'Finishing School?' Kate gasped.

'What for?' I asked. 'What´s wrong with staying with Aunt Achren?'

'I need you all to learn how to behave like ladies,' Father said. 'And your aunt isn´t exactly much of a model.'

Kate and I started in surprise.

'What do you mean, she´s not much of a model?' Kate asked.

'You´ll figure it out when you get older,' Father said.

Kate growled slightly. While neither of us felt especially adult, we hated being referred to as a child, especially Kate.

'When do we have to leave for finishing school?' I asked.

'In a fortnight´s time,' Father said. 'You´re dismissed.'

Kate whirled and stalked out. I followed, close on her heels. Kate flung herself on her bed, almost crying. I jumped up on the bed beside her, equally angry.

'Just because Aunt Achren isn´t a prissy little snot, like all the rest of the royal women,' Kate said. 'What is wrong with a woman ruling anyway?'

'I hate traditions,' I said. 'That´s why some people hate Aunt Achren so. Most women don´t rule, or at least not by themselves.'

'Men,' Kate scoffed. 'Always afraid of us women.'

I did not respond. I agreed with her, but neither of us was in a position to change much. Twelve year olds had to do as they were told. I did not say anything to Kate for the rest of the evening. Sometimes saying something would make her more cranky and perverse.

As I crawled into bed that evening, I remembered the conversation that Aunt Achren had with her counsellor.

'Kate,' I called softly.

'What,' she muttered.

'Aunt Achren has to choose her successor, remember?' I said.

Kate grunted.

'Well, what if that were one of us?' I asked.

'Your point?' Kate asked, propping herself up on one elbow.

'That´s our chance to prove what us girls are worth,' I said.

A grin spread across Kate´s face. 'That, is a most excellent idea,' she said. 'We learn to be the best at everything, and then we HAVE to be respected.'

'Or just get everyone to like us, and then they won´t have a problem with women queens,' I said.

'We can do both,' Kate said. 'I´m feeling much more ready for finishing school. Thank you Lucia.'

With that, she flopped back down on her bed, and was soon asleep. I grinned, glad that I had cheered Kate up.

In the two weeks that followed, I have never seen Kate more interested in learning anything and everything. She raced around from place to place, insisting on being taught everything, dragging me with her. I was quite content to move more slowly, mastering one thing before beginning another. I was already becoming something of a cook, thanks to our cook Maggie´s help. She and Bronwyn taught Kate and I to barter in the marketplace, and how to recognize quality foods and goods.

The gardener taught us something of what he knew, struggling to hide laughter at Kate´s enthusiasm.

'Patience child,' he said.

He and Maggie were the only ones that got away with calling Kate 'Child'.

'I will teach you as the seasons come,' he said. 'I teach you the planting in the spring, the harvesting in the fall, and everything in its time in between.'

The captain of father´s guard chuckled when Kate asked him to teach us how to fight.

'I´ll do it,' he agreed. 'But don´t let your father hear of it. I hear he´s intent on making ladies of you, and the average rich or noble lady does not fight.'

But, the captain of the guard was more than willing to take some time to teach us the basics of swordfighting, archery, and fighting with a staff and knives. He even gave us each a sword and a knife.

'I´ll have bows ready for you when you get back during your first vacation,' he said.

Our business only made our departure for finishing school come sooner. Bronwyn came to help us pack our trunks the night before raising her eyebrows when she saw our swords and knives in the bottoms of our trunks.

'I won´t tell,' She said, grinning. 'Now, here are the rest of your clothes. I just got them off the clothes line after the wash. Don´t worry, they´re perfectly dry.'

'Are you going to accompany us tomorrow to finishing school?' I asked.

'No,' Bronwyn said. 'Twelve year olds are old enough to do some things by themselves. Besides, the coachman will be with you to deliver your tution money.'

The following morning, we loaded our two trunks each into the coach, and set off. It was especially hard for us to leave Per and Roan, who had become our good friends, but we managed with only a minimum of tears.

The finishing school we were being sent to was called Dame Minchin´s, and though it was within the borders of Tel, our country, it was in the corner of Tel that joined Cadiffor, Girona, and Düssel so that it would be more accesible to girls from all of those places. As we later found out, this was the best finishing school in any of those four countries, and so the royal families, and many of the upper crust almost always sent their daughters to Dame Minchin´s.

None other than Dame Minchin was waiting for us on the steps. The next day was the start of the fall term, and so the majority of the girls were to arrive that day (some had arrived the evening before).

'Good morning girls,' she said in an overly cheerful, high pitched voice.

'Good morning madam,' Kate and I said in unison, curtsying.

'You must be King Petar´s daughters,' she said. 'I knew who you were immediately because you are the only identical twins we have this year. In fact, the only twins at all.'

Though she was cheerful, and did not look as witchlike as Aunt Achren, I got the distinct impression that she was much more of a witch than our aunt. I could only hope that it wouldn´t prove true.

Dame Minchin addressed our carriage carriage driver for the first time, accepting the sack of gold coins that our father had sent in payment. After a few minutes of polite conversation, our driver bade us farewell, and turned to leave.

'All right girls, follow me,' Dame Minchin said. 'I will show you to your rooms. My porters will bring up your trunks behind us.'

I noticed for the first time that four porters had materialized out of the dark interior of the building, and were dragging our trunks up the steps. We followed Dame Minchin into the building, and to the 'Residential Hall'. Kate and I were to be put with the most junior girls, most twelve like us, some eleven or thirteen, but all who were in their first or second term. The 'Junior Hall' took up near half of the second floor. The oldest girls in their third and fourth years were put on the first floor. (as we later learned, it was normal for girls to start finishing school at age twelve, or thereabouts, and stay for about four years. Many families pulled their daughters out at age sixteen, sometimes eighteen, bringing them to all the balls and official functions they could, hoping that by age 18, a man would be interested in them, or if not, at least by age 21.)

Kate and I were put in separate rooms. Kate was put in a room near the middle of the hall called the blue room. 'Blue Room' was indeed an appropriate name, as the wallpaper, decorations, bedspreads, and everything else was some shade of blue (except of course the woodwork and any metal). I was put in a room near the end of the hall, known as the 'Pink Room'. It was much the same as the Blue Room, only colored various shades of pink rather than blue. There were four beds in the room, three of which were already occupied. The porters had left my trunks next to the bed that I was to have.

'Well, I will leave you here to unpack,' Dame Minchin said, in her overly cheerful tone. 'New girls meet in the peformers´ hall in one hour. There I will explain everything you need to know.'

Kate ran in half an hour later, breathless.

'Guess who´s here,' she gasped.

'Who?' I asked.

'Hedwig,' she choked out. 'And her sister Henrietta.'