Mariel had fled the hall, and found a small back room to hide in. Having closed the door behind her she regretted having left, and wondered what would happen if she were discovered. The small room was filled with barrels and crates, and some strongboxes. She sat down between two crates to think.

She went over the events in her head, and it dawned slowly upon her that her actions may have terrible consequences. Despondent, she sighed.

“Oh hi there.” A voice greeted her.

She nearly screamed as she noticed a shadow stretch over her. She looked up, but could not see the face of the person in front of her.

“Sorry, I got a light over here…” The person held up a small lantern.

Immediately, Mariel noticed that the person talking to her, was roughly equal her age, and most noticeably apart from the curious expression, his hair was white, and his purple eyes kept eyeing her.

“So, why are you hiding out here? You don’t look like a servant… Are you a stowaway? That happens…”

“No… I just needed some time away from the hall and party going on.”

“I see… Well I’m Siravin… Who are you? I can tell you are the same as me.”

“Mariel…” She responded.

“Nice name.” He replied, looking wholly uninterested while popping the lid of a nearby crate.

“Um, are you a thief?” Her question made him stop for a moment, before he turned to her and smiled.

“Not at all. I’m just a delivery boy… And ended up leaving the wrong crate up here… Have you seen it?”

She stood up and watched while Siravin searched the store room for his crate. He soon found it and picked it up. The crate produced noise when moved, and Mariel judged that it contained bottles of some kind.

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“Well do you want to remain here long? Or, think you could help me out a little?”

She agreed, though reluctantly and with an inescapable feeling not everything was as it seemed. The two got outside into the hallway and she followed him closely. They went down a set of stairs and passed by a pair of guards on duty. They soon ended up inside a big kitchen, where staff was busy preparing meals for the party. Siravin put down the crate and a couple of cooks immediately retrieved the contents.

“Hurry it up people!” The head cook shouted hoarsely.

“No! That’s the wrong sauce… Please get it right.”

“We should leave.” Siravin gently led Mariel back into the hallway.

“Thanks for the help.”

“I didn’t do anything even.” She had ended up merely following him along.

“You two! Who are you?” A voice came from the stairs. Upon seeing the source, Siravin immediately dropped to one knee. Mariel followed suit and bent her knees.

“Your highness? To what do we owe this honour?” Siravin asked with all the political reverence he could muster. The Prince merely scoffed.

“Get back to work, I cannot have my staff flirting in the hallway… Get on with it.”

“This way, quickly.” Siravin whispered and quickly led Mariel away in the opposite direction.

Siravin led her back towards the hall. On their way they could walk the many empty corridors, see the splendour and opulence for themselves, and spent some time idly commenting on a statue or a particular set of curtains. During the whole trip Mariel found herself unable to understand Siravin. He appeared to be nice, and was knowledgeable, but remained a mystery to her.

They arrived at the main doors leading back to the party hall.

“Guess this is it… Say, you’re okay, so why don’t you come visit me sometime?” He handed her a small piece of paper with an address written on it.

“That’s my workplace, I think my boss would like you too. Oh and we’re also a little short on staff…”

“Ah… Sure.” She nodded and watched as Siravin nodded, and was gone in the blink of an eye.

The activity in the hall had largely died down. Most of the invited had already moved on to the dining room, but a few dignitaries still remained. She soon spotted her mother and the Queen talking together and she headed over.

“Mariel! There you are… Where have you been?” Serin put on a stern expression.

“Around… It truly is a wonderful place.” She offered the Queen a greeting to disarm her mother.

She sat down and listened as the two women discussed politics and life. On occasion she was asked a couple of questions and she answered them to the best of her ability. The conversation was cut short by a servant reminding the Queen to attend the dining room. Mariel, weighed down by the experience, asked if she could go home. The Queen nodded and bid them both a safe journey. Soon after, Mariel and Serin left for home.