Prince Alister rummaged through his closet, tossing frilly shirts left and right.

  His room of cream colored walls, a fluffy purple prince sized bed and endless bookshelves of poetry were quite befitting for a young man of nobility.

  He invited his crown guard and a high ranking officer in the military to his room. She surveyed him with great skepticism and bemusement.

  "So…" Rin Sabre said, standing in Prince Alister's room. "You called me away from an important training exercise to…ask me to do what?"

  The prince turned around and held a blue shirt with white puffy sleeves to his neck. "I have called you in here for an important mission. One so secret that my mom must not know about it!"

  "Fashion advice?" Rin said, narrowing her eyes. "Afraid I can't help you there. All my clothes are designed to be aerodynamic for combat rather than beauty."

  The prince shook his head and pursed his lips. "And one wonders why no man has asked them to the Golden Ball."

  Rin placed her hands on her sword. "I'm much too busy for such an event anyway! And that's beside the point. You haven't even told me why you're wearing these pompous clothes."

  Alister slipped into a pair of poofy white pants befitting a noble poet. Along with his blue ruffled shirt and puffy sleeves, he now wore a nearly complete getup but when he looked in the mirror, something was missing.

  He sighed. "Okay. Captain Rin Sabre, my special mission for you is I want you to escort me…to Meager Meads Tavern later this evening."

  "But why?" Rin asked.

  "I am going to take part in a Poetic Spar! A battle of words and wit with my fellow poets!"

  "Oh really?" Rin answered, crossing her arms. "The prince of Featherbottom is going to spend his night in a sleazy tavern? That totally won't attract any attention!"

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Alister quickly grabbed a powder blue hat from the coat rack and placed it on his head.

  "Ho ho!" he laughed as he completed his ensemble. "I'm not going as Prince Alister. I will be Percy Prose, the prince of Poets."

  Rin rolled her eyes. "More like Prince of Prats! Why mustn't the queen know of this?"

  Alister (or Percy as he called himself) gritted his teeth. "You know her. She's been tied tighter than a big lady's corset since Dad's…well…"

  Rin crossed her arms again, a normal compulsion when dealing with the Prince of Prats. "She has a reason to be that way. You don't think so?"

  "Well…er…" the prince stuttered. "I agree…I fully agree. She's just trying to be protective. But as a future King, I should rule my destiny."

  Rin was silent, but the young soldier eyed him like a severe bird of prey. Alister hated that stare. It was the infamous "I know better than you because I'm older" stare.

  It was time to break out the heavy artillery…er…pleading.

  "Please!" the spoiled prince exclaimed. "You know that my best weapon is my feather pen. And I want to put it to good use! How would you feel if you couldn't practice your swordplay?"

  The hawk-eyed Rin answered at last with a nod. "I don't have to leave the castle to practice. That's the difference."

  "B…b…but?" The prince stammered. "As the Prince of Poets I must know what kind of prose my people are speaking!"

  Rin muttered. "I don't think you'd want to know, considering the taxes."

  "Please!" the prince pleaded again. "I will…er…"

  He thought deeply.

  What could he possibly do in his princely power to please this kind of girl? She wasn't exactly the kind who'd go for a fancy gem stone or royal baubles.

  He thought and at last, he smirked. "I will. Take you to see…IT. The mighty blade that nearly felled the demon king!"

  A crimson blush adorned Rin's pale cheeks.

  There was a look of hunger in her eyes like he hadn't seen before. It seemed, some warrior women just liked to marvel at a big, thick, girthy sword.

  She wiped drool from the corner of her mouth. "Just this once!" she exclaimed. "I wish I could have been there to see it in action."

  Alister chuckled. "Well, at least you can admire its length in our private quarters."

  The young prince expected to see hearts floating around the young swords woman's head with how thirsty she was to see the blade.

  Suddenly, Rin asked a peculiar question. "Prince Alister. If we are to do this, I have one request. Can I have some of that dragon powder?"

  "Uh why?" Prince Alister asked.

  "If we are to leave the castle, I'll need it."

  He handed her the bag and she unwrapped it and carefully, she threw the neon green powder at the wardrobe. It was immediately consumed in bright green flames, and reduced the whole drawer to ashes.

  Prince Alister's mouth nearly hit the ground; he was so flabbergasted by what she had done. "Whaaaaahhh! My perfectly ruffled ruffles! Why did you…do that you wench?!!"

  "You'll see!" Rin winked. "So our little plan doesn't go down in flames. Like your wardrobe."