"Robert?"

"Yes, my Lady."

"Quit that!" she snapped back at him. "Tell me, what do you know about Alandria?"

"Alandria?"

"Yeah! You know her, right?"

"Well, yeah. We've known each other for a long time, but you already know that. Why are you asking?"

"Well... she is my roommate..."

"Roommate! You're kidding, right?"

"No, I'm not. She's my roommate."

"Man, I feel for you. Why can't you have a room to yourself?"

"Why? She's not as bad as the others were saying."

"I know that, but she does get a little...crazy. I can't blame her though."

"Huh? Why is that?"

"Well, if what happened to her, happened to me, I'd probably feel the same."

"What happened?"

"I'm not sure it is really my place to say, but she was..."

"She was what? Just tell me already!"

"She was betrayed by those she had considered friends. It was at a retreat like this one."

"Oh... So that is why she dislikes these kinds of functions. But what happened? What did they do to her?"

"I think that is something you will have to ask her about."

"I see... Thank you Robert" Susan said as she looked out at the terrace.

Meanwhile on the terrace, Alandria was enjoying the night air. She always felt out of place at these types of activities, so she would often find a quiet corner to disappear in.

"It is a beautiful night, don't you think?" Susan said as she suddenly appeared on the terrace.

"Yes it is" Alandria replied. "So, how is the ball? It looks like everyone is enjoying themselves."

"Yeah, it does" Susan smiled as she looked back inside. "So, why aren't you in there? You're missing out on all the fun by sitting out here by yourself."

"That's not true. I enjoy sitting out here on the terrace. Besides, it's not like I'm really missed in there. I bet no one has even noticed that I'm not there."

"I did" Susan said in a brutally honest tone.

Stunned by Susan's comment, all Alandria could say was "You got me on that one,... but I doubt anyone else has."

"Who cares what they think? Don't you want to dance?"

"Even if I did there wouldn't be anyone who'd want to dance with me" she said as she fought back tears.

Susan approached Alandria and held out her hand. "Then, if it wouldn't bother you, will you dance with me?"

Even though the thought of dancing with another girl would usually seem awkward to Alandria, somehow it didn't this time. Alandria graciously accepted the hand in front of her, smiled and said "I'd love to."

They danced together on the terrace and enjoyed each other's company for the remainder of the ball. Alandria couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed herself at one of these functions and it was all thanks to Susan. If Susan hadn't been there, Alandria would have spent the entire night in solitude; completely ignored by everyone.

The next few days seemed to fly by. Alandria and Susan enjoyed spending their time together talking and partaking in the activities available to them. They often went for long walks in the garden or horseback riding through the grounds. They spent so much time together, that it was rare to see them apart.

"It really is relaxing here" Susan said as they were walking in the garden.

"Yeah, it is. The gardens here are said to be among the most beautiful in the country" Alandria replied with a distant look in her eyes. "You could almost forget all your troubles and just disappear."

Concerned by what Alandria had just said, Susan couldn't help but inquire as to what she meant. "That may be true Alandria, but why would you want to disappear?"

"Remember when I told you I didn't like these 'retreats'?"

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well... Would you like to know why I hate them?'

All Susan could do was stare back at her and nod.

"About six years ago I attended my first 'retreat' and, like you, I was excited. It was one of my first social gatherings and I was looking forward to meeting people and making new friends. I was truly happy to have been invited. That was until one of the other girls saw that I was attracting the attention of more people then she was."

"So? Who cares how much attention you get?"

"Exactly! I had thought it was good that I was finally making new friends, but... that didn't last long. The next day, when I tried to talk to a few of the people I had met, they brushed me off and started to ignore me."

"Why? What happened? What did you do that would make them ignore you?"

"I was curious about that too. So I went and found someone I knew wouldn't ignore me."

"Who?"

"Robert" she said plainly. "He and I have known each other for years. I knew he wouldn't lie to me. So I went and asked him if he knew what was going on."

"And?"

"He told me that one of the other girls was spreading rumors about me."

"What... kind of rumors?"

Alandria took a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh, and then she stopped walking, turned and faced Susan. "She was telling everyone that I was..." She couldn't bring herself to say it, but she knew she had to. "She told everyone that I was a lesbian and that I tried to hit on her."

Susan was shocked. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.

Alandria continued explaining "Even though it wasn't true, no one wanted to be associated with me for fear of a scandal."

"But...why? Why would anyone do something like that?"

Alandria took a seat by the garden fountain. She took another calming breath and said "Many of the court's young nobles are under pressure from their parents. They are told to make connections with certain families at functions like these in order to improve their stature. They are also told who they should avoid and, that if someone else is receiving attention from someone they need to make a connection with, to destroy them. It has become common practice at these functions. That is why I hate them and, if I had the choice, I wouldn't even be here."

"Then, why did you come?"

Alandria looked up at Susan and said "Why do you think? I came because of my family."

"Your family makes you come even when you don't want to?"

"It's not as simple as that. If I weren't noble born, this wouldn't be a problem. But I am, and as a 'young lady of the court' I'm expected to attend these functions when invited. Especially if it is an invitation from the royal family."

"Yeah... I think I understand. Being a noble isn't as glamorous as people think it is" Susan let out a sigh of her own and took a seat next to Alandria. "I wish we were as free as the commoners are. Not having cameras in our faces everywhere we go..."

"Able to go where we want, when we want..."

"Not having to be afraid of who we are seen with..."

The two of them laughed so hard that they fell over into the fountain. "We should probably go change" Alandria said with laughter.

"Yeah, I don't think they want wet guests at the dinner table" Susan replied, laughing as well.

Everyone stared at the pair of soaking wet girls as they made their way back to the palace to change. Even Robert, who had been watching from a distance, thought to himself: It is good to see you smiling again.