Lira waited patiently outside the Princess’ bedchamber.  By her internal clock it had been at least an hour—though her clock hadn’t quite adjusted to sidhe time quite yet, so she could have been quite off.  The inane chatter of the gathered courtiers, not to mention the other handmaidens, only served to drag each passing minute into an eternity.  Court, with all its petty intrigues and gossip, did not suit her.  She was one who did not one who talked of doing, a warrior to her very core and idle chatter made her more uncomfortable than battle.  Being back in sidhe clothing, not to mention sidhe Court clothing only heightened the effect.<br/><br/>The gown was a rather simple affair by Seelie standards, made of red and yellow cloth that blended erratically around the middle.  It had no adornments, and a simple cut that wrapped tightly around her figure, loosening as it passed her knees into an asymmetric flare.  It was beautiful, in a way, but she found much preferred the mobility of the clothes she had had back in the mortal world.  By the standards of her race, Lira was not exactly old, but standing here this night and waiting for the fabled Princess to emerge made her feel every one of her thousand-something years.<br/><br/>“Leera!” one of the other handmaidens, though Lira couldn’t quite recall her name at the moment.  “My, don’t you look stunning!”  Lira didn’t respond.  “Yes… well, I was just talking with the Count of--”<br/><br/>“Yes, I noticed.”<br/><br/>“Ehem.  Anyway, he was saying to me that…” Lira wasn’t listening.  She didn’t really care, at the moment, what the Count of Whereeveritwas had said about anything.  “And then she said ‘Oh, my wine!’…” Verri.  Her name was Verri.<br/><br/>“Verri.”  The taller woman stopped her story.<br/><br/>“Yes?”<br/><br/>“I know this must all be very exciting for you, but this is not our Ball.  We are here to serve the Princess, and I suggest you not forget that.”  The girl looked taken aback.<br/><br/>“But…”<br/><br/>“I’ll not hear it.  You mind your duty or I’ll see to it you wish you had.”  As Verri scurried off out of her sight, Lira thought it was no wonder she had no friends.  Of course, she didn’t need them—to one like her they would only be an impediment.  But still…<br/><br/>Whatever was to follow that thought was dramatically lost as the Princess finally emerged from her room.<br/><br/>"Well gentleman, shall we go to the gallows together?"<br/><br/>It was obviously meant as a joke, but Lira found it rather a fitting analogy.<br/>