Authors note: Aaaaahh… the horrible first story. This chapter is more of a prologue-type-thing and I got the idea reading a wonderful Tamora Pierce book! So I'm putting it in the Tamora Pierce section. Please review, I wrote this chapter a while ago and am now deciding to finish it (Oh how wonderfully my mind drifts from idea to idea.), so help, flames, ideas and praise are welcome! Also…the chapters a bit short of what I usually do… If you also need anything else, e-mail me at Soccer_Freak088@yahoo.com. Happy reading!

Chapter One - Split Personality

Strangely, the hallway was deserted. No rich nobles or monarchs rustling about, talking in their hushed voices about the queen's jewels and how lovely they were on her. No guards, an even more peculiar thing than the lack of social activity. They were usually found residing at the end of the long hallway, guarding the last door there. Fortunately for Kylie yin Tamine, she could now easily sneak in and out without complications.

"This is too easy…" she muttered, pushing a strand of red hair out of her face. She silently tip-toed to the last door and opened it with a kick. Whispering a few words, her light sprinkle of freckles magically disappeared, her hazel eyes turned amber, and her hair darkened to a dark brown. "Much too easy."  Kylie looked inside the door and spied a glass box filled with shimmering jewels. She touched her hand to it. "Aaah!" she cried, jolting her hand back when the glass burned her fingers. She growled and closed her eyes, moving her hands over the top of the box. Murmuring a few words, the glass glowed blue and she carefully moved her hands inside it effortlessly. 'Thank the gods for illegal spell books,' she thought, grinning wickedly as she grabbed the jewels and shoved them into a brown bag. She attached the bag to a belt which went around her tunic, and started to tip-toe her way out.

"Hold it," demanded a deep voice. Kylie spun around to face a heavy-set guard pointing a sword at her nose. "Yield for the throne's mercy," he ordered, his voice shaking a bit. He pressed the tip of the sword closer. Kylie sighed. Do none of them know easy sword handling? The way to make it so their enemy really doesn't have a choice is to push the sword at their neck. 'Amateurs.' She crossed her arms over her chest: a sign of yielding. The guard lowered his sword.

"Whoops," murmured the girl, producing a dagger from her sleeve and slicing down in an arc across the man's stomach. The man gasped and tilted over, trying to lunge out at Kylie with his sword, who stepped back to miss the blade. He dropped to the floor with a thud, his eyes set upon his attacker. She frowned and shook her head at the man. 'T'was a shame. They need to learn to stay out of my way,' she thought, a slow grin forming on her face as she ran through the hallway and down to the open air. Kylie looked up at the clock-tower and cursed. 'Ball's starting...'

***
"M'lady, will you grace me with this dance?" asked a knight, smiling, his arm extended to the same girl as before, although her wavy, long red hair was let down and her hazel eyes bright with her wearing a long green dress. Unlike the brunette thief in disguise, she also had a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks.

Kylie cursed under her breath. Why was it that they always asked her to dance the moment she got there? "I would be honored," she cooed, putting on a smile—something her face hardly remembered to do—and taking the man's arm.

They danced around the half-crowded ballroom easily; dancing was something that Kylie could do at the convent which she dreaded. All the while she had to do one of the things she hated most: bowing down to the scum of upper class. Kylie was nobility, but she simply hated most nobles.

The dance droned on for what seemed to go on forever in Kylie's eyes. Luckily, her dance partner seemed as though he wasn't one for talking during dancing. After a bit of awkward silence, the music ended. Kylie swept low in a curtsy as the knight bowed and walked off. She frowned and sat herself down at a table off to the side.

"Getting bored?" inquired a humorous voice, as a young man with blonde hair and bright blue eyes sat down across from the frowning girl.

"Aiden?! What the hell…?" she cursed, looking up at him with a scowl.

"I told you I could sneak in. It's not hard, just tell them you're some ambassador from another country across the world or something, and you're inside before you know it." He grinned. "Don't look so distressed to see me. That language isn't pleasant."

Kylie glared at her childhood friend. "Distressed isn't the word, and if you don't like my mouth then leave," she growled.

"Nah, that's okay. I've put up with your temper for six years, I'll handle it." He leaned down to look her in the eye. "So what's your deal? I know what you did," he whispered, a smile spreading on his concerned face.

"Yeah, but the guard saw me. You know I hate that. I feel like I'm getting worse."

Aiden smiled. "You're sixteen. You have plenty of years to make up for it until you're as good as me." He winked at her.

"You're two years older. There's not that much of a distance there."

"Aah, yeah. But don't tell that to these people. They think I'm some monarch from across the world. I gotta be about 50 for that."

"And you sure look it," she pointed out sarcastically.

"Oh yes. I got some gray in there, don't I?" he quipped, running his fingers through his perfectly dark blonde-colored hair. She nodded. "And," he whispered again. "No one's going to know you did it since you came here so quickly afterwards. Where'd you put the jewels?"

She grinned. "Why? Planning to steal it from me?"

He tweaked her nose. "You know I wouldn't. Plus, you got too much stress on you already." Kylie raised an eyebrow. "With all those wonderful nobles asking your hand in marriage I suppose." He smirked as she groaned and hit her head on the table.

"Don't remind me!" she moaned. She sighed and sat up straight again. "Never, I swear," she promised. "I'll stay here and live in the city. I can make my way as a thief without some rich noble who's decades older than me. And you can quote me on that."

As if on queue, a squire approached her. "Will you honor me with this dance, M'lady?" he asked, holding out a hand to her. Kylie gritted her teeth and smiled forcefully. She could see Aiden laughing out of the corner of her eye as she took the young man's hand.