The morning light blazed unfiltered through the open doors of the balcony. With a start, I realized I forgot to close them after I met with Colbin. I softly shut them and closed the heavy drapes with a quiet whoosh. Even so, the maid heard and knocked on the wood door. "Princess Alaniana? Are you ready?" she called

"uh, NO! I-uh- Forgot To-um- Close The Drapes After I-oh- Hung Out- no- On The Balcony- whew!"

"Oh, I'll ask Fredrich to unsaddle your horse, then."

A million questions swirled through my head at her comment. The Princess went riding this early? Who was Fredrich? What was her childhood really like? What did I get myself into?

Another maid's knock disterbed my thoughts.

"Come in!" I called.

The maid tiptoed into the room.

"Tell me about when I was younger," I asked.

"Well, every morning we'd find your nurse pounding on the door to your room. Your horse was usually gone in the morning too. No one could control you in the slightest, except your nurse. You loved running away. No one ever knew where you'd run off to." The maid glanced around and then whispered in my ear.

"When you were two, you fell out of your bedroom window and broke your shoulder. It has always been weak since that day. We tried to bar you in your room, or make the window higher, but somehow, you still got out. Eventually, while you were gone, we built this room, with the balcony, so you wouldn't break your shoulder again."

"I don't remember that incident."

"We don't want you to remember. You hit your head in the fall, and we tried to make you forget it, at your mother's request, may she rest in peace."

"Oh. Well, on to business! What do I have to do today?" I asked with a fake cheerfulness

"To do today?"

"Yes, Do I have anything you want me to do?"

"Oh. You used to shirk responsibility, but now you don't. It's surprising! Anyway, you have a parade this afternoon, but you should probably visit the stables and get reacquainted with your horse this morning."