I watched the people sitting at the breakfast table as I absentmindedly stirred my lumpy oatmeal with a spoon.

Cinderella was nibbling on a celery stick, talking loudly about gowns and the latest fashions with my other sister, Belle. Lately Cinderella has been on a diet, because last week her boyfriend dumped her for Princess Aurora (who was a notorious boyfriend stealer) and she had been lying around stuffing her face with chocolates and chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream. Until, however, she realized she gained about 6 pounds. So then, Cinderella frantically launched into an extensive diet program, in fear of losing her slim figure. But sometimes I see her sneak a cookie or two. And I'm pretty sure she set the scale back two pounds.

Belle was drinking some sort of protein drink that she bought from the Apothecary's shop. It's disgusting. The smell was wafting… wafting my way, making my stomach flop about. Ugh. I pushed my bowl of oatmeal away, regretfully.

Bored, I let their non-stop, annoying chatter fill my ears, but I wasn't actually thinking about what they were saying. I was thinking about where I had to go that afternoon.

The day before, Hilda (the supposed "evil queen" in Snow White's story), my step-mom, had announced that she and her old friend Camilla wanted to visit each other because they had communicated through letter for a while. Every year, Hilda would visit the Royal Court and stayed for about two months, with her friend Camilla. QUEEN Camilla. I was cool with that, I mean Hilda was really nice and she deserved time with her best friend. But this year… this year Hilda wanted Cinderella, Belle, and I to go to Court with her, for two whole months. Argh!

Belle and Cinderella were ecstatic ("Ohmigaaaawd!") and had all their outfits picked out that night. I, being my usual lazy self, packed the night before and filled only four suitcases, instead of twelve. Yes, my step-sisters scoffed at me, but hey, I didn't care and I most definitely did not want to go on this trip. Even though I'm sixteen and way too old to throw a temper-tantrum, I did, throwing random objects and kicking things. Cinderella and Belle looked genuinely frightened.

I floated out of my thoughts to listen to Cinderella and Belle chattering away.

"Which one of the Royal Family's sons do you like the best?" This had been the most talked about topic in this household lately. And it was staring to bore me to death. Princes… pssh. Probably all spoiled-rotten, dim-witted, pretty-boys who dated girls non-stop. At least, that was true for Charming and his younger brother Henry. But the middle child… well I didn't know much about HIM. But he had to be the same. His brothers were, after all. But still, look at me. I'm a middle kid, and I didn't turn out like Belle and Cinderella. But then again, I wasn't actually RELATED to them either, so there's a difference. But whichever way I argued with myself, I was prepared for the worst.

"Hmm…" Belle thought for a second, "I think Prince Charming is really hot, and so is Henry, but Henry is kinda stupid, yannow?" But I'll bet he's still smarter than YOU Belle. Ha-ha-ha.

"Omg, yeah, I know," Cinderella chewed on her celery stick more, "But what about Adrian? He's been away for a year, so I haven't seen him at all." Ah, yes, Adrian. The notorious rebel of the Royal Family. THAT much I knew.

"Oh yah, I know. I hear he's a Rogue!"

"Omg, no."

"Yah, I'm serious," Belle was talking excitedly, "So he's been, like, totally, like, 'aloof' yannow?" No, I don't know. He's a freaking Rogue here. What did you expect? "Him and Hansel sneaked away together so they could have some, like, adventure yannow?"

Cinderella nodded excitedly, "Omg, yah, I know! And guess what!" she didn't even pause for an answer, "Adrian's arriving back at the castle today!"

Belle's eyes widened, "You don't mean…"

"I do! He's gonna be there when we will!" she squealed, "But I don't know if he's gotten any cuter though. So I don't know if I'm going to go after him, or Charming."

Nodding sympathetically at this—HUGE—decision (sarcasm, that was sarcasm), Belle replied, "Yah, I know right? I'll help you decide. What do you think Alice?"

I blinked. "Oh, I dunno. I don't think I'll end up courting anyone," I said in a monotone voice.

Cinderella and Belle looked at me incredulously. "Omg, you have GOT to be joking," Cinderella sputtered, "I mean that's like… totally… I don't know!" Of course you don't know.

…If you only had a brain…

"Like, no way!" Belle stated.

I raised my eyebrows, "Well, at least you know I won't be getting in your way." Ah, yes, it was the perfect alibi. That would get them off my back about it for sure. I mean what's the big deal?

Cinderella considered this for a scant two seconds, "Okay! Omg this is going to be AWESOME!"

Awesome? Since when did "awesome" mean "Alice-feels-like-ripping-something-apart"?

I felt like I couldn't breathe. It's really very painful. A medieval torture device. It's called a corset. Don't EVER wear one; it'll be the end of you.

Belle and Cinderella teamed up and pinned me down and forced me into one. Not only was this exquisitely embarrassing and awkward, but it was also painful. Did I already say that it was painful? So they put me into this stupid corset and dress that is a nice deep blue to bring out the color of my eyes. The dress is okay, I suppose. Of course, I added my own little accessories to it. Like this pretty silver chain necklace with a ruby pendant, and rings… lots and lots of silver rings, and earrings. Not bracelets though, they get in the way mostly and they make annoying jangling noises, which isn't good if you are trying to sneak about (Hilda said I'm a very good sneak, and that she ought to tie me down in one place so she'd known where I am all the time, but I mostly sneak off at convenient time; i.e. when there's chores to be done). Hilda herded the three of us into a carriage, though I had protested and said I could very well ride on horse back. But Hilda wouldn't let me, and insisted on properness, so I complied, because Hilda almost never insists on being proper unless she has a good reason. So I obliged and ducked inside the stuffy carriage. Besides, riding side-saddle is all weird and uncomfortable.

Hilda hummed while she knitted as the carriage bumped along its jolly way. Hilda always hummed when she knitted, and depending on her mood, she hummed in a different way. That's how I always remembered Hilda when I was little; her sitting beside the fire in a rocking chair, knitted something with care and precision, murmuring a soft tune under her breath. But now I could barely hear her behind the wild and erratic chatter of Cinderella and Belle.

I stared out the window as I listened to them blab on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and on and—well you get the idea right? The more I tried NOT to listen to them, the more I seemed to have to listen. I desperately needed something to take my mind OFF of them! I just felt like leaning over and strangling them with their necklaces and yelling "Would yah shut UP already?!" because their constant chatting was so annoying, especially when they said "like" every other word, making you have to strain hard to listen to what they were actually saying. Like pig-Latin. If you're not used to it, you cannot understand it whatsoever and can only dissect two words at a time. I was so happy I got a window-seat.

Our ride lasted about two hours, making me irritable, restless, half-deaf, and annoyed at my sore bottom. Though I must say that peering out the window of the carriage as we moseyed through the country side made my philosophical side brim with inspiration. I hoped I could get it out before tea-time at the Castle. I stared for a second at my forlorn looking pencils and sketch book. I couldn't draw or write because this carriage was just a little bit too bumpy of a ride.

I have to admit—somewhat reluctantly—that when I saw the Castle I gasped and stared. It was so… so… HUGE. It was gorgeous. It was designed elaborately with high towers with gargoyles and high walls all around with gold designs. I wonder whose tax money went into THAT. I thought bitterly. I mean honestly, you tax the peasants for YOUR castle which they will probably never step foot in anyway? That was unjust! Though it really DID look rather good…

And finally—FINALLY—Belle and Cinderella stopped talking and just stared.

Once the carriage pulled up to the front of the Castle, a herald announced our names as we stepped out of the carriage; Hilda first, then Cinderella, then Belle, and finally me, trailing behind. I didn't care; I wasn't in any mood to be the center of attention right now. I am very good and becoming a wallflower, if you know what I mean. We stood facing the Royal Family as Hilda and Queen Camilla embraced each other and smiled.

"Now," Camilla said clapping her hands together, "Please introduce me to your daughters dear! I haven't seen them since they were 5 or 6!"

Ah, yes. My mind traveled back to when I was six, Belle five, and Cinderella six and a half. Yes, that long ago was the first time I had visited the Castle. I had been hoping it'd be the last.

I was the shy type when I was younger; shy but stubborn. So I stood quietly watching my sisters and the Royal Pain-In-The-Butt-Kids play outside with the adults sipping tea. My sisters were rambling on to each other clutching their dolls, while Adrian, Henry, and Charming had a sword-fight with their wooden swords. If I remember correctly, Henry gave Charming a bloody nose, and then Charming punched his brother, starting a fight. Adrian was too smart to get involved and instead laughed at them. Then, the six year old walked over to me.

"What's your name?" he had asked curiously.

"Alice," I said quietly, offering no more information.

"How old are you?"

"Six."

"Hah!" little Adrian said triumphantly, "I'm six and a HALF, so I'm older than you."

I stared at him with my misty blue eyes, unsure of what to say. Adrian frowned and poked me. "How come you're not talkin'?"

I shrugged, "I dunno. 'Cos I don't have nothin' to say."

Adrian considered this for a moment, "That makes sense. So why aren't you playin' with dolls with your sisters over there?" he pointed while brushing a loose lock of black hair from his eyes.

I stuck out my chin stubbornly, "'Cos I don't wanna."

"Then what do you wanna do?"

"I wanna sword fight with you and your brothers," I said shyly.

Adrian stared at me for a second, blinked, and then started laughing. "What's so funny?" I asked angrily.

"'Cos GIRLS don't sword fight boys do, because boys and stronger and smarter than girls and girls are stupid!" he stuck his tongue out at me.

I stamped my foot, "Girls can too! I could sword fight if I wanted to and I could beat you too, you stupid-head!"

Adrian smirked at me, "No you couldn't! YOU'RE a stupid-head, and a meanie, and a—" at which he had inserted a VERY bad word. I gasped and punched his hard in the stomach, then ran away.

I had to wash the dishes everyday for two weeks for that one.

"This is Cinderella—" Hilda said and Cinderella curtsied for the queen.

"Oh my dear! How much you've GROWN! And your hair is still that lovely gold color!" she exclaimed. Cinderella smiled smugly.

"And this is Belle—"

"Oh Belle! Is that really you? Oh you look so gorgeous!" Belle also dropped into a curtsey and wore a smile that matched Cinderella's.

"—And this is Alice."

Camilla stopped short and stared at me, and clutched her heart, "Oh my dear… my dear Lord. Is that really you? You're such a fine young lady now!" I smiled and dropped into a curtsey also. "Oh Hilda!" Camilla turned towards her friend, "They've grown so, so much. Where have our little girls gone?" her eyes started to tear.

"There, there dear," Hilda said patting the queen on the back, offering her a handkerchief, "It'll be okay. Doesn't it take by surprise though? Here, let's settle this alllllllllll over tea."

I looked back at the rest of the Royal Family. The king had passed away some four years ago, so there stood three young men; two blonde ones grinning foolishly at the three of us young women, and the third black haired one—Adrian I knew—standing somberly between them, giving no interest to anyone in particular.

I observed Charming first. Blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, a muscular build, a rather suave smile, but still a little bit too smooth for my taste. Something too… too SLICK about him. Definitely a player, I decided.

Then I skipped over to Henry, who had the same blonde hair, blue eyes, muscular build, but a little stupid, it seemed. But there's two kinds of people like that; simpletons who were honest and nice, and oily barbarians. I didn't know which.

I looked at Adrian finally. He had black hair with rather long bangs he frequently brushed out of his eyes and it was a little messy. But all for the better, because I suppose it drew girls' attention and I know for a fact that it's supposed to be attractive because I heard Belle whispering to Cinderella about it behind their fans. He had amber colored eyes and tan skin, and a lanky build. Then I saw him turn his gaze on me and smirk. That same smirk he gave me not eleven years ago. That same smirk that drove me insane. That same smirk I felt like wiping off his face by means of a hard punch.