Dedi goes to my friend Fallon because she told me she wants the chapters I've been working on up already!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 4: I Wear a Corset, and My Fate on Shif Is Decided

“Hello again Kat!” The familiar voice started bouncing on my bed somewhere near where my feet should be.

“I’m sorry Kat’s not in today her evil twin Tak is!” I said pouncing on her when i said my name back words. “What are you doing in here gremlin?” I said tickling the information out of her.

“Ha ha ha please stop I’ll tell you! Its time for breakfast.” Kristiana said.

“Okay wait outside my door for me while I get dressed and then you can pull me where ever you like.”

“Yay! Don’t take to long!” She said pouting at the last statement.

I went over to my dresser and found a note on top.

Kat please where one of the dresses in the wardrobe today. My parents would like to meet you and they don’t take kindly to a girl in pants.

Sincerely, Prince Conradio

“Ugh. I hate dresses.” I thought to myself. I looked inside the wardrobe and found three floor length dresses one was a soft shade of pink. That was immediately ruled out as being to girlie. The next was a deep blue that reminded me of the ocean at night. I ruled that out because of the memory associated with the color. And the last was a moss green. I liked the color. When I pulled it out and looked at it I found I liked it more. The bodice was buttoned down the front and starting at the waist it split to reveal that the under dress was a deep scarlet or cranberry red. The sleeves were short and edged with lace and the neck line squared which has always been my favorite kind.

“This is the one I’ll wear.”

“That’s a good choice miss.”

I all but screamed as I turned around. “Please don’t do that.”

“I didn’t mean to frighten you miss. Please accept my apologies.”

“It’s alright just please give me some sign your here next time.”

“Yes miss. I have been sent to help you into your dress. That one will look pretty on you.”

“Thank you I thought so my self.” The maid came over and pulled at the hidden drawer at the bottom of the wardrobe. She pulled out a corset.

“No one said I’d have to wear a corset.” I said rather roughly.

“I’m sorry miss but you kind of have to in this. The good thing is there is a slit in the sides of the dresses for the panniers.

“The what?”

“Panniers. They are like pockets for the dress and it gives it its shape.”

She pulled out these little almost cone shaped items the had noticeable wiring at intervals in the fabric to keep it’s shape. Each cone was connected by a strap and then had another hanging off the side.

“I was allowed access to your world once. When I went I found out that the style of clothes we wear here in Shif is akin to the ones worn in the 1700’s on Narsda.”

“Oh great so now I’m gonna be dressing like my sister’s American Girl doll, Felicity.”

“I don’t understand what you mean by that.”

“I doubted you would.”

When she finished lacing up the corset, which I had sweared quite a bit while she was doing since I still can’t breath, she showed me the slit in the dress and panniers so that I could put what ever in there. Twenty minutes later I was in the outfit and dying to get out.

“I do have one question, um, sorry I never caught your name.”

“Rozalie.”

“Rozalie. I do have one question?”

“Yes miss?”

“How do I breath?”

“Unfortunately you don’t. Take this fan. When you feel faint use it to fan yourself. The cool air will keep you awake.”

“I really don’t like the sound of this.”

“Well I doubted if you might.”

“I’m gonna tell Donna to stop strangling Felicity when I get home.” I said it under my “breath” but still loud enough that Rozalie laughed at my joke.

*Conrad*

I was waiting for Kat when Krissy walked through the door, walked who I’m I kidding the slowest pace for her is jogging, she ran in to talk to me.

“Oh just wait Big Brother.” She said.

“What for?” Something in told me to look up at the door though and when I did in walked Kat. She had chosen the Moss green just like I thought she would her hair was curled and partially up. It had been pinned into a comb that ran up her scalp with the curls falling over it. She had a faint tint of green on her eyelids which brought out the blue in them even more.

“You’ll catch flies like that Conrad.” She said with a satisfied smirk.

“You look beautiful. I also had a feeling you would choose the green.”

“Well I damn well wasn’t going to wear the pink. It is to girlie and ‘damsel-in-distress’-ish.”

“Which is the whole reason I put it in there.” She shoved my shoulder obviously trying not to laugh. I thought I saw a slight hint of pink race across her cheeks though.

*Kat*

God. Why did that make me blush. He was making a joke. Oh but that smile. No Kat he is an Alien. Your just thinking these things because your brain is deprived of air. I kept thinking to myself to afraid to open my mouth and let all the air rush out.

“So are you ready to face my parents?”

“Not entirely. I am more ready to faint. How do these women wear these corsets?”

“I honestly don’t know. When we were younger me and I decided that I was going to bet my sister Anne. She won and made me wear I corset for a week. My mom found out in the first five minutes because I had passed out.”

“Well than you know how hard it is for me right now. You owe me. Big time.”

“Yes Ma'am.”

“Oh shut up” I said laughing. That got more air in me but I quickly held it in only letting it out when needed. He pulled my hand into the crook of his arm saying that’s how a lady holds it.

“The Crown Prince Conradio, And Miss Katherine Ariel Markovitz.” Some man at the door announced us as they were pulled open. As we went in I grabbed his arm tighter making him gasp in pain.

“Sorry. Nervous.” I whispered as we walked past the doors now fully opened.

“Don’t be.” His assurance made me smile.

“Mother, Father. This is Miss Katherine Markovitz.”

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance, your Majesties.” I said as I gave a small curtsy.

“What a polite young lady. Have you ever met royalty before?” His Mother had a voice the calmed me. A little.

“No your majesty. I learned all of this from watching movies, but mostly reading books.” I could feel my palms sweating.

“Well you could have fooled us Katherine.” Said Conrad’s Father. He had a voice that you would imagine Santa Clause having if he were real.

“Your majesties, Might I ask you to please call me Kat? I have always hated Katherine.”

“But of course! Why didn’t you say so in the first place?” The King said with a laugh.

“Kat. How darling.” Said the Queen. “Where are you from my dear?”

“Seattle.”

“Is that in the North?” The king thinks Seattle is part of his country? Ha.

“Yeah. Northern America, the country not the content.”

“Your Not from Shif?” At least the Queen gets it.

“No she’s not. She is the young lady whom I rescued from the SATF.”

“The SATF?” Wow the King and Queen sound like that doesn’t happen often.

“Yes. She was in the hallway and thought we were playing a game he grabbed her thinking she was my mate. Apparently they had put a tracking spell on me the first time I got away from them and the found me yet again. My position is compromised but I need to stay to protect her. He had taken a picture saying she was my mate and she would survive the attack. He sent the message to the others before I could stop him.”

“She needs to stay here and train then yes we will protect her.”

“Whoa you guys are going to make me stay on Shif? No. I have a family. I can’t abandon them and leave them wondering where I went.” I regretted saying that so loud and angrily as soon as I said it. I felt myself turn as red as the front of my dress. “Sorry that was rash, but true.”

“Don’t worry. It was refreshing. No one yells at us fearing the worst if they do.” Oh my god that was close. It is very good that the king has a sense of humor. “Now my dear you do have a point eventually they will realize you are missing and that would not be good either because that would alert them you are here.”

“You mean you would rather me be on Earth than here because you don’t want them to destroy your pretty castle?”

“No we don’t want them to find our pretty planet. They have been searching in vain for three centuries.”

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” I blushed again at my rashness and decided to just shut up.

“Well have her train give her a concealable sword and you two will go back like nothing has changed. Keep your guard up and find your mate. You don’t have long.”

“Yes Mother. Thank you.” Conrad gave my hand a squeeze to tell me to do the same.

“Yes thank you your Majesties for your gratitude.” I curtsied again before I let Conrad take me out of the room.

“Oh gawd I feel like I’m gonna throw up.” I passed out from lack of air.

*Conrad*

I caught Kat before she fell to the ground put she had already passed out…luckily during my time on earth I had seen the first Pirates of the Caribbean and sort of knew what to do. I did what Jack did…minus the lack of dress. The results were different but the same. She started to breathe again.

I buttoned the front of the dress, apparently she didn’t need the corset, and picked her up in my arms. I ran the hallways as fast as I could without dropping her until we got to her room. When there I laid her on the bed. Without delay I unbuttoned the blouse again to take out the corset I only just realized I left in there. I proceeded to quickly button her back up, put her under the covers and wait for her to wake.

*Kat*

I wasn’t quite awake but I was starting to become aware of my surroundings. I heard breathing nearby and decided I should fain sleep until I knew weather it was enemy or foe. My door opened and I heard quiet voices commence a conversation.

“She’s still out right now Erasmus what is the matter?”

“Your parents just received a letter from a runner.”

“What’s happened now?”

“Anne has over taken Harding, the border city, and is bringing her allies in. She is trying to over take Bracer now.”

“Those are the two biggest border cities. If they over take both there is no stopping her army.”

“Their Majesties have sent more troops but there is still the other part of the letter.”

“What?”

“She knows about her.”

“I still haven’t told her.”

“Well you better make it soon, otherwise I fear the worst.”

“She wanted so badly to be normal.”

“That was never in her future. You know it is predetermined.”

“I know. Quickly, can you tell if she is waking up soon?”

“She looks a little more alert. I would say she has been listening to this conversation but knowing her she would have reacted to hearing the news of you finding your mate. She is most likely going to wake in the next few minutes.”

“Thanks Ras.”

“Any time.”

I heard but still didn’t believe. While I was out he found his mate and I could go back to school and live like this never happened. All I know is that I will be staying clear of the senior hallway from now on. Well I had better start to stir so Conrad knows what, Erasmess did he say, that however it was accurate.

“Kat can you hear me?” I guess my moving means I am waking but I’m gonna let him wait a tad longer for making me wear that damn corset.

“Kat please wake up, you have been out a full day.” Well he sounds desperate enough…I guess I’ll “wake up.”

“Uh, Conrad? What happened?”

“You couldn’t breathe because of the corset. You passed out. You’ve been out a full day.”

“Geez I might as well carry smelling salts around. Is there any news?”

“You heard didn’t you.”

“I was going in and out for a while there but I heard something about a letter, someone wanting to be normal, and, what I guess was about me, someone waking in a few minutes.” I am lying through my teeth. Well it looks to be working…he has a relieved look on his face. Oops thought to soon.

“Did you hear anything else about the one wanting to be normal?”

Lie. No tell the truth. Each side of me was warring and I could see his face coming to the truth the longer I waited. The answer was a surprise to me as much as Conrad. “Yes. Congrats you’ve found your mate! Can I meet her? I’ll pack my bags for home while you get her.”

“Um, well you kind of can’t meet her.”

“Why not? I was dragged into this situation. I’m going to meet the girl who could have saved my ass.”

“Well I would but…” He seemed to be struggling on how to say it.

“Spit it out Conrad.” Realization hit me. “No don’t, do not say it Conrad.” I could see the words forming anyway.