Her Royal Highness, Princess Leia of the United Kingdom, Duchess of Plymouth, sat in a room in her suite in Kensington Palace. As a Royal Princess (albeit an adopted one; this was not a secret and her true parentage was a source of much speculation) she was entitled to live there when in London. One had to pay for a suite of rooms in a palace somehow, and she did it through service to the Crown, as a diplomat. The petite Princess was often sent to visit other lands to intercede in something or other, and if the time for being pretty was gone she could fight her way out as well.

She was making her way through a mound of paperwork, over tea. The door knocked.

[b]"Come in!"[/b]

A maid entered, ushering in a man, under guard. Leia raised an eloquent eyebrow.

[b]"Sorry to bother you ma'am, but the gentleman was very insistent that this letter was to be delivered to you in person."[/b]

Leia didn't need to check the exits or that her guns were handy - that was second nature and already done. She put on her best diplomacy smile and said [b]"It must be important then..."[/b] and put out a hand. The messenger gave her the note, and she read it with interest. She looked up to see if the messenger was still there, to find that he had been ushered out and she was alone again.

She thought to herself [i]"It could be a plot, but then again, it might not.[/i] and made an excuse to visit her adoptive father the King to show him the note. His words echoed her own thoughts; [b]"You'll have to go, if only to find out what's going on. Be careful."[/b] She nodded, and went off to get ready. A carriage was prepared - Her Royal Highness was to visit Warwick Castle for a time; a short holiday. Birmingham was not far. She would have time to slip away, and her coachman was used to such things - sometimes "diplomacy" was more like "espionage" - whatever it took to get the job done. The maids packed a few outfits and some hunting gear so that her two pistols would not arouse suspicion, and in a short time she was heading up Watling Street to the Midlands...