"Princess, I've come for you!" Ash shouted his signature catchphrase as he pushed open the door at the top of the tower. A startled "Oh!" came as a response, and there, standing at the other side of the room was a blonde girl in a fancy pink dress. A fellow human! He doubted there would be one based on his previous rescuees. And yet... here she was.
"You are... the princess of the High Forest Kingdom?" Ash asked.
"They say I am not only that, but the princess of all humans," she replied, "my name is Winifred."
"Sir Ash Gray." the knight took his turn to introduce himself. "So I heard you want to go on an adventure?"
Winifred nodded.
"Come with me, I can take you on one. I don't have much at home, but that's why I'm going to wander the world."
"I don't have much either, ever since I was kidnapped... I don't know what they did with all the wealth I had back home..."
Wealth. He thought of the numbers on Winifred's sign: 4, 1, 3. Avynne's was 3, 4, 0, and her sign said she enjoyed collecting treasures. Maybe that's what the second number meant? What about the other two?
"Sir Ash?" the princess's words, spoken with slight concern, snapped Ash out of his thoughts. Darn, I should be thinking about these kinds of things later, when I'm not talking... "Y-yes, my princess?" he replied, "What is it?"
"I was wondering if you would like any of the gifts I have here with me."
He thought about the cart, and what that strange wizard said about it. "Um... no, it's fine. I already have enough."
Winifred nodded once again.
"I guess that's all. Let's leave this place, it's getting dark." Ash said, escorting her out of the door and down the stairs, carefully so she wouldn't trip from her dress.
The sun was halfway below the horizon, casting a reddish light across the wasteland, when Ash and Winifred emerged from the tower's entrance. The knight motioned at the cart in front of the tower, "You'll have to sit in there for now, I hope you don't mind. Also, looks like your fellow princess are asleep, don't wake them up!" Sure enough, Avynne was crouched in the back of the cart, head tucked under one wing; Tsaverli was curled up under the other wing, still holding onto her candle and wearing the scarf Ash gave her. Winifred climbed into the cart and sat down in an empty space, careful not to dirty her dress. Ash climbed atop his horse and signaled it to take them back to the village, slowly.