Somewhere off in the distance, a man had seen an opportunity. A young man (a prince, judging by the attire) was late to arrive. He had not wanted to go to this ball, fighting his father tooth and nail, an uphill struggle that resulted in him getting kicked down said hill and covered in mud, since his family had received the invitation. He sat bored, looking out at the scenery as the carriage passed. The two horses, one a bay and the other chestnut, both Thoroughbreds, pulling the carriage were looking a lot livelier than he was.<br/><br/>That was what Egil got from the situation. This young man looked like a typical spoiled son who did not particularly like playing along as the obedient puppy his family hoped he was. He took note as he skulked alongside the carriage, several feet away, unbeknownst to the young man and his (assumed) caretakers. He didn’t see the king… Up close, he recognized the kingdom’s insignia: they are from his homeland. Oh, how things have changed, he thought briefly, then turned his thoughts back to his objective.<br/><br/>They all seemed to be off in their own minds, looking at the sights with stoic expressions. Unsuspecting. The perfect targets.<br/><br/>However, much to his dismay, they were not too far behind some other stragglers and some people had approached them.<br/><br/>Egil was not really the socializing type. What brought him here tonight was difficult to say; perhaps he was just bored, in need of something to do. When he caught wind of this ball, something that was supposed to bring people together, he was drawn to it. Perhaps he was drawn to it for the same reasons many of those attending tonight were. But… he needed a mask to get in, and an invitation. His mind was only set on the mask. Forget about the invitation; who said that an invitation was absolutely necessary.<br/><br/>Truth be told, he could have easily found a mask in town. Since the event was announced, small shops seemed to start carrying them, and some of the shadier people, who knew how to obtain things they probably should not have in their possession, could have lent him one. For a small fee, of course, something that didn’t really appeal to him.<br/><br/>The late prince and his caretakers were too close to the throng now. Egil decided to set his sights on some people who were on foot -particularly, one man who was closer to him than the others. A mask of royalty would have been more preferable, but he decided that beggars can’t be choosers in this situation. He kept his feet light as he approached one man from behind, clasping a hand over his mouth and whisking him away from the excitement and into the shadows. The man looked at him with wide, pleading eyes as he carefully peeled the mask from his face. He was breathing heavily and Egil took care to clasp his hand back over his mouth swiftly once the mask was completely removed.<br/><br/>Egil then held a finger to his lips and whispered, “You won’t be needing this anymore.” He wasn’t really the devious type, but damn it felt good to have some fun once in a while. “Run along now, my friend. Go home. You never even saw me, understood?”<br/><br/>The man’s expression went from pleading to annoyed, like he was about to protest. But Egil had the situation under control. With his free hand, and while grinning, Egil pressed his index finger against the man’s throat. After uttering something quietly, the man’s eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped to the ground. After that, he made haste. The ball had already begun, even as more and more people poured in.<br/><br/>He needed a distraction. Thinking quickly, he slapped the rear of a hose that was standing nearby. The stallion flattened his ears and turned his head toward him, nostrils flaring, as if to say ‘nice try, pal, I’m not going anywhere’. But something in Egil’s eyes made the horse jump, and he ran through the crowd of people at an impressive speed, knocking a few people to the ground in the process. That was his ticket in.<br/><br/>What a grand ball this was. Egil has never experienced such an event before, and he wasn’t sure if he should be amazed or cynical toward the whole thing. He has seen such things from afar. The flashiness, the music, the laughs and general good times people seemed to have. But here, there seemed to be a tense and almost uneasy atmosphere. The masks people wore had a bit more meaning behind them.<br/><br/>Ah, yes. This world needed to be mended.<br/><br/>When he saw her, he had hesitated a moment. From what he had heard, they were looking for someone to marry the Queen of this kingdom; he thought for a moment, if luck would have it, if this was her. She had an air about her. From what he understood about these events, the Queen was usually expected to take the hand of royalty. Egil was not royalty, but he was right here in the moment and was not about to let this chance slip through his fingers. With the mask obscuring his face he felt confident that she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The people from his kingdom sure as hell did not seem to realize who he was.<br/><br/>He stepped forward, bowed slightly, and met her eye with a small smile. It was then he extended the invitation to dance.<br/><br/>He was no dancer. That much was obvious, but he did his best to keep up with her movements. It was difficult to tell if she was a dancer herself; if she was not, she was at least decent enough for it not to show. There was silence between them as the music took them away. His attention was mainly on her, but out of the corner of his eye he wondered if someone might by chance recognize him. He thought of the man he had knocked unconscious... Oh, what was he going to do if he spotted him?<br/><br/>“You look lovely, miss, if you don’t mind me saying,” he said gently, a thin smile on his lips. Honestly, he had decided to say the most cliché thing. He knew it. But, he didn’t really care. He wanted to make sure he seemed like he belonged here.<br/><br/>Sometime around the time Egil had taken her hand, the bratty prince had entered the ballroom.<br/><br/>At the same time, the man who Egil had rendered unconscious was beginning to wake up.