Chapter Three

It's About Time You Realized Your Place

High above the commotion, tucked safely within a remote tower's elongated shadow, a man crouched low against castle Wyndia's ivory rooftops. Gentle breezes played with strands of almost forgotten navy and filled flared nostrils with deliciously sweet floral scents, as apprehensive eyes swept the surrounding area for signs of pursuit. When they came up naught, a smile tugged the outer corners of his mouth.

The princess' red headed boyfriend actually noticed him leave her room, but wasn't able to follow him through the shadow realm afterwards. His smile widened when he remembered the bastard's clueless look when he vanished into thin air before his eyes and the slew of angry words in their language that followed.

It may have been a little much, his toying with the princess, but he couldn't deny himself the pleasure of witnessing a Wyndian -especially one resembling that wench- trembling in fear because of him. He shot a smug look back in the direction of her tower and slipped silently into an open window below.


Princess Nina was livid.

Not only did Ethan – her guardian for Goddess sakes - fail to come to her rescue, but the monster faded into nonexistence the instant a white faced Chasta, flanked by an equally blanched trio of soldiers, burst into her room; leaving the princess to be found standing alone, shrieking as if she were deranged.

Next to her, folded into the royal comforter like it belonged to only her, Chasta snored loudly and rolled over, taking even more coverage from Nina. The princess held onto the sliver of fabric that was her share and tugged. She received clumsy, sleepy hand slaps from the handmaiden in return. She gave up and let her have it.

It was hell getting her friend to stay the night in her room. The demon's abrupt exit had brought her sanity crashing back, and she was forced to grab a hold of – and explain - herself in a matter of seconds in front of four curious faces. Somehow, she managed weave a lie through gritted teeth about falling asleep at her dresser and having another nightmare about the monster, all while Chasta bombarded her with sly comments and questions about why she would call on Ethan to come to her rescue from a dream. The three soldiers stood in the doorway during a majority of it, watching the princess' face get redder and redder until she finally exploded and threw them out.

An elbow cracked into her spine and Nina yelped. "Nina...you gotta stop takin' up the whole bed..." Chasta moaned, shoving the the princess' wings over and draping a leg over hers. Nina took a deep breath, exhaled slowly as she thought about the nearly four feet of bed behind her friend's back.

Annoyances like this would have to be overlooked. If she could help it, she would never be caught alone again. Not while he was around.

Her eyes darted up to the corners of her ceiling at her mind's mention of him and scrutinized every shadow that streaked across them. Could he be anywhere, hiding? Could he be standing over her right now?

She found herself inching closer to Chasta.

She unconsciously bit at her bottom lip and winced when the wound on it opened up. It reminded her of that one hellish moment where she felt everything in the world would be at peace if she became one with the monster, and a vicious shudder rippled up her spine.

Things didn't feel right inside of her.

A spell. That had to be it. But what was the question.

Like the ability to use magic, all Wyndians could also decipher other magics. Nobles and those with royal blood were more sensitive than others to it but even so, Nina had no idea where to even begin understanding the entity flowing off of him that seemed to feed on the living energy of anything it came in contact with.

Something like that should not have retreated from a group containing a servant and three low rank soldiers, especially after he had openly stated he would kill Ethan should he have stepped into the room; a royal guardian! So why was he taking it to extremes not to let anyone but her know he existed?

She dug her fingers into her hair and pulled at it. This didn't make sense, he didn't make sense. Why must the Goddess curse her with such atrocities at a time like this?

An arm shot out and collided with Nina's side with enough force to nearly knock the breath from the her. She wheezed and curled up, rolling her eyes and throwing the appendage back in Chasta's direction. The handmaiden mumbled something sounding like 'bed hogger' and settled back into snores.

If that demon was serious about Nina having something of his – which she hoped to the Goddess he wasn't – this wouldn't be last time she would see him. She narrowed her eyes at a particularly dark shadow on the wall in front of her.

Before that happened, she was going to have to surround herself with people, and figure out what the hell he was. Degrading bastard, standing there smiling because he knew she knew there wasn't a damn thing she could do against him. She couldn't let him get away with that, or his apparent fascination for making her look like a fool in front of everyone she knew. She rolled onto her back and crossed her arms tight over her chest, angrily focusing her eyes on the ceiling of her canopy.

Next they met, she wasn't going to back down.

Her invigorating thoughts were suddenly cut short by an elbow making direct contact with her eye.


"Aww geez, this really isn't happening, is it? I know I move a lot in my sleep but...but...this!" Chasta wailed, throwing uncharacteristically bare arms into the air and pacing back and forth across the princess' floor. "Best case scenario, I'm getting sent back to the streets, I know it."

Nina, sitting at her dresser leaning in with her face close to the mirror to examine her eye, sighed and prodded at the patches of dark blue and purplish skin around it. "Stop it, Chas, you know father won't do that." She hoped.

"You're going to see the prince! The prince. And now you look like you've been caught in the middle of a tavern fight and it's all my fault!" Chasta squealed, her voice nearing unintelligible high octaves in her distress. "What if he tears up the treaty because you don't look perfect?'!"

"Hmm, wouldn't that be a good thing?" she knew it wouldn't happen, but a spark of hope ignited inside regardless.

"Not for my head!" Chasta cried, missing the humor completely. She shook long, unbound, dark hair back and resumed anxiously marching.

Nina sighed again, but refrained from making anymore fun. Her friend was seriously worried, and it was making her think maybe Chasta did know more about Benjiman than she originally let on. The princess swung around on her stool and put on the best smile she could. "I'll just say I fell or something...they'll...possibly believe it."

Chasta's face visibly softened and Nina relaxed. "Well...I mean you can be clumsy at times, but I still think that...oh, wait!" she suddenly cried, and hopped over to the dresser Nina was sitting at. "I'll just put a lot of makeup over it!" she cried, digging into a top drawer and pulling out practically its entire contents. The handmaiden quickly lined her eyes with thick black liner and smudged deep violet shadow around them, then carefully curled her lashes to make the lid look less swollen.

Chasta stood back and admired her work. "Wow, now your eyes just pop out," she said using her hands to accentuate as well as smacking her lips with audible pop. "He's going to love it! It's sultry." Nina didn't know if being 'sultry' was such a great thing. "Now lets get your dress on," Chasta said in a happier tone, reaching up and pulling a soft cream and violet knee length trimmed corset dress with a matching shawl down from a hanger attached to the mirror's edge. "Here, step in and I'll lace it up."

Nina stood and glanced nervously around. It was morning, so sunlight was pouring into the room in generous amounts, but there were still patches of shadows in places.

She wasn't about to take any chances.

She plucked the dress from Chasta's hands and started to walk towards her closet. "What are you doing?" the handmaiden called, putting her hands on her hips.

Nina stopped with her hand on the door knob, searching for an answer. She couldn't say, "Well there's this demon with the power to become invisible in shadows that's following me and I'm afraid he's hiding around and might peep," so she went with, "I want to look at another dress again before I really decide," and slipped in before Chasta had a chance to speak.

Inside, the closet was dark. Nina flipped on the light, praying to the Goddess that he didn't somehow slip in here when the door was open for that instant, or for some ironic reason would think it was a good idea to already be hiding in there. To her relief, the light brought no consequence, and she hurriedly donned the dress before giving her luck a second thought.

"I thought you said you needed some time to decide," Chasta said raising her eyebrows at the princess when she exited not a moment later. Nina shrugged and turned around so that the handmaiden could tie her dress. "You're acting so weird lately," Chasta muttered, pulling the strings tight. Nina sucked in her breath.

"You said yourself I'm under a lot of stress," the princess said when she exhaled.

Chasta rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's hope the eyeshadow stays in place and you don't end up showing off that I abused you," she said, handing her a pair of high lavender heels. Nina stepped into them and tousled her hair by a full length mirror on the wall.

Chasta wouldn't let her take a bath because she didn't want anyone to see her eye, so they had used an abundance of scented body powder on her (while she was still wearing her pajamas, much to the handmaiden's bewilderment). They also had to improvise a bit with her bed head. Chasta curled it and pulled it up into a messy bun that left her bangs and a thick strand of curls hang down slightly over the eye in question.

Nina thought she looked entirely too made up to be going out for lunch, but with her eye in that state, there was no other way around it but to wear that much. Her father was going to have a fit, no question about it. "Don't worry, it would take a lot for them to get me to rat you out," said Nina, forcing a laugh, and then turned around when she didn't hear a response.

Chasta was standing by the closet door, holding a long, thin, black feather.

"Nina, Isabella hasn't been in here, has she?" she asked turning it over in the light. "I just found this on the rug."

"No," Nina said coming over to take a better look. "She hasn't been in here for maybe a week or so." Her eyes gravitated to the onyx object.

Chasta was holding it in direct sunlight, yet not a bit of it was illuminated. It actually appeared to be absorbing the light into it. The edges were slightly distorted and fuzzy too, like it was having trouble existing in this reality.

Nina shook her head. 'trouble existing in this reality'? When did she start thinking like that?

"Weird...where could it have come from?" The handmaiden held it away from her and squinted her eyes. "There's...some kind of magic coming from it, but I can't tell what it is. You should know more than me, right?"

Nina did feel the magic coming off of it, and it was hauntingly familiar.


Despite their earlier importance, all thoughts of the creepy feather dispersed the moment Nina stepped outside and Ethan came into view, kneeling in front of her carriage door. He looked up as she approached and warmth spread over her face. The sight of him there, the morning sun shining off of his important royal guardian attire, emptied her mind of most everything except: By the Goddess, was he handsome.

"Princess, so glad to see you could make it," remarked her father curtly when she joined his side, snapping her out of it. He cast an eye down at her and scowled. "I do not approve of that amount of makeup; are you trying to look like a harlot?"

Chasta noticeably tensed on her other side. Nina touched a hand to her arm to calm her; she had been waiting for this. "Forgive me, father, but I did not get much sleep last night. I awoke to find extremely dark circles under my eyes, and I assumed you would rather me not appear sickly or tired in front of the prince."

"They were that dark?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

He took a deep breath, exhaled slowly. "Regrettably, we do not have time for me to send you back to rectify it, so I'm afraid I must comply." The next part he said a lot lower. "Let it be known that if he annuls the treaty because of something idiotic like this, I'll do much more than 'silence' the guilty parties involved."

Nina – scared to death Chasta had maybe heard him - gave the handmaiden verbal permission to leave, and her already spooked friend hurried to join a group of other help crowding around the doors (probably trying to get a good look at her and Ethan), after bowing to her and the king nervously.

"Well, you've made us dreadfully tardy with your delay," said the king in a voice for everyone. "I shall pray the prince does not hold punctuality in high regards."

Nina pursed her lips. She never heard a time mentioned, only "lunch". "Well, I suppose we shouldn't be wasting time on idle chat then, should we?" she snapped before realizing it, and held her breath in the few seconds of silence that followed.

"Yes," he replied sourly, "I suppose not."

"I'll take my leave then, your highness," she gave a brisk curtsy and stepped towards the carriage.

"I have confidence you will be on your best behavior, my dear? Show that you have some class underneath that mess," she heard him call behind her. Her fingers curled tight to her sides and she had to clench her teeth to stop the venom from spewing. She scowled down at the cobblestones under her feet and didn't watch him walk back inside, hatred simmering quietly in her veins.

"Your carriage awaits, Your Highness," Ethan's voice brought her gaze back up into gorgeous eyes and her angry thoughts melted away.

She wondered if he was going to sit in the carriage with her again. Even if it did only result in awkward stares and silences, it would be better than her being alone in there brooding about her stalker.

Right, the stalker. It wasn't safe to be alone anymore.

Goddess, she was going to have to actually ask him to ride with her.

She forced all of her nervousness behind her - telling herself over and over that it was worth it, and that being embarrassed in front of Ethan for a few hours was nothing compared to going mad for some degenerates sick satisfaction – and flashed a brilliant smile.

"Why thank you, Sir Von Buren," she gushed, curtsying. (Chasta had given her the idea last night before they went to sleep, to kill him with formality the next time they met. She said it might make him realize how ridiculous it all was) "Will you be joining me on this trip? Or will the driver be the only one with the pleasure of your acquaintance this morning?" she asked with a slight pout at the latter suggestion and a bat of her thick eyelashes.

He actually hesitated and her heartbeat quickened.

"Of course, my lady," he said with a smile that made her knees weak. "The prince assured there would be no trouble with us crossing the border this time, so it might be nice to have some interesting company."

"That would be lovely, Sir Von Buren!" she cried clapping her hands together joyfully. Her heart was fluttering almost painfully fast, but she kept her confident smile showing as she took his hand and was led into the carriage.

Stuck in the midst of "Ethan haze" she didn't notice her guardian glance up at the top of the castle gates as he followed her in, and rest his other hand on the hilt of one of his swords.


It was both a relief and extremely frustrating at the same time that Ethan was acting as if their conversation a few days ago hadn't happened.

For the duration of the trip to Ludia, Ethan was - for a better word - a chatterbox; talking about everything from how nice the weather had been in Wyndia since he'd been back, to her studies and questions about what she was learning. He even tossed a few compliments her way whenever there was room, saying that no matter what her father said, her eyes looked stunning with that color and he commented that she smelled 'heavenly'.

She kicked herself inwardly for letting his kind and possibly fabricated words further nurture that spark of hope that failed to falter inside her, but she couldn't help thinking he could have ignored her if he had so wished.

But he had not.

That hope kept her on the edge of her seat, leaning in flirtatiously to prompt more conversation from the fiery haired guardian, all while feeding her visions of him suddenly grabbing her and jumping out of the carriage to run far off into the horizon where they could be away from princes and treaties and politics in general, and just be together.

Deep in her heart, she knew this was him only trying to make her last days in Wyndia tolerable, but she asked herself -watching him smile and laugh as he spoke with perfect lips - was it really so bad to dream that, maybe one day, things might actually happen the way she would like them to?


They arrived at castle Ludia, and Nina was saddened to be pulled from her haze.

Nichol greeted them as before at the castle gates in the same variably shimmering attire – it was a sort of uniform she guessed - and led her and Ethan past a line of kneeling knights and maids into the castle.

"Prince Vahn has been looking forward to this, Princess Nina. He hasn't stopped talking about it since you left the other day," Nichol said halfway through the castle's main hallway. Nina turned away from the Ludian royal family portraits she was looking at to him. "Important people from all over the land were called upon to assist planning and preparing this meeting. The courtyard has never looked so beautiful; I can't wait for you to see it. The prince is quite determined to impress!" he chuckled.

What would be the point of him going to such lengths to "impress" her? She was being made to sign the papers with a blade to her throat regardless.

"Oh my, how flattering!" she exclaimed, clasping a hand to her chest. She thought she might have overdone it, but Nichol's smile stayed put.

They reached the end of the hallway to a pair of large, dark wooden doors; each with a rose carved into the middle. "And here we arrive, my lady. Castle Ludia's inner courtyard," he said while soldiers pushed them open.

The courtyard...did impress her. It was a miniature forest, and it was breathtaking.

"I know, I know, your silence is due to awe," Nichol said smugly, motioning for them to follow further in. Ethan was also transfixed; like Nina's, his gaze never wandered far from the treetops.

Her lessons yesterday reminded her the Ludian royal bloodline had been blessed with an abundance of magical potential – magic being something rare for humans to possess anyhow - and Prince Vahn was one of the most powerful sorcerers of his race. Looking around at everything, she could see that it was the work of no novice.

Magic made faerie dust clung to every tree – from leaves to roots – and shined brilliantly in the early afternoon sun, giving the forest a surreal, dreamlike look. A small, man made river ran alongside the main cobblestone pathway they followed, filled with bright orange and yellow fish swimming under lily pads holding extravagant flowers and even more colorful frogs jumping between them. Birds, with their colors also enhanced by cosmetic enchantments, flew through the sparkling branches, their songs gently floating down and warming the princess' heart with thoughts of home. A veteran indeed. The ability to do this much visual magic at one time...and maintain it...

Wait, thoughts of home?

She shook her head sharply and Nichol took her arm into his. "Come, Prince Vahn is waiting for us," he said softly, leading her farther down the pathway and into a slight clearing where a white gazebo covered in glittering vines and roses stood surrounded by water and soft lit lantern posts. The prince sat comfortably inside at a table with two long skinny lit white candles on it. He looked over as they approached, a broad smile spread. Nina felt it hit her again, the feeling of grass beneath her feet as a child, of coming home to a hearty meal cooked with love by her mother, though no one in her family had stepped foot inside a kitchen in decades, that feeling of everything being so warm and right.

She couldn't explain it, but somehow she knew he was using a type of influential magic on her. In fact, the whole courtyard was seething with it. Everything her senses took in, from the sounds of the river water lapping at its edges to the way the crystallized roses on the gazebo were glittering in the sun, gave her a pseudo nostalgic feeling that this place was the only home she'd ever known and could ever know. The magic clung to her mind like morning mist on grass, it was difficult to shake herself free.

What had stopped him from using something like this on her in the first place, when she was being a problem before? If the papers were in front of her now, she feared she would have signed them without a second thought.

"Princess Nina, how wonderful it is to see you again," said Vahn, rising from his chair. His long, blonde hair was unbound this time. He wore a charcoal gray shirt slightly unbuttoned at the top and the same type crisp black pants as before. On one arm, there was a blue scarf tied around it with the Ludian royal symbol stitched in white across it.

Nina followed Nichol into the gazebo and curtsied before the grinning prince. "This place, is...well, 'amazing' really isn't enough of a word for it, I believe." She glanced over at Ethan who was leaning on the outside wall now with his arms crossed staring up into the treetops. Could he feel it too, or was it only directed at her?

Vahn knelt and brought her hand to his lips. "Nothing can be called 'amazing' with you standing anywhere near it," he purred, kissing the top of it and locking his dark lashed, pale blue eyes with hers.

Magic like this had to be prepared for, a rogue train of thought forced itself to the surface of the mist. It probably was not just him either. The 'important people' Nichol mentioned most likely had more to do with it. As for before, the prince must've assumed things were going to go smoothly, so there was no need for such drastic measures.

Her brow furrowed. Where were these thoughts coming from? Regardless of how many people were involved, influence this strong should have crushed her will the moment she walked in. How was it that she, someone who was not familiar with any type of mental defense enchantments or spells whatsoever was able to think clearly enough to recognize this for what it was?

She realized she was letting him hold her hand too long. "How kind of you, Prince Vahn," she forced a giggle, taking it gingerly back. Behind her, Nichol pulled out the chair across from the one the prince was sitting in before, and she sat down with her legs crossed. Vahn followed suit.

"Nichol, the wine if you please," he said to his adviser, who nodded and produced a bottle of red wine and two glasses with a wave of his hand. A flash brought Nina's eyes to a ring on his finger. He poured some wine in each glass and set them and the bottle onto the table.

"If I may take my leave," Nichol said bowing. "I'll go check on lunch." He turned and made his way down the gazebo stairs.

Vahn must have seen her look. "Nichol is not of royal blood, as you probably have guessed," he said, taking a sip of wine. "I had a ring crafted for him made of pure, condensed magic and taught him how to draw power from it. He is surprisingly adept at manipulating magical forces, despite the obvious restrictions."

Nina nodded and took a large gulp of wine. She had to get through this some way or another.

He smiled, poured more into her glass when she set it down. "But enough about Nichol, lets talk about you," he said with a wave of his hand. Sparkling dust glittered in the air. It took all she had to tear her eyes from the hypnotic spectacle.

She knew she should have been angry at this blatant display of oppression (was she really supposed to sit here and let him stamp out her free will with eye candy and parlor tricks?) but no matter where she tried to look, the anger wasn't there. Was all of this a pacifying spell as well? If so, they really were worried about her making an outburst.

She found herself slightly satisfied by this.

"I'm happy to see you are back on your feet, you had me dreadfully worried before. I would have sent you straight home if I suspected you didn't feel well today."

Somehow, she doubted that. "Oh yes, I'm much better now, thank you."

Vahn put his elbows on the table and cupped his chin daintily in his hands. His eyes traveled over her for a long, awkward moment before he spoke again. "You know, I don't know how I went an entire day without seeing your gorgeous eyes. I simply cannot take my own from you now, no matter how hard I try. I seem to be...entranced by them. That color is just...I'm afraid I'm lost in them..." Nina flushed and played with the table cloth in her hands underneath the table. She wanted to punch away the lewd look coming over him, but couldn't find the rage to back it.

Damn magic.

She was relieved to see Nichol back so soon to point the prince's attention elsewhere. "We're going to start you off with a salad," the spectacled brunette said, taking the lid off of a tray that a handmaiden with him held. The salads both looked like works of art, with sprigs of fresh parsley fanning out of slivers of avocados and tomatoes elegantly. "As well as a flavorful bisque." The soup was also dressed up with a design on the surface made with a darker sauce spread by brisk knife strokes. "I hope you enjoy," Nichol said, and he and the handmaiden bowed. "We'll be out in a little while with your main course." Nina wished she could ask them to stay as she watched their backs disappear into the sparkling dream forest.

The food was amazing, the main course – orange roast pheasant with sautéed peppers – was one of the best things Nina had ever tasted. The prince didn't talk much while they were eating, other than to voice the same opinions she had on the food, but once they were done, Nina was forced to engage in conversation again until dessert arrived.

"So, still admiring my work?" Vahn asked after taking a sip of wine, gesturing to everything around them.

Nina nodded after giving another slow once around.

Vahn smiled and poured more wine into her glass. This was her third one. "I promise to always keep it up for you," he said sweetly, "I want you to feel like this is home, always. I know how you will miss Wyndia, and I'm sorry there aren't fields of beautiful flowers here, Ludia is a mostly wooded country, but I hope something like this can one day suffice."

Nina held her glass mid sip. Had she been wrong all along? He wasn't trying to trick her with spells. He had prepared all of this so that she wouldn't be homesick when she came to live here. She set her glass down and blushed slightly from the wine and his remarks. Maybe he wasn't as bad as she originally perceived.

"Goddess' tears, you truly do resemble an angel," he said, suddenly pulling his chair close to hers and placing a hand on one of her legs. "I can't wait to have you in my bed..." he breathed into her ear, and her nice thoughts of him lasted until that.

If it weren't for the calming aura beating down on her, the prince would have been a dead man, and Ethan would have been next for not doing a damn thing about it. He was still leaning against the gazebo, staring up at the glittering trees. The prince nuzzled down, his lips seeking a kiss, and Nina pulled back sharply. "Oh, dessert!" she squeaked pulling her leg out from underneath his hand.

Vahn shot a hurt look over at Nichol walking up the stairs. "What terrible timing you have," he pouted, pulling his chair back into place.

Nichol laughed and set a large plate full of tiny individual cakes onto the table. "You will have ample time to do such things when you are married, my prince."

Vahn reached for one with a carrot icing design on the top of it. "How very true, Nichol, but desperate situations call for desperate actions. We must start trying for an heir the moment we are wed," he said, popping it into his mouth.

Nina almost choked on a chocolate mousse one she was forcing down to be polite. Children? Now? "An heir? S-so soon?" she coughed, wiping mousse from her lips.

Vahn cocked his head and gave her an odd look as though the answer was written across his face. "Of course. There's no telling how long father has, and he would be utterly devastated if he did not have a grandchild before he passed." He shook his head sharply. "No, I cannot deny him such a thing. I'll try my hardest, no matter how long it takes!"

Nina blinked. Not only did she have to worry about their wedding night, but now having his children? She didn't think she was old enough to even think about offspring of her own, but what was she to say? She didn't have a choice in anything else, why should this be such a surprise? She managed to swallow the cake and nod with a defeated smile through another thought blaring at her that it would be a great idea to push the table over onto him and fly out of the forest.

It almost made her laugh out loud. If the prince didn't already cast a spell to prevent her from running away, Ethan would catch her in seconds. How insane she was becoming with all of this stress.

After dessert in which Vahn insisted (rather forcefully after he was denied the first few times he asked) on feeding some of the cakes to her - she was once again faced with the paragraph that penned the end of her life.

She held the pen in her trembling hand right above the line she was supposed to sign, swallowing back a lump in her throat. Vahn got up and draped his arms over her shoulders, hugging himself close to her back between her wings. His long hair spilled over her left shoulder as he pressed his cheek gently against hers. "Sign, my love," he whispered, words dripping with magic undertones.

There was no reasonable way out of it and him being so close was sickening her so she signed, feeling her free will leak out along with the pen's ink.

Vahn snatched the paper the second she finished the "n" in "Wynlan" and pulled her into a hungry kiss she wasn't prepared for. Pain seared the inside of her mouth as the wound in it cracked open, and she grasped at his sleeves to push him back. He responded in kissing her harder.

What was Ethan doing? Didn't he see she needed help?

No, she didn't need help, she realized darkly before the other thoughts finished. This man was her fiance now, soon to be husband. This kind of thing...happened with couples who were about to be married. In signing that paper, she gave her life to Ludia, to this man. How could she object? Who could she even object to?

She squeezed her eyes closed. No one said she had to enjoy it.

When he finally pulled away she was almost out of breath. He jumped back and held the paper up, staring at it lovingly in the sparkling forest air. "Finally, after so long...you're all mine!" he cried bringing it down and hugging it close.

Her stomach lurched at the remark and in between looking for a good place to vomit, her eyes found Ethan, his flawless face was still looking to the heavens. Flawless face, flawless person... that she could never in this lifetime have. She gripped the sides of her chair to try and stop the tears and her dinner from pouring out.


Chasta met Nina at the entrance of the castle when she returned, bouncy and wide-eyed. "Nina, what happened? You're father gave me orders to fetch you the instant you got back!" she cried excitedly.

Nina rolled her eyes and touched a hand to her forehead. Drinking all of that wine had given her a headache. "Geez, what am I getting yelled at about now? I signed the papers, I'm getting married to the cretin... I did everything he wanted me to do!" She didn't need this. On the way home from Ludia, she was ditched by Ethan and was forced to wallow alone in the – slightly drunken - rage that hit her all at once when she apparently left the spell's radius. There was no crying (she couldn't mess up all of that makeup before she got back), only hateful thoughts hissing and popping inside her head about her father doing this to her. She should have been afraid of being alone, but there was enough anger about the prince's forcefulness to mask any fear of the monster showing up. In fact, she would have welcomed his appearance; then she would've had an excuse to hit someone.

She guessed Ethan figured his good nature wouldn't be enough to cheer her up this time, so he decided to ride up front with the driver. He was correct if he truly thought that, but it still made her angry that he didn't at least try.

"I don't know, all he said was that he needed to see you immediately. You think maybe the prince found his heart, and is going to let you make your own decision?"

Nina laughed sharply. She couldn't help herself. Judging from the way he acted when she finally signed, she knew there was no way in hell he was going to let her go. "Don't try to fill my head with useless things like 'hope', Chas."

"Geez, Nina I'm just trying to be nice."

They reached castle Wyndia's magnificent throne room doors and Nina nodded to the soldiers standing on either side of them. "I'm here to answer my summon from the king," she stated.

"Yes, My Lady!" They both cried in unison, saluting and pushing open the massive doors.

Chasta suddenly grabbed onto Nina's arm. "So, you don't think...well...you're positive nothing bad happened right? His majesty sounded very serious before..."

Nina's eyes widened. She did hear him. "Chas..."

The handmaiden's grip tightened as they walked down the throne room aisle, towards the king, his adviser Asheton, Ethan, and -Nina gasped when she laid eyes on the next in line- Nichol?

"Who's that?" Chasta whispered out of the side of her mouth.

"Prince Vahn's adviser," Nina side-murmured back, brow furrowing. How could he be in two places at once? She distinctively remembered him waving goodbye to them as the carriage pulled away from castle Ludia!

Warping magic. Child's play to high level sorcerers, it's just a matter of clearance by the city being warped to.

"Warping?" Nina said a little too loudly and Nichol smiled at her when they approached.

"Yes Princess, I did in fact warp here," he said bowing to her. "Now that you've signed the treaty, Wyndia and Ludia are allies. Such travel is now allowed in cases of emergency."

"Emergency? What's the emergency?" Oh please say the prince fell into a bottomless pit, she thought desperately. There was a tickle in the back of her mind, like something was laughing.

"Relax, my dear, there is nothing wrong," her father said, smiling and walking forward. He threw his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. Chasta jumped away in surprise. "In fact, you did better than perfect," his voice went low so only she could hear. "I was surprised...I thought you were going to screw this up for me out of spite. It's about time you realized your place."

She held onto his royal robes so tight, her knuckles went white. "And what exactly is my place, father?" she hissed back.

"Do not forget what I said earlier, princess," he said with equal venom. "Making a scene is not a wise option."

They both broke apart briskly and Nichol scratched his head. "May I tell her the good news, my liege?"

"By all means, go ahead," The king said throwing on another award winning smile.

Nina grasped one of Chasta's trembling hands in hers and squeezed it.

Nichol clasped his hands together in front of him enthusiastically. "I am pleased to announce Prince Vahn has decided it is imperative you both be joined as soon as possible! He's moving the wedding date up to the day after tomorrow!"

Nina felt the floor slowly open up around her. Two days? In two days she was going to be married? Everyone in the room stared at her, waited for what she had to say about the whole thing.

Again, an overpowering urge to vomit came over her, she forced it back. Would her father kill Chasta over something like her throwing up in front of Ludia's adviser? She really didn't want to know the answer to that.

"Princess, aren't you happy ?" The king asked through gritted teeth, his face reddening with every second of her silence.

He would kill over her not answering, for sure.

"I'm...so happy..." she said, mouth dry.

"Good! I shall report back to Vahn immediately," Nichol said jubilantly, bowing to everyone. "We will send transportation in the morning. The prince says to pack only about a week's worth of things. He'll send servants to get the rest of your belongings in the days to come. Now, if I may take my leave of you?"

"Yes, certainly," the king said shaking his hand. "We will see you in the morning."

Nina watched as the advisor placed his right hand – the one with the magic ring – on his chest and lower his head while moving his lips in a chant. His body shimmered for a brief moment upon completion and then fell away into glittering specs of dust in the air.

"Lady Chasta, please help the princess prepare for her departure," the king said when the last spec faded away. "- in which there will be no problems, I presume?"

"Yes, your majesty!" Chasta chirped, bowing.

"And you, Princess Nina?"

Words couldn't describe the hatred filling the glare he received.


"What's the weather been like in Ludia lately?" Chasta asked, up to her ears in clothes within Nina's closet. "You think you'll need anything with long sleeves?"

"Don't know, don't care."

"Well you were there two days of this week, you had to have felt the weather. What was it like?"

"Don't know, don't care."

Chasta sighed and stood, gathering up an arm full of random clothes. "You asked for it, whatever I'm scooping up is what you get, so don't come crying to me when you don't have anything that matches," she said stuffing it all into a large suitcase. "I'm going to do the same with your shoes if you don't get serious about this."

Nina looked her straight in the eyes with her own puffy bloodshot ones. She had been crying nonstop since they left the throne room almost an hour ago. "At this point, I really don't know, and I really don't. care." She spoke every word crisp and clear and she meant them. Why should she put forth the effort into anything anymore when it was completely clear now that she was not in charge of anything in her life? The easiest thing to do now was sit around and let what was going to happen, happen.

Chasta set aside the suitcase and plopped down beside her on the floor. "Alright well, I didn't plan on giving you this until later, but I guess...there's really not going to be a later, huh?" she said with a little laugh, and Nina cleared her throat.

"Your point?"

The handmaiden pursed her lips and took a bracelet out of a small purple handbag that was slung over her shoulder. "This," she said handing it to her, "is one sort of communication devices the soldiers use when they are out on the field. Benjiman and I had a pair he stole we used to talk to each other with, and he didn't take it when he left...so I thought maybe we could use them and test out if it works the distance from here to Ludia."

Nina turned it over in her hand. It was a thick leather strap with a small metal box sporting an array of buttons along with a screen on it. She put it on and Chasta showed her how to use it.

"I'll visit Isabella regularly and let her talk to you."

That brightened Nina's spirits a bit. "Really? You guys will keep in touch?"

"If it works, yes. Listen, you look exhausted."

Exhausted? Did she?

"Your head is drooping as we speak. I'm going to finish packing your things while you go to sleep. Don't look at me like that, I'll make sure you have stuff that matches. The earlier we get up, the more time we get to have before you leave," Chasta said pulling the princess up from the floor and practically dragging her to the bed. Alcohol and her crying fit must have worn her out. It was a wonder she didn't pass out in the throne room.

She was asleep before her head hit the pillow.


The floor and the walls were a deep red/black and had a sort of velvety texture to them; their edges distorted and fuzzy like the black feather Chasta found in her room. Nina felt around with bare feet at the floor, keeping balance with her hand on a wall. Everything was pulsing, surfaces moved as though there were millions of bugs underneath them.

She was almost positive this was a dream.

After the initial panic attack at waking up in a place like this, she had to convince herself this was a dream because she was indeed not crazy and such things did not exist outside of dreams.

A long hallway spread out on either side of her with several doors lining either side. For a long time Nina had been staring at them, silently building up the courage to go and try one. It could be an exit.

Maybe.

Hopefully.

The doorknobs were creepily organic. She closed her eyes and said a quick prayer. She was getting no where standing here, she might as go for it. It was a dream, right? If something bad happened she would wake up.

...right?

She made her way over the squirming floor to the first door and turned its sickeningly warm, fleshy knob. A pitch black room greeted her. "Hello?" She called out into it. Her voice echoed like she was on the top of a mountain range. "Is anyone there? I don't know where I am or what's going on-"

A whip of shadows lashed out from the blackness and pulled one of her legs out from under her, she crashed onto the living floor. Adrenaline surged as it started to drag her into the unknown. She rolled over, hands scrabbling at the floor for grip. "Get off, GET OFF!" She kicked at the shadow with her free foot. It wrapped even tighter. "Help!" She cried, but who was going to help her in a place like this? "Someone please help!"

Blue flashed. The whip severed. Nina pulled herself away and slammed the door shut with a foot. She went to yank the shadowy remains off her other leg. Before she could, it dissolved into the air.

"You make too much noise, Fai'en." a harsh, young voice hissed at her in old Wyndian with a very distinct accent, and she looked up into the shadowy face of a child striking a chord of familiarity that chilled her to the bone.

Long navy hair, olive complexion, feline-ish yellow eyes, everything.

He was dressed in tattered rags (a simple tunic and pants held together by an over sized weapon belt, with a large forest green cloak wrapped around his torso) and his right arm had a bloody bone protruding from it that had twisted and contorted into a short blade. She stared incredulously at it. He looked both ways down the hallway, checking for something, then winced when the bone shot back into his arm. The wound healed within seconds. "Come with me," he said suddenly, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. For a child, he was amazingly strong. "He will find us out in the open."

They ran down the hallway. Nina had to fight to keep up with him. "Who is he?" she asked between strides.

The boy shot her a look that shut her mouth tight. "Speak when we are safe," he spat, then shook his head, muttering something in a language she didn't know.

Was this child really him? If so, why was he helping her? She used her wings to help propel herself into into a faster pace.

They passed about twenty or so more doors and stopped abruptly. He motioned for her to lean down and she complied, grasping her chest, trying to catch her breath. "If the shadows have taken over, we find a new safe haven," he whispered, tiny fangs coming into view when he spoke.

"What are 'the shadows'?" she asked.

"You saw them before."

"Oh." Shadows were bad, she gathered.

He slowly turned the knob on the door and opened it a tad so he could peek in. "Coast is clear," he said and pulled her inside with him.

On the other side was a room that looked nothing like the frightening hallway of death behind them. In fact, it looked like a relatively normal bedroom in a castle. Nina and the boy stepped out of a coat closet, he shut the door and locked it. Would locks keep the shadows out? she wondered.

Nina didn't recognize the make of this castle. Most kingdoms had gone to more extravagant materials than simple gray stone like this. It looked almost ancient in style. "Where are we?" She asked, walking over to a window and peering out. This castle was huge, and the city around it the same. Wyndia could have fit in this region three times over; she couldn't see past the city gates and they were in one of the highest towers, it looked like.

"My quarters, castle Drogen," the boy said, walking over to a bed with astonishingly detailed carvings of dragons on the wood and sitting on it. "I have a strong feeling this is a good memory."

Drogen? Memory? A little girl's giggles made her turn to the actual doorway of the room. Nina searched around for a good place to hide, and the boy laughed at her. "Don't worry, Fai'en, they can't see you. Relax, we're safe for the time being."

The door opened, and a clone of the demon boy (she still thought he was a demon, child or not, with those eyes and that freakish blade of his) ran in, followed by a slightly younger, paler little girl with the same long blue hair. They closed the door and the girl started jumping up and down, clapping her hands and yelling something in a language Nina didn't understand. The boy 'shushed' her and smiled. He said something and the girl nodded excitedly.

Both Nina and the little girl watched in awe as the boy slowly faded into nothing. Nina blinked at the empty air, much like she did when she saw it before. The girl did not have the same reaction, she erupted into giggles and jumped up and down again like before, clapping her hands and yelling something out to him.

Air near Nina shifted and the boy reappeared, shaking his head slowly. He said something, walked back to her and pat her head. She pouted about what he said and he mussed her hair in a loving manner. She waved her hands at him in protest.

Nina looked over in the real boy's direction and saw he was smiling at the little girl. This was a memory of his? How could she be seeing something like this? The children had finished their conversation while the Wyndian was lost in thought and left the room, giggling.

"This is...your memory?" Nina asked when the door closed.

He met her gaze with piercing eyes. "Yes, although its really none of your business, is it?"

His attitude deterred her curiosity about the girl. He was the one who brought her in here in the first place! "Maybe it's not, but if it's right in front of me, I have the right to ask-"

The cabinet they came through burst open and darkness flooded in like ink being spilled onto paper. The boy stood, staring at it spread terrified. "H-He's here! How did he find us so fast?" he cried, and instead of fighting like Nina assumed he would, ran and cowered in a corner.

"What are you doing!'?" Nina screamed at him, jumping back from the bits whipping out of the pool of blackness. "Fight it!"

"I...c-c-can't...!"

She ran over and knelt down beside him. "What do you mean you 'can't'? Didn't you save me before?" she asked grabbing onto his shoulders. They were trembling so hard... He looked up. All the blood was absent from his face.

"I-It's not the s-same...I c-can't f-f-fight him," he said teeth clicking with a tremendous clatter. "The madness...I c-can't...he's too close...I c-c-can't...control..."

The demon was a nervous wreck and she actually felt sorry for him.

She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. Demon or not, it was breaking her heart to see a kid like near her sister's age like this. "I didn't know even monsters got scared," she murmured. The boy didn't comment. "Who is he?" She asked in a more soothing tone. He was reluctant to her embrace until she did. Tiny hands clutched at her pajamas.

"K-kaiser..." he said, looking up with eyes she somehow knew were filled with a fear for something far greater than death. "Please, d-don't let him take me!"

"I won't!" she cried, hugging him tighter. How? How, pray tell, was she supposed to stand against something that was making him a blubbering mess?

What are you doing here, Keeper?

That voice.

The boy started to whimper. Nina looked to the doorway. Globs of darkness molded themselves into a human-like torso. It stretched. A head formed. Blindingly bright white hair spilled forth, parted to reveal narrowed glowing crimson orbs. Hands morphed into spiked claws. Wings of condensed black smoke billowed out behind it.

Shadows whipped out of the bulbous darkness making up its bottom half, and latched onto the boy's neck and waist. Nina fought to pull them off in vain. "Don't let him take me, Fai'en!" he screamed through tears, grabbing as much of her as he could hold. "I do not wish the madness to consume me any longer!" Another batch of shadows wrapped around her appendages from behind. They ripped her from him and sent her slamming back into the wall. "Fai'en!" The boy screamed, clawing at the air. "Hel-" She watched in horror, his body pulled into the blackness. He tried to scream, onyx poured into his mouth. More shadows arced out of the blobs bubbling around him and crisscrossed him away.

Nina squeezed wet eyes closed and turned her head.

You are not allowed near him.

A shadow came out from the wall beside her and morphed into a hand. It grasped her chin and turned her to him, glaring at her with eyes like hot embers. It threw broad shoulders back, thrust out its chest. Long white hair floated in the air as though in water. Darkness crawled across the walls of the room, engulfed the furniture around Nina. Nothing took her from those bright burning coals.

He belongs to me and only me.

The shadow hand reached up. Two fingers shut, then reopened her eyes.

Awaken.


Nina awoke staring with streaming eyes at the ceiling of her canopy bed.