It feels funny to soar through the skies in a tattered wedding dress with no stockings on and glass shards in my hair and a sword in my hand. I must look exceptionally scandalous, but at the moment that does not even fase me. Maye shoots a blast of golden flame into the air, throws back her head, roaring. I imitate her, laughing. We are free, we are free. We have escaped, and nothing can hold us down again. The air is cold enough that I could snap it, and the sun is a bright white ball in the sky. Maye points her head, and we spiral downwards. As we grow nearer to the ground, I see our army on the lawn. It feels so strange to see tiny pinpricks of color that are people. Well, creatures. Well, some combo of those. It feels even stranger to know that all of them are looking to me, waiting for instruction. I smile down and instruct Maye to circle lower.

"Alright, troops. I need your help. As soon as Everett gets his six brain cells in order, he'll realize that I am gone and will not be headed back. And once he wraps his inflated head around that, he'll have an army rallied. He threatened to attack my kingdom if I didn't obey and marry him. I will NOT be marrying him, today or ever, so WHO'S READY TO FIGHT?"
A cheer rises up from my little patchwork army. I smile and press my bracelet, and my suit of armor morphs onto my body. It feels like liquid, weightless and barely there. When I put my arms out, thin webs of a strange, effervescent material appear and ripple in the wind. I know not what they are for, but they seem an excellent feature. I raise my sword, and I feel a wave of confidence. I am a princess, and I am leading an army. I very well might go down in history for this. I am just, regal, I am brave. It's as though I am a dragon, and someone just put blinders around my eyes so that all I can see is the goal. And that goal is illuminated in the noonday sun. I can see my kingdom in the distance, light glinting off of the towers. I can see the tower that is my chambers, beautiful in the glittering light.

I point my sword into the air, and then Maye flies forward. My army marches along in perfect rythym, not a footfall out of sync. Even as they tear their way across a massive field on their way to a battle that promises to be destructive, they look beautiful. I suppose that somewhere, my mother and Maye found armor for them all. Right now, up here so high, I feel supremely happy. Maye's wings are flapping so heavily that they're making turbulent pockets of air. She slows, and I enjoy the view for a moment as her wing tips barely beat every few seconds, just enough to keep us aloft. I stare out at the amazing vista. The azure sky, the puffy white clouds, the enormous Scavenger headed straight for me.

I scream as the massive, awful creature swoops towards me. I see its sharp teeth, really fangs, coming at my face, and I know that this is the end. Good-bye world, I appreciate everything! Tell my father I love him! I hear a snap of wings and feel a puff of warm breath on my cheek, but I don't feel any fangs cutting into me. I lower the arms shielding my face and slowly, carefully, open my eyes. The terrible monsterous beast is sitting on Maye's back as though it belongs. How is Maye letting this nasty thing sit on her? I look at it and draw my sword. I'm rather nervous. I've never killed anything before, but these creatures tried to eat me, for land's sake. I slowly bring my sword forwards, until the tip is brushing the Scavenger's nasty, greasy feathers. I start to push against the hilt of the sword, but something stops me. I can't kill a living thing. I see the Scavenger rear up on its huge legs. I brace myself, but the creature's face starts to distort.

The Scavenger's snout transforms into a pale, graceful nose. Its turquoise eyes grow smaller and shinier. The fur and feathers start to melt away and form a slim, athletically built body and a long, armorlike dress. The wolfish face reshapes itself into one with pixie-like features. As I watch, the horrible beast becomes-
"Sene?" I nearly drop my sword in shock.
She laughs, a pleasant sound like the pealing of bells. "Good thing you have such a good conciense. If not, I wouldn't stand a chance. Sorry that I scared you, Lady."
I smile, my tensions eased somewhat. "Thanks, Sene. I'm sorry, too. What's the matter?"
"I was just wondering what our plan was. I mean, I know that you need to protect your kingdom, but we also need to protect the Caverns."
I'm confused. "What caverns, exactly?"
"The ones where we assembled our army, of course. They're the biggest source of energy and last-minute warriors that is known to mankind. Also, there are special idols, one for each region. To destroy one would be to render the entire army useless. To capture one and hold it would bend all to one's will. I do not know why these idols were not abolished long ago, but their power is still standing."
I scoff. "Everett is one of the most thick-headed people I've ever met. What makes you think he'll even get close to the caverns?"
Sene lowers her voice to an almost inaudible level. "Because I think that he's been there before."