I woke up the next morning to the loud noise of the industries and tradesmen of Deling City. Sunlight streamed through the timber shutters and made the walls glow a honey colored aura. Pulling myself up so that I was upright, I could clearly hear the halls of the inn filling with grumpy voices and whining children. Looking over at my belongings, I saw that I did not remember to take with me a spare change of clothing. Cursing at my stupidity, I wrapped myself in the cloak I had taken from the castle and walked out into the streets.

I had enough gil to survive on for at least one week. But knowinmg that I would most likely stay for longer, I set out to find a way to make more money. The stores around me did not seem to need any help and were not asking for extra workers, so I entered a diner and sat down at a table. It was quite a simplistic looking place but was filled with people surrounding one of the larger tables. Curiosity took me over to see what the fuss was about. A middle-aged man was standing next to two other younger looking men who were seated down at the table.

"Welcome all to this year's Steak Eating Contest!", the older man announced. "Are there any last-minute contestants?". If it was an eating contest the food would be free of charge....What better way to have a meal, I thought.

"Yes", I raised my hand to have the rest of the crowd turn to look at me. I knew that it was unconventional and unladylike to shovel large amounts of food into one's mouth in a glutton-like manner, but at this point in time I had no choice. It was starve or mess, and I chose mess. The people of this kingdom had no idea of me having any connection to royalty so it seemed alright.

"We have another contestant everyone! Please, come on down and take a seat!", the crowd cheered and clapped as I pushed my way through them in order to seat myself. I sat down next to the man with tall, blonde hair that ended in pointy spikes. The announcer walked over to the table and stood behind him.

"This is the champion, Zell Dincht!" he gestured to him, Zell was waving his arms about him in triumph. I was surprised at how muscular he looked while being the champion steak-eater. The announcer then walked over to the other man seated further down. He was wearing a black, brimmed hat and a long, light colored coat.

"This, is one of this year's challengers, Irvine Kinneas! Lastly, the first ever female contestant...What's your name darling?". I decided that I would probably be better off if I did not reveal my true identity, it may cause even more conflicts among the waring kingdoms.

"Delilah", I said timidly. Three enormous pieces of steak were put in front of each of the contestants along with a massive pot of pepper sauce and another full of mushroom sauce. It all smelled delicious and I felt like I could eat it all, being so hungry.

"And.....Begin!", the contestants dug their heads into the food, the clangs and bangs of cutlery was deafening. I ate quite slowly compared to the other two and knew then, that I could never have a chance of winning if I was up against these pigs! When the hourglass sand had stopped, Zell had finished and was again, the winner of the competition. The owner of the diner allowed us to finish the remaining morsels of the food and awarded the contestants with prizes. The winning prize was one hundred thousand gil and the complimentary prizes, were ten thousand gil each. I walked out of the diner ten thousand gil richer and continued to explore the city.

After a while, I came upon a building which was used as an education centre, a school. I found myself walking into the front door and into a small foyer. A table was on the side of the room and chairs were lined up on the opposite side. A woman appeared from the hall to the right and sat down at the desk.

"May I help you?", she asked with a smile. She was quite thin and petite but also seemed kind and hospitable. I dared to ask for what I urgently needed.

"Is there-I mean, are you in need of any workers at the moment?", I asked quietly. The woman took out a book and flipped through a few ink-covered pages.

"Why yes, we are in need of a field combat instructor. Could you provide us with service of that kind in any way?". Combat... It may come in handy during my time here.

"Yes, my father manufactured weapons for a living and taught me various skills of that area. I believe I am able to help you.", I kept telling myself that this would only be temporary until I pulled myself together and actually concocted a plan for the assassination.

"Wonderful!" exclaimed the woman "I am the secretary of this school, Ilena. Your weekly wage will be three thousand gil and we have a cottage quite close to the school where all the instructors live. You are welcome to join them if you like". I suddenly remembered that I needed a place to stay apart from the inn. I accepted her invitation and decided to live in the cottage with them. Ilena pointed me in the direction of the house and I walked out into the street once again.

I wandered around stores in search of clothing. I could not bear to wear this cloak over my lavender dress that I had worn since I left the castle. Also with my new clothes, I decided on new sandals to match as well. Sack in hand, I made my way to the cottage in where I would be staying. There was a stone path leading to the entrance which was quite large for a cottage. In fact the whole building was quite big, I guess that is to shelter all the instructors. There must be so many...

I pushed open the door and was greeted by a familiar figure.

"Hello again!"



Wanna find out who the mystery (or not-so-mysterious) person is? Review!