Tracy stood poised behind a tree, listening to the horse hooves draw closer. If he had been paying more attention, he would have noticed that the birds were not singing in the trees and that the forest was silent. It would have not been if she had arrived earlier and lain in wait longer. However, the young prince was unaware of warning signs of danger. It wasn't until the passed her and the horse's ears laid back that he realized something was wrong. By then, a line crossing the path dragged him off the horse and onto his back.

Completely covered in a thick black vest and black clothing to hide her gender and identity, Tracy rushed out and up to the stunned prince. He had only began to catch his breath as she cut off his purse and dashed away. It was the winnings from his trip to a gambling house. He would be walking home poorer for his troubles. She didn't care. Making her way to a creek and jumping up into a tree so as to hide her scent from hounds that could be used to track her, Tracy worked her way towards a small cliff area and climbed onto a ledge. Hidden from the ground, she crawled into a narrow space. Stripping off the black clothing to reveal her plain brown herbalist dress tucked beneath, Tracy became a normal villager.

Leaving the money there, she crawled back out onto a limb and worked her way through the trees towards a clearing where an apple grove grew. From there, she dropped to the ground, picked up her basket of apples, and headed to the path back towards the village. Mission accomplished.

*****

In the nearby manor, a butler stood by the desk of a nobleman. It was a visiting man of wealth named Lord McCarthy. Lord McCarthy downed the last of his drink and passed it to the butler. The butler bowed and took it with him from the room. Dressed in a black suit and white shirt, he passed unseen by those around him. Including the similarly dressed servants and staff. Black and white suited them. It was the finer folk who wore colors. Returning the glass to the kitchen, he stepped back into an enclave. Soon a piece of wood could be heard sliding behind him. He heard the code whispered to him, "You're not working."

He responded in kind. "My eyes are ever on duty." Then passed on what he had seen. "I'm pretty certain that Lord McCarthy means to gain something during his visit. He is already arranging to press our king into holding a banquet soon. The king won't be able to say no is my guess. That will be his chance to perform his opening move."

The faceless voice responded, "Good work Derrick. Keep your guard up." The wood slid back into place and the butler, Derrick, walked back out again into the drone of life. It would seem that a plot was developing and he meant to keep ahead of it.