I awoke in the night with a start and sat bolt upright in bed. I hated nightmares. I put my hand over my racing heart. My skin was drenched with sweat. I closed my eyes and put my head in my hands. I gulped in deep breaths of the cool night air, trying to calm down.

It had been four years since my mother had been killed by an assassin of the Western Republic. Still, that horrid day haunted me in my dreams. The Western Republic is a legion of humans who believe we elves are hellish demons sent to force humanity into slavery, which is not the case. Unfortunately, there are only a handful of humans who know we mean no harm. I remember that day with such a clarity, that when I close my eyes, I still see the terrifying images.

Walking through the garden with her… sitting next to the fountain… a strange man garbed in black climbing over the wall… my mother screaming at me to run… seeing the man stab her three times… the man running away… me holding her limp, bloody body… screaming for the guards… the look on my father's face…

I got up. There was no way I could go back to sleep now. Walking over to the mirror I had in my room, I looked at myself. My face was flushed and my dark brown hair hung limp around my face. My thin frame was trembling as I hugged myself.

I turned from the mirror and walked out of my room and wandered through the castle. The cold stone walls of Myricana didn't make me feel safe like they used to. Their silence only made me feel more alone. I paused to look out a window. The full moon shone brightly over my father's kingdom. The village below was silent. Nothing moved except for the occasional patrolling guard or stray cat or dog. I continued on my walk. I was getting closer to the ground level now. The guards in the castle didn't stop me, because they knew where I was going; the garden.

Oddly, I found comfort at this spot. It was the exact place of that fateful day. The fragrance of the flowers greeted me and I breathed deeply. The quiet trickle of the fountain summoned more images of that day. Sitting down at the fountain's edge, I looked at the moon's reflection on the glassy surface of the water. The stars and constellations above told me stories of the past and hopeful future. Tillid the Hunter killing one of the Republic's emperors. Nomar the Mighty standing guard over the elfin race. Daris the swan, reminding my people of my mother's death. And the nameless dove, foretelling peace between mankind and the elves.

"It's not safe to be out here all alone." I jumped at the sound of my father's voice. "Sorry for sneaking up on you," he chuckled. He came over and sat down next to me, and wrapped me in his warm, strong arms. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright," I replied, even though there were tears streaming down my face. We sat in silence for a long time, listening to the night sounds. We didn't move until the sky was lit with fire by the rising sun.

"Come," said my father, "let's go eat our breakfast."

I allowed myself to be led inside. I looked up at my father's face. He had a hard and unreadable expression. I knew that look.

"What's wrong?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled.

"Nothing you need to worry about. You know as well as I that being king has its fair share of chaos."

I smiled and nodded. "That it does."

By this time we had arrived at the kitchen. We only ate in the great hall when we had guests. The smell of bacon and eggs made my mouth water.

"Good morning, King Oenthe, Princess Laeli," greeted the cook. A chorus of 'good mornings' soon followed hers.

"Good morning," we replied as we walked over to the table to sit down. We ate our breakfast in silence and listened to a maid sing a cheery song about a young girl and boy who fall in love and get married.

I loved breakfast since it was the only time I got to spend with my father. We usually ate lunch and supper at different times, so I cherished this time I had with him, though we rarely said anything at breakfast.

By the time the maid had finished her song, a servant had collected our plates. My father stood up, kissed my forehead, and walked out of the kitchen. Before he left, he paused and said, "I want you to go see Sosoto today."

"The captain? Why?"

"These are dark times. You should learn how to properly defend yourself. And… well, you'll find out."

Before I could ask him what he meant, he was gone. I knew we elves had some special abilities, but we weren't told about them until we were nineteen so we wouldn't go into battle too early. I was only seventeen, so I had no idea what it could be. Like my father said, I'd find out eventually.