A/N: So this is my first Barbie Fanfiction, and I decided to write about the Princess and the Pauper, one of my favorite Barbie movies. It reminds me of Les Mis where everyone draws their own conclusions to solve their problems and ends up foiling each other.

Liana sits down at the table feeling upset and rather without part of herself because Alexa is not there. Jeremy does not seem to enjoy talking to her anymore, and she wonders why. Perhaps, she thinks, you expected them to stay with you and Alexa after you came back from the Diamond Castle.

The twins had refused to stay in the town inn, preferring instead to wander about at night or sleep outside the tavern. The friends had offered them their spare room but thankfully for all involved no one had accepted. Liana hadn't been sure how she felt with Jeremy being that close to her while she slept.

But now the novelty of their adventure has worn off after three weeks, and Jeremy has become standoffish and stammers an excuse whenever she says anything.

So she is at a tavern, alone, drinking cold water and listening to the singing and pretending she understands what drunkards see in taverns.

A brunette who looks uncannily like Alexa sits down across from her. "Do you mind?" she gestures to the seat. Liana shakes her head.

"No, no. Go ahead."

Liana knows everyone in town but she doesn't know this girl, who has a musical voice. Her bue eyes are uncertain but not in a darting manner. Liana is good at reading people, and she reads this girl as unsure, but resigned to her choice. "I'm Erika."

"Liana. Nice to meet you." Liana notices the ring on Erika's finger, worn like it is a betrothal ring but unlike any ring she has ever seen anywhere but the Diamond Castle; it is gold and the center glitters with a bright, clean-looking diamond. Someone has obviously been taking good care of this ring. It absolutely glows.

"You're betrothed?" she asks, always the forward one.

"What? Oh," she sees Liana's gaze on the ring. "Not exsctly, I—it's an—well, it's a ring, but I—a friend gave it to me."

"I see," Liana teases slightly, smiling. "A friend."

"Yes." she says. "I sing, in concert halls and such. So—"

"No." Liana's eyes grow wide. "No. Not Erika of Mirabella?" the brunette grins sheepishly and nods. Liana gasps and reaches out to shake her hand. "You are such a wonderful singer! I know all of your songs."

Erika shrugs. "Thanks." she twists the ring again, unconsciously.

"Who's your beau?" Liana almost claps her hands over her mouth in horror. Did she really just say that our loud? But Erika just nods and bites her lip.

"His name is Dominic." she says, and Liana nods.

"Is he from Dulcaniea?"

"What? I—"

"Their king is named Dominic and you know how it is with royal babies—everyone names their children after them. My friend Alexa and I go to Dulceina sometimes to buy seeds and every boy you meet is named Dominic."

"Oh." Erika seems relived. "Yes, he's from Dulcinea." she pauses, then nods again. "And he does want to marry me."

"Do you want to marry him?" asks Liana.

"I'm not sure it's right. I mean, I'm living out my dream—it's what I've always wanted to do, sing all over the world. But every day I want to go back." she traces the jewel on the ring. "But I always wanted to be free, too."

"You can still be free and go back to your beau." Liana giggles the last word. "You can choose to stay, can't you? There isn't anything stopping you."

"When I worked as a seamstress I dreamt every day about singing. I wasn't free and...singing was the only thing I thought of. I have to do this. I have to want to do this—but I don't know. Maybe I've thought it to death. It was all I could think about every day, but now that I can live my dream it's no longer my dream." Erika says.

"I know exactly how you feel." Liana says wistfully. If Erika did stop singing she would miss her voice dearly. "My entire life my friend and I were always barely making ends meet—running out of bread the day before the spring flowers came, you know. We always wished we never had to worry about that sort of thing, but when we had the chance to do that we didn't want it anymore."

"Oh." Erika takes a sip of her water. "I see what you mean. I—I should go."

"Wait!" Liana grabs Erika's arm, then blushes. "I mean, if you need a place to stay, we have a guest room—my friend Alexa and me. I thought someone else would stay there, but apparently we aren't as well liked as we thought."

"Thanks." Erika sits back down, and smiles. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we went on a quest, my friend Alexa and I, and we met these two boys. It was...there was this once boy and his name was Jeremy and he was kind of rude and we danced and I kind of liked him after that and, well, now it's a mess." she finished in a hurry.

"It doesn't sound like it. Maybe he's shy." Erika suggested.

"Shy? I don't think so." said Liana, a little bitterly.

"People can be shy when they like someone a lot. I was shy with...Dominic when I realized I liked him." said Erika, blushing a little.

"You? Shy? You sing in front of people all the time! Alexa and I could never do that for a living." said Liana. But at the mention of singing, Erika's face fell and she rushed to cover. "Look, if you don't want to sing but you keep singing because you feel you have to, then it's another prison. You're not really free."

Erika was silent, so Liana pressed on. "Do you want to marry Dominic?"

The singer closed her eyes and didn't say anything for a while. Quietly she whispered. "Yes." then, louder, her eyes widening in realization, "Yes." she covered her mouth with her hand but Liana could see her smiling anyway. "Yes." she nodded. "Thank you for offering me your guest room but I don't think I'll need it. It's only a day's hard riding to Dulcenia."

Liana noticed someone outside, waving to her. Was it Jeremy or Ian? No, there was Ian—he was next to Alexa, so she knew it was him.

"I have to leave." both of them said at the same time, then laughed. Erika headed for the back door, where her horse was tethered, and Liana headed for the front, towards Alexa, Ian, and Jeremy.

"Erika!" said Liana, pausing at the door. "King Dominic loves music. Perhaps your last stop should be at the Palace before meeting your Dominic."

Erika smiled. "To be honest, Liana, they're one and the same." she grinned. "If there's ever anything you need, come to the Palace."

What?

And with that she was gone.

Liana stumbled out the door into towards Alexa, Ian, and Jeremy. Alexa was carrying a picnic basket and the boys were carrying their curious-sounding instruments they had received at the Diamond Castle.

"Liana," greeted Alexa, "We're having a picnic in the forest. Who was that you were talking to?"

"I'll tell you later." she promised, because she told Alexa everything. Slowly they fell into a walking pattern—Alexa and Ian walked beside one another, and Jeremy and Liana did as well. Jeremy continued with his silence.

As Alexa and Ian were still in conversation, she turned to Jeremy. "The girl I met in the tavern was a singer." she said.

"Oh?" said Jeremy, not sounding interested.

"And she was betrothed to a king." she added. He raised his eyebrows, listening now.

"Really? I find that hard to believe."

"Well, it's true. We talked, and she decided to go back to Dulecenia and marry him." she said.

"What was her name?" he asked, and she smiled.

"Erika."

"Then let's make a bet on this Erika the Singer." he suggested. "You say she's marrying King Dominic? His cousin rules this land. They'll be announcements sent out in a few days if she's going to marry him, and then I'll be proved right when they aren't."

"They will, too. Fine then, let's bet." said Liana, holding out her hand. But before they could shake, she quickly withdrew. "What's the bet?"

"If you lose, you have to give me something of yours. If I lose, I have to give you something."

"My broach?" she thought of the little jeweled broach in the shape of a flower. Obviously she wouldn't lose this bet, so why not wager it?

"Fine, fine." they shook.

"Wait." she said. "What about you?"

"I prefer to keep quiet about that bit." said Jeremy, and she couldn't get it out of him for all her pestering.

Epilogue

Jeremy was jolted awake quite literally when Liana started jerking his shoulder. "Jeremy, look what was nailed up at dawn?"

Jeremy read through the paper, grabbed it from Liana and read it again. "This can't be right."

"It is, and I win the bet!" cried Liana triumphantly. Jeremy glanced at Ian, who was still sleeping soundly. Nothing could wake him.

As Liana was beginning to walk back towards her house, Jeremy grabbed her arm. "You forget."

"Forget what?" she asked, turning around, crumpled poster still in hand.

"I lose the bet." he said, and kissed her.

When he pulled away, she flushed bright pink and stared at him. "W–what was that for?"

"Why, didn't you enjoy it?" he asked, and she blushed. "I told you I'd have to give you something if I lost the bet."

Liana's stunned face as she slowly walked home was completely priceless, and Jeremy didn't think he'd ever been so glad to lose a bet in his life.