[Horse-Maiden of the Shire]

Meirelle's head was spinning. She had never worked at a party like this before. Not even the Lady Ruiel's birthday celebrations had been this busy. She could not get a moment to sit down and catch her breath. When Meirelle had finally delivered a towering stack of soiled dishes to the kitchen, she felt a tap on her shoulder. It was Ranne.

"You're to take a ten-minute break. No longer or you'll be skewered," she reported. Meirelle sighed in relief and gave Ranne a quick smile of thanks. Ranne nodded as she walked briskly off for more duties.

At last! A break! thought Meirelle happily. Now I can get down to my real business. Which was, as she had been instructed, 'to thoroughly investigate the area and collect information.' Meirelle slipped out of the hall and walked purposefully towards a door on the right hand side of the corridor. She was just about to open it when a hand landed heavily on her shoulder. Whirling around with a gasp, she saw an armed and uniformed guard standing behind her.

"Excuse me, miss. What do you think you are doing out here?" he demanded.

At a loss for words, Meirelle remained silent. Think, girl, think! her brain screamed. Finally, she stammered out an answer. "I-I-I was just looking for the, ah, the banquet hall!" she blurted. The guard looked at her through narrowed eyes. "Right, then. This way, miss. Right through this door," he said, pointing the way she had just come. Meirelle curtsied and thanked him. Stepping back into the hall, she mentally kicked herself for being caught.

When she got into the hall, she peeped around the door. When the guard was gone, she crept back into the corridor, this time making sure to look for people coming and going. Meirelle reached the door and turned the handle. Ah, luck! It opened! Quiet as a mouse, she slipped inside.

Once she was in the room, she shut the door quietly. Looking about, she saw that the room was decorated beautifully. It looked like a study of some sort. Ah, a desk! Meirelle stole over to the desk and opened it quietly, searching for possible information. Unfortunately, she found nothing.

Peeking through the glass in the study door, she made sure the coast was clear. Opening and shutting the door silently, Meirelle ran back to the hall and slipped inside. Nothing, she sighed.

[ July 03, 2003: Message edited by: Horse-Maiden of the Shire ]