As the next month passed and the weather grew colder, more and more nobles arrived for the winter season of balls and feasts. I turned out to be quite the curiosity, not that I was much surprised. A princess being found in a tower in the woods is hardly a common occurrence. The time I had once spent in fittings was now completely full of teas, luncheons, and other social calls with ladies of the court. They were an interesting mix of curious gossips and ingratiating minor nobles trying to take advantage of my position as Chuck's fiancée. On the whole I found them rather tiresome, but as Chuck was now required to meet with the various lords and important politicians and I was steadfastly avoiding Laurence, they were my only company.

One benefit to all this was that I had all but completely lost my opportunities to read. Not that Agriculture and Produce in Ineria was all that interesting, but at the very least I had not had to return to the library for something new to read. My last encounter with Laurence there had put me on high alert of a completely different kind. He had acted so strangely, and I had responded in kind…no, I couldn't be anywhere near him, not without compromising something. And he had taken to spending the entire day in the library, studying his court records. Even the librarian was not enough buffer to keep us comfortably apart.

I did, however, eventually run out of things to read. The last painfully boring page of Agriculture and Produce in Ineria had been a relief, the short anecdotes of agriculture and its influence on politics notwithstanding. At the very least, if I ever had to hold court during an agricultural crisis, I would know what people were talking about, I told myself. I wondered what I should look for next. Perhaps a history of the church, or a more recent social register, so I could know as much as possible about the people coming to court. Perhaps both, I thought. Then I can avoid the library for a while longer.

I was surprised to find the library empty again. There was no sign of Laurence or of his scrolls. Had I not seen him in there on multiple occasions, I might have believed myself the only one who had ever been in here.

"My lady! So nice to see you again," the librarian said. "I was beginning to wonder if you would ever come back."

"I haven't had much time for reading, I fear," I replied, "but I've finally finished this one and am ready for another."

"Very good, very good. Is there anything I can help you find?"

"If you have any sort of modern book on the noble families, that would be lovely. Everyone's coming into court and I would dearly like to know who I'm socializing with."

"Very wise, my lady, very wise. I shall fetch it for you, shall I?"

I smiled graciously and browsed the shelves while he searched out the book I had requested.

"May I ask what happened to Sir Laurence?" I asked casually.

"Oh, he ran off early this morning," the librarian replied, handing me my book. "Left his scrolls piled on the table, not in any sort of order. I had to spend a great deal of time ordering them and putting them away. Careless, careless."

"Did he mention where he was going?" My tone had become somewhat less than casual.

"I'm sorry, my lady, I was in the stacks at the time. I suppose he found what he was looking for."

But what was that? I wondered. "Do you know what scroll he was looking at?"

He shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't remember, my lady."

"Thank you anyway." I paused, realizing I had never asked his name. I thought about asking now, but remembered I was a princess, and it would hardly be out of character for me not to ask. "I'll take my book and go, then."

"As you will, my lady. Shall I see you again in here soon?"

I smiled. "Hopefully I shall finish this book faster than the last."

I based my reading of this book on who I had audiences with. Conversing with people was much easier when I knew who their parents were, where they lived, and how long they had been in the noble class. I was not at all surprised to find the ingratiating ladies from poorer or disgraced houses and the gossips from newer ones. No one seemed to question my newfound knowledge, though they did seem to appreciate it. Many of the ladies, particularly the gossips, were much more friendly when I showed and interest in them.

It did not take me long to notice how many of the ladies expected special favors of me, and after a bit of puzzling I realized that I, as Chuck's betrothed, was expected to choose a contingent of ladies to accompany me wherever I went. The queen, evidently, had the same idea. She summoned me to tea with her one chilly afternoon not long afterwards.

"You are the crown prince's fiancée," she said curtly. I noticed how displeased she still sounded at the idea, though she had done nothing to test me since our dinner with Chuck. "You will be queen one day, I suppose, and as such, you will be expected to have ladies-in-waiting. Now that the ladies of the court are here, you are free to choose."

"I thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty," I replied humbly. "Perhaps you could make a recommendation, as I know so little of the court ladies."

In truth, my recent observations of my callers, coupled with my extensive studies of the social register, had indicated several good choices, but I knew the queen would want at least one of her own ladies with me at all times. When she smiled, I knew I had given her exactly what she wanted. Whoever she recommended, I knew, would report everything I said back to the queen.

"Lady Theresa would be a good choice. She's a bit older than you are, and she knows nearly everyone in the court. She'll be able to help you get to know everyone you meet and choose your other ladies."

"She sounds like a wonderful choice, Your Majesty. If it please you, could you have her sent to me?"

The queen seemed quite pleased at her easy victory, though I was sure she at least suspected I knew her game. Still, she remained civil, if not wholly friendly, throughout the remainder of our tea, and I noticed how she no longer tried to catch me in some sort of inappropriate action. She had realized she could not beat me this way, which came as a relief. But I knew, and she knew I knew, that she had other strategies at work: Laurence's investigation and her new spy among my ladies.

Theresa was exactly what I had expected her to be. Striking in appearance, though not exactly beautiful, she was barely able to conceal her cold, calculating nature under a façade of simplicity. I couldn't tell if she genuinely liked me, but when I asked for advice on the ladies I had selected as possibilities for my company, she turned out to be most helpful.

I had no use for a large following, so I picked two younger women I had noticed during my frequent social calls. Jane was the third daughter of a deeply-indebted duke, at court on her own as her sister's illness kept her mother at home. She was as open and friendly as her face had indicated she would be, and even Theresa struggled to find anything objectionable in her. The other girl was Louise, whom I had difficulty noticing behind her mother's overbearing brashness. Once separated from the woman, however, Louise proved to be a sweet young thing, and as each day passed she grew more outspoken and self-confident. I soon considered them more friends than mere companions.

The one lady I was most eager to meet, Laurence's sister, did not appear at court, to my disappointment if not my surprise. Her I would have made a great effort to befriend, if only to spite her brother. But despite her dowered status, she remained at home, wherever home was. I wondered if Laurence had stopped back at home on his way to wherever he had gone and told his family about me. Part of me doubted he would: he was too secretive. Another part told me he would tell his sister everything, for he obviously loved her very much. I wondered what she was like, what color her hair was, if her eyes were gray like Laurence's, if here teeth were as white—

I stopped myself abruptly before that train of thought went too far and turned my attention back to my newfound friends. As luck would have it, they were discussing the knights of the court.

"Sir Michael is friendly enough," Jane was saying, "but he's nowhere near as handsome as Sir Thomas."

"Have you seen his smile? It's like sunshine," Louise argued.

"What of you, my lady?" Theresa asked. "Have you an opinion on any of these fine gentlemen?"

I smiled. "It would be most unfitting for a betrothed woman to speak so favorably of someone not her fiancé."

"Surely my lady's eyes have wandered a bit. One can admire a man for his beauty, as one would admire a fine work of art."

Her insistence grated on me. Canny she might be, but subtle she was not. "I find every man I've met here quite handsome," I agreed, "but none so attractive as my lord prince."

"Not even Sir Laurence?"

I stiffened and cursed myself for it. "I hardly know the man," I replied as evenly as I could. "He's been out of sight or away since we first met. I cannot say much about him."

Theresa made a quiet hmph, and the other two began asking me questions about Chuck: how he kissed, what he was like in private, what he liked to do, the kinds of things he said to me. I was only too happy to praise my beloved fiancé, meeting Theresa's eyes often enough that she would understand the warning in them.

I love Chuck, my eyes said. I love him, and I will marry him, and nothing you, or the queen, or Laurence will do can take that from me, because when I want something, I get it.

Theresa looked away, silent. Good, I thought. She understood.

Oh, middle of a story. I forgot how you are my nemesis. Can't every chapter be the beginning or the climax?

I'm not 100% sure about that last bit, but I left it in because a.) the chapter needed an ending and b.) it's nice to see Elise interacting with normal people. She doesn't get to do that very often.

Here's some trivia for y'all: this story was initially supposed to be 8000-10000 words. We passed that about three chapters ago. Short stories, I do not write you. What was I thinking?

Until next week!

~Mazzie