:blinks, rubs eyes: Oh, wow. Lots of reviews for the last chapter. :sniffs: Thank you so much!

Oh, and in response to the people who talk about my OC's: Yes, I will incorporate more FE7 characters, starting next chapter. It's just that I want all the FE7 characters to keep his or her given roles in the game (at least, the ones I intend to use or make an appearance in the story). You guys, understand, right? Hopefully.

FFN's been acting really quirky. Apparently you can't have numbers at the end of your name anymore. What the hell? The '13' at the end of my username was gone for a while until I fixed it, but…

And now, it's the much long awaited third chapter! (Seriously. :hides: Don't kill meeee!)

No disclaimer here, as I put it in my profile. :D

Posted on: March 21, 2005

(I shall start putting these into my chapters to see how lousy I am at updating… :O It's supposed make me feel bad so that I update faster.)

---

I woke up the next morning to find Saremé gone, which confirmed my suspicion that she was avoiding me. But why? I didn't understand. And besides, knowing her, she would have slept in until the last minute, so it was very unlike her to leave the dorms earlier than normal…

Maybe I was overreacting. Maybe Lady Eleanora or Lord Elbert had called her to do an errand or she had just gotten up early to do extra work. Yes, that was it. It had to be.

Turning to the bed next to me, I woke up Mary.

"Mary," I whispered quietly. "Mary, wake up."

"Ninian?" She asked, sleepily.

"Yes, Mary. It's me. You need to get up, we have work to do."

She yawned and sat up. "Where's Saremé?" she asked.

"I don't know. Get ready and we'll go find her."

"All r-right."

We both got up and dressed quickly, leaving the dorms just as the other maids began to wake up.

Mary yawned as we walked up to the manse. "I'm tired…"

"Yes, I know. I was like that my first few weeks here, too. You'll get used to it," I said, smiling.

"I hope s-so. I don't want to fall asleep wor-working." She yawned again.

I laughed and opened the back door to the manse, and we went in.

"Good morning, Ninian. It's nice to see you."

"Good morning, Mark." I greeted him.

Mark looked at Mary. "And I'm guessing you're Mary, our newest maid?"

Mary nodded. "Indeed I am."

"It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but have you seen Saremé anywhere, Mark?"

"No, Ninian, I haven't. I thought that she would be with you two."

"She isn't. I didn't see her this morning, so I thought maybe she got up early to do work or something."

"Hmm. Well, I haven't seen her come by at all this morning. But if I do, I'll let you know."

"Thank you." Mary and I curtsied and left.

"So where do you think she is?" Mary asked, keeping her voice low so as not to be heard. After all, it was still rather early in the morning.

"I don't know," I said, biting my lip. "I hope she's not avoiding me…"

"Why would she avoid you?"

"I don't know," I said, worriedly. "Maybe it was that fight we had yesterday, but…"

"But…?"

"We sometimes have fights like that and we usually resolve them by the end of the day. So why would this one be any different?"

"Hmm…" Mary said thoughtfully. "Perhaps it's something else, then…"

"But what could it be?"

"I don't know. The only way to find out is to ask Saremé herself."

"Yes, and that is what I intend to do."

---

Two hours passed and we still saw no sign of Saremé anywhere. The castle was bustling with maids running to and fro, doing their usual morning chores before the royals in the house woke up.

"Well, Ninian, I'm going to have to take my leave now," Mary replied as she took down a nightgown from the clothesline.

"Oh?" I raised an eyebrow. "For?"

"I'm supposed to serve breakfast this morning." She grimaced. "I really hate to leave you with all of this work. It makes me feel awful."

I laughed. "It's all right. I'll manage. Besides, it will give me time to think some."

"If you say so. Is there anything I can help you with before I go down?"

"You could help me carry these baskets into an empty room. I'll fold there."

"All right." Mary grabbed a basket. There were only two. Altogether there should have four baskets, but the load of clothes that we had washed yesterday wasn't dry yet—partly due to the fact that we'd had a humid night yesterday.

Mary and I brought the baskets into one of the spare rooms located downstairs. After Mary set her basket down, she left, saying once again that she was sorry.

I sighed and sat down on the bed, pulling a shirt out of the basket and starting to fold.

All right, time to think.

The fact that Saremé was avoiding me was a mystery inside itself, but that wasn't what I was looking for, anyway.

I was trying to figure out why.

"Let's see…" I pulled out a nightgown.

Starting from a few days ago, when I'd fell in the tub, I recalled, as soon as we'd gotten out, she'd acted a little quirky but said she was just thinking.

Now that I thought about it, maybe she wasn't.

And then the fight in the library. She'd avoided me after that. Maybe it was the fight. The more I thought, the more it seemed possible.

But over the subject of…duty?

No.

But…

"Hrmph." I frowned and yanked out a dress, with more force than I intended. It let out a snap.

I'm making this more complicated than it really is.

The dress joined the other clothing that I had folded on the bed.

Think, I told myself. The turmoil hadn't started, until…

I let out a gasp.

Eliwood had arrived at the manse.

I slapped myself. The answer was so obvious; it might as well have hit me right in between the eyes.

So this was the cause of our little problem.

I forced a laugh. How typical.

Oh, well. It was nothing that couldn't be fixed. All I had to do was find her and set everything right.

I frowned again.

No, she would set things right. I had done nothing.

---

"You haven't seen her, either?" I asked.

"Nope. Not since yesterday," Josephine said, munching on a cracker. "Have you seen her, Bethany?"

Bethany shook her head. "No," she said, "I haven't seen her, either. I'm sorry."

"It's all right…" I sat back in my chair.

It was lunchtime, and Mary and I were in our usual spot in the cafeteria with Holly, Julia, Josephine, and Bethany. And Saremé had yet to make an appearance.

"This is so odd," Holly said thoughtfully as she ate an apple. "It's very unlike her."

"I wonder why she is avoiding you… She's never done this before, right?" Julia asked me.

I shook my head. "No; never." Although I think I've figured it out.

"Interesting…"

"Oh, well." Josephine shrugged. "There's not point in thinking about it any longer. I'm sure she'll show up in the castle later on in the day; and if she doesn't, then she'll definitely show up in the dorms later on tonight. After all, she is a human being and needs rest."

"She's right," Mary agreed. "Sareme's bound to show up today." She had joined me after serving breakfast.

"If you say so…" I replied.

"Hmph. Enough of this. Let's talk about something else." Josephine said, waving her hand as if to ward off the gloomy air.

"Oh, I know!" Julia said suddenly. "Did you hear about who's going to visit tomorrow?"

"Who?"

"Three Falcoknights from Ilia, according to Lady Eleanora. I heard her talking about it this morning at breakfast."

Mary sat up. "That's right, I remember. They'll be coming here for the day, spending the night, and then leaving the next morning."

Holly raised an eyebrow. "I heard of no such thing."

"That's because you weren't paying attention." Julia smiled, and Holly frowned.

"Why are they visiting?" Bethany asked.

"I'm not sure… But I do know that they are sisters."

"Sisters?" I asked.

Julia nodded. "And well known throughout Ilia, from what I heard."

Josephine let out a low whistle. "Bet they're coming on urgent business. Flying all the way from Ilia to Pherae is no cakewalk."

"It isn't," I agreed. "Ilia is known for its sudden, unexpected blizzards."

"How bad are these blizzards?" Mary asked, interested.

"Not too bad," I replied, "But they do restrict your vision greatly, which makes flying on pegasi difficult."

"How do you know about Ilia, Ninian?" Holly asked me, curious.

"I was born there."

"Born there?"

"Yes. It was very cold, but it was lovely. When the sun came out, the ice there would sparkle like diamonds." I smiled at the memory. "I plan on visiting Ilia again someday."

"Good luck to you," Julia said, and everyone laughed.

Thinking about Ilia made me think of my family, and I began to feel homesick. I hadn't seen Nils or my grandmother in over a year. Our only means of communication was through the post that came every three weeks, but I still longed to see them.

As I thought of my mother and father, an overwhelming sense of sadness suddenly flooded me, and I felt tears starting to well in my eyes.

I quickly stood from the table.

"Ninian, where are you going?" Mary asked, looking at me.

"I need to get some fresh air. I'll be right back," I replied, not looking at her.

"All right."

I walked out of the dining hall, heading for the gardens, trying to quell the tears that were threatening to spill.

It's just the stress that's making me act like this… I've never reacted like this before, so why now?

I exited the manse through the back way and was in the garden soon after. There, I sat down on a bench opposite the fountain.

"Calm down, calm down, calm down," I told myself, breathing in and out. "Don't cry…" I focused on the fountain, trying to clear my mind.

"Ninian? Is that you?"

"Huh?" I looked up. "Who's there?"

Much to my surprise, Eliwood emerged from behind the shrubbery.

"Lord Eliwood! I…" I stood up, brushing my apron nervously.

"I was right, it was you." He smiled at me.

Out of habit, I said the first thing that I usually say when in the presence of nobility.

"Um, I… May I be of service?" I felt a rising heat in my cheeks.

Oh, I sound so stupid.

He looked surprised. "N-no, I'm fine, thank you."

"Very well…" I felt my cheeks grow warmer and turned away. What was the matter with me?

I heard him walk over to where I was and sit down on the bench. Not particularly wanting for him to see my face, I walked over to the fountain, keeping my back towards him.

"What are you doing out here? I thought that you took your lunch at this time," Eliwood commented, as if to start up a conversation.

"I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, my lord. And it's a nice day out," I lied flatly. "I thought that a walk in the gardens would be nice. After all, it's fall."

"You came to see the leaves turn, then?"

"Yes. Might I ask as to why you are out here, Lord Eliwood?" I was surprised at my boldness.

He laughed pleasantly. "I haven't been here for a few months. Just getting to know the place again. It's changed."

"I see…" I replied, listening to the fountain splash.

"Could you tell me something, Ninian?"

I turned around.

He smiled at me, and I found myself blushing again.

I… What's this feeling?

"W-what would you like me to tell you, my lord?" I asked weakly.

"What's it like? Living like a commoner?"

"A…commoner?" I blinked.

"Yes. You know, living in a village. I've always lived in the manse, so I was curious."

I laughed, much to my surprise and Eliwood's. It was shaky and nervous, but it was a laugh. "You want to know what it's like to live like a commoner? Ha ha ha…"

Eliwood merely looked at me.

I continued to laugh. "Surely, Lord Eliwood, you must have some interaction with the villagers and visited the villages to know what it's like."

"Yes, but…"

I stopped laughing. "Very well, my lord. I must say, that was…quite amusing." I smiled. "I wouldn't think that a noble such as yourself would wonder such things."

"I do. Father always believed in getting to know the people, especially the villagers."

"That sounds like Lord Elbert." I sat down at the rim of the fountain. "Um, let's see…" I started, folding my hands in my lap. "I guess a good place to start is with me. I live in a cottage about a mile away from the village, near a river. The life we had wasn't too bad, before I came here. Making a living was another story, though. It's hard to find a decent job nowadays. Anyway, every Monday of the new week, Grandmother and I, with Nils, would go to the market to buy things needed for the week and catch up on the latest gossip and town news." I laughed. "I remember one time that Nils spotted a flute in a vendor's window and wouldn't stop pestering us, determined to get it. He eventually did, for his birthday. After that he became quite the flute player…"

"I see. Was it a good life? Were you happy?"

"Very. However, money was tight; so when my grandmother came home with the announcement that Lord Elbert and Lady Eleanora were hiring maids at the manse, I accepted right away. It helped ease up our money troubles."

"Don't you miss your family?"

"I do, and I tend to get homesick from time to time. But I'll be visiting them in a month and a half or so, hopefully. And the post comes next week."

"It sounds nice."

I looked at Eliwood. "Your life is probably much nicer, my lord. You have everything set out for you."

"However true that may be, I also have duties as the heir to the Pheraen throne," Eliwood said, a frown appearing on his face.

"They couldn't possibly be as bad," I said.

"Maybe not, but I don't much care for meeting with other nobles like myself about foreign affairs. Not to mention that my parents and Marcus are pressing me to find a future bride. A little longer, and they'll start to line up maidens." (A/N: I think that there was another name for them, but I can't remember it right now…)

I was taken aback. "M-maidens?"

He shrugged. "They want me to produce an heir. And for that, I need a wife."

I blushed. He put it so…plainly. "So w-what will you do?"

"I can either pick a bride from the ones my mother and father picked for me, much like picking something off a shelf, or I could find one myself."

A thought struck me suddenly. "My lord…might I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead, Ninian."

"I…u-um, that is, if you were to pick a bride, er…c-could you marry someone of a lower class? S-say, for example, a villager?" I blushed again and averted my eyes. I had heard of nobles who had their husbands or wives picked out for them, but I had always wondered if they could marry someone of a lower class.

Eliwood looked surprised. "Yes… I suppose. Usually nobles marry someone of a high class, like themselves, but…yes, that seems possible. I don't see any reason not to." He looked at me oddly, and I slapped myself mentally, realizing the gravity of what I had asked.

He must think that I was talking about me! Agh!

I stood up suddenly. "E-excuse me, Lord Eliwood. I must go… The others will worry about me," I said hurriedly, wanting to get out of the awkward situation I had found myself in.

"Oh. All right." Eliwood looked disappointed.

"Thank you." Curtsying, I left, cursing myself for how stupid I'd been.

---

"Aha ha ha…" Mary snickered as she made the master bed, and I went around the room dusting. I heard her.

"Mary, it wasn't that funny!" I wailed. "I didn't mean for it to sound that way!"

"But it did." She giggled. "And now Eliwood thinks that you like him or something."

"Nonsense! I don't!" I said heatedly, a blush creeping onto my cheeks.

"Then why are you blushing?" Mary asked slyly.

"I'm not!"

"Right. And I'm not Mary."

"Ugh! You!" I pointed the duster accusingly at her.

Mary stared at it for a moment. "Ooh, it's a duster. I'm so scared." She rolled her eyes.

"Never mind. Are you almost done?" I said, as I finished dusting Lady Eleanora's vanity.

"Almost. I just need to put the pillows in order…There. Done."

"Go do something else, then," I said, my back to her.

Mary grinned. "Say, Ninian, it's almost four. Don't you have something to do?"

"Huh?" I looked at her. "Dusting?"

She shook her head.

"No? Well, after this, I'm supposed to clean out the bathtub…"

Mary frowned.

I raised an eyebrow. "What, then?" I asked.

She merely pointed to the grandfather clock, and then towards the door.

I took a step back. "Oh, no. You can go do that," I said hurriedly. "I, uh, I'm not done dusting!"

"I'll do that for you." Mary took the duster from me and pushed me towards the door.

I dug my heels as best I could into the carpeting. "No! I'm n-not going!"

"Dreadfully sorry, but I think you must. Eliwood will be wanting his tea." Mary gave me a hard push towards the door.

"You're not doing anything, though!"

"I am now. Besides, he doesn't know me as well as you. He'll be expecting you."

"How do you know?"

"Call it, ah…intuition."

"No! I—!" Mary pushed me outside and shut the door.

I nearly cried. This wasn't fair!

Angrily, I stomped down to the kitchens and prepared a tray of tea. Upon arriving at Eliwood's room, I frowned at the door. Taking a moment to calm down, I proceeded to knock the door, but hesitated.

Wait. What will I do? He thinks…

I shook myself mentally. It was best to get this done and over with, and set things straight if I could. I knocked the door.

"Who is it?" The door opened, and Eliwood was framed in the doorway.

"I have your tea…"

He opened the door wider. "Come in."

I stepped in, and he shut the door.

"I was expecting you."

I nearly dropped the tray in surprise.

Looking at him, I asked, "Y-you were, my lord?"

Eliwood nodded. "I was wondering when you would come up." He looked at me with those eyes of his and I felt an all-too familiar warmth creep onto my cheeks.

Agh! What is wrong with me?

"What is it that you would like, my lord?" I asked, facing him and praying that my blush wasn't too visible.

"Well, actually—"

There was a loud clattering noise outside, stopping Eliwood from finishing his sentence.

"What was that?" I set the tray down, went outside, and discovered Lady Eleanora lying sprawled on the floor.

Well, one thing was certain—it wasn't going to be a boring day.

"Milady Eleanora! Are you all right?" I ran over to where she was and helped her up.

"Ugh… Thank you, Ninian. I'd better be more careful. What a fall!" Lady Eleanora laughed lightly.

"What happened, Mother?" Eliwood joined us.

"I'm not sure, Eliwood. I think I slipped on something or lost my footing. Ow!" Lady Eleanora winced and touched her head. Her hand drew back blood. "Oh! I guess I fell harder than I thought," she said, looking at her hand. (A/N: I've done that before. It HUUUUURTS. ;o;)

"You're hurt!" I said.

"I'm fine. It's nothing."

"No!" I said defiantly. Lady Eleanora and Eliwood looked at me, surprised.

"I, uh, well… That is, milady, as a maid, it is my duty to see that you are all right. And since you are hurt, it is my duty to see that you are taken care of. If you would please let me take you to your room, I would be very grateful," I said quickly, curtsying.

Lady Eleanora smiled. "Very well."

"I'll help as well," Eliwood offered.

"Thank you," Lady Eleanora replied.

Eliwood and I both got her up to her room and there I bandaged her wound the best I could.

"Is there anything else that I could get you, milady?" I asked, standing up.

"No; you've done so much already. Thank you."

"It was nothing," I replied, smiling. "If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave now." I headed for the door.

"Oh, Ninian?" Lady Eleanora's voice stopped me.

"Yes, milady?"

"I think that I should repay you somehow," she said, looking thoughtful. "It cannot be tomorrow, since the Ilian Falcoknights are coming…"

"Lady Eleanora, do not preoccupy yourself with such things. I am merely doing my duty."

"Come now, that won't do." Lady Eleanora frowned. "I think that I should at least do something. You've been such a help. Don't you agree, Eliwood?" She looked over at her son.

Eliwood smiled and looked at me. "I should think so."

"I assure you, I'm fine," I said weakly. Lady Eleanora didn't seem to hear me.

"I've got it." She smiled. "Will you come by to my room the day after tomorrow? After breakfast, preferably."

"What are you planning, Mother?" Eliwood looked at her curiously.

"You'll see…"

The tone she had frightened me.

"So…you will come then, Ninian?" Lady Eleanora asked, turning to me.

"C-Certainly. I will show up here come Thursday after breakfast," I replied, curtsying and shutting the door behind me.

---

"So Lady Eleanora wants you to come to her room on Thursday morning?" Mary asked.

I nodded. "But I don't know what for… I guess she wants it to be a surprise." Mary and I were in the library, enjoying some leisure time, as we had finished our chores early.

"Does Eliwood know?"

"I doubt it."

"Isn't this fun!" Mary grinned. "A surprise! Don't you love surprises?"

"Not when it concerns me," I said, worried.

"Listen, Ninian. Don't panic. You trust Lady Eleanora, don't you?"

I blinked. "Of course I do. She is my employer. Why wouldn't I?"

"Exactly. So don't worry about it."

I sighed and placed my head in my hands. "But I can't help but think about it. What is she going to do?"

Mary frowned. "Ninian, you worry too much. Come." She grabbed my hand. "Let's go see if we can find Saremé."

I shook my head. "No. I'm through for the day."

She looked surprised. "You don't want to look for her?"

"No," I repeated, and pulled my hand away. "Enough is enough. I give up."

"All right. But what do you want to do, then? We have another hour or so before we have to go and serve dinner."

"I'd rather stay here in the library."

"You want to stay here?"

"Yes. I don't really feel like going anywhere. You can go, if you want."

"I'll leave. It looks like you need some time alone." Mary left.

I sat at the table and sighed heavily. So much had happened to me in the past few days.

First, it was the arrival of the marquess's son from holiday.

Next, it was these odd feelings that I felt when around him. What were they, anyway?

Lastly, it was the vanishing of Saremé, of which I figured out, but it still bothered me.

All right, so it was really only three things. But it was enough to drive me over the edge and nearly cry at the lunch table.

I put my head in my hand and stared at the table for a while. Then I decided to start looking around the library. Perhaps I could find an interesting book to read.

I started walking through the shelves and picked a book at random.

"A Chronology of Elibe." I frowned. How boring. I picked up another book.

"Words We Couldn't Say." I quickly skimmed through the book and found it too romantic for my liking. I giggled. Holly would have probably liked it. I put it back and picked up another.

"The Bell Jar. Hm." I picked it up, skimmed through it and put it back. Too depressing.

"Moonlight Becomes You." Too mysterious.

"The Sailor Who Fell From Grace with the Sea." The title was too long.

After a few more tries, I sighed and gave up. Everything was too depressing, too mysterious, too romantic, too boring, too poetic, too articulate, too something. Either way, I didn't find anything interesting. I left the library and started heading towards the kitchens, and passed the ballroom as I did so. The chandelier caught my eye, and I walked in.

I had only been in here a few times, and the enormity of the room always caught me by surprise.

I went to the center of the room and stood there. In about a month, this room would be decorated from top to bottom, for the annual Yuletide Ball that would be thrown by Lord Elbert and Lady Eleanora. I would be one of the maids who would assist in doing so; this would be my first time. Saremé did it last year, and if I recalled properly, the maids would throw a party two nights before the ball as their own reward for all the work they'd done to get the manse ready.

---

As a little girl, always remembered those men that rode into the town on horseback, the crest of Pherae emblazoned on their coats. They would visit the houses of those who were important or wealthy and hand them a creamy yellow invitation, stamped with the Pheraen seal. These were the specially invited. Anyone in town could go; it was just that many were rather intimidated by the others—after all, if you were to show up in a plain dress amongst the others dressed in fine silks, satins, and other Elimine-knows-what expensive material, wouldn't you feel just a little out of place?

I had always wanted to go to one of those balls—especially in the recent years—and it always saddened me to know that I could never really go. Right now, I would be here, at the place where the ball would be held, but I would not be one of those beautiful ladies that were dressed in those elegant gowns, who sat there and gossiped and fanned themselves. Instead, I would probably be one of the maids that would tend to them. Either that, or I'd sit in the dorms. Or maybe I'd sit in the gardens and look at the stars, a habit of which I'd been getting into lately, while the cheerful music of the band that would be playing would drift through the open windows, along with the laughter of the guests.

I know that pretty looks and pretty faces aren't everything. If there is anything that my grandmother taught me, it was to never wish to be something that I wasn't, because if it indeed did come true, I would be someone different, someone who isn't me. And I can't stand the thought of that. So, while I do think about it occasionally, I do not wish with all my heart to be such a person.

But you don't really care to hear such things, do you?

…I didn't think so.

---

"Ninian! Where are you?" It was Mary.

I walked into the hall. "What?"

"Oh, there you are," she said, upon seeing me. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was just looking around. After all," I smiled, "we're going to be decorating this room rather soon."

"Ah, that's right. I get excited just by thinking about it."

"You mean the ball?"

"Of course! The very thought of it! The music, the dancing, the lights, the atmosphere, the romance… Ahhh…" She let out a dreamy sigh.

"You sound like Holly."

"But it's true, isn't it?"

"Yes… I suppose… But you're making it sound more romantic than it really is."

"Maybe so, but one can dream, can't they?"

I smiled slightly. "Yes, they can."

"Say, don't they throw a party two nights before the eve of the ball?"

"Yes."

"Why is it two nights before? You wouldn't happen to know, would you? I was just a little curious."

I laughed. "Do you really want to know? Very well, it's to sleep off the liquor."

A look of shock crossed her face. "L-liquor?"

I nodded. "Those old enough to drink manage to sneak in a few bottles of liquor at the party. Of course, we don't let the younger ones drink. Lady Eleanora would be much displeased if we did."

"She knows?"

I blinked. "Yes…?" I understood why she was so shocked. I was, too, when I first found out. After all, it didn't seem very…ladylike.

"Oh, sweet Elimine…" Mary breathed. "I didn't know."

"Mary," I said, "it's a party for everyone that works at the castle. That includes the guards. Of course there would be liquor. Didn't anyone tell you?"

"No."

"I know it's shocking. I was pretty shocked myself when I was first told."

"It's just… Most of the maids here don't even look like they would drink…such a thing."

"Most don't," I replied. "Some do, though."

"I guess that makes it a little better."

"I don't really believe it myself, but that's the way it goes." I shrugged. I was old enough to drink myself, but I never really cared much for it. It turned even the best of gentlemen into dogs, not to mention that you woke up with a splitting headache the next day. Most of the maids and guards didn't drink, but some did. Those that did would stay in their respective dorms for the day and would sleep off the liquor. Usually, they were fine come the eve of the ball.

"Well… I just hope that it isn't too bad," Mary said.

"From what I heard, there's music and dancing and all sorts of things. I hear it's very fun," I replied, smiling.

"Yes, but throw in liquor and it might get a little rowdy."

"It's a possibility, but most control themselves. If not, then the sober ones do it for them."

Mary laughed. "I would imagine so."

"Of course. We all look out for each other here."

"Ninian! Ninian? Where are you?"

"Hm?" I looked around. "Who was that?"

"It sounded like Bethany," Mary said, looking around as well.

"Ninian!"

"I'm here in hall, by the ballroom!" I yelled.

Sure enough, Bethany rounded the corner, running towards me. "Oh, thank Elimine I found you. We need you in the kitchens to serve dinner. One of our maids had to leave and go do something else, and now we don't have anybody."

"I'd be glad to," I said.

"If you need an extra maid, I can serve dinner again tonight," Mary offered.

"This is great! Thank you so much!" Bethany said, smiling. "I'll meet you in the kitchens, then."

"Of course. It wasn't a problem," I said.

"Okay. Thanks again!" The twin sister smiled and left.

Mary and I stood there for a while after that. Finally, I said, "Well, we should start heading down there now, shouldn't we?"

"Yes, I should imagine so. I'll race you down there." She grinned mischievously.

"Fine," I replied, caught up in the spirit of the game. "Let's go. Any rules?"

"Just one: you can take any way you want, and the first one there wins."

"Who's counting off?"

"I will. On my mark. Ready? Three…two…one…go!"

We took off, taking a different route than the one Mary took. Since I had been here longer than she had, I knew which would be the fastest way to the kitchens.

I laughed, feeling like a ten-year-old all over again, racing through the meadows with my younger brother. Only this time, I was racing through the halls of the castle.

I sprinted down the hall and rounded the corner…

…And ran straight into someone. The impact sent me and the person I had hit straight towards the floor.

"Ugh…" I sat up, rubbing my head. "I'm so sorry…"

"That's fine," the person replied. "Just…watch where you're going next time."

I let out a gasp. That voice… I looked at the person, and my eyes widened.

"Saremé!" I cried, jumping to my feet.

She looked at me, smiled, and stood up. "Hello, Ninian."

---

Naru: Teh lame wannabe cliffie!

Nyozeka: …

Naru:sighs: I know. Sheesh, this chapter took a while… Sorry it took so long. I wrote about three different versions of this chapter and finally decided to go with this one. I think that I might be going a little too fast, though… This chapter might need some editing, I dunno. Depends on what the reviewers say… :scratches head: And yes, I know that whole 'Yuletide Ball' thing is a little too classic and Cinderella-ish, but I need it in here. You'll see why eventually. (Although I'd like to call it something else than the 'Yuletide Ball'… It was originally called the 'Winter Ball,' but I thought it seemed too plain… Suggestions?)

Nyozeka: Oh, and Memories is on hiatus, you guys.

Naru: Yes, it is. I threw the old storyline out the window, so now I have to sit down and write up a new one. Oh, and if you see randomclumpedtogether text, that's 'cause of FFN. Stupid thing. :frowns:

Nyozeka: With that said, please click on that 'Submit Review' button down there! And be nice, please.

Naru: Constructive criticism is appreciated! But don't be too harsh. Eeee… :cowers in fear: