The Dame of Hickory was a severe older woman with salt-and-pepper hair and a permanent frown. On one hand she held an umbrella that she didn't open and on the other, the reins of her horse. Giselle stood by the palace doors with Princess Grand Leandra to welcome the Dame and her delegation but they were slightly startled to find only the Dame herself alighting from a single horse with no servant in sight.
"She's known for being quite eccentric and harsh." Leandra had whispered to her then, as the Dame was still at a distance, "Don't take anything she says to heart. She's just a bitter old omega who was never picked during mating season."
Fabio was standing in front of the two women with his thick fur cloak draped over his broad shoulders. The wind had grown sharper that morning, scattering flakes of snow at their feet as the older woman came into view.
