It was a tall castle of white marble with dainty lavender flags flying from its turrets. Picturesque swans floated serenely in the clear blue water of the surrounding moat, and beautiful young ladies could be seen on the opposite shore behind delicate easels painting the scene with feminine watercolors. Cass was fairly sure she would be throwing herself off of one of those delightful towers within a week if she were forced to stay here.  It was called Maudeline Hall, and it was where she would be living…if it could be called living.

"You know Daddy," she began. "I really think I've learned my lesson. Boy, you can bet I'll never start singing tavern songs at a state function again, especially in the middle of one of Lady Rolanda's riveting epic poetry recitals." Her father said nothing. She tried again. "Because that's unseemly, and if there's one thing I hate its being unseemly…"

"Cassandra, we are not having this discussion again. I already told you this is not a punishment. We have somehow failed to teach you proper court manners and so you will learn them here. I thought you would like being with people your own age, you always complained of the lack of them at home." Her father spoke from his horse.

"No, I complained of the lack of boys my own age Dad, boys. Somehow I doubt that an all girls school is going to fix that. For crying out loud Dad I have twenty-six ladies in waiting! Twenty-six! And they have the combined intelligence of an eggplant. And really, what were they there for? Can't they wait at home?" asked Cass bitterly.

"They are not waiting for something Cassandra, they are there to wait upon your needs." Answered her father in a tired voice.

"What I need is for them to quit staring at me every time I move. I mean really, fifty-eight eyes watching when I get up to use the privy is just creepy."

"Cassandra," her father rubbed his eyes with one hand. "In the first place, unless some of your ladies have extra eyes I do not know about, there are only fifty-two eyes, secondly one does not speak of privies in public."

"One does not do anything interesting in public. One does not do anything interesting in private either. I'm thinking of giving it up entirely and going with Two."

Her father sighed deeply. "You see this is the trouble with you, I have no idea what that meant. And anyway you're rid of the ladies in waiting you so despise, Madame Beatrice does not allow them."

"Yeah well, at least old Bea has one good brain cell." Grumbled Cass.

"What's this? You actually have something good to say about the school? I may die of shock." Said her father sarcastically.

"Please do, then I'd get to go home for the funeral." Retorted Cass.

They lapsed into silence after that. It seemed all too short a time before they crossed the drawbridge, passed the painting girls and entered the castle courtyard. Waiting to receive them was a statuesque woman with white blonde hair swept gracefully on top of her head. Her features were sharp and pointed. She wore a high collared gown of dark purple silk made in the most current style. Though time had treated her well there were delicate lines hinting her age, though on her they seemed placed there on purpose, as though to not have them would be crass. Cass thought she looked like she had just eaten a lemon.

"King Rupert, how delightful to see you again. I had not thought to see your majesty, how delightful you could make the journey to bring your daughter in person." Madame Beatrice's voice was clear and cool, like ice.

"Yes well, Cassandra has always needed, special attention." Answered the King. He meant that had anyone else tried to take her she would simply have run away.

"Well she will certainly get much of that here. In addition to her classes, she will also have a personal tutor to ensure she gets the most out of the education we mean to provide. She will flourish here, won't you Princess?" she addressed Cass. Cass gave her a dubious look. Madame Beatrice just smiled. "This is my brother Bernard." She indicated the man on her right. He was younger than she, with equally blond hair though cut short on him. He was dressed in opulent crimson velvet from head to foot. He was taller than his sister, though the sharp features were the same.

He parted his lips in a sly looking smile, which he clearly thought rather charming. The tour consisted of twelve exquisitely furnished bedchambers, each housing one princess, one of them Cass. Cass was informed that only twelve students were ever allowed at one time. There were three salons, four drawing rooms, a morning room, an afternoon room, an early evening room and a late evening room. There was a tearoom, a schoolroom, a sewing room and a music room. There were two ballrooms, the larger of the two being the biggest room Cass had ever seen in her life. She was wondering how far she could slide across it in her stockings when she realized that Madame Beatrice and the rest of the girls were filing in from the grand double doors that went from the floor to the one hundred foot high ceiling.

"I would like to introduce you to your classmates." Said Madame Beatrice's icy voice. The girls had arranged themselves into a line facing them. "Princess Francisca Pennington of the Kingdom Darthshire." A short brunette at the front of the line stepped forward, made a curtsy and stepped back. "Princess Louisa Miline of the Kingdom Phorlione." A blond girl next to Francisca did the same. The performance was repeated by the Princesses Ambrosia, Renee, Bianca, Portia, Felicia, Drucilla, Calliope, Cordelia and Elaine.

"After this you will no longer be addressed as Princess. There are so many of royal blood in this castle, myself and my brother included we would be lord and ladied to death if we kept to conventional titles. You will answer to simply Cassandra. Your father informs me he intends to leave at once, so I will give you leave to say goodbye. When you are done please return to the ballroom for dancing instruction with the rest of the girls from Bernard." She said coldly.

As soon as they were out of earshot Cass began. "Dad, can you believe that? She actually won't address me as princess! I don't know about you but I'm insulted. I think I should be removed from this disrespectful place at once." She shook her head as she spoke.

"Cassandra you once threw a mirror at a maid's head for refusing to call you Cass, don't try to act as though titles matter to you now. Besides that, it's entirely appropriate."

Cass tried a different tact. "Ok, but I don't feel safe here Daddy. I mean look at it! Stables have better security systems. Those guards we saw didn't look like they could take a goat much less an army! And unless those are killer swans, anybody could swim the moat, sneak in and kidnap one of us! Is that really the kind of place you want for your little girl? No? I didn't think so, lets go home." She moved as if to climb on her horse again.

"Cassandra, listen to me! You are going to stay here and nothing you say is going to change that! I'm sorry if it's not to your superior taste but your behavior over the last year has made your opinion in matters irrelevant! You are staying! Is that clear?" bellowed King Rupert.

"Yes." Mumbled Cass sullenly.

"And by the way they are."

"Beg pardon?"

"They are killer swans. When unauthorized persons try to enter the castle they turn into harpies."

"Oh," Said Cass. "Well that's frightening."

"Yes, so I wouldn't try sneaking out if I were you."

Cass' last hope died with that statement. After she bid her father a strained farewell she stood facing the castle. As she thought about what the next several months would be like she felt a growing sense of dread. Who knows, she thought. It might be interesting to see swans turn into harpies…