Snowfall was bored to death with princess duties. Dance lessons? Singing? Rubbish! Why did her parents think a good heir needed those things?! She wanted to learn math! How to create things! AT LEAST HOW TO ACTUALLY BE A GOOD LEADER!!!

She knew her parents would not teach her those things. She would have to learn them elsewhere.

So she was planning to run away.

Free of pointless singing and dancing! Free of her duties as the heir of the King! Now that was more like it!

The hard part, though, was actually making it happen.

One of Snowfall’s sisters, Hailstone, was a druid who knew what Snowfall was planning. Hailstone had taught Snowfall the ways of the druid and how to shapeshift; a vital part of running away that Snowfall hid from her parents and other sisters.

Snowfall sat up in her bed. It was midnight. Sliding out of the purple covers, she tiptoed to her door and put her ear to it. All quiet. Nobody was awake.

She grabbed her bag, opened the door and headed to the Royal Dining Hall. Her younger sister would be there to teach her about being a druid. And they were lessons she actually liked. 

Snowfall entered the dining hall. She didn’t see her sister, but she didn’t expect to. Hailstone would probably be in some sort of animal form.

A small bat flew down from the ceiling and landed on a table, not far from Snowfall. As the bat landed, it changed. White fur sprouted from its body, and a long tail grew from its rear. It grew bigger and bigger, until-

“Hi, Hailstone,” Snowfall said.

Hailstone was a Tabaxi with long white fur and blue eyes, much like her sister. Although Hailstone was a few years younger than her sister, they were both the same size.

Hailstone greeted her sister with a nod. “Hello, sister. Not sleepy tonight?”

Snowfall knew this was her sister’s way of asking if Snowfall wanted more druid lessons tonight. She shook her head. “No, Hailstone. I came to say goodbye.”

Hailstone looked alarmed. “Goodbye? You’re leaving? Where are you going?” She asked.

Snowfall answered only the last question. “I don’t know, Hailstone, only I know I can’t stay here. I don’t want to be queen once my parents pass.” She sighed. “And you know that.”

Hailstone agreed. “They only teach us useless things!” She laughed. Then her expression grew more serious. “But, Snowfall… you don’t know how to stay hidden. Our parents will surely find you.”

“I don’t care.” Snowfall said. “I’ll figure it out along the way.”

“Well, wherever your path takes you… I wish you well, sister.” Hailstone said. Hailstone gave Snowfall a quick hug before shifting into the form of a black cat and scampering away.

Snowfall looked around at the home she had always known for a bit. She hoped her parents and sisters wouldn’t miss her. Without her, Ice-Shard would become heir, and life would move on as normal. She hoped. 

Before she could have second thoughts, she shifted into the form of a falcon. Gripping her bag between her talons, she lifted off, flying out one of the Dining Hall’s many windows and into the cold night air.

The sky was speckled with stars. The full moon shone brightly in the night, illuminating the marble castle behind her and making it sparkle like diamond. Below her, the vast city lay, speckled with orange torches and almost empty of people. 

The city had no wall around it; it was a Tabaxi belief that travelers should be able to come and go as they please. And now Snowfall was one of them. A traveler.

She rose higher in the sky. The faraway sea sparkled. Distant ships moved along the horizon, blurry with fog.

Snowfall knew that, tomorrow morning, her parents would begin hunting for her. If she went around as Snowfall still, she would soon be found out and taken back to the castle. So she should change her name.

Leafpool sounded nice. She’d go with that.

Now, Leafpool was free…And ready to begin her new traveler’s life.