"Thank you for asking me to accompany you..." Lily said softly shortly after leaving the house.

For several seconds, Oliver drove in silence as he considered how to respond to her. Reaching out to take her hand, his response was equally soft, and a touch uncertain. "I... don't really know how to do relationship stuff. I mean, it looks like I do, but that's because I imitate what I've seen others do..."

"But you're here, with us, and you deserve the best I can manage." He sighed, shaking his head. "It isn't much, I'm sure, but I do like you. And I want to spend time with you and know you better."

A snort of laughter was her response- an oddly delicate sound for a woman of her stature. "It is a great deal more than you think it is, I assure you."

Seeing his curious look, she squeezed his hand gently as she spoke. "Many people are mistaken in their assessment of what being a princess is like; Reality is far from the romanticized stories told by the masses..."

"I would not say that my life was bad before- far from it, in truth." She spoke slowly with a far away look. "In the stories, there is always some great drama to royal life: a princess locked in a tower by cruel parents, or hateful siblings fighting for the throne, political machinations and sinister plots..."

"But none of that was true." She let out a soft, humorless laugh. "Well, I imagine there was a great deal of political moving, but very little was directed internally."

"My parents are kind, loving people- even Mother Sela and Mother Davra-"

"Wait." Oli interrupted, unable to contain his curiosity- he remembered Ram mentioning that some people, especially the rich and powerful there, had multiple partners. "Were they called 'Mother', or did you have multiple mothers?"

"My father has three wives: my birth mother, Andina, as well as Sela- Dorrim's mother and father's first wife- and Davra."

"Got it." Oliver nodded. "Sorry for interrupting."

"No need for apologies; I'm quite happy to tell you about my family." Lily said with a smile. "As I was saying, my parents were always kind and loving. Often they would make time for each of us, despite the demands placed upon them by their station."

"My siblings... While we do not always get along, there were rarely any major conflicts- except between Dorrim and Jace, but that is primarily due to their very contradictory natures: Dorrim, as crown prince, tends to be more serious about nearly everything, and Jace... Well, I do not think Jace ever took anything seriously."

"I believe Jace would fit quite well with your friends Ed and Gary- though I also fear the trouble such a trio could cause."

A small chuckle escaped Oliver at the thought- two of them were bad enough, even if they were good friends.

"Life in the castle was..." Lily continued, her smile turning fragile. "...nice, I suppose. I had every luxury I could ask for, servants to attend to my needs, and the best education available. Classes in etiquette, politics, economics..."

"It was safe, comfortable... and boring." She sighed.

"The only people I saw on a daily basis were the servants and staff. On rare occasions, I would attend state dinners or noble banquets, filled with sycophants- all posturing and preening in their pursuit of power and position... And the inevitable competition as their sons all sought my hand, or their parents subtly maneuvered in their attempts to marry their children into the royal family." A touch of bitterness edged into her voice as she spoke. "Few of them saw me as a person, merely as a means to their ascension..."

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"I had a few... I want to call them friends, but, truthfully, we weren't that close- daughters of nobility, some of which genuinely wished to befriend me rather than use our association to benefit their families..."

"It was not a bad life..." She practically whispered, sounding almost like she was trying to convince herself. "Just... boring... And, at times, I felt trapped."

"How did you feel trapped?" Oliver asked gently.

Lily turned to look at him, eyes tracing his face as she searched for any hint of skepticism, or the critical look she always got when she spoke of feeling trapped in her position- after all, to most people she had ever spoken to, being a princess was like a dream! Wealth, position, power... everyone in their kingdom would have eagerly traded places with her in an instant!

Instead... she found his eyes filled with sympathy, and a touch of understanding.

"Because my life was dictated by a set of rules I had no say in." She sighed once more. "I was free to do anything I wanted and go anywhere I wanted... within the castle grounds. If I wanted to go out in the city, or visit someone I knew, I was required to bring dozens of guards for my safety. If there was something I wanted, a servant was sent to acquire it..."

"I could not simply go somewhere; I was required to take guards and servants, constantly supervised and protected... Like my entire life was put in a box, and there was no escape from it..."

"A gilded cage." Oliver supplied. Seeing her look of surprise, he nodded slightly. "I can't say I really understand it myself, but we have stories of things like that- you had everything you could possibly want... except the freedom to actually do what you want, or be who you want."

"You were trapped by your position and the expectations that were placed on you."

"Yes, that! Exactly that." Lily agreed, sounding relieved that he understood- and that he didn't judge her harshly because of her feelings.

"But now..." She perked up suddenly, waving around herself at the passing houses. "Now, I can go outside and walk around without being surrounded by guards! I can see new things, go new places. No one expects... anything... from me!"

"I can even eat food with my hands without it being seen as a scandal!"

"I do not- I don't" She paused for emphasis, smiling brightly. "have to speak properly all the time. I can even use contractions and slang!"

"Though... I don't really understand your peoples slang yet..." She muttered, before shaking her head to dispel the thought. Turning back to Oliver, a radiant smile flashed across er face. "When I said I wanted to come with you, you asked if I was sure- and accepted my answer without arguments or conditions!"

"You and Poli actually ask me what I want... And, if I ask for something, you both try to accommodate me..."

"It is... liberating."

"I'm glad to hear that." Oliver said, returning her smile. "And that raises a few ideas that I have..."

"Oh?"

Hearing the excitement and curiosity in her voice, Oliver chuckled before he answered the unasked question. "Yeah. Once we get you acclimated to life here, I think it would be a good idea to teach you how to drive and get you a license- among other things..."

"That way, if you wanted to go somewhere or do something, you could just do it without having to ask us to take you."

"That... sounds wonderful." She said, sounding almost breathless at the thought. "Though... I do enjoy your company. Truthfully, I think I prefer having one of you with me for most things..."

"That's fine, too." Oliver quickly reassured her. "I just want you to have the option, if you want it- I want it to be your decision..."

"Thank you." She whispered, practically hugging his arm at this point. A small, playful smile tugged at her lips as she gazed over at him. "You mentioned getting me a 'license' and other things... What is this license for? And what other things?"

"Eager for gifts, eh?" He teased, chuckling at her eager look.

"I am always eager for anything you give me." She said happily- clearly not understanding her accidental innuendo.

"Okay, then." Oliver managed to say through suppressed laughter. "Well, the license is required for people to drive here- you have to take a test to prove that you can drive safely and follow all the rules."

"As for the 'other things'... Well, we're on our way to buy some of them right now."

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