All and all, Farkle Minkus had a good day. It was a relatively slow day at work, he had met the beautiful princess that seemed to capture his heart the moment she looked at him and his sister came home it a good mood.
"Riley?" Farkle had asked when Riley came home with a big, goofy smile on her face. She didn't respond but kept staring straight ahead.
"Riley?" Farkle tried again a little more forcefully. This seemed to catch his attention.
"What?" Riley exclaimed. "What is it?"
"Are you okay?" Farkle asked.
"I'm better than okay." Riley said. "Well, despite getting fired today."
"You got fired today?!" Farkle exclaimed.
"It was a long time coming, we both knew that." Riley said.
"That's true." Farkle said. "And you still had a good day?"
"I did." Riley said as the goofy smile returned and she plopped down on their old, ragged couch. "I met the prince day."
"Really?" Farkle asked. "How did you do that?"
"His ship exploded and I rescued him." Riley said nonchalantly.
"That was you?" Farkle asked. "I heard some noblemen talking about it outside the shop earlier today."
"Well, you know how curious I get some times." Riley said.
"Yeah," Farkle scoffed, remembering all the times Riley's curiosity got the better of her. "So what was so great about him?"
"I… don't know." Riley said. "I mean he is a prince. But he just seemed so charming and handsome and… genuine. I don't know. We talked a little bit but I guess it's not really enough to tell if I like him or not."
"Well, in any case I'm glad you had a good day." Farkle said.
"Thanks, Farkle." Riley responded. "How was your day?"
"You know, it's funny you said you ran into the prince because I ran into the princess today." Farkle said.
"Really?" Riley said. "How was she?"
"Nice. Humble." Farkle replied. "I guess the same way you felt about Prince Lucas."
"Ah, well, if only we could live the lives of a nobleman." Riley said.
"Yeah," Farkle responded. "You know, she looks a lot like you. Exactly like you as a matter of fact."
"Yeah, I've heard the same thing from some of the women who come to the shop that have met her." Riley said. "Fortunate coincidence I suppose."
"Yeah," Farkle said.
The brilliant and always working mind of Farkle Minkus began to go full throttle at that moment. He began thinking of everything he knew about the two girls who looked like twins. Riley always wanted more, although she'd never admit it. Princess Maya was very humble and wanted to work for what she got. Riley could do with a few days in the sun and quite frankly, she deserved them. Maya wanted a little time out of the limelight.
Suddenly it all became so clear as to what Farkle was going to do for both his sister and the princess who kept crossing his mind.
Lucas was late to his meeting about his wedding plans with Maya. He was scolded by the noblemen helping to put this wedding together but Maya was grateful Lucas was late. It gave her more time to avoid the inevitable and think about the apprentice to the blacksmith she met today.
The couple eventually picked out the colors of the napkins for their wedding reception. They both liked a shade in the first set of napkins but the planner insisted they wait to see all thirty-one sets. Still, in the end, they picked from the first set.
They were dismissed after an hour of looking at napkins to return to Maya's room.
"You must have had quite a day?" Maya questioned. Lucas was given no time to change clothes so he was still dressed head to toe in his soaking wet naval uniform.
"It was certainly be a day I will remember forever." Lucas replied.
"Why is that?" Maya asked.
"The explosion." Lucas lied, thinking about the girl who saved him. "It almost killed me."
"Yes, I suppose that would be pretty memorable." Maya said.
"I apologize for being so brash-" Lucas started before Maya cut him off.
"You don't have to apologize for everything, you know." Maya said. "You have a habit of being such a Huckleberry."
"Come again?" Lucas asked.
"Were you never required to read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn during your studies?" Maya asked.
"No, I was not." Lucas said. "I did read, but my studies were not as advanced as yours, I suppose. It was more about fighting and sailing."
"Ah, yes." Maya said. "The male studies. Anyway, Huckleberry Finn is the main character in this book and he was always described as being so innocent and having the ability to see the right way in wrong situations."
"And you think I'm like him?" Lucas asked.
"I didn't say it was a bad thing." Maya responded. "But yes, I think you are exactly like him."
The next day, Farkle went to work at the blacksmith shop and Riley returned to the seamstress. Farkle had asked his boss for an early lunch break, just like the day before and promised he would make it up. During his lunch break, Farkle chose to instead hang out outside of the seamstress' shop and wait for Princess Maya to show up in her cloak again.
Just when Farkle thought she wasn't going to show, a dark green figure came into view and moved gracefully to the front window of the seamstress' shop. Farkle took a few moments to admire her from the back. He could tell it was her and he was getting nervous just thinking about talking to her. This was so much easier yesterday, but yesterday he didn't know the hooded stranger that stands outside of the seamstress' shop every day was the princess.
"Maya?" Farkle asked as he approached her.
"It's Farkle, right?" Maya said as she saw him.
"Yes." Farkle answered. "I have a question for you."
"All right." Maya said as she gave him her attention.
"Did you mean everything you said yesterday about wanting to work for everything you owned?" Farkle asked.
"I can assure you I have never meant anything more in my life." Maya replied.
"Great! Wait right here." Farkle said as he dashed into the parlor. He quickly located Riley hanging up a dress and grabbed her by her wrist and dragged her outside.
"Farkle, what are you doing?!" Riley exclaimed. "I can't leave work."
"Oh, they fired you already." Farkle said. "What can they do next, behead you?"
Riley didn't argue as he pulled her outside and grabbed Maya's wrist in his other hand as they passed. Farkle lead them down an empty alleyway before he finally stopped running.
"Farkle, what is going on?" Riley asked.
"Yeah, why did you run us all the way back here?" Maya asked.
"Look at each other!" Farkle exclaimed.
The two girls sighed and then made eye contact. Their eyes widened immediately as they looked at the other for the first time. It was like looking in a mirror. Except for the glaringly obvious different hair colors. Riley had a deep, chocolate brown while Maya had hair the color of hay.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two were twins." Farkle said.
"Yeah, well you don't have my hair, sunshine." Maya said to Riley.
"We could find some." Farkle said before Riley could get a chance to respond.
"'Find some'?" Riley repeated. "What are you talking about?"
"Riley, Maya wants to know what it's like to earn everything she's worked for and not be the center of attention for once. Maya, Riley wants to know what it's like to live in a grand palace and be the center of attention for once in her life. You two look remarkably similar anyway. Well, besides the hair but you could just dye it you." Farkle said.
"Oh, I can't dye it." Maya said. "My hair grows too fast."
"You could always wear a wig." Riley suggested.
"You're for this?" Maya asked.
"I am," Riley replied. "But, your highness,-"
"Maya," Maya said. "Call me Maya."
"Okay, Maya." Riley continued. "I won't do this unless you want to."
"I don't know." Maya said. "It seems like an interesting experiment but I hardly know you. I don't know how to act like you or think like you."
"I'm pretty much an open book." Riley said. "Everybody seems to know my secrets before I know them myself."
"Same for me." Maya said.
"So are we going to do this?" Farkle asked with obvious excitement and nervousness.
"I think so." Riley said as she made eye contact with Maya.
"Yes, I agree." Maya said.
The two girls began meeting in secluded places in the town's square to learn about the other's life. Riley told Maya how her parents had to give both her and Farkle up for adoption when they were babies. She told her how they were never adopted and went into the workforce. She told her about the seamstress and how she hated Riley but told Maya not to take anything she says to heart.
Maya told Riley about her parents. That seemed to be the one thing they had in common, losing both of their parents young. Maya also told her about the duke and duchess and her lady's maids. She taught her how to act during meetings of her wedding and how to address fellow country leaders. Maya was surprised at how quickly Riley picked up the lingo. It was like she was born to be a princess.
Finally, the young girls talked about Prince Lucas.
"He's wonderful." Maya had said. "But I've always thought of him as more than a friend."
"What do you mean?" Riley asked.
"Well, you know this is an arranged marriage our parents coordinated from our birth, right?" Maya asked.
"No, I did not know that." Riley said. "So you don't love him?"
"I do," Maya said. "I always want him in my life, I just don't want him as a husband."
"I met him once." Riley said. "I saved him from drowning."
"That was you?" Maya exclaimed. "Well, of course it was you. He told me you looked exactly like me."
"He… talked about me?" Riley asked.
"Yeah, he did." Maya chuckled. "He kept going on and on about this girl who saved his life and how he wanted to reward you."
Riley couldn't help but blush at this. Did this mean the feelings she had for the prince were mutual? Riley certainly hoped so.
When they returned to Riley's home, Farkle had everything planned. He was able to get a brunette wig for Maya and some blonde hair dye for Riley. Maya and Farkle had to dye Riley's hair and had good fun trying to figure it out. Water was splashed, hair dye stained their clothes and nothing could be heard in the whole shack except for Maya and Farkle's laughs. Eventually, Riley was blonde and Maya slipped on her wig making her a brunette. The two girls changed behind closed doors and exchanged clothes. Once they were set, Riley took off towards the castle and Maya stayed behind with Farkle.
The plan was in action. They just hoped it worked.