This is my first fanfic in a while and my tastes and writing style has changed; so I hope you enjoy it. This is a short one, but the rest are longer. I also post these to my other sites.


She moved through the dense, opulent ballroom; her red hair glinting in the light. The room itself was dressed lavishly, covered almost every inch in gold. The room alive with its patron's exuberance and the atmosphere thick with revelry and the sounds of tantalizing music. Not a soul noticed anything out of the ordinary; too consumed on alcohol, spreading rumors, and the all-encompassing atmosphere. She slipped through the room unnoticed by everyone, just another body to add to their celebration. She made it to the other side of the room without too much fuss. Throughout the quieting hallways she went, getting further away from the party. It was there she was stopped by two guards.

"The King has ordered that no one shall be allowed further than this point." The guard spoke almost in monotone, yet still authoritative. His job was nothing more than to guard this door from day to day. To never speak unless to state orders or decrees.

"I still think you will want to let me through." She demurely looked at him from behind her mask, her voice suddenly taking on an ethereal quality. As if she was hypnotizing the men to allowing her passage through.

"No passage allowed!" His voice changed as if his entire demeanor was trying to disobey her.

"Then I guess we're doing this the hard way." She slipped an ornate knife from somewhere in her costume. She easily dispatched the guards, incapacitating them and moving past them into the next area. In this area she could hear the ranting of a deranged king echoing throughout the hallways. To touch something without the means to know what it is or does showed the folly of many kings.

She continued past him, quickly hoping to go unnoticed. It was relief when his ranting only stumbled before begging again and she continued on. She continued on to the room where she knew the object was hidden. She quietly opened the door and immediately felt she was in the right place. She searched the bookshelves that laid from wall to wall, not finding what she was looking for. She knew it was there, everything about her hummed with its power. Following that feeling to where it was strongest and just feeling along the shelves. Moving a few books found a secret compartment and opening it after securing her gloves. A book slid out and she quickly secured it in a pouch hidden under layers of her dress. She quickly put everything back in its place, and slipped out discretely. She moved quickly back through the ball room and exited through the cover of water.