Admittedly, she was bored. This new Lily, or Kaen, as her real name went, sat idly in the large golden carriage her father owned. The expression on her face could not be described directly as boredom, since princesses are always trained to keep their dignity, but it was a somewhat altered version of the face. Her father had insisted on the appearance at Kilworth Square, as she wasn't very fond of public processions, so she had obediently followed his wishes. This part of the visit, the rumbling around a less crowded area of Kavanagh, was her maid's idea, who had once known her young mistress to love the outdoors, when she was the girl's nanny years ago. Now, the fifty two year old regretted suggesting the idea to the chauffer as she wrung her silk hankerchief (a custom picked up on the way here) nervously at the oriental girl's feet. The shades, normally drawn, were open a crack so that the girl could witness the countryside. Dark eyes stared blankly at the scenery, not a single sound muttered even when they passed a beautiful garden, carefully being tended to by a farmer's wife and daughter.

      Though her father was finally elsewhere, the girl was no less quiet; silence seemed to have her in its clutches and refused to let her go. It had almost been a four full hours that they had been wandering the beautiful fields, having already gone through Faithche Valley and seen its beauty. Hayami, the maid, was just about ready to go crazy at her mistress' silence after the driver announced that they had exitted the valley and were entering Geisill Hills and Lily had still not uttered a single sound.

      The girl had the same blank look on her pale features that she had three hours ago as she leaned on her arm gently. Lily was perched on the edge of her velvet cushion, her elbow settled on the armrest beside her, her chin cupped in her hand. Her left hand was placed on her lap, her legs retreating from the middle of the carriage towards her seat, crossing at her ankles. The two buns were now braided and formed two rings on her head, something that had been done by Hayami back in Faithche Valley. It was probably the sole even that had kept Hayami sane, and now, after straightening her mistress' dress too many times to count, there was nothing else for her to do. If Lily had at least moved, the maid could happily take it upon herself to readjust the dress. Sadly, her mistress was nothing more than a pretty statue. The quiet clomping of two tan horses, the carriage she had arrived in was traded for this one, marched down the almost invisible road, the looseness of the axels allowing for a smoother ride.

      Hayami glanced worriedly at Lily for what seemed to be the millionth time, her soft brown eyes locked on the girl's elegant face. Darkness seemed to flood her eyes, only four small white edges apparent. Suddenly, her eyes contracted and a blinding white recoloured the black rings that surrounded her pupils. Lily doubled over, one hand tearing at her chest as the other clawed at her leg, a muffled scream escaping from her form. Hayami was immediately on the ground with her charge, yelling for the driver to stop before she heard another shot go off: it sounded dimly like a snap--in reality, it was a crossbow being blasted just some fifty yards off and over a hill that was obscuring their view. The former nanny takes upon her maternal instinct and holds Lily's convulsing figure in her arms, whispering reassurances to the girl and she was unsure of. What happened was beyond her comprehension as she stroked the girl's head and tried to calm her down.

      Lily had no idea what was happening; she was just sitting in the carriage, managing to show absolutely no emotion when she saw small clouds raised in the distance that appeared to be several horses. It made no difference to her, who was there and who was not, but then the pain had struck. She felt as if her chest had been caved in on her and she was unable to keep from falling, her leg pounding like nails were being driven in from every angle. It hurt like nothing she recalled having experienced and it came for no reason. Seconds later, a disgusting mix of blood and bile rose to her throat and she threw it up on Hayami's lap. Then it was gone. A dull pain still burned in her chest, but the worst of it was over. Or so she thought.

      It took a while of convincing to the guards outside, the driver, and Hayami that she was perfectly fine (no one really believed her, but who were they to go against a princess?) until they unsteadily fell back to their jobs. Then the second wave came. While the first pain was across almost all of her body, the latter focused on a single target in her chest. She cursed, mostly at herself but somewhat at her newfound agony, breath barely creeping into her lungs. She felt as if a hole was punctured through her and could do little to prevent expressing it. Another scream ripped out of her throat, but again she muffled it so that it wouldn't be heard all over Kavanagh. Where was this pain coming from?!