Evan dropped Allison off before he went off to deal with the sheriff. She waved them off as she opened the front door. A small envelope fell from the door jamb, surprising her. She picked it up, and found it to be the same envelope that the queen used for the tea summons. Closing the door, she held the envelope to the window for more light. It was addressed to her specifically. She quickly opened it to read it, but found two separate notes. She read the scrawled out one first.

My dearest Alison,

This is something that I should have mentioned yesterday while you were having tea, but better late than never. Although, I do hope you are able to attend. Come to the castle tomorrow, I'll send a carriage to retrieve you. We'll get you fitted into something perfect.

Yours truly,

Queen Artemisia Kaida

Alison had to reread the note twice, not sure what it was for. She looked at the other note, which was much fancier than anything she had received in the past. She looked over the second note.

Dear Ms. Yaria,

Queen Artemisia Kaida formally requests your appearance at the annual Danlar Ball at Cardonia Castle on the third day of the fourth moon.

The doors shall open at 8 o'clock in the evening.

Alison stared at the invitation, absolutely shocked. Never in her life did she ever think for one moment that she would be invited to such a prestigious event. She opened the door again, but Evan and Madson had already walked away. She slowly shut the door as she looked down at the invitation again. Then she remembered that she was supposed to be fitted, for what she could guess, for a ball gown.

A knock at the door nearly caused her to jump out of her skin. Again, she opened the door and found Chester on her doorstep.

"Good evening," Alison smiled, composing herself.

"I saw you open and close your door, and I just wanted to make sure you were okay," Chester answered. Concern showed in his eyes as she sighed, producing the invitation. 

"I wanted to ask Evan about this. He walked me home, but since you're here," Alison answered. Chester looked over the invitation and smiled.

"The Danlar Ball? I guess it is that time of year again. On the third, I see. That's a little less than a week from today," Chester noted, handing the invitation back. "I'm glad she sent you an invitation. Usually it travels through word of mouth. Most are invited, generally those who are in the government."

"I'm flattered that I get to go," Alison sighed.

"Well, you better show up then," Chester mentioned, confusing Alison.

"Why wouldn't I go?"

"I don't know, but if the queen decided to reach out to you and personally invite you, that means something. You can't decide not to go," he answered as she took the parchment again.

"I guess so. I was going to go. A ball sounds interesting. Very fairy tale," Alison smiled.

"I'm going to pretend I know what that means. I know that Frederick will be there. Despite of being a workaholic, he loves a good party. He might drink a lot, though," Chester warned. "The queen has some of the best wine around."

"I believe it."

"Any other questions? Do you have anything to dress up in?" Chester asked, hinting at her get up. She had brought her old clothes back from the castle, and decided to wear them for her first day of work. 

"Artemisia is going to fit me for a dress."

"That's very kind of her. She has good tastes, I think. Her dresses are always so formal. Not generally my style."

"Formal?" Alison asked, thinking that the queens dresses looked more casual. The flowing fabrics were more comfortable than the formal wear of the royals of England at least. Chester shrugged.

"I forget that you aren't from here. Regardless, not really my style. I hope that she has a grand plan for you," he winked. Alison rolled her eyes.

"She'll probably just adjust an older dress for me."

"Either way, I look forward to seeing you there," Chester smiled. "Hopefully I'll see you sooner than that, though."

"I agree. I'll probably get the evening shift tomorrow since Artemisia called on me," Alison sighed.

"Well, maybe I'll see you there. In the meantime, I'll let you go. I have to get back to Frederick to see if he still needs my help."

"Tell him I hope to see him soon," she informed as Chester agreed. He waved before she closed the door. She held the invitation in her hand and sighed. The excitement she felt for the event turned to anxiety. She wondered if it was okay to have a foreigner there. Although, Artemisia was the queen. She could decide who could go and not. 

With a sigh, she walked into the kitchen and set the papers on the dining table. She glanced through the cupboards, forgetting that there wasn't any food in the kitchen. Groaning, she closed the cabinets and debated what she should do. 

She searched through the house and was able to scrounge up a few coins. Without knowing the value of the money she had, she walked out of the house in search of something to eat.

Alison wandered around for a little while before finding a small stand near the town center. She walked up to it, finding an older woman selling fruit.

"Good evening," the woman smiled, leaning toward Alison.

"Good evening. I know this is going to sound strange, but I was wondering if I would be able to buy anything with this," Alison asked, handing the few coins that she found to the woman. The seller counted the change and sighed.

"Generally, I would say no, but business was good today. I can give you smaple for this," she smiled. 

"That would be wonderful, thank you," Alison answered, accepting the strange looking fruit.

"Are you new around here?"

"Yes, I came through the gateway, and now I'm stuck. I have a job now, but that was all the money I could find."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you get back on your feet soon, hun," the woman stated, tossing another fruit Alison's way. "Pay me back when you can."

"Thank you," Alison smiled before returning to her new home. She took a bite of the strange fruit. It had a purple skin that was fuzzy, almost like a peach, and had a sweet flavor. It almost tasted like peach flavored marzipan. She was able to finish the fruit before she even reached the house again. 

Once inside, instead of eating the second fruit immediately, she placed it in one of the empty cupboards for the next day. She wasn't sure when she was going to get paid, nor did she know when the next time she would be able to eat again. It was better to save it for now.