Still more weeks passed and Serali prepared for the ball. Some of the other dresses that Lady Valerie had ordered began arriving and Serali spent hours trying them on. She might have spent only minutes, but Lady Valerie fussed over her almost unbearably.

"Lady Valerie, I can dress myself, really I can."

"A proper lady needs a maid. You ought to have someone else dress you all the time."

"Not me. I grew up without ever even seeing a maid, I know how to do up my own buttons. Please, maybe I can manage all this stuff you expect me to know, but I'm not going to get a maid. In the first place, I could never afford one, and in the second, I don't need one. I'm fine."

"Serali, with that attitude you will never become a proper lady."

"Well, maybe I don't want to be a proper lady. I'd rather go and work on my flame charming than dance. Why should I try to be something I'm not?"

"You can be a lady, Serali. You just have to make an effort. A magess is just as much of a lady as the daughter of a Duke. Why the Lady Anessa is one of the most graceful and stylish ladies that I have had the privilege of meeting."

"Yes, but I'm not the Lady Anessa, I'm Serali. I can't pretend to be someone else."

"Of course not dear, but that doesn't keep you from acting a little more ladylike."

"Lady Valerie, we'll never agree on this, can we just finish putting this dress on? If we wait 'til we agree, we'll be here 'til we both die of old age."

Lady Valerie sighed and finished tying the laces on the latest dress, an emerald frock replete with ruffles. Serali turned around, looking in the mirror. She had to admit that the dress looked stunning, the green color setting off her golden hair and complementing her eyes. She assumed a regal expression and took a few steps, then abandoned all decorum and spun giddily in a circle, laughing as the full skirt of the dress flared out around her.

Lady Valerie shook her head. Such behavior. . . the child is impossible. If Janus weren't such a good friend. . . but then, he's not always the perfect gentleman either. With another sigh she turned back to the task at hand, helping Serali out of that gown so that she could try on the next.

The days flew by, and at last the night was at hand. Lady Valerie had come over at a ridiculously early hour to help Serali begin her day by taking her down to the public baths. Serali had been there a time or two before, but she still felt uncomfortable with the idea of bathing where everyone could see. Even if "everyone" was restricted to other women, it still felt embarrassing and strange. Still, Lady Valerie could be quite insistent when she wanted to and she wanted Serali to be cleaned better than her usual brief wash in cold water back at the tower.

An hour later, she emerged, feeling very clean and also somewhat wrinkled. She spent the next hour holding still while Lady Valerie set her hair in rollers to curl it for that night.

"Ouch, not so hard!" complained Serali.

"Hold still dear, I'm almost done with this one." Lady Valerie tightened the knot on the strip of cloth that held a lock on hair into place around the roller. This was taking place down in the kitchen, and Janus was sitting on a stool, looking amused.

"Watching you ladies prepare makes me glad that men don't have to go through all that." He grinned mischievously at his student. "Don't you just wish that you could go as yourself, without all the primping?"

Serali shot him a glare. Then she laughed. "I think that if I went as my real self the ball might be a little more exciting than anyone had planned."

Janus looked puzzled for a moment, then he grinned broadly. "Yes, I'd say that the excitement would be more than most of the poor nobles could handle."

"And what are you two going on about?" asked Lady Valerie.

Janus gave Lady Valerie and amused glance. "Nothing at all, Valerie my dear. Nothing at all."