Excalibur's Seven | ✓ [LGBT]

~ 22 ~

PRINCESS GISELLE TOOK THE stairs up to the balcony which overlooked the dancers on the ballroom floor. Those who preferred to drink and watch the party were there, sharing silent conversation or standing alone. Giselle, however, wasn't there for pleasantries.

She drew attention with her enormous skirts and her clear status as the Vernal Princess, but no one bothered to question where she was going as she disappeared into the west hallway which the balcony led to. She was taking the upper west end of the palace, Selene taking the lower. Chalice and Eurion took east, while the boys took everywhere else.

She hoped everyone had enough experience with Sídhe by now to get around any they might come across.

The palace was huge, but Giselle was determined to search the whole section she was given. She walked into every room she came across, searching through drawers and behind paintings on the walls and between cushions. She searched high and low in every room, but came up empty every time.

At last, she stumbled across a museum, displaying the most holy Seelie artifacts. This had to hold it.

"Your Highness," someone said. Giselle turned to find a palace guard looking her over.

"Well hello," she greeted politely, holding her skirts and curtsying.

He gave a tight smile. "Hello. What might you be doing in here? The ball is elsewhere."

"But of course, I was just searching for a place to powder my nose and got lost in the beauty of all these artifacts." Her voice was painfully sweet. "May I ask about one?"

The guard clearly didn't want to deal with her, but it was his job and he couldn't deny the Princess.

"I suppose, but make it quick."

"Right. Well, I heard this museum has a piece of the very sword Excalibur," she told him wistfully. "I was wondering where I might find it?"

He was trying very hard to polite. "You've got the right building, but unfortunately it's too valuable to be on display. Only the Seelie Queen knows where that is."

Giselle sighed and stuck out her lip. "A shame. I've been learning of Excalibur recently, fascinated by it really. Just wanted to see it."

The guard was at his limit now, and he motioned for the door. "Truly sorry, Your Highness. Now, may I escort you back to the ballroom?"

* * *

Selene's luck wasn't much better. She was very thorough in her search, and when she came across an armory, she was sure she would at least find a clue. She searched in everything, even picked the lock of a chest and sifted through a whole pile of gold. She came up with nothing.

Her eyes landed on something then, a door concealed behind a shelf which held helmets of all sorts. She ran her hands over the stones in the wall, until he heard a creak. The shelf turned, allowing enough room for her to sneak in before putting it back in its place behind her.

What she found was a small, dark room, carved in stone. Tucked within a glass box was a crown. She thought she'd found the shard, tucked in the jewels, but there was no such luck.

Before she could leave, the shelf groaned again. There was hardly a good place to hide, but she tucked herself behind a statue, hoping to the Gods the low light would conceal her.