Silver Crown

Part 4

Eirian slowed to a walk as she got into the hall, where was her mother? she could be in the library, but she also could be in her room. She had to get ready after all. A dark haired boy caught her eye and she sped up. "Loki!" her brother turned and a smile came over his face. "We have been looking all over for you, where have you been?" her younger brother asked.  "I was with Heimdall. where is mother?" "She is waiting for you in your rooms, be ready she is already in a mood, you where supposed to be with the tailor all morning." Ria waved her hand and made her way down the hall to her bedroom.

"Where have you been?" Ria looked at her mother and then went and sat on her bed. "I went to go see Heimdall, I am nervous about tonight. I needed some time for myself, I am sorry I lost track of time." Frigga smiled but still was worried. "I understand that it is a lot to take in, I was nervous at my first ball too but on another note, your dress is here." Ria sighed and went to the bed, a dress was laid out for her and she smiled it was just what she wanted. Different colors of purple, that was all that she could see. "Do you like it?" her mother asked. Ria smiled. "Yes, I do, can I try it on?" Frigga smiled. "Of course." Osha came from where she had been sorting through Ria's jewelry and nodded at the queen. 

"I will help the princess, Ma'am." Ria watched her mother and saw that she looked from Osha to Ria and then smiled. "Daughter, I am glad that you have someone that you trust, I will see you in a little bit." Ria nodded, not sure what to say. With that her mother turned and walked out of the room and shut the door. "I don't want to get dressed yet, it is not til this evening that the party is. I want to go riding."

Osha looked at her and then nodded. "Ok, I will tell the groom to get your horse ready." Eirian smiled. "Thank you, I'll be down in a minute, I just don't want to get dressed in a stuffy dress just yet." With that Ria took her daggers from where she had placed them and put them back on her belt and grabbed her bow and sword from where she had laid them. "Have the groom get Shadows-wing, I am going to go for a ride." 

Osha nodded again. "I will, my lady." With that she turned and walked through the palace to the stables. Once she got to the stables she greeted each of the horses by name and found Shadow in his stall, once he saw Ria he put his head over his stall door for her to pet and then she went and grabbed his saddle and bridle. The bridle didn't have a metal piece, Ria let him go wherever he wanted with little guidance from her. 

Once that was on him, she led him outside and mounted him, taking off into the forest. Letting him go wherever he wanted. He led her to the training ground and without thinking she took out her bow and started shooting at the targets that where hanging from branches on some of the trees, hitting them with a satisfied swish. "Yes!" Ria said for the fifth time the arrow hit the center on the last of thirteen arrows. "Good job." A voice behind her said and Eirian turned Shadow around to see her brother watching her and a smile lit up her face. 

"Loki, glad that you could come to see me, what do you think?" Ria said and gestured towards the targets that looked like porcupines now with all of her arrows in them. "Remind me never to make you angry when an bow is involved." he said with a grin. Ria rolled her eyes. "Yea, like that would happen." She said with a laugh. "Why are you out here?" Ria asked her younger brother. Loki looked at her. "YOU are asking me why I came to get you, don't you remember what is tonight.?" He asked.  

Eirian looked at him and then frowned. "I totally forgot, did mother tell you to come get me?" "No, she doesn't know that I have come, but we have to hurry." Ria nodded. "Ok, I'll race you." Loki looked at her with a confused expression and then started off. They galloped side by side for a while then Ria sped up and passed him. They wove through the trees and down the main pathway to the palace, turning right to the royal stables. 

Once she got off she started running, Loki got off and handed both horses to the Royal guards and ran after her. They both had to get ready now, since Loki had to go and find her, he wasn't in his royal attire and she wasn't either. Mother would kill her if she was late and she was cutting it close as it was. When she got inside she looked around, maybe her mother wasn't already in her room and she had time to get ready before she arrived. Turning Ria started running to her room and saw that the door was closed. Maybe she would be able to get inside before her mother was there. she would be able to make it look like she had been there for a while. 

Taking off her cloak she draped it over her chair and took off her boots and put them in the closet along with her sword where she had the rest of her weapons. Her mother didn't know that she kept weapons in her room and that is the way Ria wanted to keep it. Past all of her dresses she had a secret panel at the back and also another one at the bottom of her closet that had space for her outside clothes, as well as all of her weapons. No one knew the code except herself and maybe Loki but he never made it clear that he knew the code to get in and so Eirian had to believe that he didn't know it.

Changing her clothes she went and sat on her bed, grabbing a book as she went and flipping to a random page. That way it would seem like she had been reading for hours. Taking a deep breath she waited, heart racing and trying to read. Soon footsteps came down the hall and Ria sighed. This was going to be good. Her party was in like half an hour and she still wasn't ready. Mother was going to have some choice words for her when she came in.