"It's all official, then. You have thrown monkey life to the wayside and have fully embraced humanity." I had expected Gigona to speak with more nastiness, but her tone was completely observational.

I sighed as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. The image of the human girl staring back at me was one I still had yet to fully accept as my own. Still, it was beautiful, that image. I lifted one of those too-large human hands and touched my hair. Weeks of hard training had rid me of a good chunk of my clumsiness. "It's who I am, I suppose. My goodness, there is so much involved!"

Gigona gave a dry laugh and hopped onto the vanity table to primp her fur, her eyes carefully studying the mirror. I felt almost envious. By monkey standards Gigona was probably gorgeous. What had been I, when I had been a monkey? "Indeed. The Queen had you captured for hours."

A light lunch and a hard two hours of dancing lessons had led into the most painful three hours of my life. I had been thrown into a tub, my skin scrubbed raw, my hair drenched. A smothering with towels had followed that. I barely had time to gasp for a breath before I was cinched into a rib-crushing dress and my hair yanked and tied to Queen Patricia's satisfaction. Even now my head ached and my neck could hardly handle the weight of the jewels around it.

"You do look lovely, though," Gigona continued.

"Thank-you." The past few weeks had cemented something a friendship between us and at last I could trust her to be sincere. If I could say so myself, I did feel pretty. The hairdressing had been undeniably ridiculous, but the results were stunning: a knot sprouting well-placed curls and ringlets, demurely decorated in flowers. The dress was pale pink, understated in its design. Yes, the lacings were too tight and there wasn't much to the neckline, but I still felt so detached from my body I might as well have been looking at someone else.

"So when are you going to the ball, then?"

Another sigh from me. Queen Patricia had declared it tasteless for the one of honor to appear on time to anything so grand as a ball. Which meant the festivities had been going on for at least twenty minutes. Supposedly a servant would come for me when Queen Patricia felt it right for me to appear. "I have no idea."

No concern from her. "We don't have anything like this in my father's kingdom. If you had remained a monkey and actually married my father, there would have been nothing."

I was so used to Queen Flore's parties that this shocked me. "Nothing?"

"Well, we play, we celebrate. But nothing so formal."

I tried to imagine what the monkey kingdom would be like. "Your kingdom… is it just… trees? What else is required in a monkey's habitat?"

"I despite that word. So stuffy. It's beautiful, really. The kingdom. There is a palace, there is a court. So many flowers and fruit trees…" Her voice faded.

"You miss it. Don't you?"

Gigona did not hesitate to nod. "I'll be honest, I'm getting bored of all this. I wonder if Mirlifiche has announced my death yet. I'm sure he has. It wouldn't behoove him to return and randomly hem and haw about me for weeks. I'll have to return, then."

"What would happen if you don't return?"

She looked up at me quizzically. "You mean if really were dead?" She gave a short laugh. "Without a son, I would be heir to the throne. If I were dead and my father failed to marry again—which is where he failed with you—well, I don't know."

"A grey area you hope Mirlifiche to take," I said.

She nodded. "So many things for him to bend. But this talk bores me. I'll leave soon and maybe I will find a way to let you know how things work out. Your ball is more interesting. I suppose I'll have to sneak in and watch it."

I laughed at that. "That's exactly the sort of thing I would do. I knew all the best hiding spots."

"Too bad we aren't at your other home, then. I know nothing of this place." She sighed and thumped her tail on the vanity table. "Are you allowed to leave yet?"

"The Queen said—"

"Yes, and we're still waiting."

I glanced at the closed door of my room. "Probably the servant died. One of them was looking rather sickly the other day. You think I should go?"

Gigona shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Though I was just fine submitting to Queen Patricia's rules I also wasn't used to be so ignored. Perhaps I had been forgotten about. Besides, twenty minutes was plenty of time to make a late and glorious entrance. I pushed open the door and stepped outside.

The hall was empty, all attention apparently focused on the ball. I felt fairly comfortable with navigating the palace. I would find Queen Patricia, remind her of my great entrance, and finally have my ball.

A ball in my honor. I still wasn't sure what to think of it. I had never been given a ball in my honor. Or anything in my honor. Monkeys just weren't worth that sort of thing.

I was only a turned corner or so from the ballroom when a voice rang out "Singette!"

Though I silently screamed at my feet to move, they froze right to the floor. Oh, heavens. Here of all places.

I finally glanced behind me to see Bastien running at me in a most undignified manner, like a puppy spotting a treat. "Singette! Lady Singette, I was wondering when you would show!"

"Prince Bastien." I was too stunned to put on a fake smile and I only hoped I didn't look too devastated. "You… you're here."

He nodded fervently and kissed my hand, which fell limply to my side as soon as he let go. "Yes, I am here. And I know this is not the proper way to be meeting you but I do know that many women find something clandestine to be romantic…" He blushed and bit down on his tongue. "I'm sorry. I have no right to be saying such things."

I did a strange mix of nodding and shaking my head. "I haven't even been introduced yet. There's protocol and procedure to such events as these. I don't exist yet until I have been formally introduced."

Bastien chuckled, though his blush remained. "You're quoting Queen Patricia, aren't you?"

I wanted to hit him. "But she's right! I was on my way… couldn't you have waited for me?"

"But I have waited so long to see you again that I just couldn't—" He put a hand over his own mouth and swallowed. "I am so sorry, my lady. I am being improper. Incredibly improper."

Not only did I still want to hit him, but I also wanted to laugh. A few months ago and this very behavior would have been hilarious. If another girl had been the subject. "Yes, you are."

"I was very… forward….when you were staying with my mother," he continued. "I did not behave as a prince should. I was a complete scoundrel."

"Your mother told you to say, that didn't she?" I almost slapped a hand over my own mouth.

He laughed nervously. "Why, yes, she did. I will admit that. But she is right. And here I am, doing it all over again. When we received the invitation to the ball I promised myself I would apologize but—"

"You're making it worse. But we? Queen Flore is here?" My heart jumped inside.

"Of course. She loves parties. And dancing with men half her age. That's precisely what she is doing now."

I clapped my hands together and laughed. "I must tell her hello. I'll—"

"Princess Singette!"

It was no servant come to collect me, but Queen Patricia herself, hustling toward me all red-faced, as red as her dress.

I smiled and gestured at Bastien. "I'm sorry, but I thought I had been forgotten about and—"

"Of course you haven't been forgotten, this is all for you." Queen Patricia gave a quick half-curtsey to Bastien before facing me. "I don't know what will become of you, my dear. Disappearing before your introduction. And this hair… well, we tried and I do hope it will be presentably fancy enough. The rest of you looks lovely. I only wish your parents were alive to see it."

I feigned mild sadness at my fake parents' deaths. "If only."

"As for you," she said to Bastien, "other kingdoms would behead you for such behavior and you had better be glad I like you. Come, Singette." She dragged me up a narrow flight of stairs and through a door into blinding light.

I was at the top of a grand staircase in the ballroom. Pink flowers covered every possible surface and the room was packed. I squinted to see the sea of faces beneath me.

Queen Patricia made her way to the edge of the staircase and waited until the room was silent. "Presenting," she said in a clear voice, "My adopted daughter and heir to my crown, Princess Singette."

The room broke into thunderous applause and I fought a sudden urge to go run to the monkey kingdom with Gigona. Instead I put on my best human smile and curtsied deeply. The applause only grew louder.

The next few minutes were a blur. I followed Queen Patricia through the crowd as she introduced me to dozens of names I would never remember. I curtsied until I thought I would be sick and my hand threatened to be permanently wet with kisses.

Then I was dancing. Music started up and all I could think of were the hours of dance lessons. I'm sure I was asked questions by my partners and I'm sure I answer them—and sufficiently, judging by what I was sure were smiles.

At last I found myself with a partner I recognized. Bastien. No doubt he had been waiting to dance with me.

"How is your night?" he asked me, the first question I comprehended.

I nodded. "It's… it's enchanting. Like being under a spell."

He laughed. "Such a romantic notion."

"No, really. It's like being under a spell. I can't even think."

He picked an up tempo to whirl me faster than I was prepared. "I believe that. My mother loves these things. They often cause headaches and someone always winds up so drunk they collapse in the middle of the floor."

"That will be me without drink." I silently told myself to stop it. I was mad at Bastien. I shouldn't be so conversational. I tried to ignore Bastien's following laugh.

"So declared a princess," Bastien said when I didn't respond to his laughter. "Not even born of royal blood. Hmm."

Yes, I was mad at him and this proved it. "I am noble!" I said.

His eyes went wide. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just considering it. It's a good thing."

I sighed. I did believe him. All right. Manners. "What brought you here?"

"The new princess? Queen Patricia probably invited us first. Most surrounding kingdoms are represented here. And I as I said I did want to apologize to you. I just try too hard sometimes to impress a lady as lovely as you."

Oh, he was ridiculous. Thank goodness the song changed then.

My next partner was Prince Something-or-other and he did not seem capable of speech. I forced myself to take the opportunity to take in the room and it was not long before I spotted Queen Flore. Seeing her was like going home again. I watched her until she looked away from her partner to connect with my gaze. She smiled.

When that song ended she was at my side to pull me away for refreshments.

"You look beautiful!" she declared at least three times as she touched my hair and dress. "To think a girl cast to the side of the road could clean up so well."

I smiled. I loved being adored by her. "It's all Queen Patricia's. I thought… well, I don't mean to speak bad of her, but I was afraid that she would put me in something she wears."

"I strongly advised her not to, so you have me to thank for it." She embraced me. "You're just a dream in this. No wonder no one can't keep their eyes off you."

I gave a small laugh.

"No, really." She put her hands on her hips and sighed. "You really don't understand how you look, do you? You're extremely beautiful. Uncommonly beautiful."

"Queen Flore, you don't need to flatter me."

"I'm not," she said sharply. "Which is why my idiot son can't keep away from you. I hope he apologized for his behavior."

"He did. He was quite gracious."

"Though the offer to marry him is still open. Of course…" She waved at the room. "There are many suitable men here for you and I daresay you have your pick of them. Any of them would be more than happy to have your hand in marriage."

Marriage? Again? "I don't think I'm ready to—"

I was cut off by the approach of greeters. A man and woman, apparently royal. And the woman was… my mother.

Queen Cerise smiled, but to me it was cold. All I could do was stare at her. And the man. King Achille. My father. He was short, not much taller than his wife, with a square black beard lined with grey. I couldn't decide if he were handsome or not. If he had known of me, would he have agreed to keep me?

At last I remember to curtsey. Both seemed pleased enough.

And that was it for our communication.