Gabriel looked up as he was addressed, replying, "I...heard you leaving through the window and decided I should follow.  I did my best not to disturb you..."  But, it appeared he'd failed at that.  Perhaps he shouldn't have so easily allowed his presence to be known.  Vail's offer, however, caught him completely off guard.  So much so that he stumbled a bit over a root in his rush to join at her side and had to pull his hood up to hide the embarrassed blush blooming over his cheeks.  Still, standing beside the Princess like that, he felt a sense of pride about himself.  A true knight, like in the stories he'd grown up with.<br/><br/>She was even confiding in him!  "Valdaran is..." he replied, trying to find the right way to explain it, "...very different from this place.  There is little in the way of greenery outside the hills of the city where the high nobility live.  That is where the inner circle of the Lord Ruler lives, his lieutenants from the Dragon Insurrection.  Beyond that are the residences and shops of the artisans, craftsmen, and mercantile guilds as well as Fort Leviathan, the military garrison.  It's a lot of buildings set close together, but the streets are still cobbled and clean.  Then there's Cheapside where the humans live.  It's...not very nice, at all, and I'm sorry to tell you that's where the Loyalists are based for the time being as it's the only place they can gather without rousing suspicion.  Lots of tightly packed buildings, some even set on the outer wall that protects the city, dirt roads, and sewer drainage.  The people there are mostly good, however, and look out for each other against the dragons who come to shop for a new servant or just for a bit of sport." He said this last bit with thinly veiled disgust, "The city itself isn't far, only about a day's ride from here.  Captain Felhorn wanted to keep you close, but not too close.  The Resistance itself has been working tirelessly in preparation for your arrival.  You've got clean rooms set up, plenty of extra clothes, it's even been arranged for your staff here to join us at the hideout once a wagon has been sent and a proper alibi set up.  Captain Felhorn will be able to give you details as far as what's been going on in the city of late that they've decided to move forward with taking back the throne."