"I..." Penny began but her knees seemed to wobble unsteadily and she might have fallen right to the ground if the other girl hadn't the foresight to try to steady her a bit. A princess... Penny knew her mother had always hoped for her to rise in the world, to bring status and honor to the family, but Penny was fairly certain that neither of them had ever even dreamed to hope that Penny would have the opportunity to meet a member of the royal family personally. And yet she had the unfortunate distinction of nearly running one over This, she decided, was not going very well at all. "I need to sit..." she confirmed, realizing that if she didn't she might, indeed, lose her footing and only embarrass herself further.
Penny unsteadily lowered herself to the ground, grateful at least that Copper was a calm mare, not prone to taking off. Certainly, her father had picked her out with gentle Penny in mind. "I...I'm sorry P...Princess," she finally stuttered, realizing that she probably was supposed to be standing in the presence of royalty but also realizing that was not realistic at this point in time. "I'm.... I'm Miss Pen...Penelope Brisbois.... Highness..." she managed, the words coming out breathlessly, as though she couldn't quite collect her thoughts. Truly, Penny wanted nothing more than to sink through the ground; she was presenting herself in the worst possible way and she wasn't entirely certain she could recover at this juncture.