ok, quick disclaimer. I borrowed the term hearthwitch from Elizabeth Ann Scarbourgh (or however you spell her name) in the book The Unicorn Creed. It was convenient, I was lazy, whatever. Basically it means a witch who specializes in household things including sewing which is what I used them for here. So thanks Lizzie, and happy reading!

"Do you think that if I died of boredom, the outraged masses would demand change in the corrupt nature of this school?" asked Cass contemplatively.

"I would lead the mob myself." Bianca responded resolutely. After a moment of thought she added: "You of course wouldn't get to enjoy the benefits of it, but I would make sure that they named a bench after you."

They were sitting alone in the sewing room suffering the punishment of make-up embroidery.

"Oh I'll just come back and haunt the place." Said Cass carelessly. She eyed her handkerchief critically. "Do you think Madame Regina will be able to tell these are daggers?"

Bianca glanced over. "Yes, most definitely. The dripping blood sort of gives it away."

Cass smiled. "Well, I'm always dripping blood on my needlework anyway, and you know what they say, art reflects bloodstains…or something."

"That sounds about right" said a voice from the doorway. Elaine was standing there with a pleased look on her face.

"Don't look smug," demanded Bianca. "just because you made perfect rosettes…"

Elaine snorted. "They weren't perfect, they were miserable. Its just that they weren't surreptitiously being done on the curtains."

"Details, details." Bianca waved this away unconcerned.

"Don't you want to know what I'm doing here?" asked Elaine.

"Aren't you here to comfort us in our time of sorrow?"

"Or to gloat over your embroidering triumph!"

"Both wrong!" said Elaine delighted. "I'm here to deliver a message

"Of comfort?" asked Bianca.

"Or triumph?" added Cass.

"No! It's not about your embroidery! And stop saying triumph!" said an exasperated Elaine.

"What about comfort?" Cass wondered.

Elaine rolled her eyes. "As I was saying…I have a message, you two are to stop your embroidery," here Bianca interrupted.

"So then it is about embroidery."

Elaine looked blank. "What?"

"You specifically said that it wasn't about embroidery, and now you're telling us that it is." Cass reminded her helpfully.

Elaine rolled her eyes again and took a deep sigh. Cass and Bianca watched innocently.

"We don't mind, it's just that you said…" began Bianca but wasn't able to finish her sentence as Elaine flung a pillow that hit her in the mouth.

"Will you stop being annoying for one minute?" asked Elaine in exasperation. "I'm trying to tell you news!"

"Alright, alright," giggled Cass. "What's the big news?"

Elaine smiled and took a deep breath. "Madame Beatrice just announced that in one week we are going to have…" here she paused for effect, "a ball!"

Bianca and Cass were silent. They glanced at each other briefly.

"Is that it?" asked Cass.

Elaine looked surprised. "Did you hear what I said? We're having a ball! I thought you'd be excited!"

"Elaine, we have a ball every week. All that happens is we stand around listening to the local nobility talk, and then we have to take turns dancing with Bernard. It's very boring." Cass reminded her.

Elaine's eyes gleamed. "This is different…it's not just us this time…Madame Beatrice invited St. George's Academy!" She waited expectantly.

"So, we're having another school come…" Cass mused. "St. George's is what, a dragon slaying school?"

"Uh huh!" answered Elaine.

"And a dragon slaying school would mean…boys." said Bianca carefully.

"Uh huh!" answered Elaine.

"So that means that two weeks from today we will be dancing with living breathing actual boys who aren't over thirty or related to our jailer?" asked Cass calmly.

"Uh huh!" came the reply.

Cass began to squeal but Bianca held up a hand. "So we're clear, this somehow means that we get to stop embroidering?"

Elaine laughed. "By decree of Madame Beatrice all activities are to be centered on getting rooms, food and princesses ready for show, so yes, you get to stop embroidering."

Bianca whooped and tossed the frame encased cloth over her shoulder. "Well then bring on the dragon slayers!"

The weeks passed in a flurry of fittings, facials and floor scrubbing. The princesses weren't involved in the floor scrubbing part, but Cass liked to remind them that mentioning it made the story more dramatic. The day after the announcement a team of hearthwitches arrived to fit the girls for their gowns. The next day a little man arrived to cobble dancing slippers. There were hairdos to be tried, makeup to experiment with and color schemes to be agreed on. The only problem was that all of these decisions were being made by other people. Bianca complained of this loudly to the other girls, but not quite so loudly around Madame Beatrice as even she was not willing to risk losing access to the ball.

The day of the Ball arrived with enough pomp and circumstance to make even Cass' mother happy. The princesses however, were waning. Two weeks of preparation dampened even Cass and Bianca's spirits. At last everything was ready. Every dress was laced, every shoe fastened, every curl pinned in place. The girls stood in a pastel line of silks and chiffons at the top of the stairs and each one in turn was introduced to the assembly. Francie got presented first—because she was the oldest…and the least memorable— her wispy hair had been forced to slick back on her head giving her pale, pointed little face more attention. She glided down the grand staircase in a pale yellow gown trying to look regal and happy when she really felt embarrassed and short. She was followed by Bianca and Cass who found themselves equally low in the parade placement. Both girls were pretty, though Bianca had a slightly overlarge nose, which she often reminded people gave her face character. The reason for their early placement was due to their volatile nature. Ambrosia, Renee and their other sister followed behind them. Elaine was towards the end of the production since she was both pretty and unlikely to start sliding down the banister. Cass watched as Elaine descended in soft blue gown with Bernard as her escort. She could see that Bernard was saying something to her friend. Elaine looked uncomfortable but smiled at him any way and curtsied nicely when he left her to return to wherever he had come from.

Finally Portia came down the stairs and the music crescendoed. The murmur of conversation began to rise. Cass looked around in confusion.

"Where's Cordelia?" she inquired.

Elaine glanced down the line. "I don't know. What place was she supposed to be?"

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Cordelia all day." said Bianca thoughtfully.

Elaine looked concerned. "Maybe we should look for…"

Before she could finish the music suddenly stopped. Everyone looked to the top of the stairs where a new figure had appeared. She was wearing a white gown with a tight fitted bodice and a full skirt that flowed gracefully to the floor. She was bathed in soft golden light from some unknown source. A hush fell over the room, and she slowly began to descend the steps alone.

Cass rolled her eyes. "Classy. Well, I guess one of us had to pull a Cinderella."

The ball was falling rather dull in its early stages. The girls found they each had a partner for every dance, but that was no guarantee of a good time. It did not help that Cordelia was obviously the aim of every boy in the room. They could not see her in the crowd of boys that constantly surrounded her. Cass found Elaine at the punch bowl.

"You know, its possible that this ball is even worse then the ones we usually have." Cass complained.

"Possible? I think it is definitely worse! I've had to dance with Bernard twice already. I think I'm going to fake an ankle problem." Elaine whispered furiously.

"You know, I could deal with the fact that they all seem to be in love with Cordelia—who obviously didn't take her potion today—but they are all the same! Its 'excuse me, shall we dance? I beg your pardon but may I compliment you on your lovely gown?' then step one, two, three, turn, one two three turn, cross to your left, cross to your right, spin and curtsy. Bo-oring." Cass observed bitterly.

Bianca arrived just then eyes bright and cheeks red. "Isn't this just the most fantastic ball you've ever been to?" she asked excitedly. Cass and Elaine looked at her in disbelief.

"What punch are you drinking Binks, cause it's obviously not this watered down garbage we're chugging." said Cass.

"Bianca, what's going on?" asked Elaine. She gasped. "Did you meet someone?"

"Yes!" she said happily.

Cass looked up excited. "Does he have a friend?" she glanced at Elaine. "Uh, two friends?"

Bianca shrugged carelessly. "Somewhere in the universe yes, he probably has two friends. But that's not important. What is important is what he told me."

"That your eyes are like stars?" asked Cass half seriously half jokingly.

"That your lips are like cherries?" suggested Elaine stifling a laugh.

"Ew, no!" Bianca exclaimed. "What's with you guys?"

They stood there looking at each other for a moment.

Elaine spoke first. "Bianca, are you talking a boy you met and fell in love with?" she asked bluntly.

"No! I'm talking about the coach driver I met just now while I was trying to get up the nerve to swim the moat. He's like a thousand." She said. "Besides, I decided to be in love with that guy tonight." She gestured to a youngish looking boy with red hair and freckles who's ears stuck out an awful lot. He turned and saw her. Bianca waved and winked at him. The boy turned bright red and turned away. "Isn't he adorable?" sighed Bianca.

"Whatever," said Cass diplomatically. "What's the story with the ancient coachman?"

"Ok, so there I am looking at the swans trying to get control of them using my mind when this old man comes up behind me and starts telling me about how different the castle looks since he used to live here…I guess he used to work here forever ago, and..." she trailed off as a group of young men came over to drink the punch. Among them was the blushing redhead Bianca was so fond of. He was avoiding Bianca's eyes as he reached for the punch bowl.

"Why yes I would love to dance, thank you." said Bianca loudly. The boy looked up flustered.

"I…uh…um…" he looked at his friends standing far enough away that they wouldn't have heard him ask, though they certainly heard Bianca. Helplessly he looked at Bianca's innocent face. "Yes, right. Lovely." He smiled nervously. He offered Bianca his arm.

Cass and Elaine were trying not to laugh as they watched the two heading on to the floor. A dashing young man came up just then and gestured to Elaine.

"Excuse me milady, shall we dance?" he asked bowing. Elaine curtsied and went to dance with him. As they left Cass could hear him complimenting her gown. She rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me," said a masculine voice behind her. Cass sighed. Here was another stale hero-wannabe to beg for a dance.

"May I help y…" she began as she turned around but stopped upon seeing the speaker.

He was a tall man with a broad chest and wearing the same dress uniform as the other students but his was white instead of red. He had a strong jaw, a straight nose and eyes so dark they were almost black. He had black hair that curled slightly, just enough to add a strange, boyish touch to his sober appearance. In short, he was the epitome of every knight in shining armor stereotype that Cass had ever heard. But just at the moment, she didn't seem to mind.

"Yes?" she asked in a much nicer tone.

"I was hoping I could get a glass of punch." He said shortly.

"Oh. Well, yeah, fine. Punch away." She said a little disappointed.

"Well, would you mind very much moving out of the way?"

Cass realized that she was standing just in front of the punch bowl making it impossible for anyone to get to it. She sheepishly moved aside.

"So, are you enjoying yourself?" she asked politely.

"Yes thank you." He responded curtly as he got his drink.

"Yes well, good." She finished lamely. Come on Cass! She thought in annoyance. Think of something semi-interesting to say! "Do you like to dance?" she asked him. Oh yes, brilliant.

"Not at all." Was the brusque reply.

"Yeah, me either. I mean I like to dance, but not like this, it's so calculated and…decided. It takes all the fun out of making it up as you go along. You know what I mean?" she asked thoughtfully.

"No, I'm afraid I don't." he replied.

"Oh. Well, different strokes I guess. I'm Cass by the way." She said smiling her most charming smile.

"Yes I know who you are."

Cass smile grew. "Really? How did you…"

"They announced you name quite loudly when you entered." He responded.

"Oh. But you noticed me huh?" Cass teased.

"Yes, when the entire gathering was ushered into the foyer and directed to watch you parade down the stairs, I did in fact notice." He said in his same distant and slightly bored tone.

"Charming." Said Cass irritated. "You know it's interesting how different the two schools are. Ours is obsessed with manners and courtesy, and yours….well, isn't. Fascinating don't you think?" she smiled sweetly.

"Quite. Another example would be the emphasis on honor and virtue at St. George's, and the importance of flirting and fainting taught at Maudeline Hall." He responded coldly.

"For your information we learn a lot of things at this school." Said Cass haughtily.

"Splendid." He said sarcastically.

"We do! We read literature, and paint…" she trailed off lamely.

"I stand corrected. Clearly the world is a better place because of you."

"Art is important." Cass meant her words to sound regal but they came out sounding petulant.

"Quite."

"What do you know anyway? You've got to be what, twenty-five? And you're still in school? Can't get through that etiquette class eh?" she snapped.

"Red uniforms are for students, white ones are for instructors. Excuse me." And with that brisk statement he left.

"I hate that guy!" Cass said to no one in particular. He was arrogant and pompous, a teacher and so clearly an idiot, and worst of all, he had made her defend her school.