Minnie sat still and straight in her seat by her father's throne, her poise immaculate as always. She could hear the soft conversations of the assembled lords and ladies as all eyes remained on the double doors. She chanced a glance at the King out of the corner of her eye. Her father gave no sign of noticing, his eyes fixed ahead with a cool, almost impassive expression. That was how he looked at nearly everything now… including her.

At that moment, one of the doors opened wide enough for a single guard to enter. He thumped his spear against the floor, causing the court to fall silent.

"His Highness, Prince Mortimer Frederick William Bryton."

Minnie sat up straighter, hands clasped formally in her lap. The doors swung open, and a tall mouse strode in, followed by a group of attendants and guards in the black and red colors of Burbank. To Minnie's surprise, however, the Prince was wearing the blue and gold of Anaheim.

Trying to gain favor with Father, certainly.

Her eyes then moved from his fine clothes to his face, and she couldn't suppress a twinge of dismay. It could hardly be described as handsome, with the long nose and close-set eyes, but then she scolded herself in her mind.

Looks aren't what's important. What matters is character.

As Prince Mortimer drew closer, however, her dismay got no less. His face was set in a polite smile, but rather than the kindness she'd hoped to see there was a vain, haughty look to it. Something inside was telling her that there was very little chance she would even like this man, much less come to love him.

When he reached the bottom of the stairs of the dais, the Prince swept a deep, perfected bow.

"King Marcus," he intoned. "I bring greetings from my father, King William, and extend my thanks for agreeing to receive me."

Marcus gave a slight nod.

"You are welcome."

Standing, he gestured beside him. Recognizing the invitation, Minnie immediately stood with her hands still clasped in front of her.

"May I present my daughter," Marcus said in his usual dry tone. "Princess Minerva Anneliese Serena Mouse."

Her face set in a polite smile, Minnie dipped into an elegant curtsy.

"Prince Mortimer." She held out a hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

His eyes scanned her up and down before his smile widened. Taking her hand, he bowed his head and kissed it.

"The pleasure's all mine, Princess."

He looked up at her with a smile, but it was a smile that made Minnie feel distinctly uncomfortable. To most people, the look would appear admiring, but there was something else about it. In fact, it almost felt as though he was leering at her. But his manners remained impeccable, and Minnie did her best to push her insecurity away. Surely, she was just being paranoid… imagining things due to her nervousness.

"I've heard talk about your beauty," Mortimer went on. "It seems for once, the gossips are right."

Despite herself, Minnie felt her face heat a little and lowered her eyes. Indeed, her looks were often something she was flattered about, but she had never let it go to her head. It had been the same for her mother, and Minnie was determined to emulate the greatly admired Queen in every possible way.

"Thank you," she said out loud, then directed another smile at him. "And you look very fine yourself."

She'd had to choose her words very carefully, to compliment him without being untruthful. But Mortimer immediately swelled with pride, which once again made Minnie uncomfortable. It didn't say much for the Prince's character if he was so quick to accept flattery, and believe it. Glancing back at the attendants who had accompanied him, Mortimer snapped his fingers. Immediately, they moved forward and began presenting the gifts brought for both Minnie and her father. It took some effort for Minnie not to frown. He hadn't even spoken to them, as if he couldn't deign to, and had clearly expected them to obey without question.

And there was something that unnerved Minnie a little; from the way the attendants had immediately jumped to do so, it almost seemed as though they were nervous… even a little afraid. It reminded her of how servants and lesser nobility looked at her father. Almost on instinct, she glanced over at him, but the King showed little emotion as usual. He certainly didn't appear to share his daughter's disquiet regarding the Prince.

But despite her inner unease, Minnie did her best to push her disapproval away and kept smiling. Just making a poor first impression didn't make someone a bad person; he might be nervous too.

Still, this first meeting had left her with an unpleasant feeling that she just couldn't shake. She knew it wasn't up to her in the end, but deep down, she found herself hoping that Mortimer would do something to displease her father. She certainly had little desire to spending much time with him.

…

Minnie couldn't help smiling as she and Daisy sat in the carriage… her friend had been going on for the past twenty minutes about Minnie's newest suitor, and most of it was portraying him in an unfavorable and humorous light.

"I mean, you would think he'd have some sense of manners, being a prince and all. And having three older brothers to put him in his place."

She glanced at Minnie, then seemed to remember herself and cleared her throat.

"Of course, maybe he was just nervous."

Minnie giggled, then her smile faded a little.

"I know I shouldn't judge based on a first impression," she murmured. "But something just makes me feel, I don't know, unsettled about him."

Daisy reached over and patted her hand.

"Try not to worry too much," she said with an encouraging smile. "I'm sure if you tell your father, he'll consider your feelings."

Minnie sighed.

"I'm not so sure about that."

Daisy looked at her with sympathy and opened her mouth to reply, but at that moment the voice of one of the guards rang out.

"Riders approaching!"

The tenseness in his voice made Minnie's frown deepen, but before she could look out the window the guard called again.

"Stay inside, Your Highness! Bandits!"

The carriage jerked to a halt, then she heard swords being drawn and her guards shouting orders to stand down. Harsh voices laughed and shouted insults in return. The carriage jolted, and she knew the bandits had jumped on. Her heart began pounding as swords clashed, and she felt the tension in Daisy's hand as it gripped hers.

Suddenly, the carriage jolted again, this time into motion. Minnie heard an unfamiliar voice shouting as it continued to accelerate, and the startled shouts of her guards. When the harsh thuds of someone hitting the ground followed, Minnie's heart sank with dread.

Sure enough, a dark masked face looked in the window. His words were exaggeratingly polite and mocking.

"Hold on tight, Your Highness. We're takin' ya for a little ride."