"Shit!" Violet exclaimed after she knew that he was out of earshot. "I don't have<span style="font-style: italic">date clothes</span>." she said to herself. Which was true. All of her clothing consisted of Gothic chic apparel. But maybe Gothic would be OK...I could make it look ok...she told herself. She quickly ran off to her room and threw open her closet doors. As she looked at the hopelessness within it she bit her lip. She decided to go through and see what was buried in the bottom. She wore bright colors once... She quickly dug through to where some of her old clothes sat and started pulling them out. She pulled out a pink baby T and looked at it with a disgusted face. "That was never mine." and she threw it in the trash. She kept digging and eventually found a red dress. It was quite plain but she thought it might look nice. It had thick straps and a square neck. The waste had a sheer fabric in it and the length of the dress reached about mid thigh. "This will have to do." She said to herself. She shoved all of her clothes back into her closet and forced the door shut. After she finally got them to close she looked over at her shoe rack...boots, boots, heels with studs, flip flops, ankle boots...she grabbed the ankle boots. They were black and shiny and had a stiletto heel, they laced up the front with black ribbons, basically the only shoes in her collection that even came close to matching.<br/><br/>Violet entered her tiny bathroom and filled up her small tub, she looked around for some bubble bath and found a rose scented one that was left from the last tenants. She poured a couple cap fulls into the running water and slowly undressed herself. She stepped into the bath and shut the water off, sinking slowly into the hot water. She closed her eyes and submerged her head under the water, letting her hair float around her. As she lay there Vlad's face appeared in her mind, but it was Vlad's face looking as though it came from centuries past. A confused and angry man with scars on his face. She sat straight up out of the water and shook her head. She had to forget the man, her dream man. How could he exist and be this same man. "Forget it" She told herself, thinking it would only ruin her night. She quickly shaved and washed and then got out of the bath. She blow dried her straight hair and then flipped the ends under so they curved toward her face. She quickly did her make up then went to her room and put the dress on.<br/><br/>After getting fully dressed Violet looked herself up and down in the mirror and realized she was missing jewelry. She reached into her chest and found a silver cross on a silver chain. She put it on and it rested between her breasts, she placed in silver ball stud earrings and a silver hoop in her cartilage piercing. She nodded to herself as if to say, "That will do." and made her way out to the front room to wait for him.<br/><br/>---------------------------------------------------------------------<br/><br/>Vanessa climbed stiffly onto her horse and patted it gently. Her only friend left in this world, it always stood by her side. She quickly galloped to the front of the procession line, right in front of the funeral carriage and halted, awaiting the sound of the horn. The clock in the square struck noon and she heard the faint sound of the horn, announcing a procession through the town. Everyone would leave their homes at that sound and stand in the street. Wondering what the meaning would be for this procession.<br/><br/>Vanessa tried to look strong, she did not hang her head but she couldn't. The sadness had faded, all she felt within her was a fire burning, full of hate and anger. She saw the mans face over and over, she had memorized all of him and she would hunt him down.<br/><br/>They marched through the streets and she looked around, some people had a solemn face at the sight of the black carriage, many of the women shed tears as their husbands held them. Not a single person had a dry eye, Vanessa knew that the empress was very well loved by her people. What would they do when they found that she had an heir...would they trust her daughter that's been hidden away since her birth...who would they trust until then, she wasn't old enough to rule yet. But yet, it may be time for her to come out of her secrecy and live with her people. To let the people know she is her. To train her.<br/><br/>The procession ended at the cemetery, Vanessa left as the casket was put into the mausoleum, the empress reunited with her royal ancestors. She rode back to the palace and shed her armor, in her chambers she found the gown awaiting her, a simple gown of black and white. She threw it on and walked slowly back to the dining hall, where the nobles sat awaiting. It was time to discuss the matters of the princess and who would rule in place of the empress until the princess was of age.