Franz

Franz barely touched the plate of pork in front of him despite the desperate please of his stomach that ached for a decent, solid meal. He hadn't eaten anything since that morning and his appetite faltered the more he watched Klaus's monstrous canines dig into the meat.

He pushed his plate forward and dabbed his clean lip with a napkin. Klaus continued to tear viciously at the tender, cooked flesh of what was once a swine. Franz cleared his throat.

"So. Klaus, I think we should discuss a plan, don't you?" he crossed his arms.

Klaus glanced up from his plate, setting aside his fork. He dabbed his mouth with a napkin and swallowed.

"Yes, I believe so. Do you have any ideas?"

Franz gritted his teeth. Surely Klaus had something in mind. He wasn't really going into his 'mission' without a plan?

"I was hoping you had something already planned." He said tartly. 

Klaus's eyes darted to the ceiling as he pondered, "Well, no, not exactly. I came here with the idea that I could simply walk into the Palace, but I now see my assumptions were wrong. I'm without a plan, Mr. Schwarz."

Franz gulped. In the silence of the dining hall, the inhabitants could hear his gears spinning. There were a few ways he believed they could sneak in. First of all, he understood that they needed to find the location of the Palace. He knew that the ship story was untrue, otherwise the royal carriage that took the Williams' daughter would have taken a different path when she left to the Debutante Ball in the Royal Palace a few years before instead of the main road. That would mean the Palace was somewhere on land, and it was accessible by carriage. From there Franz figured that it wouldn't be in the North, since he grew up near the coal mines that littered the Northern Land, and never once had he seen a Palace on those plains. That left the South and the West. The West was filled with many Lords' and Barons' properties. It seemed fitting that the Royal Family be stationed there was well. But if the Palace was in commonly known "Royal Land", everyone would know about it. It had to be in the South, he concluded. It made the most sense. The land was surrounded by large mountains and deep fog, pines that were thicker than wool and canyons that no one could know how to navigate unless they were familiar with the uncharted terrain. He was not one of them. He figured that was where they would need to start.

He folded his hands over his lap, not a minute had passed, "The Palace is located in the South. So, all that's left is to find is someone who knows where exactly."

Klaus waved his fork at him, "You figured that out just now?"

Franz nodded, "It's simple to estimate if you think hard enough, but its exact location is still difficult to pinpoint. It's dangerous land in the West, I wouldn't know how to navigate it. We need someone who knows it well, someone from the Palace perhaps."

Klaus spun the fork between two fingers, "Like who?"

Franz pressed his lips together. No one from the Palace ever came to Auchter--. He paused his thoughts. A faint idea lay just behind him. He recalled his thoughts. The Ball. Of course the Ball. Lily Williams had been invited to the Debutante Ball in the Royal palace a few years back. She was taken by a coach from the Royal Palace, someone who knew where it was located. He jumped from his seat, Klaus's looked up from the table, Clara nearly dropped Franz's untouched platter.

He faced Klaus, "I got it. I know how we can get into the Palace."

Klaus stabbed the fork into the last morsel of pork, "Well? Spit it out!"

Franz paced around the dinner table, eyes glazed over as he voiced his plan into the universe, he chattered away like a wrinkly little hummingbird, "The Debutante Ball. It happens every year around the end of autumn here. A few of the wealthy youths are elected to be presented to the Queen, and a coach arrives to take them at night. If we can acquire passage on one of those coaches, getting you into the Palace will be--Kinderspiel!"

Klaus straightened his ascot, "I thought Debutantes were ladies? To be honest, I don't think neither of us could pass."

"Not here, Klaus. The Queen hosts Balls like these for both the ladies and the gentlemen. She has, er, an affinity for young men."

Franz observed Klaus. Despite his unnerving presence, he was exactly the Queen's preference. Tall, blond, strong, he would catch her eye.

"If the Queen likes you, you can stay for longer. Sometimes she grants you a place in her court. If access to the Palace is what you require, then the best entrance is the Debutante Ball."

Klaus tapped a finger to his chin, his gaze drifted off into the floors. Franz awaited his response. He was aware that the Ball was a more intricate and unnecessary bridge to Klaus's goal, but he hoped he would accept his plan seeing as it was the only one he could think of that avoided any fatalities. Klaus eventually gave a half-smile, a glistening canine pierced his lip.

"I like that plan. A Ball... quite the dramatic setting for a break-in." He chuckled.

Franz nodded, "In that case, we need to find a way to get on one of those coaches. They should arrive in a week or so."

Klaus stood from the dining table and strode to the window that faced the street. He pulled the curtains back gently.

"Well, Mr. Schwarz, we just need to find out which of these eligible bachelors and bachelorettes is set to leave in said coach." He grinned.

Franz folded his arms across his chest, "We won't hurt anyone, Klaus. We don't need to."

Klaus tilted his head, "You don't know that."

Franz huffed and turned away, "I'll try and find out when I work tomorrow. In the meantime, Clara can answer any questions you have."

Klaus let the curtain go and scurried to his side as Franz began to limp upstairs.

"Wait, where are you going?" 

"Upstairs. I'm tired." Franz hissed.

Klaus paused at the bottom stairs and watched him disappear into the upstairs hallway. In all honesty, Franz was exhausted. He had had his world shattered into a million shards; first with his parents and then with Jack. He didn't feel like seeing the rest of the day go by. Instead, he hoped to be preoccupied the next morning with his search for the debutante and left with a minuscule moment of thought. There was nothing left to observe in his life except despair and a rapidly approaching danger he had agreed to ride to at full speed.