She was good at slipping away unnoticed. It was a talent born of years of hovering on the edge, of watching but not joining in. Sure, there were times and places where she became a part of the world, when she lived the moment. But not tonight. Not here. That’s what she told herself as her fingers trailed the rough crevices in the stones. Just another day stuck on the other side of the wall.

Silently, she opened the front doors and crept outside to join the night. Here was the world she knew – the quiet and the solitude. She padded across the grass, kicking off her shoes as she went, before sinking down in a patch of clover. The grass was cool and tickled her bare arms. The trees nearby whispered and murmured to each other in the gentle breeze, if only she could understand what they were saying. More tales of helpless dreamers who sought refuge in their midst? But those stories were not for her to know just yet.

Above her, the stars wheeled in the velvety expanse of the sky. Some fell behind the horizon, a special show just for her in her solitude. They made her feel so small, yet they welcomed her there. As she got lost in the stars, her thoughts turned back to earlier. Everyone was laughing and fooling around with each other. But not her. She could feel it happening, could feel herself retreating and building. She knew that she shouldn’t, that it would only hurt more later. Yet she was powerless to stop it.

A tear meandered down her cheek now, coming to rest in her hair. She never understood what prompted her to build like that. Whatever she was protecting herself from couldn’t hurt nearly as much as the inevitable crash that came from trying to keep everything up. Those were the times that the tears flowed as hot and fast as the shower that she sat at the bottom of. The times when she promised herself that this wouldn’t happen again. So why was she here?

“Nice night, isn’t it?” She tried furiously to blink away the tears as the source of the voice sat down next to her. “It’s okay to cry, you know,” he continued softly.

“How’d you find me?” She focused once more on the stars, refusing to meet his eyes.

“Your shoes made a nice trail for me.” Ahh. “You’re going to have to work on that if you ever become a secret agent.” She smiled briefly, still staring at the sky. He fell silent and looked up as well, stretching out beside her. They lay there for a while, letting the quiet wash over them.

“So, are you going to tell me what’s wrong?” he asked finally, tearing the silence.

“I’m fine,” she replied stonily. Inside, her heart was racing and tears still threatened to spill.

“Sure you are,” he nodded. “And I listen to showtunes when no one’s around. C’mon, fess up.”

“Maybe you do listen to showtunes when no one’s around, but are using reverse psychology to make me think you don’t. There’s nothing wrong with a little Broadway…”

He turned to face her. “Trust me, I do not listen to showtunes. Now, I’m trying to be your knight in shining armor here, but you won’t let me rescue you. Work with me.”

She sighed, turning the ring on her finger. “It’s not rescuing I need. It’s a little less rescuing.”

“So, you’re not into that whole damsel in distress thing, then?”

She looked at him in mock disgust. “Oh yes. Please put me in one of those silly pointy hats and lock me in the highest tower so that I can be rescued.”

“So what’s a knight to do then, to win fair lady’s heart?” He looked at her with his big, blue eyes, his hand on his chest in his display of nobility. She laughed and punched him lightly in the arm.

“Just let her fight this battle on her own. She’ll take care of herself.”

“Ah, ‘tis a harsh world we live in! My lady would forget all of her friends, and cast them from her side?”

“What? I would not!” she replied, taken aback.

“Then stop believing that you have to go it alone. We’re here for you and we love you, and don’t you ever forget it.” He looked her in the eyes before standing up and offering his hand. “Now, m’lady, shall we go join the rest of the court in yonder castle?”

She took his hand. “Oh yes, let’s.”