Allisyn

She analyzed the situation quickly. A single person, male; easy to take on, so long as she managed not to draw attention. However, she would first have to find a secluded area where no servants were hovering, then get a decent look of the opponent to formulate a rough strategy. It was the first of the two problems that troubled her most. The whole house was swarming with people; in fact, the only place she could think of that was almost completely abandoned was the queen's garden.

Accessing her photographic memory, she traveled down several hallways at a sprint, and continued running after entering the garden, heading for the center, which was well-hidden by the tangerine groves. Her pursuer had fallen a few paces behind thanks to Allisyn's speed, but he had managed to not lose her, which was slightly unnerving for the girl. She reached the groves, darted to the center of it, then spun around to face her opponent.

She was expecting a servant or even a lesser noble, who might use her to get money or information from the royal family. She was surprised to see that it was Harry who had followed her. She relaxed her pose slightly and glared at him, her breathing regulating.

"I didn't mean to startle you," he said cautiously. "I was worried, is all. You ran out so suddenly, so I thought you may be sick. You're all right though?" he asked.

She nodded curtly and turned to leave. She she was startled and slightly annoyed to hear him following. She turned back to him in exasperation. He hesitated before asking, "do you mind if I join you?"

Allisyn thought it over, then half-reluctantly nodded. Pleased, Harry smiled as he caught up to her. They walked in silence for a while, before harry asked, "are you comfortable with your living conditions? Do you like your rooms?" Allisyn let a small smile slip and nodded. Encouraged, Harry asked, "how about the house? Find any hidden stairwells or trapped doors?" Allisyn looked at him questioningly. "none?" he asked, surprised. "there are lots of them all over the place! Here, let me show you one of my favorites." he took her hand and led her hurriedly down the hall. He made several turns, and even doubled back a few times, before finally slowing down.

They were in a narrow corridor, with wooden panelling on the walls and paisley wallpaper in between. The two of them came to a stop, and Harry put his lips to his fingers in the universal "shush" sign. Allisyn gave him a pointed look and he chuckled. He put his palm on one of the panels and it sank into the wall about an inch before sliding smoothly to the left. Harry gestured for her to follow, then disappeared into the hole. Allisyn crept in behind him and the panel slid back into place at her heels. She jumped and unconsciously clutched at harry's sleeve. He chuckled quietly, then grabbed her hand again, leading her down a tight, narrow corridor made of stone.

Suddenly, after several yards, Harry halted; Allisyn ran into him, then silently backed up at his quiet request. She peered over his shoulder to find that they had reached a dead end. Allisyn puzzled over it for a minute, then realized it was another sliding panel. Harry fiddled with something on the panel and it slid out of the way. He gestured Allisyn foreword and the walls fell away from them to what seemed to be a large open space.

It was dark, so Allisyn's eyes took a minute to adjust when Harry flicked the lights. What she saw when they did nearly topped the garden in beauty.

It was a library. Four walls, covered nearly top to bottom with bookshelves. A small table in the corner with a huge plush chair next to it. It was smaller than Allisyn had originally thought when in the dark, and there seemed to be no doors except for the panel they had entered through. Allisyn rushed to one of the shelves and began skimming the titles; they were all old, some not heard of, but there were many classics. Jane eyre, little women, Shakespeare's hamlet, and the scarlet letter were among them.

"do you like it?" harry asked with a smirk.

Allisyn turned to him and breathed a single word, the first thing she'd said in nearly nine years. "yes."