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She danced in the garden. Her feet were bare on the cool, smooth, paved walkway and she spun round and round. The sun above her shined so brightly, the beams of light glimmering down on her strawberry blonde hair, making it appear like fine gold silk spun into curls. Her fingertips lightly brushed the deep-green leaves of the rose bushes. Her clairvoyant laugh echoed through the garden, a beautiful sound like the ringing of a fork tapped on a glass. The soft, satin gown she wore rustled as the light breeze whispered in the air.

Daphne of Domino always did like to dance. When she danced, she was free from all the stresses and worries Fate threw into her life. As she danced now, she imagined herself a beautiful goddess, one who created rainbows or moonbeams, even sunshine with every graceful step. Often she thought herself as Iris, the Greek goddess of the rainbow, or Artemis, the lovely moon goddess, perhaps even one of the ever talented Muses. She loved to pretend she was something greater. Something even more special.

"Daphne!"

"Ow." A sharp pain from her finger forced her to stop her charade. Daphne glanced down at her finger and watched her blood fall to the light colored pave tiles. She'd pricked herself on a thorn. The roses were lovely, but even lovely things had to fend for themselves. Her gaze lifted to where her mother was standing at the door. "Mother? What is it?"

"Come child, we have to leave." Miriam stood solemnly, her green eyes filled with worry and concern. She was a lovely sight despite this fear, with her natural soft red curls and her pale complexion. She wore a simple gown of smooth silk that matched the color of her eyes. Queen Miriam of Domino was so beautiful in the eyes of her only child. "Come now." Miriam urged her daughter.

Daphne leaned down to pick up her discarded shoes from the ground. "Where are we going?" She asked cautiously. She'd seen the fear in her mother's eyes and her mother rarely showed fear. Something terrible was happening or going to happen and Daphne had an inkling what it possibly was.

But of course, parents enjoy leaving their children in the dark when it comes to such terrible issues, thinking that if they keep it secret their children will not have to worry about it. Miriam just smiled that bright 'everything will be fine' smile and took her daughter's hand into her own. "Your father has decided it was high time for us to visit our summer home on Grace Shore. We haven't been there since you were just a little girl."

'Ever since the Ancestresses rose again from defeat and began hunting me down.' Daphne thought to herself as she allowed her mother to lead her into the palace, her high-heels in hand. Her bare feet made hardly any sound on the marble floors, unlike her mother's hard-clicking heels. Daphne allowed herself to listen to each clicked step, listen as the sound ricocheted off the high walls of the spacious halls. The echoing only reminded her of how empty the palace had become since she was a small child. She remembered how there used to be so many people in the palace: maids and butlers, friends and family, other royalty and high society visitors. They would all flock to Domino, just be in the presence of her parents. There was always someone interesting to socialize with.

But now the marvelous palace sat nearly empty. Only a few servants and the royal guards resided in the palace besides Daphne and her parents. Many of the servants left to go to their families. The family friends and other high-ranked people all stopped coming. Her family either died off by natural causes, fighting in the war, or at the hands of the Ancient Ancestresses. This left Daphne and her parents as the last of the royal Domino bloodline. They were all that was left.

There was a problem with that. King Oritel and Queen Miriam of Domino had no sons, leaving Daphne as the next in line for the throne. There was an issue with Oritel's only heir to the throne being a girl. Rather, heiress to the throne. Royal society was especially austere toward Daphne because she, a girl, would inherit the right to rule one of the most powerful kingdoms in the magical universe. The idea appalled them for some inane, avaricious reason

But they would all drop their austerity when the idea of Princess Daphne of Domino marrying their pretentious sons would finally dawn on them. Daphne had been courted by a seemingly endless list of conceited princes from this realm and that realm and she'd come to one conclusion: there was no one man worthy enough to even try ruling Domino.

Miriam opened the door to Daphne's room and pulled her daughter in. The tower bedroom was spacious and well lit because of the natural light coming through the large windows. The marble of the walls was a lovely shade of periwinkle and white columns rose up against them. Decadent tapestries decorated the marble walls. The canopy bed at the center of the room was covered with not only a soft comforter and matching pillows, but also with an array of gowns, over which her handmaidens were picking through. Some of them were being placed in a large trunk on the floor, while others were being whisked away, back to the confines of her closet.

Daphne sat carefully on the edge of the bed, avoiding having a seat on any of the dresses being gone through. She clasped her hands neatly and glanced at the maids as they sorted. "Why must we go?"

Miriam began helping Daphne's handmaids go through the gowns. "Because your father and I decided it was time for you to take a small break from the palace. It will be nice to see the shoreline again. Reports say the weather will be lovely too. We could have ourselves a day on the beach, with a picnic and horseback riding. Just like when you were a little girl." Miriam smiled at Daphne, then returned her focus to the gowns at hand.

"What about my birthday?" Daphne asked carefully. "It is only a few days away."

"I know that, love. I did give birth to you." Miriam recited. She placed one last dress in the trunk and the handmaids snapped it shut. They put away the rest of the dresses and left the room, leaving only Miriam and Daphne. "I would remember the very day I gave birth to my only child Daphne." Miriam turned to Daphne and gently grabbed Daphne's hands and squeezed. "We thought it would be a treat to throw you a birthday at our summer home."

Daphne sighed and glanced down at her mother's soft hands. "Mother. I know you want me to leave because of the Ancestresses and their allies. Don't try to hide it." Daphne looked up at her and pulled her hands away . "I'm not a child anymore. You don't think I hear the servants talk? And do you really think I don't hear you and Father? I know that the war is a struggle for us." Daphne paused for a moment. "It's getting worse than a struggle isn't it?"

Miriam said nothing and walked over to the window. Daphne followed her and gazed outside. The skies that were filled with sunshine mere seconds earlier were now overcast with dark, threatening clouds. Lightning flashed and the rumble of thunder followed, booming in the emptiness of the palace. Daphne watched as the garden she'd danced in just moments earlier was being torn up by the roots by the ferocious winds. The wind whistled and howled as it beat against the walls of the tower.

"There's a storm brewing, Daphne." Miriam said quietly. Daphne glanced over at her mother. "A dangerous storm."

King Oritel wasn't at the summer home on Grace Shore. A servant had given Miriam a message from him written on a piece of paper, and of course she refused to share the message with Daphne, even though Daphne longed to learn something of her father's whereabouts. The servants had already whisked away Daphne's things to be placed in her bedroom on the second floor of the mansion. So Daphne was left to wander the monumental home that had given her so much joy as a young child.

It was as she vaguely remembered: spacious, airy, and grandiose. The design was similar to that of the palace with its tall, stone columns and veined marble flooring. But Daphne had always liked the mansion better because of its size; it felt much warmer and home-like and less cold and formal than the palace. Daphne felt like she had a bit more room to breath whenever they came to the mansion, which was ironic considering it was smaller. Despite the less formal environment, it was still expected that Daphne hold a certain level of propriety here. And Daphne always made sure to hold that level.

Well, almost always.

She made her way through the halls to a set of glass double doors she threw open. Daphne stepped outside the palace and looked over the shoreline, watching as the waves dragged themselves back and forth. They were like her life, her being dragged between her happiness, others' expectations, her ambitions, and her memories. She closed her eyes and listened to the shhh…so like the shushing noises many have made at her to warn her to be quiet. The obedient silence was supposed of all princesses, a heavy, cumbersome burden that they would have to carry on through their years as queens or ambassadors of their realms until they died.

Daphne finally dropped her self-check and allowed her impulse to guide her since no one was there to see her. Daphne kicked off her shoes and ran to the surf, allowing the chilling waters to flow over her bare feet. The hem of her dress became soaked, and Daphne lifted her skirts to look at her pale feet in the clear water. She shivered as the effect of the cold finally sank in, numbing her feet. In the distance the sun was setting, casting light over the shifting water.

It felt good to break free, to just let go of all her responsibilities to her parents and her realm. She allowed herself to twirl, the cool water splashing around her as her feet kicked up glittering droplets. Daphne threw her head back and stared at the skies above her, watching as the stars twinkled to life in the black expanse. She closed her eyes then and smiled. Now Daphne was a water goddess or a nature goddess. Yes, Daphne was a beautiful creature of nature, a nymph.

Daphne.

The voice had called to her from out of the water and Daphne stared down, searching for its source. The soft voice left a haunting echo in her mind, the echo imprinting itself in her memory, the sound beckoning Daphne to come forth into the realm of the unknown. Thoughts of beautiful mermaids or some other mysterious creature filled Daphne's head and she felt a mix excitement and curiosity well within her. "Hello?" Daphne called tentatively.

Daphne expected the esoteric voice to call out her name again, to draw her in to its realm of wonder for it surely was something supernatural. Rather her name was called out by a much louder and less enigmatic voice that dragged her mindset back into the reality of Grace Shore. "Daphne! Get out of the water before you catch cold!" Miriam cried from the veranda.

She turned to her mother and stared for moments like she was caught in a daze. Then she returned her longing gaze to the water. It rippled and moved at the insistence of the tide, but the beckoning voice did not call for Daphne again. Daphne regarded the water for only moments more before scrambling out of the water, snatching her shoes, and racing her way back up to the mansion.