p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""How?! Look at this, Sofia, how did they find out?!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Amber, calm down. I'm sure its just a coincidence. All it says is that she'll officially be a princess soon. It's not even official."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Ivy stopped brushing her hair and took the newspaper. "emSources report that, on Friday last week, the royal family proposed adoption to the mysterious child living in the castle. This seems to have been a very important occasion, as the royal children were seen chattering and preparing in the gardens./emspan style="font-style: normal;""/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Well, that doesn't mean anything," Sofia said. "Maybe they just got lucky?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""span style="font-style: normal;"It says in the next paragraph that I accepted, and it describes in detail what happened." Something caught her eye. "/spanemReportedly, the soon-to-be princess leapt into King Roland's arms, hugging him and sobbing. When soothing her, the king supposedly used the name 'Ivy' in reference to her. Is this just a nickname, or do we now know the name of the child who has captivated the minds of reporters and commoners alike?/emspan style="font-style: normal;""/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"The two older princesses looked at each other. "...maybe-"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""I'm stopping you two right there. Not only do they know what you guys were planning, they know when it happened and what the outcome if it was. They even know my name, which shouldn't be possible. If they got my name before, it would have been in the papers already. I believe that luck is a thing and all, but there's no way this is a product of that. Either someone is feeding information from inside the castle, or they have spies. Considering a maid or other residential castle-worker would know my name, I'd say its a spy."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""How..."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""I've been expecting this to happen ever since Friday night. Next to Cedric, I'm basically the god of anxiety. There's no way to beat me once I've had half a week to think of everything that could go wrong." She picked up the brush, but a knock at the window made electricity jolt through her./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Oh, hey, Lucinda!" Sofia threw open the window, making way for the witch to land./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""I got the newest newspaper, Amber!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy gave a relived sigh and tried her best to get rid of the scorch marks on the sheets. "Hey Lucinda. Any update on the whole 'new princess' thing? Yesterday's paper is pretty...yeah."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Yep. Whoa...what's with the mushrooms?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Oh, what?" Ivy looked down at the floor and realized there were glowing mushrooms surrounding the bed. "Wha...dangit, I did it again. Sorry, Amber."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Amber smiled. "Oh, leave it. They look nice."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""So what does the newspaper say?" Sofia asked./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Lucinda handed it down. "Did you guys happen to be in the garden yesterday, talking about different gown designs?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Yeah..."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy shook her head. "I can't believe this. I...I emcannot even/em. Are shapeshifters common here? Are they turning into beetles to spy on us? At this point, I'm legitimately worried."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""There are strangelings," Amber suggested. "But there aren't that many, and they usually stay in the Mystic Isles. I don't know if common reporters would have one."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Sofia shrugged. "People can be turned into animals. My amulet lets me, and I was turned into a cat once."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Wait, what?!" Lucinda went upside down on her broomstick./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""It's a long story," Amber said quickly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy rolled her eyes. Without warning, a knock at the door made her jump yet again. "Who is it?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Come in," Amber said./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Baileywick opened the door and gave a small bow. "Princess Ivy," he said, giving a small smile, "your mother and father would like to know if there are any cultural rules against you going to large gatherings at the moment. They are hoping to host a royal welcome ball this Friday to introduce you to the royalty and nobles of the surrounding kingdoms, but want to know if you have any obligations or traditions preventing that."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"In a nearby mirror, Ivy could see that her hair and skin had completely turned a snowy white from the surprise. She forced herself to go back to normal before responding. "Er...well, I don't think so. I don't know much about funeral traditions, or what you're supposed to do after. The only thing I know of that I can do is that immediate family members are supposed to wear black clothing for a year, hence..." She gestured to her simple black dress./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Alright. Please, let me know if you think of anything you need, or anything you want us to know." With that, Baileywick was gone./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Oh, your first royal ball!" Amber took Ivy and twirled her around, making the younger girl laugh. "Mom and daddy have been planning ever since you officially joined the family! I guarantee it will be amazing!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Sofia laughed . "Hey, Amber, remember my first royal ball? The one after I first moved into the castle? You tried to trip me up during my dance lessons with those trick shoes!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Remember the botched dance spell?" Amber giggled. "And later we found out that it was actually one of Cedric's schemes, but he fell asleep because it was a sleep spell!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy let out a snort of laughter as her hair changed to match the royal sorcerer's. "Man, how did all of that happen?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Yeah, now you emneed/em to tell us that story," Lucinda agreed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Oh, when I was your age, my jealousy was very out of control," Amber chuckled. "If Sofia got an hour with our father, I had to have two hours. If she had a magical amulet, I had to get my turn with it. When she first got here, I tried my best to sabotage her royal ball at every turn because emI /emwanted to be the favorite princess."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy jumped onto Amber's bed and threw a pillow at her. "That's messed up," she laughed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"There was a rush of wind, and a paper crane flew into the room through the open window. Lucinda unfolded it and read what was on it, then let out a sigh./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""My mom needs me back home," she said. "I promised her I wouldn't be gone for too long. We're supposed to go toadstool hunting, I just stopped over here to give you today's paper. See you later!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy gave a small wave as Lucinda zoomed out of the window./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Come on," Amber said. "Let's go ask mom and dad to get us an appointment with Madame Collette to get you a new dress!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""A black one, right?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Of course."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""Amber, calm down. I'm sure its just a coincidence. All it says is that she'll officially be a princess soon. It's not even official."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;"Ivy stopped brushing her hair and took the newspaper. "emSources report that, on Friday last week, the royal family proposed adoption to the mysterious child living in the castle. This seems to have been a very important occasion, as the royal children were seen chattering and preparing in the gardens./emspan style="font-style: normal;""/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Well, that doesn't mean anything," Sofia said. "Maybe they just got lucky?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in;""span style="font-style: normal;"It says in the next paragraph that I accepted, and it describes in detail what happened." Something caught her eye. "/spanemReportedly, the soon-to-be princess leapt into King Roland's arms, hugging him and sobbing. When soothing her, the king supposedly used the name 'Ivy' in reference to her. Is this just a nickname, or do we now know the name of the child who has captivated the minds of reporters and commoners alike?/emspan style="font-style: normal;""/span/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"The two older princesses looked at each other. "...maybe-"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""I'm stopping you two right there. Not only do they know what you guys were planning, they know when it happened and what the outcome if it was. They even know my name, which shouldn't be possible. If they got my name before, it would have been in the papers already. I believe that luck is a thing and all, but there's no way this is a product of that. Either someone is feeding information from inside the castle, or they have spies. Considering a maid or other residential castle-worker would know my name, I'd say its a spy."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""How..."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""I've been expecting this to happen ever since Friday night. Next to Cedric, I'm basically the god of anxiety. There's no way to beat me once I've had half a week to think of everything that could go wrong." She picked up the brush, but a knock at the window made electricity jolt through her./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Oh, hey, Lucinda!" Sofia threw open the window, making way for the witch to land./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""I got the newest newspaper, Amber!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy gave a relived sigh and tried her best to get rid of the scorch marks on the sheets. "Hey Lucinda. Any update on the whole 'new princess' thing? Yesterday's paper is pretty...yeah."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Yep. Whoa...what's with the mushrooms?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Oh, what?" Ivy looked down at the floor and realized there were glowing mushrooms surrounding the bed. "Wha...dangit, I did it again. Sorry, Amber."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Amber smiled. "Oh, leave it. They look nice."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""So what does the newspaper say?" Sofia asked./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Lucinda handed it down. "Did you guys happen to be in the garden yesterday, talking about different gown designs?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Yeah..."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy shook her head. "I can't believe this. I...I emcannot even/em. Are shapeshifters common here? Are they turning into beetles to spy on us? At this point, I'm legitimately worried."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""There are strangelings," Amber suggested. "But there aren't that many, and they usually stay in the Mystic Isles. I don't know if common reporters would have one."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Sofia shrugged. "People can be turned into animals. My amulet lets me, and I was turned into a cat once."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Wait, what?!" Lucinda went upside down on her broomstick./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""It's a long story," Amber said quickly./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy rolled her eyes. Without warning, a knock at the door made her jump yet again. "Who is it?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Come in," Amber said./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Baileywick opened the door and gave a small bow. "Princess Ivy," he said, giving a small smile, "your mother and father would like to know if there are any cultural rules against you going to large gatherings at the moment. They are hoping to host a royal welcome ball this Friday to introduce you to the royalty and nobles of the surrounding kingdoms, but want to know if you have any obligations or traditions preventing that."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"In a nearby mirror, Ivy could see that her hair and skin had completely turned a snowy white from the surprise. She forced herself to go back to normal before responding. "Er...well, I don't think so. I don't know much about funeral traditions, or what you're supposed to do after. The only thing I know of that I can do is that immediate family members are supposed to wear black clothing for a year, hence..." She gestured to her simple black dress./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Alright. Please, let me know if you think of anything you need, or anything you want us to know." With that, Baileywick was gone./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Oh, your first royal ball!" Amber took Ivy and twirled her around, making the younger girl laugh. "Mom and daddy have been planning ever since you officially joined the family! I guarantee it will be amazing!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Sofia laughed . "Hey, Amber, remember my first royal ball? The one after I first moved into the castle? You tried to trip me up during my dance lessons with those trick shoes!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Remember the botched dance spell?" Amber giggled. "And later we found out that it was actually one of Cedric's schemes, but he fell asleep because it was a sleep spell!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy let out a snort of laughter as her hair changed to match the royal sorcerer's. "Man, how did all of that happen?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Yeah, now you emneed/em to tell us that story," Lucinda agreed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Oh, when I was your age, my jealousy was very out of control," Amber chuckled. "If Sofia got an hour with our father, I had to have two hours. If she had a magical amulet, I had to get my turn with it. When she first got here, I tried my best to sabotage her royal ball at every turn because emI /emwanted to be the favorite princess."/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy jumped onto Amber's bed and threw a pillow at her. "That's messed up," she laughed./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"There was a rush of wind, and a paper crane flew into the room through the open window. Lucinda unfolded it and read what was on it, then let out a sigh./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""My mom needs me back home," she said. "I promised her I wouldn't be gone for too long. We're supposed to go toadstool hunting, I just stopped over here to give you today's paper. See you later!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;"Ivy gave a small wave as Lucinda zoomed out of the window./p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Come on," Amber said. "Let's go ask mom and dad to get us an appointment with Madame Collette to get you a new dress!"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""A black one, right?"/p
p style="margin-bottom: 0in; font-style: normal;""Of course."/p