“Mirabella?” Destrian echoed. “That is a fitting name.”

He led her through the woods, passing the time by watching her cat scamper through the underbrush that surrounded them. It couldn’t seem to decide where it wanted to walk beside them. Sometimes it would romp along beside Mirabella, and sometimes it would cross over to his side. Occasionally, it even went ahead of them, as if it was the one guiding the humans to their destination. Its fickleness was entertaining.

[b]“Destrian?”[/b] Mirabella spoke up. [b]“Why even consider someone like me to perform at such an important event? After all, I am of the low class. And I always assumed... well... that royalty couldn’t stand to be in the presence of people like me.”[/b]

“There will always be narrow-minded people no matter where you go,” Destrian replied with a shrug. “Why let them dictate what you can and cannot do? So long as you can provide everyone with an exceptional performance, your status does not matter.” He wavered. “Although… you might want to avoid the topic of your origins altogether, if possible. It would be unfortunate if any of the guests caused a scene over you.” He winked at her. “I hope you don’t mind keeping this our little secret. Ah, here we are.”

He waved a hand towards the small party of knights in the clearing, who all stood up when their prince came into view. They seemed visibly uncomfortable when they saw Mirabella accompanying him. Destrian wondered if the other knights had spread word about his encounter with her yesterday. It would explain the suspicious stares of the current knights in his hunting party. Destrian spoke up before they had a chance to question the peasant girl’s presence, “Men, this is Mirabella. She will be accompanying us back to the kingdom. She has business with the King.” He met their eyes, as if daring them to challenge his claim. Fortunately, no one did.

“Shall we leave immediately, Sire?” one of the knights asked.

“Of course,” Destrian said. “My horse is ready, I expect? I will have the girl ride him back to the palace.”

“But, Prince,” the knight protested. “There is no need. Any one of us would be glad to give up our mount in your stead. You don’t need to walk.”

“Don’t trouble yourselves,” Destrian insisted. “I could do with the exercise. I’ve gotten a bit lax in my regular routines lately. Besides, the kingdom isn’t far from here.”

“As you wish, Sire,” the knight wisely gave up trying to convince him. “Follow me, miss.” He gestured for Mirabella to join him at the horse’s flank, where he would help her mount the animal so they could be on their way.