There was a knock on the door. "Alex?" a guy's voice called out.

"Almost ready!" the girl replied. Quickly, she slid a necklace over her head, changing her into a boy.

Alex, or Alexandria, was a girl masquerading as a boy in the royal palace of England. She and her friend, Stuart, were there to train to be knights, but that was not why she was disguised. Half a year ago, she had been the first cousin of the Queen of England, along with her twin sister, Jennifer. Her famiy had moved to a different planet that had been discovered, but she refused to go. She had disguised herself and gone to Australia with her friend Brian, where they had met Stuart. A week ago, she had cast a spell with the magic she, her sister, and the Queen possessed, which disguised her as a boy, so she would not be recognised at all. Then, they had moved back to England, and she set out for her knight's shield.

Her friend Stuart walked into the room and smiled. "We're here," he said. "Only six long years until we get our shiels. Well, shall we go to supper?"

Alex, as she was called by her friends, nodded. "It's now or later, we have to sometime," she said reasonably.

"Be careful," her cat wraned.

Alex smiled down at him. "Don't worry, James, I'm always careful. I'm certainly not going to get caught my first day here." Stuart was one of the few friends who knew about Alex's magic and her masquerade. Not even her twin knew that she was in the palace, pretending to be a boy. The two pages walked into the hall, and the few people who saw them ran to spread the word of the new pages. Quickly, a small crowd of boys formed. A tall guy of about seventeen stepped through the group. He had dark brown hair and sparkling blue eyes, a straight-cut stubborn chin, and a medium-sized nose. He was very handsome, Alex knew this, as did the whole world.

Quickly, Alex kneeled. "This is the Prince," she told Stuart through gritted teeth. He followed her example, and kneeled upon one knee.

"Rise," Prince Joshua told them. "What are your names?"

"Alexander Tirragen, and Stuart Cria," Alex replied, then added, "your Highness."

He smiled. "New at the palace?" he asked. "No, don't answer that. It's obvious you are. Who will be their guides?" Hands shot up, and the Prince picked two, although Alex was convinced she wouldn't need one, since she had spent so much time at the palace as her true self. "Eddie, you can be Alexander's. Charles, you're with Stuart." Two tall young men stepped forward. Eddie - Edward - was a familiar sight for Alex. He was Duke Edward's son, and had spent as much time as, if not more than, Alex in his father's office for his numerous pranks. She was less familiar with Charles, but she knew that he was part of the Prince's honoured group of friends. They other two in the group were Robbie and Francis, but they weren't around then.

That night after supper, Stuart was in Alex's room before lights out. "I thought the Queen wasn't married," he said.

"She's not," the girl replied. "She adopted Joshua so there would be an heir. She made a wise choice; never was there someone as capable of becoming a ruler as he."

A servant came and took Stuart to his room. With a final sigh, Alex dressed for bed and went to sleep.

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