1

The clothing room was half of an entire wing of the palace. It was created as a way for Lavender to have a part of the day with her daughters. Designed as a dressing room for the Queen, she shared it with the girls. The walls were lined with a soft pale shade of blue and the windows allowed sunlight in through all angles. The room was used for various reasons, including a morning tea with the girls. It was currently a mess, with fabric of assorted hues on every surface. As the ball approached, girls from around the kingdom were all abuzz about what the princesses were going to wear. Azkadellia, always the fashion forward thinker, rose to the challange of creating an extraordinary garment for the event. Even if she didn't have anyone to go with, she would surely make people talk. Standing in the middle of the room in only her undergarments, she allowed the seamstresses to take her measurements.

Lavender smiled, clearly this wasn't the same Az she remembered as a little girl, but a vast improvement from the old one. She liked the fact that the kingdom was back to normal, but she loved even more the fact that she had her daughters back. Both of them. Her soft, kind eyes peered around the room, looking for something, or some one.

"DG, where are you."

"Why a dress?" a soft voice replyed from the corner of the room. DG had set up a little camp on the other side of the room. Not as bold as her sister, DG did not want all of the servants to see her DG bits and because gym time did not fit into trying to save the kingdom, she felt a bit out of shape. She stood in the corner, with an antique changing screen as the only thing separating her from the embarrassment of what was in store. "Why can't I wear a nice pair of slacks and a festive sweater? Maybe something with snowflakes or snowmen," DG suggested. The thought of having to wear an itchy wool sweater with snowflakes made her want to vomit, but it was better than looking like a freak in a dress.

"Sweety, I'm sure you look fine in what you have on. Now come on out and let me see. We looked all over for a color that suited you," her mother pleaded with her daughter. DG, not one to let anyone down, slowly began to walk towards the narrow opening.

"I look silly," DG came out from behind the screen. People in the room immediately silenced by her beauty. Even though there still needed to alter it, it was amazing. The color brought out the blue in her eyes, even though the dress was alarmingly too big. Maybe she had lost more weight than gained during her adventure. Running for her life seemed to be quite a work out.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Not many people can pull off a full gown with several petticoats and layers of fabric. It's a gift really." Azcadillia smiled sweetly at her sister. DG glared at her. She was about to throw the towel in and call the whole thing off when she noticed a figure enter the room. He took off his heavy coat and threw it on a chair to the side and sat on the small couch, his large frame looking weird against the tiny lounger. It didn't take much for her to completely lose everything she was when she saw him. It was like she melted into one large puddle. DG kept her eyes on him while continuing.

"Maybe I should just try another color and fit." she said slowly. Az and Lavender looked from her to where she was staring at. Cain suddenly felt extremely out of place and sat up. Lavender smiled to herself and stood, brushing off a lady in waiting that attempted to help her.

"Mr. Cain," she said smiling. Cain stood up and attempted to bow before her but she wouldn't have any of it. "Now that you are here, I can go to and finish up some other things that need to be caught up on. Please keep an eye on my daughters and keep them safe please." She looked kindly into his eyes and felt the understanding between the two of them. Practically the same age, and equally aware of the dangers lurking in the advancement of anything between he and DG, they stood there for a second. However, Lavender gave way to the eyes of Cain. She knew what love looked like and said nothing as she walked out of the room, followed by a dozen ladies.

"Your Majesty," he said bowing his head. When he looked up he saw the two girls remaining. Az reached for a robe. She too had to admit what an attractive man Cain was and could see what her sister saw in him. She secretly wished she was in DG's shoes and had been the one to be rescued instead of the bad one. There were a lot of things she secretly wished for, a bigger shoe closet being one of them. As she pondered this she put her robe on. Cain felt awkward in the room with the girls. "How are you today Azkadillia?" he asked, trying to establish some form of politeness.

"I'm doing quite well," she said. "My popularity polls are improving now that I'm not trying to kill anyone or throw the kingdom into eternal darkness." She shrugged as she pulled her robe tighter.

"Well, at least you are in good spirits about it," Cain laughed. DG hid a smile from across the room. She loved it when he laughed, it rarely happened. Az smiled a bit and motioned to the seamstresses.

"I'm going to head over to my room and see if there is a way that they can expand on my shoe collection and gowns so I'll see you guys later. Maybe dinner?" she turned to leave and grabbed a few dresses on the way out. DG laughed at her sister and shook her head. It felt good to have a friend, let alone a sister. Midway through the laugh she noticed Cain staring at her in awe.

"What?" she asked. She suddenly felt very unsure of herself. She noticed Cain start to walk over to her. Turning around suddenly she remembered her baggy gown and felt extremely odd.

"Oh crap. Don;t look at me, it looks aweful."

Cain was quick on her heals as she bounded for the safety of her changing area. "Stop," she exclaimed.

"What? I just wanted to see you," he said. "Stop running away. You're acting like a child." he said. DG stopped mid track and turned to look at him, anger filling her face.

"I'm not acting like a child," she said coldly. She pinned her arms accross her chest and stood there staring him down.

"Yes you are." Cain said matter of factly. "A very spoiled child." he grinned.

"Well stop treating me like a child," she yelled.

"Fine!" he yelled back.

"FINE!" she yelled back louder. The whole kingdom could probably hear this entire encounter, but either of them cared. The both stood their breathing heavily, each waiting for what the other would do next.

In an instant she was in his arms, her lips finding his. Every thought from the past months, all the danger, all the confusion, all the second thoughts vanished. The kiss seemed to last forever. Neither one wanted to part and ruin this perfect moment. Once they finally did part Cain smiled at DG.

"Hey there Princess," he said. DG looked down in embarrassment. He was the only person she allowed to call her princess. And even though she would never admit to it, she liked it.

"Hi," she said biting her lip. Her face filled with light. She began to laugh, not a mean laugh, but a happy laugh. This caused Cain to start to smile, then to laugh. The two began to laugh so hard they both fell down into a pile of fabric. As the two of them sat in a pile of fabric, DG's dress billowing out in a puff of white. The two laughed again at the sight. Cain leaned back against the wall and DG put her head on his shoulder.

"I wasn't going to tell you, but I almost didn't want to come back here to work at the palace," he looked at her face to see her reaction, hoping it wouldn't be too shocked. Her big blue eyes looked quizzically over at him, she bit her bottom lip.

"Why?" she asked.

"I went through all the pomp and ceremony with the Mystic Man and I wasn't sure if I wanted to get back into it again. This would have been a great departure. I could have grabbed a horse and set out into the wilderness, riding off with my son capturing the bad guys. I would have been away from gowns and ribbons and gossip," he looked over at DG, who suddenly looked hurt. "But," he backtracked, hoping to fix the mess. "While I was away, I felt empty. Like I left something here."

"Your hat?" DG asked with a smile. Cain laughed and shook his head.

"No, something else. It was like there was a void, something was missing." DG searched his face for the answer. Looking right in her eyes, blue meeting blue, he continued. "My heart. I'd been without it for so long and then it was back and I felt a rush of emotion and then I lost it again. Only I hadn't lost it, I left it here, with you." he looked down and his hands fished a tiny box out of his pocket. "It belonged to my wife once and I know she took great care of it, but I also know that she'd want me to give it to someone who would really cherish it. He handed the small box to DG.

"Cain. I can't accept this," she said looking down at the box. He only placed it in her hands and

nodded, afraid to speak. She opened the lid and a tiny silver heart sparkled back at her. Tears filled her eyes and she tried to whip them away.

"I've had this the entire time I've known you, ever since you and Glitch helped me. I knew from that moment on I had to protect you and always make sure you were ok. I know it isn't tin or gold, but the silver sparkle will certainly match the sparkle in your eyes." He helped her put it on. It fell right below her neckline, making it discreetly hidden. "I know you're going to want to keep this a secret. But do know that I will be here for you when you're ready. I'll always be there with you whenever you need me." He leaned over and gently kissed her lips. The warmth from her lips seeped down and melted away the last little bit of tin that encased his heart. With their foreheads pressed together DG closed her eyes and felt so happy in that one moment. She didn't know what to expect in the up coming days, but all she knew was that she'd remember this feeling forever.