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You resolutely, determinedly...

Go back to sleep.

You need rest, you decide, so you allow your tired mind to drift off into dreams of home until the time to escape comes.

At last you decide, gripping the waterskin tightly in one hand  - you have to escape. You don't have much to go on, but you don't have anything to lose either.

As time passes, you feel the sun going down in the sky outside your tent. You guess it's a few minutes to 2 o'clock when you feel that you can't take it any more. You open your eyes - the man is nowhere to be seen, so you take the plunge and push yourself off the mattress with your arms. For a moment you fall to your knees, but after minute you manage to stand. No one from outside seems to have noticed you yet, so you take the time you need to stand up. Looking around, you see a couple of other potential slaves, staring at you plaintively from their beds, unmoving.

You can't do anything but shake your head at them. You wait... and wait... and wait, holding the waterskin to your chest.

Eventually, you hear a bell in the distance. You falter for a moment, but strengthen your legs and head out to make your way to the treeline.

The moon is slightly obscured by the clouds outside, but there's just enough light to see. You look from side to side and see the fading silhouettes of the men who were standing outside just a minute ago. Painfully aware of every noise you make, you sneak forward and eventually make your way to the forest's edge.

You run like crazy once you reach it, completely abandoning all thoughts of stealth in favor of running until you drop. Since no one seems to follow, you guess they only hear the noise of a wild animal.

Unfortunately, running until you drop doesn't take very long, owing to your low stamina. Eventually, you reach a point you feel satisfied with, where you can no longer see the light from the slave camp and there are plenty of dark corners. As you stand there for a minute, you instantly feel foolish - you make a muffled sobbing sound as you realize that you are completely and utterly lost in the middle of the night, half dying of hunger. You rub your sore throat and uncork the heavy waterskin, only to be assaulted with an unexpected stench - the clear liquid smells strong and intoxicating, the kind of stuff that father would occasionally drink whenever he was speaking with ambassadors or some such.

You've never had such things before, but it's clearly alcohol - the scoundrel! Thinking hard, you reason that at least it's better than nothing and sip at the drink. It spreads warmth through your body and, surprisingly, you don't feel in the least bit sleepy. You've never heard of such a strange beverage, but it gives you energy and you feel warmer.

Just as you begin to think about a way to move forward, you hear the sounds of talking coming from the trees directly in front of you, and the glow of torches.

Do you:

[[Mia/Slave/Escape/Run towards voices *with waterskin*|Run out there and beg them for food.]]

[[Mia/Slave/Escape/Follow from distance *with waterskin*| Follow them from a distance. What if it's more scary people?]] 

[[Mia/Slave/Escape/Hide *with waterskin*| You can't even think of dealing with the kinds of unsavoury folk that hang out in the woods at night. Stay here and hide.]] 

{{Princess Status|Equipment=''rags''|Health=40|Stamina=50|Mood=Tense|Gold=00|Silver=00|Copper=00|Possessions=''none''}}

[[Category:The life of a medieval princess]]