A/N Hope you like this chapter! And hopefully it will be quite long! I know I said I would wait to upload this, but I thought I might forget about it, so I'm just doing it now!

I stepped into the room where I knew my fate, and the fate of so many others would be decided.

"Come forward," the Queen's voice didn't sound like I'd thought it might, not cruel or sharp. It was soft, friendly, and sounded quite young.

I walked up the long hall, with was bathed in sunlight, from either side, so I knew it must be in a wing all of its own. Which mean of course, the only exit was the door behind me, or to jump out the windows. But from the amount of the city I could see, I knew we must be quite high up. No there was no escape from this room. Almost surely I would be at the Queen's mercy, for whatever she wanted of me.

By the time I had thought this out I was in sight of the thrown that dominated the whole wall on this side of the hall. Made of solid gold, again decorated with ornate shells, and tracings of silver, the throne gave off a light of its own. Then I looked up at the woman sitting on it. The Queen of Goblins, the woman talked of only in hushed, frightened whispers, she looked not much more than 20. Her pale face was smiling, with pale pink lips, and blue eyes that were much colder than Ty's, although they also weren't, the colour was, but the look in them, of her personality, wasn't. Her hair tumbled down around her shoulders in loose curls, falling to the ground around the throne, now I knew the reason the city was Golden, because of her hair that shone with the light of the sun. She wore a simple silvery dress, with a tight corset, laced with gold threads, and a loose skirt that fell to her glass slippers.

I bowed, kneeling on one knee. Keeping my face to the floor to give me time to process her looks. It must be the spell, I thought, but I knew straight away that that was absurd, she was simply extremely beautiful.

"Stand, if it pleases you," She said, in her voice, she sounded a little amused, I stood sweeping my arm in a little bow as I had seen many knights and princes do to me, my mother, and my sister. She laughed,

"If I do not anger your Majesty by speaking out of place, what is it that amuses you?" I said, speaking carefully,

"Two things, one is how shocked you look, when you see my appearance," She cocked her head to the side, and I noticed for the first time that she wore a simple circlet around her head, with a bright piece of amythest in it. "The other, is the way you bow, you bow like you have never done so before, but are simply copying the way others bow," I must have looked shocked as she laughed again.

"Kestra, why are you seeing this... boy first, I thought we agreed you would see Finley first, and give him his trial." A tall man with startlingly black hair and black eyes, stood from where he had been sitting at the side of the throne, although I had not noticed him until then,

"Yes Father, but this boy was sent to me and I saw no reason not to see him, as he was here already,"

"Be that as it may I think it would be wise if you..."

"Silence!" Queen Kestra said, firmly, "I am the Queen here, and I know what is wise, now Father please leave me,"

The man scowled, but bowed, slightly, "Yes, your majesty," and he strode out of the Great Hall.

Kestra sighed, slouching slightly, then she remembered me, and sat straight again, "Now boy, tell me who you are,"

"I am Kai, of Hadanim, and..."

"I meant tell me who you really are. No-one who is from Hadanim would name themselves from Hadanim, as that is a country, not a city or even a township. So therefore I know you are not really from here, so as that be where are you from."

"I..." I didn't know what to say. I had no plan for this, why hadn't Ty and Fin warned me? Because you told them not to speak to you, I answered myself.

"Also why are you posing as a boy, foolish maiden, you seem to forget the spell which I am under, and you are not even acting as if you are in love with me!"

"I... I have never been in love, therefore do not know how to act it," I said simply, she started, the honesty of my statement startled her,

"Never loved, why that must mean you are young child," She laughed, "Yes I know I look young, but I am in fact century's old. Now please tell me who you truly are, in fact tell me your whole story."

"I am, I was Princess Kayla of Galidren," I began,

"You were a princess? How is that you are not any more?" The Queen interrupted, and I had a feeling she would be as annoying a listener as I was, or at least I used to be.

When I had finished telling my tale I was sitting on the steps leading up to the throne and the Queen was sitting next to me, listening in rapture.

"And then I came into your presence, and your Father's,"

"My Father! No he is my Godfather, not my real father! He is my adviser, but sometimes he forgets who is actually the ruler of this land." She sighed again, "So Ty, and Fin they are here too! Plotting to kill me, my what a story this is! It should be written down! It is so exciting!"

"Well, I suppose it is, but your majesty, what of my sister, do you know her?"

"Yes I believe so, her trail is scheduled for tomorrow I believe, would you like to see her?"

"You mean she is safe?" I cried, feeling tears at my eyes,

"Of course, until the trial that is anyway, she is staying here, at the castle, I thought it only right to treat her as a princess, while she is here anyway. Come I shall take you to her room." she took me by the hand and led me again through the winding passageways, past goblins and fairy's alike who all stopped whatever they were doing to bow. She finally stopped outside a door, "Here we are, I shall leave you two together," and with that she hurried off.

Again I found myself outside a door where who knows what waited inside for me. I pushed it open and found myself not in a bedroom fit for a princess, but a dungeon, a dull, dingy, stone dungeon. Someone pushed me in, and I heard Kestra's Godfather behind me, "Stupid girl, now you can join your sister's fate!" before he slammed the door closed and locked it. I lay on the floor my face shoved roughly against the stones, I could feel tears welling up again, I didn't know what to do, I was locked in a dungeon, with no way out, I had failed Ty and Fin, had told the treacherous Queen of their plans, but worst of all, I had failed to save Shaylee.

"Kayla?" A little squeak of a voice spoke out of the darkness, I looked up, there was my sister. She sat on a bench in the darkness, her black hair falling scruffily down around her shoulders, her green eyes once so like mine had lost their sparkle. She was still wearing the same green dress she had on the last time I saw her, but it was baggy on her now skinny frame, and was ripped and muddy. She looked deathly pale, and her face was drawn as if she had hardly eaten anything.

"Shaylee, oh my darling I'm so sorry," I rushed over to her and held her tight while she sobbed into me, I knew that even if we managed to escape Shaylee would never escape the nightmare of her time here. We fell asleep in that dark cell, clinging to each other.

We were woke what must have been the next day by another Goblin guard, opening the door and dragging us out and apart. Each into the arms of another two goblins who grabbed us tightly and began to lead us down the golden corridors again. Shaylee sobbed uncontrollably at the touch of the the Goblins, and the fright of what was to come, but I knew I had to keep in control, I had to find a way out of here. And if I could, a way to rescue Ty and Fin.