Cassia was determined to make use of this newfound strength, but she knew that changing Kasergrov would be impossible on her own. She would need allies, since there was a chance her power might not last. She turned her back on Lake Moor, determined to accomplish the goal which had seemed so out of reach only hours ago. She would join the resistance. That way, even if her power faded, she might be able to help in other ways.
Not considering much beyond getting out of the grounds surrounding the castle, which contained the altar and Lake Moor, Cassia hurriedly trotted off towards the wall. She knew that there would be guards, but she hoped with her newfound speed and strength she would be able to escape before they could react. Reaching the foot of the wall, which towered above her head by a good thirty feet, she looked up to see two guards patrolling in that area, approaching each other from different directions. Although she could not hear make out their words, she could hear the murmur of conversation. As the minutes ticked past, she wondered if she should risk scaling the wall while the guards were still talking. However, at that minute, their conversation ceased, and each guard started off in an opposite direction, returning to their original posts, backs to each other at this point. Cassia knew that this was the chance that she had been waiting for, and literally sprung into action. With a concentrated jump, Cassia reached the top of the wall at a point midway betweeh the two retreating guards, and in three running strides made it to the other edge and pushed off into the darkness. The guards, sensing movement behind them, both turned, but not in time to catch sight of her, and were only rewarded with a confused look from their counterpart. Cassia landed quietly among some bushes a decent distance from the wall, and crouching there, looked back. The guards did not move for a minute, then appeared to give a shrug and each continued on their patrol. Cassia let out a quiet breath and began jogging towards a nearby village. Even though there was a relatively large town surrounding the castle, she did not want to risk anyone seeing her, so she elected for a bit of a run. She had not been outside the palace grounds since her mother died, but she remembered the relative layout of the land from past travels and palace maps.
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Cutting across country rather than taking roads, Cassia finally approached a little hamlet nestled between some low foothills. She remembered the village's name to be Ingress, although it seemed too small to be worthy of even a name. Creeping amongst the scattered houses, Cassia finally found what she was looking for. Outside one of the larger homes, laundry which had been hung outside to dry had been forgotten overnight. Sneaking up to the lines, Cassia managed to locate a full set of boy's clothes. She felt certain she could pass for a boy at the age of ten, and a fighting group would be more likely to accept a boy's help than that of a girl, no matter how strong she was. She stowed the pilfered clothes under a nearby tree, then took a bit of a risk. Tiptoeing up to the house entrance, she tried the door latch. Surprisingly, it opened, and she thanked the gods for the trusting nature of small towns. Just inside the entryway were a few pairs of shoes. Although she could not make out much in the moonlight, she did manage to select a pair which looked boyish and hardy, and that would seem to fit her. Silently closing the door and scrambling into the woods, she hurriedly dressed in her new outfit and left the vicinity of the village.
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When she felt certain she had gone far enough that she would not be discovered by the villagers, Cassia sat for a moment by a stream to consider her next move. Dawn would soon be breaking, and the sky had even started to lighten. The night had taken a lot of her energy, and while she was stronger, hunger was still a major concern. Also, she would need sleep soon, and a safe place to hide while she rested. She scrambled up a nearby tree and managed to pluck a few fruits, which she devoured greedily. Easily jumping down from the branch, she walked over to the stream and examined her reflection in the flowing water. Although it was not a very mirror-like surface, she could see enough to feel confident she looked adequately boy-ish, and nothing like a princess. With growing confidence, she looked around for a hollow she could secrete herself in for a few hours and get some sleep. She felt certain she could handle herself now, even though she was in the body of a child. All she needed was a clear course of action. Recalling what she had heard about the resistance while in the palace, often from consultations between the king and his advisors when he forgot her presence, she considered which area of the land would be most likely to have the strongest resistance faction. As the sun peeked over the horizon, Cassia finally decided to seek out the resistance in....