I know, I started tons of stories, but I particularly like some of my ideas and wanted to put them into words. Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

Yelp Like Puppies

Chapter 1

Aly scrambled down the hall, she had sneaked out of her room when her nursemaid took a nap. Now, it was her time in the house to play now-you-see-me, now-you-don't game that she had invented.

The game was to dodge and hide whenever a servant or maid came her way. She was to get to someplace she had appointed without being seen. Tonight, her destiny was the parlor.

A servant with huge stacks of dirty plates appeared in Aly's view. Quickly, she sank into the hallway shadow. Another servant appeared with goblets of wine, headed to the parlor. When the two servants met, they chattered briefly.

"They are drinking again!" the maid with dirty plates informed.

"I know, I just hope that the baron doesn't start his old habit again. Mistress won't like it." The other said, referring to Aly's mother, Alanna, as mistress and gambling as George's old habit.

"No kidding, no one wants to see her flare her temper that big again. Not even the baron!" gasped the maid with dirty dishes.

"You better hurry, they are out of dishes in the kitchen." The one with the goblet told the maid. "Dirty ones or not! Man, could those gentlemen eat!"

"I'm on my way." With that, they parted.

After they were out of Aly's vision, she sneaked out of the shadow. Quietly, she entered one of the side doors to her father's study. When she got there, she hesitated. Usually, she was not allowed in the study and she was curious on the code papers piled on George Cooper's desk. Yet, she wanted to go to the parlor so she can win her own little game. 'A few minutes won't hurt.' She told herself.

Getting behind the huge desk, she started to sort out all of the documents on her father's desk. She set the important pile in a place that would be easily recognized and the less important ones aside. Her long, skilled fingers sorted out groups and positions of knots in each message web. After she was done looking into every single document, she went to a book self. Pressing a single button hidden from view, a long, dark secret passage way swung open opposite of the bookshelf. George had not told anyone about this, but the observant Aly had seen the button and thought she could try.

Entered the dark passageway, Aly made her way down to the wall behind the parlor where there were two spy holes. She was not tall enough to reach them but she can hear what the men were saying.

They were talking about their family, wife and kids. Aly got so bored listening to them that she wanted to leave. Just as she was getting to her feet, a sentence caught her attention.

"I bet, my Aly is smarter than yours." A very drunk George called out.

"Oh, ya? My daughter is more beautiful than yours!" another man challenged.

"Not true!" George yelled.

"So true!" the other man argued.

"Not true."

"So true."

"How about this, I bet on my position as a baron that she can make her brothers yelp like puppies in public." George bargained.

"You are kidding me, ha ha ha! That would be fun to watch." The one who had argued with George said.

A murmur went across the room, some agreed, some did not.

"You are on!" George said.

"Of course." They all replied.

Aly could almost hear her confused father thinking, 'why was everyone so eager to answer my bet?'

Carefully, she sneaked away to her bedroom before her nursemaid awoke and called the guard for a 'Missing Princess!'

Like it? Tell me if I should continue. I have two or three more new stories coming, watch out for them. Then after that, I wanted to finish the story Broken Hearts before submitting anymore new ones again.

Thanks

Sorceress Shadow Rain