The girl pulled at her wrinkled sleeves nervously, glancing up at the ever darkening sky. She cursed; she was supposed to be home by the time the sun had set. She turned away from the jagged cliff and sped off frantically in the other direction, her feet barely touching the rocky ground. She reached the side of a tall chestnut gelding and threw herself into its saddle as she grabbed the reins. She galloped off, but she knew she would never make it in time.

"Prince Joren, we're here", said a sailor to the young man on the boat, "Prince Joren?" "I heard you, I was just thinking about something", said the prince distractedly, his gaze directed far away.

"Sir, we need to leave, the King and Queen are expecting us", said a man dressed primly in a suit and cravat. "Just lead the way, Falion, you seem to know your way around", said the prince. Falion just bowed and gestured lightly towards the dock and the carriage that waited for them there. As they walked down he watched the sailors who had become his friends load his luggage onto the carriage.

"It is rather indecent how tan you've become on this trip, sir. What would your dear mother think? And those cast offs you insist on wearing, it's totally outrageous", said Falion, frowning at his young master.

"We're not to the palace yet, so I don't have to look like a prince yet. Besides, if anyone asks, you'll be offended enough for the both of us if they do recognize me in these clothes", said the prince, rolling his eyes at the conservative manservant.

"If it weren't for me, you'd probably wander around in the nude", said Falion. Joren laughed at that and they both climbed into the luxurious carriage. Joren gazed at the city of Frell out of his window, soaking in as much of the landscape as he could. It was a bustling metropolis, full of people and fairly buzzing with energy of its own. He anticipated many afternoons of wandering the streets in commoner's clothing, just being Joren. That was one of the benefits of being the spare heir, no one expected him to do much with his life, and he wasn't very important, so he would wander around his home country. After he had finished the schooling that was required, he had disappeared for months at a time, learning tricks and skills from the underbelly of society. He became something of a renowned thief, and had even set up a primitive spy network.

She pulled into the stables and leapt off the horse, handing him to a stable boy. "Sorry, Firefly, but I don't have time to brush you", she said, flipping the boy a silver KJ. "Thanks Tam! It's good to have you back, you've been gone too long", said the stable boy as she rushed off. "No problem Stan", she yelled over her shoulder, rushing towards her room, cursing her lateness.