The Alyta Trilogy: Handmaids, Heroes, and Hierarchy.

The princesses shuffle about, lining up.  A nasal page announces the arrival of the prince.  All the nervous, snotty and scared girls alike put on that same face of �pick me, your highness�.  Out of respect, they all look down until the prince speaks to them specifically.  Alyta looks down at her feet.  She is towards the end of the line, but knows that they will all have to wait until the prince meets them all until they can be dismissed.  After hearing the prince�s monotonous voice repeat the same phrase three times, she lets her thoughts wander.  She is back in the clearing in the circle of oaks.  The stream flows faster and faster, turning into a waterfall and disappearing at the roots of the giant trees.  She dives into it, and discovers it has no bottom.  She just keeps diving lower, immersed in the wonderful beauty of the water.
�Princess Alyta of Atlantis,� the nasal voice says.  She sweeps a low curtsy and murmurs, �your highness,� without interest.  She prepares herself for the same phrase all the others received.  Instead, she hears a question that is barely a whisper: �Alyta?�  No longer a monotonous voice, something pulls in her to make her look up.  She looks straight into the eyes that comforted her when she got cut with a dagger and laughed with her about a stray chicken.
Jason.  She cannot believe it.  Replacing the look of confusion, his expression slowly changes into one of recognition and friendship.  Her eyes remain wide.  She realizes that they were hiding the exact same thing from each other, and smiles slightly.
�Welcome to Corinth, Princess.  I hope you enjoy your stay.  Feel free to explore our city.  I hear the chariot races are excellent this time of year.�
�Thank you, your highness.  I�ll be sure to check those out.  I hold your opinion in the highest of respect.�
He nods, smiling, and goes on to the next princess.  Alyta looks at the previously addressed group, and sees looks of confusion.  She just smiles to herself and keeps her head down. 

                                                                      *~*~*

After the dismissal, Alyta rushes back to her room.  She changes into her short dress, the one that she was wearing the first time she saw Jason, grabs her staff, and heads behind the palace for some outside practice.  She needs to use some of that excess energy she has from being inside all day, and to think about what just happened.  She doesn�t want to run into any of the other princesses, especially not �Helga�, so she takes a roundabout way to the back.  She comes out of the East End door and looks around.  This place is perfect.  There are paths winding through a garden of lilies and vines growing all over the place.  She twirls her staff expertly in one hand, then switches it behind her back to her other hand.  She throws it up in the air, kicks five times, like the points of a star, and catches her staff again.  She sees this imaginary fight in her mind, an attacker coming at her.  She pulls out on two points of the staff, and her spearheads appear.  She goes at the attacker violently, adding a kick or two.  They get blocked.  What?  How can an imaginary attacker attack back?  She flips backward and then starts attacking again.  The man blocks her punches.  What�s going on here?