A/N- Hey, this story doesn't have much of a "following", probably due to it's slightly unoriginal plot (two new characters, who are beautiful and spunky -of course- come to court and everyone loves them...) but I think, sooner or later, it will be better.

This is our second chapter to go up in 2 days, and a third is on the way...! The next one will be longer, we swear!

Disclaimer In A Nutshell- If ya don't recognize it, it's ours. Nannynannybooboo.

And on to the story...

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It had been three weeks. Three nearly impossible weeks of doing nothing
but sewing, dancing, and trying to be as polite as possible. Kalila was going insane from the boredom of it all.

"I'm so sick of being the proper lady everyone wants me to be!" she shouted out loud one night as she paced her room. Aria looked up from the book she was reading and smiled.

"Yes, I know that feeling," she said and sat up. Kalila sat down and sighed, putting her head in her hands.

"I hate it, you know? We have to do this, and say that, and wear this, and- Oh Mithros, it's a sin to say that and use this! I hate it! Why can't we wear breeches and spend all of our time mock fighting and practicing with our weapons?" The blond girl raged and pulled at her curls.

Aria stood up and threw her book down. "Well? Damn them! We're old enough to do what we like, right? I say that tomorrow we start doing what we please- and if that involves breaking a few rules, then so be it!"

Kalila grinned at her friend. It wasn't that long ago that Aria and Kalila had refused to speak to each other. Then, one day they had bumped into each other while watching the squires in their daily practices. Kalila had laughed because Aria was silently seething at the cat-calls being thrown in her direction. The two had then left for a walk in the gardens where, as they talked, they soon found they had a lot in common.

Yet, even though the last three weeks had not been Kalila's best, a great many things had happened. At her first ball, she had met someone she had thought was a very charming Tyran knight by the name of Edan. He had invited her for a walk about the gardens. Being naïve and in a little over her head, she had followed and found herself being ravaged against the palace wall. Or at least, 'til that one young knight came and got rid of Edan. Gary, his name was. She hadn't seen him since that night, and hadn't a chance to thank him properly, but she kept an eye out for him.

Now that she thought about it, Aria seemed to have found her own young man. Every day, she left around noon to go watch the squires and some of the youngest knights practice. When she came back, she would be flushed and laughing. At the fancy Midsummer Banquets (which were getting more and more frequent, as well as more and more boring) whenever the name Raoul of Goldenlake came up, Aria would giggle and blush. Which was the same thing Kalila would do aobut Sir Gareth of Naxen.

~Gary…~ Kalila sighed involuntarily, and then chided herself about getting moony over some knight who probably didn't even know who she was. Unbeknownst to her, Aria was doing the same thing across the room over Raoul.

Kalila shook herself –as did Aria– and the two court beauties began to rejoice in their newfound freedom. All of a sudden, their joys were brought to a halt, and Aria said, "Shit, that huge ball is tomorrow isn't it?"

Kalila rolled her eyes, and said, "The one everybody's been talking about for the last three weeks? Yeah, that's tomorrow…" then, as the realization struck her, she added, "Damn, I guess that means no weapons tomorrow. Dresses, hair, face paint… those are going to be the only things we get to see." ~But,~ her treacherous mind added, ~Maybe Gary will be there…!~

Aria heard Kalila's unconcious thought, and smiled as the same thing ran through her own mind.