Paper! Paperboy!

Later that day, Willem was delivering a paper to Old Man Thatcher, whose eyesight was so bad he once mistook his own cat for a hat. Willem was halfway up the creaky stairs to the man's house when he heard someone shout his name.

"Willem! Up here!"

He looked up to see Elizabeth leaning out of the window of the inn across the street, waving at him like a gleeful child.

"What are you doing?" Willem called back, squinting. "Trying to get me arrested for talking to nobility in public?"

Elizabeth ignored him. "Come up! I want to show you something!"

"I'm working!" Willem replied, though he didn't move.

"Come on, paperboy! Unless you're scared of a few stairs!"

Willem muttered under his breath. "She's going to get me in trouble." But curiosity got the better of him, as it often did, so he handed the paper to Old Man Thatcher through the door crack and darted across the street.

The innkeeper gave him a suspicious look as he passed. "You delivering papers in here now, boy?"

"Something like that," Willem replied, jogging up the stairs two at a time.

When he reached Elizabeth's room, she was standing by the window, holding a small, ornate box.

"Finally," she said, grinning. "I thought you'd gotten lost."

"Funny," Willem said, crossing his arms. "What's in the box? Is it gold? Diamonds? A map to where you keep all your extra spoons?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a laugh. "It's a game." She opened the box to reveal a set of polished wooden pieces and a folded-up board.

"A game?" Willem asked, raising an eyebrow. "Don't you nobles have enough fun arguing over chairs and forks?"

"This one's better," Elizabeth said, setting the board on the table. "I'll teach you."

The game, as it turned out, was an elaborate strategy game that Elizabeth claimed to be unbeatable at.

"You're terrible at this," she said, laughing, after Willem's third failed attempt to block her move.

"I'm just warming up," Willem insisted. He reached for his piece, knocked it over, and promptly sent the entire board flying to the floor.

Elizabeth gasped, then burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Willem groaned, rubbing his forehead. "See? This is why I don't play fancy games. My clumsiness and strategy don't mix."

"You're hopeless," Elizabeth said between giggles.

"Hopeless?" Willem grinned. "Nah, I'm just giving you a chance to feel smart."

For the first time in her life, Elizabeth felt completely at ease. And for the first time in his life, Willem realized he didn't mind spending time with someone who thought he was worth more than just a laugh.