DG tore the crown off her head and tossed it carelessly onto the large antique vanity with a heavy sigh. Her up-do fell around her shoulders and down her back in a mass of wild curls. She looked at herself for a few moments, scrutinizing the image before her.

She was trying to find some semblance of the person she used to be. Her once brilliant blue eyes seemed duller, as if the life was literally being sucked out of her. At least, that was how she felt. The monotonous regime of day to day life had become something that she had come to resent. The same thing every day, Duties and propriety, obligations and responsibilities. This was not what she had in mind for her life.

But at this point, her life wasn't really hers was it?

Her life belonged to the people of the OZ.

She stood from her place at the vanity and began the rigorous task of ridding herself of the yards and yards of fabric and lace that made up her dress. It was actually quite a pretty dress, very tasteful. The deep blue made her skin glow and the bodice accentuated her curves, lifting and separating in all the right places, but like most things now days, DG hated it. It was not so much the dress that she hated… It was what it represented.

Another ball, another formal gathering of the rich and famous and popular and... awful of the OZ. It was another ritual to cater to the aristocracy's need to feel important. All the fake people with fake smiles. She hated this part of the OZ. It wasn't the realm of the unwanted that represented the dark underbelly of the OZ, it was all those people.

She sighed and cleared those thoughts from her mind. This would be the last formal for a while. Tonight was the official unveiling of the new palace at Finaqua. Apparently the palace itself was completely different than the one that once stood on the grounds, and she had created it. She didn't know the difference, she still couldn't remember much about her past.

According to Tudor, her memories should have come back by now. It had been almost two annuals now and she didn't remember much more than the last few weeks of her life before her "Death". He claims that the trauma from the events that she went through in recovering her memories could have possibly caused them to be lost permanently.

Just her luck… She had hoped that recovering her memories would help alleviate the complete apathy she felt towards her life as a princess / future queen. She apparently would forever feel like an outsider in her own home.

She discarded the dress haphazardly on the floor next to her bed. She was sure that it would be gone by morning. The magical cleaning fairies, as she called them, were constantly picking up behind her. When she first experienced the wonders of the self-cleaning palace she was scared and confused. She had only turned her back for one moment and the clothing she discarded on the floor was gone. She found them not only cleaned, but folded up in their respective drawers. When she mentioned this to Glitch, he insisted they were not fairies, but a regular thing in most homes in the OZ. People would have a mage come to their house, if they could afford it, and cast a spell of perpetual cleanliness. She had scoffed at this at the time, but found in the end it was quite convenient. She could remain she slob that she liked to be, and no one would ever yell at her for it. Cain thought this notion was ridiculous, but then again he was mister discipline, and she had waved off his criticizim as him just being himself.

DG frowned at this as she opened her closet and began to rummage for something comfortable to sleep in. Cain was always on her mind. She missed him terribly. It was like a piece of her left when him when he rode off into the metaphorical sunset. For six months, he rarely left her side, and she clung to him for support. She had always just assumed that he would be the one person she could always count on to be there. She needed him with her. She was stronger when he was there, more self-assured. Even her magic reacted to him positively.

Looking back, she should have seen his departure coming.

In the weeks before he left, he became more distant, relying on the palace guards to watch over her while he was off doing… whatever he was doing. She had just figured he needed his space. She could feel the discomfort radiating off him constantly. She knew he was antsy in the palace. This was why she did not protest when he requested to take his leave of her. She would never trap him somewhere he didn't want to be.

He had come to her one evening after dinner. She still remembered the way he shielded his eyes behind his hat. The official way had had addressed her threw her off, she knew that something was wrong.

All he had asked her was one simple question, "Are my services still need here?"

She didn't know how to answer him. Was this a trick question? Of course he was needed here. Her lack of response caused him to finally face her, and she was startled by what she saw in his face. There was nothing... His jaw was set his eyes cold.

"Cain I-" She had stuttered over her words. Her internal monologue screamed at her to say something, anything... She couldn't lose him too..

"Princess, I feel it is time I take my leave of this place." His words were gruff.

She bit her lip and turned away from him. She would not let him see her cry, "Well... If that is what you feel you need to do..."

She felt him shift behind her. He didn't touch her, but she could feel the heat coming off of him as he stood there for a moment. Her mind screamed at him to say something, do something. He just sighed heavily, and then he was gone.

Then, she fell to her knees and wept.

She didn't even see him off when he left… She had hid in Az's room and buried herself in her sisters loving embrace while she cried till she was sick. Az was the only person she felt she could confide in over the situation. Later when she had finally made it back to her room, Glitch had been waiting for her. He told her that Cain seemed quite upset that she never made it down to say good bye and that he waited for her as long as he could. This caused another onslaught of tears, and she locked herself in her room for almost 2 days.

In those weeks after he left, something changed in her. She threw herself into her studies to distract herself from the situation. Tudor was both surprised and pleased at this change. Her magic grew stronger and pretty soon she the power within her rivaled her mother and Az's combined. She had overheard one of Tudor's reports to her mother claiming that "She would be a force to be reckoned with should someone ever get on her bad side."

Since then, she held back during her lessons. No one truly knew the power that he hid within herself. She felt that there was no one she could trust. If only they knew where the power was coming from...

DG returned to herself from her thoughts and sat down on her overly plush bed. Tomorrow her mother and father would be returning to central city. Her and her sister would be here for an indefinite amount of time. Apparently even after two years, the Gales were still being met with some resistance from both sides. Some people still wanted Az dead, and others wanted her (or better yet the witch) back in power. Who knew where the threat was coming from this time. Finaqua was the safest place they could be without have to be constantly on guard. Not only did the maze keep any unwanted visitors out, but the deep and thick forests that surrounded them made a nearly impenetrable fortress. One way in and one way out allowed for minimal deployment of guards.

DG welcomed the vacation. She had a feeling that once she got back to Central city, things for her would change even more. She knew that her mother was ready to step down, but DG was still very rough around the edges, and not ready to be Queen. She could forsee a sort of "queen bootcamp" in her future.

The thought of taking over the throne filled her with dread... When had been announced, it was then that it finally hit her that her life would never be her's again. No one had seen fit to warn her, not even Az. She suspected that it was kept secret because her mother was afraid she would run away. She was right.

DG thought about it all the time... Even as mundane as life was on the other side... At least she could disappear. Here everyone knew her face, if she tried to run, she would be brought back...kicking and screaming. She had searched high and low for a travel storm spell. She would never ask, because anyone who knew her would know what her intentions were... So she eventually gave up, and accepted her fate.

Dg leaned back on her bed and closed her eyes.

She needn't not think about these things right now. At least for now she could pretend like

something could come and save her.