“Tell me why we left again, Susan.”
“My lady, your mother and father believed that you would have been in danger if you had been allowed to continue growing up in the palace.”
“I can look after myself.”
“I did not say you were incapable of doing so, my lady.”
“That's because you're too scared, Susan.”
A young, golden-haired girl perched on the edge of the trailer, swinging her legs absent-mindedly. Her pink tunic was grass-stained and worn, and was a little too big for the petite girl's body. She gazed north, from where she had come with the rest of the caravan, and sighed.
“Politics are so confusing, Susan.”
“Yes, my lady.” Her companion, a tall, middle-aged woman watched her charge dutifully. “We should be arriving at the camp within the hour; do you need to prepare yourself for our arrival?”
The girl shook her head. “No, thank you. Keeping my hair in a short bob keeps it tidy; nothing a quick comb cannot sort out.”
Susan nodded. “Very well. You performed well in your control exercises this morning, so I shall leave you to conduct yourself in whatever manner you find most enjoyable. I shall be on the trailer in front should you need me.”
The girl watched her teacher get down lightly off of the trailer with her sky blue eyes, and retrieved a book on the history of her country, Aspen.
Her country.

Hearing the cries from the trailer drivers for their beasts to stop, the girl looked up, realising that they had arrived. She carefully replaced her book into her bag, and despite what she had said to her teacher earlier, she quickly smoothed out the tunic and adjusted her hair to be more presentable to those she would meet in her new home. Standing up, she looked around the encampment.
The area was reasonably large, and most of the buildings looked semi-permanent; strong enough to withstand bad weather, but easily taken down in a few hours. From what she could see, the area was bustling with activity as the new arrivals were directed to areas where they could set up shelter.
So this is the rebels' hideout, the girl thought. I guess I shouldn't have expected much more. She continued to survey the area, watching the activity, until she saw her teacher and the captain of the guard – former captain; he's 'defected' – talking with a dark-skinned elf and a group of elders. Seeing Susan waving a hand towards her trailer, the girl decided to go and join her.
“You're a bit young for the Freedom Fighters, aren't you?”
The girl turned to look at the person who had spoken to her. A teenage boy with spiked chestnut hair was looking up at her, hands on hips. His tanned face wore a sceptical look, but his dark brown eyes sparkled cheekily. The girl drew herself up with all the dignity she could muster, unused to such teasing.
“How dare you talk to me like that?” she asked haughtily. “Don't you know who I am?”
He looked up at her critically. “Well,” he admitted, “you look like a little kid who's had a run-in with a pile of freshly cut grass.” He grinned at the flicker of horror in the girl's mask of dignity.
“I'll have you know that I am Princess Chi Rose-Llin, daughter of King Lynx Llin and his wife Queen Lysa Rose of the Kingdom of Aspen!” Her voice was as regal as she could manage, and she looked down her nose at the boy, though with his height, even on the trailer she wasn't much higher than him.
“Really?” he asked in a bored tone. “Well, Princess, we're all equal here. You leave the safety and comfort of your city...” he gestured around the encampment. “We're all fugitives. Doesn't matter if you're nobility or a slum dweller; the only ranks we have are within our military system and the Proficiency Levels, and anyone can reach the top.” He looked back up at her, his eyes hard. “You want respect, earn it. We're all here to rid the world of a greater evil. Although I can see why you're here, don't expect any special treatment.” The boy turned, and started to stride away from the trailer.
Chi stood on the trailer, slightly dazed at the manner in which she had just been put down. No one's ever spoken to me like that, she thought. Refocusing her gaze on the retreating figure, she made a decision. Chi grabbed her bag, jumped off of the trailer, and ran to catch up with him. He turned to look down at her as she tugged his red shirt sleeve.
“You still haven't introduced yourself,” Chi said, smiling shyly.
His gaze was at first curious, but then he gave her a warm smile.
“Kotetsu Phoenix,” he answered. He took the little girl's hand. “Come on,” he said, pulling it gently. “Let's get you sorted out.”
Chi happily followed the boy towards the group where her teacher was still conversing with the elf.
No one's ever been that honest with me either.