The End of the Royal Ball

TEMARI almost didn't survive the royal ball. After that dance with the Crown Prince she went to her usual side near the wall where Emma, her lady's maid was waiting for her. She planned to stay there until the end of the party while trying to analyze the hidden meaning behind her encounter with Rhys.

 However, despite the fact that Rhys already danced with a few other ladies in the ball, everyone didn't lose their interest on Temari. Her plan to become a wallflower the whole night was disturbed by gentlemen asking her to dance. To avoid people being suspicious of her, she accepted every invitation. She ended up dancing the whole night until her feet hurt.

If her dance partners noticed her lack of experience in waltz, no one commented. They were all busy asking Temari about her family background, where she came from and what did the Crown Prince spoke to her about while they were dancing. She was able to lie to all of them without batting an eye but the repeated questions were tiring and alarming.

Fortunately, most of the men looked disappointed and uninterested when they learned Temari is just a baron's daughter and from a town they haven't heard of. Temari realized that just like the Crown Prince, almost all the gentlemen in the ball are looking for prospective wives and she didn't pass their standard. Good. She has no plans of marrying lazy aristocrats who never do proper work and instead spends the money of their ancestors.

 The moment it was announced that the Crown Prince will already leave the party, Temari knew the royal ball is also about to end. She turned to Emma when Rhys and his crew exit the ballroom. "Shall we go to our room now too? I am tired."

 The lady's maid answered, "As you wish, my lady. I believe the others will be going now too since the Crown Prince is no longer present."

 Emma was right. When Temari looked around almost all the ladies and princesses are already heading to the grand staircase with their maids. They did the same. All the guests dispersed on their assigned rooms with the assistance of their maids and some royal guards. That was how the royal ball ended.

 As they walk the dark hallways that were only illuminated by candles, Temari couldn't help but notice that the walls suddenly felt suppressive than during the day. She could still hear the quiet echoes of the happy voices from the guests walking to their rooms but it didn't ease the strangeness of the hallways.

Soon Temari was on her room, finally getting rid of her tight and heavy dress and replaced by a light and comfortable night gown. She sat at the side of the bed and her lady's maid helped her get rid of all the pins in her head. She sighed in relief when her hair cascaded down her back. It was a long and tiring day. She has never been this tired in her previous missions before. Perhaps it was because she has never disguised herself as a lady.

"Do you need anything else, Lady Temari?" Emma asked.

"Nothing. I will just wash my face and then go to sleep," Temari lied with a smile.

Emma bowed at her. "Then, I shall leave you now, my lady. I will see you tomorrow morning to help you prepare for brunch. It will happen in one of the gardens in the castle."

"Where are you staying?" she asked casually.

The lady's maid looked surprise at her question. She looked at her and Temari hoped she didn't sound suspicious. Emma answered, "All the attendants of the guests will be staying in one wing of the servants' quarters, my lady. If you need anything throughout the night, you can just ring the bell next to your bed and I will come."

"But the servants' quarters are far from here… I assume?"

"It is, my lady."

[And all the staff in the castle will probably stay there for the night. I can finally check the rooms near my sleeping quarters without anyone seeing me.]

Temari liked that information a lot. She smiled at the lady's maid. "You may leave and sleep now, Emma. I will not need assistance. I am a deep sleeper."

"Very well, my lady. Have a good night." She bowed again before she went out of the room.

Temari grinned as she stood. She will have to wait for at least an hour or two before she will start with her plans, just to make sure everyone will be sound asleep. She took her time washing her face then she spent her time rummaging inside her luggage. She smiled when she finally grabbed what she was looking for.

Inside one of the skirts of her dresses, she took out a thin iron stick. It was small, just as long as her middle finger. Temari stared at it with a smile. "You will help me get into every door just like always, right?"

It will never answer her but she swore the iron stick sparkled like it was saying yes. Temari called it master key because she uses it to open locked doors and windows. She always succeeds when she uses it. She believes that it was not only because of her skills but also because of the master key itself. There is an enchantment on it.

The master key was made by an old and talented blacksmith named Pyro. He lives at the foot of the mountains in the outskirts of Clearbury. When Temari was seventeen, Zak brought her to the blacksmith. They didn't have to tell him what she needed. He just looked at her, talked to her for a few minutes and created the master key for her. Pyro handed it to her and didn't even ask for payment. He just told her, "You pay me someday."

"When?" seventeen-year-old Temari asked the blacksmith as she cradled the thin and small iron stick against her chest.

Pyro looked down at her knowingly, as if it was not the first time he saw her. Then he said simply, "You will know when."

And that was the end of their conversation. Temari and Zak went on their way and just before they turn into a bend in the road she looked back. Pyro and his hut was no longer there. Through the years, she went back to that part of Clearbury a few more times to find the blacksmith but she never found him again.