<strong>Olivia Wilde<br/>Olivia's Private Quarters, then the Kitchen, then the Main Hall<br/>Morning of Day Two</strong><br/><br/>Olivia’s eyes fluttered open slowly as the first kisses on the morning sun crept in through the curtains, causing an incredibly peaceful smile to touch at her lips. She couldn’t remember the last time she had slept so peacefully, and she knew that it wasn’t just the rich Theirian silk of her bed that was responsible.<br/><br/>Sliding a long, flowing leg gracefully out of her bed, Olivia sat up slowly before standing up and walking over to her wardrobe. Her attendants had taken the liberty of setting up her room to her specifications and all her dresses and clothes were neatly arranged in perfect order of colour. Normally she would spend at least an hour fussing over which dress she would wear for the day, and sometimes she would even stay up later the night before to narrow the choices down if she had a busy day, although this time her hand reached in decisively to pull out a simple yet elegant dress.<br/><br/>Shimmering in a number of pleasant orange and yellow tones, the dress was designed to mimic the setting desert sun, the colours ever shifting in a rich hue of vibrant colours. Instead of summoning her servants to assist her, Olivia hummed to herself cheerfully as she put her dress on before reaching into her wardrobe to put on a vibrant red sash to complete the ensemble. A cheeky grin spread across her face as she ran her fingers along the rich scarlet silk; the red sash was a simple of chastity and purity in Nydewian culture. She smiled as she turned to the mirror to admire her attire. Simple, yet elegant, the dress would immediately identify her as a noble of the Nydewian court.<br/><br/>When she was finally finished she heard the door open slightly and turned as her handmaiden, Ismae, poked her head in. “Oh, milady. I see that you’re up already.” Noticing that she was already dressed the servant looked at her curiously. “I was unaware that you acquired my service.” Olivia smiled warmly as she replied, “I didn’t. That’s why I didn’t call you.”<br/><br/>Ismae was clearly confused, although she masked it quickly; one learnt quickly when serving Olivia to never question anything out of the ordinary and it was that very quality of obedience without question that had seen Ismae remain in service with Olivia for so long. “These were left on your doorknob,” Ismae finally said, holding up a ribbon with a set of bells attached to the end and Olivia looked them up and down. “The Lady Fool, no doubt,” Olivia replied with a smile as she looked back into the mirror to perform the finishing touches on her hair.<br/><br/>For a moment Ismae seemed taken back, obviously expecting some harsh rebuke about the ignoble behaviour of the clown. “Would you like some help?” she asked, quickly regaining her composure. Without even looking away, Olivia smiled sweetly. “No thank you, Ismae. I have it covered.” Pausing for a moment she added “Although if you could send my apologies to Prince Henrik and ask him when he wishes to speak with me it would be most appreciated.”<br/><br/>“Right away, milady,” Ismae replied crisply, before pausing for a moment in the doorway. “If you would forgive me for being so candid milady,” she said with a hesitant pause. “You look glowing today.” With that Ismae quickly turned and departed the chamber, leaving Olivia with a pleased smile on her lips.<br/><br/>Finally satisfied with how she looked, Olivia stepped out of her room and into the hall before setting off towards the kitchen. The cooks and servants all bowed upon her entering and she smiled at them all politely. “I would like a bowl of your healthiest bran, along with some fresh peaches if it isn’t too much of a hassle,” she requested politely, her tone sweet and innocent as always. Normally she was so busy she only ever ate one meal a day, if that, preferring to eat for sustenance rather than the pleasure of it. However after last night she felt ravenously hungry, her body in desperate need of some energy to keep her frail form from collapsing during the day.<br/><br/>As she waited she spotted some of the servant’s children playing off in the corner and approached them, reaching into a pouch at her side to pull out a small handful of gold coins. “Would you boys like to help me out and do a few errands for me? I promise I’ll pay you.” Her tone was pleasant and inviting, the boys nodded eagerly. “There’s a blind man around the castle. His name is Sanguine LeChance. Now I need to give a message to him but I need it to be our little secret, okay?” The boys nodded eagerly as she took them off one by one and gave them each a tiny fragment of the whole message, along with a coin for their work.<br/><br/>No one would ever expect young boys approaching the blind man to be messengers, although even if they somehow discovered it they would find the fragmented message to be meaningless without rounding up everyone first. They were instructed only to approach him when he was alone and only one at a time with breaks in between so as not to arouse suspicion.<br/><br/>“Mr LeChance, I have need of your services. Wait for me in the alley near the bookstore in the Town of Theiri. You are to ask “Penny for the blind?” to passersby. I assure you you will know my signal when I give it to you.”<br/><br/>She didn’t bother to give her name; he didn’t need it. When that was all said and done she turned to find her meal was ready. Taking the bowl she set off to the dining hall, humming to herself cheerfully as she took a seat at a table of her own and started to dine on her meal.<br/>