The princess broke out in a laugh, "Relax, I have something for you, but I simply could not let you leave my house in that frock." She continued laughing as she walked towards a door Bubbles had not been through. The princess quickly jumped into the other room and out again with a marvelous long dress in her hands. "What would you say to try this one on?"
"Erhm," Bubbles hesitated, "I cannot possibly."
The princess took a step back, "and why not, might I ask. I did not think you would turn a dress down in your current situation."
"Don't misunderstand me, my princess, there is nothing wrong with the dress. It is just that I cannot accept such generosity – neither my family nor I are destitute after all."
"Oh, I understand that, but we are in a bit of a hurry after all," the princess threw the dress towards her. "Jared took care to keep your trunk and get it to the carriage, so you will have your own clothes soon. Now put on the dress," she commanded and turned around to give her some privacy – a bit of a contrast to the previous evening.
Still, Bubbles walked into the fountain room to have a closed door between herself and the princess, which also gave her a moment to get a closer look at the dress. It was green and grey, with shining yellow lights at the rim of it. It would be perfect for blending into a mossy landscape – and perfect for running away, Bubbles quickly thought, but pushed it aside as quickly as it had appeared. It did not, however, match her pink and orange wings, but beggars could not be choosers, she reminded herself.
"Perfect," the princess said as Bubbles exited the fountain room. "I am glad it fits you so well. I had wondered if I was too tall."
Bubbles smiled, the princess was known for being one of the taller fairies in the tree, but that had not dimmed her beauty nor the interest of many suiters who were a lot smaller than her. Now she appeared even taller in a long, tight-fitting black dress, which highlighted her worst features, almost daring people to mock her for her height. It was almost as if the princess liked being tall, Bubbles thought as she viewed how she carried herself. She was always standing up to her full height and even floating a little higher from the ground than was common. The dress did, however, look wonderful against her sharp, dark red, and bright gold wings as well as her silky-smooth black hair.
"You look beautiful," Bubbles found herself blurting out without a second thought.
"Thank you," the princess said, "you too."
They looked at each other for a moment, and despite her best efforts to calm herself, Bubbles found her heart beating faster and accelerating by every second that passed.
"Shall we leave?" the princess asked and gestured towards the door.
They floated down to the entrance of the Kingtree, where two guards were posted just like in the evening. Though there had been a shift since the evening, the two faces were unfamiliar to Bubbles.
It was not the usually gold leaf decorated carriage that the royal family usually travelled in that was standing ready and packed for them, but instead a normal brown wooden coach pulled by two bright orange foxes. The princess looked a little distressed as she saw it, but the look of disappointment quickly disappeared from her face as she saw her father and mother – the king and queen standing ready to say their goodbyes to her.
Bubbles saw her father as well, though not her mother, and she immediately felt her cheeks grow red as their eyes met. He looked disappointed and angry, but Bubbles was just happy that he did not say anything as they prepared to leave. Of course, if the king and queen knew nothing, it would have been foolish of him to reveal that his daughter had planned to run away and abandon her duties. She walked over to give her father one last embrace; after all, she did not know how long it would be before she had the chance again.
And her father embraced her as if nothing had happened, that was until he began to whisper in her ear, "If you betray our kingdom, there will be hell to pay – you understand me, child?"
She froze in his arms, but she knew that there was no questioning her actions. She would have to obey him. "Yes, papa, I, I, I…"
"You are sorry?" he asked, still embracing her and whispering so low that she could barely hear him.
"I am," she muttered.
"Pathetic," he said, "you have truly disappointed me now, but here is your chance to prove yourself." He let go and looked at her with a smile. "I love you, good luck, my dear," he said, no longer whispering.
Bubbles held back the tears and mustered out an "I love you too, papa." Before giving him a slight curtsy out of respect.
She went into the coach after giving the king and queen a deep but quick curtsy as well, and finally let the tears glide down, covering her face.
The princess entered the coach after her, but did not say a thing; instead, she tried to act like she had not seen the tears on her companion's face.
And then they were off, the princess waving through the window with a smile on her face.
For a while, the princess let her sit in her own thoughts, but as her tears dried, she started out, "I think we should be on a first-name basis, do you not?" the princess asked, "though I suppose I already am with you."
"I am not sure it is appropriate," Bubbles hesitated.
"But who would know?" the princess asked with a smile.
Bubbles laughed, "I suppose you are right – well, what would you like me to call you then?"
The princess hesitated, which Bubbles thought was strange, after all, it should have been an easy question to answer.
"My name is Leonora, but I don't like that much. I think you should call me Flora."
"Flora?" Bubbles asked and took another look up and down the princess, like she had done when they were alone in her room. "You don't exactly appear very… floral."
"Oh, I know, but it will confuse the people in the Ice-kingdom so very much," she said with a grin, "and maybe I would like to become a little more flower-like than I usually am."
"Fair enough," Bubbles said, "far from me to question your choices."
The princess nodded, "especially since you make such bad choices yourself."
Bubbles stared blankly at her for a moment. "Wow, thanks."
The princess – Flora – broke out into a belly laugh, "Oh, come on, your little escape attempt was pathetic."
"Almost wasn't," Bubbles sulked.
They drove like that for a while, with each step of the foxes coming further and further away from the Kingtree, the only home both of them had known. As time passed, it soon started to feel like going back was no longer an option. And as the sun went down, they both realised that going back really was not an option as the sound of wolves in the night broke out over the forest.
Flora looked towards Bubbles; they both had the same scared look in their eyes. "You haven't learned to enter your giant state, have you?" Flora asked.
Bubbles shook her head, "You?"
Flora shook her head as well.
"Do you think," Bubbles began, "could this be a task to get us… killed?"
Flora stared at her, utterly dumbfounded, "You think that our parents sent us out here to die? For what purpose?"
"No, you are right," Bubbles quickly said, "that would make no sense."
But the thought kept nagging at her as they drove on, and the howls of the wolves grew more common. Why would they send them out here without someone to protect them in the night, but for a couple of foxes? She felt her hands grow sweaty, and she leaned towards the princess and took her hand despite it. Hers were clammy too. Their eyes met as another howl broke the silence. It was close by now.