-Thanx 4 the luverly reviews from PyschoLioness33, Mango Sam, Oceanspike, and Weiryn's Daughter.

-Sry it's taken me soooo long to update but I just started high school and needless to say my days are an endless routine of homework, eating, cross country practices, and sometimes I sleep.

-Chapter Eighteen:

Kel was brushing her hair when she heard a knock on the door. With a squeak Mitzi -who had been buttoning up her dress- rushed behind her dressing curtain. Keladry placed her brush down on Mitzi's chair –over which were strewn many articles of clothing- and walked over to the door.

By the time she had crossed the room the knocking had increased into incessant pounding.

"What do you want?" Kel said as she opened the door. Several pairs of eyes looked at her desperately.

"Please let us in," Seaver begged, clasping his hands together.

Kel tried to contain a laugh. "Why?"

But she let them in anyway. The boys filed in meekly. Kel knew immediately what they wantedâ€and smiled, taking on a voice, -similar to Lord Wyldon's- barked out. 'Line up!"

Obediently the boys lined up.

"Stand at attention!"

The boys straightened up and looked directly ahead. Kel walked down the line of pages, hands clasped behind her back. Finally a smile broke across her face.

"Please help us, Kel!" Merric asked. His tie was crooked. Kel walked over and fixed it for him.

"So, once again the threat of a social event causes all of you to beg for my help." Kel said while folding Seaver's collar.

"Where's Mitzi?" one of the boys asked.

"Here I am!" the princess called from behind the screen.

"Why don't you come out and help me?" Kel asked, busying trying to force a button on the cuff of Faleron's sleeve.

"Because I want my dress to be a surprise," Mitzi answered poking her head out from behind the screen and smiling teasingly at the boys. Her hair was done up in curling rolls. (A/N: is that what they are called?)

Kel sighed but continued, holding her breath slightly as she fixed a wrinkle in Neal's tunic. She was almost relieved when the wrinkle had been pulled smooth.

"Can you try and fix my hair?" Neal asked, holding up his wet blonde locks.

"L-looks fine to me," Kel stuttered.

"Yeah, but there's this big tangle in the backâ€and I didn't have enough time to reach it."

Kel, trying not to blush and pasting on her most indifferent Yamani face, reached for her brush but before she could touch Neal's neatly trimmed hair Mitzi called out,

"Hey Nealâ€which of these shoes do you like better?" Mitzi slim arm poked into view, holding the straps of two pairs of shoes.

And so Neal moved away before Kel had a chance to raise the brush.

"I bet Prince Roald doesn't have this problem," Faleron muttered.

"Of course not," Mitzi called back. "That's why he's the prince. He has a duty to be perfectly dressed and charming at every social occasion."

"And I suppose he likes dancing too," Seaver sighed. "I just can't get the hang of it."

"Well then there'll be more pretty girls for me to dance with," Merric teased.

"You can't dance any better then me!"

"Well I can dance better then both of you," Neal replied.

"How?" asked Faleron. "Last time I saw you dancing I nearly spit my drink out."

''Cuz Mitzi gave me lessons."

"You gave him lessons?" Kel asked.

"Yeah," Mitzi replied, keeping her head hidden behind the screen.

"And remember that you promised me a dance," Neal said as he left. "Thanks Kelâ€but I gotta go now. See ya at the banquet." The other boys, once their hair was fixed and tunics straightened, filed after him.

Kel immediately turned on Mitzi.

"Come out of there!" She demanded.

Mitzi didn't answer.

Kel, the angry page, barged behind the screen and grabbed Mitzi by the wrist.

"Let me go! I'm not decent! You have no right to see me this way!"

"What do you mean you 'aren't decent'? You're all dressed and we're both girls!"

"But my hair!"

Kel dragged the girl and sat her down on the king-sized bed.

"What is this about? What are you getting so upset over?"

"You promised Neal a dance?" Kel asked, suddenly realizing that she was acting rather stupid.

"Yeahâ€so?" The princess replied, undoing a long curl.

"Youâ€you shouldn't have done that!"

"Why? 'Cuz you like him?" Mitzi said, swiveling her head to confront Kel, and narrowing her amber eyes.

"Noâ€," replied Kel calmly. "Because you are betrothed."

"Wellâ€Neal doesn't know that and it would have been rude to refuse him."

Kel glowered silently but Mitzi's attention had already wandered to pinning up her hair.

"Oh I'm so excited!" she said. "I've missed the balls we had at home so much."

"Aren't you nervous about them announcing you?"

"Not at all. I've been preparing for this all my lifeâ€only I had expected it to happen when I arrived at the palace, not after I've spent weeks there pretending to be a page. But oh wellâ€I have the dress I always imagined and my betrothed."

"Wellâ€I'll see you at the ball then. It's time you know."

"I know," the princess replied airily. "But I'm not ready yet. I'll be there in a little while."

Kel left the room and headed towards the banquet hall. Before she could even see the hall –as she rounded the corner- she could hear the music and talking. It sounded fun but Kel didn't do too well in these social eventsâ€she easily stood out –even amongst the palace ladies- because of her height. And a lot of the elderly nobles would comment scornfully as she passed, and none of the boys would ask her to dance because she was unladylike.

But she had to be here because it was her friend –Prince Roald's- birthday.

The hall was decorated like a dream. Floral wreaths were stretching from doorway to doorway. The chandeliers were all lit, and over the tables were draped silk table-cloths. Several tables had been pushed together and upon their combined surfaces was the food needed to feed the hundreds of pages and guests.

People were already dancing, twirling and whirling on the cleared area, and everyone wore their best clothing. The queen and king were dressed regally, the prince in a baby blue tunic with golden sash, and the palace ladies dressed in all possible hues.

Kel –who had missed lunch because Mitzi insisted on having her help in curling her hair- was starving and had to force herself to walk over to the food tables. Once there she grabbed the first thing and took a huge bite. As she turned around, there was Neal.

"Hey Kel."

Kel, who had her mouth full, tried to smile at him while cursing her huge appetite.

"Having fun?"

Kel nodded, chewing faster than she had ever done before.

"That's a nice dress," he commented.

"You sound surprised," Kel said, swallowing way too big of a bite.

"I guess I am a little," he said teasingly. "I've never thought of you as the kinda girl who would dress up and go to a ball. I always think of you in your page uniform."

For some reason this made Kel's face heat up. She smiled, and was just ready to have a real conversation with Neal when Mitzi entered.

-the end of chapter eighteen

Next chapter: Mitzi dances with more boys than just Neal and Roald