1 Chapter 1

The maids bustled around the young woman that sat so still, but her foot tapped in a steady rhythm. "Will you stop that!" One of the maids said. "But we have been here for hours." She groaned. "Yes, and we will be here another if you keep up that incessant tapping!" The young woman sighed.

The door of the dressing room opened, making the woman turn her head to a grunt of dismay from the women doing her hair. "Lacey! You have got to hurry!" The young woman's sister entered, her hair in the most elaborate style of ringlets and curls that bounced as she moved.

Lacey sighed, stopping her foot that had already started to tap again. "Angela." The door opened wider and a tall slender young woman with hair dark as night and straight as a rod walked in, her baby pink silk skirts swishing around her as she came to a stop beside Angela in the door way.

"We are waiting for you to start the party." The maid sighs. "We are almost done here."

A few minutes later they walked down the hall towards the ball room. The doors where pushed open, they were greeted with cheers and applause, before they were crowded by girls and women wishing her a happy birthday. The musicians started the music and the lights dimmed and the party started. Angela left Lacey and her friend to go meet her own friends. Lacey and Mia shared a smile before racing to the buffet table covered in well placed small snacks and treats.

They shared smiles as they stuffed their face in the most graceful way they could manage, laughing and giggling softly at the lady's dresses and anything that caught their attention. "Mia." Came a sticky sweet drawl from a slender young woman with bleached blond hair that came to her shoulders. She sauntered over to them. Lacey caught the eye roll Mia made at her before placing a smile on her face and greeting her back. "Annabelle!... How lovely to see you. I didn't expect you to be here." Annabelle smiled an annoying smile. "Of course, I'm here, I couldn't miss the princess's birthday!" She said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

She did not even turn to glance at Lacey as she spoke. "I do not believe you came here for her. I could think of other reasons that you are here." Annabelle's face went red, which contrasted with her face paint. She spun on her hill grabbing a glass off the table, Lacey only had a second to step in front of Mia as Annabelle flung the glasses contents over her. She gasped from the cold liquid as it ran down her face dripping onto her white dress, the blue color of the drink seeping into the fabric.

Everyone one turned to the scene of their dripping wet princess. Lacey was feeling smug as she watched Annabelle sputtered an explanation to her mother as she came over to see what had happened. She smiled at Mia who did not look pleased at all. Annabelle was escorted from the room by the Queen's orders then she turned to Lacey. "Let us get you changed your father will be coming soon."

The sparkling lights and soft sound of music floated through the room. Lacey looked up at the ball room ceiling and sighed. "This room is more beautiful than ever, don't you think?" Mia said. She looked at her childhood friend and smiled. "I am so excited this is so wonderful.

I would never have guessed all of this would be done for me. Mother has outdone herself." She giggled, Mia laughed. "You are turning sixteen today Lacey, of course your mother would want it to look extra special just for this day."

Lacey smiled and hugged her friend. "Uh, I feel like I am in a dream." Just then the door opened, and her father came in holding a box and looking around the room. He was a tall well-built man, his features weathered from his many years on the seas.

When he saw her, he walked to them, "There you are my dear, look at how you have grown, you have blossomed into such a beautiful young lady." He bent down and kissed her on her cheek. "Here my daughter." He said handing over the box he held.

"I know that I have not been here for most of your past birthdays, but I hope you will love this gift and take good care of it. Happy Birthday my dear Lacey." Lacey looked at the box he was handing her and then at him. Yes, he had been gone for most of her birthdays because he was always on his ships going on adventures.

She took the box carefully from him and looked up and smiled at her father. "Thank you." She jumped up and hugged her father. She loved him. She loved her whole family. She stepped back and giggled at her father. "Thank you." She said again. Her father smiled. Mia laughed beside her. "Open it." Everyone in the room was looking at them.

Her mother came up beside her father. "What's this?" She said, smiling. "A gift." Said her father. Her sister across the room came running to see what was going on but was stopped by her mother's voice. "Don't run Angela!" Her mother said. Mia giggled and Angela stopped and walked the rest of the way over to them. Lacey slowly opened the box.

In the box was a fine blue fabric, she gently pulled it up, the box falling to the ground. The dress was full and long. The many layers of sleek blue fabric fell touching the ground. "Wow!" Was the breath that came out of all the people in the room that could see it.

Angela slowly put her hand out to touch it. Mia caught her hand and hissed. "Don't touch it." With a sigh Lacey looked back up to her father "Where did you get it?" Her father smiled. "It was not easy, and it is a long story, but to make it short I got it from an old lady I met on my last trip to the land far north." Lacey looked at the dress again. It shined and shivered as she looked at it. It was almost as if it was alive.