"You're safe now, Ebb." Kol said gently as we bounced along the cobblestone streets.

"Am I?" I scoffed. Based on what I had seen, Kol was the scariest thing in the city.

Kol sighed and his shoulders slumped as he leaned back against the side of the cart. "I promise I'm not going to hurt you. Once we return to the square you can leave and never see me again if you wish. It seems I only put you in danger anyway." He mumbled the last line and I almost didn't hear him.

"But you did save my life twice." I slowly stated. It was all so confusing. Why shouldn't I be afraid of him if other people so obviously were? What made me different? I was no street thug that was for sure; maybe Kol was just a threat to bad people. I dismissed that thought quickly as the only people thugs feared were the even more powerful brutes that roamed their streets.

"So you will stop being afraid of me?" The familiar smirk pulled at the corners of Kol's mouth.

"Will you tell me why those men were so afraid of you?" I countered. "And what that tattoo means?"

Kol took a deep breath. "Only if you promise you won't be afraid after I tell you." He continued slowly after I nodded. "Well, I am sort of the leader of the largest gang in the lower city, so to speak. The tattoo is a symbol of my rank. No one dares threaten one of mine directly in the lower city; you could say we have a reputation. We were lucky that those men still recognized the mark. I wasn't sure they would since we were only just inside the lower city."

I knew my eyes must have been wide and my mouth was hanging open dumbly. I quickly snapped my jaw closed and shook my head. It wasn't possible. Kol couldn't be one of the most dangerous mobsters in the city, he just couldn't be. He was the odd man who came up to a bell tower to look at some fireworks. I nearly couldn't believe it, but then I remembered the look in his black eyes when he was faced with the men in the alley ways. With a face like that it was no wonder he was feared, especially if he had the malice to back it up.

"Ebb?" Kol asked softly when I didn't say anything. His face was so different now and there was not a hint of the dark look anywhere in his features. Now his face was full of playful mischief as it was when I first met him.

We had arrived back in the square and Tim had stopped the cart and had jumped down from his perch. There were still people playing games and children running about. Nothing had changed in the square and it almost seemed that I had never left. I stepped down from the cart and Kol was quick to follow. "I understand if you never want to see me again, Ebb. I should have never taken you into the streets that close to the lower city. However, I would like to make amends for not taking you to see Tibbar the Magnificent. Unfortunately, that was his only public show this month, but there are other places in the city to see wonderful things. We don't even have to leave the upper city. I know a small fishing pond very near here where I could take you." I considered the idea and did not answer so Kol continued. "I will be here in this square in three days time. If you do not come then I will not take it personally. If you do, I promise to make sure that you are not put in any life threatening situations again."

Kol wished me a pleasant day before taking his leave. I shook my head in an attempt to clear my muddled thoughts. He did not hang about for which I was grateful. I did not know what to think of him. Of course I would not meet him in the square in three days – most definitely not. He admitted to being a criminal and a dangerous one at that. Who knew what might happen to me if I hung about with him.

By the time I returned to the Gilded Leopard, I had done my best to push today's events from my mind. I wished to do nothing more than just take a nice relaxing bath, but there were two obstacles in my path and they had a lot of questions about where I had been.

"Where were you all day, Ebony? It is nearly four past noon." Victoria said as soon as I walked through the door. It was as if she were waiting for me.

Upon hearing me enter, Giselle was quick to exit her room. She had one of the girls from the ball with her. "Were you with the prince?" She demanded.

The very last thing I wanted to do was tell them where I had been and what had happened. It would give them the perfect excuse to send me back home immediately. Giselle would like nothing better than to see me sent as far away from Christian as possible and Victoria had already threatened with sending me home once already. I did not need to give them any more reasons to get rid of me. So I shrugged and answered vaguely about being out in the town.

"Do not lie to us, Ebony. You are our little sister and we are supposed to know where you are at all times. Now tell me exactly what have you been doing." Victoria closed her book and focused all her attention on me.

The girl with Giselle leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Giselle listened and then nodded. They both wore sly grins as they turned back to face me. "Tabitha says that you can't have been with Prince Christian looking like that. You look simply dreadful. Your hair is all in dirty knots and those clothes you are wearing make you look even more oddly shaped than usual. You weren't with him were you?"

To avoid further insults from the three of them, I ignored Giselle's question and instead responded, "I am going to take a bath now."

They stared at me in shock for my impertinent response, but after the day I had not even my stepsisters could faze me. Giselle's mouth was hanging open rather foolishly as I gathered my things and retired to the washroom.

Through the door I could hear Giselle's not so quiet whispering. "That proves it; she was with Christian and is lying directly to our faces about it. We have to do something about her, Tori. She does not deserve my prince but he is foolishly spending too much time with her. I had thought we were growing closer together over the months we were at the castle, but it seems that the start of the celebration has addled his mind. Please, Tori, can't we do something?"

"She is a vicious snake of a girl if ever I saw one." I heard Tabitha say. I clenched my jaw and tried to remain calm at her unnecessary and unfounded statement. Who was she to judge me? I had never spent more than a few minutes in her presence and we had never uttered a word to each other. I focused on preparing for my bath.

I tried not to listen, but my ears would not take heed of what my mind was telling them. "It seems that she may have spent her day with Christian, but we cannot do anything tonight. It is much too late and we must get plenty of rest if we are to attend the royal tournament tomorrow. Perhaps after seeing how the prince acts in her company we can better judge on what to do with her. Until then, I suggest you put it from your mind; all this worry will give you wrinkles." Victoria told her sister calmly.

"That is all well and good for you to say. You have already gotten your prince charming. Won't you help me get mine?" Giselle was complaining. "You are different now and are not as helpful as you once were. Can't you somehow forbid that beast from going with us to the tournament? Mother put you in charge for a reason."

I froze with my hand poised over the tap and listened with baited breath for Victoria's response. Even with today's events, I had not forgotten about seeing the royal tournament with Christian. They wouldn't dare keep me from it; especially when I had been personally invited by the prince himself. There was a moment of silence in which Tabitha took it upon herself to say that she was wholly in favor of separating me from Christian at the tournament.

"Dearest Elle, it pains me that you are so hurt by our wicked stepsister, but I am afraid that the only way to truly break her away from your prince is to challenge her head on. I have tried threatening her but the pig-headed girl is persistent. However, she is no match for your charm and beauty and tomorrow at the tournament, Christian is sure to see that you are the better match for him. I have no doubt that you will secure his affections quite quickly if you put Ebony from your mind and turn all your charms on the prince." Victoria's words floated to my ears and I turned the tap sharply so the water gushed forth into the tub and blocked out any further conversation.

So they thought that Giselle would so easily charm the prince and shut me out completely. I may not have been as skilled at flirting as Giselle but it was me the prince had sought out at the ball and me he had taken with him into the hall of pictures. Surely, all that meant something. If Giselle had grown as close to him as she had thought over their days preparing for the celebration it would have been her he was spending time with. I would make sure that she would not brush me aside so easily. Christian was my friend and I would not let her come between us.

Ugh, real life just gets in the way sometimes. I got into a good place with writing nearly a chapter a day and then life was just like nope and buried me in problems so I couldn't write as much as I would have liked. Therefore, updates will probably be coming slower at least for this next week...maybe all the way up to when my class is over and I don't have homework.

So if you guys haven't already noticed, I usually reply to reviews around the time I post the next chapter.