Chapter 2

"Bandit, come here!" Knallia pleaded.

"Oh yes, you have him very well trained!" laughed Lady Oncya, one of her two best friends.

"He is cute as a button though," complimented Lady Lowen. She would be the other best friend.

"It isn't easy training a cat, they're very independent!" Knallia complained, going over to the chair to pick up her furry little boy. She had found him wandering the palace gardens almost six months ago and had instantly been smitten. He was just like his name, a jet-black cat with white markings around his eyes like a mask, and a white patch on his chest.

"Too bad you couldn't get the court wizard to change him into a Prince, then you'd be all set!" giggled Oncya.

Part of Knallia wanted to glare, but she was right, so she just sighed. "Wouldn't work anyway, the court wizard is pretty useless, and as much as I like Bandit, even as a human he'd probably just play with yarn all day and then nap in the sun."

"That does seem like a pretty good life," Lowen pointed out.

"A better life would be nabbing one of those princes though," Oncya said dreamily.

"Well, you'll have your pick of them in a few days, I'm not holding out much hope for myself. Even with Bandit's limitations, he'd be a better choice!"

Oncya looked quickly over at Lowen with a frown. "We'll only take our pick after you do," she promised.

"Oh, don't worry about that. You have a better chance of finding someone there than I do!" she assured the pair. "Besides, most of them I've already met, and the rest I'm sure will be just as wonderful." Her etiquette coach insisted that sarcasm was frowned upon for a lady, let alone a princess, but it just seemed to come naturally to her.

"You need to have a better attitude," noted Lowan, "If you're positive about it, then maybe you'll find what you're looking for."

Knallia was positive, that the whole experience would be horrible, and that she wouldn't find what she wanted at all but would most likely find someone her father would like. Some overbearing prince who would try to tell her what she needed to do would be perfect for his pride, but not for her happiness. Why was it so hard to find someone she could just enjoy being around? Could there really be a person out there that she could fall in love with and not want to strangle when they opened their mouth?

"At very least you could show us the gown you're wearing," Oncya pleaded, with hope in her voice. In actuality, the pair just wanted to ensure they didn't pick the same color, it wouldn't do them well to match the princess on a night like that.

"Oh, let me go get it," she said, striding to her closet. One thing she did like was that the royal seamstress understood what she was going through and had the talent to make her a comfortable gown that would let her survive the night, while still being a proper lady for her parent's sake.

On a dress form inside the closet, she found the dress. It is a lovely shade of green, like the trees she loves in the royal hunting preserve. One of her favorite things to do is just walk through the woods deep in the shade of the trees and let the silence engulf her. It seems like that lets all her worries fade away. Luckily, the dress form was on rollers, and the was able to push the dress out into her room after lifting the bottom of the dress so it didn't get run over.

"Ohh, that's so beautiful!" Lowen gushed. "I just love that color!"

"You'll look gorgeous in that; it will really complement your eyes!" Oncya added.

"You haven't even seen the best part!" she said conspiratorially. She stood behind the dress and ran her hands over the front, letting them disappear into the fabric. "Pockets!" She winked at them from over the shoulder of the form.

Both girls giggled, they both knew Knallia was obsessed with pockets.

Aven counted her remaining coins, trying to determine if she had enough to make it the next few days till the ball. After setting aside coins to invest in a new outfit, the coins were getting a little scarce, but she didn't want to run the risk of stealing here in the city and lose her chance at an even bigger score on Sunday. By her estimate, if she didn't eat too much, and there were no unexpected expenses, then she should have enough to get to the big event with a few pieces of copper to spare.

The bigger issue was getting into the ball itself. Aven only had three options, none of them sure to work. She could try and steal an invitation, which ran the risk of the person who lost it telling the authorities. She could also try to go in as a guest to someone who already had an invitation, though that seemed unlikely as everyone going would be single, and not bringing a date. Or last, she could scale the walls and try to blend in with the crowd. Option three was her current plan, so today was scouting day.

Setting out into the warm sunshine she started strolling along the outer walls of the palace. Unlike the castle in Ferral, the walls here were strong and tall, and the guards more attentive. It wasn't going to be easy for her to slip past anyone, though she was hoping that there would be more cover after dark, and that the sounds of all the people in the castle would provide more noise than normal and obscure any noise she made climbing. What also helped was that the people of Glavriel also liked their greenery, so there were several sections of the wall covered flowering vines, and several others that had trees that might be able to give her access to the higher walls and enable her to make it into the palace.

After two circuits of the walls, she had three likely places that she could see as avenues into the castle, and then hopefully to the ballroom. If she waited until the party was in full swing, she wouldn't have to worry about presenting an invitation, and she could just blend into the crowd.

Speaking of which, she needed to get her outfit!

She popped into a tailor near the inn, hoping that they wouldn't be too busy. Hopefully, most of the princes would have their outfits in their own kingdoms, and the local royal ladies would be going to seamstresses for gown. Opening the door, she heard a little bell tinkle overhead to announce her presence. Hearing the sound, a middle-aged man in spectacles came out to greet her.

"Good morning, sir, can I be of assistance?" the man asked with a smile.

As expected, her current outfit and look gave her the appearance of a young man, which is exactly what she was trying to encourage. "Yes, please, I was hoping to be fitted for some new trousers and a dress shirt in the next few days."

"Just one shirt and one pair of pants?" the man confirmed.

"Yes, I would like more, but my funds limit me to one until I'm able to impress my Lady's parents," she continued.

"Ahh, yes sir, I understand. So, what were you hoping for in a color? We have some nice reds and blues this season."

"Black," Aven said plainly.

"Just.... Black?"

"Well, the pants yes. The shirt could have some embellishments I suppose." Aven relented. She really wanted all black, but that would be hard to explain if she was pretending to be a suitor for a woman.

"Do you have shoes as well?" the tailor inquired.

"I will. Black riding boots for the pants to tuck into."

The tailor nodded, taking notes on what was needed. "The boots, will they have silver buckles?"

"Yes, they will," Aven answered.

"Then the embellishments, can I perhaps use silver buttons or beading to match the buckles?"

Aven thought about it. She didn't really want any colors that reflected light, but she couldn't be all in black in the party. Silver seemed like an acceptable solution. "I like that idea, thank you."

"That shouldn't be too hard then sir, I have some of those buttons already in the back room left over from another project. I just need to take your measurements and I can get started today. The outfit will be ready for you on Saturday."

That was perfect timing. "Excellent. How much would that cost?"

The tailor looked her over and could see a young man of meager means asking for something at the top of his price range. He evidently took pity upon her. "I can do it for one gold and three silver."

Aven let out the breath she hadn't realized she was holding and thanked her lucky stars. That was two silvers less than she had budgeted and left her wiggle room in the price of the boots and mask. "Can I give you half now and half upon delivery?"

"Of course!" the tailor smiled.

Handing over the coins, Aven mentally prepared herself for the close contact of the tape measure. She closed her eyes and listened to the directions, raising her hands, and ignoring the touches in places that nobody else had touched her. Luckily, the tailor was quick and business like and got the measurements done quickly and never noticed anything different about her.

"Thank you, sir, I'll return in a few days!" she promised him.

That settled, she headed off to find a good pair of boots and the all-important mask.