I exhaled, taking a look around me. Everything was still and quiet, definitely not like there had just been a war. The only evidence remaining was a blood splatter on a nearby tree. Mom and Dad had cleared everything else out. I picked up the dagger at my feet, slipping it back into its scabbard carefully. A lone bunny hopped out in front of me, pausing and wiggling his nose. I smiled, pushing my fiery red hair back. "Well, time to go," I said to nothing in particular and started walking. I walked out of the woods and into the heart of the kingdom. Many buildings surrounded the stone paths, connected. I grinned, feeling at home in the town. On the top of a big hill sat the castle. My castle. My home. I made my way up to the castle, passing by bakers, florists, and dancers. The town was always very cheerful and I loved it. I could spend days and days there, but unfortunately my mother and father were the king and queen so I had to attend to royal responsibilities. Yuck. "Skara," the palace guard nodded to me as I entered and I nodded back. "Skara, darling! Where have you been?" my mother swept in, dressed in a long red velvet dress and pulled me into a suffocating hug. "In the woods, just making sure everything had been cleaned up," I replied, trying to escape the hug. "Good," my mother nodded, then glanced down at my outfit, "Dear heavens, what are you wearing?" I looked down at my outfit. Plain shoes with plain pants and a dark brown shirt, "What's wrong with it?" "Shouldn't you be wearing something, more... er... appropriate for someone your rank?" my mother asked. "I like this just fine," I mumbled so she couldn't hear me. "Come, come, we must get you fixed up for dinner," my mother grabbed my wrist and yanked me into my room, where my maid was waiting for me. "Loretta, get her fixed up," my mother told my maid before leaving. Loretta had dark brown hair, an hourglass shape, and was kind of short. But I loved her because she took care of me all those times my mother didn't. That's the thing with being royal, your parents don't have much time for you with all the wars going on. "Skara, what do you want to wear for dinner?" Loretta asked, disappearing into my closet. "I dunno," I mumbled. Loretta clucked, reappearing with a dark purple silk dress. I undressed and slipped into the dress, stepping up on a stool so Loretta could make the final adjustments. When Loretta was done with that she sat me in another chair and got to work on my hair. She brushed through my red hair, yanking through all the tangles. In the end I looked amazing and I smiled at myself in the mirror. "Perfect," Loretta said, straightening my glossy red curls. "Thanks," I said, leaving my room in black heels and making my way down to dinner.