**********
Taylor paced in his room. Bored. Utterly bored. Incredibly, utterly bored. And he was hungry. He had even eaten the stale bread. Or rather, choked down the stale bread. The water helped.
At one point, Taylor had considered tying his sheets together and using them to climb out the window like they do in the movies. But there weren't enough sheets. And besides, the griffin had spotted him.
He sighed in frustration.
**********
They stopped for a break. Sweat was dripping from their foreheads and they were panting heavily from the sheer effort to climb the mountain, which had gotten steeper.
"He'd better be up there for your sake Fred," Zac said.
"Yeah, 'cause if he's not, and we've climbed up all this way for nothing..." added Isaac.
Fred just shook his head and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
**********
There was a tentative knock at Taylor's door and in came the girl who had been bringing him food. He frowned at her.
"It's not dinner already is it?" he asked.
"I'm gonna get you out of here," she replied.
"You are?" then he eyed her suspiciously. "Why?"
"Because I'm not going to marry you."
"Marry - you're the griffin's daughter? But you don't look a thing like a griffin!"
"Foster daughter."
"Oh."
"Hurry up."
"Hang on -"
"What is it now? Can't you see we don't have to go?"
"Yeah, but why don't you want to marry me? Aren't I good enough for you?"
"Nope."
"And why not?"
"Well, for starters, you're arrogant and -"
"I am not."
"Oh, you are so."
"Am not!"
"Are so."
"Am not."
"Are s- oh stuff this childish behaviour. Look, I'm a Princess, and the only people deemed good enough for me are Princes."
"So, go marry one of them."
"No thanks. They're more arrogant than you!"
"I am not arrogant!"
"Look, lets face it. You don't wanna marry me any more than I wanna marry you. So let me help you escape so we can get on with our lives?" the Princess sounded truly exasperated.
"Oh, ok."