"There you are, Isabella!" Alison flittered along the hall, closing in on a still fuming Bella. "We have been searching for you everywhere!" Alison's voice lowered as she halted in front of Bella. "Luned found us, said you had gone off with James."

Bella shuddered uncontrollably. "Yes."

"Are you alright?" Alison's eyes apologized. "We should never have left you."

"I'm fine, I guess. Edward found me." Bella frowned.

"Oh." Alison seemed surprised. "He found you? Where?" The surprise had quickly shifted to concern.

"James' room."

Alison's eyes widened further. "In his room?"

Bella nodded, uncomfortable. "Can we please stop talking about this? Weren't we going on a picnic?"

"Of course." Alison said slowly. "You are certain everything is alright?"

"Yes." Bella sighed. "Where are the others?"

"Follow me." Alison smiled, leading Bella back down the corridor to the stairs.

Bella wandered quietly behind her friend, thinking over the morning's events. One tiny memory that had slipped through the cracks with everything else that had gone on stood out again.

"What was Rosalind hiding this morning?"

Alison grinned. "You'll see."

Bella frowned, but followed Alison down the staircase and into the again empty hall. "Where is everyone?" She asked in surprise.

Alison shrugged dismissively. "Preparing for the visitors."

"Wouldn't they need to do that in here, as well?"

"Normally. When James is around, though, the servants tend to concentrate on other work that needs to be done in other parts of the castle and village."

Bella snorted. "I can't say I blame them."

"No." Alison mused. "Neither do I." She pushed open the heavy door leading out into a surprisingly sunny courtyard, where it seemed the whole of the castles population had converged.

"Ah." Bella laughed. "Here they are."

Alison grinned over her shoulder at her, before leading her to the kitchens where Samuel was pulling the last of his custard pies out of the oven, a very different one from the one she had at home; this was more like a small brick fireplace. Bella could feel the saliva build up in her mouth at the remembered taste of his cooking. She swallowed hard.

"Samuel!" Alison danced forward. "Thank you so much."

Samuel wrapped the last pie with the other seven he had made and handed the parcel to Luned, who had appeared at Bella's elbow.

"I'm so sorry, lady, for leaving you." She murmured to Bella as she accepted the bundle.

"That's ok." Bella shuddered at the memory. "It wasn't your fault."

Luned smiled shyly and turned, retreating to stand next to Rosalind who was a few paces behind.

"Is Emile here?" Alison grinned at Samuel, and again, Bella felt like she was missing something important.

"She is out the back putting the finishing touches on your request." Samuel returned her grin, his gaze jumping to Bella briefly.

She was definitely missing something here.

"Here you are, my lady." Emile emerged from a small door at the rear of the kitchen and handed Alison a second wrapped package. "I am certain they will be precisely what you need." She shared a sidelong smile with Alison.

"Time to go!" Luned said happily, drawing Bella's thoughts away from the odd glances and hidden meanings.

Alison slipped her hand into the crook of Bella's arm and led her away, following Rosalind and Luned out of the gate and over the drawbridge, back toward the magical looking dark trees.

"What are you lot up to?" Bella asked as they walked.

Her only answer were three girlish giggles and an, "I promise, my lady, you will love your surprise," from Luned.

They passed under the heavy low hanging branches into the dark woods, Bella walking slowly with Alison so as not to trip, Rosalind strolling forward, her head high, her hands in front of her, while Luned skipped onwards happily.

After a few minutes, Bella could see light shining through the trees ahead. A few minutes more, and the foursome emerged into a clearing, the grass a rich emerald green, with wildflowers shimmering in the gentle breeze. The clearing was almost a perfect circle.

"Our own special place." Rosalind smiled as Luned danced forward to take Alison's bundle and something round from Rosalind and place them to the side with her own parcel.

"I think it is the fairies home." Luned smiled, lifting her face to the sky and breathing deeply. "It seems so magical here.

"Mmm." Alison nodded. "The perfect place to hide our secrets."

Bella's eyebrows shot upwards.

"Not those secrets." Alison smiled pleasantly at Bella. "Our secrets from the men." Her gaze grew serious. "I am sure it has been hard for you, having to behave a certain way here. I know it is not something you are used to where you come from."

Bella nodded.

"It is hard for us, too. We have this space, so we can be who we wish to be, and not what our men expect." Alison flashed Bella another grin. "Luned, please pass me Bella's bundle."

Luned tossed one of the parcels over to Alison, who passed it to Bella.

Bella stared down at it, uncomprehending.

"Open it, Isabella."

She did as Alison said; untying the cloth to find it contained some folded material, clearly clothes. A forest green tunic and brown leggings. She glanced back up at Alison.

"Men's clothing." Alison said smugly. "Made to your size."

Bella continued to stare at her, confused. Alison sighed, reaching forward to take the tunic, and shook it out. "Put these on, and then we can play."

Bella turned towards a rustling sound on her left. Rosalind and Luned were removing their dresses to reveal tunics and leggings underneath, the same color as the ones she was holding herself. She turned to face Alison again. "Play what?" She asked carefully.

"Football." Luned answered, running quickly to Bella's side.

"Oh no." Bella groaned. "Have you not noticed my terminal clumsiness?"

"Of course." Luned laughed as Alison slipped off her own dress. "That does not mean you should not play."

Bella rolled her eyes. "If you insist." She grumbled, turning her back and trying to pull off her dress. Immediately, she found herself stuck, her head half out her arms tangled at her chest. Luned laughed again and helped her out of the gown and kirtle, leaving her still shivering in her shift.

Bella grabbed the tunic and yanked it over her head, then started in on the leggings. They weren't anything like leggings in her own time, one smooth fitted bit of material that you could just slide on and forget about; no. These were covered in all sorts of ties and holes, things that needed to be attached to one another. Bella groaned, to Luned's continued amusement.

"Let me help you, my lady, else we may never get to play!" Within moments, Luned had fastened all the cords, and stepped back.

The material gathered around Bella's waist was considerably more uncomfortable than her usual form of dress in this time, but was made up for in the freedom she had to move her legs, unimpeded by yards of flowing material. Stretching one leg out, she sighed in relief. This was something she had almost forgotten about, she was becoming so used to this time already.

"Let's do this." She laughed, buoyed by her ability to move freely.

Rosalind laughed in return and scooped up the round item Luned had placed on the ground. The football. It looked a lot like something that used to be alive…Bella shuddered, returned her focus to what Rosalind was saying. "This will be the first time we have had more than two players." She smiled. Luned nodded happily.

"Is it not fortunate, then, that Luned was already in the practice of wearing men's clothing?" Alison laughed. "Else we may have been playing with three!"

Luned linked her arm through Bella's.

"Time to kick some butt." Bella laughed. "Where's the goals?"

"The goal is to kick the ball through those two trees." Luned pointed at the two largest trees across the clearing. "And for Lady Rosalind and Lady Alison--" Luned turned around to point to another two trees behind them. "Between those two. Whoever kicks--"

"The most goals wins." Bella interrupted. "I may not like the game, but I know the rules." The women spilt up, Alison dropping back to Bella and Luned's goal, Luned moving towards the other team's.

Rosalind placed the ball carefully in the middle of the field. "You may move first, Isabella," she nodded. "It may make your failure slightly less humiliating." A competitive light flared in the other woman's eyes. Bella smirked.

"Game on." She ran at the ball and kicked, sending it, to her amazement, flying across the clearing toward her goal.

"Yes!" She yelled, thrilled with her move. She didn't have long to celebrate, for as soon as the ball had neared Alison, the other woman kicked it back, sending it sailing smoothly towards Rosalind, who then booted it past Bella and right at Luned, who made a dive for it but missed. The ball flew cleanly between the trees.

Alison laughed and Rosalind allowed herself a small smile as they all watched Luned chase the ball into the trees.

Bella frowned, determined they would catch up. Luned emerged, kicking the ball to a surprised Bella whose flailing foot missed by yards, only to have Rosalind converge on it and send what could have been a great opportunity for anyone else spinning straight back past Luned's gaping expression.

"My lady." Luned panted, retrieving the ball for the second time in as many minutes. "Shall we change positions?"

Bella nodded, determined she would make a better go of protecting the goal than of trampling across the clearing.

They spent the remainder of the afternoon laughing and running backwards and forwards, Luned managing to at least get in a few goals of her won, even though Alison and Rosalind won, 10 to 5.

In all their excitement, no one noticed the smiling faces watching them from behind the trees they had arrived through.