Outside the large window in the hidden study, orange and yellow leaves covered the forest. Ella stared out at Reignlen. Fall was beautiful. She couldn't remember what she'd previously thought of this season, but she wished that she did. Hard to believe that fall had first arrived only last week.

Ella glanced over her shoulder at the stairs, expecting Hans to show up, but she didn't hear any sign of him. It looked like he would be a few minutes late today. He and Cassandra must've gotten behind on something. Ella let out a small sigh and peered back at the window.

Not too long after, small raindrops gently tapped on the window, covering the glass. Ella sat there as she watched tiny raindrops cloud the view. So far, there was no sound of any lightning, just the rain beating the window. Placing her gloved fingers on the glass, she peered down and could still see the garden below perfectly.

Peter and Rollins were racing through the yard, jumping over puddles. Right after Rollins leaped over a large puddle, Peter slipped and fell forward, getting wet. Rollins raced over to him with a large smile. They both laughed until Norman peaked his head from behind a door and told them to get inside.

For the past weeks, Hans had been helping her with her magic by using the peach and reading out of this book that Cassandra had found called The Extraordinary Existence of Magic. They would often read a chapter before starting training with the peach. Ella did very well with the book, however, she had yet to gain control of her magic.

Footsteps reached the top step and went forward in the room, causing Ella to glance over her shoulder where Hans was coming towards the table. "I'm sorry I'm late, Ella. Training went longer than usual today."

Dropping her arms, Ella rose from her chair and went over to the table. "It's alright, Hans. Maybe I shouldn't have come here so early."

"There's nothing wrong with being early," Hans reassured, going over to the front of the table. "Today was just one of those days. And just to let you know, we will be having your training on Thursday instead of tomorrow."

"Why is that?"

"Uncle Edgar and Aunt Heidi are throwing a charity party tomorrow," Hans explained over the soft raindrops in the background. "I have to help Cassandra and the other soldiers. I think that it would be less stressful for you if we didn't have too much going on. Are you okay with that?"

Ella nodded. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Ella's arms stretched out towards The Extraordinary Existence of Magic, and once her fingertips felt the soft leather, she pulled it closer to her. She reached for the pages and opened the book to page eighty-two. She peered down to the page where a large "Chapter Twelve: Effects of Magical Abilities" was written in large bold letters at the front with an image of a woman moving leaves into the air right above small letters that traveled through the rest of the page.

"I think that we're on chapter eleven, Ella," Hans informed, pulling out a chair and sitting across from her.

"I read that chapter last night," Ella explained. She pressed her finger on the "chapter twelve" page and went through some pages until she finally reached chapter eleven and opened it for Hans to see. "It was what you told me about how my powers are affected by my emotions."

Hans' eyes widened in approval. "Wow. Did you come here to read or did you take the book to your room?"

"I took it to my room after I found out that you weren't going to be here yesterday," Ella replied. Yesterday, a thief had stolen some money from donation, so Hans had to help Cassandra and the other guards find the thief. It took such a long time that it overlapped the hours that Hans would have taught her and Cassandra wrote a letter to Ella that she had Owl deliver to her. "Was I not supposed to?"

"You're living here, therefore you're welcome to do whatever you want," Hans said. "I'm glad that you did that. It was very smart and helpful."

"If you want, we can go over chapter eleven. I don't mind rereading it."

"It's alright. When we're finished, I'll read that chapter."

Ella removed her index finger from chapter eleven and opened the book back to chapter twelve. Her eyes peered down at the words below. "Magic can attain hundreds of abilities for the individual who possesses them. The individual's hair color might correspond with their powers. However, that is not always the case." Ella peered up at Hans.

"You're a perfect example of this," Hans pointed out. "Your hair is not affected by your magic. Queen Elsa's hair is whitish-blonde, most likely because of her powers. And Cassandra said that her hair was blue when she had the moonstone."

"What about you with your powers, Hans?"

"My family, except for one of the twins, have red hair," Hans explained. "My hair is the brightest because of my magic."

Ella blinked, then peered back down at the page. "Any person can receive their magic in a multitude of ways. They could be cursed, they could be blessed, an event could occur prepartum, or their magic could be passed down from their parents." That must've been how she was given her magic, and she remembered Hans saying that he was born with his. "Regardless of how they obtained their magic, they can pass down their powers to their offspring and so on. Could that be how I got my magic?"

"Possibly. Keep going."

"Vlad Moonstormer discovered that each person with magic can perform their own abilities," Ella continued. "Some individuals have stronger magic than others. Other than controlling ice and snow, what else could I possibly do with my magic?"

"I remember seeing Queen Elsa walking on water with her ice magic," Hans recalled, causing Ella to peer up at him. "I've seen her create a large ice castle in the North Mountain and I fought some kind of snow monster that she made. I think that she even created her own dresses. I don't know what else she does with her magic, but if she could do those things, then you probably can as well."

"What can you do with your powers, Hans?" Ella asked, craning her head towards him. She was so close to him that she could see her own reflection in his green eyes.

"Here, let me show you, Ella." Hans rose from his seat and grabbed a candle before he set it on the middle of the table. He removed his right glove and flattened his hand above it. A small flame appeared at the wick of the wax candle. "Watch this." He closed his index finger and thumb against the fire, setting the flame out. Ella was transfixed by the scene. "I did this in Arendelle, but I licked my fingers so I wouldn't show any evidence of my magic."

"And that doesn't hurt you?"

Hans shook his head. "I'm immune to the fire. It can't hurt me." He waved his hand above the candlestick, forming another flame. "Let's see what you could do with your magic."

As Ella reached for her glove, she felt her hand shaking and heard her breathing. This shouldn't be any different from the peach. She bit her lip and was moving her hand towards the candlestick until it paused in midair.

"It's alright," Hans reassured. "You'll be fine. Just freeze the flame."

For a long moment, Ella's hand remained in the air, inches away from the candle. She felt the temperature heating up. She gulped when her hand slowly moved towards the candle until she saw that ice was creeping underneath the candlestick, over the table, and towards Hans, causing her to finally jerk her hand back and slid her glove back on. "No, No! I can't! I almost hurt you! I don't want to hurt anyone!"

Ella bowed her head and peered down at the page in shame, feeling a tear at the corner of her eye. Her left index finger slowly wiped it away.

"Ella?" Ella peered up at Hans with her fingers on the pages of the book. He must've noticed her tear. "Are you okay?"

She blinked before she rubbed her eyes, sighing and shaking her head. "No. I mean—I don't know."

"How are you holding up?"

Ella held her arms together and meekly peered up at him, sitting in her seat in utter silence. She felt like a failure, sitting here moping and feeling sorry for herself when she should be focused. Was Hans thinking the same way?

"How are you adjusting?"

She slowly peered up at Hans, who looked at her in sympathy. "Just fine," she said in a soft tone, almost coming off as a whisper. "I'm lonely," she blurted, not realizing that she'd said it out loud for him to hear.

"Cassandra said that she barely sees you around the castle," Hans began. "Have you been going out to the forest with Peter and Rollins? Or even to town with someone?"

Ella shook her head, not taking her eyes off him. "No, I've. . . just been sitting in my room."

As Hans peered at her for a while, Ella could hear the faint sound of the raindrops on the window. "Ella, I understand that it's been hard for you and you're still adjusting, but you shouldn't lock yourself away. You wouldn't be so lonely."

"Are you trying to push me into leaving my room?"

"Not at all. I know that you're not ready and I understand that, but if you're lonely maybe you should try to interact with some people? You like Cassandra—maybe you could hang out with her? You could even try to get to know my family and the servants?" For the longest time, Ella and Hans remained in their seats, their gazes towards each other while the raindrops were starting to fade away. "It's up to you, Ella. I'm just trying to help you and I can tell that you don't want to be alone."

Ella's eyes peered down at the page before they peered back at Hans. "I just don't want to hurt anyone."

"That's why we're in this room," Hans said. "I'm helping you so you can control your magic, then you won't have to wear the gloves."

Ella sighed and asked, "When do you think I should get out of my room?"

"Whenever you're ready," Hans answered, softly. "Don't push yourself."

For a while, Ella and Hans read through the book until they closed it and Hans went to get a bandana and a peach. Ella sat up straight as she watched him come towards her. She removed her glove and asked, "Do you think I'll get it right this time?"

"Maybe, but remember, it takes time," Hans answered, blindfolding her and tying the bandana. "We just have to keep practicing."

As footsteps reached the front of the table, Ella opened her palm until she felt the soft texture of the peach against her hand. She heard herself exhaling and inhaling along with the slowing raindrops while she waited for Hans' instruction.

"Ella, freeze the—" Not even a second later, a pair of footsteps raced towards the stairs and into the room. "Cedric! Ella put the peach down and take off the bandana for a moment." As Ella did what she was told, she glanced around to see that Cedric was standing at the top step. "What are you doing in here? I'm in the middle of training Ella. Do you need help with anything?"

"The King wishes to see you, Your Highness," Cedric informed. "He told me to come and get you."

"Did he say why he wanted to see me?"

Cedric shook his head. "He just sent me to come to get you. He's in the study with your aunt."

Hans peered over at Ella. "Would you mind if we go see Uncle Edgar and Aunt Heidi for a moment, Ella? It shouldn't take long."

Ella shook her head. "I don't mind."

"We'll be on our way," Hans declared. When Ella rose from her seat, Hans turned to Cedric and asked, "Could you do me a favor? Could you send Cassandra here? Just make sure that she's not in the middle of training or assigning her patrols."

"Yes, Your Highness," Cedric replied, nodding his head. "I'll go see her at once."


As Ella followed Hans in the hall towards the study, she spotted several servants dusting the portraits and sweeping the area. They had always been treated with kindness and respect. She had to admire Edgar and Heidi for that.

A guard patrolling nearby reminded Ella to peer over to Hans. "What do you need to see Cassandra about?"

Hans leaned his head towards her. "The egg."

Ella nodded in realization. It had been over a month and they had never found any trace of its mother or learned what had happened to her. What she was curious to know was what they were planning to do with the egg.

Not even a moment later, they came to a halt in front of two large, white doors with golden doorknobs. They had red carvings of a dove engraved in the middle of the doors.

Ella wrapped her arms around each other. "Do you think this is about me? Have I done something wrong?"

"I doubt it, Ella," Hans answered. He turned to her with a concerned expression. "Why would you think that?" She peered down at the ground before peering up at Hans. "It's alright."

Hans turned to the door and politely knocked on it, followed by Edgar permitting them to enter. As Ella stepped into the room behind Hans, she peered around at the fine furniture and portraits until she spotted the King and Queen in the middle of the room. Heidi was sitting at her desk, sealing some letters with the Reignlen seal while Edgar was standing with an open letter in his hand.

"You asked for me, Uncle Edgar?" Hans asked, placing his hands behind his back.

Edgar cleared his throat and approached Hans. "Hans, I have received a letter from your father. He was wondering why you never responded to his letter back in the Northern Isles."

Ella recalled the letter that Hans had burned back in the Northern Isles. What was in there that Hans needed to reply to his father about?

"I lost it," Hans answered, standing straight. "I had no idea that Father wanted me to reply."

"Well, your father did write that I was supposed to pick you up," Edgar remarked, handing out his letter towards Hans which he took it. "He confirmed it in this letter."

After peering down at it, Hans peered up at Edgar. "I must've missed it because the letter blew out of my hand before I got to that part."

"Cassandra told me that you didn't see it in the letter."

"That was because I didn't finish reading it, Uncle Edgar. Other than that, I'm certain that I didn't miss anything else in there."

Edgar raised his eyebrow. "Not even the dinner for Caleb's birthday? Remember, you are required to come to the Southern Isles for dinner whenever your father sends you a letter about it?"

Why would Hans want to get rid of such a letter? It was written by his family. If someone from Ella's family had written a letter to her, reminding her of a birthday dinner, she would love to attend. Without a doubt, she would reply. She couldn't understand why Hans was behaving like this.

Heidi peered up from the letters, staring at her nephew. "Hans, your brother's birthday is coming up and you know how your father is. He always reminds you and your brothers about it in case you forget."

"Of course," Hans replied, almost bitterly. "He wouldn't want us to forget about Caleb, his precious heir, now, would he?"

"The dinner party is in a few weeks. You'll be ready to go by then?"

"Uncle Edgar, Aunt Heidi," Hans began, "thank you so much for informing me. However, the letter's gone, therefore I will not be able to attend. Perhaps, some other time. I'm sure that they will understand."

Edgar shook his head. "I'm afraid that won't be the case. Your father sent me another letter and told me that you must come to Caleb's birthday dinner. In a few weeks, you will board the Daaphelia and head to the Southern Isles. After the dinner is over, you will come back here."

Ella noticed that Hans had an upsetting expression on his face, but he was able to change his features into a black expression. "Uncle Edgar, this has got to be a mistake. I can't go back."

Edgar stepped forward, placing his hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Hans. If your father said that you have to go, then you must go."

After peering down at the letter, Hans peered back up at his uncle, sighing before returning the letter. "Fine. Should I start packing?"

"Not until it gets closer," Heidi answered, sealing a new letter. "You don't have to worry about it now."

"Is there anything else that you would wish to address to me?"

Edgar shook his head. "No. You may go back to training Ella."

As Ella and Hans left the room, Ella peered at Hans and without thinking, she asked, "Why don't you want to go home?"

"That is none of your concern," Hans said, making Ella regret opening her mouth. They rounded the corner in the hall and started to make their way back towards the library.

"Your family is inviting you to celebrate one of your own brothers' birthdays and you destroyed the letter. You can't just cut your family out of your life."

As soon as they reached the library door, they came to a surprise halt without bothering to touch the door handles. Hans turned towards Ella. His face was blank but for his eyes glaring at her. "Ella, we will not talk about it. You should understand that."

"Understand what, Hans?"

"Ella," Hans said firmly but politely with a stern expression. "We should let this go and focus on learning to control your magic. You know that I can't train you tomorrow because of the party."

"I'm just curious! Why don't you want to see your family?"

"We're not going over this again," Hans said. Footsteps approached. Ella was about to make another comment when Hans spoke before she did. "You should—"

The door flew open revealing Cassandra standing in the doorway. She crossed her arms, frowning at them. "Are you two coming in here? Or are you just going to hang out there all day?" Ella and Hans both peered away from each other and shook their heads at Cassandra. "Get inside then." As Ella stepped further into the library, she heard Hans following behind her and the door shutting. Cassandra stepped away from the door and towards Hans and Ella. "What did you need me for?"


Ella placed her hand on the railing as she followed Hans and Cassandra up the stairs. Their footsteps echoed as they went. Within a second, they heard Rollins barking, causing them to freeze in surprise. They raced up the stairs to see that Peter and Rollins were in the hidden study. Peter was sitting at the desk, playing with a yoyo while Rollins lay underneath him.

"Peter!" Hans and Cassandra exclaimed, causing him to turn around.

"Oh, hey there!" Peter chuckled, rising from the chair. Rollins happily raced over to Ella and she petted him with a smile.

"Why are you in here?" Hans asked.

"Father and Mother won't let me and Rollins go outside because of the weather," Peter explained. "So, I decided to go through some of the secret passageways."

"How did you know where this was anyway?" Cassandra wondered, raising her eyebrow.

"I was there when you first found it," Peter answered. "It was when I was hiding Margaret's surprise birthday gift and I watched you find this passage and go inside. I never went inside it before so after Father and Mother told me not to play outside, I decided to come in here." He swung his yoyo around like a lasso. "It's nice in here, but it's also boring. So, what did you guys come in here for? I thought that you're going to be teaching Ella magic after dinner?"

"You must've gotten the times mixed up with lunch," Hans answered. "Now kindly find somewhere else to explore. I understand that you're trying to play, but you should find somewhere else to hang out."

"But I don't know where else to go!" Peter whined.

Cassandra crossed her arms. "Why don't you go explore the passage in the drawing room, Peter? I think that you would like it. It's much better than this room."

A smile formed on Peter's face. "Alright!"

When Peter swung the yoyo around, it danced into a large circle, nearly hitting the egg on the table. Hans raised his eyebrows and stepped towards him. "Careful, Peter! You could've broken that!"

Peter swung the yoyo back into his palm and placed it on the table. "Geez! Sorry, I didn't mean it! What's that doing in here anyway?"

"We're keeping the egg a secret in here until we know what to do with it," Hans explained.

As Hans stood by the egg to explain it to Peter, the egg lit up, causing a red glow that nearly blinded everyone inside. Ella covered her face, but still, the light shone through her fingers. She slowly opened her eyes to see the red glow in the room. It then faded away and everyone peered back at the egg in astonishment while Rollins barked at it.

"What was that?" Peter asked, stepping away from it.

Hans peered down at the egg. "I don't know. It's been glowing ever since we found it."

Ella stepped towards the egg, narrowing her eyes at it before she peered right at Hans. "Why has it been glowing whenever you're near it?" Ella glanced over to Cassandra. "Do you know what kind of dragon that is? Could it be a dragon from Kumandra?"

Cassandra frowned as she crossed her arms, peering down at the egg. "Hmm. . . I don't think so. Once Sisu showed me that her sister, Pranee had laid two eggs and they looked nothing like that one."

Peter peered over at Cassandra. "I had no idea that dragon eggs could look different."

"There are many kinds of dragons," Hans explained. "Like in Kumandra, there are water dragons and in Pillestostile, there are wind dragons. So, the eggs look different depending on the type of dragon."

Ella pressed her gloved hand on the egg but nothing happened. After she removed hers, Hans pressed his hand on the egg and the bright light returned until Hans quickly took his hand off it. They both turned to Cassandra and she went over to them while Peter and Rollins backed away. Rollins started barking, causing everyone else to soothe him. Cassandra peered down at the egg before she pressed her hand on it. Nothing happened.

Cassandra frowned, raising an eyebrow before removing her hand and peering up at Hans. "Put your hand on it again."

The glow returned as Hans did what he was told. Everyone covered their eyes, but Hans didn't seem to be bothered by it. Through her fingers, Ella could see that his eyes were fixed on it. What was going on? Why was the egg responding to Hans? After Hans took his hand off the egg, the glow went away and everyone uncovered their eyes.

Peter started to back away from the egg with a perplexed expression. "Okay. . . I'll just get out of here. See ya! Come on, Rollins!"

Rollins happily barked as he and Peter raced down the stairs and left the passage. Ella turned back to Hans and Cassandra.

"Hmm. . . interesting," Hans said. "It seems to be responding to me."

"You think that it could be because of your magic, Hans?" Ella asked.

"That's certainly a possibility," Hans admitted. "Especially with what happened two days ago."

Cassandra raised her eyebrow. "What happened?"

"After Ella and I finished our lessons for the day," Hans began, "I stayed in here to work on the documents that you assigned me for training today. My quill broke and I saw that there was another one on the table. I went over there and right when I picked up the quill, the egg glowed. I nearly froze and when I peered over at the egg, I thought that I saw an outline of the dragon in there. After the glow went away, I touched the egg and it glowed again then I immediately took my hand off it. I noticed the candle in the room was going out so I removed my glove. After I used my magic to light the candle, the glow returned except that it was larger and brighter and then disappeared almost a second later."

"It sounds like that it was from your magic," Ella assumed.

Cassandra peered over at Ella and asked, "And it never did that for you?"

"No. It's never glowed when I'm near it." Ella glanced back over at the egg. "Do you think that it glowed when it was around its mother?"

Hans peered at Cassandra. "That reminds me, Cassandra, have you or Owl heard anything about the mother?"

Cassandra shook her head. "I sent Owl out one last time to try to find out about the mother."

"When did he leave?" Hans asked.

"It was a few days ago. I'm expecting him to come back today with information."

"Do you think that we'll find out?" Ella asked, glancing over at the egg.

"To be honest, I doubt it," Cassandra admitted. "So far, we haven't found out anything and it doesn't look like any dragon is going to come here."

"I'm going to have to agree with you, Cassandra," Hans replied, crossing his arms. "Since it's been a month, we're going to have to assume that something happened to the mother, unfortunately." He was just about to say something to Cassandra when a series of small tapping sounds were heard and he peered at the window, narrowing his eyes. "There he is."

Ella and Cassandra turned where Owl stood behind the window, tapping on the glass. The trio could hear him hooting behind the glass. Cassandra went over to the window and opened it, sending rain and wind into the room. Owl hooted as he flew and landed right on 'The Extraordinary Existence of Magical Abilities'. Ella felt some of the wind and rain against her shoulders before Cassandra shut the window. She took one last glance at the weather before followingHans and Cassandra over to the table.

"Okay, Owl, did you find anything about the mother?" Cassandra asked. A strick of lightning lit up the area, startling Ella. After Owl hooted, Cassandra sighed and peered at Hans and Ella. "He didn't."

Ella peered back at the egg with saddened eyes. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the baby dragon. Something had happened to its mother before it was even born.

"What are we going to do with the egg?" Hans asked.

Cassandra took out a new piece of parchment and began writing on it. "Namaari will help us figure it out when she arrives tomorrow."

"Namaari?" Hans asked.

"Princess Namaari of Fang and her royal army are coming to the party tomorrow," Cassandra explained. "Edgar invited all the chiefs of Kumandra but they weren't able to attend and Namaari is going for her mother, Virana."

"When do you think they'll be coming?" Hans inquired.

"Namaari should be arriving some time after the party starts."

Ella wrapped her arms around each other. "So, what are we going to do?"

Cassandra peered over at Hans. "You're not training Ella tomorrow, are you?"

Hans shook his head. "No, I'm giving her the day off."

"Okay, good," Cassandra began, handing Owl the parchment. "At the party tomorrow, we'll wait for Namaari to come, and then we'll bring her to the egg." She peered over at Ella. "Are you coming to the party tomorrow, Ella?"

"I don't think so," Ella answered. "Do you think I should go?"

Cassandra opened the window and watched Owl exit. "That's up to you. Just do what makes you feel comfortable."

"I agree," Hans nodded. "Don't push yourself. The party starts at five if you want to go."

Ella's eyes dimmed. "But what if I mess up? I don't want to hurt anyone."

"It'll be fine," Cassandra said, turning away from them and heading towards the stairs. "Don't worry."


A few hours later, Hans was untying Ella's bandana, and her eyes dimmed as she watched ice melt off the frozen peach. She was tempted to cry, but instead, she stood up straight and held back her tears.

"Ella, I understand how you must feel," Hans began, placing the bandana in his pocket. "But you know that you can't conceal your emotions. It's not good for you or your magic."

Once Hans pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to her, Ella gently took it and cried into it for a bit. When she was finished, she wiped her eyes and peered up at Hans. "I want to get it just right!"

"I think that you're being too hard on yourself," Hans said. "Be patient. You have it in you to improve—that's something. Most people would give up right away, but you haven't. No matter how hard it is, you still come in here and let me help you. You even were willing to take the book and read ahead, that's impressive! We just have to keep practicing and then you'll get there."

"I'll be perfect," Ella said. "I promise."

Hans paused for a moment, his eyes peering at the ground as he was deep in thought for a moment before he peered back up at her. "Don't try to be perfect, Ella. It never works."

Ella suddenly recalled the argument that she and Hans had on the way back to the library after they saw Edgar and Heidi. "Hans, I am sorry about what happened earlier after we saw your uncle and aunt."

"It's alright," Hans said, softly. "I'm sorry too." Again, he was deep in thought, causing Ella to wonder what he was thinking about. She decided that it was best if she left well enough alone. The chimes of a clock caused Hans to catch sight of it before he turned to Ella. "We should get to the dining room for dinner."

When Hans and Ella left the hidden study, Ella peered over at Hans and said, "I'll go get that book and I'll read ahead since you're not training me tomorrow."

"I'm glad that you've kept up with your studies and I appreciate it," Hans began. "But why don't you take a break tomorrow? You've been working so hard. You need rest. You'll be okay. What do you do around here?"

"Nothing," Ella answered.

"Nothing?" Hans asked. "You don't do anything to entertain yourself?" Ella shook her head. "I think that you should try to find something enjoyable for you to do. It'll help reduce your stress." Hans peered at something ahead of him before he peered back to Ella. "I have an idea—why don't you pick out a book to read?"

Ella glanced over her shoulder to the books. "I don't know what kind of books I like to read."

"Pick out a book and find out," Hans suggested. "There are so many for you to choose from. There may even be something that you would like."

"Is there a book that you think I should read?"

"If I pick out a book for you," Hans began, "you may end up not liking to read. I don't know what your taste in books is so I think that is something you should figure out. I remember that Jonathan said that George hated reading because his governess would always assign a book for him and do a report on it."

"I wonder what I would like to read?" Ella wondered, peering back over to him.

"I guess that you'll have to find out."

As Hans left the library, Ella strolled over to the wall filled with books and slowly peered up to see thousands of books organized above her. It was almost like there was a mountain of books standing before her. There were so many for her to choose from, she doesn't even know what she would like to read. What did she like before she lost her memories? Was she a bookworm? Did she even like to read?

Ella placed her fingers on the books, peering at the titles, hoping to find something that would spark her interest. She wasn't going to pull out a book until she made up her mind about what she would read first. It would be rude to leave a huge mess of books in the library for the servants to clean up. She almost jumped when she heard Norman call to someone, probably a servant, to help prepare the dining room for dinner. She glanced over her shoulder to peer at a clock on the wall and saw that it was five-thirty. She should get to the dining room and try to pick out a book later.

She was just about to leave when her eyes widened at a text written in black italics. 'The Month is August' by Wilfrem Graves. Ella bent down towards it, slid it out of the bookcase, and propped it in her hands. The cover was a deep red and the texture was hard. In the center of the cover, was an illustration of a sunset embracing an ocean. Curiosity sparked within her and she was tempted to turn to the first chapter until footsteps outside the room reminded her to get to the living room.

Stepping outside of the library, Ella held the book against her chest and shut the door behind her. She turned just in time to see that Norman walking in the opposite direction of her.

"What have you got here?" he asked. Ella held out the book to him. "Ah, that's a wonderful book! It's been so long since I've read it!"

Ella peered down at the cover. "Hopefully, I'll feel the same way when I read it." She was just about to head to the dining room when Norman held out his hand for the book.

"How about I take that to your room?" he suggested. "That way you won't be late for dinner and you won't have to worry about getting the book ruined during dinner."

"That would be perfect," Ella nodded, handing him the book. After dinner, she would head to her room and spend the rest of her day reading. "Thank you."

Norman nodded and headed off in the opposite direction while Ella made her way to the dining room.


When Ella stepped into her bedroom, closing the door behind her, she could see the moon gleaming outside her bedroom window. It almost reminded her of when she saw how bright the moon was on the Daaphelia. After she dressed in her creamy nightgown, she went over to her bed where 'The Month is August' lay. She held the book against her chest and went over to the chair.

The book followed a young boy named Daniel Yern, who dreamt of becoming a soldier for his country and was living with his mother and two sisters, Faith and Jane. In the first chapter, Daniel had just lost his father to smallpox and realized that his father had failed to leave a will for his family. Daniel's mother was growing ill and his sisters were too young to find work, so Daniel started working as a cobbler at a shoe store. Two years passed, and Daniel saved Prince Vincent from a group of criminals. Vincent was so impressed that he offered to make him a soldier for the royal army, which Daniel accepted. Daniel was given a new home in the castle and brought his mother and sisters to live with him.

After she finished reading chapter eight, Ella shut the book and laid it in her lap, thinking about what she had read. It had some humor, adventure, and many heartwarming moments. It was a beautifully written novel that touched her soul and Daniel was a very well-written protagonist. For some reason, she felt like she could relate to him. If only she knew why that was. Was it because he was poor like she was? She longed to read more, but her eyes were starting to shut.

As she rose from her chair, she held the book close and went over to her bed. When she put the book on the nightstand and pulled out the covers, Ella paused. She no longer heard the raindrops on her window. She peered over at the window where there was nothing but sky. She slowly went over to it and sat on the window seat, peering outside. Through the dark, she could see the tree tops and the town's skyline. At this time, everyone would be asleep in their homes with their families. She'd imagine that they would tell each other that they loved each other, the mothers would read a bedtime story or sing a lullaby to their children, and the fathers would allow their children to stay up later than what their wives intended. They probably would have a family game night before the parents would send their children off to bed. Regardless, the families would be happy that they were together.

Ella's eyes dimmed. She knew that before her memories were wiped, she most likely had a family. What were they like? Were they loving? Were they supportive? Did she have parents? Any siblings? Any friends? Not remembering her own family was painful. She wished that she knew at least one thing about them. As she peered out the window, ignoring the reflection that stood before her, she wondered if her family was somewhere out there, waiting for her, missing her and wanting her to come home to them? Since they were beggars like her, were they even alive? Did they love her? What did they think of her magic?

Ella peered down at her gloved hands and back at the window. How long had she had her magic? Why did she have her magic? Something inside her told her that she had it for a reason—was it meant for something? Her destiny? Or was she cursed with it? She let out a small gasp as she heard ice crackling, causing her to peer up at the frozen window. Keep it together. Breathe. Breathe. The ice faded away as she took some deep breaths. At that moment, Ella decided that she should finally turn in for the night.


On her way to lunch the next day, Ella saw the servants bustling about, hurrying to get everything done in time for the party. Three servants were dusting a portrait while two more were either sweeping or mopping the floor. One servant, who had just finished wiping a vase, accidentally knocked over a flowering plant, breaking its pot. Another servant rushed over to help him clean it up. The poor things all looked anxious and tired; they all were fortunate that Edgar and Heidi were very kind people. She had no idea what they would've done if it was the other way around.

When Ella rounded the corner and reached the dining room door, she noticed that Cedric had just finished wiping the door handle and Lydia was walking down the hall with her head up. As usual, she was dressed in an elegant outfit, only this time her hair was up in a bun with some curls hanging against the back of her neck.

Lydia spotted Ella and asked, "What do you think of my outfit? Isn't it beautiful?"

Ella paused for a moment but replied to her before her hesitation became noticeable. "It's lovely, Lydia."

"Thank you." Lydia smiled, holding her head up high. "I designed it and had my seamstress make it just for me. I have the best taste in royal clothing. I am going to have the best dress at the party." She turned to Cedric. "What do you think of my dress, Cedric?"

Cedric finished wiping the door and turned to her. "It looks nice, Lydia."

"Nice?" Lydia asked, raising an eyebrow. "This is grand. Other princesses wouldn't pull off this outfit. And look at these shoes—they're better than perfect. Can you imagine any other princess in these? I don't think so."

While Lydia droned on about her outfit, Norman went over to Cedric. "Ah, Cedric. I would like to thank you and Charles for cleaning the sitting room for Amelia. You have no idea how much help that was."

"It was nothing, Norman." Cedric smiled. "I hope that Amelia gets well soon."

"I had a doctor come to see her and he said that she'll be feeling better within the week. She just needs rest."

"Oh good," Cedric said.

Norman placed his hands behind his back. "Well, I better find Charles and give him my gratitude. I should let you clean the dining room."

After Norman left, Lydia and Ella entered the dining room with Cedric before they were joined by the rest of the family and Miss Bellwood. Hans, Cassandra, and the guards were having their lunch somewhere else.

While they were served lamb, Peter and Rollins were the first to finish their meals and leave. When George was finished with his lunch, Edgar forced him to take Peter and Rollins into town with him much to his dismay. Cedric had finished wiping the portraits when Lydia rose from her seat.

"Miss Bellwood," she began, "may I show Father and Mother what I learned from my piano lessons?" After Miss Bellwood nodded, Lydia turned to her parents with a smug expression. "I am going to be performing a song that I've learned on the piano."

"That's nice," Edgar said with a smile. "Have you been practicing?"

Lydia rose and, in her ladylike style, she gracefully waltzed over to the grand piano. "Yes, I've practiced for a while now."

"Your Aunt Evelyn would like that." Heidi smiled. "I would love to hear you play."

Lydia sat down on the bench. "I am going to sing while I play." Her fingers lay on the piano keys. "Watch this."

A flowing, gentle tone was heard as Lydia pressed down on the piano keys. However, when Lydia opened her mouth, her voice wavered and was out of tune. Her terrible singing took attention away from her lovely piano playing.

When she finally finished her song, Lydia rose from the bench looking proud. "Well, what do you think? Am I talented or what?"

Ella peered around the room and saw that Margaret was covering her laugh while everyone else had their eyes wide, jaws dropped, and eyebrows raised. Margaret's snickering was starting to break the silence.

Cedric slowly clapped his hands. "You were great, Lydia," he stammered, stumbling on his words. "How about you just stick to playing the piano at the party? I don't think you would want to lose your voice."

"That's a good—" Lydia paused and her smile faded away. "Wait, are you suggesting that I can't sing?"

"No, not at all!" Cedric denied, waving his hands. "I just know that you were looking forward to telling everyone about your new dress. If you sang throughout the party, your throat would be sore."

From her facial expressions, Ella could tell that Lydia knew what he thought, despite his attempts to be nice about it and not hurt her feelings. Edgar noticed Margaret's snicker and shot a stern expression at her. Miss Bellwood and Heidi did the same.

"Lydia," Heidi began, "I'm going to have to agree with Cedric. Maybe you shouldn't perform at the party unless you're just going to play the piano."

"Mother, you don't understand," Lydia said. "I practiced for months now. I can't let this go to waste."

"I think that you should work on your singing skills for a while," Edgar advised, nodding his head. "You wouldn't want to humiliate yourself in front of so many people. You can play the piano if you want."

Lydia glared at Cedric for a moment before she turned back to her parents with a phony smile. "You know, you're right. I'll just practice with my singing some more and now that I think of it, my hands have been hurting from sewing so I think that I'll just give my hands a rest. Miss Bellwood, would it be alright if I go to my room for my dress fitting? I want to get it done and over with."

"Alright," Miss Bellwood nodded. "But remember to meet Margaret and me back in the parlor for your lessons."


After Ella left the dining room, she decided to go to her room before the party. She was going up the stairs and had just reached the third floor when she heard a door open. Ella peered to see that Lydia had just left the sitting room with a grin.

"That'll teach Cedric and Charles a lesson," Lydia muttered to herself before she went in another direction.

As soon as Lydia was no longer in her sight, Ella went over to the sitting room and gasped when she peered inside. There was flour scattered all over the floor. Blankets and pillows were falling off of the couches and chairs. All of the furniture was unkempt and the books and decorations were all over the place. Ella couldn't believe what Lydia had done. Cedric and Charles had gone through all the trouble of getting this clean and now they would have to start all over again.

Ella caught sight of the grandfather clock and saw that it was one o'clock. The party would begin in four hours, but Cedric and Charles had a lot to do. Plus, they had no idea what had happened and it was unlikely that they would come back here before the party. Ella stepped further into the room, grabbed a broom, and cleaned up the flour. One thing that was nice about wearing the gloves was that she wasn't getting any blisters. Afterward, she put the broom back and organized the blankets and pillows.

Footsteps started to make their way towards the room as Ella came towards the decorations and books on the floor. When they started getting closer, she could make the voices to be Cassandra and Lewis. She placed her long hair behind her ears and started to put the decorations back where they were. The voices grew louder as the footsteps got closer.

"So, when am I going to start patrolling this area, Cassandra?" Lewis asked, their footsteps coming to a halt.

"You'll come here at five-thirty," Cassandra answered. Lewis was about to ask another question when Cassandra noticed her. "Ella? Why are you cleaning? Did someone ask you to do this?"

"No, not at all." Her hair started to hang over her shoulders again as Ella peered up at them. "I don't want the servants to get in trouble because, uh, someone intentionally made a mess in here."

"Who made the mess?"

Ella gulped before she reluctantly answered, "Lydia."

"That sounds like Lydia," Cassandra sighed, rolling her eyes. "It's something that George would do too."

Lewis stepped further into the room. "You cleaned all this on your own? You did a great job."

"Do you need help?" Cassandra asked, stepping into the room after Lewis.

"No, thank you," Ella said, picking up a decoration. "I'm fine. Besides, I just have to put these away, and then I'll be finished."

As Ella put the decorations away, she made sure that she didn't break anything. It was bad enough that she was trying to get this clean in time.

As Ella put the last decoration back where it was, her long brown hair came out from behind her ears, covering her eyes. As she brushed the hair out of her eyes, Cassandra pulled something out of her pocket.

"Here, use this," she said, stepping closer to Ella.

In her hand was a long, green ribbon. Ella gently took the ribbon and tied her hair back into a low ponytail before she picked up some books.

"Are you sure that you don't need help with anything?" Cassandra asked.

Ella nodded her head. "I'm sure. I can do this on my own. I'm almost finished." She peered over to the desk and a bookshelf in the far corner of the room. She had forgotten all about it. Cassandra and Lewis noticed what she was staring at. "I'll get those too."

"No, we'll help," Cassandra declared. "Do you want to continue putting the decorations or do you want to help clean the desk and shelf?"

Before Ella could answer, Lewis leaned in. "I'll finish picking those up. You two go clean the desk and bookshelf."

Ella handed Lewis the books and followed Cassandra. When they drew to a close, Ella went to the bookshelf and Cassandra went to the desk.

"I can't believe that I didn't see these earlier," Ella commented, picking up a cloth.

"They're hard to see because they're in the dark corner of the room," Cassandra began. "They often get missed." Cassandra sighed, shaking her head. "What the hell did Lydia do to these?"

"There was flour on the furniture earlier," Ella said.

"Well, I did hear that Roberta said that she couldn't find the flour when she was gathering recipes for the desserts for the party," Lewis recalled. "Lydia must've gone in there and taken it so she could try to get Cedric and Charles in trouble."

"That's just great," Cassandra sighed. "Her parents aren't going to be happy when they find out."

Lewis slid the books on a shelf. "I can't believe she did this." Footsteps started to come towards the room. "She knew that there's a party later today."

"What happened?" Norman's voice came from the doorway where he was standing with Edgar. "I thought that Cedric said that he and Charles had cleaned this already?"

"They did," Cassandra answered before she told them about Lydia.

Edgar shook his head. "I am very disappointed in her. Heidi and I are going to talk with her. She didn't make you three clean for her, did she?"

As she listened to Cassandra and Lewis explain, Ella wiped dust off the books until she spotted something right next to the bookshelf. It was an orb concealed in a glass container. It was small with dove symbols engraved around the little circle.

"Your Majesty, was this from your coronation?"

"That was when my great grandfather was crowned King after my great, great uncle stepped down," Edgar explained. Ella peered at him with a confused expression. "Two months after my great grandfather Benedict was born, my great, great grandfather, King Damien, abdicated the throne, but Benedict was too young to be crowned. Normally, a regent would take over until the heir comes of age, however, there was a similar incident in the past in another kingdom where a regent took advantage of the situation and crowned himself. So Damien decided to pass the crown down to his younger brother, Hamilton. Hamilton then decided to name Benedict as his successor."

"I never knew that something like that could happen," Ella said.

"Well, Ella," Cassandra began, "the monarch has absolute authority on the law."

"They just have to make sure that they're being smart with their decisions," Edgar said. "Anyway, that was a very important event in Reignlen's history and that's why we have my great, great grandfather's orb there." Edgar turned to the doorway. "And I would like to thank you three for cleaning this up for the servants. Heidi and I will deal with Lydia."


Ella held her arms as she strolled to her room. She could just get back to her reading and then the party would be over before she knew it. Her gloved hand clasped onto the doorknob, yet she paused before she could turn it. Once she entered her room, she would be alone again. She didn't want to be lonely, yet if she went to that party she could harm someone with her magic. Plus, she would have to meet new people. The idea of meeting strangers was overwhelming to her. She may not know what she was like before someone wiped her memories, but she already knew that she wasn't fond of strangers.

Sooner or later, she was going to have to meet new people anyway. Besides, she could just go down, have a meal, and then return to her room before her magic could spiral out of control. Ella peered at her door and then back in the hallway. After taking a deep breath, she slowly pulled the door open and entered her room. She went over to her window and peered out.

There was a line of carriages traveling down the road towards the palace. She couldn't see very well but she imagined that their carriages all were the highest quality and their riders were either trade partners or good friends of the royal family. Ella backed away from the window. There were so many guests; maybe she should stay here? She paused with her eyes still on the window. She could still do this.

Pulling the ribbon out of her hair, Ella glanced over to the mirror. She would've worn this dress had it not gotten dusty from the cleaning. She went over to the wardrobe and sighed when she saw that there was only one outfit. She had forgotten that her clothes were being washed today. She pulled out the remaining dress and changed into it.

Peering at the mirror, Ella saw herself in a plain grey dress. Maybe this was a sign that she should stay up here. She was just about to get to her reading when a thought occurred to her. Yesterday, Hans had said that Queen Elsa used her magic to make dresses. Ella stepped away from the wardrobe and went over towards the mirror. She was unsure if this was a good idea, but it wouldn't hurt to try.

Removing her gloves and tossing them at her bed, Ella hovered her hands over her dress. She wanted something that would look nice, yet at the same time, not too nice. Letting out a breath, she motioned her hands over her dress and gasped as she watched ice travel over it. She paused for a minute before urging herself to keep going.

Ella's jaw dropped when she stared at her new dress, which was flaked in sparkles. The bodice was a dark grey while the skirt was light grey with snowflakes at the bottom. She couldn't believe that she had turned this plain outfit into a beautiful gown. So, this was what the Queen did with her powers? Ella couldn't believe what she had just done and wondered what else she could be capable of.

No, I will not mess with my magic anymore. I'll just not use my powers again so I won't hurt anyone. After Ella put half of her hair in a waterfall braid, picked out a new pair of gloves, grabbed her book, and took a breath before leaving her room.


Ella was heading to the backyard where the party was taking place until it would get dark and the guests would transition inside. She couldn't deny that the backyard would be a good place for the party; it was beautiful.

When she went out the back doors, Ella could tell that there were over fifty people. The guests were all scattered about the area, engrossed in a conversation with each other whether it was politics, rumors, jokes, or even just chitchat. Some guests were by the fountain, the garden, or the hedge haze.

As Ella went further into the yard, holding the book closer to her chest, she saw that many of the guests were nobles or royals as expected, but she was surprised when she saw that a lot of the guests were commoners. They probably were good friends of the family. Lydia was bragging to two girls her age about her dress. George was droning on about another one of his hunting trips and his excitement over his engagement. Edgar and Heidi were each having a friendly conversation with various guests.

A guest almost tripped, but one of the guards was able to catch him in time. The guest expressed his gratitude and continued on his way. He joined a long line that led to a banquet table in the middle of the yard, reminding Ella to get in line for her meal. Her heart thudded as she walked past the guests and went to the end of the line, but she took a deep breath.

As the line moved, Ella surveyed the area. Cassandra was by the far left of the building where she would occasionally peek out from the corner. She was making sure everything was in order and waiting for Namaari to arrive. Ella could tell that Cassandra was meant to be a soldier. She stood tall with an intimidating stare that would frighten anyone, and had a dagger and sword in her belt. A guard went over to her and asked Cassandra something. After she answered him, the guard went to another area of the yard to patrol.

Rollins' barking almost made Ella jump and she spun around towards the maze. Rollins was racing past the hedge maze with Peter chasing behind, laughing. Heidi sternly told them to watch where they were going and not run in the yard, to which Peter sighed and they both obeyed before going over towards the fountain.

"Hi, Ella!" Margaret said, behind her. Ella saw that Margaret was standing there with three princesses her age. "How is your day?"

"It's been fine, Margaret," Ella said as the line moved forward. "What about you?"

Margaret sighed. "Boring. The entire day has been filled with nothing but "princess" lessons and "etiquette" lessons. The only funny thing that happened today was Lydia in the dining room." A smirk appeared on her features. "You thought that it was funny too, right?"

Although she could see why Margaret would find it humorous, Ella felt pity towards Lydia. If Cedric, Edgar, and Heidi had told her what she wanted to hear instead of their true thoughts, she would've been humiliated in front of all of these guests. Despite that, Lydia still had her heart set on performing after she had practiced so much.

"I have my own thoughts on the matter," Ella replied, stepping forward.

"I'm glad that you came to the party." Margaret smiled. "Are you going to show everyone your magic?"

Ella gave her a weak smile. "I'm glad that you like my powers, but I still don't feel comfortable with them."

Margaret nodded. "I understand."

"Margaret!" Miss Bellwood exclaimed. She was dressed in a red dress with her hair tied in a tight bun at the top of her head. She was wearing a long red scarf around her neck. "Have you found your etiquette book yet? You need to keep track of your things." Margaret's features formed into a grin, causing Miss Bellwood to frown. "Young Lady, you know better than that. You will be twelve years old next month."

Margaret nodded with a grin. "Yes, Miss Bellwood." She closed her eyes and smiled, holding in her chuckle.

Miss Bellwood went over towards the garden just as Ella reached the banquet table. She took a plate, and her eyes widened when she saw that some of the guests were staring at her. At first, she thought that her magic was getting out of control until she saw that the guests were giving her impressed nods and complimenting her dress, asking where she got it from.

"That's not fair!" Lydia complained. Ella glanced over towards the trophies where Lydia stood with her two friends. Lydia had her arms crossed while her friends gave Ella an impressed nod. "I'm supposed to be the best dressed here! I should've gotten that dress!"

While Miss Bellwood scolded Lydia for her behavior, Margaret's jaw dropped at Ella's dress. "Where did you get that, Ella?"

Ella stood there, trying to remain calm. "I made it."

Margaret's eyes widened. "You made it?! How?"

Ella gulped. She had meant to not answer but instead, her mouth betrayed her. "With my magic."

"You did that?" Margaret exclaimed. "It's incredible! I wish that I could do that!"

"That is extraordinary!" a guest nearby exclaimed. They must've overheard her. "That is talent!"

"You should be lucky that you have such a gift!" another guest said.

If only they knew how dangerous her magic could be. Ella closed her eyes and took some deep breaths before she could feel her powers. Once the guests gathered their meals and headed off into another part of the yard, Ella sighed with relief. As she gathered her food, she peered around for anywhere to sit until she spotted a bench far off from the garden. After she filled her plate, she went over towards the bench.

As Ella ate her meal, she peered at all of the other guests. From the way that they interacted with each other, she could tell that they were having a marvelous time. She wished that she could go over and try to interact with them without worrying about the risk that she could harm someone. She sighed before she scooped a spoonful of peas and put them in her mouth.

"Ella?"

Ella peered up to see that Hans was approaching her. She wondered where he'd come from.

"I didn't think that you would show up," Hans said. "How have you been?"

"Horrible," Ella sighed. "Here I am and I'm not even getting up to interact with people. Well, I did talk to Margaret before I came here."

"I wouldn't say that you're doing horribly."

"Why would you say that?"

"You're not isolating yourself in your room and you spoke to someone here," Hans said. "And Cassandra and Lewis told me that you helped clean up the sitting room. Before that, you just stayed in your room and never came out except for meals and our lessons."

Ella wrapped her arms around each other, forgetting about the meal that sat on her lap. "I just can't let my magic get out of control."

"Did it happen when you were cleaning the sitting room?"

"What?"

"Did your magic go out of control when you cleaned the sitting room earlier?"

Ella narrowed her eyes, recalling the events from when she saw Lydia leave to Edgar thanking her, Cassandra, and Cedric for cleaning up. "No," she said in realization. "It didn't."

"See?" Hans asked. "Your magic didn't harm anyone."

For someone with a troubled background, Hans seemed like he was willing to help her with her magic and help her not be lonely. He even seemed like he cared about her. Being a powerful being himself, did he understand what it was like to have potentially dangerous magic?

Ella was just about to ask him when she felt something fall to the ground. She leaned forward as Hans picked up the book.

"Here you go," he said. He was about to hand it back to her when he paused, peering down at it. "Where did you get this?"

"I got it from the library last night."

Hans peered down at it in awe before he handed it back to her. "That's one of my favorite books."

Ella took the book from him. "Really?"

"Yes, I only read it once but I found it to be a masterpiece. My mother got it for my thirteenth birthday and then Runi and Runo took it from me and I never saw it again. How far are you in it?"

"Eight chapters."

"Already?" A grin then formed on Hans' features. "Why am I not surprised?" Ella then chuckled and shot him a grin. "Don't worry, I won't give anything away to you."

"Alright," Ella chuckled.

"Well, you found a hobby." Hans smiled. "That'll help you reduce your stress and it'll help out with your magic."

A servant with a platter of desserts came over towards them. "Would any of you like any desserts?" He laid out the platter towards them. "We have tea cakes, pudding, Shrewsberry cakes, and chocolates."

After Hans took two chocolate blocks from the platter, Ella peered down at the sweets. The tea cakes, pudding, Shrewsberry bakes, and chocolate blocks were scattered all over the platter. The only one that sparked her interest was the chocolate.

Ella gently took one chocolate block off the platter and the servant went to another area right away. She peered down at the small chocolate block that her fingers held. She brought the block closer to her mouth and she nibbled at it. The sweet creaminess caused her to slowly form a smile. After she swallowed it, she gently put the remaining bite in her mouth.

"What do you think?" Hans asked. Ella nodded. "It's delicious, isn't it? Roberta makes the best chocolates." After Ella swallowed her chocolate, Hans handed her his second block. "You can have this, Ella."

"Are you sure?" Ella asked. It was very generous of him, but she wasn't sure if he should give her his second chocolate. "It's yours."

"It's alright. I already had one," Hans said. He gently put the piece in Ella's hand. "Now, we know what kind of dessert you like."

As Ella nibbled on the chocolate block, her eyes dimmed. "This must be the first time that I've tried one. I know that I've never had anything like this before my memories were wiped."

Hans' features formed into a saddened expression. Ella was just about to ask him when the memories of how she was treated in the Northern Isles flashed. After she finished her second chocolate, she wrapped her arms around each other.

"Ella, are you alright?"

After she told him what she was thinking about, Ella sighed and said, "I don't understand why people treat each other so differently. I mean, they shouldn't mistreat each other because of their states, looks, magic, or anything. It just hurts that people won't accept each other."

"I know. It doesn't make sense, does it? I suppose that they think that we all should be the same and they just don't understand that the world doesn't work like that. They only see what they want to see and not what is right. I wish that they hadn't treated you like that in the Northern Isles."

"They made me feel like I don't belong anywhere."

"Well, they're wrong. Just because you're different doesn't mean you don't belong."

Ella gave him a weak smile. "Thank you."

Hans peered over at Cassandra. "I'm going to ask her something. You should come too."

Ella followed Hans over towards the front of the castle. She could hear the guests laughing and interacting with each other in the background.

Cassandra had just finished reading a letter from Owl and peered up to Hans and Ella. "Namaari just sent me this letter. She should be arriving here anytime."

"Will she know what to do with the egg?" Hans asked.

"Like Raya, she's a dragon nerd," Cassandra replied. "She'll be able to know what kind of dragon this is and what we should do with it." She noticed Ella and asked, "You doing okay, Ella?"

"I've been fine."

"I'm glad you came to the party," Cassandra said. "That's a nice dress. Did Queen Heidi make it for you?"

"No, I did. . . with my powers." After Cassandra and Hans praised her, Ella peered down at the ground. "I made sure that no one was around first."

Cassandra pulled out her sword from her hilt. "Ella, you've seen me with this, right?"

"Yes, you're great with that."

"My sword is like your magic. They're both dangerous, but they're useful. My weapon is dangerous but that doesn't stop me from using it. You know when my dad started teaching me to defend myself, I was awful at it until I got more practice. If the guards and I can use our weapons as long as we're careful, then you can use your magic."

Ella paused, taking in everything that Cassandra had told her. "I didn't think of it like that."

Cassandra put her sword back in her belt. "Whether we use magic or weapons, there is always a chance that someone could get hurt by mistake, but regardless, they are important and make us special." She peered to the forest and then back to the side of the castle, looking towards the back yard. "Hans, do you think that you could go into the forest and see if Namaari is coming?"

Hans nodded. "I can do that. Are you coming with me since you know the Princess?"

"I can't leave my post until Brett comes," Cassandra said. "He should be coming here shortly. Ella, would it be okay with you to go with Hans? If not, you can wait here with me or go back to the party."

"It's alright," Ella said, right when a sound of laughter could be heard from the yard. "I'll go with him."

Cassandra took a peek from behind the side of the castle again before she turned to Hans and Ella. "As soon as Brett comes, I'll catch up with you two."


As Ella and Hans ventured deep into the forest, red and orange leaves gently fell to the ground, concealing the path in front of them. The musky scent filled her nose as the leaves rustled underneath their feet. She was not bothered by the cooling weather.

For a while, they were on the same path until they found another one and ventured onto that one. Ella glanced over her shoulder at Hans. "Have you been on this path before?"

"Not that I can recall," Hans answered, surveying the surroundings around him. "It does feel familiar yet I know that I've never been here before."

A large pile of leaves flooded in front of some of the trees by the path. A squirrel raced in front of them and went up a tree. Some of the falling leaves flaked Ella's hair, causing her to remove them and drop them on the ground. They kept an eye out for Namaari and her army, or even Cassandra but still nothing.

"I'm surprised that you agreed to go with me," Hans said, stepping over a hole in the ground. "I thought that you were afraid of me because of my crimes."

Ella lifted her skirts and leaped over a puddle. "For the last time, Hans, I was never afraid of you. I just distrusted you and felt uncomfortable around you." She released her skirts and peered at him. "You know, I'm surprised that I've come too, yet at the same time, I'm not."

"Why is that?"

"I have something that I would like to say to you," Ella said. "Thank you for everything that you have done for me. I have no idea what I would've done if you hadn't helped me."

"You're welcome, Ella," Hans said.

"I thought about it. You were the last person that I would have expected to help me given your bad reputation and you could've left me alone, yet you offered to help me any way that you could. I am grateful for that."

Hans gave her a weak smile. "Well, I couldn't just leave you there, especially with what happened in the courtyard."

"I hope that you don't mind me asking. Why did you help me? I'm just curious."

Hans' smile faded away and he peered down at the ground. "Let's just say that I've been in your position before and I understand what it felt like."

What did he mean by that? Should she ask him? Before Ella could make up her mind, Hans came to a halt and stared at something in awe. Raising her eyebrow, Ella glanced over as well.

In front of them stood an orange, red, and white oak tree where the wind was blowing off leaves. On one large branch that stretched out in the air was a pile of rope that wrapped around it. At the end of the long rope was a long wooden board hanging from it.

"It's been so long," Hans commented, stepping forward to the swing. "They must've just put a new one up."

Ella kept her eyes on the swing as she followed Hans towards it. "This is amazing. Have you been on it before?"

Hans nodded. "Every time that my family and I would come here, I would sneak off into the forest to swing on it. I always made sure that I got back before anyone would notice. It had been around since my mother and uncles were children."

Ella's fingers wrapped around the rope as she peered up at the branch that held the swing. She felt so small as she stared at the large branch.

"When was the last time that you rode it?"

"The last time I rode it was my last trip to Reignlen."

Ella couldn't take her eyes off the swing. She had no memories of being on one and wondered what it would be like. Even though her memories were wiped, she felt like she had rode on one when she was a child.

"Would you like to ride on it?"

Ella took her attention away from the swing and peered at Hans. "Will it break?"

"It's new so it shouldn't."

Ella sat down on the board, her fingers curling around the rope. "Could you push me?"

After a moment of being stunned, Hans stepped forward and replied, "Yes. I didn't think that you would ask me."

Ella remained on the swing, peering ahead of her as she listened to Hans coming behind her. She felt him seizing the rope five inches above her hands and then the swing was slowly being pulled backwards until Hans came to a halt. After a moment, he released the swing.

As the swing flew forward, she held on to the rope, pushing her feet forward and her eyes widened once she caught a glimpse of the large, orange sky. She could no longer feel her fingers around the rope nor feel the air around her. As the swing flew backwards, her hair blew in front of her face. When Hans pushed her again, the second swing was more amusing still as she spotted the sky again. The more Hans pushed her; the more Ella felt like she was flying.

It seemed too soon as Ella eventually felt the swing come to a halt. She remained on the swing and peered up at Hans who was holding the rope.

"What did you think?"

"I don't know what to say." Ella smiled. "But I do know that I loved it."

"I'm glad to hear that." Hans smiled. "I know that you'll remember it forever."

As Ella slipped off the board, she turned to Hans and asked, "Do you want to ride on it now? I could push you."

Hans gave a brief pause before he walked towards the swing, "Why, yes. That is very sweet of you, Ella."

After he sat down, Ella went behind him. She clenched onto the rope, peering down at him. "Are you ready?"

"Whenever you are."

Ella gently pushed his hard, lean, and sculpted back. When he came back, she pushed him again and again. Could he see the sky as I did? She felt her features form into a small smile.

When Hans fell back towards her, Ella's fingers curled around the rope four inches above his hands, putting the swing to a halt. As he glanced at her, she craned her head towards his face and she peered right into his eyes. "Is it as good as you remembered?"

Hans smiled up at her. "It's better, Ella." After Hans got up, he allowed her to back down on the board. He offered to push her, but she declined for she just wanted to sit there for a moment. "They must've just replaced the old swing a few years ago."

Ella tilted her head to the left, allowing her long hair to cascade over her shoulder as her fingers curled around the rope. "What happened to the old swing?"

Hans' eyes dimmed and for a long moment, he was silent. "It's been so long. Ten years ago, I had just turned fourteen and I came here with my family to celebrate Reignlen's six hundredth birthday. It was just around this time of day and no one wanted to play with me so I snuck off into the forest to find the swing. After I swung a few times, my hands were getting sweaty and clammy because of my gloves. I removed them and sat them right next to the tree. My bare fingers wrapped around the soft texture of the twisted rope felt so different. I went back to swinging and I swung even higher than I pushed you. The higher I swung, the tighter my hands held on to that rope.

"Eventually, I smelled smoke and heard something cracking around me. I glanced up and saw that fire was traveling from my fingers, up the rope, and towards the branches. I either jumped off the swing or fell off. When I reached the ground, I was unharmed, but the fire reached the tree and started a wildfire. I tried to do everything that I could to put it out, but instead, my magic just made it worse. The fire almost reached Uncle Edgar's home and the city, but fortunately, the fishermen and sailors were able to put it out. No one was harmed nor killed, but half of the forest was destroyed and some buildings burned down.

"When Uncle Edgar's guards found me and brought me to my father, I remember the look on everyone's faces. They all glared at him with intense, burning eyes and cursed under their breaths, calling me a monster. I had never seen my father so angry and disappointed. We went home earlier than planned and my father never allowed me to go to Reignlen with them again. Lars told me that the forest grew back, but still, I never came back here with my family again."

Ella sat there speechless, her heart aching. She thought that she'd had a hard time with her magic, but it sounded like Hans was in the same situation. What he had just told her, reminded her of what happened in the courtyard back in the Northern Isles. "I am truly sorry that happened to you. I wish that you hadn't had to go through that."

"Me too. But it happened and I have no choice but to accept it. I was lucky that Lars was able to convince my father to send me here. I'm surprised that my uncle, aunt, and cousins even let me return."

"I'm not," Ella said, softly. "After all, they're good people. If they weren't, I wouldn't be staying here."

Hans peered up at her with a small smile and said, "You're right. They are good people."

Suddenly, they heard something rustling in the bushes nearby, causing them to freeze. Ella glanced over to him. "What was that?"

"I don't know."

Before they had a chance to react, a roar was heard from inside the bush. Hans gestured at Ella to remain quiet. Not even a second later, a large, dark grey cat-like creature with yellow-brown eyes came out of the bush. It opened its mouth, revealing its long fangs. Ella held onto the rope, petrified.

Hans took a step back, gesturing to Ella. "It's okay, Ella. Keep calm."

As the creature stepped forward, Hans drew out his sword causing the creature to growl, peering right at Ella. Ella could feel the temperature decrease in the area. Oh no. Not again.

"Hans—"

"It's alright, Ella," Hans assured. "Just don't move."

"Don't worry," a woman's voice said. "He won't hurt you."

Footsteps started to come towards them and a tall, muscular woman stepped out from behind the bush. Her straight, dark hair was parted to the side, barely covering her eye while the other side was shaven. She wore a gold ear cuff that hung down to her collarbone, and a long cloak hung around her neck.

After the woman ordered the creature to calm down, she noticed Hans and glared at him. "Well, that's not a nice way to greet a guest, binturi. Put down your weapon."

Hans raised his weapon with his eyes on the creature. "How do I know that your pet isn't going to attack her?"

The creature growled at him and was about to charge when the woman stopped it. "Calm down. They're just people like us." The woman glared back up at Hans. "I can assure you that he won't harm you or your friend. Now, are you going to drop your weapon or not?"

More footsteps started to come towards the area. Ella was tempted to run but something told her to remain where she was and stay calm. "Is he dangerous?"

"No, he's harmless," the woman answered. "He just doesn't take kindly to strangers."

"He seems more than that," Hans commented bitterly.

The woman pulled out two short swords from her waist. "For the last time, lower your weapon!"

When Hans refused to put away his weapon, Namaari lunged towards him. Without thinking, Ella abruptly removed her gloves and placed her bare hands on the ground, allowing solid ice to layer over the entire ground. Hans and the woman nearly slipped, but they remained where they were.

"Good work, Ella!" In an instant, Cassandra stepped out from behind a tree. "Namaari, don't! Hans, put down your weapon!"

When Hans and Namaari spotted Cassandra, they both put away their weapons at once as four other cat-like creatures came into the area with four riders. Cassandra stepped forward as Owl landed on a branch.

"Oh, so this is the Prince Hans that I've been hearing about!" Namaari chided. "No wonder he pulled out his weapon. He was willing to attack me like how he almost killed the Queen of Arendelle!"

Hans glared at her. "We are not in Arendelle and I pulled out my weapon so your pet wouldn't attack her! And I'm not the only one who's committed treason!"

"You have no idea what—"

Cassandra crossed her arms at them. "Will you two cut it out? I never thought that I would be in the middle of this!"

The ice faded away as Ella quickly slid her gloves back on. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I didn't hurt anyone did I?"

Ella stood from the ground, wrapping her arms around each other as she peered at everyone with dimmed eyes. What would they think of her? Were they livid with her? She had only been trying to stop a potential fight.

Cassandra glanced over to Hans and Namaari with a frown. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Namaari answered before she peered back at her army. "Is anyone harmed?"

The riders shook their heads at her. "We're fine."

Cassandra peered over at Hans. "What about you?"

"I'm alright," Hans answered. He peered over at Ella. "Ella, it's okay. You didn't hurt anyone."

As Ella went over towards them, she kept her eye on the creature. "What are those? I've never seen them before."

"They're serlots," Namaari answered, petting her serlot."They're rarely seen outside of Fang and our troop rides them. Anyway, I'm sorry that mine scared you."

The serlot let out a loud growl, causing Ella to pause. This creature was a deterrent for her to move, despite the Princess' claims. She watched as Namaari tried to calm her pet down.

Cassandra glanced over her shoulder at Ella. "It's okay, Ella. They're not going to hurt you. If anything, they'll just turn you into a cat lady."

Namaari chuckled at Cassandra's comment. "Just don't let them near water."

Ella took a few deep breaths and watched as the ice faded away. Namaari's army muttered to each other in amazement.

"Did you do that?" Namaari asked. Ella nodded her head as she came over towards Cassandra. "I'm impressed. Maybe you could go to Fang and join our troop? We could always use another warrior. I always try to get Cassandra to join."

Cassandra chuckled. "I'm happy where I am, but thank you. How's Chief Virana?"

"Mother's doing great," Namaari answered. "She finally just opened a new school for the children as part of Fang's new expansion."

"I'm glad to hear that," Cassandra said. "I know that she's been working on one for a while. She told me, Chief Benya, and Raya that."

"That reminds me," Namaari began, "did you hear from Raya?"

Cassandra raised her eyebrow. "Not yet. Why?"

"Last week, she had just arrived in Delitpen when she found out that they had sold the map at some Historical Auction," Namaari answered. Cassandra sighed, shaking her head. "The Mayor offered his apologies to her and told her who won the map. Unfortunately, he didn't know where the winner went, so now Raya has to find it after she gets her sword back."

"What happened to her sword?"

"After she spoke to the mayor, a thief stole her sword. She tried to get it back, but it was too late. He took off with it and she's been tracking him down."

"Well, that's just swell," Cassandra said sarcastically. "So, her trip from Wesselton to Delitpen was a complete waste of time. And she went through all that just to get her sword stolen."

"Why was she in Wesselton?" Hans asked.

"A source told me that the Stabbingtons fled to Wesselton with the map," Namaari explained. "Raya went there to try to find them. By the time she arrived, they were gone, but a professor told her that they had sold the map for a Historical Auction so she decided to head there. She told Sisu, she told Kumandra, and they had Owl send a letter to Cassandra about it."

"Did she say who stole her sword?" Cassandra inquired.

"Someone by the name of Dwayne."

Cassandra lowered her eyebrows and hissed, "Dwayne."

Hans raised his eyebrow. "Friend of yours?"

"Long story," Cassandra answered. She peered back over at Namaari. "Did Raya tell you this?"

"No, she ran into Susi and told her then Susi told me."

"Where's Susi now?" Cassandra asked. "Did she go with Raya?"

"She couldn't because she had to get to Celeptois."

One of the riders wrapped his arms around each other. "It's getting cold out," he complained. "Can we get some shelter?"

"We should get to the palace," Cassandra declared. She peered at Namaari. "King Edgar is expecting you and then do you think that you'll know what to do with the egg?"

Namaari climbed onto her serlot. "I'll see what I can do."

As Fidella and Sitron came out from behind the trees, they were startled by the serlots until Cassandra and Hans calmed them down. Ella followed Cassandra and Hans over towards the horses. After Cassandra climbed atop Fidella, Hans helped Ella climb up behind Cassandra before he climbed on Sitron.


Moonlight appeared in the sky as the group finally reached the opening of the forest and headed towards Edgar's palace. Cassandra and Ella rode on Fidella and were at the front of the group next to Namaari and her serlot while her army and Hans rode behind them. The chirping of crickets and sticks breaking underfoot filled the atmosphere.

When they finally were closer to the palace, Ella no longer heard the crowd outside and realized that the guests had gone inside for the remainder of the party. They must've been out in the woods longer than she'd thought. She wondered when the other guests retreated inside. The only people that she saw were some of the guards keeping watch at the door.

The guards went over to them as the group came to a halt. After Cassandra slid off her horse, she went over to the guards as Ella glanced behind her back in time to see Namaari and her army climb off the serlots. Hans dismounted Sitron and went over towards Ella, holding Sitron's reins, and helped her off Fidella.

When the guards spotted the serlots, they peered back at Cassandra. "Where do you want us to put them?"

"We'll leave them in the front yard," Namaari declared. "They won't attack anyone that comes."

"Are you sure that you don't want to see if my uncle would let you put them somewhere?" Hans asked.

"I already talked to him about it earlier and he said that it was fine," Cassandra answered.

One guard took the horses' reins and led them towards the stable. Cassandra and Namaari led the group towards the stairs.

"What time is it?" one of the riders asked.

"It's sometime after seven," Namaari answered. She peered over at Cassandra and asked, "Where did you put the egg?"

"We have it in the hidden study," Cassandra confirmed.

"I guess that this hidden study is one of the passages here?" Namaari asked. Cassandra nodded at her.

Cassandra was just about to pull the door open when it opened for her instead and Norman stood in the doorway, allowing them inside. When Ella stepped inside, she saw that all of the guests were inside, having conversations with each other, some with drinks in their hands.

"Do you think that some of them went upstairs?" Ella asked. There were so many guests that she couldn't imagine that they would all fit in the same room, especially since Cedric and Charles had cleaned the sitting room earlier before Lydia ruined it.

"Probably," Cassandra answered. "But I doubt they went in the library."

"We should get to the egg," Namaari said.

"Ah, Cassandra," Heidi's voice said from the other room. The group turned to see that Heidi was coming over to them with her hands folded. "Lewis was looking for you."

"Is he still by the sitting room, Your Majesty?" Cassandra asked.

"I believe so," Heidi answered. "Margaret just told me that he couldn't leave his post until Bruke arrives and while she was looking for Bruke, she run into Peter and told him to find him and then bring him to the sitting room to take over for Lewis." She then noticed Namaari. "You must be Princess Namaari. How do you do, and welcome to Reignlen."

Namaari bowed. "It's an honor to be here, Your Majesty."

"I've heard that Fang had recently expanded," Heidi began, "can you tell me about it?"

Cassandra turned to Hans and Ella. "Get to the hidden study," she whispered. "We'll meet you two there."


Just as she thought, there were some guests on the upper floor, though there weren't as many as she was expecting. They passed by guests who hung around the corridors, talking to each other and sharing drinks. The voices of the guests filled the atmosphere until Hans and Ella neared the library.

As they entered the library, Ella glanced around the area. "No one's in here."

"I'm not surprised," Hans said, passing by the tables with Ella following behind. "The guests never come here during the parties."

They went towards the area with the bookshelf, expecting to open it when they arrived. However, when they reached the passage, they came to a startling halt. Instead of the shelf concealing the passage, the small space with the spiral stairway was in their view. Without hesitation, they raced inside and towards the stairs.

"Do you think that someone went in here?" Ella asked, placing her hand on the railing as she scurried up the stairs.

"Maybe. How they got in here, we'll find out."

They reached the top step and to their surprise, no one was in there. Still, Ella felt like something wasn't right. She crept forward in the room, her eyes searching all over. Hans crept towards the table and came to a halt when he noticed something.

"Ella. Come here."

Ella went over towards the table and she gasped. Broken pieces of the egg were divided and spread out on the table. There was no sign of the dragon. "Hans, it hatched!" More footsteps were racing up the stairs. "What are we going to do?"

Hans was about to answer when he peered forward. Ella glanced over her shoulder to see that Cassandra and Namaari had just reached the top step. "The dragon hatched!"

"What?!" Namaari asked. She and Cassandra raced further into the room. "Are you sure?"

"See for yourselves," Hans gestured to the table where the broken egg laid.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Cassandra seethed. "There's no way that it hatched! Where's the dragon?"

"We don't know," Ella admitted. Namaari picked up one of the shells, examining it. "We haven't seen it. It must've gotten out through the passage before we came."

Cassandra peered around for the dragon. "That's impossible. How did it even get out of here?"

"Ella and I found the passage opened," Hans explained. Cassandra was about to ask him another question, but he opened his mouth before she did. "We don't know who it was. We found it like this."

Namaari turned to the group with her fingers holding the shell. "Cassandra, Owl never found out what happened to the mother?" Cassandra shook her head. "I know what kind of dragon this is. It is an inferzoon dragon. It's a special kind of dragon that can connect with magic and sometimes they are allies with humans. They hadn't been seen for a thousand years and everyone believed that they had gone extinct until Tong confirmed that he saw one flying over Spine six years ago. He never saw one again, but a few people who traveled to Kumandra also claimed that they'd seen them before"

"Oh, I've heard of those," Cassandra replied. "I remember that Zhan Tiri said that she tried to tame one so she could fight against Maui and the Kumandra dragons, but she failed."

Namaari headed towards the door, releasing the shell and allowing it to fall on the ground. "We should start looking for it. Normally when the dragon hatches, their mothers would feed them fish. In this case, since there is no mother, the dragon would have to look for fish on its own. And since the dragon was just born, it doesn't know what they look like and could easily mistake any bright colors to be the fish."

"We shouldn't waste time then," Cassandra declared. She and Namaari led Ella and Hans down the steps. "While we find it, we should make sure not to start a panic. Some folks would freak out at the sound of dragons."

After they left the passage, Ella saw that Namaari's army was waiting in the library. Namaari told them what was going on while Hans and Cassandra shut the passage behind them. Suddenly, Lewis and Peter entered the room.

"Hey, why did you shut that?" Peter whined. "I was going in there!"

"Wait, you were in there?" Cassandra asked. "And you didn't shut the door?!"

"I was just about to go in there when Margaret saw me and told me to get Burke and then take him to Lewis," Peter explained. "I knew that I was going to come back so I left the door open."

"Why were you going in there in the first place?" Hans asked.

"I realized that I left my yoyo in there yesterday," Peter answered. "I was going in there to get it back. What's the big deal?"

Lewis raised an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"No time for details," Cassandra began. "The egg hatched and the dragon is around here somewhere. We have to go find it. We'll have better chances of finding it if we split off into pairs."

Namaari turned to her army. "Search the palace for the dragon and try not to cause panic."

Before Ella could adjust to what was going on, everyone went off in different directions. Cassandra went with Hans, Lewis went with Peter, Namaari's army each went with each other, and Ella was with Namaari.

For a long while, Ella and Namaari searched the area, but there was no sign of the dragon. They did their best to act natural so the guests wouldn't suspect that something was up. After peering in multiple rooms, they decided that it was time that they searched into a new area.

Ella raced down the stairs to the second floor with Namaari. "Have you ever seen this kind of dragon before?"

Namaari shook her head. "No, I've just studied them."

"Where do you think we'll find it?"

Namaari was about to reply when they reached the second floor and noticed Lewis and Peter coming towards them.

"Did you see anything?" Namaari asked.

Lewis shook his head, but before they could go their separate ways again, they heard a voice nearby.

"Oh, where is it?" Miss Bellwood's voice asked.

In an instant, Ella, Namaari, Lewis, and Peter rushed into the closest room. Lydia and Margaret were inside the room with their friends while Miss Bellwood was looking underneath a table.

"Is everything okay?" Lewis asked.

Miss Bellwood peered up at him and said, "Have either of you seen my scarf? I left it in here and now it's gone."

Namaari, Ella, and Lewis all shook their heads before Peter asked, "Is it this long?"

"Yes," Miss Bellwood replied, her eyes widening.

"Is it this wide?"

A smile began to form on Miss Bellwood's face. "Yes."

"Is it red?"

"Yes!"

"I didn't see it."

Margaret and Lewis burst out laughing, but Miss Bellwood, on the other hand, furrowed her eyebrows. "Young man, that was immature and impolite. It is very sad to act like a clown and poke fun at someone's misfortune."

Peter turned to the wall, trying his best to conceal his laughter, which made Miss Bellwood even more furious. While Miss Bellwood was berating him, Ella noticed that Lewis and Namaari were whispering to each other about something. They gestured for Ella to come over towards them, which she obeyed and they pointed above. Ella slowly peered up, widening her eyes when she spotted tiny claw marks on the ceiling.

Namaari stepped towards Miss Bellwood. "Excuse me, how long has it been since you lost your scarf?"

Miss Bellwood was about to answer when Peter burst out laughing and Lewis told him to wait outside the room which he did. Miss Bellwood stood up straight. "My scarf has been gone for ten minutes. I was feeling hot so I took my scarf off and left it on the table. I heard Margaret and her friends in the room next door and then I left to see if Margaret had her etiquette book with her. One of her friends found it and then when we came back in here, my scarf was missing. Lydia and her friends had just come in here and they said that they didn't see it."

"Now that I think of it," Lydia recalled, "I thought that I felt something small come out from the side of the wall and go by my feet when I was entering the room. I didn't see what it was though."

Namaari peered over at Lydia's friends. "Did you see anything?"

"Lydia was behind us when we came in," one of her friends answered.

Namaari nodded and peered at Miss Bellwood. "We'll keep an eye out for the scarf." She started to head towards the doorway with Ella and Lewis following behind.

Once they were far enough away from Miss Bellwood and the others, Lewis leaned in towards Namaari and whispered, "The dragon must be nearby! We should—" The group then came to a halt. In front of the wall where Peter had been standing were tiny claw marks that traveled on the side of the wall. "Where's Peter?"

Namaari surveyed the hallway. "He and the dragon should be around here somewhere! "Come on!"

They followed the trail of claw marks by the wall, keeping an eye out for Peter or the dragon. Ella narrowed her eyes at the claw marks. "Namaari, why would the dragon climb on the wall? Wouldn't it fly?"

Namaari pressed her hand against the claw marks, examining them as the group went further into the corridor. "Inferzoon dragons don't fly until they reach their adolescent stage. Instead, they climb up trees and leap to another.. And they are extremely fast."

After they rounded the corner, Lewis asked, "Would they still climb on the trees once they're fully grown?"

"No. Once they reach their adolescent stage, they no longer need to rely on the trees or any surface to get them anywhere."

Ella surveyed the area for anything nearby. "At least we can track down this dragon easily."

"It's not as easy as it seems," Namaari answered. "The inferzoon dragons can camouflage themselves. You never know where they might jump out from." She paused, observed the area before continuing. "We just have to be careful."

Ella heard footsteps coming from the right and turned just in time to see Peter round the corner of the hallway. "There he is!"

"Hans! Cass!" Peter yelled. "I saw that—"

"Peter!" Cassandra yelled.

A large thud sounded on the ground followed by the sounds of Hans and Cassandra struggling against something. Namaari, Ella, and Lewis raced further in the hall towards their voices. Not too long after, the sound of something tearing was heard followed by another thud on the ground.

"My gloves came off!" Hans' voice yelled.

"Just go after it!" Cassandra ordered. "We'll catch up!"

Ella, Namaari, and Lewis rounded the corner just in time to see Hans dart towards the end of the hallway and disappear. Peter was rising from the ground in incredulity. Cassandra stood with half of Miss Bellwood's torn scarf clenched in her fist. Hans' gloves were lying on the ground.

While Namaari asked Cassandra what had transpired, Ella raced towards the area where Hans had taken off to. She was kicking herself for not waiting for the others, but she had already made up her mind.

Whenever she would enter an area with guests, Ella would act natural then go back to searching for Hans or the dragon once she made it through. After a while, she recalled the large stairway by the main door and decided to head there. She entered a long, decorated hall that was devoid of guests.

Ella nearly tripped on something underneath her heel. She peered down to see the other half of Miss Bellwood's scarf. Ella slowly bent down to grab it. Suddenly, a horrifying scratching sound nearby gave her pause.

The scratching came from the left and Ella found the courage to turn. In front of her was a silhouette blending in with the wall climbing up. Footsteps came from behind and Ella peered over where Hans was slowly coming up to her.

"Listen," he whispered.

Ella remained still, listening to the scratching traveling up the ceiling and peering up to see the silhouette changing, revealing itself to be the dragon. Its scales were red and its wings were closed. It had three pointed protrusions at the end of its tail and its eyes were light yellow.

"Did it attack you?" Ella asked, leaning her head towards him with her eyes on the dragon.

"No, it tried to jump out at Peter, but Cassandra pulled him out of the way," Hans explained. The dragon climbed forward on the ceiling. "Cassandra and I tried to get the dragon, but it got away from us."

The dragon paused and remained still for a long moment until it finally peered down at Ella and Hans. Without warning, the dragon leaped towards them, leaving Ella no time to move. She was knocked to the ground and felt her hair being pulled. The dragon was on top of her head, yanking at a strand of her hair.

"Get off me!" she demanded.

Before she can do anything, Hans grabbed a candlestick and swung it towards the dragon, knocking it off her head. The dragon was knocked into the wall.

"Ella, are you alright?"

Ella was just about to nod when the dragon jumped towards her and Hans again, but this time they dodged out of the way in time. The dragon dove towards the wall, but Ella removed her left glove and motioned ice around the wall. When the dragon reached the wall, it slipped and fell to the ground. The dragon glared up at Hans and Ella. When the dragon leaped towards them again, the duo dodged out of the way. They glanced around, expecting the dragon to come after them again, but this time it leaped at the ceiling and crawled forward.

"It's heading towards the main stairway!" Ella exclaimed.

Hans rose to his feet and helped Ella up. "Come on!"


When they reached the second floor and headed towards the stairway, the guests' voices were echoing up to them. They surveyed the area for any sign of the dragon to no avail.

"Do you see anything?" Hans asked.

"No, but it has to be around here somewhere," Ella answered.

"Keep an eye out."

When they peeked out from the corner of the hall, Cassandra and Namaari were creeping forward towards the stairway, peering at the ceiling. Hans crept out from behind the wall and Ella followed behind him. As she peered down, all of the guests looked small below. She gulped, not wanting to think about the idea of falling.

At the foot of the stairway, a middle-aged man was laughing with a woman his age about something. While they were talking, Cassandra and Namaari leaned towards them with their eyes on the ceiling. Ella and Hans continue to creep forward. Just then, the dragon leaped towards the man and the woman but Namaari pulled them out of the way in time and Cassandra jumped in front of the dragon, pulling out her shield. The dragon tried to leap at Namaari, but she blocked it.

However, before Namaari had time to pull out her weapon, the dragon leaped into her, causing her to fall over the railing as everyone gasped. Ella pulled off her glove and motioned her hands towards the ground, creating a giant snow pillow in the middle of the ground. Namaari safely landed on the pile and was unharmed. Cassandra, Hans, and Ella rushed down the stairs.

All of the guests rushed over to Namaari. "Are you alright, Your Highness?"

"I'm fine," Namaari assured, getting up from the snow. Her eyes widened when she noticed Ella. "You saved my life."

The guests applauded and cheered, giving Ella pause. Before she could process her thoughts, she spotted the dragon leaping towards the wall and the hallway. Ella and Hans raced after the dragon with Namaari and Cassandra following behind.

As the dragon leaped towards a painting, Ella lunged, grabbing it. The dragon turned towards her and tried to claw her, but she kept pulling it away. When Hans came, he tripped and accidentally released a fireball. The fireball hit a drape, bursting it into flame.

As Ella released the dragon and grabbed a pitcher, the dragon landed, peered at the fire, and back at Hans who had fire trailing off his fingertips. While Ella tossed the pitcher at the drapes, putting out the fire, Hans peered at his hands and back at the dragon. Hans laid his hand towards the dragon, forming flames on his fingertips. The dragon tilted its head in curiosity.

Hans stepped towards the dragon, forming his hands like claws as large fireballs formed from his fingertips. Cassandra and Namaari entered the hallway and paused when they saw Hans and the dragon. Hans moved his burning hands around in a slow circle then brought them above his head. As his flaming hands remained still in the air, Hans' eyes turned bright red, and soon after, the dragon's eyes did the same. Ella felt her jaw drop. What was going on? What was Hans doing?

When Hans' eyes went back to normal, he shot his flames at the dragon. The dragon stood tall and spread out its wings. When the fireballs hit its wings, the fireballs disappeared and the wings were unharmed. The dragon's eyes went back to normal and it tilted its head, letting out a squeak.

Hans stepped forward to the dragon and held out his hand. The dragon brushed its head against its hand and smiled. "Good. That's it. Now, you will not attack anyone like that. Is that right?" Hans gestured for Ella to come over which she did. "Touch it, Ella." Ella glanced over to him worriedly. "It's okay."

Letting out a breath, Ella held her hand out towards the dragon. She was expecting it to bite her or something, but instead, the dragon brushed its scaled head against the back of her hand, cooing. Ella let out a chuckle and petted the dragon.

"I don't believe it," Namaari said in awe. "You just tamed a dragon!"

Cassandra turned to her. "What do you mean?"

"Depending on what kind of magic you have," Namaari began. "You can tame an inferzoon dragon. Many people have attempted to tame a dragon but failed. If the eggs glow around you, then it chose you to tame it."

"Wait a minute," Ella said in realization, standing up. "That must be why its egg glowed around you, Hans. It must've picked you because of your magic."

"Zhan Tiri did say that the eggs never glowed around her," Cassandra recalled.

Hans peered over to Namaari. "How long will this go on?"

"The dragon is yours to command," Namaari answered.

Hans peered back down at the dragon and held out his arm. The dragon climbed onto it, peering up at him. "What do they eat, Namaari?"

"Inferzoon dragons eat only fish with bright scales and sea mammals," Namaari answered. "Why do you ask?"

"Just curious," Hans shrugged. "It has no mother and I am its master so I should know what it eats."

Cassandra frowned. "Hans, I don't think that this is a good idea."

"She's right," Namaari said. "Dragons, especially inferzoon dragons, are never meant to be pets and are accustomed to the outdoors. The dragon will grow."

"I'll raise it until it reaches its adolescent stage," Hans said. "Then I'll let it out on its own. It'll be okay."

Namaari sighed. "I think you're crazy, but it's not my call."

Cassandra crossed her arms. "If anything happens, it's your mess."


The rest of the party went by smoothly. Hans had returned the dragon to the hidden study so the guests wouldn't panic. Everybody praised Ella for using her magic to save Namaari and couldn't have been any more grateful.

After most of the guests left, it was time for Namaari and her army to leave. Ella, Cassandra, and Hans, who was carrying a satchel, were following them outside the front yard. As the riders went towards their serlots, Namaari turned to the trio.

"Thanks, Namaari," Cassandra said. "So, where are you heading to?"

"I need to get back to Fang first," Namaari began, "then we're going to head to Mirahton. Hopefully, Raya will find her sword and the map by then."

"Let's hope," Cassandra agreed. "See you around."

"See ya, Cassandra," Namaari smiled. She glanced at Hans. "Be careful with that dragon. I mean it." Namaari turned to Ella with a smile. "And thank you for saving my life."

Ella wrapped her arms around each other. "You're welcome."

"Keep using your magic." Namaari grinned, climbing on her serlot. "I can tell that you have real potential."

Namaari then led her army out of the yard and into the forest. Ella, Hans, and Cassandra stood there for a long moment before the latter two turned to Ella.

"You did well, Ella." Cassandra smiled.

"I did?"

"Of course you did." Hans smiled. "You used your magic to save her life. You should be proud of yourself."

Ella let a weak smile form on her face. Hans' satchel moved and the dragon climbed out and crawled onto his shoulder, cooing.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Ella asked, peering at the dragon.

Hans checked the dragon before he peered back at Ella and Cassandra. "It's a boy." The dragon stretched out his neck and let out a small roar. "And you're going to be a good boy, right?"

Cassandra frowned, crossing her arms. "It's time to explain to your Uncle and Aunt."

She went inside and shut the door behind her. Ella glanced at the dragon and petted him. Despite the chaos that he caused earlier; he was a beautiful creature. Hopefully, Hans could teach him well and he wouldn't be dangerous.

"I shall name you Vioran," Hans declared. "Do you like that?"

The dragon let out a squeak and smiled, causing both of them to chuckle.

"I think that he loves it," Ella said. Her eyes caught sight of the bright moon. "I think that I should get to bed."

Hans nodded with a smile. "You're improving. You have it in you to control your magic. Don't forget that."

Ella smiled at him. She opened the doors and started to make her way towards her room. She couldn't help but think about what he told her. Maybe she did have it in her to control her magic?