Disclaimer: I do not own any of AAR's characters. However the plot line and some of the characters are mine.

A/N: Thank You to all of my readers. I know that there was a long wait after I posted my first chapter to this story but I hope that from now on I will be quicker to update and that you will all be happy with the story! I know that the chapters are really short and I am working on making them longer but I am also trying to break the story where I feel a break is appropriate. This chapter will be another short chapter but I am hoping that chapter 4 will be longer. I am working on it now so hopefully the next chapter will be up within the next week.

Chapter 3: Escape

I walk through dark forests. I was in so deep that none of the light from the golden sun could show through. There was also no sound. That caught me as very strange. No matter the time of day, there was always some sort of noise in the forest.

"Hello? Who's out there?" I heard a twig break behind me. I tried to turn myself around. When I couldn't move I realized that I had once again been thrown back into my lucid dreams. My curse for so long. But they had gone away for a few years. However more and more in the past year I had been trapped in these nightmares.

"Danica……" the voice behind me whispered. I was finally able to turn myself around. I was surprised to come face to face with one of my people. She was a young girl; I hadn't seen her in probably six years. She looked at me and smiled. She used to be a member of the lowest of Rei's flight. She was one of the few that guarded Rei. I also thought that I remembered her as a gypsy, but I couldn't be completely sure. Her name was Kiera.

"What are you doing here, milady? It is not safe. You must go back to the Keep; back to your room. It is the only place where you are safe." She was panicked to see me so far from the keep, though I still didn't know where in the forest bordering our lands as well as the serpiente lands. I had no idea as to why she would be so afraid to see in my own land.

"Kiera, what's wrong? I am fine out here; no one will harm me as long as I am in my land. My people will keep me safe from any threats. There is nothing for you to worry about."

"No, milady. You must listen to me. You must go and lock yourself into your room in the Keep. It is the only place where you are safe from him. He cannot get to you there as long as you have your door locked. You must lock the door and stay there; you cannot even venture into the market. Your people will not be able protect you from this threat, because they face the same one."

"Kiera, if I don't go into the market my people will panic. I cannot abandon them, especially if they are in danger. I have to protect them, I cannot let them be hurt."

"Sharde, you must listen to me. If you go back now and lock yourself in your room you will be safe. I promise you, I will try to keep your people safe as well." I started to walk away as she began to speak again. "Milady, remember, your daughters are the key to everything. Remember their gifts and use them to the best you can. Use them well and they will free us from Vasili's rule." I looked at her, confused. I had no idea what she wanted me to do. She then looked at me and whispered something else to me.

"Sharde, they will also free there Father." I wanted to ask her what kind of danger he was in, what I needed to save him from but before I could she turned away from me. When she turned back to look at me I was shocked to see her eyes turn from a golden brown to a fiery red. I then felt myself falling, falling, falling…

I woke with a start, lying on the bench in Vasili's room. I quickly stood up and walked to the door. Vasili was no where to be found. I quickly ran back to my room, managing to avoid all of my guards as well as any of my people. I ran into my room and saw sitting on my bed a note from a mysterious person. I picked it up and read what it said.

I will come back for you my princess.

You are deeply missed among your

people. They wnat you back among

us even though your alistar does not

welcome us.

I have something of yours, something

that you have not seen in near two

years. We miss you and hope that you

do not stay away for to long. We long

to see you again. I hope you will find

your way to us.

I opened the small pouch that was sitting next to the note. Inside it was a small silver ring with five golden stones on it. It was the ring that my father had given to me only days before he had died. I had thought my ring was gone forever. I slipped my ring on and then walked towards my door. Do not leave your room! I froze, not sure of what I was hearing. I thought back to my dream. Kiera. I locked the door and took a few steps back. While most of my dreams had been of things that had happened few were real, few were signs telling me things that I needed to do.

I ran back over to my bed. There had to be something that would tell me this was real. I looked through my dresser, and nothing. I then ran to look under my bed. At first I thought that there was nothing there. Then I saw a piece of fabric at the back of my bed. I reached under to pull it out.

It was a small black velvet pouch. Inside there was a small chain. As I pulled it out I saw two small gems attached to it. One was a blood red ruby and the other was a golden onyx. It was what we had given to the gypsy's as a sign of protection when we had first joined our two kinds. However, all of the gypsies had left our court as soon as Vasili as come back to the Keep. The necklace had not been seen by anyone since that time. This necklace, I knew, would protect me no matter where I wanted to go. No one would harm someone wearing this necklace as long as they were within Serpiente or Avian land.

This necklace meant that I really had spoken to Kiera in one way or another. And if that was the case then I wasn't safe here and neither were my daughters. I quickly ran to my daughter's room. I was, once again, thankful that my daughter's room could only be reached by going through my room. I packed bags for them and then ran and packed my own things. I hadn't made up my mind as to where we were going yet but I knew that we had to leave until things had been put back to normal.

I ran back to my daughter's room and set my hands on their backs. Within a few second they had changed into there second forms. The both turned into tiny dragons. I quickly put them into their nest. I would travel with them in this form. I carefully arranged each girl along with our belongings on my bed. I then changed shape and grabbed all of our things. I then flew out the window and soared towards the sunset and towards my new destination. The one place that I knew I would be safe, gypsy lands.