Let’s meet somewhere more discreet

“I’d like to meet him,” says the princess, “but I don’t dare bring a wizard here to the palace. There’s no telling what Father would do if he found out. We’d better find a safe place away from here.”

Courtney nods, thoughtfully. “I suppose it would be too risky for you to go to his place, as well. That would be quite the scandal if the Princess Royal were found in a wizard’s home.”

The two women ponder the situation for a few moments until Courtney claps her hands as a thought hits her. “What am I thinking? He’s a wizard, of course! I’m sure he could help by casting some kind of spell of invisibility or some such that would allow him to come here unobserved or for you to go wherever you want without being seen!”

Adella looks at her friend dubiously. “I really don’t want to run the risk of him coming to the palace. It’s one thing for my brothers to sneak an endless parade of women into their rooms; it’s quite another for me to bring a man — especially a magical one — into the royal residence. It will have to be somewhere else. Frankly, I don’t know how I feel about someone casting a spell on me, though. How do you know it will work?”

Courtney responds, “What is the point of being a wizard if you can’t do spectacular things? How about if I go talk to Rezkin and see what he suggests? Maybe he’ll have an idea that we haven’t thought of.”

Adella agrees to this, and as Courtney departs to find her magical friend, the princess attempts to pass the time by reading. After several minutes, she sighs and puts down the book. “What is wrong with me?” she says to herself. “I’ve been staring at the same page for who knows how long, and I haven’t read a single word! I can’t stop thinking about this Rezkin fellow. Am I so anxious for adventure that I am seriously contemplating a secret meeting with a magical being? What do I think is going to happen?”

Getting up and looking out the window, she feels more like a prisoner than at any other time. “Here I am, the Princess Royal, and my own lady-in-waiting has more freedom than I do!” she muses. “I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and start taking initiative. Otherwise, I’m simply confirming Father’s notions that a woman’s place is in the home!”