A/N: Wow, it's been a long time since I've updated. Sorry guys, just had some writer's block for a bit. There's a picture at the top of the chapter, but you can ignore it for now. I explain what it is in my author's note at the end of the chapter (Also I apologize if you tried to click on this chapter earlier and it didn't work, I accidentally published it early).

Recap from last chapter:

Emmaline can hear the shouting of various men throughout the castle, but she pays no attention to it. She grips the knife tightly in her first as they whip past hallway after hallway, hand in hand.

Emmaline and Anna turn another corner and Emmaline brandishes the knife the sight of a figure at the end of the corridor, but skids to a stop at the sight of a familiar face.

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Emmaline froze when she saw the figure standing at the end of the corridor. About ten feet away from the girl's stood Emil, sword strapped to his hip.

The two stared at each other, Emmaline heaving in breaths with wide eyes. Emil's gaze flickered down to her hand clasped with Anna's, a look realization dawning on his face.

Emmaline continues to stare at him pleadingly, the hope in her chest beginning to diminish. He was going to turn them in, and she would either be forced into a marriage with him again or be put to death. Emmaline continued to grip the dagger, but she knew it was useless. She can't kill Emil, she actually liked him. She can't.

Emil continues to wordlessly stare at her, though his hand didn't once stray to his sword. He glances over at Anna once before turning his head back behind him to where Emmaline assumed more people were searching for her.

"She's not down here, move upstairs." His voice booms.

Emmaline let out a shaky breath at the order. He turns back and makes eye contact once more, unable to think of the words to thank him. He gives her a nod, eyes full of sympathy and sadness, before turning and jogging back out of the corridor.

Enmaline swallows thickly and pulls on Anna's hand again, quickly picking up speed as they run through more hallways.

They finally come to a stop in front of a large window, Emmaline pushing them to open. The girls step out, but Anna's foot catches on something and she falls.

Emmaline quickly pulls her back to her feet, but notices that what caught her foot was a lamp. She shoots a hand out to try and put it back up, but the damage was done. The grass quickly starts to catch fire, causing shouts to errupt from the garden.

"Go!" Emmaline whisper shouts and they sprint to the wall surrounding the garden, hastily supporting Anna as her feet scrape against the stone, struggling to find a vantage point. The flames spread quickly, crawling closer and closer to the ivy covering the wall.

Emmaline helps Anna swing her legs over the wall when the shouts get closer. Her heart races in her chest as Anna is finally able to jump off, landing not-so-gently in the grass on the other side. Emmaline then starts to scramble up the wall, panting from exhaustion and fear. The shouts of her father's men are getting closer, but a firm voice that Emmaline is all too familiar with carries above the others.

"Do not kill her! I want her back alive!"

Emmaline climbs faster, quickly reaching the top of the wall. She glances down when she hears panicked shouts, seeing a blazing fire covering the grass in front of the wall. There was no way they could be able to catch her, they'd have to go around.

Emmaline swings her legs around to the other side, catching a glimpse of her father's furious expression below her. She freezes, staring him down for a moment before her expression hardens and she jumps.

She falls to the ground, Anna not hesitating to she pulls her up and urge her to keep running through the trees. As much as Emmaline wanted to rest, she knew they could still catch them if they stopped.

"Where will we go?" Emmaline gasps in breaths as they run, hands covering their heads from branches that tried to catch their hair.

"There's an abandoned cabin a while away, everyone in the village avoids it because it was said a witch lived there." Anna says. "We could stay there to rest tonight, but if we want to evade capture, we'd have to go farther away."

"Alright, let's go there." Emmaline pants and lets Anna take the lead.

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The girls slow down when an old run down cabin comes into view. Anna pushes the cracked door open to look inside. Most of the windows were broken, dust covered most surfaces, and the stairs looked like they would break the second something touched them. There was a small couch in the room, which meant they could sleep there instead of risking the obviously deteriorating stairs. It wasn't in terrible condition, it would be good enough for the night.

Emmaline sets her bag down on the floor, unstrapping her garter and setting it down in the knapsack.

The two collapse onto the couch, adrenaline quickly being replaced by exhaustion. Emmaline wordlessly wraps an arm around Anna, pulling her closer to her side.

"We can talk about everything in the morning," she mumbles. Anna agrees and the girls quickly drift to sleep.

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Sunlight streams through the lack of windows, causing Emmaline to blink her eyes wearily. She sucks in a breath and gently wakes a still sleeping Anna before standing up to stretch.

"C'mon, I have a change of clothes for you." Emmaline yawns and grabs her bag. She pulls out a pair of pants and a blouse for Anna, handing it to her. "I have dresses as well, but we should probably be ready to run."

Anna nods and takes the clothing, Emmaline turning around to let her change. Emmaline takes out another pair of pants and a blouse for herself, changing quickly. Her cheeks flush slightly at the thought of Anna being half naked behind her, but she pushes the thought away and focuses on buttoning her top.

When she's sure Anna is finished changing, she turns around and starts looking through her bag again. She pulls her dagger out and stares at it for a moment.

"Anna?" She says quietly. The girl turns around and looks at her curiously.

Anna hums in response, stepping closer and looking down between the dagger and Emmaline's eyes.

"They'll be looking for me now. I need you to cut my hair." She says quietly and Anna nods, taking the dagger from her and stepping around to stand behind Anna.

"How much do you want me to cut?" Anna questions.

"As much as you can," she blinks a few times, eyes watering slightly. "I can't risk them recognizing me."

"Alright. Ready?" Anna checks. Emmaline nods, feeling slightly pathetic at how upset this was making her.

Her whole life, her hair was an important part of her. She could remember sitting up with Elizabeth, braiding hers before bed and then teaching the younger girl how to do it for her. It was really supposed to be the maid's job, but Emmaline relished the time with her sister.

If she thought hard enough, she could still feel Elizabeth's fingers weaving through her hair, giggling when she would sneak a couple flowers into her braid. She always said it made Emmaline look like a fairy.

Anna sifted her fingers through Emmaline's hair, gathering it together before carefully cutting it with the dagger. Emmaline swallowed the lump in her throat at the thought of another piece of her sister's memory being stolen from her, pointedly avoiding looking at the hair falling to the floor. She feels Anna continue to saw at little sections of her hair until she's apparently satisfied.

"Done." Anna announces, glancing around quickly and pulling Emmaline towards a cracked mirror tucked in the corner of the room. Anna stands behind her with her chin resting on the girl's shoulder, smiling softly.

Emmaline stares at her reflection, not even recognizing herself. It's short now, only about two inches long on the top. It pokes out shaggily around her head, looking a bit like the hair of a small village boy. It's cut messily, but not bad. Between her hair, the dirt and scratches on her face, and the dullness of her normally vibrant eyes, Emmaline looks more like a shell of her former self than ever.

Anna smiles and reaches out to brush her fingers through Emmaline's hair, fixing little sections that look out of place. "You look so pretty."

Emmaline turns her head to look at Anna, eyes searching her face. All the sadness and regret drains from her body once she sees her, reminding Emmaline of the reason she did all she did. She did it for love. And it was worth it. Because at the end of the day, any sacrifice Emmaline could make would be worth it for the chance to live freely with the love of her life.

"Thank you," Emmaline smiles softly, leaning forward to give the girl a sweet kiss before turning around and grabbing her bag. "We should probably go before they search the forest."

Anna nods and Emmaline takes out two cloaks, handing one to Anna before fastening hers around herself. She takes her dagger and slides it into its sheath again, tucking it into the waist of the side her of her pants so that only the handle is poking out.

"Ready?" Anna checks, gently taking Emmaline's hand. The girl nods and intertwines their fingers, putting her bag over her shoulder.

The two leave the house, making sure to clear the place of any evidence they stayed there, doing their best to collect all of Emmaline's hair from the floor and stuff it in their bag.

Knowing her father, Emmaline wouldn't be surprised if he brought bloodhounds that could find them simply from her hair left behind.

They trudge through the forest, listening carefully for the sounds of a nearby village. They're far enough from the castle that it's safe enough to stay in a village for a night or two, but they would need to keep moving again soon after.

Emmaline's heart sinks slightly at the realization that they have no idea where they're going. Will they have to keep jumping from town to town for the rest of their lives? Is it fair to put Anna through that? Emmaline is sure that her father would cancel the search for Anna right away if Emmaline returned, and if not, dealing with her would set them back enough for Anna to get far away.

Emmaline would do anything to stay with Anna forever, but is it worth the risk of putting Anna in danger? Emmaline has no idea how long her father will keep this chase up, and they won't be able to evade him forever. Maybe if she comes back on her own and claims that Anna was killed in the forest they would drop all charges against her and she could escape.

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Sorry this chapter had so much of a delay, I had lots of writer's block. I included a picture at the top of what Emmaline's hair kind of looks like now if you need a visual (and yes, that is my wife Winona Ryder).

Love you all lots!