30 years. 30 YEARS. I’ve been celebrating my birthday in this tower, alone, for 30 years. I’ve read every book in this tower not once, but twice. I’ve made every recipe I have had the ability to make, I’ve mastered painting, instruments, writing, crocheting, everything I could master in this damn tower so I did not go insane. I promised myself last year “If I’m not saved from this tower next year, I’m doing it myself”

Well it’s next year.

As I look out the window and down to the ground, I shuddered. It had to be 100 feet down. Not to mention a woman alone in the woods with animals and people that want to eat me, or hurt me.

I huffed and fell back into my chair that overlooks the forest.

I had to come up with something.

Exasperated I walked over to my mirror. I have been through this a million times, plan after plan, scrapped. I look into my light honey eyes.

“Get it together girl! You have been waiting for this moment for as long as you can remember, you CAN do this”

I grab a string to tie back my dirty blonde hair. I keep it about belly button length, and trim it every month. I can’t stand letting grow past my butt and sitting on it, but I like it long. And being a girl on the taller side, to me, looked better.

I foung my sharpened spoon I’ve been working on for the past year, put it in my satchel wrapped in a piece of old fabric. I think there is only one way I’m going to be able to get ot of this place. I looked at my endless balls of yarn.

I started making a heavy duty rope a couple months back, planning to rappel down the tower, but I was terrified that it wouldn’t hold me.

“Death would be better than staying in here a second longer.” I dug out the yarn rope. It measured about 120ft, not forgetting to count for the feet it would take to anchor it inside.

There was this old desk, screwed into the ground. I had tested it multiple times, tying myself to it and running, jumping, and pulling with all of my weight. It wouldn’t budge.

Let’s hope that today wouldn’t be the day it broke free.

I tied the rope about twelve times to the desk, gave it one last big tug. Nothing. No budge. I threw the other side out the window. I grabbed my gloves and went to the window sill where I turned around, and gave it one last look. The walls I had despised. I’m not going to miss this hell hole.

As I get my second foot over the ledge, holding on to the scarlet rope for dear life, I heard a noise. Rustling in the forest below.

I paused and sat on the ledge looking onto the forest below.

A man stepped out of the shadows. At first I could only see his hair, so black it looked as though it absorbed all light that touched it. Then he looked up. Green eyes that almost seemed to glow, and a jawline that could cut glass. Even from way up here, his features were so… stark.

What I did not expect was a deep Australian accent.

“I’m guessing you are the princess, who is apparently doing my job?”

I sat, almost too stunned to speak.

“Excuse me, you are not very good at your job if I have to do it for you. I’m good thanks, you may move along.”

He stood there, speechless, eyes wide. I ignored him as my shakey hands grabbed the rope again. I turned and put my feet on the wall. Jump lightly, land, jump, land, jump, land. The next thing I know, about 15 feet from the ground, I heard a snap.

I started falling, and screaming, until I felt strong warm arms around my body. I looked up to see those bright green eyes, and that black hair falling right on his nose. I sucked in a breath and squirmed to get up.

Brushing myself off I said “Thank you I suppose. Now if you don’t mind.” I turned on my heel.

With a low chuckle he said “Princess, there is nothing but woods for 100 miles that way.”

“I-I knew that. I just wanted to… stretch my legs a little bit.”

Bending over I stretched. I look like an idiot.

Coming to the determination that I will definitely be lost or dead by sundown, I sighed heavily and said “Okay fine, but you can not take credit for rescuing me from my tower. I did that.”

“Yes your highness” he said sarcastically with a smirk, “let’s go princess, my horse is this way.”

With that, I put my trust and my safety into this random mans hands, and I walked into the forest.