"How can I return to the castle looking like this?!" I sputtered.
"Come now, it is nothing much to hid a pair of ears," Morgana snickered. "At any rate, you will learn nothing by simply standing around here. I would suggest you take the opportunity to understand more about the people surrounding you, little princess, now that you have a little context."
"But...how long will I be stuck with these...ears?" I grumbled, shuddering at my new ears' sensitivity to my touch.
"Well, considering you are of Hannah's bloodline...I would say you should have adequate energy to correct your mistake by dawn tomorrow."
"Tomorrow??!!" I yelped. It was barely dawn today.
Since Morgana appeared to brook no argument, I found a bag to carry a trussed up Duke Fagult-the-bunny, and a bonnet and cloak to hide my own ears. Descending the tower, I loosed one of the horses that carried Duke Fagult's men and galloped off, following the secret route Morgana instructed me to take, which would allow me to travel a route which normally took days in a few hours. By riding nearly nonstop, I managed to arrive at the capital by that afternoon, and was in the palace less than an hour later.
"Father, it was horrible!" I sobbed as I gave the theatrical performance of my life. "If not for Duke Fagult and his men acting as a distraction while aiding my escape, I would still be in the clutches of that awful witch!"
I tried not to look suspicious as the king and queen expressed their sympathies for me, their admiration for Duke Fagult, and their hatred for Morgana. If they only knew the Duke they praised so heavily was actually bound in a sack in my room. I was finally allowed to return to my room, where I demanded all the maids leave me be, that I was too traumatized to have anyone around me. It took a bit of convincing, but luckily their assumption that I was just a spoiled, naive princess worked in my favor, as usual.
After I was certain the maids had gone to bed, as well as the majority of the castle inhabitants with the exception of a few guards, I snuck my way down towards the royal archives. If there were any records of the truth of Queen Hannah and King Samson, I would likely find it there, in the scrolls only male royal descendants were permitted to read. As I crept past the royal study, I heard something through the door that no human would be able to make out.
"--what if he doesn't make it back? There's been no news. It's going to ruin all our plans" I recognized the voice of the Crown Prince, my brother.
"Even if Sara doesn't marry Duke Fagult, it is no great loss, the Duke has no heir, and the estate can be brought under the care of the crown," the king replied. "More concerning is the men we dispatched to aid the Duke, their safety needs be confirmed. It would be a waste to lose them."
"And Sara's marriage? We can't have her get abducted again, it would look ridiculous," the crown prince pressed.
"Even if she fails to marry the Duke, I am certain we can still make good use of her marriage to solidify your position with the nobles," the king responded.
I was in no mood to head to the archives after hearing that. Returning to my room, I stared out the window, furious. Those bastards had let Morgana cart me off and stick me in a cage in hopes of some farcical rescue play that would justify my marriage to that imbecilic Duke over any objections I might have. Family, indeed. I was just a pawn to them.
I sat there seething until I saw the first light of dawn break across the sky. Reaching for the sack, I dragged out the still tied-up bunny Duke, and was about to finish the magic I had started. However, I hesitated. Although there was a definite risk of discovery of the rabbit ears, without the ears I never would have known about the plot to marry me off. What else could I find out if I used the ears? After a bit of thought, I decided to...