Annaliese Wassic attempted to rush through the security checkpoints of LAX in a panic. It almost seemed like she was going to have to strip down for a full cavity search at the metal detectors because everything she was wearing seemed to set the sensors off. She crossed back and forth through the annoyingly screeching archway 10 times before realizing what was causing the problem when one of the attendants mentioned that "tin" set off the machines. She asked the security personnel to keep an eye on her belongings and proceed to the bathroom to remove the chain mail vest she was wearing beneath her shirt. She then proceed to bashfully deposit the armor into the little dish with her keys and jewelry and pass silently through the loathsome contraption that was making her, and the poor under paid attendants, so miserable with quite a few odd glances accompanying her.

"Just out of curiosity," the lady with the hand held "locating wand" began, "and please don't think I mean any disrespect miss, but WHAT THE HELL?!?"

"Long story," Annaliese blushed, gathering up her things, "and far too long to relate if I don't want to miss my plane," she said waving goodbye and running for her terminal in the desperate hope that she wouldn't be too late to join her friends on the jet to Paris.

That hope was to be short lived and otherwise immediately dashed as she spotted the plane taxiing down the runway while she was still sprinting for the gate.

"Sssh--it!" she hissed breathlessly as she watched her guild, luggage, and hope take flight in the distance. She made her way to the Air France counter at the end of the terminal to find out what could be done about getting her on another flight as soon as possible. She transferred her ticket to a red eye flight that would take off in 4 hours, getting her to Paris on the evening of the fifth; and sent word ahead via telegram to Callista, her "sister" and best friend, to collect her bags for her and that she'd be coming in later that night.

The plane ride was everything she'd thought it would be: too loud, too cramped, and too bumpy; but excitement and an overwhelming urge to feel solid ground beneath her feet again made it pass much quicker than she'd expected it to and then she was in Paris, sort of. Okay, she was in a crowded terminal of the Charles de Gaulle airport just south west of Paris, but it was French and that was close enough!

Somehow even "return your seat backs and tray tables to their upright and locked position" sounds cooler in French she remarked to herself as she shuffled through the gate. She spotted Callie waiting for her and ran to her for a hug squealing all the way out of pure ecstasy.

Callie winced in visible pain at Anna's shriek, "Girl," she moaned, "it should be illegal for you to have this much energy so soon after a flight like that one."

"I can't help it. It's Paris!" Anna said with a grand gesture and an elegant little twirl.

"We aren't even in Paris yet," Callie said smiling ruefully, "Anna, promise me you're not going to get any worse… This isn't going to increase exponentially as we approach the city or something is it?" she asked with considerable dread.

"I don't know…" Anna started out in a sing song voice, then upon seeing her friends grimace in reaction she gamely made the motion of zipping her smirking lips and throwing away the key, "I'll be good. Promise."

During the 4 hour wait that had separated their arrivals at the airport Callista had taken the liberty of claiming their baggage, checking all of their things through customs, and acquiring their rental car so that the moment Annaliese got there they could leave immediately for the campgrounds and she could curl up for a nice long nap to sleep off the jet lag that was making her so cranky.

As Callie drove hesitantly through the unfamiliar and confusing Parisian streets Annaliese hopped from one side of the car to the other shouting excitedly at every building famous or not.

"Look it's the Paris Opera! Look 'La Cage aux Folles'! Look! Isn't that the street they showed in the new version of 'Sabrina'?"

"All I'm interested in looking at right now is the interior of my eyelids after we pitch our tent at the campsite. Now stop bouncing around like a rambunctious jumping bean before I pull this car over and make you stop!" Callista growled, her patience wearing thin.

"Yes, mommy," Anna replied mockingly as she climbed into the front seat while the car paused at a stoplight.

"Grow up, Girl," Callista said giggling and shaking her head. She picked up a map from a pouch in her door and slapped Anna's right shoulder with it, "Here. Make yourself useful. Tell me if we're going in the right direction."

Annaliese looked at the map with deep thought and then timidly asked Callista, "Have we… passed over the Seine yet?"

"No…" Callista replied shakily.

"Then we're going the right way!" Anna said bursting into a wide grin.

Callie slumped back into her seat looking exasperated, "I'm being serious here, Anna. I'm tired and I--."

Throwing her hands up as a shield against the lecture she knew was coming she interrupted, "Okay, okay. I know," then adopting a stone face and baritone voice she said, "Serious. All right we're being serious." She said trying hard not to laugh and not truly succeeding. After receiving an icy glare she returned to her normal voice and continued, "Make a right here."

The next sight that hit her eyes completely took her breath away. For the first time since leaving the airport Anna was absolutely speechless because they had just turned into the Ilè de la Cité and she was gaping awestruck for the first time at Notre Dame. Upon regaining the use of her tongue she stated with a wicked grin, "Now pull the car over, or I'll jump out as you drive by," with the door already slightly ajar.

Callie resigned herself to pulling off the road rather than risking any injury to her partner. It would be rather difficult to be wandering minstrels at tomorrow's festival if one of them couldn't walk.

Annaliese bolted from the car as soon as it was parallel to the curb, and began running through the square. She passed by several makeshift foundations of the temporary shops that would be complete and transacting business tomorrow before Callista was able to catch her and slow her down.

They stopped in front of a partially assembled milliner's shop to inspect some of the wares that had arrived early for the next day's proceedings. Anna picked up a muffin cap and began to twist her thick honey wheat tresses into a bun to try it on. She turned to Callista and presented herself for inspection with a grand gesture that clearly said "ta-da" and a cheerful, "Well, whaddu ya think?"

But before Callista even had a chance to respond to her an older man came up behind her and, so artfully that he didn't even pluck a hair from her head, snatched the hat off with a dispassionate, curt, "Si'l vous plaitez, Mademoiselle, ne touchez pas de la marchandise."

To which Anna responded with a bewildered look and a horrible accent, "Pardon, Monsiuer, mais je ne parle ... um, francais?"

"Oof! Americans!" He exclaimed in exasperation. Then he turned and shouted, "Jean-Peirre!" before burying himself once again in his work while mumbling profanities the girls were pretty sure they were glad they couldn't translate.

A young man in his mid 20's popped up on the other side of the stand and shouted back, "Oui, Papa." He was tall standing at about 6'2" with black hair, a deep tan, and the most startlingly crystal blue eyes that seemed to leap at you just out of contrast to the rest of him.

"Si'l te-plait," the older man said without looking up from what he was doing, "Dites aux les femmes americains a partir."

The younger man began to chuckle. He turned to the girls and said in a heavy accent, "I do not know what you did, but you certainly upset him, Mademoiselles"

"W-We're sorry, sir. We didn't mean any harm. She just wanted to try on the hat," Callista explained.

"There's no need to grovel, Callie," Anna grumbled indignantly over Callista's shoulder. Then, turning to the old man who did his best to bury himself in his work so as to avoid having to react to her, she barked defending her honor, "It's not like I was trying to steal it!"

"Calm yourself, Mademoiselle. No one has accused you of theft," Jean cooed at the enraged girl trying to placate her. He looked back to see his father scowling at him and decided he had better get the girls away from the stand before that changed, "Come, to show there are no hard feelings I will give you the 5 franc tour of the square, bien?"

Callista, gazing starry-eyed at the handsome young Frenchman since first sight, smiled broadly and exclaimed, "Tres bien! We'd love that, wouldn't we, Anna?"

To which Annaliese's only response was to cross her arms over her chest and glower. However after the tour began Annaliese's bad mood quickly faded to be replaced by her usual exuberance as Jean led the girls about the square pointing out what each stand was to become and even where their guild was to be situated. Finally they stopped in front of a large T-shaped stage with bright orange curtains draping the proscenium and crest shaped banners of magenta, dark blue, and dark green hung against the back wall with Notre Dame towering immediately to it's left.

"…And this is the main stage, where all the real action will take place, where the day will begin, with the crowning of the 'King', and end," Jean-Pierre stated motioning towards the platform with great pride.

"Wow, that was some tour," Anna said, "but everything except this stage still looks half done. Will it all be ready for tomorrow?"

"Mais oui, Mademoiselle!" Jean-Pierre exclaimed, "Believe me, Anna, by tomorrow morning this whole square, no, City will seem completely transformed. You won't recognize it from what it is today."

"Well we're definitely looking forward to it, and to seeing you again, maybe?" Callista hinted.

Jean-Pierre smiled and turned his full attention to Callie. "Bien sur, Mademoiselle," he said taking her hand and raising it to his lips, "Of course I would be most honored to have you visit my shop tomorrow, and maybe I can show you around the square again. Give you the 10 franc tour, no?"

"Oooo, what do I get for 5 more francs?" Callie asked coquettishly.

But before Jean-Pierre could answer her Anna interrupted, "Ya know my curiosity on the subject is just killing me too, but what we really need to know right now is how to get to the campsite. Do you happen to know the way?"

"Oui Mademoiselle. If you have a map I can show you the quickest route from here," he replied.

"Here's our map!" Callie said snatching it from Anna's extending hand.

"If you will follow me back to my cart we can open it there."

"That had better be all that opens," Anna grumbled under her breath. Callie smacked her with the map gamely smiling and followed Jean-Pierre back to his father's booth to get directions. Anna sat on the hood of the car for 10 minutes before Callista finally reemerged from the bustling fairgrounds grinning from ear to ear.

"Oh, I do like him," she said adjusting her seat belt and starting the car.

"Really? I couldn't tell... and neither could half the square," Anna said sarcastically.

"You're just jealous that he chose me over you."

"I'm just jealous that I'm gonna have to sleep in somebody else's tent when you bring him home tomorrow."

"How about Reiley's?" Callie asked after a short pause.

"Reiley and I are over. We've been over for some time now..."

"Not according to Reiley," Callie interrupted.

Anna looked perturbed and continued, "Even so if it was raining buckets I'd roll out my sleeping bag under a tree before I'd go to his tent. Besides I wouldn't want to keep him from finding someone else. I'll be looking. He should be too."

"Sweetie, he never stopped looking…," Callie said before she was able to stop herself, "sorry," she added contritely after a moment's pause.

"Don't be. I'm sure you didn't mean that to be even half as cruel as it was," Anna said, turning the radio on full blast. She quickly turned away from Callista to stare out the window. They listened to some French rock station for a while, then Anna put a depeche mode CD in the player so they could "enjoy the silence" for a while.

After driving around for another hour and a half it became quite clear to them that they were once again lost.

"Well don't just sit there glaring at me," Callista shouted as she reached to turn off the music, "make yourself useful. Look at the map."

"I thought you knew where we were going. You certainly spent enough time getting 'directions'," Anna snipped peevishly, "maybe if you'd actually tried looking at the map instead of Jean-Bob's big blue eyes we'd be at the campsite by now."

"One his name is Jean-Pierre and two he gave me a very complex route. If you had been holding the map for the last hour or so instead of pouting maybe we'd be at the campsite by now, but laying blame isn't getting either of us any closer to a good night's rest now is it," Callie said coolly.

"Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't be snapping at you like I have been. I think the jet lag is just finally catching up with me, that's all. Look it's late, we're lost, and we don't speak French so what say we park somewhere and call it a night. We can sleep in the car and walk back to the square in the morning. Whadda ya say?" Anna said drowsily.

"I'm too tired to argue with such a great sounding suggestion as sleep no matter where it is," Callie conceded. They found a narrow alley between a clothing boutique and a bakery and parked in it. Quickly thereafter both were fast asleep.