Rowan flopped down on her bed after a long bath and a change into fresh clothes, pulling the soft covers over her head. She didn't care if it was a little early— she was exhausted. But fate didn't care about that.

     "Rowan!" the door burst open, and Quinn strode in with a hand held dramatically to her forehead before sitting down neatly on the edge of Rowan's bed, "Oh, Rowan, sometimes it's absolutely horrible to be the most gorgeous woman in the country!"

     "What's wrong? Can't find a handkerchief to match your complexion again?" Rowan guessed, recalling the last time this had been said.

      "Worse!" Quinn sounded almost close to tears, and Rowan felt a pang of sympathy for her sister. She scooted closer as Quinn began to explain, "Father is using every possible path of negotiation to keep us out of war with Tiberia, but he's running out of options! He's invited Kaizen and some of his soldiers to join the castle for a grand dance in an attempt to reach some conclusion for a treaty."

     "That's good though, isn't it?" Rowan's brow furrowed at her sister's distraught appearance and tone.

      "One of the oldest bonds in the book to start a treaty is to engage the rulers or their heirs in marriage," Quinn said anxiously, "So as a fail safe, Father wants me to get him to like me!"

     "Quinn, any guy on the planet would fall to your whims if you wanted them to," Rowan rolled her eyes her sister's concern.

     "But I don't want him to," Quinn sighed through her nose as if frustrated, "He's probably old and gross- oh, Rowan, what if he's bald? What if he's mean? He is trying to start a war over a hunk of worthless rock!"

     "Now I'm starting to see the problem," Rowan gave her sister a sympathetic look, "I'm sure Dad won't make you marry him if he's mean to you. But you're a princess, you're supposed to dedicate yourself to the protection of the kingdom!"

     "I know it's my duty as princess, but..." Quinn sighed deeply, wringing her hands together nervously in her lap, "I don't feel ready for sacrificing everything I want for something my kingdom needs!"

     "No, I get it," Rowan told her quickly, "I wish I could help..."

     "Not much you can do, is there?" Quinn sighed, rubbing her forehead, "I just wanted to tell you because I can actually talk to you as a real person and not as a princess. It makes me feel better when I can tell someone how I really feel."

      "I can imagine," Rowan rested a hand on her sister's shoulder, "But think about it. What if you meet him and think he's incredible? He could be the best person ever!"

     "Or the absolute worse."

      "Or he couldn't care less about you but you'll have access to all his money," Rowan reminded her, "You'll be the queen of the second most powerful kingdom of the four, and the largest one too."

     "That does sound pretty good," Quinn admitted with a sigh, resting her hands neatly in her lap. Rowan found herself marveling at her sister's perfect posture when she was so clearly distressed.

     "And if you hate it, Dad won't make you do it," Rowan assured her, "It'll be a blast. If nothing, the dance should be fun. I haven't been to one since I was little, remember?"

     "Oh, yes, Mom's birthday party! It was quite lovely, wasn't it?"

     "It was amazing," Rowan agreed with a smile, "This one should be even bigger and better since it's not just for us. We're trying to make an impression."

     "Oh, but..." Quinn trailed off, looking away, "I swear I don't agree with this, but Adeline says... she doesn't think you should go. I think she's worried you'll mess up or make us look bad in front of the Tiberians."

     "I'm not the most graceful person on the planet, but I'm not that clumsy!" Annoyance prickled inside of Rowan as her smile twisted into a frown, "Besides, what right does she have to control me?"

     "Rowan, we've been though this. She's the queen. And your legal mother," Quinn pointed out, "Besides, you'll have no fun anyway. No offense, but no one will dance with you. You don't know anyone because you've never left this castle."

     Rowan thought back to her incredible ride outside with Kaden. "As far as you know. Besides, I don't want to dance, I just want to watch. I bet it'll look stunning once it's all set up."

     "I know, I know..." Quinn got to her feet, smoothing down her gown to remove any wrinkles, "You'll have to take it up with Adeline though, not me. I think it would be more fun with you around," she gave her sister a dazzling smile.

     Rowan smiled back, "Well, I'll talk to her. Maybe she'll warm up to me by then."

      "Rowan, the dance is in two days," Quinn headed for the door, "I've got to go pick out a dress that matches my complexion," she smiled teasingly at her sister, "If I can't, I'll come to you.You solved my problem last time with that handkerchief!"

      Rowan laughed, "Good luck!"

     As the door closed behind her sister, Rowan recalled Kaden. She wondered if he would want to go to such a pristine dance. Maybe not specifically with her, she told herself, but maybe in general.

      There was sharp knock at the door, and Rowan called, "Come in!" She had barely finished speaking when Adeline barged in with a basket full of clothing.

     "Rowan! Elena needs her clothes washed but doesn't want any filthy servant's hands to touch them," Adeline told her briskly, "Wash them for me, please," she turned to leave, but Rowan asked quickly:

      "Why can't I go to the dance?"

      "You need to get caught up in your lessons," Adeline replied instantly, "Princessing doesn't come easily to the... less gifted among us."

     Rowan guessed she had planned a list of reasons, anticipating the question. But she said anyway, "Actually, I'm ahead in all topics. You can ask Mrs. Springfield to check."

     "I most definitely will," Adeline sniffed, "Besides, what would happen if you were to... embarrass yourself in front of not only your country, but others as well? You're already a startling sight to most newcomers, covered in filth and playing in the stables."

      "I won't embarrass myself, and never have," Rowan argued.

      "That's not a sufficient defense," Adeline rolled her dark eyes in annoyance, "You wouldn't have a dress fit for such an occasion, and you don't even have a dance partner! How awkward would it be for the king's daughter to be sitting alone?"

     "What if I could get a dance partner? Then could I go?"

     "You? Get a dance partner? Ha!" Adeline laughed, but the sound had no humor in it, "The chances of that are practically zero. But sure, if you can get a fine young man to dance with you, and get your own dress, then you can go."

     "Thank you," Rowan said, then slid off of her bed, "Then I guess I'd better go find someone to ask!" Then her gaze slid to the pile of clothes sitting on the carpet in the basket in front of her, "Okay, as soon as I'm done washing this laundry. "

     The next day...

      "What do you mean, 'you can't go'?" Rowan frowned at Kaden, leaning against the door to the stable, "Do you have something better to do?"

      "Nah, that's not it," Kaden set his shovel against the wooden wall behind him to rub the back of his neck, "It's not personal, so don't get offended, okay? If you were having this with any other country, I'd say sure. But I don't get along with Tiberia."

      "Why?"she crossed her arms with an annoyed look, "What did you do?"

      "They killed my parents," Kaden sighed, then quickly corrected himself, "I mean, obviously not my Dad, but my mother and sister and grandfather. It was a raid, I guess. They wanted what we had and we didn't want to give it to them."

     "Oh... I'm sorry," Rowan blinked, "I didn't know." She looked awkwardly away, brushing a loose strand of dark hair behind her ear, "And for the record, I was just asking you because I need a partner to go to the dance, not because... well, not because I... you know what I mean."

     "No, I don't," he gave her a mocking grin, "Please elaborate."

      "Should I elaborate with a fist to your face?" Rowan raised her hand, curling her fingers into a tight fist.

      Kaden blew hair from his eyes with a snort, "Never mind, I get it. Thanks for the offer to the dance though." He gave her a small grin, "Glad you thought of me when you needed a date."

      Rowan elbowed him in the gut as casually as swatting a fly, "Now I can't go. Oh well, it was worth a shot."

      "Why do you want to go so bad?" Kaden asked, rubbing his aching stomach with a hand.

     "I haven't really gone to a dance like this in my life," Rowan sighed brushing hair back from her brown eyes, "And once I turn eighteen, it'll be too late for me to do anything fun."

     "So the curse is true," Kaden looked surprised, eyeing her almost wearily, "And it's on you."

     "It's not contagious, idiot," Rowan snorted, "Though Adeline acts like it is. Of course, I'm not allowed to talk about it, my Dad says. He says I won't have to worry about it because they'll find a cure, but it's been seventeen years with no breakthroughs. And one more year won't change that."

    "Does that scare you?" Kaden asked, picking up a bridle and dumping it into a bucket of clean water to scrub off the dust.

     "It used to, to be honest," Rowan gave her head a small shake, "But I've come to terms with it. Though it's funny to think I'll be dead this time next year."

     "Dead? Or just asleep?"

      "Well, asleep, but I won't wake up," Rowan aimed a kick at a nearby stone, "I mean, why would I? True love's kiss my foot... you're the only guy I know. And I'll look dead. I don't have my sister's beauty- they'll just leave me dead."

      "You're rich," Kaden pointed out, "I'd kiss a corpse for money."

     "Yeah, but you're stupid."

     "You clearly don't know men."

      "My father would never do it."

      "Yeah, but he's already rich."

      She laughed faintly, looking up at the sky, "Then maybe I'll only be dead for a few decades. Assuming I think highly of any of them. I mean, it has to be true love, which I doubt exists."

     "You don't think your Mom and Dad truly loved each other?" Kaden asked quietly, and she glanced back at him in surprise.

     "Y-yes," she blinked slowly, "Are you telling me you believe in true love?"

     "There has to be a method to the madness," he shrugged carelessly, "But shouldn't you be doing princess work or something?"

     "Well, I suppose... um, thanks for your time," Rowan recognized the dismissal and tried for a smile, then turned away. She had more things to worry about than the curse that had now been planted so freshly in her mind.

     That evening...

      Quinn kept nudging her to press the topic with Adeline for the dance, even offering to take it up with the King, but Rowan had turned her down. Her father had better things to worry about than his daughter's attendance to the dance. So she had let it go.

      "Just sneak,"Quinn had begged after hearing this, "There will be so many people there, she'll never notice! I'd feel a lot better if you came too, Rowan."

     To this, Rowan had simply replied that she didn't have a dress to wear anyway. But Quinn wasn't one for giving up so easily. She continued to pester and beg, but she did her best to ignore it.

     But Fate would have it a different way.

      Silvia, one of the castle's maids, had been told about the situation by Quinn, and offered her a dress that she had been mending as a favor to her sister. According to Silvia, the dress had been fully repaired, but wouldn't be picked up until the morning after the dance.

      "It won't be any trouble," Silvia urged, seeming delighted to assist the princess, "You'd only have to return it by midnight so I can wash it before Carmen comes to pick it up!!"

      "I appreciate the offer," Rowan began, but saw her sister in the doorway behind Silvia making begging motions at her. She let out a long sigh, shaking her head from side to side. Then she forced a grin, "Thank you so much!! It looks beautiful, I absolutely love it! I owe you one."

      And now, looking back on it, she was glad she had made the decision. The dress wasn't frilly or fluffy, but sleeker. It was light green, colored like a stunning emerald, and was possibly the most appealing dress Rowan had seen. She wasn't a fan of dressing up, but maybe the absence of dirt and plain clothing would make her harder to recognize.

      Quinn now seemed almost excited for the dance, looking at everything brightly and optimistically. This began to weird Rowan out a little bit.

     The night of the dance came, and Rowan examined herself in the mirror. She barely recognized herself as she stared at her reflection. Her hair had been braided neatly down her back, and her eyes seemed brighter than normal with the light colored outfit. She wore a diamond necklace around her neck that Quinn had given her, and she turned slowly to look at herself, "I actually look like an actual princess," she said to herself in amazement.

     "Of course you do," Quinn said, striding in through the doors. If Rowan had thought she had looked nice in the mirror, it was nothing compared to what Quinn looked like.

      Her sister's blood hair was lightly curled and wavier than usually, her sky blue dress form fitting until her waist, spreading out into an almost sparkling fabric. She looked incredible.

      "This should be enough, don't you think?" Quinn batted her eyelashes at Rowan, who rolled her eyes.

      "Oh, hush. I don't feel like a human being dressed up like this, so I'm only staying for a little while, okay?" Rowan told her sister firmly, "Then I'm out. I'm only here because you want me to be."

     "Uh-huh," Quinn waved this away, "When you see Elena's dress, tell me if you think her outfit really... compliments her. I think it's overdone, personally, but neither she nor Adeline agree. If we're being honest here, I think Adeline's hoping Kaizen will fall for Elena instead of me."

      "That would be nice," Rowan laughed, "Then they could leave to Tiberia and we'd never have a complaint again!"

      "Don't forget you're not supposed to be here," Quinn sounded like she was reminding herself just as much as Rowan, "Don't let Adeline or Elena see you."

      "I doubt they'd recognize me," Rowan laughed again, looking back at her reflection in the mirror, "I don't know what you've done to me, I hardly look like myself anymore!"

     "Maybe you'll snag a dance partner after all," Quinn told her encouragingly, "But you'd better go, Elena will be here to have her hair done in a moment, so go enjoy yourself. The dance is about to start!" The squeal at the end of her sentence revealed she was excited at the prospect of the dance.

      Rowan smiled, "I hope you have a great time," she told her sister as she hurried down the stairs.