After breakfast and "acting" lessons, Kindle decided we should check on Faye and see how she was coming along with my outfits. I agreed, and went along with him down the winding corridors-- How he was able to navigate them without getting lost was beyond me, I would never be able to do it!

I'd made the decision not to hold Kindle's... relationship... with the queen against him. I mean, maybe they were really in love, and for some reason Lydia had to marry Seraphim, but didn't want to give up on being with Kindle. That made sense, I could accept that, I guess. Actually, I was nearly positive that they were in love, or at least Kindle was. During our "role-play" in which he was the prince, he told me to practice flirting, and when I did as he asked he immediately distanced us. He probably felt uncomfortable acting like that with me-- even if it was only pretend-- because he was with Lydia.

Yes, I could accept that just fine, and I would accept that. I could count the number of people I'd met in the Shadow Realm on one hand, and if I couldn't bring myself to at least be civil with Kindle, I would be completely alone in a world that was unfamiliar to me. Just the thought of being alone there, with no one at all, made me feel increasingly empty inside.

"Taken a vow of silence?" Kindle questioned, waving a hand in front of my face as we walked.

"Hm? What?" I replied stupidly.

"I've been carrying on a one-sided conversation for the past five or so minutes, it's really not good for my sanity if you don't reply at some point." Kindle pointed out.

"Oh, sorry." I'd been so deep in thought that I hadn't even noticed he'd been talking to me. "You were saying?"

"I was having a lovely conversation with myself about how, after we check on your dresses, we should begin dance lessons." Kindle explained, "After all, a month may seem like a long time, but when you think of all I have to teach you in that period, it's much shorter."

"That's very reassuring, thank you." I replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Look on the bright side," Kindle said with a smile, "At least I wasn't stupid enough to say a week, which was actually my original plan."

I raised my eyebrows at him, saying nothing, and he smiled wider.

The trip to Faye's room seemed much shorter this time, and she was able to answer the door without getting herself tangled up in her supplies. "Oh, good, you're here!" Faye chirped, grabbing my hand and pulling me into the room.

She tugged me to the other side of the room, chattering excitedly about how she worked successfully all night long without needing a single cup of coffee, as Kindle followed silently behind us. On one of the standing mannequins was a new dress. It was simple, yet elegant, with a long, flowing train and tiny roses embroidered into the peach-colored satin.

"Oh my goodness, Faye, Is that mine?" I gasped, squeezing her hand. "It's beautiful!"

"You think so?" She pulled her dark hair over one shoulder in a futile attempt to tame it.

"Yes, it's stunning!" I insisted, stepping closer to run a tentative hand over the delicate looking fabric.

"If you like your practice dress so much," She laughed, unzipping the back of the dress, "Just wait until I finish your first real one!" She draped the dress over my arm.

"Whoa, wait, this is only my practice dress?" I questioned, examining the no doubt hand-stitched roses more closely.

"Yes, of course. That gown is only a one night job, you think I'd allow you to wear it out in public?" Faye scoffed.

I blinked. The dress I held was by far the most beautiful item of clothing I'd ever seen in person. If Faye meant it to be my practice gown, I could hardly imagine the masterpiece I'd get to wear to an actual ball!

An actual ball. It was such a strange thought, that I would eventually be attending a real, honest to goodness ball. I was still having trouble getting over the fact that this was really real. Actually, I wasn't even sure I was ready to accept that yet. I wanted to stick with the theory of this being a dream, but it was growing increasingly difficult to pass this all off as a figment of my imagination.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Try it on!" Faye insisted, pushing me towards the changing room. "Oh, and good news! I found a hairbrush! I put it in the changing room for you." She added enthusiastically.

I nearly screamed when I caught sight of my reflection in the dressing room mirror. If I had thought I looked bad yesterday, I looked even worse today! My hair could hardly be identified as hair; it looked more like a tumble weed had rolled in and made itself comfortable on my head. Not to mention the skin around my eyes, which were still red and slightly puffy from my crying last night. No wonder Kindle laughed at me so much! I looked horrible!

I scanned the tiny room for the hairbrush Faye mentioned, snatching it up as soon as I saw it. I yanked it through my tangled mess of hair quickly. Taking another look at my reflection, I wished there was something I could do about my puffy eyes. Once my hair looked acceptable, I turned my attention back to the beautiful dress Faye had made me. I slipped out of Faye's jeans and shirt, and pulled the dress over my head. It fit perfectly, and again I found myself questioning why it was only a practice dress.

I exited the dressing room timidly, tugging on my hair out of nervous habit. "What do you think?" I asked when I rejoined Faye and Kindle.

"Oh you look beautiful!" Faye gushed, clapping her hands excitedly. "I'm so happy it fits you right!"

"When I go back home, would it be at all possible for me to take this with me?" I asked her, "I mean, it's just too gorgeous!"

"Yes of course you can. I made it for you after all." Faye giggled, "I'm just so excited to be making normal sized clothes for once. Everything I make for Lydia is practically doll sized! It gets soo annoying."

At the mention of the queen, I bit my lip and looked over at Kindle, waiting to see his reaction. He met my eyes and dropped his gaze to the floor, just as I expected.

"Doesn't Maggie look good?" Faye asked, nudging Kindle.

"Y-yeah. Sure." Kindle replied, not looking up.

I blushed deeper, turning my eyes to the floor as well. Why would Faye say that, obviously she knows about whatever it is going on with Kindle and Lydia, right? "So, dance lessons, right?"

I asked, trying to diffuse the awkward tension in the room. Surely I wasn't the only one feeling it.

"Yep, let's get going!" Kindle smiled, suddenly snapping back into his normal attitude as if nothing had changed.

"Oh, Maggie wait! If you're going to be dancing, you'll need these!" Faye exclaimed. She scurried across the room, hopping over a box of ribbon that sat on the floor. She grabbed something off a shelf and hopped back to hand it to me.

"Heels?" I questioned, examining the silver pumps she'd given me. And heels they were; at least five inches high!

"You'll be expected to wear shoes like that to the ball, so you might as well practice with them." Faye explained.

"Oh okay, thanks." I said with a smile and bent down to slip the shoes on.

"Ready to go?" Kindle asked. He was standing in the doorway waiting for me.

"Yeah," I replied quickly as I stood up in the heels. I felt wobbly and off balance even before I started walking, and had to grab Faye's arm for support.

"You okay, Maggie?" Faye asked, brows creased with worry.

"I'm fine," I said, standing myself upright again. "I'm just not used to wearing shoes like this." I took a few wobbling steps toward Kindle. "I'll get used to it." I insisted. I held my arms out to steady myself as I made my way across the floor with small steps.

"Oh my god, here," Kindle sighed. He shrugged away from the wall and walked to my side, holding his arm out. "I thought it was supposed to be a natural thing for girls to walk in heels."

"I'll do you a favor and pretend I didn't hear that sexist comment." I said, taking his arm gratefully.

And the shoes! And... Well thanks for a lot, actually!" I called over my shoulder as Kindle led me from the room.

"Oh don't mention it!" Faye chirped with a smile, waving to me as I exited.

It was slow going trying to get to the ballroom, and I had to admire Kindle's patience. I would have expected him to get annoyed and drag me along faster, or to simply throw me over his shoulder and carry me the rest of the way, but he didn't. He walked along at my pace, allowing me to use him for support.

"I think you should wear the shoes from now on," Kindle said when we finally reached the vast, white walled ballroom. "Or at least until you get used to them. Of course, stumbling around and crashing into people would definitely attract the Prince's attention."

I grimaced, not particularly wanting to wear the heels for much longer. I scanned the empty ballroom, though there was nothing that really marked it as a ballroom apart from its size. There were no tapestries, or chandeliers, or large windows. Just the same plain white walls that marked a majority of the castle. "What's up with the white?" I asked Kindle finally.

"It's supposed to be a calming color," Kindle said, frowning at one of the walls. "Back when this was an orphanage, they thought the white walls would make the children feel more relaxed in their new home. Make them happy. But I'm not sure how someone can expect a kid to be happy again when everyone important to them is dead." He snapped.

I was silent for a moment. Unsure what to say in this suddenly awkward situation. The castle of the Abandoned Order was no castle at all, it was an old orphanage. Suddenly the empty stone halls seemed much creepier, and the reason behind their name, the Abandoned Order, made sense. I wondered how many children lived here, crying over the parents they would never see again. Parents who were probably a lot like Elle's, caring and loving. Kindle continued to glare at the wall, and I got the feeling that he knew this first hand. I felt the need to say something, "Kindle I..." I reached out a hand to touch his shoulder, "I'm so sor--"

"Well!" Kindle announced loudly, making me jump. He spun to face me with a smile on his face as if nothing had happened. "Let's get this lesson started, shall we?"

I guess he just didn't want to talk about it, which was understandable. "Okay," I smiled back at him.

"So, I'm hoping you at least understand how to position yourself to begin a dance, right?" Kindle asked, quirking up an eyebrow.

"Um, I just put my hands here, right?" I said, placing my hands on his shoulders. The shoes were so high heeled they put me nearly at eye-level with him.

"More like this." Kindle removed one of my hands from his shoulder and pressed it into his own, his other hand resting on my waist. "And stand up straight. Posture is important for this kind of thing."

I rolled my shoulders back. "Like this?"

"Right, but don't be so stiff." He chuckled, "You can have proper posture without being a statue."

"Where did you learn all this?" I asked, trying unsuccessfully to relax while still standing straight.

"Mirror my feet." Kindle said, not answering me. "When I step back, you step back. Got it?"

"Sure."

Slowly, Kindle began moving, and I was careful to follow his steps as best I could. "Believe it or not, I wasn't always kidnapping girls for Seraphim," Kindle said after a moment. I wanted to look up and see if his expression was joking or serious, but I had to keep my eyes to the ground and watch his feet. "Everyone here has a past," He continued. "We're just not really into sharing it."

We continued dancing— well, Kindle dancing and me clumsily following his lead— in silence after that. I wanted to say something to break the silence, but I had to focus on where I put my feet. I'd already stepped on Kindle more times than I cared to count, and my face was bright red with embarrassment.

"Blondie," Kindle said, stopping the dance. "Have you ever heard the phrase two left feet?" He removed his hand from my waist to ruffle his hair.

I grimaced, looking up from the ground for the first time since we'd begun dancing. "I'm that bad?"

"No no," Kindle replied, his lips twitching as he fought back a smile, "You have three."

I glared at him. "Jerk," I said, but the glare morphed into a smile and I took my hand off his shoulder to give him a playful shove.

"Now now, violence is never the answer, Blondie." Kindle scolded sarcastically.

"Oh really?" I said, raising an eyebrow. "Then what is?"

"More practice!" Kindle announced, dropping me quickly, yet smoothly into a dip.

I squealed, not at all prepared for that. I wrapped my arms around his neck to secure myself as I lost balance on the wobbly heels.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything." Lydia spoke suddenly, making me jump.

Kindle snapped me back upright and released my hips. "No, not at all. I was teaching her how to dance." Again, his voice took on a hard edge, the same way it had the first time we met Lydia in the hall.

Lydia looked calmly between Kindle and I, her eyes fixing momentarily on me. "Cute dress. It's so... simple."

Why did I feel like that wasn't a compliment? "Um, thanks." I replied, fixing my eyes on the ground.

"Do you need something, Your Highness?" Kindle asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yes, I'd like to speak with you, Kindle." Lydia turned her eyes to him, "Alone if you please."

"No, I think I'll stay." Kindle shrugged.

Lydia and I both snapped our heads to him at the same time. "What did you say?" Lydia asked.

"I said I'm staying," Kindle replied. "Whatever it is you have to say can wait until I finish lessons, after all, this is your husband's plan I'm working on. You wouldn't want to get in the way of that, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't." Lydia snapped, her eyes narrowed. "It is very unwise to go against the wishes of royalty." And with that, she turned on her heels and briskly exited the room, her block dress swirling around her like an angry storm cloud.

"Now, where were we?" Kindle said with a smile, turning back to me and taking my hand and waist again.

"You didn't have to do that, you know." I said. "I could have just gone back to Faye's if you wanted to be with Lydia."

"I'm not sure I follow what you mean." Kindle replied, a look of confusion on his face. It was an act of course.

I rolled my eyes. "You don't have to play dumb. I know you and Lydia are in a secret relationship. If you want to be with her, go. Don't be away from her on my account." As I told myself earlier that day, I was going to be accepting of their relationship. I put on a smile.

Kindle sighed, releasing me and scratching his head uncomfortably. "I knew it. That's why you ran. You heard us in the hall."

"And um... saw you." I added, feeling my face heat up.

Kindle's eyes widened, and surprisingly enough he blushed. "Saw? How much?"

I bit my lip. "Enough." I said, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Okay." Kindle looked away, his face still red. "Then I guess it will be pretty hard to convince you that we aren't together, hm?"

"You don't need to lie to me about it. It's not like I really care or anything. I just... am a little shocked you would do this to the man you claimed was like a brother to you."

"I'm not lying Blondie," Kindle stated. "I'm not with Lydia. I don't have any feelings for her at all."

I had to laugh at that. "Oh really? If that's how you kiss someone you have no feelings for, I'd be a bit scared to see what you're like with someone you actually do care about."

"Maggie." My head snapped up, eyes locking directly on Kindle. He actually used my real name? Kindle stood directly in front of me, his strange black and gold eyes burning into mine. "I mean it. Lydia does have feelings for me, she has for as long as I've known her. But I feel nothing for her. We are not together."

"Then why...?" I trailed off in confusion, losing my trail of thought due to his unnerving eyes.

Kindle's expression was pained, "I wish I could tell you. I really wish I could, Blondie." He looked away and I released the breath I didn't know I'd been holding. "Just know that I feel nothing for her. And the things I tell her are only to make her happy."

I was silent for a moment, thinking, and then I nodded. "Alright. I believe you."

"Good." Kindle smiled, then grabbed my waist and pulled me close. "Let's dance."