I'd like to first apologize that it took so long. I got my first thing ever of writers block and I had no idea how to continue it, but I did! I hope you like it! Now here's the ball! Enjoy!!

Disclaimer: Tamora Pierce's characters are her own...still...my characters are mine.

The ballroom was brightly decorated and full with nobility of all ranks to celebrate the Queen's birthday. All the ladies and men were dressed in their finest and everyone was happy, well almost.

"Thank-you Joren." Lysse said quietly as he handed her a wineglass. Lysse took a sip and shuddered.

Joren laughed at her. "Never had wine before? I could get you something without alcohol, would that suit you, since obviously you can't handle it." Lysse felt slightly insulted and kept the wineglass taking occasional sips now and then, trying not to show the disgust on her face. Alcohol was never let into the convent, so at the practice balls and banquets the girls were allowed either water or some kind of sweet juice. Lysse let her eyes wander for the thousandth time that night, she was looking for something or someone. He's not here yet, she thought to herself. The King and Queen already entered, but he wasn't with them. Where is he? And where's Anji?

"What are you looking at?" Joren broke into her thoughts.

"Oh, nothing."

"Good, because I don't want you looking at anyone else but me. Now, let's dance." Joren took her hand and pulled her onto the ballroom floor as a waltz began.

****************

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet, Karlyn. She's the daughter of the King of Thieves and she's here to help us with the plan."

"Actually, honey, you told me ah was the plan."

"Yes, and that is true. Now you know what you're supposed to do?"

"Of course, sweetie. Now when do we start? I got plans in town."

"Well, first we need to get you into a shabbier dress." Karlyn was wearing a very fancy ball gown, adorned with lace and little pearls that set off the color of her eyes a deep blue.

"I'm sorry, Roald, but I thought you told me that this was a ball."

"It is, but you're not playing a lady."

"Are you saying I'm not a lady?" Karlyn stood to her full height and looked at Roald who began to blush.

"No, no, I didn't say that, I just said-"

"Honey, I'm just kiddin' with ya.!" Karlyn let out a loud laugh and punched Roald hard in the shoulder, causing him to wince. "I'll get that girl for ya and ruin that man, Joren's, reputation at the same time." Karlyn sighed. "Young love. Besides, I get to see my love pie. Now ya'll go in and I'll be in in a minute, gotta change."

"Good luck." Roald said. And walked into the ball room with Anji and the boys trailing behind. They walked into a corner before they began talking again.

****************

"How's it going?"

Lysse jumped and turned around. "Oh, Kel? Is that you? You look so pretty!" Kel blushed from the compliment.

"Thank-you." Kel was wearing a pale yellow gown with little pearl buttons on the bodice and embroidered white flowers all over the dress. Her shoulder length hair was down, but had been curled and framed around her face with ribbons weaved into it.

"Now, how's Joren?"

"He's getting weirder by the second. I don't know where he is now."

"Your mother and aunt seem to be enjoying themselves." Lysse looked over to where Kel was pointing. They seemed to be having a witty conversation with Thayet and Jonathan.

"Well, they haven't seen each other in years! Besides, they're the only people who will talk to my mother." Kel and Lysse stood in companionable silence for a while watching the dancers.

"Where's Terence, your cousin?" Kel said, breaking it.

"Oh," Lysse got a little smile on her face. "He doesn't come to royal functions anymore. Ever since an incident at a banquet when he was a page. I guess I scarred him for life. I mean, he goes to them when Anji and I aren't around, but when we're here, he chooses it's best to stay away."

Kel chuckled. "Look! There are the boys over there. I wonder what they're up to? Oh my, look Neal is coming over." Neal maneuvered his way through the crowd toward the two girls.

"Hello, Kel, Lysse." He gave an exaggerated bow causing Kel to roll her eyes.

"Excuse me a moment Lady Lysse, but would you mind if I took Kel away to dance for a while?"

"Oh, no, Neal go right a head."

Kel looked back at Lysse and gave her a look, but Lysse just winked back at her. Neal took Kel in his arms and they began to dance to the new waltz that began to play.

"You look...different...pretty. It took me a while to recognize you." Neal and Kel blushed.

"Lalasa helped me get ready. She's the one who made the dress and did my hair and applied the make-up. I'm still learning how."

"Hmmm. She did a nice job." They danced in an awkward silence for a while. Neither saying anything, just making sure that neither one made eye contact. Neal broke it.

"Kel?"

"What?" Kel looked into the staring eyes of Neal. Neither one could look away. Kel felt an electric shock go through as they continued to look deep into each others eyes.

"Kel...?" He murmured again. "Kel, I have to tell you something." As Neal spoke his mouth came closer to where Kel's was. Kel felt herself lifting hers to meet his.

"What is it?" Kel's voice was barely audible. Their lips almost connected when...

****************

Anji and Cleon were the only two people left in the corner. The others had gone off and were dancing with ladies.

"So...Lysse is your cousin huh?" Cleon cursed at himself silently. What a stupid thing to say. It was the first thing that had come to his mind.

"Yep. She sure is. Her mother is my aunt." Anji began to curse herself at the same time. Duh. What else would she be? My dog?

"Sooo..."

"Sooo..." They stood in silence, neither one looking at the other.

"Want to dance?"

"Excuse me?"

"Well," Cleon began to stutter. "I mean, everyone else is dancing. I just thought that maybe..."

"Oh, um, okay, sure, I'll dance."

"Really? Well, that's good. Okay. Come on." Cleon took her hand in his and led her to the ballroom floor.

"You dance very well." Cleon said a little nervously.

"Thank-you, I've been practicing." Practicing? Practicing?! That made me sound like I just stand in my room and dance by myself like a pathetic idiot. Wait...I do, do that. Damn. But I'm not pathetic. Come on Anji, say something intelligent.

"Boy, do I love dancing." How much better was that?! Oh my gosh. What he must think of me! This is nice though. Just the two of us dancing. He's warm.

Cleon felt Anji snuggle closer to him. Hmm. This feels nice. They continued to dance, and soon the awkwardness began to go away and was replaced with a feeling that they both felt begin to grow. They looked at each other at the same time and found they could not look away. Caught in the moment, both heads began to lean forward into each other when...

"Joren!" A loud voice echoed through the ballroom. Neal and Kel and Cleon and Anji quickly jumped apart and looked to the ballroom door. There they saw Karlyn, in skimpy peasant clothing running to Joren and Lysse who had been dancing on the floor. "Joren! Joren! Joren!" She shrieked getting louder with each call of his name. She tore Joren from Lysse and hung onto him, falling to his feet on the floor. "How could you? After all I've given you, down at the Dancing Dove Inn night after night and this is how you repay me!?"

"Wow, Karlyn's really getting into it." Neal muttered to himself.

"Wow, what's going on? Wait...getting into what?"

The gathered crowd began to mutter.

"What's going on?"

"Who's that?"

"Sir Joren's been a'whoring?!"

"Go Joren!"

"Oh, my virgin ears!" Anji decided to get into the acting too and covered her ears.

"It's okay, my sweet." Cleon took Anji his arms and held her. Both seemed to be doing a fine job.

"Joren writes his name on his underwear." The call came through the crowd, but no one knew from where. The rest of the boys who were hiding in the crowd rolled their eyes. and smiled to each other. Owen. Guess he just couldn't resist.

"Oh Joren, you said you loved me! How could you dance with this woman?! You said you loved me." Karlyn repeated starting into racking sobs. "We were supposed to get married tonight, remember? You were supposed to meet me, but you never showed, so I decided to come and get you, but I found you in the arms of another woman! Oohhh. Ooohhh!" Karlyn started on the moans. Joren who up until now had been too stunned to move tried to shake the woman the off, but to no avail.

"Wait! Everyone, I don't know this woman!" Karlyn's moans got louder, bigger, and longer. A man stepped forward from the crowd.

"Wait! Karlyn, I thought you loved me!"

"What?!" The man's wife came out of the crowd and hit him over his head. "You've been meeting with this woman? Oh." The wife began to beat on her husband, but while she was beating him, she ran into and caused a princess to fall flat on her face. The princess began to pull on the hair of the woman. Soon, it was like a chain reaction, the crowd in the ball began to throw food and beat up on each other. Any other time it would have been funny to see nobility fight each other, but the King would not have this at his wife's birthday ball.

"STOP!" His voice rang out throughout the room causing everyone to freeze where they were and look up.

****************

"I can't believe we got caught! How'd they know?" Owen complained while picking up the trash on the floor. All the nobles and royalty (excluding Roald) had left the ballroom leaving the troublemakers to clean up. Even Karlyn was cleaning.

"Ah can't believe I listened to ya'll. Now he's gonna tell George, who's gonna tell my father and I'm gonna get my butt kicked." Karlyn pouted while scrubbing the floor.

"I'm sorry everyone." Roald stopped what he was doing and looked at the group. "I let my feelings control my actions and I didn't think about the outcome of this. I apologize."

Cleon looked up from where he and Anji were lifting a table upright. "It's just as much our faults as it is yours." Anji nodded her head in agreement. "I mean we wanted to do this."

"I think we did a pretty good job though. Did you see the look on Joren's face?! That was classic!" Neal and the others began to laugh as they remembered.

"What do you think is going on now? Think they broke off the marriage?" Faleron asked

"No," Roald said. "In fact we just sped it up. It's next week. I had to tell my father the truth. I hate it when he glares at me."

"You told?" Owen squeaked. "Ooh." He groaned, but continued to do his work. They continued in silence cleaning up the ballroom when Lysse walked through the ballroom door. Everyone looked up.

"Roald, we need to talk."

There it is! Part 6 the ball scene! It was a whole lot of fun to write! Oh, and just a little thing. Karlyn is based off one of my friends. Karlen, I'm sorry, about what I turned you into! You're not a whore though, you just played one:) You rock Karlen! Okay, anyways, I hoped you liked this one. I had so much writers block while writing it, but I think it turned out okay! Yes, the plan does not work out. Dun dun dun. What will happen now? Who knows *shrugs*. The also wasn't as creative as I wanted it to be, but I didn't know what to write. I had had another plan worked out, but it didn't fit in with the story so I had to think of another one. A stupid one. Was the plan okay? Think I embarrassed Joren enough? Please review!