It's dark out. The sun had set a little over an hour ago, taking the scorching heat along with it, leaving a chill in the air.

I am currently sitting with my back against a wall in a lone alleyway just below the palace which rests peacefully on the hill overlooking the vibrant city. I am waiting; waiting for the signal of a simple yet brisk whistle.

I look down at my attire consisting of my nicer clothes. It is not a dress or anything like that for the matter but in fact what I am wearing is lightweight knee high boots, perfect for the job I am about to do.

The long sleeved shirt and pants tucked into my boots are dark and work well with my hooded cape. This is my better attire, they are more comfortable. When someone says that they have a more favourable outfit, you would expect beautiful dresses or elegant suits, not what I have...

As to what happened after Lord Patrick spoke to me, I familiarized myself with the city for a while before paying a kind old lady for a room for the night. Although I would not sleep in it, I used it to keep my few belongings safe as I would not be able to take my bag with me.

Somehow the person Lord Patrick sent had found me, it gives me the creeps. Ever since our meeting, I had become more aware of my surroundings. I was not happy with the fact that he could find me so easily.

Anyway, enough about that. The person who arrived was a girl probably age 9 or so. She came bearing the information that I needed.

I heard the whistle. Well, that's my queue. I got up and dusted off my pants before making my way towards the awaiting cart.

I see Lord Patrick's plan is officially set into action. The first part is the distraction. One of his men have a scheduled arrival to deliver kitchen supplies. This late at night I know, is crazy, but it seems as if it were a normal thing.

I swiftly snuck round the corner towards the cart where it was waiting patiently for my arrival. We were just round the block of the castle gate, hidden from sight.

There is only one way in and one way out of the palace and that is through the main gate, which is heavily guarded.

I easily got underneath the cart which was pulled by two worn out horses who by the looks in their eyes, had long since accepted being a cart horse.

I latch onto the bottom of the cart, pulling myself up. Letting go with just one hand, I use it to tuck any bits of clothing which may drag and create unwanted attention, before giving a slight knock on the bottom of the cart signalling for the man to continue on towards the castle. I braced myself as cart started to move.

To say that I am scared or worried or even nervous would be an understatement, I am truly terrified. Terrified of the fact that I might fail, terrified that this was all a set up and most of all I am terrified that I might never get my dagger back.

The slow clompitty-clomp of the horses hooves are rather soothing. They are peaceful with their constant rhythm. To say that holding on to the bottom of a cart is nice, would be a complete lie. My fingers are getting sore and changing from their lovely peachy colour to a deathly white as my grip strains.

Come on, come on. I silently plead. Surely it can't take that long just to head around the block towards the castle gates. I was starting to get a bit agitated.

Finally finally, the cart came to a stop. "State your business stranger!" I heard a voice shout. Must be a guard.

"I have kitchen and more food supplies." Lord Patrick's man yelled back. I heard some shuffling. I quickly dropped and quietly rolled into the side gutter. I know that they are going to raise the gates but not all the way, just enough so that the guard can pass through.

This is my only chance. The guard is going to check the entire cart, especially underneath where I just was. Once he walks through those gates, they will close immediately behind him.

I shuffle swiftly towards the gate, praying that it is dark enough to cover my small frame while sneaking into the palace grounds.

I stop just as the gate begins to raise. Five seconds is all that I have. Timing is everything. Just as it rises high enough, I roll out of the gutter and leopard crawl along the edge of the wall while Lord Patrick's man starts speaking which draws the guards attention away from possibly seeing me.

I am in.

Standing up, I take note that all the guards that watch over the outer castle walls now seem to all have their attention on the cart which has been granted permission to enter. I run, still in the shadows, to the building in front of me.

Sneaking carefully round the side to where I am greeted with a door- the servants door. Bingo! This will give me direct access to the castle.

Opening it enough to peak through, I don't see a soul in sight. I let out a sigh in relief before stepping in. It's a laundry room. I fling off my cape and grab one of the extra servant uniforms and haphazardly cram the cape into one of the large pockets of the dress.

It was more than uncomfortable but it would have to do for now. I then do my dark hair into a quick bun and make my way up the stairs.

The aromas of different foods immediately meet my nose and I almost drool as I head down the hallway, using my nose to direct me.

Arriving at the kitchen, I found it rather chaotic. Servant bustle around gathering some of the most delectable looking dishes I have ever seen and running them up to the dining room. My guess is that the royals are about to begin dinner and stomach did a slight rumble at the thought of having all this for dinner and I couldn't blame it.

Just as I was about to pass through I got stopped by one of the cooks. She handed me a huge platter of freshly baked bread. The smell was absolutely mouth-watering.

"Well? Go on silly girl, this bread was supposed to be up there minutes ago!" She practically shoved me up the stairs.

Once I had reached the top, I knew that I was supposed to turn left and head straight down the hall way towards the dining room to serve the fresh bread but I didn't.

That wasn't the way that I had to go so instead of turning left I turned right. I knew exactly where I was thanks to the girl who found me earlier, bringing along a map of the castle. I had learnt that map like the back of my hand.

"The dining room is the other way." I heard a silky voice say. It sent slight shivers down my spine. I looked around only to see that the owner of the voice was just as gorgeous. He had a well defined jaw line, prominent cheek bones, soft-looking pink lips and well-groomed dark brown- almost black hair that hung loosely over his brow and deep chocolate eyes. He was truly a sight, but most importantly he was the young prince. Prince Edward.

"My apologies Sire." I bowed, he gave a slight nod dismissing me. I turned around and hurriedly headed the other way. I would have thought that he would have followed but when I turned around he was gone. Shrugging it off, I simply took a sharp turn and pressed to the right, there was no way that I was heading to the dining room. I placed the bread on one of the mahogany tables lined along the wall before swiftly pulling the small ornament lying on the table towards me. At this little action, a distinct click was made and a section of the wall shifted back. It was the outline of a door.

I love castles, there is always so many hidden doors, secret passages and rooms to explore. I grabbed the bread and pushed open the door before closing it behind me, clicking it back into place. I looked in front of me. This was a door to a hidden passage. Placing the bread down on the floor, I pulled off the servants outfit before flinging my cape back on. Much better.

I stuffed the dress in a corner behind a dusty, wooden table that must have been moved to the passage to be hidden from view.

I sighed, looking at the bread sitting on the floor. Just one piece won't hurt, right? Besides, the rats are going to eat it anyways.

I picked up a roll, biting into the gloriously crispy crust and sinking my teeth into the warm, fluffy centre. I had to hold back a moan. I snatch one last roll before heading down the passage which led to the palace court yard. Just where I needed to go. If the prince hadn't seen me though, I would have gotten there faster.

I mentally sighed just thinking about the prince, he was absolutely breath-taking that's for sure but there was something mysterious about those beautiful brown eyes, something I couldn't quite put my finger on. He was a mystery and I am too curious for my own good to leave it unsolved.

I knew this wasn't a good idea. I am such an idiot for doing this. Why couldn't I have used my dagger? Why couldn't I have just taken my dagger from Sir Patrick when I had the chance?

I don't even know what I've gotten myself into and quite frankly I am not sure if I want to know. What I do know, is that there is something very wrong with the royal family, they aren't as flawless as they make out to be.

As I came to the end of the passage, I pull down the torch from the wall towards me. It's flames dance at the slight movement. Another secret wall opens, revealing a door. I stepped out just as the door started to slide back into place. Scanning the immediate area, I see that the coast was clear, however there could be guards doing their rounds, so I would have to be extra careful since the closer I get to the object, the more guards I am bound to bump into.

Turning back to secret door only to find a wall with no possible way of entry, I face the court yard and find a vast, open area with a fountain in the middle. I looked up to the night sky and was pleasantly greeted with the winking stars.

There are a few vines winding up on the side of the wall, perfect for me to climb. I needed to get up onto the roof where it was less likely for me to run into trouble. Just then, I heard voices heading my way.

Shit!