A/N:I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. I wanted to make it longer, but this seemed a more natural break without going a lot longer. This chapter is somewhat different from the last one. Its less prologue/one-shot like, but I did try to maintain something of the mood. If you think some of the music comparisons are overly awkward, please don't hesitate to let me know. Actually, if there's anything you can say, I'd appreciate reviews.

Here are the meanings of the words in italics:

fieramente- proud

grazioso- grace,charm

Sforzando- suddenly loud, accented

And a cor anglais is a version of the oboe, also called an English horn.

I think that's it. Without further ado, chapter two:

Staring into the mirror, Aly sighed as her new maid arranged her hair. Things had changed since Gino left, in more ways than one. She had gotten more attention from court; boys followed her everywhere, and she was invited to more exclusive parties, though always accompanied with her father of course. No self respecting diplomat's daughter would have trouble brushing away her suitors, but the emperor's attention was a little more complicated. A lot actually.

Since Gino's knighting—Aly's debutante ball—the royal family had begun speaking with her personally. At first they had only given small compliments—Guinevere would compliment her dress, Clovis would congratulate her for recovering from her mother's loss—but Aly knew their attention would mean only one thing: the Emperor had his eyes on her.

Now she was afraid.

Yesterday morning, the Emperor had personally given her a new maid, even if he had sent the maid by proxy. The fact that it was only Bismarck, the knight of one, to see her dressed in her babydoll nightdress was not a comforting one. She also resented the Emperor's choice of maids.

Ito Akane was Japanese, an eleven to most in court. It did not escape Aly's notice that her Japanese maid was sent to her soon after the anniversary of Britannia's annexation of Japan.

"M'lady, I'm finished."

"Thank you, Ito-san." Aly rose from her vanity, taking in her hair, immaculate curls piled on top of her head tastefully, and straightened her dress, a light green lacy thing, another one of her mother's.

"You look beautiful, M'lady."

"Thank you." But all in all, she preferred the black.

Mid song, she stopped. The luncheon attendees turned toward her. They had, after all, paid a large fee for her services.

Aly dropped into a curtsy, her eyes one the figure at the door, her grip on her violin so tight her knuckles were white. "Prince Schneizel!"

Behind her, she heard the rustle of skirts as the other ladies curtsied, and the hostess, the Countess of Yellowknife stepped forward and addressed the prince. "Prince Schneizel, how may I help you?"

The Prince smiled, easing the tension that occurred whenever royalty stopped into a room. "May I join you?"

"Of course, your highness." The Prince glided into the room. The countess nodded to Aly and said curtly, "Lady, Aly, if you will resume your playing."

Aly raised her violin back up to her shoulder and started playing. The songs were long known to her, and her mind was left to wonder.

She met Schneizel her first day at the palace. He had been sent to greet Aly and her father, and, a teenager, he was long and lanky , and his voice was a beautiful, inviting cello. But his eyes, steel with a dash of amethyst, held no warmth, and neither his honey covered words nor her father's own comforting bass tones could convince her to come out from hiding behind her father's back.

Since then she had had no personal contact with Schneizel, but she had heard things.

Among the orchestral royal family, Schneizel's cello gleamed the brightest in a fieramente concerto. All the other members of the royal family—except the Emperor, naturally, but Aly had always thought of him as more of a concert master anyway—were overshadowed by Schneizel. One was always aware of his presence, unlike the more unassuming cor anglais of Prince Odysseus.

Schneizel was tall and handsome and proud. He walked with a nobility noticed by all in the room, particularly the females, and even the married women followed his movements with a wary longing. Their daughters, court ladies Aly's age, checked their makeup hurriedly or otherwise hid in the corners. Their actions confirmed the whispers: while Clovis, many a mistress to his name, was kind, that Schneizel was the real lecher, desirable despite the despicable way he ousted one from his bed.

Aly found even herself being drawn into the Prince's grazioso and quickly withdrew back into her music.

Claps drew her from Paganini. "I applaud you, Lady Aly. You are quite the virtuoso." She looked up to Schneizel, slightly closer than court manners dictated proper.

"Thank you, your highness." She dropped a curtsy, glad for the high scoop neckline topping her green lacy dress.

Schneizel smiled. "May I speak to you privately?" So that was the reason he was here. His presence had been so unexpected. Maybe Clovis or the princess wouldn't be so surprising but—Aly tried to buy time for herself, time to organize her now scrambled thoughts.

"Of course, your highness, but may I ask her ladyship's leave?"

"I have already asked the Countess if I might borrow you briefly."

"You have?"She tried to bite back the question, but it was too late. Her surprise was already out.

"Naturally. I wouldn't like to tear the entertainment from the party more than necessary." He paused, waiting for his words to sink in. "Follow me."

She followed, violin clutched in tight fingers, with white, white knuckles.

"Gino, I—I don't know what to do." Gino watched through the screen as his friend paced her room. "I-"

"So you finally decided to get a maid."

She stared at him. "How did you know?"

"That you had a maid? That was easy." He pointed to her hair, braids pinned up into an elaborate bun. "You could never do that."

"Thanks for all the confidence."

Ignoring her comment, "So what made you cave in to the court's demands."

Panic flicked across her face. "Nothing. Gino, he gave her to me."

Gino froze; "he" could only be one person. "Who is he? Your father, Lloyd, a new lover perhaps?"

"Don't be glib." She rubbed her forehead, a nervous habit. "The Emperor. He sent her to me a few weeks ago."

"Why didn't you tell me then?" Even though the operation in the Middle East had ended, Gino still hadn't been home to Pendragon since his knighting and knew few of the recent developments. Aly was still reluctant with giving him information.

"I didn't want to worry you."

"That's no reason."

"Well, anyways, that's only the beginning. I've told you people have started requesting that I play at their luncheon's or whatever."

"Yes."

"Gino, yesterday, I was playing at some countess's luncheon and..."

"And?" He prompted.

"Schneizel."

Schneizel was never good news. "And what did Prince Schneizel do?"

"Sorry. Prince Schneizel passed along a request of the Emperor's."

"Not to be a-" He choked

"No, not yet. I do think that the Emperor knows that I'm—How old am I again? A thousand?"

"Your seventeenth birthday is next month."

"Yes, October. I do think that the Emperor realizes that I'm only seventeen, even if Schneizel doesn't."

"What do mean?" Gino didn't know court gossip. He pretended he did, pretended like he had been among the chattiest ladies, but he just really a good actor. Give him a test and he wouldn't know anything. But he never got a good vibe from Schneizel and Aly's current one was nowhere near good, and Gino had a sense that much of that was caused by Schneizel, even if he was acting only as an envoy.

"Nothing. Nothing important anyway. You know how each year, Britannia broadcasts a Christmas TV program?"

"Yes."

"And how they usually have some musical segment?"

"Yes."

"I've been asked to write the score for this year and perform. My composition, while both some variant on Britannia's anthem and a few Christmas songs are requested, is left up to me completely, as well as the other performers. The Emperor doesn't want it to be a solo performance, but it can be any size I want with whomever I want."

Gino's eyes widened. "Wow. That...that is a huge responsibility."

"And I'm sure it has strings attached too. Gino, I don't know what to do."

"What can you do?"

"I can decline, I guess. I don't care so much if I fall from grace, but there's father, and Lloyd, and you, and Anya's my friend too. That would hurt all of you."

"Aly, your safety comes before mine. I-"

A new figure came on screen. Short, with dark hair, she was dressed simply, "Lady Aly, Earl Maldini is here for your answer?"

Aly asked her maid, "Who?"

"Prince Schneizel's aide."

"Aly," Gino said, "Why didn't you tell me your maid was el-"

"Japanese, Gino."

"You're right, Japanese." He amended himself.

"Does it really matter? Gino I have to go. I've...made my decision. Bye."

The screen flickered off. Alone in his knightmare, Gino whispered, "Good luck."

"You're the Lady of Asplund now?"

"Hmm? Oh yes." Aly settled back into the warm embrace. "Lloyd made me his heir. I suppose I really ought to spend more time with him. He is my relative, after all."

"You'd get to see more of me then." He nuzzled her neck before settling his head on her shoulder. Whispering, he said into her ear, "Do I get a hello kiss?"

Amused, she looked at him, blush gently caressing her cheeks. "You didn't get the other one. You stole it. And with a cheesy line."

"What did you expect?"

She grinned. "I'm glad your back."

"As am I. Tell me, who do I need to beat up for flirting with you?"

"I don't think that'd be the best idea."

"No? Then do you like him? Who is my competition?"

He expected her to blush, but instead she pushed away, out of his embrace. "No one."

"You mean, I don't have any competition. You accept my love? Let's get married now then!"

She did blush this time. "I'm sixteen!"

"Seventeen tomorrow."

"Schneizel."

"What?"

She looked up at him, eyes widened. "Schneizel flirted with me. And on his next trip to Europe, he's asking the EU permission to name me the Lady of Nice. Apparently, he knows how much my family loves Southern France, and he has decided to do this kind, kind thing for me."

"Really? This isn't the kind of thing to joke about." Gino swallowed.

"Of course it's the truth. Why would I ever joke about something like this?"

He grabbed her shoulders. "Look, if there's anything I can do-"

"Gino, I don't want you to do anything. I'll take care of everything." She forced a smile. "Come on, I want you to meet Ito-san."

Gino sighed, then returned the smile. "Yes ma'am!" But his heart hurt.

"Come one Ito-san!"

"M'lady, I couldn't."

"Ito-san, you have contributed as much to this party as anyone."

"I beg to differ, M'lady."

"Fine, you have contributed as much as anyone to this party besides me and money."

"M'lady, I can't. I'm an E—"

Aly whirled around and placed her finger on her maid's lips, silencing the Japanese girl. "Don't ever call yourself an Eleven. And anyone ever calls you one, correct them and tell them you're Japanese. Actually, don't. That wouldn't be a good idea here. But correct them in your mind."

"M'lady, I really can't go out there with you. If it was just your close friends, I wouldn't mind so much, but there is royalty out there!"

"What!" Her heart accelerated into a Sforzando beat. She peered through the crack in the doors and saw that her maid was true. She saw Princess Euphemia, Prince Clovis, and please say that was not Schneizel. "Who invited them?"

"M'lady, isn't seventeen the age you're allowed marry here in Britannia?"

"Yes, but Father said he'd never pressure me."

"But that means seventeen is a big deal, especially for the Lady of Asplund. My lady, I promise to come out later. I'll just not make an entrance."

"Okay. I understand. Thank you, Ito-san."

Aly opened the doors and stepped out, missing the black.

A/N: Okay, I hope you liked that. I hope I didn't dive into the plot too quickly, but who wants pages and pages of exposition anyway? (well sometimes exposition can be fun to write, but its often wearisome to read)

I don't when I'll update again, but I do appreciate story alerts (and all the other goodies) if you keep that in mind. I do plan on updating again and have already written the next scene or so.

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me or review. I did purposely leave one or two things (like what happened with Schneizel) because I want to experiment with foreshadowing and flashbacks and stuff. Poor fanfiction. You are my guinea pig.

Also, if you check out my other stories, that'd be so awesome.

Finally, for those of you really interested in music, I advise looking up oboe da caccia. Its really awesome looking. There's also this miniature bassoon...

DFTBA