Royal Blue - How and When to Faint 
It had been over two dozen mooncycles since the royal wedding, 
although you wouldn't know that if you wandered around the capital 
city. The prince and princess still looked like newlyweds and the 
capital still buzzed with discussion about the wedding. But, even 
in the joy of the kingdom, life moved on. There were still wars 
and rumors of wars. People still argued about prices and about 
status. The only major change is that the people knew that there 
was a new order in town. They now had active royals willing to 
listen and help instead of sympathetic royals trying to help without 
necessarily listening. It was a change that severely shook the status 
quo. 

And not everyone was happy about it. 

In particular, there were three ladies who were very angry about 
all the changes, blaming everything on the new princess. These 
three decided to ban together to do something about their “mutual 
problem”. They called themselves Praxis. 

The first lady of Praxis was Lady Ashley. As the only child of 
one of the most powerful houses in the kingdom, she was used to 
getting her own way. For that (and other reasons) she was still 
angry that she was passed over for the role of princess, especially 
since she was passed over in favor of a "little nobody". She wasn't 
quite sure how Adaunde had bewitched the prince, but she knew she 
could be the next queen if the princess were out of the way. She 
wanted that crown and she was determined to have it at any cost. 

The second lady of Praxis, Lady Shana, had a more pragmatic 
objection to Princess Adaunde. As one of the three children 
of the noble family in charge of the registry and census, it 
was their job to keep records of the status of all of the 
families. The stronger the dividing lines between the classes, 
the more power afforded to her family. For years, her family 
was respected and revered. But, with the work of one person, 
so much of the importance afforded to titles had been eroded. 
The princess was friends with people below her station. She 
asked for the advice from the military or merchantry on some 
issues. She addressed workers with respect! These were serious 
affronts on the current structure of power, all of which were 
deliberate acts by the princess. If the princess were, therefore, 
to become injured or die (especially if it appeared to be at 
the hands of one of the "lowly classes") people would be horrified 
and believe it was due to "class mixing". The old status quo 
would quickly be revived, probably with the prince leading the 
way. For that restoration of her status, Lady Shana would 
sacrifice much. 

The third lady of Praxis, Lady Ali, never was forthcoming on her 
objection to the princess, yet in her burned an intense hatred for 
the former Lady Anderson. While the others in the group could have 
been satisfied with Adaunde merely out of the picture...even if it 
was something as scandalous as a royal divorce, Ali wanted the 
princess dead and buried. It was just that simple for Ali. And she 
had put a lot of thought into the ways it could happen. 

The three ladies often met to discuss their next move and ways to 
discredit the princess. Each, in her own way, had found a way into 
the orbit of the royal couple. Lady Ashley traded upon her status, 
making sure she was invited to every event the royals hosted or 
organized. She even pretended to care about "the suffering people 
of the planet" to get invited along to relief efforts. Lady Shana 
used her family's role in record keeping to retain her involvement 
with the royals. She even pretended to have some concerns about the 
class system to arrange to have conversations with the princess 
herself. How Lady Ali managed to be everywhere the royals were was a 
mystery to everyone, even the other members of Praxis, but no one 
questioned it. 

After months of planning, the ladies of Praxis were given a wonderful 
opportunity to make their first move. The royals had be invited back 
to Towana to see the progress the city had made since the devastating 
earthquake almost four years before. While the city had found a way 
back onto its feet, it had taken this long for much of the rebuilding 
to occur. The city at that point was three-fourths rebuilt and the 
locals wanted to share their progress and convey their thanks to the 
prince and princess that had helped them out so much. Lady Ashley made 
sure that she was extended an invitation to the outing and Plan A was 
in motion. 


*Plan A: An accident* 


It was a sunny day in near the beginning of the warm season. The 
rebuilding city of Towana had pulled out all of the stops to welcome 
their saviors, Princess Adaunde and Prince Terrius. The two royals 
and their entourage were invited both to tour the recovering city 
and take stock of what aid Towana still needed. The entourage that 
accompanied the royals was a diverse group of people. Two of Prince 
Terrius' royal guard, the now general Bryer and general Kyto, were 
there as security. As the head of the prince's royal guard, Bryer 
actually wanted to bring more men to protect the prince and princess; 
the princess had somehow managed to veto the idea, insisting that she 
and her husband were probably safer around the grateful people of 
Towana than they were in the capital city. When the prince agreed 
with his wife, Bryer had to stand down, even though he was not happy 
about the situation. 

The merchantry was present in this group as well, represented by 
Mistress Maya Tiffany-Cartier, close friend of the princess, and 
Master Allen Calinder. Maya was along both because of her organizational
 skills and her connections to the princess. Calinder was along 
as an envoy to represent the mechantry, in order to broker future 
trade alliances and to establish the state of the economy in 
Towana. At least that was the official reason. The princess asserted 
to her oldest friend that she was convinced that Allen was only 
on the trip because of his feelings for Maya. 

Finally, the nobility were represented by the houses of Imani 
and Pride, in the persons of the Countess of Afrique and Lady 
Hubris. Between the two powerful families, both legislative 
and judicial interests were presented. 

It was not surprising to see Lady Ashante Zaire in the princess' 
orbit; it was well-known that the countess and the princess had 
attended the same preparation and that Ashante had been one of 
the princess' four attendants on the occasion of her wedding. 
In addition, it had often been said that people who were of Afrique 
descent, as were Ashante and the princess, were more comfortable 
in each other's company, due to a shared skin shade. The surprise 
for some was in the more recent presence of Lady Hubris.

Lady Hubris had acquired a newer interest in service to non-nobility. 
It appeared to many that she intended to make Towana her new pet 
project. It was debated among the merchants and workers about how 
serious Lady Hubris was about her new hobby; although, the recovering 
city of Towana was not about to become particular about who 
offered and provided help. 

Soon after their arrival, the group was greeted by Lord Peter 
Halifax, the governor of Towana and the lord who led the relief 
effort all of those years ago. In an ensemble that more clearly 
showed his rank, the young man bowed to the group. "Your royal 
highnesses, Lady Zaire, Lady Hubris, Master Calinder, and Mistress 
Tiffany-Cartier, it is wonderful to have you here. The people of 
Towana are deeply grateful for your help and presence." 

"Lord Halifax," the prince acknowledged as he shook the lord's 
hand. 

"Peter," the princess smiled. In her usual method, she had ignored 
the title to communicate with the person. "How are things? You have 
almost finished rebuilding in so short a time! That is an impressive feat." 

"Thank you, your royal highness. But none of this would have 
been possible without your assistance on our behalf." 

The princess laughed, "Oh, I doubt that, Peter. And how many 
times do I have to tell you? Please call me Adaunde." 

The prince smiled at the uncertain noble, "It is fine, Halifax. 
She is not denying the fact that she is a princess; she merely 
prefers that her friends call her by name." 

The young man smiled, "In that case, I shall try to remember, your...
I mean Adaunde." After acknowledging the princess's answering smile,
Peter Halifax continued, "If you will follow me, I shall provide a 
little tour of our rebuilt city and tell you a little more about the 
progress we have made." 

As they toured the city and asked questions, many people approached 
the group. Very often, they were unable to talk to the princess and 
prince directly, but they were able to pass messages to the royal 
couple through the other people in their party. These messages varied 
from the mundane to the serious and, for the most part, were received 
by the couple untainted. 

There was, unfortunately, one exception. 

Overhearing the princess was interested in touring some construction 
as well, one of the construction workers stopped Lady Hubris with a 
warning. "My lady, would you be sure that the princess doesn’t enter 
the southeast construction area? It is not very stable and we don't 
want the princess to be hurt while here." 

"You do not want her to tour the southeast construction area?" 

"Yes. It is too dangerous. The northwest area is a much safer place 
to look around," the worker confirmed. 

"Well, thank you so much for the warning. I shall be sure to pass it 
on to the princess," the noble lady confirmed, her condescension 
barely held in check. 

"Sorry to bother you, my lady," the worker finished, picking up 
on the noble's tone. The noble didn't reply. 

A few minutes later, the tour broke up. Lady Hubris pulled the 
princess away from the group, asking to borrow her royal highness 
from her conversation with the countess. "It is amazing how much 
Towana has suffered," the noble began. 

"Yes, and they have come so far. This is thanks to many kind-
hearted nobles like you. I do appreciate your involvement in 
this project." 

"Think nothing of it, your highness," the noble began. "In fact,
I wanted to do something for you. I heard you mention to me that 
you wanted to tour some of the construction. Is that correct?" 

"Yes, it is," the princess confirmed. 

"Well, one of the workers mentioned that we should view the construction 
in the southeast area," Lady Hubris shared. 

"Wonderful! I shall tell Terrius-" 

"Actually, your royal highness," Lady Hubris interrupted, "the worker 
did say something about not having a lot of people in that area. I think 
they may be worried that the construction area is not quite ready for 
crowds at the moment. Maybe the two of us can tour it ourselves, instead?" 

Excited about the opportunity to see the construction, Princess Adaunde 
both agreed and managed to convince General Kyto that he was better served 
staying with Prince Terrius. After a few conversations, the princess and 
the noble lady set off alone, followed only by the slightly worried eyes 
of a merchant's daughter and a countess. 

Upon arriving at the area, the princess looked it over with awe.

At the end of an embankment, the beams, pillars, and building supports 
could be seen emerging from the rubble. 

"Is it safe to take a closer look, do you think?" the princess asked 
her companion. 

"I am sure that it must be," the lady confirmed. "After you,
your highness." 

With that, the princess started down the embankment first. She moved 
slowly, concentrating on each step because of her footwear. So involved 
was she with walkind down the embankment, she didn't notice that Lady 
Hubris was not right behind her until she had reached the bottom. 
"Lady Hubris? Lady Hubris? Ashley, where are you?" 

The princess would later say she was not sure if she received an answer, 
as she then heard a great rumble. Looking up to her left, she saw a 
boulder fall from a nearby cliff, headed in her direction. 

She screamed. 

That scream carried all over the city of Towana. It even reached 
the front of the city hall, where the prince stood with Lord Halifax, 
Lady Zaire, and the merchants. 

"Was that-?" Lord Halifax began, but the prince was two steps ahead 
of him. 

"Adaunde," the prince identified the scream with fear in his voice 
as he took off toward the sound. 

"Dawn!" Maya shouted and she followed closely behind the prince. 

With one half of royal guard, Lady Zaire, Lord Halifax, and half of 
the people of Towana on their heels, Terrius and Maya reached the 
edge of the southeastern construction. There they found Lady Hubris 
gesturing frantically over the edge, babbling about the princess and 
a rock.  The prince immediately slide down the embankment, relieved 
to find his wife only dusty and seated, but disturbed to see a huge 
boulder only one foot from where she was. 

"Adaunde, are you alright?" 

"Oh, Terry," the princess breathed as she turned to her husband.
"I am fine, although startled somewhat by the boulder that just 
missed me." 

"How did you even manage to be in this area?" a flustered Lord 
Halifax asked as he reached the side of royal couple. "This 
construction area is particularly unsafe. I was told that the 
workers told you this." 

"Yes, my lord," a nearby construction worker confirmed. "I was 
told that the message was passed through Lady Hubris." 

"But," the princess began, confused, "Lady Hubris told me that 
this area was recommended. On the walk over here she may have 
mentioned something about an unsafe area, but-" 

At the princess' comment, all eyes turned to Lady Hubris. 

"Oh dear," the lady began, "did I mishear? I thought for sure 
that the worker told me that the southeast was a good safe place 
for her royal highness to see. I was so sure! I am sorry, your 
highness," she said to Prince Terrius, "I would not want you to 
worry because the princess was in danger." 

"It is fine, Lady Hubris. The princess is unharmed and it was 
an honest mistake," the prince said. After that statement, he 
began to help his wife to her feet, dust her off, and to give 
her a hug. 

As many workers and merchants of Towana were gathered around 
the now standing princess, worrying over her safety, Maya noticed 
a worker shaking his head a few places over. Detaching herself 
from the crowd, she walked over to where he was in time to hear 
him say, "Don't buy it." 

"Don't buy what?" Maya asked. 

The startled worker turned to stare at her. Before he could stammer 
out an apology, Maya cut him off. "It's okay. No one here believes 
that you or anyone else at Towana meant the princess any harm. But 
you seem to clearly know something that makes you doubt what is being 
said about what happened." 

"Mistress Tiffany-Cartier-" 

"Look," Maya interrupted. "I want to keep my friend safe. His 
highness wants to keep my friend safe. To do that, we need 
information.  We don't want to punish anyone; we just want to 
protect Adaunde.  So, will you help me? Tell me what you know?" 

The worker was silent for a few moments. Then he said, "It's just 
that I'm not sure the lady got the message confused. We workers all 
know how dangerous this area is. We wouldn't have left the message 
without being sure that the person we talked to understood it completely. 
Besides-" the worker looked around the area, "there’s a lot of stuff 
that’s dangerous here.  Stuff that coulda fallen or worse. That boulder 
was actually one of the more stable things on this site." 

Maya turned to look at the path the boulder took after this insight 
from the worker. She would later tell her father that she wasn't sure, 
but she thought she noticed a fallen branch at the top of the cliff...
but no nearby tree. 


*Plan B: The Misfire* 


A handful on sunrises after the trip to Towana was the annual 
Mechantry festival. A holiday for all of the merchants, this 
was also the time of year that they were able to display their 
best works.  There were attractions, entertainment, and much 
food and fun at the event, which was usually three sunrises 
in length. In the not to distant past, such an event was only 
acknowledged and attended by the Merchantry class. Such a disregard 
of their efforts had offended the class. That offence was gradually 
diminished as Prince Terrius and eventually other nobles began 
to attend the festival. All the merchants credited the change to 
Princess Adaunde, who some called "the merchants' princess" in 
private. 

As with past years, the prince and princess were in attendance.  
Along with minimal security, to the consternation of General Bryer, 
the prince and princess shared company with Mistress Maya Tiffany-
Cartier, the duke and duchess of AmerWest, and Lady Registry. 

This was only the second festival that Lady Registry had ever 
attended and the merchants were a little wary of the lady. The 
few merchants that had the misfortune of working with the lady 
didn't understand her presence near the princess. The brunette 
seemed much more into titles and restrictions than the princess 
was. The princess insisted that Lady Registry wanted things to 
change; it was one of the few things about which she disagreed 
with her long-time friend, Mistress Tiffany-Cartier. It was the 
princess' involvement with Lady Registry, regardless of the 
merchants’ opinions of the lady, that afforded her the little bit 
of respect and assistance that the merchants gave Lady Registry. 

It was the second sunrise of the festival and excitement was in 
the air. Touring the craft booths with the duke and duchess, the 
princess was pleasantly surprised when Lady Registry met up with 
her party and asked her to walk with her to discuss the class 
system. Leaving Anthony and Talia with assurances that she would 
be fine, the princess and noble walked to the open field not far 
from the archery practice fields. 

It was the whizzing that caught her attention. Many said that if 
the princess had not heard the quiet sound and turned her head, 
the arrow would have struck her. As it was, with her turning her 
head to look over her should and Lady Registry turning her head 
in the same direction, the arrow only took off a chunk of the 
noblewoman's long brown hair. 

"What in the horizon-" Adaunde began to ask when a shout was heard 
from the other end of the field. 

"Dawn! Oh creator, are you alright?! That arrow - that arrow was-" 
Maya was shouting and running and raising alarm at what she had 
seen from her station on the other side of the green. 

"I am fine, Maya. But, that was sound was an arrow?" the princess 
asked. 

"It must have just missed us!" Lady Registry exclaimed. 

Turning to her companion, the princess gasped as Maya reached the 
two women. "Lady Registry! Shana, your hair!" the princess pointed, 
shocked that some of the lady's hair was missing. 

"It had to be the arrow," Maya commented. 

At that moment, a shout of "Your royal highness, are you unhurt?" 
could be heard coming from one of the officers charged with the 
royals’ safety at the tournament. 

"Is there any way we cannot mention this to Terrius?" Adaunde 
asked quietly. 

"There is no getting around this. We've drawn a crowd. Someone is 
going to tell your husband," Maya answered. "I just hope there aren't 
any more accidents today. That was a near thing, Dawn!" 


*Plan C: The Extra Ingredient* 


Half a mooncycle after she was nearly sent to the Creator 
by an arrow, and the concern about Princess Adaunde's safety 
was only beginning to lessen. A mere mooncylce ago, the incident 
at Towana would have been seen as an accident; but now, in light 
of the fair incident, some wondered if the Towana "accident" was 
an accident. There was talk floating around the capital city of 
people trying to assassinate the popular princess. 

Different groups disagreed at who was behind such an attack on 
the royal by marriage. The nobility seemed to think that the 
workers were trying to kill the princess. They bet that the 
kindness of the princess had led "the little upstarts" to think 
they were entitled to more than they were. As the nobles watched 
how the attempts on the princess affected their prince, they wanted 
those behind the attempts caught and punished. Some even talked 
about limiting the "lowly classes" access to the princess to 
protect her. After all, Lady Hubris had said that a worker had 
told her to send the princess down to the construction area where 
the boulder almost killed her, and Lady Registry had also almost been 
hit by the arrow that was aimed at her royal highness. 

The military seemed to think it was the merchants behind the attempt 
on the princess. After all, it was at their fair where the most blatant 
attack on the princess took place and that class had an inside window 
into the life of the princess through Mistress Tiffany-Cartier. The 
military were concerned enough about the connection that they were 
having Maya Tiffany-Cartier followed. As to why the merchantry class 
were plotting to kill the princess, the military was never clear. Their 
best guess is that the class expected to get more out of their connection 
to the princess than they had. 

The merchantry seemed to think it was the military determined to kill 
"the merchants' princess". They knew the military was monitoring 
Mistress Maya Tiffany-Cartier; Mistress Maya knew she was being followed, 
but hadn't told her friend the princess because she didn't want Adaunde 
to worry. The merchantry figured the military didn't like the way the 
princess often vetoed extra security for herself and the prince. The 
merchants were convinced that if the princess was injured or killed, 
the military would get their way about security details. But the 
merchants were split over whether the military meant to kill or merely 
harm the princess. She did start out life as a colonel's daughter and 
the military did have tremendous respect for her father. That made it 
hard for the merchantry to believe that the military meant the princess 
but so much harm. 

The workers believed the nobility were trying to kill the princess.  
They came to this conclusion by process of elimination. The workers 
of the realm clearly adored the princess. She admired the workers 
and saw them as people, something no other noble or royal had done 
before her. The merchants clearly adored her as well; her friendship 
with Mistress Maya alone was reason for the merchants to keep her 
alive. As for the military, she was one of them once, and they always 
took care of their own. A few of the officers still referred to the 
princess fondly as "the Colonel's daughter". The royals also adored her. 
The king and queen referred to her as their daughter.  Prince Terrius 
was clearly besotted, even after two years of courtship and another 
two of marriage. And, as someone was obviously trying to kill her, 
it must be the nobility. 

Regardless of all of the theories, everyone worried over the safety 
of their princess. And they all, including the prince himself, wanted 
the princess to limit her activities until they knew for sure from where 
the threat was coming. The princess agreed, not for a moment because she 
thought that she was in any danger, but because over the past few days 
she hadn't been feeling like herself. She did not mention to her husband, 
as he was gun-shy enough about her safety lately. So, she agreed to stick 
to entertaining friends and acquaintances at the palace and to cancel all 
the balls but her anniversary one. Everyone thought that among the known 
in the palace, the princess was safer. 

At times, everyone is wrong. 

That particular day, the princess was having tea with Lady Noir, who had 
asked for an audience to talk. Adaunde didn't know Lady Noir well; at least, 
she didn't think that she did. Something about the lady did feel familiar, 
but Adaunde wasn't sure why. 

Welcoming the lady into the drawing room, the princess asked for tea to 
be sent. As she began to request two of the mini iced grain cakes, a 
specialty of the palace and a favorite of the princess, Lady Noir interrupted. 
"Oh, I am sorry, but I am not sure that I can eat the cake. I have not 
been consuming grain on the advice of a medic," the lady blushed. "And 
now you think me terribly rude." 

"Not at all," the princess disagreed. "It was my oversight in not asking 
about such things when we agreed to tea. Madame Tetley, is there something 
else that we can serve Lady Noir?" 

"We’ll find something, your royal highness. Would you still like your 
grain cake?" the worker asked. 

"Oh please, go ahead," Lady Noir insisted, "I have heard they are a 
favorite of yours. I would not want to deprive you of the treat." 

"In that case," the princess smiled, "I shall have a cake, thank you, 
Madame Tetley." 

As the worker left the room and the tea was prepared, Adaunde engaged 
her guest in small talk. It was a rather difficult task, in part because 
her guest wasn't very responsive. It also bothered Adaunde that she felt 
that she knew the lady from somewhere. With her slightly queasy stomach, 
Adaunde mentally asked the creator for a quick delivery of the tea. 

As the tea arrived, Lady Noir looked at her host and said, "I have been 
meaning to ask you something, your royal highness." 

"Yes?" the princess asked as she began to poor tea as the worker quietly 
left the room. 

"I was wondering how you handle that problem with such grace. It is as 
if it does not bother you." 

"What problem?" the princess asked as she reached for a slice of the 
grain cake. 

"The problem of your outspoken servants! Your staff seems to offer 
their...thoughts more often than is proper." 

The princess paused, with the piece of cake still in her hand. "I do 
not think I understand your meaning, Ali, isn't it? What exactly are 
you asking?" 

"I am asking if you mind that members of your staff speak their minds." 

At that statement, the door burst open and a harried kitchen worker 
rushed into the room. "Don't eat anything your highness! There is 
something wrong with the cake! It's poison! Poison!" 

"Poison? Are you sure?" the confused princess asked. 

"Yes, your highness! One of kitchen workers fell very ill from the 
cakes. Please, don't eat anything." 

The startled princess dropped the slice of iced grain cake in her 
hand. A little shaken, she smiled quietly at her guest. "To answer 
your question, Lady Noir, I do not mind a staff with members who 
speak their minds.  Especially in cases when opinions may strengthen 
my safety." 


*Plan D?* 


The anniversary ball almost didn't happen. The attempted poisoning of 
the princess sent everyone's worry into overdrive. Although no one was 
sure exactly when the iced grain cake had been tampered with, there was 
no debating that it had contained enough lethal poison and that, if the 
princess had actually ingested the slices in front of her, it would have 
killed her. 

After being re-assured that his darling wife was alright, Terrius was 
the first to say that the ball should be cancelled. Adaunde immediately 
objected; why hurt the many over the actions over a few, assuming the 
series of accidents she had suffered had actually been attempts on her 
life. Terrius finally agreed to the ball on the condition that Adaunde 
agreed to a meeting with their inner circle to discuss how to best protect 
them. She grudgingly agreed, still convinced that Terrius was making 
too much over what were probably a series of accidents. 

Contrary to how it sounded, the inner circle of the younger royals 
was not small. Consisting of the people who they trusted the most 
and those in charge of guarding them, this inner circle numbered almost 
twenty and represented every class except worker. It was a diverse 
group of people with a variety of backgrounds. And a group that, while 
they got along, did not always agree. 

Among those attending the meeting was the royal guard of Prince Terrius. 
Led by General Stephen Bryer, called by his title of Kunzite, the guard 
also consisted of General Holt Kyto (Nephrite), Sergeant Tyler Putnam 
(Zoicite), and Lieutenant Shannon Gore (Jedite).  Each of the four 
answered both to their titles and names and had a strong commitment 
and loyalty to their prince. They held their titles until the next heir 
chose his own guard, at which time the titles would pass to the next 
princes' guard. Like all high-ranking members of the military class, 
these four had definite ideas about how to keep their liege safe. 

Also in attendance was the head of the princess' security team, Colonel 
Howard Clinton. A huge admirer of then Colonel and now Lord Bill Anderson, 
Clinton jumped at the change to protect Anderson's daughter. His job did 
have a few headaches, given the princess' insistence that she didn't need 
protection or security, but it was usually a pleasant one. The last few 
weeks, however, had rattled the young colonel; he absolutely hated the fact 
that any attempts on the princess' life had even gotten off of the ground. 
It made him question his ability to do his job, sure that Prince Terrius 
must be questioning his ability as well.  If nothing else, he hoped that 
his royal highness could convince his wife that she needed the security 
detail Clinton wanted to give her. 

Finally, another member of the military, ensign Marcus Braxton was also 
in the room. Although almost everyone knew why he was in the room, no one 
commented on it, for their own reasons. 

Besides the military contingent, the merchantry was present in the 
presence of Maya Tiffany-Cartier and Allen Calinder. Adaunde had 
insisted on Maya's presence; she trusted her oldest friend implicitly. 
The princess insisted on Allen's presence because she trusted his 
additional insight into the merchantry class...and, if she were 
honest with herself, she was attempting a little matchmaking as 
well. 

Of course, the former wedding party of the prince and princess were 
there as well: the duke and duchess of AmerWest, the earl and countess 
of Afrique, Baron Sato, Lady Bella and her now husband, Lord Morte-Vida. 
Along with them were the governing family of Towana, Monpella, and Skylar, 
Lord Peter Halifax and his wife Lady Antonia. With Lady Antonia originally 
hailing from Atlantis, all the major provinces of the planet were represented 
in the meeting. 

As a political force, the team in that room was an amazing powerhouse.
They, however, didn't view themselves in that way. They were friends 
and/or protectors of their royal highnesses, Prince Terrius and Princess 
Adaunde, which was, in each of their eyes, one of the highest honors 
possible. 

After the last person arrived and the doors were closed, Terrius began 
the meeting as the last person seated themselves. "Thank you all for 
coming. I realize that this is taking some of you away from duties or 
from preparing for the ball next sunwane, but I hope you understand the 
reasoning for this meeting." 

At his opening, the room nodded, except for his wife, who mumbled under 
her breath, "I still think that you are worrying too much." 

Ignoring his wife's editorial comment, the prince returned to his objective. 
"I think almost all of you," he began as he looked briefly at the princess, 
"will agree that, in light of the attempts on the life of the princess that 
we need to make some serious decisions about the activities in which we engage." 

"Attempts?" Baron Sato interrupted. "As in plural? Your highness, I was 
only aware of the attempted poisoning." 

"We do not know that was a poisoning," the sitting princess began to object. But 
those seated in the room didn't listen to her objections. 

"There have been two attempts on Princess Adaunde's life," General Bryer began. 
As Maya began to nod in agreement, the general continued, "Besides the poison 
in the grain cake, that arrow at the merchantry fair nearly took off her head!" 

"Wait a minute!" Maya suddenly stopped nodding to object. "If General Bryer 
is counting that incident at the fair, which was clearly an accident, then 
there have been three attempts to kill Dawn." 

"Three!" Colonel Clinton, General Bryer, and Lord Wayemeyer shouted at once. 

"Yes, three." Maya replied to their unspoken question. Turning to her childhood 
friend, she continued, "I don't believe you ended up in that Towana construction 
zone by accident, and I think that boulder was 'helped' off of the ledge." 

Before the room could erupt into more conversation, the prince held up his hand. 
After he had everyone's attention, he started to speak. "Whether we agree on 
the number, one attempt or three attempts, it is as at least one attempt too 
many for my piece of mind." 

Seeing Colonel Clinton about to speak, the prince rushed on. "Before you 
ask, Clinton, this is not a reflection on your ability to protect the 
princess, nor is this meeting to ask for your resignation.  I know my wife," 
Terrius smiled. "She is not the easiest person to protect. Beyond that, 
each of these incidents happened in places that we all thought were safe, 
when she was with people we trusted." 

As the colonel began to relax, Terrius jumped to the next point, "And 
it is because neither Adaunde nor I saw the danger that we have a problem. 
What clearly needs to happen is some kind of vetting process before we 
agree to go anywhere or see anyone." 

Until that point, the princess had stayed facing forward in her chair, in 
part to ward off the headache and nausea that she attributed to the conversation. 
The threat of a vetting process, however, was enough to shock her into quick 
head and body movements. 

"Hold on," the princess interrupted her husband. "A vetting process?  A 
traditional vetting process! Are you serious?" Turning quickly to stare 
accusing at her husband, she continued, "I would never be allowed out! 
They would not let me go to merchantry fairs or to see the workers. 
Terrius, I do not think I would be able to live like that! I-" 

"Adaunde," the prince said as he sat down next to his wife. "Trust me. It 
shall not be a traditional vetting process." As his wife quieted, the prince 
continued, "It shall not be a traditional vetting process, because the people 
doing the vetting will also be serving as our advisors. 

"This team shall be made up of a male and a female, so that we may receive 
a balance point of view. Adaunde and I would have to trust both members of 
this team, and this team would have to be able to trust each other and work 
together. Beyond that, this team would need to be trusted by and be able to 
communicate with everyone in this room, as well as my parents and, at times, 
Lord and Lady Anderson. 

"This team is very important part of our realm security. If nothing else, 
this mooncycle has taught me that if Adaunde is threatened, I am quite 
willing to do anything, regardless of what it is. Similarly, if I were 
threatened-" 

"I would become very emotional and, therefore, useless," Adaunde conceded. 
"I do see your point." 

"And when we have children..." 

Maya and Adaunde both shuttered at that point. Knowing how Adaunde reacted 
to threats to her own parents, if someone was ever stupid enough to threaten 
her children, there would be hell to pay...and Adaunde wouldn't be in the 
mental state to be able to control how far reaching the effects of her 
vengeance would be. 

"You make a very good point, your royal highness," Lord Halifax agreed. 
"I take it that you already have someone in mind?" 

"Yes, I do, Lord Halifax. I have not asked them to serve in this capacity 
before this meeting. I thought that we all could prevail on their cooperation 
here. 

"The people I have in mind," the prince began, "are people we both trust 
completely. They can work with ease with everyone in this room. As the male 
and female are also husband and wife, clearly they trust each other and 
can work together. So it is for those reasons that I ask Lord and Lady 
Morte-Vida to serve as our royal advisors." 

After a pause, the princess broke the silence. "Terry, that actually makes 
sense. We know that Bella and Nippon would only have our best interest at 
heart; Bella clearly understands both of us; and," the princess smiled at 
the surprised newlyweds, "this is just the leverage you would need to get 
that estate in the east section of the capital city on which you have had 
your eye." 

"Your highness, how did you know we were even looking at that property?" 
Lord Nippon Morde-Vida asked. 

"Terrius, are you sure you did not discuss this with Adaunde previously? 
The last advantage she mentioned sounded almost practiced," Lady Bella 
Morde-Vida asked her best friend. 

"Am I to assume that your questions mean that you will agree to this 
opportunity to serve?" Terrius asked. 

Bella and Nippon looked at each other for a second. Then Nippon said, 
"We would be honored, your highness." 

"And you get to hit the ground running with their anniversary ball.
Maybe you can talk her highness into paring down the guest list"
Colonel Clinton joked good-naturedly. 

"Now Howard-" the princess began, only to pause to let her husband 
close out the meeting. Soon after the end of the meeting, knowing 
there were enough military in the room to keep her highness safe for 
the moment, Colonel Clinton rushed to a security meeting of his own. 
As the others in the meeting slowly began to make their way to their 
separate destinations, the princess walked up to Maya. 

Smiling at her friend, Adaunde said, "I told you that Terry worries 
overmuch about me, although this idea of advisors is a good one." 

Maya just shook her head at her friend. "Of course he worries about 
you! These attempts on your life - and, yes, that is what they were, 
Dawn! - aside, the man loves you. Your safety and happiness are 
important to him." Maya paused to look over her friend. "And he may 
be right to worry," she added quietly. "Are you okay, Dawn? You are 
looking a little pale." 

"I am fine, Maya, I promise. A little discomfort is normal for me 
during this season," the princess smiled comfortingly at her friend. 

"I still think you should see a medic. After that incident with the 
poison, it's possible that-" 

"Maya! I am fine. I only touched one slice; I did not ingest anything. 
The medic assured us all that the poison could not pass by mere touch-" 

"Although we would all feel better if you visited the medic again, 
just in case," the male voice of the current Nephrite said off to 
the princess' right. 

Turning toward the sound, the princess smiled. "General Kyto." 

"Your royal highness," the general returned with a bow. 

"General, you could actually do me a great service," the princess 
said with a sudden smile. 

"And what would that service be, your highness?" 

"Besides prevailing upon you to call me Adaunde?" the princess laughed. 
"You could remove the tail you have on Maya." 

"You knew about it?" General Kyto and Maya said at once. After 
processing Maya's response, the surprised general turned to the 
merchant's daughter. "You were aware of... our monitoring activities 
as well, Mistress Tiffany-Cartier?" 

"Did you forget who my best friend is? Long before she became 
a princess, I was constantly around military when I was around 
her. I picked up a few things," Maya responded. "That and you 
sent an ensign to follow me. I'm sure Braxton will be very talented 
later in life, but he's new and I'm observant," Maya shrugged. Then 
she turned to her friend, "But I had no idea that you were aware of 
this. Obviously, the general didn't tell you. Why didn't you say 
anything?" 

"You did not mention it," Adaunde answered. "And, as I assumed this 
was done out of misplaced concern for my safety," she paused, raising 
an eyebrow at the general. At his reluctant nod, she continued, "I 
did not wish to upset you or for you to conclude that we did not 
trust you." 

Maya snorted. "Like I would ever believe that you didn't trust me.  
But I still think you ought to see a medic." 

"I do agree, your highness," General Kyto smiled. "And I shall have 
the, ahem, tail removed from Mistress Tiffany-Cartier," he promised. 

"Thank you, general." 

And with that one meeting and appointment, the ball was allowed 
to move forward. A celebration of the third anniversary of Terrius 
and Adaunde, the guest list was extensive, including workers, merchants, 
and military as guests. The main ballroom was full and the attendees 
all looked forward to see the prince and princess. 

An hour into the event and the anticipation was high. The king and 
queen had been presented earlier in the evening and the prince and 
princess now stood off in the wings ready to make their own entrance. 

The prince was resplendent in his royal blue formal attire. His princess 
wore an original Tiffany-Cartier at the insistence of her friend. The 
emerald green gown was cut to narrow at the waist and flair at the hip, 
a style that some merchants were now calling "the princess cut". It had 
a small built-in train and shear quarter-length sleeves. Just below the 
right shoulder was a hand-stitched design, a calla lily lying above a 
purple orchid. When the princess had exclaimed over the dress when Maya 
presented it to her, she had shed a few tears upon seeing the design, a 
physical reminder of the noble and royal status she now held. 

As they were announced, the princess put her hand on her husband's arm 
and they began their slow walk from the wing to the dais. After a few 
steps, Adaunde spoke quietly to her husband, "Terry, are you not moving 
a little fast? I feel as if the room is spinning." 

Concerned, the young prince looked at his wife, "I am walking sedately. 
Are you unwell? Should I-" 

"Terry, I am fine," the princess insisted. As they continued their walk, 
the princess suddenly uttered an awed, "Oh!" 

"Adaunde? What is it?"

"Terry, I am sorry." 

Such a statement worried the prince. "Sorry? About what are you sorry?" 

The princess gave a serene smile to her husband, "I think I may slip from 
the world for a moment. I have never done such a thing before. I think I 
would enjoy the experience, if I did not feel so out of control." 

"Slip from the world? Adaunde?" the prince began to ask in concern as 
they couple stopped a few feet short of the dais and his parents.  As the 
princess began to slump, his response became louder and sounded more 
agitated. "Adaunde! Oh creator, help!" the prince shouted as he caught 
his wife and lowered them both to ground. 

The slipping spell from the princess immediately sent several groups 
of people into action. General Bryer and Colonel Clinton both noticed 
the princess' slump from across the room. The current Kunzite and the 
head of the princess' security were by the prince's side before he had 
caught the princess. The lord and lady Morte-Vida had also noticed the 
princess slip. 

"Go and keep Terrius calm; I shall retrieve additional help," Lady Bella 
asked her husband. So, as Nippon quickly moved to be by the prince's side, 
his wife shouted clearly in the ballroom, "Is anyone present a medic?" As 
a young medic presented himself, the blue-haired noble turned advisor 
grabbed his hand and dragged him to the fallen princess. 

Of all of the commotion around her, the princess remained oblivious,
only vaguely hearing as she completed her slip, "She shall be fine,
your royal highness. Now if we can just get her a little air while I 
look her over, hm?" 

Much later, the princess awoke in a medical room in the palace. At her 
stirring, a health worker in the corner smiled, "Welcome back, your royal 
highness. I shall alert his royal highness that you are awake. Then I'll 
send in the medic." The young woman smiled, "you gave us all a little scare 
last night. Seeing you awake should ease his highness." 

Moments after the girl left, Terrius rushed in the room. Wrinkled with 
ruffled hair and a haggard looking face, it was clear that the young 
prince had spent the last hours worrying. "Adaunde, thank the Creator 
you are awake," the prince said as he crossed the room to sit next to 
his wife's bed, stopping to take hold of her hand before he sat down. 

"Terrius, what has happened? The last thing I remember-" 

"You slipped from the world for a few minutes, for which you apologized 
beforehand. After a medic began to attend you, you were groggy and 
disoriented before you fell into some kind of sleep for hours. The medic 
has run some tests; he insists you are well, but he wanted to tell us 
the results after you had awakened." 

"While you would not believe I was fine until I spoke to you, is that 
it?" the princess smiled. Suddenly, her eyes widened. "The ball! Is 
everyone still-" 

"The ball was last sunwane, Adaunde. We sent everyone home after your 
collapse. Before you begin-" Terrius held up a hand as he noticed his 
wife was attempting to sit up, "we shall inform everyone that you are 
well. Just rest here until the medic returns." 

"Oh," the princess said quietly. Turning to her worried husband, the 
princess found herself asking, "You were not too hard on the medic 
and health workers, were you Terrius?" At her husband's blush of 
embarrassment, Adaunde shook her head. "Promise me that you shall 
apologize to all of them," the princess insisted. 

"That is not necessary, your royal highness," came a voice from 
the door, "We understood. He was a worried husband; they are always 
difficult to work with." 

"So, what is ailing my wife?" the prince demanded. 

"Terrius!" the princess objected from the bed. "I am fine." 

"Fine people do not suddenly slip from the world at their anniversary 
balls!" 

"Actually, you are both correct," the medic interrupt. "The princess 
is correct in saying that nothing is wrong with her.  But slipping 
spells do not just happen spontaneously." 

"What are you saying?" the princess asked the medic. 

"We ran a few tests, and, having looked at then, I decided to share 
the news with both of you." 

"News?" the prince questioned warily. 

The medic smiled, "I would not worry about the occasional slipping.
Future mothers tend to do so every once in a while, especially when 
they are stressed." 

"Future mothers?" the princess asked tentatively. 

"May I be the first to congratulate you, your royal highnesses,
on the coming addition to your family." 

"I am...I am with child?" the princess whispered. At the medic's nod, 
huge smiles broke on the couples faces. Terrius kissed his wife and 
then rested his forehead on hers as they both cried happy tears. One 
of his hands held the princess' right hand. The other hand now rest 
reverently on her still flat stomach. 

"Thank the creator," the prince said quietly and he sat with his wife. 

As the couple became lost in their own joy, the medic quietly left the 
room. There was plenty of time to talk to the couple later.

The medic was sure, however, that he would never forget the joy that 
he saw in those brief moments after the royals were given the news 
that in a few mooncycles they would be parents. 

- to be continued - 

Note: "Slipping from the world" is how people in this era refer to what we 
would call fainting. It does not refer to dying.