Aliana was not the Queen of her land yet--in fact, she was quite far from it. However, that did not stop her from acting like one. She carried herself in quite the regal fashion, and it came through in the way she walked, talked, and even her thought process.<br/><br/>Thus, when she heard about the Cave, and the wonders it had to offer for those brave enough to pass through it--well, it seemed to be an opportunity made just for her. However, she was quite sure that if she was to ask permission to enter the cave, she would be denied before the words even left her mouth. So, she had made a plan.<br/><br/>Her lady-in-waiting, Mirielle, had gone into town, and bought the cheapest, most coarse wool gown that she could find. Aliana decided to keep on her silken undershirt, both for comfort and to preserve her modesty. Her hair was taken out of the elegant braid that only rich women we able to afford, and done up instead in a simple bun, with a few strands of her auburn hair, hanging free.<br/><br/>She then snuck away to the stables in the middle of the night in her peasant garb. Mirielle was already there, waiting for her with a small mare already saddled. Aliana stared at the horse in dismay. "Where's my stallion?!" she cried indignantly. "I will not be riding a mare!"<br/><br/>Mirielle bowed respectfully, "I'm sorry, my lady. But a stallion is just too noticeable. Women just don't ride them."<br/><br/>Aliana grimaced, but accepted the reins to the mare. She had checked the saddlebags to ensure that she had enough food to keep her supplied for at least a week, then took off. She rode hard for two days, stopping only to eat a bit, and rest for a few hours.<br/><br/>When she finally reached the Cave, she was almost disappointed by how easy it was for her to get inside. There was no one even guarding the place. After she had gone through all the trouble to come up with such a convincing disguise, she'd been hoping for a chance to use it.<br/><br/>As the mare shied away from entering the Cave, no matter how hard she tried, she simply unloaded all her supplies, and let the mare go. She would eventually wander into a town, and would be taken care of.<br/><br/>She then took a deep breath, and walked into the cave. At first, the light was too dark for her to see anything. She was about to consider lighting a torch, when she saw a light flickering at the end of the tunnel. As she grew closer to it, she realized what she was looking at was a large lake.<br/><br/>"It's beautiful!" she whispered to herself, as she stepped into the light. As soon as she took in her surroundings, she realized that the only way to get to the other side of the lake was to swim. She wasn't looking forward to getting wet so soon in her journey, but she didn't exactly have a choice.<br/><br/>Sighing, she sat on the bank of the lake, trying to figure out a way to keep her supplies dry.