Crickets chirped harmoniously outside the cottage. Her gran would remain asleep for the rest of the evening, giving Astraea plenty of time to complete her dire mission. With hesitant steps, each feeling heavier than the last, she left her room, walking down the hall until she stood in front of the one place she avoided most. Choking back the lump in her throat, she gingerly pushed the wooden door open, a sigh escaping from its old hinges. Her mother’s old room. The bed was still made and untouched apart from a light sprinkling of dust. The curtains had been drawn, allowing a stream of silver moonlight to penetrate the room, painting the wood floorboards with a crystalline wash. Astraea’s attention was captured by the desk on the opposing wall from the doorway, topped with a simple mirror and jewelry box. As she drew closer, she noticed the overturned picture frame atop the ligneous box. Removing a clenched hand from her chest, she tenderly lifted the edge of the frame, to reveal the face of a smiling young woman. Her deep sea green eyes filled with life, her figure adorned with a pale yellow sundress, and her long brown hair tucked behind her perfectly rounded ears. Human...

Astraea released a longing, and somber sigh. She couldn’t help but wonder, had this woman survived her birth, would she be proud of her now? Would she even have to live her life the way she currently was?

“I’m sorry mom…” It felt almost alien to say aloud. “But I have to do this,” She doubted the departed woman could even hear what she was saying, so a part of her understood that this expression of guilt was for her own selfish motives. “Please forgive me…” She set the photo aside, face down again, unable to look at her anymore, and made her way to the closet. A few old garments still hung in it, which she carefully began rifling through. Pushed aside any ones that wouldn’t work for her disguise at the gala. She began to lose hope until something in the very back caught her eye. A white lace frock. Gingerly, she pulled it closer to be illuminated by the moon. She beheld the gently puffed mid length sleeves that fell over the shoulders, paired with a tight ivory bodice and long full skirt adorned with golden floral trimming and lace accents. A wedding dress?! It may have been simple compared to most wedding dresses sold in the main kingdom, but it was also breathtakingly beautiful because of that. Astraea then tried to imagine what her mother would have looked like in the dress. Does this mean she actually married my father..? I thought human and anthripe engagements were illegal… She must’ve been really brave. And she must’ve really loved him… With this hopeful realization, she began to form a newfound respect for her mother. She treasured the knowledge of the woman’s potential bravery. Carefully Astraea donned the dress and looked in the mirror. She noticed how her long brown hair fell over her shoulders just like her mother’s. Her blue eyes and nose, a similar size and shape. She pulled strands of hair back to cover her pointed, elven ears and tied it in a braided bun. And upon further inspection of the dress, she discovered that the skirt was removable, leaving the bodice as a shirt and her pants underneath. Did she hate wearing dresses too? A smile tugged at her lips, and she felt another twinge of kinship with her mother.

Tying the skirt back into place, Astraea began to turn and leave when something caught her eye. A purple glint from the jewelry box. She felt unable to resist, captivated by a seemingly invisible, unexplainable force. Slowly, she reached into the box to remove a small necklace, and upon holding it up, she saw three purple gemstones unlike any other she had seen before, dangling at its neckline. Enraptured by its peculiarity, she clasped it around her neck and admired her reflection for another moment. It was then, for a split second, she thought she saw her eyes flash with gold. Astraea lept backwards in shock, but after a second look, it was gone, like it had never happened. Must’ve been my imagination..? Quickly she grabbed some plain earrings to match and took a deep breath. You just have to get through tonight… After that, no more stealing. You’ll be free…

On her way out, gala invitation tucked safely in her bodice and a clutched satchel large enough to stow the crown in, she paused by the doorway, turning to check back on her gran. She always hated having to leave her.

“I’ll be back soon, I promise…” She gently shut and locked the door, completely unaware of how wrong her promise would be.

As nightfall grew darker, more home lanterns were lit, casting their blue crystalline glow to illuminate Astraea’s path. Dwarven miners in Hilburg had discovered an abundance of the Whirlite crystals in their mines, and upon further inspection of the blue gemstones properties, they were found to keep fires burning longer and brighter. The discovery eventually spurred the creation of Whirlite lanterns, the now highly popular choice of street lighting. Astraea drew closer to the checkpoint in Cleaso, a half mile away from the castle, where she would meet with Kolas for any last minute rundowns. She spotted the orange saurian dressed in a Highland guard uniform. As she approached, Kolas gave her outfit a once over and snorted in dismay.

“Is something wrong with it..?” Ignoring her question, he began shuffling around in a satchel he carried. From it, he removed an elegant lace cape, a pair of ivory gloves, and roughly handed them to her.

“Here, take these. I’m glad I didn’t trust you to find something more sophisticated to wear tonight. These’ll at least help improve it a little."

“I- I can’t accept these! They look too expensive!”

“Just put them on!” He growled. “If the whole point of you attending is to impersonate Lady Earenadell, you need to at least dress the part!”

“Okay, okay!” Astraea gave in, slipping the gloves over her forearms and putting the frock around her shoulders, letting it cascade down to her ankles. “I mean, what are you, a fashion expert?” She laughed at her own comment. Kolas glared and she shut up immediately. “S- sorry…” The pair continued walking, sticking to the shadows and trying to remain inconspicuous.

“Although Sage and a few others will be posing as entertainment and servants tonight, you can’t rely on them for any assistance. You can’t draw any connections between yourselves. So once you’re in there, you’re all alone, no backing out.” She nodded, trying to choke down the nervousness that began spreading through her. King Lucian’s castle loomed ominously in the distance, growing closer with every step. “Remember to wait to make the grab until after Sage sets off the smoke bomb. It’ll give you enough time and cover to smash the case, and exit through the South window. It has to be that window, or else you won’t meet up in time with the rest of us to make the getaway.” He instructed.

“Got it.” She repeated the information over and over in her head, praying she wouldn’t forget.

“This is where we separate, you’ll have to go the rest of the way on your own,” He stopped in his tracks, the sound of party guests rising in the distance. Panic flushed through her, making her palms sweat and shake in her satin gloves. “Good luck.” He began to turn down a forking cobblestone street. Astraea desperately wanted to say something, but her mouth felt too dry. Her mind and heart beat racing.

“K- Kolas, wait!” He stopped and looked back at her, but she was at a loss for words. She didn’t know how to find the comfort and confidence she so desperately sought. He walked forwards, placing his clawed, scaly hands onto her shoulders.

“I know…” And what he did next surprised her. He wrapped his arms around her and embraced her in a tender, fatherly hug. “I believe in you. You’re stronger than you realise. Just remember, we’ll see you once it's over. Antrhipes stick together.” Kolas repeated the guild’s code of arms. Her head tucked into his shoulder, she bit back the lump in her throat. Come on, Astraea! No crying here, you have work to do! She stayed in the hug for a moment longer before pulling away with a great sniffle.

“Thank you… Anthripes stick together.” He nodded with a small grin, and once again turned away, leaving her alone in the glow of a whirlite street lantern.

The line to the entryway of the castle was a long one. Humans from all of Highland, Cleaso and even the neighboring territory of Preale were attending. Horse drawn carriages rolled down the street, dispensing humans dressed like royalty in rich reds, deep blues, emerald greens, and any other color you could imagine. Astraea finally understood Kolas’ concerns with her attire... Live music and conversation filtered boisterously through the midnight air, while plain torches in iron sconces attached to the castle's exterior casted golden hues upon faces in the crowd. Eventually, Astraea made her way through the line and was next in the introductory fanfare. She observed the well dressed human lord in front of her, hand over his invitation from which the footman read, in which Astraea believed to be an extremely high pitched annoying voice,

“Lord Byron Lamker of Newark, Preale!” The man apparently named Byron then proceeded into the castle with a pompous strut. Astraea walked closer, her hand trembling as she reached into her bodice, an action that apparently got many stares, followed by gasps and probably rude, hushed remarks. Mustering up as much courage as she could, and a false feathery accent, she announced,

“It’s quite rude to stare.” To which people scoffed and turned away. Satisfied, and feeling slightly more confident, she handed the invitation to the footman. Who now seemingly flustered from the event, somehow read in a higher, shakier voice than before,

“L- Lady Earenadell Harrett of Dicester, Preale!” Rolling her eyes and rubbing her ears, she passed through the courtyard, and entered the castle. Immediately, it took her breath away. Never before had she seen such ornate gold detailing, high cathedral ceilings with sparkling chandeliers, and a crimson carpet stretching up what could have been a mile long grand staircase! Taking in every glorious detail of the entry hall, she strolled up the steps, trailing her hand along the amber polished railing, and followed the laughing guests before her. Beyond the top of the stairs was a landing with a massive mahogany archway and two forking banisters wrapping back around to lead to higher levels. Astraea passed through the archway, into the large banquet hall. All around her, people in their fanciest clothes were drinking, eating and laughing. Looking upwards towards the cathedral chandelier lit ceiling, she saw circular murals wrapping around a glass skylight where a full moon filtered in through. She had a strong urge to twirl in her long dress, and couldn’t fight it anymore. She spun, her skirt twirling outwards as she took in the entirety of the room. Upon doing so, she noticed the north and south walls were lined with two great oak tables covered with more dishes of food than she could count. Behind them on the high stone walls were 8 guards total, each standing in front of a massive arched window. She then spotted two more guarding a large glass case near the westward wall. Hoping it was what she came for, she wandered closer and spotted just a glimpse of gold before her path was blocked by a mass of black and white fabric frills.

“Lord Byron of Newark, charmed I'm sure.” Ugh, that accent has to be fake!

“As- uh - Earenadel… Of Dicester." She cursed herself for almost blowing her cover within 10 seconds of talking to someone. However, the self absorbed man seemed to take no notice of her unconvincing act. She was getting ready to excuse herself and continue examining the best way to reach the crown when he continued,

“Dicester you say? That's not far from Newark. I'm surprised I haven't heard of you before tonight. As a lord, I do have the privilege of knowing most people worth knowing.” This guy is still talking to me?

“Well, I don't travel much." She stated flatly. Please leave! Can't you tell I'm not interested in you?!

“Mmm, no? Well why don’t you let me show you how a traveled man dances?” He offered his hand, a cocky look in his eyes saying he doubted she’d reject him. But no matter how much she desperately wanted to, she still hadn’t spotted Sage yet. I couldn’t act to grab the crown now even if I wanted to. And I suppose the best way to maintain my cover would be to blend in and dance…

“I’d love to…” She groaned inside and loathingly took his offered hand. As they twirled about the dance floor, Astraea took every opportunity to glance about her surroundings in search of Sage, every now and then she tuned in to hear Byron say things like My father… and Wealthy family… or Lonely child… She just had to make noises like Mhmm and Wow! During pauses in his speech to make it seem like she was listening. That’s when she spotted the familiar face of her mentor.

“Did you hear me?” He stopped mid stride, almost literally jerking her attention back to him. “I said, you seem to be growing as the talk of the party tonight.”

“Really..?” She asked skeptically, keeping Sage in the corner of her eye.

“Why yes! You know, even I heard about your little entrance scene. Quite bold if you ask me.”

“And I assume you have a problem with that?” Her accent began to slip as her attitude boiled up.

“On the contrary, I thought it was quite sensuous.” Ugh gross…

“Look, I don’t know what your goal is with me, but I’m not that kind of ‘lady’.” She began to pull away from him, intent on getting closer to the crown, but he tightened his grip and dipped her.

“Oh I know exactly what kind of lady you are, Ms. Earenadel,” He murmured to her. “That simpleton dress doesn’t fool anyone. Your rapturous beauty shines too brightly. Yes I know your type quite well. You yearn for a little scandal in your life don’t you?” He pulled her back up close to him, one hand on her waist, he unclasped the other from her hand to tuck a strand of loose hair behind her ear, then bent in for a kiss. Furious, Astraea lifted her right hand and struck him the way Kolas had shown her in combat training. He fell backwards with an outcry of pain and shock, the look on his face satisfying her rage. She looked back into the crowd to find Sage and saw her look of horror as she mouthed What have you done?! But too late she realized her mistake. Byron’s eyes widened in disgust as he saw the exposed tips of her ears. To the already quickly gathering crowd he yelled,

“ANTHRIPE! Guards! Apprehend this repulsive monster!!!” He half scooted half stumbled to his feet as rapidly as if she had burned him. Panic began to spread throughout the room. All of the guards by the walls abandoned their windows and charged to the center of the room.