"Oh, fiddlesticks," Lucy Neste cursed under her breath. Crooking her fingers around the delicate hem of her dress, she pulled up the fabric so that it wouldn't skim across the ground, skirting away from puddles and patches of mud as she did so. Oh, the wilds of Sirantil Valley was absolutely no place for a woman of her breeding, she knew, but she had promised herself that she would get to Uthlyn before the month went out. She had am excellent time in the vast cities of Serendipity – whose people knew just how to treat a lost princess down on her luck, she reckoned – but knew, eventually, she would have to leave. Uthlyn, the city of scholars, had to have some of the answers she sought, and if it didn't, she'd offer up her crown to the heavens and strip herself of her royal title.
However, travelling without a bodyguard or guardian of some sort was much more difficult than she had expected. If not for bountiful berry bushes and fruitful trees surrounding this dreadful valley, perhaps Lucy Neste would've been dead by now. Already, she certainly felt dead inside – she'd been travelling for weeks and had been hungry ever since. As usual, she carried not a dime on her, but her dress and carriage certainly would made it obvious to anyone of her ranking! Granted, Lucy Neste did not think that the money she "earned" from begging might've been better spent on food and supplies, but pooled it all into the dress she was wearing. Such a thought never even crossed her mind.
Better to be beautifully dead than atrociously alive, Lucy thought.
She was probably going to die. If she did, who would know she was even out here? How in the hell would she get back to her fallen kingdom? Hell, how would she even find her kingdom again? Such questions burned on the beggar's mind, who wished she had a ribbon to tie her bubblegum pink hair up and out of her face. And a fresh spring to bathe in would be nice as well – and a four course dinner, with roasted quail and red wine...
As such luxuries danced in her mind, Lucy looked up, and in the distance, saw what she believed to be her savior – other people, not too far off! She clutched at the edges of her dress once again, and squinted her eyes, trying to determine if they were friend or foe. Not that Lucy would know what her foes looked like anyone – but it was good to be cautious! They were women, from the look of it, and were they... knights? Soldiers? Either way, they looked formidable and tough – perhaps they were to be her saviors, to save her from this hell!
"Heroes!" she cried aloud, tiptoeing through the grass over toward the three figures, as if she was scared that some snake or mouse would rise up out of the ground to frighten her. The girl attempted to compose herself, despite how the grass tickling her ankles made a chill run up her spine. She caught her breath, beaming towards them all. "Tell me, heroes, where might your destination be? I've been lost out in this valley for weeks – and I'm sure you lot must've been sent from the heavens, to save me from certain death!" The pink-haired girl said these words with such passion, but one might wonder if she was joking or not. "You must let me accompany you – I'll be forever grateful!"
And then would let her tag along, wouldn't they? After all – they ... they couldn't just leave her out there!
