"By the way," Baron began, hobbling along on his new cane, "I forgot to ask—"

"Unbearable pain can do that to you."

"—what is your name?"

"Oh!" The woman clapped a hand to her mouth in surprise. "Right, I completely forgot to introduce myself."

"Saving a man's limb can do that to you."

"It's very nice to meet you, Baron," the woman said, extending her slender hand. "My name is Evangeline."

Baron paused to take her hand, then bowed low and kissed the back of it. "It is a pleasure to meet you Miss Evangeline."

Evangeline blushed. "Oh, stop. You're embarrassing me!"

"If I may ask," he said as they began to walk again, "how did you end up in Athia? 'Evangeline' is as Westernized as my name, and your accent certainly does not blend in."

Evangeline stuffed her hands in the pockets of her cloak. "My mother was Sunderese, my father Athian. My mother died during childbirth and my father died soon after, rescuing a child from being hit by a mad carriage."

"So you grew up an orphan?"

"Yeah. But don't feel bad Baron!" she added quickly when his face fell. "They died when I was little! I didn't know them enough to miss them."

"Well, what did you do then?"

"Became a wanderer, moving from village to village. I taught myself magic and I had a pet... Now, where has he got off to?" The last phrase was mostly spoken to herself as she glanced around the trees. "Hold on a moment." Evangeline dug around in her pocket a moment before she pulled out a little gold tube; a whistle. Pressing it to her lips, she played a short tune, which was almost immediately followed by a loud cawing.

"There he is," she said happily, clapping her hands together. Baron looked up and watched as a large, black crow swooped out of the sky to land lightly on Evangeline's outstretched wrist. "This is Toto," she explained, smoothing down his head feathers with the back of her finger. "I rescued him from a hungry cat when he was just a baby. He's been my only companion all these years."

"I know it's rude to ask a woman her age, but... how many years is that, exactly? Being a witch, you are capable of slowing down the aging process considerably, yes?"

Evangeline looked up at the sky and counted on her fingers. "Oh, I'd say I've been around about... a hundred and nineteen years." Toto cawed. "Sorry. A hundred and twenty years."

"One hundred and twenty years?" Baron choked out. Then he forced a weak grin. "You look very good for your age."

She grinned. "Thank you. I moisturize."

He nodded, suspecting it was a lot more than that. "So, tell me more about this contest. I should like to know what I'm getting myself into before I get into it."

"Well, the emperor has four daughters: Louise, Yuki, Hiromi, and Harumi. Every night he makes sure his daughters are in the bedroom the four of them share, but every morning he finds their dancing slippers torn to shreds."

"Shreds?"

"Basically having reverted to their original states of fabric, lace, and a sole. So he's arranged this contest for any and all men who are willing to try and solve the mystery."

Baron nodded in understanding. "I see. Is the emperor offering a prize?"

Evangeline frowned. "Yes. One of his daughter's hands in marriage."

"The emperor is going to give away one of daughters?"

"Yep."

"Well, that's just despicable!" he said angrily. "The princesses are human beings, not animals! How can a father treat his daughters that way? No one deserves to be sold off like livestock."

"I like the way you think Baron," Evangeline said, throwing an arm through his elbow. "I'm sure you'll have this little mystery unraveled in no time."

=^^=)

Several hours later they arrived on the outskirts of the city. It was easy to recognize the capital, Evangeline said, because from a distance the city appeared to be made of gold—the emperor was a little extravagant. That, and the gilded white palace in the center was also a hint.

"Well, my work here is done," she said as they stood outside the enormous, wrought iron gates leading to the palace. "Not much more I can do now."

"I appreciate all you've done for me," he said. "First healing me then escorting me here..."

"And I'm not done yet." Fiddling with the button at her collar, she pulled off her cloak, folded it up into a messy square, and handed it to him. "This cloak," she explained in a hushed voice, "will allow you to take on any disguise you please. All you have to do is say your chosen outfit aloud and snap your fingers twice. It can even make you invisible."

She then clucked her tongue at Toto, who quietly cawed, tugged on a loose strand of hair affectionately, then fluttered over and landed on Baron's shoulder. "I also want you to take Toto," she said. "Anything you can't handle on your own, Toto will be able to provide assistance. He's got a few tricks beneath his wing, so..."

"Thank you Evangeline," Baron said graciously. "But why are you doing this?"

She shrugged. "Because you're a gentleman. You shared your lunch with me and you didn't have to. I appreciate kindness and generosity, so I believe you deserve this." She winked at him. "Everyone deserves a chance at a happy ending Baron. Even you."

"Is there something I can do to repay you? Money, or..."

"Just promise me you won't be so down." Reaching up, she pinched his cheeks and crooned, "A face like that is too pretty to be frowning all the time." Baron's cheeks pinked and she let go. "Honestly, I don't want anything in return. If I did, I would have already taken it from you."

Tightening his grip on the strap of his bag, he leaned down and pressed his lips in a chaste kiss to Evangeline's cheek. "Thank you," he murmured, and he turned to walk away.

She shrugged, which he had come to think of as characteristic of her, though her cheeks had flushed. "Good luck!"

She waved and he gave her a friendly salute. He then fingered his new cane, shifting the bag on one shoulder and nodding to the crow on the other, took a deep breath, and strode toward the gate.

=^^=) - cat.

A/N: See? Her name's not Belinda. But will Baron ever see her again? Eh, who knows? Oh, wait... I should know that, huh? (ignore my attempt at humor, please)