After her fight Iris had gone back to find Hazel and Chess. She walked down steps containing rows of seats, people starring at her each row.

"Iris!" Two screams shouted as she approached, She almost fell over from the sudden impact.

"I thought I told you not to get up." Iris spoke quietly trying not to draw any more attention to herself.

"After watching your fight we couldn't wait!" Hazel said still hugging her sister.

"You were amazing!" Chess exclaimed.

"I'm not out of the clear yet." Iris said as she stood up and guided the two of them down into the main area of the stadium.

The stadium was still packed with people eager to watch the beginning of the GMTs; they weaved through vendors smelling sweet corn and salty snacks trying to find the exit. Iris body was aching with pain as she dragged her and her siblings through a huge arch into a grassy court, taking a few windy paths that eventually led them back to their hotel. Iris smiled at the receptionist and headed to the room, immediately changing out of the dirty armor and starting a warm bath. She had turned on the TV for Chess and Hazel so that she could clean up, and was now starring at her reflection in the mirror. Dark circles shadowed her eyes along with new scratches and bruises that lined her face. Iris slowly slid into the water, taking her time to scrub away the dirt, sweat, and blood that layered her skin. She felt the pain of the hot water as it cleaned out her cuts, leaving only red lines where her skin had been torn. One fight down, I can do this. Iris tried to think about the positives of wining, especially since she felt so guilty that her happiness thrived from the crushed dreams of others. I just have to get through a few more fights and then I'm done, and then I will do what I came here to do! The bath relaxed Iris, she hadn't realized how exhausted she had been until she had stopped stressing about what lied ahead, and just got lost in the warmth of the water and the scent of lavender. Grabbing a towel she dried off and got dressed, but was distracted by a knock on the door. Iris found a letter on the ground right outside her door. The paper was thick, colored a crème yellow and outlined with a golden trim. Inside was an invitation stamped with the official GMT insignia.

You have been invited to the palace for the Grand Magic Tournament's welcoming party. The advancing winners are invited to meet the guilds they will be choosing if they advance to the final competition. The event is formal and the competitors are reminded to be on their best behavior, as the queen shall be attending. We, on behalf of the royal guard, wish you a lovely night and a pleasant stay.

The paper was written by hand, with beautiful, black calligraphy.

"What's that?" Chess asked burning with curiosity.

"An invite… to the palace." She responded.

"The palace?!" Chess burst out with excitement, knocking a sleeping hazel off the bed.

"Huh?" Hazel said sleepily.

"I want to go!" Chess said.

"You can't, it's for the competitors and guilds, besides I highly doubt there will be any kids there. Even if you could go, I can't watch you guys all night, it's going to be crowded and it would be hard to not loose you." Iris said. She knew it was going to be tough to convince them, but with the stunt they pulled when they first arrived, she knew it was the best thing to do.

"That's so unfair, we promise we will be good." Chess pleaded.

"I'm sorry not tonight, if you guys really want I don't have to go, but I can't take you to this. There will be other parties here that will be less crowded and a lot safer." Iris said.

"There will be other parties, especially when you win." Hazel said quietly. With that, hazel lay back down and began to drift asleep. Chess pouted for a little while longer and was then distracted by the TV. Iris felt bad that she couldn't take them, they went everywhere together, it was just that every second she watched and cared for her brother and sister. They were her weakness and if she was going to win, nobody else could know about it. After about twenty minutes of sifting through the few clothes she owned, Iris decided that she would have to go out and buy something.

"I'm going out for a bit, do you guys want anything?" Iris asked. Chess immediately responded asking if she could bring back food, Hazel who had barely opened her eyes made a noise of agreement.

"Alright, I will be back soon." She grabbed a key and made sure to lock the door, checking multiple times to see if she could still open it, force of habit.

Outside citizens and tourists roamed the busy roads. People laughed at street performers, and scarfed down fatty foods from nearby vendors. Iris took a deep breath, taking in the aroma of flowers, pastries, and fruits that were being sold everywhere you looked. A short man wearing an orange and yellow coat played the violin. His arm flowing up and down gently produced a melodic hum, that mesmerized the crowd who surrounded him. Everything was just so perfect here.

"A beautiful flower, for a beautiful girl." An old man handed Iris a blue daze from his wagon.

"Thank you, it is very pretty." Iris smiled bringing it close to her nose.

She traveled down the cobble to a small boutique. The glass in front of the store displayed beautiful silver dresses, and magnificent purple and scarlet gowns. The door opened with a chime, as she made her way into the field of dresses.

"Oh my what a cute young lady! What can I do for you miss." A woman wearing big red spectacles, walked over to where Iris was standing.

"Hi, I was looking for a dress to where to a formal party. I'm not a very big shopper, so I would love a second opinion on what looks good. "Iris said sheepishly.

"Of course! Lets start with a few measurements." The shop owner pulled out a measuring tape and began to tighten it around Iris's waist pulling tightly, and re-applying it to different areas. Iris only could watch as the woman muttered a few numbers and made her way over to a rack in the back of the boutique. She returned with an arm full of dresses ranging from a subtle yellow to a bright violet covered in gems and glitter.

"Wow. These all look so gorgeous." Iris held her breath as she flipped over the price tag. "And so expensive."

Realization hit Iris as she remembered how completely broke she is. "Do you have anything cheaper?" The question was one she asked every day, it was embarrassing, but she knew it had to be done.

"I'll check what we have in the returns, ok dear?" The woman left and returned with a box of crumbled up dresses that were missing pieces or were suspiciously marked with stains.

"Lets see… that's no good… to big…yes-…never mind…wait how about this?" She held up a faded out green cocktail dress, it had a rip in the collar, but it was barley noticeable.

"I'll go try it on." Iris was disappointed as she stepped in the dressing room. The dress fit, but it was a hideous shade of green and looked like it belonged to a sixty-year old nun. Iris was about to walk out of the room to show the woman, when she noticed a group of girls had walked in. She watched as they went over to the ball gowns and the tallest girl picked out the most expensive, gold and silver Cinderella style dress. They laughed and picked out two dresses per girl, she heard one say that the others were backup dresses in case they changed their minds about what color they were going to wear. Iris quickly changed and left the fitting room.

"It didn't fit?" The storekeeper asked worriedly.

"No, it didn't." Iris lied. She thanked the woman.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Hey! Hag! We would like to check out before you have your next heart attack." The girls laughed in unison. The woman sighed as she slowly walked over to them. "God, old people are so disgusting." One of the girls with a bright purple Afro said. "I know, but I feel sorry for them you know, they are just like so pointless and they have nothing left to live for." The woman's head looked at the ground as she handed them their receipts. Iris was on her way out, but stopped in the doorway. She was so sick of spoiled rich kids doing whatever they wanted.

"You really shouldn't say things like that." Iris stood with her back toward the girls.

"Who do you think you are? If I wanted your opinion I would have stopped by the nearest soup kitchen to ask for it." The girl, who had bought the Cinderella style dress, hissed. The rest of the girls laughed.

"You didn't ask for a broken nose either, but next time you say something like that, you're going to get one." Iris threatened. She turned around to face them

"You think you're so tough, but you're just an ugly, puny, poor girl. Maybe if you're lucky you will get a charity named after you."

"If you're going to be a smartass, first you have to be smart. Otherwise you're just an ass, who I feel sorry for. You think you're invincible because you're parents spoil you rotten, well you're not. I may not be rich, but I am sure as hell glad that I am not you; because then I would be an egotistical, pompous, snobby, imp, with nothing better to do then make fun of a sweet little shop owner. A shop owner that you now owe an apology to." Iris finished.

"I don't owe anyone an apology, I only spoke the truth. It's not my fault if she can't handle that."

"That is not even the slightest bit correct. You mistook being truthful with being rude, but in fact 'rudeness is the weak persons imitation of strength'." Iris said.

"Whatever… lets go girls." They left without another word.

"I'm sorry for causing a big scene, its just I can't stand when people act so snobby." Iris apologized.

"Don't apologize, no one has ever stood up for me like that. The truth is that kind of thing happens all of the time, especially around the time of palace party." The woman smiled warmly and thanked Iris.

By the time she got back to their hotel, it was just turning dark. Iris had stopped to pick up food for Chess and Hazel, and was now standing outside their door. The party started in an hour and she didn't have a dress, so she decided against going.

"You're home!" Hazel beamed. Iris walked inside and handed them the take out.

"Smells good." Chess said.

"What's that?" Iris asked, looking at the large box that lay on their bed.

"We don't know it was just sitting outside the door." The box came with a small tag.

No small deed goes unnoticed…

Iris opened up the box and sat frozen still.

"What is it?" Chess asked curiously.

"A dress." Iris said. Delicately she lifted it up out of the box and draped it over the bed. "Its beautiful."

"Go put it on." The two children exclaimed.

Iris went into the bathroom and slipped the soft fabric on and tightened the back. She glanced at the mirror and smiled. The dress was pearl white, decorated with dark black lace that outlined the sweetheart strapless top and swirled around the very bottom in intricate detail. It was a mermaid style gown that branched out at the floor. The back of the dress was completely open at the top going down to her waist, but it was tied with a simple black-laced bow. Iris almost didn't recognize herself, she had never worn something so fancy and expensive. Iris fixed her hair in big curls and applied some eyeliner. She opened the door and her siblings gasped in amazement.

"Wow! You look like a princess!" Hazel's eyes were wide with wonder.

"You're missing something." Chess walked over to the table and handed Iris the diamond talisman, Lucy's had given her.

"I'm ready." Iris said.