She held the letters, hugging them to her chest as she wept in remorse. For she had done nothing wrong, had she? Everything that she knew, loved, and lived for-were simply thrown out the window of her own imagination. The reality of her problems now, were forsaken to take a wrong turn, and she knew that, but the more she studied the actual events, the more she began to doubt herself. Taking one last look at the letters, she brought them away from her chest and held them out in front of her. They had been worn, creased from the multiple times she had gone through them, but now they meant nothing to her. As her slender hands trembled with guilt, she threw them into the fire, and at once, the fire came to life. Embers of red, orange, and yellow flickered, licking up the letters eagerly, as she had once done herself. Enveloping them hungrily, and in an instant, she knew, there was no going back for them.

Collecting herself, she straightened up and let the fire be. She pulled back her long and entangled mouse brown hair and smoothed out her maids dress. Picking it up from the sides, she ran down the stairs as silently as possible. Captive and as blind as the darkness around, she stumbled, only glancing at the open, moonlight windows. It began to rain as it started making a pit-patter sound on the rooftop of her master's house. It was coming soon, and she mustn't be late, she told herself, reaching the bottom of the spiraling stairways. All was silent as she made her way down the dank corridor, where she then reached another stairwell. The moon reflected brightly now, giving her plenty to see.

Taking the key out of her little pocket, hidden in her dress, she rapped on the boy's door. Shuffling was heard from inside, and in no time, the child, whose eyes were as big as the moon itself, stared up at her in worry. Though she gave no act of reassurance towards him, he gave a small smile towards her and bowed, as if she was royalty herself. Walking back to his room, he picked up his coat and pulled it over his night dressings and his pocket watch. Without fixing his custard colored hair, he stumbled after the maid. "You dropped your watch, sir." She whispered, looking down and bent down to help him with his watch that he, not mistakenly, dropped on purpose. Slipping the last of the few remaining letters into his coat, she stood back up and reached for his hand. His small hand clasped into hers as they ran back through the narrow corridor, all silent except for the rain and the little shuffling there feet made as they reached the back door. Unlocking it with her key, she turned the knob slowly, afraid of it creaking and pulled him out the door and into the night.

He stood there patiently, standing under the roof to get away from the rain that had started to turn into a harsher thunderstorm. She lit a candlestick and handed it to him, clasping her hand with his and for a moment they stared at each other, taking in everything. "Run, child, for it is the only hope." She whispered, and let go reluctantly. Taking a step back, he faltered, before covering the candle and went off, through the thick forest of unknown