Last night was fun, Freya thought to herself, remembering all the jokes she and Dawn had shared. She walked into Dawn's room. It was a bright Monday afternoon and the sun was shining through Dawn's windows, making her hair look bright golden. Freya set a plate of salad, mashed potatoes and soup on Dawn's bed. Not the most delicious meal, but it was good enough. Dawn needed to eat healthy - there was only a few days of bed rest left for her. But, Freya was worried about her sister. And their mother was constantly asking about them.

"Freya, any news from mother?" asked Dawn as they finished up her lunch.

"Mhmm... She wants to meet you tomorrow morning. She'll be coming to the castle since your hurt. We'll just move some of your stuff to my room for a while so it looks like we've been staying together... Oh, there's so much to do!" Freya replied in panic. Dawn was already rubbing her forehead.

"What do we need to prepare?" she asked.

"Well, for starters, you need to know proper etiquette. Mother will be eating with us, so you need to know your cutlery."

"All there is to know is how to use a fork, a knife and a spoon! How hard can it be?" she pointed out. Freya grinned. Wait and see... she thought, bringing out a box full of silver cutlery.

---

2 hours had passed and Dawn still didn't understand the difference between a sundae spoon and a dessert spoon.

"Aren't the the same?" asked Dawn, exasperated. "No, the dessert spoon is slightly shorter and thicker." answered Freya with a sigh. This is getting nowhere, Freya realised. Dawn groaned.

"You know what, just stick to what you know and there won't be a problem, as long as you eat slowly. Mother really expects you to eat more elegantly." Freya said.

"Yes!" exclaimed Dawn, happy she wouldn't have to stare at spoons any longer. "Now what?" she asked.

"Now, we need to find you a dress."

Dawn looked at Freya with horror.

"No! Can't you just choose for me?" she asked. Freya shook her head and dragged Dawn out of the room and into the corridor.

"Come on, I have a huge wardrobe in my room. You can choose from there." she said. Suddenly, both the sisters could hear footsteps echoing into the hallway and Dawn rushed back inside.

"Lady Freya, what a pleasure! Are you helping Day change his dressing again?"

Chris... thought Dawn, recognizing his voice.

"Yes." replied Freya.

"Oh, good. I was just about to check on him myself." Chris said, turning the doorknob. Dawn started panicking.

"Wait!" yelled Freya, "He was changing inside, so I came out. You might not want to go in there."

Chris turned slightly red, "Oh. I mean, we're both men... but..." He hesitantly let go of the doorknob.

"In any case, I'll wait. Anyways, how have you been?" he asked. Freya smiled.

"Good. You?"

"Same."

While Freya and Chris talked outside, Dawn rushed to the bathroom and changed. She slipped off a lemon colored dress and put on a shirt, shorts and her wig. She was just about to open the door when she slipped. She yelped in pain. The door flung open and in came a panicking Freya and Chris.

"What happened?" asked Freya with a worried look.

"I just slipped..." Day muttered. Freya laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Come on." she said, helping Day up.

"Sorry Christopher, but I need to borrow Day for a while. Bye!" Freya exclaimed, dragging Day across the corridor and up the stairs to her room.

Chris dumbfoundedly turned around and started walking back when he noticed Day's door open. He walked back and started to close it when he noticed a bright yellow cloth on the floor in the bathroom. What is that? he wondered, but closed the door anyways.

---

"Are you done yet!" Freya called out from outside the bathroom. They only had about an hour or a half before the Duke and Duchess's arrival.

"Yeah, yeah...." Dawn muttered at last, coming out.

"How do I look?" she asked gesturing to her dress, even twirling for effect. She was wearing a simple dark green dress with a V neck. Freya smiled.

"You look lovely as always. Now come on, let's get your hair done." Freya pulled Dawn's hand and dragged her across the room to the vanity table. Deciding to go simple, she braided Dawn's hair, adding a gold clip for elegance.

"There you go. That was fast wasn't it?" said Freya, proud of what she had done. Dawn looked at herself in the mirror. Her outfit was quite nice, and she didn't have to put make up!

She smiled, "Thanks."

"Now hurry up!" Freya grabbed Dawn's arm and pulled her to the bed. Dawn flopped on while Freya arranged the small table which they had ordered with 4 sets of cutlery. Their parents would be arriving in a few minutes.

A knock sounded on the door and it gently opened, revealing Duchess Cygnus dressed in a cream gown and Duke Cygnus in a brown suit. Dawn and Freya smiled and welcomed them in.

"Oh, darling! I've been so worried!" gushed their mother as she sat down on the bed next to Dawn.

"I'm doing fine, mother." she said kindly, smiling at her jumpy mother.

"Well, how is it here?" the Duchess asked, curious.

"It's wonderful! I'm so glad you told us about it!" replied Dawn. Her necklace glowed warmer every time she spoke a new lie. She clenched her fist, sick of lying to her parents. She loved them and didn't want to hurt them.

"Have you made friends?" the Duke spoke up at last.

"Quite a number, father. I think you'd like them." she said, letting go of the tight grip on her hand. She smiled to herself. Freya glanced her way knowingly. She knew Dawn wasn't talking about her lady friends. No, she was talking about the knights Day was close with.

"Well, I'm glad!" her father said, beaming.

"I hope your making good connections. And have you found any suitors yet?" inquired their mother.

Dawn looked at her sister in panic.

"Not really..." she said hesitantly. "Well, there's Justin..."

Her mother smiled.

"He's a very sweet boy. I like him. What about you, Freya?"

Freya blushed.

"Uh..." she stuttered.

"His name is Elliot," Dawn interrupted, "They're perfect for each other." Freya blushed a deeper red.

"I'd like to meet him," said their father, "Him and that Justin boy." He narrowed his eyes. "Let's see if they're good enough for my two lovely daughters..." he said playfully.

"Later..." suggested Freya slowly, still red in the face. The Duke chuckled.

"Afraid you old man will embarrass you?" he asked with a wide grin.

"Oh no, father. I assure you, I can do worse." said Dawn, nudging her sister. Freya rolled her eyes and changed the topic.

"How about we eat?" she said and walked to the table. Everyone followed, her father stopping to help Dawn off the bed. Dawn took a deep breath in and reviewed every thing her sister had taught her just a day ago. She placed food on her plate and began to eat slowly, being as elegant as she could.

"I see they're teaching you well." commented Duchess Valentine, nodding to Dawn with a small smile. Dawn beamed. A sense of pride bloomed inside her. Her mother rarely ever complimented her. Especially her eating habits. Mostly, she would just tell Dawn off for eating too fast. Or using the fork wrong. Or not finishing the salad. But for the first time, her mother seemed satisfied. The effort's paying off... she thought to herself.

They finished lunch soon.

"How about we meet Elliot and Justin?" proposed the Duke as he got up.

"Uh..." muttered Dawn, starting to panic. Now what? Will they even be free? What will I tell them?

"There shouldn't be a problem..." said Freya, thinking. "How about we drop in on their practice and see if they're free?

Her parents nodded.

"Great idea! That way I'll get to see their skill." said the Duke.

Dawn laughed, "Don't scare them, please!"

"I won't..." he muttered, smiling. Letting go of her panic and worry, Dawn slowly opened the door and led them to the training fields. She had to stop and lean on the railing a few times on the stairs, but other than that, it was fairly easy.

"Here we are." exclaimed Freya when the reached the half open, half enclosed grounds. On one side were rooms with mattresses and on the other a large field with a running track and a bunch of fighting grounds in the middle.

Dawn looked around for a while and spotted the guys near their usual spot - by the bench.

"They're over there." she pointed towards the cluster of boys. "Why don't you go ahead... I'll sit this one out. Tell Justin I said 'Hi'..." she said lowering herself onto a chair in the corner.

"Nonsense! You can come with us!" her declared, pulling Dawn up. With a sigh, she trudged over to them. She almost felt herself call out to Chris and say 'hi', but stopped herself. Dawn doesn't know the prince well. Only Day does! she scolded herself.

For a while, the Duke just stood and watched them fight. At last, they decided to go up to them.

"Hi, Eli." Freya said, walking up to Eli who was drinking water. He turned around and beamed.

"Freya!" he exclaimed, wrapping his arms around her.

"Please. You're sweating!" she told him, but didn't do anything to stop him. He slowly let go after a second.

"I want you to meet my parents." she said. Eli immediately widened his eyes and looked behind Freya. Duke and Duchess Cygnus were standing a few feet away. What if they don't like me? I'll make a fool out of myself! he panicked.

"Don't worry! Could you find Justin? They want to meet him too."

Eli nodded and went back to get Justin.

"Dawn's parents? Here?" asked Justin, terrified when Eli told him. Eli nodded.

They both walked over to where Dawn, Freya and their parents were standing.

"Good afternoon, Duke and Duchess Cygnus. It's an honor to meet you. I'm Elliot McClain." he said nervously with a small smile on his face.

"And I'm Justin Lake." Justin added. The Duke and Duchess smiled back at them.

"Nice to meet you boys at last. Both of you fight quite well." the Duke pointed out.

"Thank you, sir." replied Eli with a small bow.

"And both of you seem very lovely." added the Duchess. She was very pleased. Both Elliot and Justin were well mannered. The Duke liked them as well. They fought well and seemed to genuinely like his daughters. The two parents looked at each other and nodded.

After having a light conversation, they said goodbye.

"It was nice meeting you, Elliot and Justin. Take care of my daughters." the Duke said and walked away.

Eli and Justin stood straight as they walked away. Freya and Dawn sent one last look of gratitude and whispered a sorry.

"Did that just happen?" asked Justin, staring at Eli.

Eli nodded, "I think so."

--+--

Again, thanks for reading! Have a super day!