Y/N paced the castle hallways impatiently, barking orders to coordinate the kingdom-wide manhunt.  Twelve hours after the ball had ended with the mysterious blue-haired boy's abrupt departure, Y/N had taken charge of the search.  The kingdom's soldiers were scrambling to obey her commands and find the stranger who had fled the ball.

Preoccupied with her search, Y/N didn't notice her father blocking her way until she walked right into him and bounced off his chest.

"Ack!  Daddy!  Don't scare me like that!" she snapped, clutching his arm to recover her balance.

"Y/N, I was just standing here," he pointed out.  "I fail to see how it's my fault that you weren't watching where you were going."

Y/N sighed.  "Sorry, Dad.  I'm just distracted right now."

"I know, dear.  How's the search going?"  Steering her by the elbow, Soos led her into the nearest study and sat her down on one of the plush armchairs, taking the one opposite her.

"I've got men combing the cities and teams checking out the country estates," Y/N reported.  "So far they've made it through the eastern province and are headed south.  With enough time and manpower, I'll be sure to find him soon."  An involuntary frown wrinkled her brow for a brief moment.  "Probably."

Soos stared at her thoughtfully.  "You know, you've still got that boy's shoe, don't you?  Why don't you narrow down your search by finding out who fits into it?"

Y/N was speechless for a long moment, staring at her father in complete shock.

"Daddy... I love you, but that is quite possibly the dumbest idea I've ever heard," she finally said.

Soos looked offended.  "Why so?"

"Uh, maybe because there must be a dozen men in the palace alone who could wear the shoe, not to mention the fact that it's a completely unremarkable shoe, and the fact that we already have detailed descriptions of him and the one he was with, complete with accurate sketches, and they both have extremely obvious identifying features beyond their shoe size?" she ranted without stopping for breath.

Soos chuckled.  "You're right, that was a ridiculous idea.  Sorry, dear."

Y/N rolled her eyes.  "We're looking for someone with a very conspicuous birthmark, not to mention a guy with blue hair.  How hard could it possibly be?"

Six hours later, Y/N was willing to admit that it might be harder than it seemed.  She was itching to dash out of the castle and join the search herself, but she knew she had to wait for reports to arrive.  

"I hate waiting," she grumbled, staring out the window at the empty road as she watched for any approaching news of the search.

"I know, dear, you've said that a dozen times in the past ten minutes," her mother said brusquely.  "You've got to learn patience if you're expected to rule the kingdom someday."

Y/N shot Melody a glare.  "It's always 'rule the kingdom' with you, isn't it?  Don't you even care how I feel?"

Melody met her gaze evenly.  "That is because the kingdom takes precedence always.  You are a princess first, and a person second.  There are no exceptions to this rule if you expect to lead this kingdom properly."

They held the staring contest for a long moment before Y/N finally dropped her gaze.

If you really believe that, she thought as she turned back to the window, why are you letting me choose my own husband rather than marrying me off to the most suitable candidate?  Why am I allowed to appropriate the entire kingdom's resources in a desperate manhunt for a man I barely know? 

You don't mean what you say, mother.  Deep down, beneath the layers of queenly responsibility, you were just like me once, weren't you?  You were lucky enough to marry your soulmate, and you want me to do the same.

Melody couldn't see Y/N's slight smile as she continued to stare out the window.

------------------------

*yawn* "You tell a decent story, Bill, but wrap it up.  I'm ready for bed already."

"M-me too."

"Worry not, kiddos, your uncle Bill is almost done with this fairy tale."

"Good.  Then shut up and get on with it."

"As you wish."

-----------------------

Barely blinking, Y/N monitored the horizon for any sign of approaching news.  Suddenly, she catapulted out of her chair.  A dust cloud in the distance had resolved itself into a the silhouette of a horse, galloping toward the castle at top speed.

Hurdling the fallen armchair, Y/N sprinted down the hall and vaulted the handrail of the grand staircase, sliding recklessly down with her hair flying.  She didn't exactly nail the landing, ending up sprawled on the smooth marble floor.  Ignoring her scraped elbows, Y/N scrambled to her feet and raced to the door to eagerly welcome the approaching rider.

"What's the news?  Do you have news?  Did you find him?  Where is he?" she blurted the instant the man crossed the threshold of the castle's main entrance.

The man bowed deeply before responding.  Too impatient to pay any mind to such pleasantries, Y/N bounced eagerly on the balls of her feet before he finally spoke.

"Your Highness, we've located one of the men included in the sketch.  The Gleeful residence, one of the country estates on the west border of the kingdom, is home to a young man with a birthmark on his forehead that matches the description we'd been given," the soldier announced.

"Did you find the other one?" Y/N asked, slightly disappointed.  "The blue-haired one?"

"Not yet, Princess, but the rest of my squad remained at the manor to question the family.  We can't search the premises without an official warrant, but we can keep the family from leaving the house.  If these two men are connected somehow, this one will lead us to the other," the soldier reassured her.

"Thank you.  You'll be getting a commendation for this," Y/N declared.  "Please instruct the stables to fetch my horse, I'll be leaving for this Gleeful estate immediately."

The soldier bowed.  "Understood.  I'll make the proper arrangements for your escort at once."

"Just make sure they can keep up with me," Y/N said with a mischievous grin.

One horseback-riding montage later, Y/N was standing at the front door of the Gleeful residence.

Why are you nervous? she asked herself.  Just ring already.  Stop stalling, you idiot.  You've been waiting all day.

Slowly, she raised her hand to the pull-cord next to the door and jerked it once.  She heard the bell inside jangle, but no one responded.  She rang again, louder.

"What is it now?" she heard a voice grumble from inside.  "Pesky soldiers invading our house like we're some sort of criminals, going through our stuff like we've-"

The old man cut off as he opened the door to face the pissed-off princess, standing impatiently with her hands on her hips.

"Oh," the man stammered.  "Princess Y/N, this is- it's an honor, but- we didn't receive word of your arrival.  I apologize, I would have prepared-"

"No matter," she cut him off.  "Baron Stan Gleeful, I presume.  May I come in?" she gave him a meaningful glance.

"I- of course, where are my manners."  Stan stepped out of the way to allow Y/N to enter.  She gave the tacky decor and cluttered tables a brief disapproving glance.

"If I may, Princess, what are you doing here?" Stan asked nervously.

"That's my business," Y/N said shortly, assuming an air of royal disdain.  She'd already decided she didn't like this cranky-looking old man.

"Of course.  My apologies," Stan said, though he looked dissatisfied.

Careful, Y/N, she warned herself.  Royalty or no, you can't just barge into someone's house and refuse to explain yourself.

"I'm looking for a blue-haired boy about my age," Y/N explained to him, scrutinizing his face for any reaction.  "Do you know anyone like that?"

"No.  There's no one here with blue hair."  Stan's voice was even, but his eyebrow twitched.  He's lying.

"I see.  Then you won't mind if I have my entourage search the place, do you?" Y/N smirked at him.

Stan frowned dismissively.  "You can't order a search without a warrant."  He seemed sure of himself.

Y/N pretended to consider for a moment.  "That's true.  Now who could have the authority to issue a warrant like that?  Oh, that's right, it's me."

With a triumphant smile, Y/N waved her escort through the door and instructed them to search the place from top to bottom.

"You can't invade my private residence without a reason!" Stan howled, trying to physically block the soldiers from entering.

"Actually, they can," Y/N said smugly.  "It's one of the perks of being in charge."

She knew she was abusing the privileges that came with holding the highest office in the land, but right then she didn't care.  In fact, she was enjoying it immensely.  A good old miscarriage of justice once in a while never hurt anyone, she reasoned.  She sat at Stan's dining table, instructing a nervous maid to bring her a drink.

Just then, one of the soldiers reentered the room, towing a glowering teenager by the arm.  Y/N recognized the ridiculous cape and unusual birthmark as the person who had aggravated her at the ball.

"Is this one of the men you were looking for, Princess?" the soldier asked, presenting her with his captive.

"Y/N!" the boy said brightly.  "I always knew you'd come for me!"

"Shut it, whatever your name is," Y/N snapped.

"Dipper, milady," he said, shaking free of the soldier and sweeping her a bow.

"I don't care," Y/N said coldly.

Dipper stared at her, affronted.  "Excuse me?"

"I couldn't care less what your name is.  I'm looking for the blue-haired man from the ball.  You seemed to know him, correct?"

Dipper looked disgusted.  "What could you possibly want with him?"

Y/N jumped on the statement eagerly.  "So you do know him?"

Dipper realized his mistake a second too late.  "N-no."

Y/N snapped her fingers, and the soldier moved forward threateningly.  "Did you know it's unlawful to lie to a member of the royal family?" Y/N asked coldly.

Dipper's face turned pale.  "I, um... may know who you're talking about."

Y/N's stony expression didn't change.  "Tell me what you know."

"His name's Will," Dipper sighed, defeated.  "He does live here."

Will... Y/N felt like she had been struck by lightning.  His name is... Will?

Before she could put words to her sudden realization, another soldier burst into the room, dragging the blue-haired boy behind him.  Unlike Dipper, Will seemed to be actively trying to resist.  Will kept tugging his arm away from the soldier's grasp, but hid behind him the moment he noticed Dipper and Y/N in the room.

Y/N took a single step toward Will, only to be blocked by Dipper once again.

"Trust me, Princess, you don't want anything to do with him," Dipper said condescendingly.  "I assure you that I'm a much better match for you than that sniveling wretch will ever be."

"Is that so?" Y/N said thoughtfully.  "You think you know better than the princess?"

"With all due respect... yes," Dipper said with a half smile.

"In that case... you're under arrest."

"What?"

"You're obstructing royal business.  That's a criminal offense, I'm afraid."  She motioned to the soldier who had brought him into the room.  "Take him away, please.  I'll deal with him later."

"No!" Dipper shouted as he was dragged from the room.  "You don't know who you're dealing with!  I'll be back!"

Y/N snorted.  "Not likely."

With Dipper out of the way, Y/N turned her attention to the boy who was still hiding behind the second soldier.

"Hello," she said softly, moving into his field of vision.  Will shrank back further, lowering his face to hide his black eye.

Ever so slowly, Y/N reached out a hand to his chin, lifting it to inspect the damage.  He refused to meet her eyes.

"Your name's Will, isn't it?" she asked him.  He responded with the tiniest of nods.  

"I might be mistaken, but I recall having a very dear friend with the same name," she whispered.  He looked up hopefully.

"And I still owe him all my dessert for a month."

(A/N: Here's the best I got for now.  I finally got around to my schedules/randomness book, which should tell you some things about my projected writing plans.

I've been in a bit of a funk lately, and it's been hard to get chapters out as quickly as I'd like to.  Hopefully I can finish this up quickly, but I've just been feeling pretty down for a while now.)