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"Oh no!" Leah says, but Paige stops her froe says "She picks the lock, and nobody is near by So she decides to explore the stairway, to see how high it goes, how deep it is, and if there is a way to get outside When she hears so, she runs back to her s the tiny wood pick into the braid of her hair"
"Every day, she explores a little farther, finding new doors, trying new hallways And then finally…she finds a tunnel"
"There’s a tunnel?" Leah asks
"Oh yes There’s a tunnel But you only find it if you’re brave enough to look Delilah was brave, so she found it She was also getting stronger, because every night, when she would explore, she would run, and have to pull herself up high on walls, crawl through tight spaces, and lift heavy things When she found the tunnel, she decided she needed to escape the next night, well after uards would be sleepy But what she didn’t knoas that the prince was co to save her at the very same time"
"He was?" Leah asks
"Yes, he was When the hest, Delilah picked her lock and h the narrow daeway until she felt the cold air froround, crawling on her belly under fence after fence, through erous guard gates and the wall of fire She’d practiced the tiet across it if she was careful counting the seconds in-between flames But when the time was ready for her to run and "
"Did soht…the prince!" Paige says, and I hear Leah gasp "Delilah was only one leap away from her freedom, but when she saw the prince was in trouble, she couldn’t leave hih the darkness to the drawbridge The prince was being tied with rope to the back of a horse, to be led into the witch’s tower for punish she could use, souards There were so e barrel of oil The guards used the oil to keep their torches lit
"Delilah had grown strong enough, she was able to push the barrel over, spreading the slick liquid all over the bridge in their path She waited, hidden underneath one of the bridge’s trusses, holding herself with her tiring arin to walk above her Careful not toher best to not be seen The uised Then, she reached into her hair, and pulled out the tiny wood stick, sharp on one end, and she poked the leg of one of the horses
"The horse leapt up on his back legs, and began jerking wildly, scaring every other horse, which caused uards to lose their balance and drop their torches into the oil The oil caught fire--igniting the bridge in fiery flahtened the horses eventhe horse that the prince was still tied to That horse is the only one Delilah cared about She followed it, deep into the forest, but didn’t make a sound or let the prince know she was near until she was sure they were far enough away from the others"
"What happened then?" Leah asks
"When Delilah felt it was safe, she spoke softly ‘It’s htened,’ she said to the prince He looked around for her in the darkness, and when he saw her, he was so happy She ran to hiht, so happy he was safe He told her that he was trying to rescue her, and she laughed, cli onto the horse behind him so they could both ride away for their escape Then, she told hi, but she’s glad she could save him And they lived happily ever after"
Leah’s quiet So is Paige I’m pretty sure she’s the princess in the story, and I kind of think Leah knows it too After a few seconds, I hear her light click off, so I stand, still keeping e?" Leah says
"Yes, Leah," she responds
"I like that version," Leah says
I can hear Paige’s stepsto get harder to breathe
"Me, too, Leah Me, too," she says, stepping through the door and closing it behind her