Adam was still seething. If only he had seen more of his attacker than just big brown eyes. He dressed into deep blue robes and walked towards the door. He would find the attacker if it was the last thing he ever did.

Belle stared at her reflection in the mirror, she wore a dress of gold and her golden brown hair had been balanced in curls at the top of her head. She looked very beautiful. But the pain in her ankle was still there. She had bound it tightly and would go to a shelter tomorrow in search of help.

She wandered towards the ball room entrance, were she met her two sisters. They seemed to be giggling about something.

"What, has something happened?"

"No, it's just we caught a glimpse of the princes. They are very handsome!"

"Really?"

Suzanne nodded in conformation of Gabrielle's statement. She had a slight flush in her cheeks and her eyes where very bright.

"We are proud to introduce to you, the three princesses of Auraton"

Shouted a voice at the base of the stairs and the huge wooden doors swung open to reveal the three beauties.

Boring.

He would much rather be searching for his brown eyed attacker. As the princesses came closer he was able to get a better look. They were beautiful, especially the last and youngest. He would ask her to dance with him. He didn't want to particularly but he knew his father would cause a scene if he didn't. He walked up to her and bowed low, she curtsied a little shakily. Great. He picked the clumsy one.

The walked onto the ball room floor to much applause. They had not yet looked very carefully at each other, but as the music began to play they looked slowly into each others eyes. chocolate brown meeting ice grey. They stood still for a while. Her eyes slowly widened and a look of horror flashed across her face.

Adam couldn't believe it. The little perfect princess was the attacker? How? Surely he was mistaken. He looked down at her slender neck and saw a small cut there, barely thicker than a spider web. Then a cruel smile broke over his face, this was going to be fun. He would make the little princess pay for humiliating him.

Belle felt her cheeks flush.

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. How could she be so unlucky? The man, the reason she could barely stand for the pain in her ankle, was looking at her and smiling. But how could he know?

The prince let his finger brush gently against the thin cut on her neck. He pulled her closer to him and whispered softly into her ear.

"I think this trip is going to be much more fun than I first thought it would be."