"Wait, Thunderis, I am sorry." Derrick said. "I did not mean to bump you in with all the other ladies around this country. I know that you are nothing like them. You actually care about other people whereas the nobles and royals here care only for themselves. I truly did not mean to make you angry. In anycase, if you want to last around here, you had better be ready for tomorrow with all the bowing and curtseying. There are rules for everything around here you know."
"Believe me, I know the royal rules of protocol." Reimeiko said. "I am not about to let a bunch of stuck up nobles come between me and my future with my soulmate. I have seen the future and the queen by Karyson's side is me and no one else."
"You know the other ladies vying for Garyson have been training for it all their lives." Derrick replied. "They will do whatever it takes to make sure they take the lead in all things."
"Well I can let you in on all the advantages I have that none of them do." Reimeiko said. "I was not only raised and trained in royal protocol and how to be a wife and mother by my mother, but I was also trained in the art of warfare by my dad and his team of fighters. I can harness the powers and elements of my home, and Karyson and I were connected together years ago so none of the others have a chance with him because we are bound to each other eternally."
"Oh wow seriously?" he asked. "I did not think that you were that Reimeiko Thunderis. She and Karyson were married centuries ago. They cannot be alive today. There is no way unless-" Reimeiko lit up with her brows raised.
"My full name by royal standards is Reimeiko Christyne Amaryllis Thunderis Wolfe." Reimeiko said. "I am the eldest daughter of Thor and Kyiandra Kinsworthy Thunderis, the king and queen of Thunderia and the Universal Alliance."
"Oh wow, you look pretty darn good for someone who is over three thousand years old." Derrick replied. "No, it is impossible for you two to be the Reimeiko and Karyson of the past. They lived centuries ago."
"We are immortal, Derrick." Reimeiko explained. "We may move from one timeline to another but we are all eternal. I am Knight Thunder of Thunderia able to harness the powers and the elements of my kingdom and Karyson is able to do the same thing as Knight Wolf. Watch, I will prove to you who I am." She drew her swords that were hidden behind her and crossed them above her head. "By the power of Galaxia! Thunderian Thorstar Universal Ultimate Galactic Knight Power!" The lightning swirled around her body followed by the gold light of change. Reimeiko Thunderis was transformed into Knight Thunder, much to Derrick's wide surprise. "Usually, because my fellow Knights and I have reached our ultimate level, we do not have to use our weapons to transform into our Knight forms. All we have to do is think and the hero form appears on us."
"Wow, I am seeing it but I am still not completely believing it." Derrick announced. "It is just so unreal. If Karyson is one of you, how come he has never displayed this kind of power."
"All we know is that somewhere between our last battle and the meeting at Russo's Karyson was separated from his human and hero personalities Tristan Michael Llewellyn and Knight Wolf." Reimeiko explained.
"But if Karyson has a human form that is different from him as well as Knight Wolf, that also means you have a different human form as well." Derrick interjected.
"I am known as Jamison Logan McKagan Llewellyn by human standards." Reimeiko explained. "Tristan, Karyson's human form is my husband as Karyson is Reimeiko's. Besides my siblings, Aaron and Keilyn and our fellow Knights as well as Karyson's siblings you are the only one who knows about this."
"I see. Now we had better go." Derrick insisted. "I do not want to get you into trouble being out after curfew."
"Trouble? Why would you get me into trouble?" she asked. "I can handle trouble. I am Knight Thunder after all."
"Maybe you can," he said. "But you are still new here. I do not want to get you into any kind of mess on my account. It is not like it is in normal life where you can just be yourself and do what you want. Here there is always going to be someone waiting for some gossip to spread about you and use against you. I know what this place looks like but do not let it fool you. Most people do not get happily ever after around here. Come on."
Reimeiko followed Derrick from the roof after reverting back to herself, while still holding the Knight Thunder persona, back to the tree, and down. As they got closer to the ground, the branches became more sparse. Derrick dropped out of the tree to the ground, then held out his hand to Reimeiko. He pulled her down and for a brief moment, held her in his arms before he set her on the ground.
"Hey Derrick, I just wanted to say, you are extremely cute when you are flustered." she smirked. "I remember that was a way to perk you up when you gained the interest of that special someone."
Derrick laughed and looked away blushing, looking like he was about to say something, but then he thought better of it. "You are real trouble, I think Thunderis."
"I guess it depends on how you look at it Derrick." she giggled. "Good night Mr. Werner."
She left behind a speechless Derrick and headed back to her room hopeful that she would fall asleep fairly quickly. Samson, one of her guardians, was there waiting for her perched on the desk near the bed in owl form. When he was sure it was only his mistress, he reverted to cat form jumping over onto the bed.
"Jaira and I completed our circuit of the country, Your Highness." Samson said. "And nothing is as any of us remember it. Something is seriously not right."
"This is not the Thaddea the rest of the Guardians and Knights remember." Jaira added. "The present king and queen is named Cecil and Alyssa Walters. Word around the palace is that they are ruling Taboria and Karyson and Samuel Walters are brothers."
"Samuel's only siblings are his twin sister Francine, uh I mean Ceres." Reimeiko replied. "And his half brother Garyson Walters. We have to get to the bottom of this before Cecil gets Karyson tied up in bigamy and casts him from everything that matters."
Samson and Jaira left the room so that Reimeiko could change clothes and go to bed, hopeful she would fall asleep quickly. The next morning Byron and Malachi arrived going through the outfits that Reimeiko had brought with her.
"No, not this one." Byron said. "Not this one, too casual, too American, too stretchy. What we are looking for is the perfect look for your debut for the Masquerade tonight. The first event of the Social Season is tonight, the masquerade."
"It is the ball where all of the suitors will be presented formally to Prince Garyson as well as the king." Malachi added. "While not everyone everyone wears a costume or a mask, you can be sure the ladies competing for Garyson's attention will be pulling out all of the stops to make sure they are all he sees."
"I suppose it is too much to ask if you even packed a costume appropriate for a black tie affair?" Byron asked, looking disdainfully at the rest of the clothes in her suitcase. He let out a long suffering sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Well we were not sure so we made you an appointment at the palace boutique." Malachi said. "Maybe you will find something there that you like better. And remember tonight is very important. You could end up getting to dance with Garyson and it is your chance to make a first impression on all of the influential people and to stand apart from everyone else there."
"Do not worry fellows, I have got this." Reimeiko announced. She grabbed her adventure bag and left her room to go to the palace boutique. Just to be on the safe side, she had Knight Thunder in full power. This was not the Thaddea she knew or remembered. She stepped into the boutique and saw one of the suitors in her underwear looking through the various costumes. "Oh I am sorry, I did not realize that someone was already in here."
"It is no problem." she said. "To be honest, I did not have an appointment. I am Elenia Zhang. I suppose you are also here to prepare for the Masquerade tonight as well?"
"I am Reimeiko Thunderis; and yes, I am here to prepare for this hide and seek parade too." Reimeiko said giggling. "This is quite the flash and flare event just to try and win the hand of one of the Walters boys."
"She is the multi-talented suitor from Thaddea." Tristan said through the earpiece Reimeiko wore. "Elenia is the one you should try and make friends with the most. The other suitors are serious backbiters including Melinda Edwards so watch yourself."
"Since you are here and not already dressed," Elenia said. "I must assume that you are like me and searching for something to wear. The seamstress seems to be running late, but I can show you around. This boutique has the most exquisite gowns. Let me just slip my dress on." She pulled on the dress she was holding but struggled to get the zipper up. Reimeiko helped her with no hesitation. Elenia donned a matching mask and settled it on her face before turning back around to face Reimeiko grinning at her. "Thank you, not many people here are nice like you." She twirled around her full skirts twirling out. "Now what about you? One must have a mask for the masquerade. Have you seen the angel costume? You would look amazing in white."
"I will take a look." Reimeiko said. She slipped into the changing room with the dress, Silver Sensation and with a snap of her fingers was wearing her version of it and her glasses transformed into a matching mask. The outfit for Princess Reimeiko was just what she needed to help trigger Karyson's true memory of his connection with Reimeiko and reunite them. "So how do I look?"
"Oh wow, you look absolutely amazing." Elenia gushed. The two of them left the boutique then Reimeiko met Malachi at the bottom of the grand staircase just outside the ballroom.
"You look sensational, Reimeiko." Malachi said. "One thing I should mention, as soon as you enter the ballroom, tell the herald your name and title so that you can be announced. Since you are working undercover, you do not have a title, but since my family is "Sponsoring" you, then you could technically be considered a lady."