A girl sat on a wooden chair facing a bed. She had dark blonde hair and her skin was tan. She wore a gold eye mask and a green dress. Below her sleeve a white scar stretched the width of her wrist. Her green eyes glared icily at the figure in the bed. She stood up and began to pace. She thought back over the night's events. She glared at the figure again before drawing a dagger from around her waist and practising a few movements.

Small intro to my character: I dance by the fountain, and a young girl comes up to me, eyes wide and green and she hands me a gold coin. I smile quietly, "Thank you." The men who are on their way to work take second glances at me and I flash them a smile.

"Over there!" I hear a guard's voice.

"Menace!" Another guard cries and I reach down, grab my small sack of gold coins. The guards come closer and I smile wickedly.

"See you around boys." I raise my hand quickly, a dark cloud of shadows swirls around me and I teleport outside of the city walls just in the nick of time.

I smile, fixing my dress and the scarf around my head and count my earnings for the day.

Alyssa glared at the sleeping prince. He had ruined her life. She thought back to that fateful night, almost afraid to.

She was younger, her skin still pale and her hair still dark, not yet bleached by the sun. She was wearing a royal blue dress and a detailed silver eye mask. Her hand was in the hand of a young, handsome man, and they were walking in step, taking in the cool night air. Alyssa hadn't been able to believe her luck; the prince had chosen her! She looked up at him and smiled. He looked down at her and smiled back. "Sorry, Alyssa. I've just seen someone I have to talk to." He removed his hand from hers and went over to talk to a tall, curvy blonde. They began to laugh and chat, and a cold feeling of dread entered Alyssa's stomach. She waited for a little while, consoling herself that it might be his sister, but after a painful while, she accepted that he had chosen the blonde; not Alyssa. She walked away, a tear rolling freely down her cheek. Suddenly what felt like a boulder crashed into her, knocking her flying. It was a group of bandits that had been at the ball and had undeniably drunk. She had smelt the alcohol on their breath.They gagged her so she couldn't scream for help, and they then proceeded to rob her. They ripped the lace from the base of her dress and stole what little money she had on her person, before slashing her wrist with a dagger. They then left, talking loudly and laughing. Alyssa had dragged herself from the shadows, and before unconsiousness took her, she saw the prince still laughing with the blonde. He hadn't noticed a thing.

Alyssa was shocked back into reality. A bang and a clatter had sounded from a nearby room, undoubtedly the kitchen. Her cheek was wet; she wiped it away quickly, embarrased. She glanced around the room, making sure no-one had entered while she had been asleep, or, indeed, that the prince had not awoken.

Joshua stood near the end of a large, overly decorated dance hall. Many people were enjoying themselves, barely giving a thought to their surroundings. A golden mask covered his face, but it was nothing too dramatic. His clothes on the other hand shouted outsider. Being unable to afford any decent garments, the archer merely showed up in his usual attire. More had mistaken him for a bus boy than a guest. But he liked it that way. He found it strange though, that so many nobles could fit into such a small hall. What was even stranger was the fact that the monarchy was nowhere to be found. During previous engagements similar to this, Joshua would catch sight of the queen and her son, or maybe a Duke wandering about, making small talk. What am I worrying about. Everything should go according to plan, I just need to pay attention.

(Question. Do the leaders know each other, or are they all operating on their own schemes?)

A young lady stood in the corner of the hall, holding a glass of drink. She had on a golden mask and a blue dress. Her black hair was tied back in a long ponytail. She was standing in the corner as she did not want to draw attention to herself. This position was perfect for her. She could see nearly everything that was ongoing in the hall and could observe the happenings from where she was standing. She watched as people danced happily with each other, free of the monetary woes that plagued the middle class. They laughed as they chatted with each other. Mandy felt her anger growing as she remembered her own past, the way her mother had to work so hard just so they could survive. Yet, in the end, her hard work was futile. It just became harder and harder to survive. Mandy's grip around the glass tightened. She realised how tightly she was holding on to the glass and loosened her grip a little. She did not want to end up breaking the glass and attracting unwanted attention to herself.

Arabel stands next to the dessert table, a fitted red dress [http://joechip.net/liana/uploads/disney-princess-esmeralda-red-dancing-dress-jewels-series-liana-remix-tabbed.png] and a red mask, with swirls of gold on it. Many males take second glances at her and she flashes a small smile. She grabs two glasses of wine and walks around the table and over to a man standing by himself [Joshua].

"Care for a drink?" She flashes a witty smile and holds the glass in front of him.

The sudden noise from somewhere else in the palace appeared to startle the uninvited guest, but it was not what had woken the prince himself. He had never really been a heavy sleeper, and the girl who was somehow allowed to enter his bedroom was not as stealthy as she probably thought she was. At least he assumed it was a girl because of the dress and the long hair; it was too dark to be able to tell for sure. At first he just smirked on the inside when he saw her enter: the masquerade ball had already started and it appeared as though some of the guests couldn't wait for him to make his entrance. But while amusing at first, the situation kind of took a turn for the creepy when she just sat down to watch him sleep, and then she drew a dagger from the plaits of her dress. Alexis didn't know who this girl was or what she wanted, but he usually avoided people with sharp pointy objects as a rule. "I am so going to have whoever was supposed to guard the halls executed later." He thought to himself.

For a while, he just pretended to still be sleeping and waited for something to happen, for example for a servant to come wake him up and or bring him his costume for the ball to which he intended to be fashionably late, or for the mysterious girl to approach him so that he could take her by surprise instead. But nothing seemed to happen for a while, and after the loud noise from somewhere close by, pretending to be asleep wasn't going to fool anyone.

"How long are you going to just stand there?" He asked quietly, not really moving much from his spot. For a moment, he regretted not having a dagger hidden under his pillow or something like his father did; perhaps the old king wasn't that paranoid after all. But perhaps this girl wasn't as dangerous as one might have thought, just really creepy. Maybe she just needed the dagger to cut a strand of his hair, that wouldn't be the weirdest display of obsession he had seen. "Wouldn't you rather lose that dress and get under the covers with me?" He smirked, sitting up slightly.

Alyssa glared at the prince. He didn't seem to recognise her. Without saying a word, she stalked over to him and held the dagger to his neck. She bent down close to his ear, and all the while pressing the dagger against his neck, whispered softly in his ear, "Remember me, you cheating dog?" She slapped him hard. "That's from me. And this is for the community..." She seized a tray and hit him hard over the head. Without even checking to see if he was unconsious, she darted to the door and yelled, "Mandy! Joshua! NOW!!!" She lifted her mask above her eyes as she searched the room for them.

((By the way, all of the leaders are aware of each other. Both Joshua and Mandy are aware of where Alyssa is and are simply waiting for her mark to come kidnap the prince.))

A small smirk crept over his lips as he accepted the drink. "Don't mind if I do." Nodding, he took a quick sip before eyeing the girl before him. A small look of disgust settled onto his face, the wine leaving a rather bitter taste in his mouth. "Never been a big fan of this stuff.." He joked, setting the glass down on a nearby table. Trying to make small talk was a little more difficult for Joshua, seeing as he never got out much. His first attempt was halted though, when he heard a familiar voice shouting out his name. Time for it already? Geez, when Alyssa said we'd be in and out, she meant it. Removing the mask, Joshua brushed the few strands of hair that had fallen in front of his face. He withdrew a short dagger from his boot, something he kept with him at all times. His bow was too large to sneak in, but he figured this weapon would do just fine. "If you'll excuse me.." Jumping onto the table, Joshua glanced around the fairly crowded room, his smirk growing slightly. "Ladies and gentleman!" He shouted, drawing attention away from the prince's bedroom. "I am your entertainment for this evening. Now, if you'll all gather around, we'll turn this old gathering into a real party!"

Rather unfortunately, it didn't seem as if his visitor was one of those girls from nobility that seemed to sometimes have more than a small obsession with him. That was a little surprising; her dress looked like one of the lower-level nobles', and that would explain how she was able to get into his room. "Definitely having the guards executed." Alexis decided for himself as the girl held a dagger to his neck. The masquerade was free entry, but they were supposed to check that the people coming here weren't commoners or nobles fallen from grace; furthermore, while technically they weren't supposed to let anyone pass into these parts of the palace, they should have made sure whoever they let through didn't have a weapon on them. The guards accepting bribes wasn't really new, but this was complete incompetence.

On the other hand, the guards weren't the only incompetent people around. This girl who insinuated he was supposed to know her from somewhere dared to hit him, stupidly enough, with a silver tray. If she had at least struck him in the temple with its side, he could understand how it might have seemed effective, but she hit him over the head with the flat side. It didn't even hurt significantly, much less stun him. Using the dagger's pommel would have been much more effective, but it seemed as though it was only meant to threaten him. Of course it was; her words gave her away as a rebel, which instantly made her motive known, given that she didn't try to kill him.

Alexis sighed and got up from the bed, rubbing his cheek lightly. A bright red mark of some uncultured girl's hand would really stand out on his complexion, and that was something he didn't need. But that was something he would worry about a bit later; for now, he just approached the wardrobe and started dressing in a hurry. It was bad enough he was caught with his pants off - literally - when it wasn't his intention, and he certainly didn't want to be dragged around in his underwear. "So, what's the plan?" He spoke up, checking himself out in the mirror. "Wait, let me guess. Your benefactor, who made all of this possible, has an escape route prepared for you. Except in reality it's just going to have a bunch of their men waiting for you so they can take credit for saving the day." He smirked. "Seriously, one would think you'd learn by now."

Arabel laughs quietly as the man draws attention to himself and looks behind her, noticing all those who had turned around and clapped in delight. She takes a sip of her drink and pops her hip out slightly, curious to see what the man was up to.

Joshua seemed rather pleased with himself. Most, if not all, of the hall's occupants were focused on him. Now, all Alyssa had to was sneak out with the prince, and he could waltz out like nothing ever happened. Of course, there was still the problem of finding a good act to cover the escape. Damn.. Wish I had thought this far ahead. Luckily, he had a few rather flashy tricks up his sleeve that would no doubt thrill a bunch of nobles; it wasn't that hard to please them. Leaning onto the edge of the table, Joshua flipped off, landing gracefully on his feet. "Please pay close attention to what I am about to do. I'm only going to do it this once." The dagger in his hand began rotating, his fingers no where near the handle. Joshua heard someone shout 'magician' which stopped his little trick. "I am no magician good sir. I'm merely an entertainer." A short bow caused a hushed round of laughter, but died off quickly. "Now, does anyone perhaps have with them a bow and quiver?"

One of the guards, captivated by this show that had taken place, offered his weaponry to Joshua. It was like taking candy from a baby. "Thank you my friend." Observing the bow for a moment, Joshua withdrew an arrow, soon drawing the string back and taking aim. "Ten gold coins says I can hit that tapestry on the Western wall." His newly acquired target caused the heads of his viewers to scan the room, soon spotting it. Faced in the opposite direction of Alyssa, and a good fifty or so yards from Joshua. After accepting a number of nods, he focused on the weapon at hand and fired, the arrow only taking seconds to hit the make shift bulls-eye.

Arabel smiles quietly, understanding what he was doing now, she turns to him, "Very nice." She chuckles and begins to clap and the rest of the audience bursts out into applause as well.

"You sexist pig." She spun around to face the prince. "You haven't changed a bit over two years. You always did prefer tall, tan, blondes. Am I good enough for you now?" Alyssa glared at the blonde figure in the mirror. She raised her arm, showing the ugly scar on her right arm. "I got this because of you. Oh, and by the way? I call my own shots. I am my own benefactor. I'm making my own way out. And don't even think about calling for guards, they're all locked in their own cells, or entertained and weaponless due to my very good friend." Which reminded her that she had to thank Joshua for that later. She jumped Alexis, not worrying about visible bruises. Even though she was light and thin, the shock managed to knock him to his feet. She held the dagger by its blunted blade- she had never meant to stab anybody. The silver tray had simply been to shock him. Mind you, her hand had slipped and he had been hit with the flat of the tray, and while it had a certain comedic value, it was useless. She kicked and scratched, thumping him with her dagger pommel wherever possible.

"Who are you even talking to?" Alexis smirked as the girl started accusing him of something or other. Of course she would; lesser people always blamed those more fortunate for all of their troubles. What she was saying didn't really make much sense to him, but it didn't change the principle of the matter. She was a rebel, he was the prince, so whatever she had to suffer through in the past could be conveniently blamed on him, regardless of how nonsensical it was. For example, she sounded like she was accusing him of cheating on her, when in fact he had never made a promise of faithfulness to anyone and it was his first time seeing this particular girl. He didn't let it bother him; she probably couldn't say anything worth paying attention to period, not to mention under the circumstances.

"Your own benefactor? Spare me the ignorance." The prince gave a small chuckle. "A noble would be ashamed of showing up at the king's ball in a dress like that, and you didn't even tie the girdle properly. You only got here because someone pulled some strings to make it happen. It's not like this is the first time, though usually people go after my father." He said in a bored tone as he finished dressing and went over to the mirror to comb his hair. He wasn't about to look bad in public just because of some unusual event.

He had just about achieved perfection when something unexpected happened: the girl assaulted him, knocking him down with her weigh and proceeding to hit him in a frenzy. He failed to react at first, suffering several painful hits from the metal object in her hand and scratches from her nails, but soon corrected his mistake. He grabbed her by the wrists and quickly overpowered her, rolling over so that he was the one pinning her down; he may not have been very strong, but certainly much stronger than some skinny girl.

"That was not very smart." Alexis said to her with a half-grin half-scowl on his face. It still hurt from her attack, and he was having a hard time controlling his anger. She dared to hit him, to once again ruin his hair and bruise his perfect face, when touching him without his permission was already enough to rouse his ire. "If you were going to threaten me with that dagger, then you shouldn't have let me know it was little more than a piece of metal." He smirked as he got a better look at his attacker; save for the scar on her wrist that wasn't very noticeable, she wasn't that bad. Too bad for her. "If you were so concerned about a scar on your wrist, you probably don't want to know what I have in mind for you as punishment."

The prince took a few deep breaths and thought about the current situation. He could call for guards, but they probably wouldn't hear him over the festivities. Besides, considering the girl signaled her allies quite openly earlier, they were probably watching out for any suspicious behavior. He could go look for someone, but he had little doubt the girl would either attack him again or try to run away the moment he let go, and he couldn't have that. All that was left was to wait and see who would come first, the guards or the rebels. Considering the whole scenario was likely set up by some noble who wanted to gain favor by "saving" the prince, he doubted it would be the guards. Of course, waiting didn't have to be all boring.

"So, what's your story, little kitty?" Alexis spoke up, openly checking the girl out as much as their position allowed. "That was definitely a fit of jealously earlier if I had ever seen one. And a big one at that. 'Am I good enough for you now?'" He imitated her voice and chuckled. "If you wanted me that badly, you could have just said so. You're not fat, too skinny or ugly. The scar is a bit of a downer, and you definitely need to cut back on the crazy, but I see no reason why we couldn't have spent some time together." He smirked and leaned down to her a bit. "Or perhaps this is all just part of some weird fantasy of yours?" He added in a low voice. "I guess I could be merciful in that case."

Another three or four arrows had been fired from the bow, each hitting some random target Joshua had pointed out. Both longer than the last, he was beginning to really grab his audience's attention. While he would have gladly continued, he hadn't spotted Alyssa or the prince yet, which had him a little worried. Damn that girl. I knew letting her snatch him by herself was a bad idea. He had his onlookers captivated for the time being, but it would only last so long. The night was drawing out, and soon the royal family would have to make an appearance. But that would be hard to do if the prince was stuck in his bedroom with a kidnapper. Joshua hesitated, lowering the bow only slightly before bringing it back up into view. He had two options; wait a little longer and hope Alyssa would clear out. Or, he could start up plan B. Plan B, which was his own little idea, involved quite a bit of violence, and he wasn't really looking forward to any fights. No, he would wait a little while longer. Try and occupy the crowds as much as he could. However, there was one more small problem he couldn't help overlooking. He only had one arrow left.

Mandy heard her name being called and knew that that was her cue. As silently as she could, she sneaked out and headed across the street, where the horses were tied and hidden from view. She untied the horses and brought them out to the exit where they were going to leave from. She then slipped back into the ballroom and headed towards the Prince's room. She knocked on the door and went in. "Alyssa, the horses are ready. We can leave anytime,"Mandy said. With that, she left the room and went back to the hall to join Joshua. She took off her mask and tried to catch his eye before giving him the signal to tell him that the horses were ready.

Out of the corner of his eye, Joshua caught sight of Mandy. He knew what that look meant. It meant they were leaving. And he couldn't have asked for better timing. He had just fired his last arrow, hitting a window without shattering it. "Well ladies and gentlemen. That concludes our little presentation. Now, if you'll all gather outside, the royal family is waiting." Of course, that was a lie. It was rather dark out, and not many people could see clearly. It would take them a few minutes to figure out there was no King and Queen sitting outside waiting for their guests. But by that time, the prince would be stuck with them. Joshua waited a moment as the audience began walking out. Once a good size of them were out of view, he leaped off the table and ran to the prince's bedroom. Sliding the door open, he spotted Alyssa stuck underneath him. "Good evening your highness." He smirked, quickly heaving the prince off of the girl. "You're a real pain you know that?" Glancing down to Alyssa, Joshua threw the prince into a corner before helping her to her feet. "You alright?"

Alyssa looked at Joshua and raised her eyebrows. "Nice show. And were you referring to me being a pain or him?" Her eyes glinted dangerously as she brushed down her dress. She unravelled the belt from her dress and used it to gag the prince. She dragged him out to the centre of the room, where she grabbed his feet and looked down on him. "Do you want to know what's wrong with me? Think back to the masquerade ball two years ago. Every detail." She lifted her mask briefly at him, before glancing at Joshua. "Grab his arms. It'll be easier to throw him into the cart." She glared icily at the prince, holding back all temptation to grab Joshua's sword and stab the prince in the foot.

"I was talking to him." Joshua replied, a little sarcasm hinted in his voice. He followed the duo out of the room, soon grabbing the prince's arms just like he was instructed to. "You know you sure took your sweet time getting this guy." While he didn't want to push Alyssa past that certain breaking point, he was a little irritated with her. Joshua had figured the whole operation would take an hour or two, but having to drag out his little 'show' like that was more than he'd wanted. Still, he couldn't really complain, seeing as they still got the guy they were after. Thinking back to his spectacle, Joshua scoffed at himself for not pick pocketing some of those nobles. It was a real shame to let all that money be wasted.

"He proved to be a little more resiliant than I was expecting. And my hand slipped on the silver tray." She grinned at Joshua. "Did you get much? Or was my benefactor too busy entertaining the rich?" She winked at him, and quickly explained the benefactor story. As they lugged their load through a side door to where she could dump him into a cart, she was thinking. Was the plan acheivable? Was she doing the right thing? She made herself stop the internal babbling after she narrowly missed a pillar. She concentrated on her feet, which helped clear her head.