much trouble. "Sorry," she mumbled, before standing up. "Are we ready to go?"

Zugos looked up at the princess, a slight smile playing on his lips-“ Relax, princess. Take a few minutes, we have time. There is a shower in the back. I have taken the liberty of setting some clothes aside for you. Just some old things from my mother, it’s no trouble, really.” – After that, he picked up the chipped mug from before, filling it with steaming coffee by a wave of his hand, then walked outside to see to the preparation. Ezra’s horse was still where it should be, and he was pleased that yesterday commotion hadn’t scared it off yet. Brave thing. He patted the animal gently, but it jerked away from his touch. No surprise there. He had never been good with animals before, despite living in the middle of the woods. They tended to react negatively to the presence of magic, so most steered clear of him.

His backpack was ready, and he had used a spell to keep it in an alternative space, so he wouldn’t have to drag it around like an idiot, especially with his limp. But for the princess, he had no idea what she needed. Clothes and food he could provide, but other things? He was not sure, and knew better than to assume. Maybe she could shop for whatever she wanted in the village, when they got there.