Lady Vivian scanned the crowd, immediately spotting Prince Phil, that rat Rina, a short squat man and a rather handsome youth sitting at a table. Leaving her parents behind her, she walked up to the table.
"Rina. Prince Phillip. How nice to see again." She said in a sickly sweet voice.
She planted herself in a chair beside Phil and attached herself to his arm. "Oh Prince
Phillip, why did you leave me like that? I was so worried!"
"Um. This is Lady Vivian." Phil said trying to pry her off of him and failing to do so, said, "She's from Tenor, where I'm from."
"Pleasure to meet you, milady" Everyone chorused.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Vivian smiled.
"So how do you like Keron so far, milady?" Keith asked politely.
"Oh we just got her, but I was hoping to Prince Phillip could show me around."
"I just got here too." Phil said.
"I'm sure you've seen something interesting while you've been here." Said Vivian. "You can show me around town during the festival. Wait. I have an even better idea. We can go to the festival square at night. I hear there will be lanterns. It's dedicated for lovers. That's why it's perfect for us."
"Um . . ."
"I guess it's a date than." Vivian interrupted. "I better go change. It was nice meeting you all."
"I don't envy you at all, Phil." Tristan remarked as soon as Vivian was out of hearing range. "She looks persistant."
"She is." Phil groaned. "I thought I had gotten rid of her."
"Apparently not." Rina said, standing up. "I'm going to go change, too. I'll meet you down here in ten minutes."
She jogged up the stairs and into her room. She unlocked the door and stepped in. There laid neatly on the bed was a simple green dress. It was littered with sprigs of pink blossoms and brown and red robins. She slipped it on. The dress felt light and cool against her skin. The hem of the skirt brushed the ground and concealed all but the tips of her shoes. She pulled her hair into a ponytail and surveyed herself in the mirror. The dress matched her eyes, even if it made her look like a weed.
Satisfied with her image, she walked back downstairs. Phil, Tristan, and Keith were waiting for her. They had changed from their travel worn clothes to a commoner's wardrobe. Keith nodded with approval at her altered image.
"Looks like we're all assembled accept for Vivian." Keith stated.
"I'd rather leave without her." Phil muttered. Everyone laughed. "I'm serious. She tries to cut the circulation of my arm!"
Ten minutes later, everyone was waiting. Fifteen minutes passed and then thirty. Finally, an hour later, Vivan appeared at the top of the stairs. She looked like a pink ball of cloth as she descended the stairs. The dress she had on was fit for a royal dinner, not a small festival. It consisted of overlapping layers of pink silk with starched cloth in between to give it the look of a full skirt. Lace, frills and beads we sewed everywhere on her gown and huge puffy bows completed the look. It was to impress Phil and the others; however, it resembled a ball of fabric someone rolled in lace and frills. The dress was overall hideous.
She had done her hair in a complicated knot with an oversized pink bow. Her face was painted with pink makeup in an attempt to match her dress but only caused her to look as if she had wandered in the Dunes of Dehydration too long.
She had eyes only for Phil. "Why Prince Phillip! Why are you dressed in such filthy servant's garbs? You must display your rank by means of your clothes. Everyone knows that's its clothes that matter, not all this inner beauty rubbish. Never mind, my dress will make up for the both of us."
She clamped herself onto his arm and dragged him out of his chair and out of the inn. "Phillie, can I call you Phillie? I know we'll have so much fun. I can feel it! But that hideous thing on your shoulder, it totally clashes with my dress!" Vivian tried to brush Kirby off of Phil's shoulder. Kirby reared and snapped at her. "Ahhh!" Vivian
complained, "It tried to bite me! Phillie, get that thing away from me."
"Kirby is harmless. He will stay." Phil ordered.
Vivian looked like she would argue and then sighed and said, "Alright. But you are not treating me very well, Phillie. Can't that thing at least fly behind us?" She pulled Phil, with Kirby still attached, into the crowd.
Tristan, Keith, and Rina stared at Vivian and Phil's retreating backs, then burst
out laughing.
"Did you see that dress?"
"Phillie?"
"Did you see his face? It was gold!"
Keith fought to get himself under control. "I guess it's just the three of us now."
Rina was thoroughly enjoying herself. She was tired, but happy. The festival was so much fun. Having been a servant for most of her life, she had never been able to attend such an event. The booths that lined the streets sold everything from food to swords, boots to belts. Here and there would be games that offered prizes if you won.
She was content when Keith offered a midday break at the inn they had stayed earlier. Keith left Tristan and Rina to talk and stalked off inside the inn.
When they were about to leave, Rina saw Kirby flit into the inn and land on the back of a chair. He chirped in polite greetings and then sulked. Phil dragging Vivian into the inn. Vivian had spotted Rina and was digging in her heels, but Phil was resolute, he dragged her in and sat down besides Rina.
"So how was your morning?" Rina asked.
"Great." Phil replied sarcastically.
Vivian wedged herself between Rina and Phil and, not catching his sarcasm, said, "We had a great time, didn't we Phillip? We looked at the booths and played the games and look what Phillie won me." She held up a pink bear that Rina had not noticed until now."
"That's gre—" Rina started, but stopped as Vivian continued.
"We'll have time to look at more booths today. I particularly want to see the one with the jewelry. They're so pretty. They'll be the envy of every girl at the balls. There's a new ball that John of Elmswood is hosting. I . . ."
Rina and Tristan tacked a polite look of interest on their faces and prepared to
wait out the storm. Five minutes later, Vivian said, "Where's Phillip?"
"He must be hid―doing something somewhere else. I'm sure he'll be here soon." Rina assured her. She accepted the answer and continued.
But half an hour later, when Phil failed to show up, Vivian declared, "What is taking him so long? Meanwhile, while we wait, Tristan, why don't you walk me to that stall over there?" She linked arms with him and dragged him behind her.
As soon as they had mingled with the crowd, Rina announced loudly, "She's gone. You can come out now, Phil."
Phil peeked from behind a booth. "Is she really? Thank goodness. I felt like my eardrums would pop." He took as seat beside her. "I hate to hand her over to Tristan, but it's kind of hard to detach her now. Come on, we might as well enjoy the rest of the day!"
Phil and Rina were strolling along the streets. Kirby, much happier with his master's new companion, was riding on his shoulder. It was dusk. The shopkeepers put up strings of lanterns and candles and the crowd had thinned considerably on the streets. However, the population of young men and women gathered at the central square rose at an incredible rate.
"—And that's how I got Kirby." Phil finished.
"Dragonets make such good pets. They're smart and useful and loyal. I wouldn't trade Elmer for anything, though." Said Rina.
"He's surprisingly good at magic. Most baby herrks never get past showing signs of magical abilities."
"He's been pushed to perform some of the magic. Sometimes I wonder if it's sheer desperation that causes him to do some of the magic. He doesn't perform nearly as well during practice."
"I'm sure that's not entirely the reason. He'll improve." From there, the conversation shifted to the base and what they imagined it to look like. The conversation turned to Nargul and then politics.
They reached the inn. As they entered, they spotted the innkeeper and his wife closing down. Keith sat at a table surrounded by paperwork. He smiled at them as they passed.
"I think I'll go to bed early. It's been a long day." Rina said. As she walked up the stairs, she ran into a giant pink fluffy wade of fabric. Vivian glared at Rina as she walked pass. Immediately, Vivian spotted Phil.
"Phillie!" She shouted. Rushing down the stairs as fast as her dress would allow her, she grabbed his arm and dragged him outside saying, "Phillie, I knew you'd come back in time to take me to the lantern festival at night."