How bad can the seedy part of town really be?

What was more befitting of a princess than gracing the unfortunate and downtrodden with her presence? Her father always told her that the sight of royalty lifted the spirits of those in greatest need, after all. Even better, she had a decent sum of gold on her person that she could give away to a few of the most needy. Sure, there was danger, but if Patrice could navigate the city by herself every day without trouble, surely someone else from the palace would be safe too!

It hadn't occurred to Lilly that a royal maid was a far less tempting target than the Princess herself. Nuance had never been one of Lilly's strong points.

The quality of the city deteriorated quickly as Lilly made her way to the poorer district. Building walls went from immaculate and painted to bare, crumbling stone. The streets went from solid roadwork to loose, crackled cobblestone. Filthy puddles lined the street, and Lilly couldn't help but notice the unpleasant aroma that seemed to permeate everything.

It didn't take long for the Princess to attract attention. Seeing that she was drawing a crowd, Lilly put on her best smile.

"My subjects." she began, eyes roaming over the unwashed masses. "It is I, Princess Lilly Aster, and I have come to offer you comfort and charity in your time of need."

A murmur of surprise and confusion went through the crowd, a few people stepping forward nervously.

"It's quite fine. Here, a gift." Lilly said, reaching into her elaborate coinpurse and pulling out a small handful of gold.

The crowds eyes went wide. Most of these people had never seen silver, let alone gold. One of those coins could feed a family for a week. The princess truly was as generous and beautiful as the stories told!

What Lilly hadn't considered, however, was how unwise showing off how much money one had could be in a poor area. Not only were there cutpurses and muggers always looking for a good score, but there was no telling how calm the gathered crowd would stay now that there was the financial equivalent of blood in the water.