Chapter 4: Evening of June 3rd, 366 (Alice)
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Alice grabbed a large backpack from a wardrobe, and started to fill it with prepared equipment and clothing. She would have liked to have packed it beforehand, but it was too big to hide, and would have raised questions that she wouldn't have been able to answer had it ever been discovered. She lifted a large bag of gold and silver coins from its hiding place under the floor; it had been a long time since she had spent the entirety of her allowance, saving up the excess in preparation for today. She drafted letters to her father and to Natalie, slipping in a few pieces of gold for Nat. If Alice had one regret it was what she was about to do to Natalie, the one person in the world who didn't stick to her for status or influence, or in the hopes of gaining something, but simply because she was her friend. Admittedly it was also her job, but there was no rule against liking your job. Lying like this to the poor girl almost physically hurt. Alice just hoped that she kept the gold, instead of turning it over to father, who had far too much of the stuff as it was.

She also wrote out some letters to some merchant acquaintances, unsigned and written left handed to disguise her handwriting. Merchants loved their gossip; being behind on the news was bad for business after all, and Alice wouldn't be surprised if they had heard of her banishment already. But it wouldn't hurt to give them certain... extra details. These she took with her; there were plenty of orphans and beggars on the street who would gladly deliver them for a few coppers. Not the most reliable delivery service in the city, but it was anonymous, and it didn't matter if a few failed to reach their destinations.

Bag packed, Alice removed her makeup and changed into second hand clothing, sporting a few scuffs and patches. She took a knife to her hair, as close to the scalp as she could manage. Alice carefully caught the trimmings, packing them securely in her pack. They would be disposed of elsewhere; they must not be found here. Finally she lifted a black wig from below the floorboards, even longer than her original hair, a little dirty but not excessively so. Her plans would be spoilt if anyone knew she had this, but she had been careful, and was confident that her secret was safe. Donning the wig, she took one last look in the mirror. The face that stared back belonged to a commoner, not well off but not destitute either. Perfect. All the clothing in her pack was cleaner and a little higher class, but she wouldn't switch to it until she'd arrived at the next city. It also wouldn't be good for a poor commoner to be seen around the noble district, so she wrapped herself in a cloak that she would discard once she left the district. She tossed her pack out of the window, climbed down after it, avoided the guards and stepped out into the streets.

She hadn't made it out of the capital yet, but Alice was already grinning to herself. Her freedom was just a carriage ride away. Freedom from a father who thought of her as a resource instead of a daughter, from a mother who was more interested in socializing than her family. From a fiance who hated her, for reasons she'd never fully understood but suspected to be jealousy of her talent. A peaceful commoners life for her, and for those who had tried to keep her caged... Well, the fallout from Raymond's idiocy wouldn't all land for days. Alice regretted she couldn't stick around to watch the resulting explosion, but hopefully the result would be intensive enough that the rumours would reach the neighbouring kingdoms.

Still smiling, she paid a carriage driver the few silver needed to travel on the overnight carriage to the next city north, and hopped on.

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