Lilly woke early to the sound of trumpet fanfare and groaned in frustration. What part of "I want to sleep in for once" had her father not understood? It was her 18th birthday, and when her father had asked what she wanted for her birthday, she had simply replied that a few more hours of sleep would be greatly appreciated. No doubt he'd forgotten… or rather, pretend he'd forgotten. It was far more likely that he'd call for her early to inspect some fancy present that had warranted the noisy wakeup…

There was a swift knock at the door and it swung open to reveal Brunella, one of the servants. Brunella was one of the few people who would converse with her about city events. She was a year younger than Lillian, but the two of them had spent their childhood together as friends. Baron Edward had allowed their friendship to continue simply due to the small, but important, detail that Brunella's mother had been Lillian's tutor in arithmetic and geography growing up. While he had not been overly thrilled with his daughter fraternizing with someone below her in status, his wife had pointed out that she needed someone to play with her own age and that the nearest person who was on her status level was well over a day's travel away in good weather.

"Miss Lillian? Wake up, Miss Lillian- your father has insisted you get up immediately and join him in the greeting room wearing your finest," Brunella spoke as she ran over to the wardrobe and flung it open, revealing a shimmering row of freshly pressed dresses. Lillian groaned in dismay, pulling the covers over her head in protest.

"Oh Miss Lillian, you must get up!" Brunella prompted, coming to stand at the foot of the bed with her arms folded across her chest impatiently. "I know you wanted to sleep in for your birthday, but it appears the guests for the dinner-party arrived much earlier than expected, and as they're here on your behalf, you MUST make an appearance. I don't like it any more than you, but we must do what needs to be done to not tarnish your father's name."

"Oh for heaven's sake El, stop calling me Miss Lillian, it's Lilly! It drives me batty to hear you call me by my full name and with the ridiculous protocol of adding 'Miss' before it, you make yourself sound just like your mother, scolding me for not paying attention to lessons!" Lilly cried in exasperation, flinging the covers to the wood floor in front of the large oak wardrobe where her friend had stood only moments before. "And it wouldn't take much to tarnish father's name; from what I've seen and heard, he does a fair job of it himself!"

"Hush now, before someone hears you!" Brunella hissed. She tiptoed over to the door and stuck her head outside into the hallway. Satisfied that no one had been around to hear the outburst, she closed the door before turning to face a very disgruntled Lilly crawling out of bed.

"What's going on, El? Why must there be such a commotion so early in the morning?" Lilly yawned, stretching her fists to the slanted ceiling as she stood on the bare floor in her pale pink shift. "And what dinner guests are we talking about? I didn't invite anyone to celebrate with me… or at least, not guests that would require the fanfare announcement of trumpets at their arrival…" Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she slowly made her way to stand by the open wardrobe, where Brunella stood waiting, hairbrush in hand. Lilly held out her hand, waiting for the brush, but instead she found herself being forced to sit on the stool in front of the mirror while Brunella ran it through her hair quickly (and rather forcefully, to Lilly's dismay).

"Your father must have invited some of the neighboring estates to join in on the festivities," Brunella pondered as she brushed. "Perhaps Lady Esimere is among them?"

Lilly cringed. Whether it was due to the snarl that Brunella had just torn through or the mere thought of the selfish snob known as 'Lady' Esimere attempting to make herself the center of attention at her birthday celebration, she was not sure. Both of them were truly painful.

"Though perhaps your father requested it to awaken you and to announce the arrival of your birthday present?" she mused on, as she absentmindedly glanced over to the open wardrobe in search of the right dress. "I do believe he has pulled such a stunt before."

Oh yes… Lilly remembered just the occasion she was referencing. It had been her 16th birthday, the last one her mother and father had spent together with her. Her father had sent Brunella to round her up at a bright and early 4:46 am (the exact time of her birth) simply to wish her happy birthday and let her know that her present had just arrived. However, she was to return to her chambers for now. She would need to wait until after her birthday dinner before she would receive it, as per tradition.

Perhaps it wouldn't have been an issue if he'd actually done this the morning of her birthday, rather than the day before.

"At least he got the day right this time…" she muttered, shaking her head. "How he forgets that I was born three days before his own birthday is beyond me."

"It amazes me too, Miss Lillian… I mean, Lilly," Brunella corrected after seeing the glare in the mirror's reflection. Satisfied that the majority of tangles were now banished away for at least the moment, she set the brush down and moved towards the wardrobe. She hummed and hawed as she flipped through the ruffles and frills until she found one she thought would suffice. She pulled out a goldenrod colored silk damask gown, and Lilly made a face of disgust.

"Seriously, El? So not only can I not dress myself, I also have no say in what I wear? That dress is the worst looking one of them all!"

"But your father picked it out for you."

"Exactly. He can't even properly match his waistcoat and shirt to his trousers without help, and you expect me to wear a dress that he picked? I shall look like I'm wearing curtains! I may have no real care for fashion, but if you're that concerned with me ruining Father's image, then you'll let me pick the dress." Brunella hesitated, torn between her job requirements and the logic of the presented argument. "Besides, El… I'll likely have to change it before dinner anyways, so it really doesn't matter, does it?"

"Fine," she sighed, giving in after catching Lilly's determined look. "But it's your head if he doesn't like the dress you pick…"

Lilly paused just outside the greeting room to catch her breath, having run all the way from her room two flights of stairs above. Glancing down, she brushed a few imaginary wrinkles from her dress to help calm her nerves and listened to the sound of her heart pounding in her ears slowly subside into its normal rhythm. She could hear the voices of the guests—at least two men and a woman by the sounds of it—as well as the baritone voice of her father through the door. He seemed to be in a good mood at the moment, so it seemed as good a time as any to make an entrance. Nodding to the guardsman who stood next to the door, she gathered the courage to face both her father and his guests and gracefully entered the greeting room as the door was pushed open for her.

Her father, mid-sentence, turned towards her and stopped. Lilly could feel his eyes rake over her appearance quickly, noting that she was not wearing the dress he'd requested. The beginning of a scowl was growing on his face the more he looked at the gown she'd chosen, and Lilly knew she'd hear about it later, once they were both out of the earshot of his guests. Personally, she had no idea what was wrong with the silk taffeta gown she'd chosen. It was a soft pink with clear rhinestone flowers and vines edging both the bodice and the asymmetrically draped overskirt, with a matching silk and chiffon wrap to modestly cover her would-be bare shoulders. Of course, the collar on dress her father had chosen was up to her neck and had full-length sleeves, so perhaps that was the reason for the scowl.

But before her father could say something to her about her attire, one of the guests—the woman—exclaimed, "That dress! Wherever did you get such a beautifully crafted gown? I have never seen something so simple, yet so beautiful!"

Lilly turned her head, relieved by the sudden excuse not to acknowledge her father. She'd guessed rightly on the number of guests from the voices- an man about her father's age, a woman who appeared to be roughly his age (and was most likely his wife, she reasoned), and a young man who looked to be at most 3 or 4 years her senior.

Her father cleared his throat loudly, forcing everyone's attention back on him momentarily. Shooting her a quick look of annoyance, he proceeded to introduce his guests as a prosperous family of nobles from the small country of Anani. Her father went on briefly to preach to her about their rank in society there, and some other things about the family's status being vital to the economy in both Nirvelli and Anani, but in truth, Lilly had stopped paying attention after hearing the phrase "wealthy nobles" pass his lips. She'd almost sighed then, realizing that they were likely here to negotiate a trade agreement of sorts or some other political matter, but she didn't want to appear rude to the guests. So she'd instead opted to appear as if she were hanging on to her father's every word, nodding at what seemed like appropriate intervals.

Her father paused to catch his breath momentarily, and Lillian took the break to turn towards her guests. Lord Raymond was standing completely straight and still, looking rather comfortable in his riding uniform despite the strict posture he adhered to. It was his tense look yet ease of face that led her to believe that he had worked with Anani's military at some point in his life.

Lady Ann was watching her closely, and they both smiled slightly as their eyes met. Recalling the comment concerning her dress when she'd first arrived, she politely informed her that she had made the dress herself. Her mother had taught her many tricks with needle and thread before she had moved out, since her mother had made most of her clothes growing up, but she kept that to herself, for fear of what her father would do or say at the mention of his ex-wife.

As Lady Ann turned to say something to her husband, Lilly glanced at Lord Michael. Unlike his parents, he did not appear to be overly pleased about seeing her, and even made a point to resist her attempts at eye contact. Resisting the urge to sport a frown similar to his, she suddenly wondered why he was even there in the first place. It was obvious he had no interest in whatever negotiation was going on, which made her curious to his presence. Had he been dragged along for the ride? And if that was indeed the case, why was he so obviously upset at seeing her?

One possible reason came to her suddenly, and her knees buckled from underneath her at just the mere thought of it. Certainly her father hadn't… no, he wouldn't have done something so rash as to arrange marriage for her with someone she'd never even met until this moment! He'd always threatened to marry her off whenever she did anything he didn't approve of, but surely he wasn't serious…

The guardsman who'd been standing outside of the door came rushing in at the sound of Lady Ann's slight shriek. The next thing Lilly knew, he was helping her to her feet and she was muttering apologies to everyone.

"I… I'm terribly sorry… it appears I'm not used to being up so early…" she stammered, leaning on the guard slightly and looking to both her father and the Ananian guests. A look of relief washed over everyone, though her father, she noted, was still sporting a slight frown when he was sure no one but her was looking at him.

"Perhaps you should go back to bed then," Lord Michael simply remarked, not even bothering to look away from the windows as he spoke. "It wouldn't do to collapse at your own dinner party…"

Lilly caught the glare directed towards his back from his own mother. Lady Ann was scowling slightly at his tone, obviously upset at the lack of respect he was showing. But to Lilly's amazement, her father actually agreed with the young lord, telling her to return to her bedroom until she was summoned for the dinner banquet. She did not fail to notice his wording, which meant that she was to stay in her room… likely his idea of punishment for wearing the dress she'd chosen. Lilly didn't mind one bit. There were books she could read, but it was far more likely that she'd be trying to figure out the real reason for the Ananian family's visit.

Bowing slightly to both father and guests, she all but fled from the room.

Author's Note:

So we've met Lilly, her father, and the Van Anani family! Just what poor, tired birthday girl wanted to do at the crack of dawn... Lilly's not a morning person, in case you couldn't guess. Her father, however, is one of those that will burn the candle from both ends, as they saying goes. A I remember those days back in college when I'd stay up super late (early) and then get up for my 8am classes. Add random bouts of insomnia, and...

Whoops. Almost went on a tangent there.

So I'd like to introduce the Van Anani family a bit more and give them some background. Lady Anne Van Anani is independent, resourceful, and strong willed. She is easy to get along with... as long as she likes you. She holds a grudge like nothing else, and if you get on her bad side, it'll take a laundry list of good deeds before she'll even think of forgiving you. She's also impeccably stubborn. Lord Irvine is too, which is likely the only reason this long-distance treaty negotiation has even held up for the past several years.

Lord Raymond Van Anani did indeed gain his gait from working with the Ananian Military... though not as an enlisted man. He was hired directly upon graduating from the Academy for his ingenuity, sharp wit, and cleverness with mechanical engineering. Having worked with them for a fair amount of years, he saved his wealth to start his own production company on the side. Eventually he retired from the position to settle down and start a family with his Academy sweetheart, though he kept the manufacturing business for a steady source of income. So impressed with his quality work, the Army itself continues to purchase his weaponry and other products, making the raw iron found in the mountains just north of Whitewater Keep very valuable. In exchange for the raw Iron, he promises Lord Irvine imported Ananian silk, which is worth its weight in gold in Nirvelli.

As for Lord Michael... I'll let you see what he's like next chapter.

Reviews are the thunderstorms to my drought. I appreciate any rain you bring. ^_^