A Tale of Ice and Sorrow

by ilovewarriorcats123

A once-honors student of Alfea has turned into a full-fledged criminal. Her friends suspect foul play, and are determined to get to the bottom of it. But in order to save her, they must confront the demons they hold within themselves, as well as delve into an icy history that threatens to rip the Magical Dimension apart.

15. Chapter 15: A Murderess's Tale

Hello, everyone! I know it's been a while since I updated. Let me explain a moment before I continue with the update.

I just want to explain that I'm not deleting this story. This site has too many memories for me to be able to give it up so easily like that. Even if no one's reading my work, I'm still going to see this through to the end. Because, at the end, that's not important – the importance is that I give this what it deserves.

Previously on ATIS...

Maire flew towards Aria's parents. She couldn't let them die without knowing that their daughter wasn't acting of her own will.

But Luigi lifted his head, eyes filled with tears, his gaze only for his daughter. "I know this isn't you, Aria," he whispered. "I – I'm sorry. Please forgive me." Then he collapsed into sobs.

"Maire!" Darius was running up to her, his face filled with alarm. "Look out!"

Maire looked up. She watched in horror as the roof of the house levitated over them. Then the purple aura around the roof disappeared, and it fell.

Darius picked her up and ran across the field, carrying Maire in his arms. They both fell in a heap on the ground as the roof slammed.

For a moment, her head whirled, and then she came to her senses. She looked up at the roof, now a heap of bricks and dust, and gasped. "Oh – no!"

The roof had fallen exactly on Aria's front-lawn. And under that heap, two people lay still and motionless – the very people who'd brought Aria into the world.

Aria laughed, and this time Maire knew it was her own laugh. She had gotten what she'd come for, and she would be satisfied – for now.

-o-o-o-

"We will unite all of the warriors together in one attack," the woman said. "We will march on the Glacian Castle!"

"Not a good idea," the man interrupted. "We don't have enough forces. The queen's army will throw our supporters in prison and have us executed!"

"My father died because of Isolde, Chief Nuniq," the woman snarled. "I am not going to let her get away with this. I want us to attack!"

"I understand, Chief Sedna," Nuniq said calmly. "But people will not risk their lives for an attack if they don't have a reasonable enough belief that they will prevail. What we need is a spark for a revolution. Only then will Nunangat see spring once more."

Sharzad craned her head to get a closer look. Suddenly, her hands slipped and her foot gave way; she yelled as she slipped out of the corridor onto the floor.

"Who's that?" the general demanded.

The guard next to Sedna suddenly said, "She must be allied with the queen and that girl! That other girl was a foreigner as well, and only the queen has powers to bring in foreigners!"

Sedna's eyes narrowed in rage. "Men, tie her. Help me bring her to the Adlivun Tribe, where we can have swift justice dealt with!"

Sharzad gasped as the men converged on her, grabbing her roughly by the back. Sedna glared down at her, a triumphant leer on her face. In one rough motion, she forced Sharzad to her feet.

"No one hurts my people," she snarled. "We already had one vagrant attack my tribe; I will not let us be hurt by another. If you even attempt to run away, I shall kill you."

-o-o-o-

Daewon thought of how he'd admired Aria for her beautiful singing. How they'd shared pleasant times together, walking around in the Melodian bazaars. The memories came back to him, flooding his mind.

But then things had gone sour, not even a month after the start of their relationship. She'd started accusing him of not respecting her enough. It had gotten so tiring that he would escape to his dorm after school hours.

And then, she'd committed the ultimate act of betrayal.

Daewon opened his eyes; his mouth felt dry. Shakily, he opened and closed it, and then spoke.

"She went out with someone else," he said. "Another girl. I walked in on them kissing."

-o-o-o-

Maire sighed, picturing her mother in a village tunic, the same red hair that Maire had. The green eyes, though, were from her father… the man whom Maire had never known.

Maire knew little about him; her brothers absolutely refused to tell her. Mama rarely spoke of him. But the few times she did, she spoke with hatred and bitterness in her voice.

"She wanted me to be the perfect village girl,Maire thought. "Perfect, because she couldn't be the perfect wife. She wanted to force me to live the life she never had. And because she was such a control-freak, I had no choice but to leave."

But that line was beginning to crumble. After all, they'd all thought the worst about Aria's parents, only to find that they'd had good reasons for sending their daughter away. What if something was similar about her own mother? What if there was a reason she'd been so strict with Maire?

-o-o-o-

Aria heard Galatea's cries echoing in her mind, fear filling her to the core. She could still hear her own sonic booms, and dazzling flashes of light…

"Aria!" Angéle was on her knees, shaking Aria's shoulders. "What happened? Aria!"

Galatea's death was slow and painful. Aria assaulted her, making sure she went through as much pain as she had. She'd soon escaped, receiving no castigation for her crime…

"Aria!"

Galatea's high-pitched screams, tangible in her ears, rocked the night with terror. Aria thrust her in the air, all the while attacking her with spells on every side. Her life source drained out of her eyes, and she fell to the ground…

"Aria!"

Aria opened her eyes. Angéle next to her, pure fear in her eyes. "Are you all right?"

"Just take me back," Aria said weakly.

"What happened?" Angéle cried.

"Just take me home," Aria said forcefully. She barely remembered climbing into bed, Angéle turning the lights out.

All she knew was that she was a murderess. And there was only one person responsible for her dark turn.

---

CHAPTER 15: A MURDERESS'S TALE

5 days until…

Chilly wind permeated through the corridors. Isolde walked down the halls of her beloved ice castle, gazing at the hall of paintings before her. Paintings of her, and only her, hung in full grandeur on the walls, allowing the whole world to see her beauty.

She had commissioned this castle back in Year 950, at the start of her reign. Her sister had only ruled for ten years – pathetic, in Isolde's mind. Well, she had always been the stronger of the two sisters, even if no one at home would ever acknowledge that.

Isolde gnashed her teeth. Leena had always been the perfect child. As the heir apparent to the throne, her parents had doted on her, and the public loved her. She was the most beautiful person anyone had seen. Isolde, by contrast, was ugly, with her colorless pale hair and lifeless pallor. Of course, all Glacians had palliative skin, but Isolde's was an exception; there wasn't so much as a blood vessel to be seen. Whereas Leena had been warm and doting, Isolde had been aloof and cold.

But that is what made me so much more powerful. I am not a weakling, like her. Isolde clenched her teeth. I don't waste my time on stupid frivolities like she did. She had too much heart and too little mind.

While Leena had spent her whole life as the People's Princess, taking the time to learn about her subjects, Isolde had studied. She had snuck into her parents' library, reading as many spellbooks as she could and studying sorcery. She'd been trained by Angrboda, a master sorceress of Glacia. With her help, she'd become a powerful sorceress, far more powerful than her parents or even Leena.

She'd never been questioned for leaving the castle. It was easy to slip away, in an environment when her parents didn't care for her; the only time they ever spoke to her was to criticize. Other than that, it was as if she hadn't existed. She had begun her training in Year 885, when she'd been seventeen years old. For the next fifty-three years, it had been her and Angrboda, until Angrboda had suddenly died of a magical attack. It was so sudden, the way she'd been killed from within herself, by her own magic.

Isolde had learned not to grieve by then. It was easier to stay strong, to be made of ice, than it was to feel emotion. And so she'd cast her feelings aside and continued to view Leena with hatred and loathing.

And then she'd met a man and fallen in love.

He was so charming, the way he took her. He made her feel young again, even though at the tender age of seventy, she had no reason to feel old. She'd danced with him and spoken to him like an equal, happy to find someone who thought the same way as her. Happy that she'd finally found someone who didn't love Leena.

But he'd cheated her. Their relationship had started to go sour at the start of her reign. And then quite suddenly, in Year 961, he'd abandoned her. She could remember quite clearly, how he'd stolen away from her, and abandoned her in her time of need. A time when her subjects, unhappy with their new queen, were consistently rioting and making her life miserable.

I am more powerful than Leena. She clenched her teeth. Yet, my people wouldn't love me. They were cruel, so I had to whip them into shape. And yes, I killed the Panuk Tribe. But they were asking for it.

There was a reason why she didn't keep too much staff in the castle. Yes, she kept the necessary servants to clean and the guards to patrol the palace. But other than that, she seldom interacted with the staff. They kept away from her, fearful of her temper, which suited her just fine. Their fear, after all, was what made her thrive. She'd learned that fear was the most useful emotion to play with when it came to keeping people in check and rooting out any traitors.

She glanced up at the paintings on either side. They were all portraits of her, portraits she'd commissioned from the Glacian Art Guild. There was one portrait of her in her black dress, shadowy and demonic; that'd been commissioned during Leena's reign. There was one portrait of her in her Enchantix transformation; that'd been commissioned by her parents when she was eighteen, because they couldn't justify getting one for Leena and not her. There was one portrait of her in the icy blue dress and wings, a new transformation she'd acquired sixty-five years ago. The transformation she still continued with today.

Isolde smiled at the portrait, taking it in. Her current transformation was known as Freezix. A power that gave her complete harmony with ice and snow, it enhanced her magical abilities, which included her ability to cast dark spells. It was the power which had allowed her, with the help of her sorcerers, to create the Gate of Glacia.

And there it shall stay for eternity. She clenched her fists. My realm shall forever stay in isolation, with no one to bother us. That is how it shall be, and that is how it shall stay.

She swept out of the hall, her black dress flaring as she pushed open the door and stepped out into the night.

---

Darius watched as the spacecraft landed in Solaria. He stepped out, wearing his magimask and disguise. Maire and Bahadur followed behind him. They gazed solemnly at the scene before them.

What was once a grand city was now practically in ruins. Workers were standing together, levitating blocks and moving them to start reconstruction. But most of the houses were in ruins, and there was no sight of the vibrant, bustling neighborhood that had existed before.

"At least she didn't destroy the entire city," Maire murmured. "Only this district was taken. But so many lives, ended all because of her jealous rage"… She stopped, staring at the massive ruins.

Darius gazed up at the palace, one that was visible from every part of the city. Banners hung from the towers, black flags in solidarity with the victims of this tragedy. He could make out the words WE STAND BY THE DISTRICT OF SURYA in golden Solarian script.

"Come," Bahadur said to the two teenagers. "We must go to the hospital."

The Apollo Military Hospital was a long walk away from the ruined district. Bahadur had asked Darius if he'd needed a transport, but somehow it didn't feel right. It felt wrong to sit in comfort, on a cushioned train, while thousands of people were in exodus, having fled for their lives. He knew that Maire, for all her sardonic and impulsive talk, felt the same. The two silently walked down the street, shadowed by the guard, each in his or her own thoughts.

The memories were crashing back, each like lightning. The memory of Aria destroying the district. How deadly she'd been, how cruelly accurate she'd been with each blast.

And yet, Darius still hadn't given up hope. He'd truly believed that even after this tragedy, they'd still find a way to save her. He still believed that he could bring her home, and with the power of love, make her complete and whole.

But I don't love her anymore, he realized. I haven't for a while, actually. I don't know where or when I lost it, but it's gone now.

Now the naivety of the whole thing struck him like a blow. He'd read the old stories, loved them, cherished them. The stories about a brave, noble warrior who risks his life for his girl and saves her, despite all odds. Darius had always wanted to be that man, a man who was insurmountable and had no fear of the world.

But I do fear the world, he thought. I fear it very much. This world… it's filled with unpredictability and sadness. And I can't be that man. He bowed his head.

I don't love her, but I love the idea of her. Particularly of saving her. Now the reality hit him like stone. I want to cure her, to make things better. But I can't do that. I can't fix her. The only person who could do that was her.

He glanced over at Maire, who was slightly ahead of him. With her flaming red curls and harried stride, she looked like a blur of fire. Even her orange top looked like it was flaming. I thought she was similar to Aria at first, but now I see that she's not. There's a lot of similarities, but a lot of differences, too. She's brave, and she's very down-to-earth. She doesn't have any charisma, but she doesn't need it, either – everything she says is honest and spot-on. Somehow, he liked her unveiled intemperance far more than Aria's false security.

There are advantages to girls who don't need saving, either. Girls like Maire and like… Sharzad. Now he understood what his father was getting at. Sharzad will always be my little sister, but what she did was brave. I just wish that Daewon hadn't been in the way. He clenched his fists and looked down.

"We're here," Maire announced, stopping in front of him. She turned around and stared at him. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," he answered with gritted teeth, dropping his fists.

"The lady's right," Bahadur said. "You look very pale. Your Highness, are you sure you don't want to go–"

"No," he forcefully cut Bahadur off. "Let's just get this over with."

Bahadur nodded slowly, and Darius felt a flash of shame. Ever since the incident on Glacia, Bahadur had been very reserved around him. He knew it was his fault, from the way he'd shouted and lost his temper. But what was I supposed to do? he reminded himself. If Daewon hadn't taken Sharzie away, this never would have happened. Closing his eyes, he wrenched open the hospital door and walked inside.

Darius made his way to the line at the waiting stand. Visiting hours were very limited in this place, and they'd planned it so they would arrive quickly. There was a long line already.

"Guess we're going to have to wait," Maire muttered with a sigh.

They waited. It took them thirty minutes to reach the front of the line, and then have a clerk shake his head at them. "Only immediate family members allowed," he said. "They are in critical condition. You cannot enter."

"But sir, they have no immediate family," Darius pleaded. "Aria was their only family, and she nearly killed them."

"This is a military hospital," the man said severely. "We have strict rules."

Maire stepped forward for a moment, and she surprised him. She didn't have an angry look on her face. She didn't look the least bit threatening. Instead, she pulled something out of her pocket and handed it to the guard.

"This is my Alfea student ID," she said. "I am in the Class of 1015, Aria's class. I was Aria's closest friend. Even though what she did was horrible, I – I want to see her parents, at least for the last time." She sounded choked.

What's up with her? he thought, amazed. She really cares this much? Even the clerk seemed moved. He looked up at Darius and said, "Are you a student there, too?"

Darius hesitated. "Yes," he said. "Well, actually, I'm disguised. I'm the prince of Fulgur, and this is Sir Bahadur, my guard." He pointed quickly to the guard, and then he handed his ID card to the clerk. His eyes widened, and he quickly handed it back.

"Go," he said. "I will not tell anyone, but go. The guard stays here. You have ten minutes." With a wave, he dismissed them, handing them a card that stated the room number.

Scarcely believing their luck, Darius turned down the hallway. It seemed they were walking faster than they'd ever walked in their lives, wanting to see Aria's parents, to help them survive…

And then they turned the corner and opened the door.

Darius stared in unparalleled horror. All the blood had been leeched from his face, and he stood there, transfixed by the gruesome sight ahead of him. Maire gasped as well.

The two were lying on twin beds, barely breathing. Morphix tubes were inserted in every part of their bodies, and a respirator was on the side. Bandages covered their arms and legs, and their bones appeared crushed. They looked barely there, barely alive.

"Darius"… Maire lightly touched his shoulder. "We were there when this happened" –

"We could've prevented this." Darius stared at the two. "We could've stopped this from happening."

"We couldn't," Maire said softly. "We would've only died ourselves. And we have to save Aria. We have to save her and bring her back"…

Darius went slowly up to the aisle between the two beds and kneeled down. He could feel Maire's eyes upon him as he closed his eyes, held his hands together, and whispered.

"Lord Luigi, Lady Liling," he whispered, "I hope you know that Aria never wanted this – that she wouldn't have done this if she'd been in control of herself. And I'm here to promise you – we will find her. We will bring her back, and make her whole. In the meantime, I want you to survive. I want you to find your way out of limbo, because Aria needs you. We need you. No matter what, she's still your girl. And we will bring her back so you can be a family once more."

"Yes," Maire said, echoing him. "We will bring her back."

There was a silence. Darius knew that the traditional thing to do would be to place flowers in the room and leave. But somehow, that just didn't feel right. First of all, they hadn't brought any flowers, and secondly, how would flowers do anything to save Aria?

Then he caught sight of something on the table. It was a Solarian book, a brown leather book that was in disrepair. Golden letters were engraved in the cover. A post-it note was placed on the front.

"What's that?" Maire followed his gaze. "A book? Darius, what are you doing?"

"I just don't understand," Darius said, sounding perplexed. "Why is there a book on the table?"

"Let's see." Maire took out her phone and scanned the Solarian writing. She read it out loud, "A Book of Faithfulness in Our Gods."

"That's the Helian bible," Darius realized. "Hang on, let me see." He took the post-it note and scanned it with his phone, reading out loud.

"'STAFF: Leave this book where it is. The Cacciatore family is Helian; excavators found this in the ruins of the house. It is the only thing that survived. By the grace of Solare, we hope this book comforts the souls of this befallen couple.'"

Darius opened the front page of the broken book. He stared as he saw script on the front page, written in black ink. It was dated to Octomensis 3, 1003. With his limited proficiency in Solarian, he read aloud.

"'To Aria:

'We hope this book brings you comfort as you embark on your career at MOA. You are a wonderful girl, and we wish you nothing but the best of luck in your endeavors.

'With love, Mamma and Papà.'"

Darius stared at the book. "This book," he said aloud. "They sent it with her, because they wanted her to cherish it. They gave it to her before she went to MOA!"

"But then why is it with them?" Maire demanded. "How did they find it in the Cacciatore house?"

"Don't you remember what Luigi said about giving Aria a Book of Faithfulness?" Darius asked, remembering what he had said to them before Aria had arrived to destroy the house. "He said that she sent it back without a return address. That's this book, Maire. This is the one she sent back!"

"Right," said Maire, gazing at the book. "So they left it here for Aria's parents to – oh!" She clapped a hand to her mouth.

"What?" asked Darius, staring at her. "What is it?"

"We need this book," Maire breathed. "Don't you remember? Saraswati told us to find something that spiritually connects us to Aria!"

"Are you mad?" breathed Darius. "We need to leave this here for Aria's parents. The staff specifically wrote that no one is to touch this thing!"

"As if this provides Aria's parents any comfort when they're in a coma," Maire responded disdainfully. "No, we need this more. We need this to be able to cast the tracking spell!"

"But Aria returned this to her parents!" Darius argued. "That means she can't be that spiritually connected to religion!"

Maire shook her head. "She sings Saluto Solare all the time. She may not be all that religious, but trust me, she's connected. Besides, if you've got better ideas, you can let me know right now." She glared at him.

"All right," said Darius uneasily. "We'll take the book with us." He stuffed it in his bag.

As they walked out together, he knew they shared only one mission: to make sure Aria's parents' sacrifice would not be in vain. Through all travail, they would save Aria.

---

Sharzad sat down, closing her eyes. Her hands were bound with sealskin, although her legs were free. A guard was keeping a close eye on her, and she leaned against the icy wall, exhausted.

The memories were coming back. She now remembered what had happened, how she'd ended up here. She remembered the lightning, how it had zapped through every pore of her body, how every part of her had frozen as she'd hit the ice. And then… nothing more. The only thing she remembered after that was getting her Enchantix, being reborn.

I died, she realized. I died… and came back to life. She sat up, feeling giddy. I have my Enchantix. Two years before everyone else…

"Careful," the guard warned, pointing a spear at her. "Don't try any funny stuff."

"I won't," Sharzad responded, settling back down. She still hadn't forgotten the situation she was in. She had a whole set of problems to deal with.

She remembered what Darius had said to her, just before he'd gone to fight Ben. "She is not the one to blame for what she did. She is being possessed by someone, which is why she's even in Glacia to begin with. She's being forced to act against her will!"

That means… our entire mission was a mistake, Sharzad realized. We were not exposing her and bringing her to justice. We… we've been fighting the wrong person all along.

She sat back, squeezing her eyes shut. It wasn't Aria they needed to fight. It was her possessor, whoever he or she may be, whom they had to battle. If only she could figure out who it was…

She gazed up at the ceiling. She couldn't see anything above, but she knew that, beyond the dome, there was a Gate. A Gate which she had fallen through, but one which she would never be able to get out of.

Epiphany shot through her. I'm stuck here forever… There was no getting out now. She was just as trapped as the rest of this tribe. She would never see Darius again, nor would she ever see her parents. She was no longer the princess of Fulgur…

That Gate is not going away, she realized. And Aria and I are stuck behind it. She pictured the golden-haired girl, how happy she'd been on stage, and felt miserable.

How had Aria felt when she'd first landed here? How confused had she been? When had she realized that she was utterly trapped?

She's stuck somewhere, Sharzad realized. The same way I am. For the first time, she felt solidarity with Aria, a girl whom she barely even knew. I may be stuck here, but there's something I can do. There's always something I can do. Determination rose in her heart.

I'm going to see if I can do something about Aria's situation. I'm going to find the person who possesses her and end the spell. I'm going to make sure that she finds her justice, even if she can't leave this realm. Even if we're both stuck here for the rest of our lives, I'm going to do one thing right!

Someone entered the igloo. Sharzad looked up to see a dark-haired woman, dressed in the sealskin that was so prevalent there, and a boy walking in behind her. Squinting her eyes, Sharzad could see that the woman was cradling a baby in her arms.

"I have come to bring food to the prisoner," she said, settling down and stroking the baby. Sharzad couldn't make out whether it was a boy or a girl, but her mouth dropped open as she saw it. That baby is awfully cute…

"With all due respect, Shamaness, are you sure it is a good idea to bring a young one so close to this prisoner?" the guard asked.

"I cannot leave her alone in my dwelling," the woman answered. "In any case, I do not believe the prisoner will harm my baby. And to be safe, Leif and you are here to defend us, Nukilik."

Rolling her eyes, Nukilik stood to the side, her arms crossed and eyes narrowed. "I have yet to see Leif pummel a snowball," she said sarcastically, watching Sharzad with flaming eyes. The boy, presumably named Leif, gave Sharzad the basket of food, who opened it and stared inside.

There were so many things, things she could scarcely imagine eating. There was seal and various other types of fish, but nothing else; no vegetables or green food was to be seen. The smell overpowered her, and she fought the urge to not double down. This food must be so fattening…

"I'm sorry if this is not what you're used to," the woman said, correctly interpreting her silence. "However, it is all we have. Eat; I can tell you are hungry."

Sharzad picked up the fish with her hands, nervously looking at it. I'm going to get my hands slimy… Her cheeks flamed in embarrassment. Haven't they heard of forks around here?

"Here," said the woman, "I'll show you." She picked up a fish and began to gnaw it, carefully avoiding the bones. Her hands were too (so) slimy, but she had no shame as she began to eat.

I guess that's how they do things around here, thought Sharzad. She picked up the seal and began to eat. The woman was right; she was hungry. The seal was rich and flavorful in her mouth. She devoured the entire basket in minutes.

"Thanks," she finally said, remembering her manners. Wiping her hands and mouth on the ground, she looked up at the woman. "Um… what's your name?"

The woman smiled. "I am Akna. I am mother to Sedna, and the healer of this tribe. This is Leif, my adopted son." She gestured to him.

Sharzad stared up at the boy. She could tell, almost instantly, that he was just as much of a foreigner as she was. His physical features were vastly different from Nukilik and the woman with child. Whereas the two women had dark hair, tall posture, and high cheekbones, everything about this boy was self-degrading. His shoulders were slumped and he was very short, even shorter than Daewon. His tawny hair was unkempt, but not in the natural, wild way that Sedna and Nukilik's hair was – instead, it was dismal. His eyes were a stormy blue, an emotionless color that stared right back at her without giving anything up. He looks so… sad. "Hi," she said awkwardly.

"He cannot talk," Akna answered. "His tongue was injured in an accident, and I cannot cure him. He is from Glacia, but is here to stay."

"I'm sorry." Sharzad said apologetically, meeting the boy's eyes. For a second, she thought she saw a flicker of recognition, but it went away just as quickly as it came. She didn't have time to think about it, for then Akna also added, "This is my second daughter." She smiled down at the tiny bundle in her arms.

Sharzad stared at them. "Sedna… she has a sister?" She doesn't look like the type who would have one…

"Yes," Akna smiled. "You can see why she is so protective of our tribe. She wants to protect all of us, but especially her newborn sister. She is loyal, and we could not ask for a better leader." She smiled sadly.

"What is her name?" Sharzad asked, tentatively eyeing the baby.

"We have not named her yet," Akna explained. "She was born but two weeks ago. It is our custom to name each child after her personality and her attributes, and if the given name does not fit, to alter it as time goes by. Many of us have several names in this tribe."

Sharzad digested this information in silence. My parents named me mere moments after I was born… She looked back at Akna.

"With all due respect, I think your daughter is taking the wrong steps in protecting the tribe," she said. "She's making a big mistake, going after Aria – the girl who attacked you. I'm not the enemy, either. All I did was end up here by mistake."

"End up by mistake," Nukilik snorted. "Yeah, right."

"That's what I wanted to ask you," Akna said, ignoring Nukilik. "I hope you understand that no one ends up here by mistake. If someone is let in here, it is only because she is called into service by the Queen. So if you are not with the Queen, then how did you end up here?"

"I" – said Sharzad, at a loss for an answer. "I" – She looked at Akna. The woman's clear blue eyes betrayed nothing except a steady wisdom, one that came with experience and calmness. "I ended up here because I fell through the Gate. From above."

"So you came to our planet," Akna said. "And what business did you have here?"

"I – I was trying to find Aria," Sharzad said. She heard Nukilik take in a sharp intake of air. "The girl whom Sedna said murdered her father – your husband. My friends and I were on a mission to find Aria and bring her to justice – she committed crimes outside of here, too. But then I fell through the Gate, and I ended up here."

"You know that no one survives falling through the Gate," Akna said. "So, how did you survive?"

"We were attacked by a group of wizards, who didn't want us to find her," Sharzad answered. "I leapt in front of my brother to take the blow for him, and then I fell, straight through the Gate. All I remember is turning into ice, every part of my body frozen." She shuddered violently. "And then I was reborn, with a new transformation. I earned my Enchantix through my sacrifice."

"Preposterous," Nukilik snorted. "This whole story is absolute rubbish. If you made such a valiant sacrifice, then where's your transformation? I want to see it."

"I can't transform now," Sharzad pointed out, gesturing to her handcuffs. "These things drain all my energy!"

"So?" Nukilik flashed back. "How am I supposed to believe you were trying to find this girl? Who even are you, to be on such a prestigious mission?"

She's right, Sharzad realized. Who am I? Without her status as a royal, she was nothing. She hadn't even been asked by anyone important to go on this mission – she and Daewon had just done it themselves. And it had turned out to be a complete failure. She gazed up at Leif, but found nothing in his gaze – nothing that would help her.

"The UR betrayed us," Nukilik continued on. "It failed to protect our tribes, and it failed to bring the queen to justice. This is why any of this even happened. This is why we have to suffer through this damned winter, with no respite!" Her nostrils flared.

"Nukilik, be quiet," Akna reprimanded her. She turned back to Sharzad. "You'll have to excuse her," she said. "She, along with Sedna, is born of the winter generation, the generation that has never seen the Magical Dimension. Before they were born, the Gate came up, and it has been there ever since. When Queen Isolde put up that barrier, she took everything away from us – the joys of spring, the warmth of sunshine, even the arctic lights. No longer do they shine in the sky, bringing us peace during dreary winter. You must understand that she has a reason for not trusting the outside world."

So that's why she's so aggressive, Sharzad realized. She began to feel sorry for the Tribe. How can they live here, in this barren world, with no contact with anyone? How do they build up their GDP? How do they trade? How do they… not starve? "So… is that why you're affiliated with the Spring Soldiers?"

Akna let out a gasp; instantly, Sharzad realized she'd said too much. Nukilik turned on her, her eyes blazing. "How do you know about that?"

"I… came across your chief and two others," Sharzad answered. "They were talking about an attack next week. I listened to them; that's how they caught me and brought me back here." She frowned. "Why were they speaking the Common Tongue?"

"Each tribe or confederacy has its own language," Akna explained. "There is no such thing as unified Nunangatan, the same way as there is Glacian; Nunangat has many different ethnic groups. In order to communicate, they have no choice but to speak the Common Tongue."

"How convenient," Nukilik muttered under her breath.

Sharzad ignored her. "Who are the Spring Soldiers?" she asked.

"They are working to liberate Glacia," Akna answered. "Our chieftain is an officer in the group. And that is all I will tell you."

"I'd be willing to work with you," Sharzad said earnestly. "Truly, I would. Shamaness, I would do everything in my power to fight the queen and bring glory to Nunangat once more. I would give up my life."

"Well-spoken words of a spy and a traitor," snorted Nukilik. "Like that girl, Aria." She spat on the igloo floor.

"Speaking of Aria," said Akna, "there's one thing I don't understand. You say that you were on a mission to bring this girl back to justice, and yet, you also say that you believe my daughter is doing wrong. So why are you defending Aria?"

Sharzad frowned. How in the world was she supposed to explain this to Akna? "It's not so much as concrete evidence that makes me defend her," she said, sheepishly. "It's more of a gut feeling. I just don't think your tribe should go after her."

"You're gonna have to try harder than that with the chieftain," Nukilik snorted. "Your very life is in her hands, you know."

"Thanks for the reminder," Sharzad said dryly. "No, what I mean is that she hasn't been acting of her own will. She's been possessed. That's what I suspect, at least. I can't prove it, but I don't think she'd act like this of her own will."

Nukilik let out a laugh. "And I thought that what you said before was stupid," she gasped. "What makes you think this way, girl?"

"I used to go to school with her!" Sharzad cried. "She wasn't a psychopath! In fact, she was one of the smartest people in the school! She was a great singer, and she knew her" –

"Stop it, both of you," Akna said softly, but with a firmness that made Sharzad stop mid-sentence. "That's better." She looked at Nukilik. "As a matter-of-fact, I suspect she's right. I had the same feeling that day, too."

Nukilik stopped laughing and stared at Akna. "What do you mean?"

"I mean," said Akna, "that she was very fragile. I saw her, just as my husband and the Queen were signing off on the agreement. She didn't look particularly murderous, or even cold. She just looked… scared. Deranged people have a certain look to their eyes, and I can tell you she wasn't one."

"She killed your husband!" Nukilik shouted back. "The chief of this tribe! And you… you stand by her?"

"My husband wouldn't want someone to die for a crime she never committed," Akna said, still in that firm voice. "He was a firm believer in justice, true justice. We will keep our eyes wary, but we will castigate only when necessary. At least, that is what I believe." She looked at Sharzad. "So, what do you plan to do?"

"Me?" asked Sharzad, startled.

"Yes, you," said Akna, patiently. "If you wish for things to change, you must go in with a plan. You will have to meet with my daughter sometime today or tomorrow, so she can figure out how to deal with you. What are you going to tell her?"

"I… I don't know," Sharzad said, sounding weak.

"Then find out," Akna responded. "There is nothing I can do in this situation. You know what is happening in the world better than I. Use that to your advantage."

Sharzad leaned back. How am I going to do this? She had no idea how she was going to convince Sedna of her position.

As if she'd heard her thoughts, the shamaness let out a sigh. "My daughter is tough because she's always had to be. She barely survived infancy, that girl, and was weak all of her childhood. This everlasting winter is harsh and unforgivable, and it is not a condition anyone should live under. But she worked harder than any of the other children in the village, and became one of our strongest warriors. And it is because of her leadership and dedication to Nunangat's liberation that her father nominated her as his successor."

That's brave, Sharzad realized. She must have had a tough childhood.

"My point is, you have a chance. She is tough, but she will listen to you – that is, if you use the right words. We have been here for sixty-two years, and cannot remember the last time we saw springtime. You are the outsider here, which makes you suspicious. But at the same time, you can help us. You can show her that my husband's death was not in vain, and have us fight against the enemy. So, will you do it or not?"

What else could she say? Sharzad had already messed up enough; she couldn't afford to fail again. She had to make sure everything went right. She looked up at Akna and vowed, "I'll do my very best."

"Good," said Akna, pulling herself to her feet. "I must be off." She headed out the door, holding the baby in her arms. Leif, whose presence Sharzad had entirely forgotten about, gathered the basket and gave Sharzad one final gaze. They exited out of the door.

Nukilik closed the door, and then she turned back to Sharzad, her gaze filled with warning. "Don't think I'm giving you any leeway. I'll trust you when our chieftain does, but not a second before. Our Tribe will never be attacked from within again." She stood in front of the door, her arms crossed.

Sharzad stared up at her. She felt weak and dizzy. If I can't even convince Nukilik, what choice do I have with Sedna?

But she knew she had no choice. The fate of this realm, as well as Aria's, was in her hands. And if she didn't think of something, Aria would die.

---

The black-haired warrior followed the wizard boy out of the spaceport into the world of Melody. The thick scent of spices filled the air, and he stared at the land in surprise, for he had never before seen the planet of Harmonia.

The air was fairly dry and hot. A breeze swept by as the citizens of Harmonia walked around the city. The trees were tinged with purple leaves, and the grass was a rosy red. Nothing was the same color as it was back on Fulgur.

But what amazed Arishtat the most was the architecture. The buildings of Harmonia were... stunning, to say the least. Bright colors illuminated the façades of buildings, and the bazaar was shining as well, as people played music and vendors sold paintings and pottery and silk. He knew that even Iris would have a difficult time competing with Melody's color.

"Welcome to Symphonia," Daewon said. "The Sea of Calliope is ahead of us, and that's the Marinus River." He pointed to the waters ahead of them, which reflected the lilac sky. "The province of Costa is in its dry season right now; the monsoon only starts in late Quintmensis. This is the driest part of the year, and it's also the hottest."

Arishtat didn't mind the heat. In fact, he preferred the it to the sticking humidity of Electrix, where there was no escape from storm after storm. "This is fine," he said. "So, where are we going now?"

"We have to go to MOA," Daewon explained. "I have money for bus fare – it's in Melodian dollars. We'll get there." He strutted ahead, and Arishtat followed. They boarded a bus and sat down, the ride taking them to the western side of the city, which overlooked the sea.

Nervously, Arishtat took the seat farthest away from Daewon. He didn't know why, but whenever he walked around him, his heart was continually fluttering. All day, at the hotel back in Magix, he'd avoided eye contact almost completely with him. Daewon, being Daewon, had even made a joke about it at some point, but that had just made Arishtat's heart beat even more.

He thought of Daewon continually. Of his spiky hair, of his white skin, of his dark brown eyes. Of his cutesy cockiness and self-assured smile…

Why are you thinking of him in this manner? he scolded himself. He had never thought about someone in this way before, and certainly not another male. His heart began to race, and he closed his eyes. You can't do this, you can't do this…

He thought back to his childhood, with his father. How he'd drilled into him, from a young age, that discipline was key. He'd been born into a family of warriors, and they took their position very seriously; his mother was a nurse in the army and his father was a sergeant. His father constantly told him that his duty should come above all, no matter how tired or hungry he was. And above all, there was to be no romance.

"Loyalty should always come before love," he once said. "One day, after you've proven your worth, you can maybe find a nice girl, and then settle down and start a family of your own. But if you try to do both, then you will crumble apart."

Arishtat had been fifteen back then. It was the year he'd enlisted in the Fulgurian Army. After finding that he didn't have enough magical ability to be in the army, he'd been relegated to the position of a palace guard, much to the shame of his family. Palace guards were always considered to be lower in society than soldiers. A year later, his aged father had died of a magical stroke, never having fulfilled his dream of seeing his son march in his footsteps.

I'm sorry, Father, thought Arishtat, bowing his head. I did everything wrong. I couldn't enlist in the Army, and I even failed at the smaller and simpler task I'd been consigned to. On top of that, I'm falling for a boy.

There was no shortage of gays in Barq. Arishtat had personally known several in the military academy, much to the disapproval of his father, who believed that gay men had no business serving in the army. Gays had been openly marrying ever since the year 15406 in the Age of Blood, when the crown made it legal. But it wasn't an option for Arishtat.

He had been assigned to this role for one reason: to protect Daewon. It was the job he'd been assigned to before, back when he still was a guard at the Fulgur Palace. He had absolutely no intention of letting himself fail again.

I have to cast my feelings aside, he thought, swallowing. I must protect him. I cannot fail. Determination rose inside of him, and he thought, I cannot lose myself again.

"You all right, mate?" Daewon asked. "You look kinda out of it."

Arishtat lifted his head. Daewon was staring at him, looking slightly worried and amused. "I am fine," he said quickly.

"You sure?" Daewon said. "'Cause I saw you screwing up your face. It looked as if you wanted to say something cringy, but then thought better of it and prayed to erase it forever from your memory."

Arishtat's cheeks flamed. "It is nothing," he said. Daewon saw me looking like that? He had to be more careful from now on.

The bus pulled to a halt. The driver pulled up and shouted something in Harmonian. Several people were disembarking.

"Come on," Daewon said, pulling Arishtat along. "It's here."

They climbed off the bus. Arishtat stood down and gazed up at the building. It was made of sandstone brick, with several floors, and the towers were dome-shaped at the top. A brass gate surrounded the complex.

"Let's go to the ID office," Daewon said.

There was a small office in the front, right before the gate. Arishtat saw several students scanning their ID cards, standing on a board. When they scanned their cards, a spring would burst out of the ground and cannon them up past the school gate, onto the other side.

That's interesting, he thought, admiring the school's unique approach before following Daewon into the office. A short man with spiky black hair and gray eyes was behind the counter. He looked at them in surprise.

Daewon spoke to the man in Harmonian, presumably explaining that he was a former student of the school. He gestured to Arishtat once as he spoke. The man's eyes rose in surprise. Daewon showed him a sheet of paper, signed by the school headmaster, and he nodded. He gestured for them to head towards the springboard.

"Come on," said Daewon, switching to the Common Tongue. They went out, and Arishtat stood on the springboard. He watched as the man inside the office clicked on a button on the side.

WHOOSH! The spring left Arishtat completely unprepared. He gasped as he was ejaculated into the air – not by his own power, but by force. An uncomfortable sensation passed through him, and he knew he'd passed through the school's protective barrier.

He plummeted hard, all breath leaving him as he hit the ground. He gasped for air, but couldn't move; he was too taken by shock.

"Are you all right?" Daewon was immediately beside him. "Arish, get up!"

Arishtat slowly staggered to his feet. A crowd was gathering behind the school doors, staring at him with amazement. Daewon looked at him and began to laugh.

"That was some fall, dude," he said. "It takes a while to get used to. They installed it the year before I left, because it was 'safer'." He rolled his eyes.

For the second time that day, Arishtat's cheeks burned, but this time, he laughed alongside Daewon, releasing some of the tension that had grown in his heart.

"Good to see you again, Daewon." A prim-looking woman with grey hair walked towards them. "Your visit has been cleared. We have done the background check on the man." Her pincer-sharp eyes narrowed at Arishtat. "It is after class hours, but that does not mean that you will not adhere to school rules. If you cause a disturbance, we will call the police immediately."

"Yes, milady," Daewon said with another mock bow. The woman glared at him, and then stalked away. The crowd began to disperse, and Daewon motioned for Arishtat to follow him.

"They've upped security around here," he said. "The guy wouldn't even let me in until I showed him the paperwork from the principal. I swear, there were the days when you could literally just walk in here, and there was no one to stop you. It's like we're all going to be murdered in our beds or something." He let out a snort.

Arishtat didn't think it was that big a deal. Back at the military academy, there had been far more security. Security was of utmost importance to them, as it should be to everyone. He was about to mention this to Daewon when he saw a crowd of students in front of them.

It was a group of teenagers, presumably twelve or thirteen years old. Their faces were harrowed, and some of them were even crying. Some of the girls were talking in high-pitched voices, looking as if they were ready to throw up. Behind them, a few kids were grinning, and speaking in a tone that was obviously a sneer.

Arishtat tensed up, and his warrior instincts told him there was something wrong. "What are they saying?" he asked Daewon.

Daewon sighed. "It's just the losers acting up again."

"Who?" He couldn't possibly mean the crying students.

"I mean them." Daewon pointed to the smirking kids in the back. "From the looks of it, they had rehearsal. It's always the same people chosen as the lead roles. They're always given free reign around the school, and they order everyone around. If someone doesn't listen or isn't up to the standard where singing is concerned… well, let's just say they're in for a rough patch."

Arishtat stared at the gigglers in the back. "You mean that your school advocates bullying?"

"More like they turn a blind eye to it," Daewon said dismissively. "There are literally three categories of people: the future stars, the future ensemble, and the future minimum-wage workers. Well, probably not minimum wage, but that's what they'd have you believe."

"That's… horrible." Arishtat could scarcely believe what Daewon was saying. "Why does this happen? How do you allow it?"

"Did I say I liked it?" Daewon snapped, and Arishtat recoiled back. "No, I don't. But it's the way it is. Everyone knows it. There're only two states of being: either you're with the Stars, or you're not. It's no surprise that some people have major ego problems." He let out a snort. "The most messed up part about this whole thing is that people worship the Stars, like they're some gods or something. And then the Minimum singers feel really bad about themselves, and instead of telling the self-inflated Stars to go screw themselves, they start to think that they really are going to work for minimum wage at some sonar factory or something. But this whole place is so dang competitive, there can't not be a hierarchy."

That's unbelievable, Arishtat thought. He could scarcely believe the amount of stress that mere twelve-year-olds were going through. The Barq Military Academy had been stressful and strenuous, yes, but not this bad. Back at the Academy, we all worked cooperatively. Without cooperation, how can anyone serve in an army, or in any capacity, for that matter?

"Hey, I'm sorry," said Daewon, lightly punching Arishtat's arm. "I didn't mean to snap at you or whatever."

"There was no offense taken," Arishtat responded, surprised that Daewon was apologizing for something. The words sounded so foreign coming out of Daewon's mouth; not only that, but it was for something so minor. "So was Aria one of the 'self-inflated Stars', then?"

Daewon locked eyes with Arishtat. "You bet she was."

---

The ferry landed at the island of Bláthnaid. Maire got out of the ferry and stared around, immediately enchanted by the beauty of her island.

The island was a tropical paradise. Azure water surrounded the island, its turquoise waves lazily lapping up to the beach. The grass underfoot was impossibly soft, and she kicked off her shoes, enjoying the squishy feeling of the spring earth underfoot. The breeze whipped past her bare shoulders, making her feel more and more alive as she danced on the earth.

Bláthnaid was part of a set of islands, the Spirit Chain. Each island was volcanic, and Bláthnaid was the second-largest. The dormant volcano loomed overhead, a beautiful sight for all to see. The oldest and smallest island, Aislinn, was located not far from Bláthnaid.

"Wow," said Darius in awe, gazing around. "That's… quite something."

"Isn't it?" Maire grinned at him. "I grew up here with my brothers. This island is in the province of Spiritus, the world of the fifth element. All of these islands take a part of each element – they're volcanic, surrounded by water, filled with fertile earth, and have beautiful breezes that make the air so fluid. This is such a wonderful place." She spun around, letting out a contented laugh. It wasn't until now that she realized how much she'd missed Bláthnaid.

"Shannon?" a voice said behind her, in the Summian tongue. An old woman was standing behind her, her mouth agape as she saw her. "Ya've come home?"

"Yes, Mrs. Donovan," said Maire, smiling. "I'm back." She let out a contented sigh as she stared around the island.

"But yer supposed ta be at that school," the woman said, placing emphasis on the last word to show exactly what she thought of it.

"They closed for some time," Maire responded. "I'm here to help my family."

"Huh," the woman snorted. "Well, I ain't understandin' why Lily didn' tell me. We're best friends."

Maire rolled her eyes. Mrs. Donovan was the gossip queen of the island. She thought that everyone was her best friend, and was always spreading nonsense and rumors about everyone else. Some pitied her because her husband and second son had died after falling off the mountaintop; others hated her for how insensitive she was. Maire fell in the second category.

But today, Mrs. Donovan's words didn't affect her. Nothing could affect her. She was too happy to be home.

"Maire!" shouted a voice. A familiar woman with red curly hair and amber eyes was running towards her, her arms outstretched. Maire dropped her bag, ran towards her mom, and embraced her tightly.

"I missed you so much," she breathed.

"I missed ya too," her mother said. "Ya's weren't here, emptying out mah kitchen and shootin' everythin' that moved."

Maire let out a laugh. She hadn't laughed like this in ages. She grinned down at her mother, who nodded and looked towards Darius.

"Shall we head out?" she asked.

Maire looked at Darius. He was standing to the side rather awkwardly, looking away and pretending he hadn't seen anything. Does he have to act like such a teenage boy? she thought with annoyance. He understood Summian, so what was there to be so awkward about?

"Good ta meet ya." Maire's mother shook Darius's hand. "I'm Lily Griffin, Maire's mother. It's an honor ta meet ya, Yer Highnis ah" –

"You can just call me Darius, ma'am," he interrupted, shaking her hand. "Maire's a friend of mine, and I think you should call me that, too."

"Okay," said her mother, rather taken aback, and Maire knew she didn't expect him to be so down-to-earth. "Let's head to da house, then." She led them down the hill.

The walk back was pleasant enough. Darius spoke politely with Maire's mother, answering all of her questions; after all, he was a prince, and had been brought up to exhibit the utmost decorum and manners. Yet, Maire still felt as if something was missing. She stared vacantly at her feet.

I shouldn't think about Darius this much, she thought. This is so infuriating. Why am I always so annoyed with him – and then why do I always want to hug him? Why are there always so many extremes involved?

She had never felt this way about anyone before – least of all a boy. These were the most infuriating array of emotions she had ever felt about someone. This sucks, she thought, shaking her head and following her mother and Darius into the cottage.

It was simple, a one-story house made of mud brick and clay. Those materials were in abundance around here, and they were the materials that they used. There were three tiny bedrooms in the house – two for the boys, and one for Maire and her mother.

The boys were sitting on the sofa. One of them whistled at her as she came in.

"Lookit who decidt ta come home," Séan laughed as she walked in.

"Bet she's still too uppity fer us," Rowan added, fingering his fiddle.

Another time, their teasing would've hurt. But their laughing sounded more like brotherly love than real meanness, and she punched them each in the arm. "Still don't mean I can't punch ya when ya deserve it," she said, switching to their dialect.

"She speaks!" Séan gasped.

"Her uppity tone is gone!" Rowan added.

"No big words!" Lugh had joined in, and affectionately poked his sister in the ribs.

"Hush, y'all!" Maire's mother commanded. "We're gonna go eat supper soon, and y'all bettah be quiet, or else there ain't be no food! Ya hear me?"

They all meekly nodded, and Maire watched in amusement. She'd forgotten how everyone fell silent at her mother's tone, how bickering and arguing immediately ceased as soon as she spoke. I missed her, she realized. Her mother turned towards Darius.

"I'll fix up da sofa fer ya," she said. "Ya can sleep there. We's don't have anythin' more 'en that" –

"Not a problem, my lady," Darius said sweetly. "I will do just fine."

Maire gritted her teeth. Why was Darius so unpredictable these days? And why does he look her in the eye, but not me?

"We won't be staying in the house much, anyways," she said. "We have to go to Spirit Mountain, Mom, remember?"

"That's right, ya two have yer mission," Maire's mother said.

"Ooooh!" Séan said excitedly.

"Missssionnnnnnnn," Rowan added.

Maire's mother hit them.

"Now that's enough," she chided them. "Haven't ya learned yer manners yet? Ya got a guest in da house, and ya treat him with respect. Now, I don' wanna hear anythin' more from ya both, or it'll be the outhouse for ya both."

Séan and Rowan shut up. The outhouse was located far back in the yard, and was always cold at night. Maire remembered having to get up and go there a few times to pee, and how unpleasant that had been. Of course, it seemed more unpleasant now that she had actual plumbing and real toilets to compare it to. But even then, no one wanted to be stuck in the outhouse all night. Maire's mother had punished them like that a few times, and it had been enough to make the hairs on Maire's arms stand just thinking about it.

They reached the dining table and sat down. Maire's mother sat at the head, and Cináed, the oldest, sat at the foot. The rest were assembled in their usual order; Maire, Rowan, and Séan on one side, and Aiden, Lugh, and Fionn on the other. Darius was placed awkwardly between Aiden and Lugh, and an extra plate was added to the table.

Maire gasped at all of the food. Her mother had made all of her favorites that night. Oh Natura… There was roast paraxo-lume, a bird that breathed fire, and xabarín-terra, a wild animal that ran the lush countryside and burrowed under the earth. Cináed must have done a lot of hunting today… Both were cooked in herbs and lavish amounts of butter. There were also four different vegetable stews. Topping everything were sementes de lume, seeds from the lume plant that added spice to everything and burst flavor in Maire's mouth.

Darius stared at the table, open mouthed. At last he burst out, "Is this all for us?"

"This is nothing," Maire grinned, pleased to see that for once, Darius was at a loss for words. "It'll be finished in about twenty minutes." She loaded her plate with food and began to eat.

Each delicious, home-cooked, and fresh mouthful sent waves of bliss through her tastebuds. She had forgotten how good her mother's food was. The boys ate much quicker, of course, and belched loudly when they were done.

"Mind yer manners," Maire's mother scolded, though she was grinning. "We got a guest right 'ere." She turned towards Darius. "What 'ave ya been up ta? I know yer the prince of some realm."

The boys gasped. "You brought a prince home?" Fionn gasped, as if he hadn't already known that.

"Is he yer knight in shinin' armor?" Aiden asked.

"Do I get some ah that armor?" Lugh added.

"Stop!" Maire protested, her face going red. The boys guffawed into laughter.

"Be right nice, y'all," her mother scolded. She turned towards Darius. "So, what do ya do fer a livin'?"

"I look after my people," Darius responded, ever-so-politely, "and I pass laws that work in their favor."

"Really?" asked Lugh, his face going hard. "And ya know how ta look aftah yer people?"

Maire looked at him worriedly. Lugh was somewhat of a revolutionary – he didn't believe in government at all. In fact, he hated all forms of government. All of their families did, to some extent, but Lugh was exceptionally radical. He hated the patronizing aspect of government, and how no senator or president ever addressed the problems that farmers faced. His voice seemed especially hard, now that he was face-to-face with a prince.

Darius didn't seem fazed, however. "I won't say that I know all the struggles they go through, no," he said politely, "but I do my best."

"Yer a prince," Lugh snapped. "Ya nevah spent a day outta yer comfertable bed. How da ya know how to look aftah a bunch ah people?"

"Séan," snapped Maire's mother, but Lugh continued on.

"Yer a brat, that's wha' ya are," he said. "Pretennin' ya care abou' us, when ya'll nevah know a day ah hardship in yer life! Yer all swindlin' hypocrites!"

"Okay, that's enough!" Maire felt something inside of her fire up, and she glared at Lugh. "Look, now ain't the time or place for your complaints, okay? I know Darius well, and although he may not face the same struggles as us, he faces plenty of him own! Not only does he have to make decisions for everyone – which ain't an easy job – but he's training as a warrior of the UR! This means that if there's ever a problem that puts the whole dimension in danger, he'll go and defend us all! So before ya judge, sit back and think of things you don't normally think about!"

There was a silence. All of the boys stared at Maire, and she stared back, her gaze unflinching. She looked at Lugh, who had lowered his head. And then she looked at Darius.

He had also lowered his head, and refused to look at her. Not even once, to thank her for defending him. She stared at him for a moment, dumbfounded and enraged.

I just saved your butt from Lugh, she thought, and this is how you thank me? She could scarcely believe it. After what seemed an eternity, her mother spoke.

"So, who wants dessert?" she asked.

"Me!" shouted her brothers, even Lugh, in unison. Dessert was a real treat around there; Maire's mother only ever made anything special for special occasions, such as holidays. It was enough to lift any farmer's heart, knowing her work had been done for the day.

Not Maire. She sat and watched Darius as he lowered his head, feeling frustration overcome her. Why is he like this? Why won't he ever listen to me? And why is he pretending that I don't exist?

Maire's mother came back with a pie and a tub of homemade vanilla ice-cream. The boys whooped as she set everything down, and she cut huge wedges of the pie, giving one to everyone.

Maire stared at it. That looks so good… The filling was froita de primavera, a pink Summian fruit that only came in the spring. By the taste, it was freshly picked, and especially delicious. It sang in her mouth, bursting over her tongue with flavor.

She sighed. She wished life could be as simple as froita de primavera, as simple as six unruly, mischievous brothers and not as complicated as Magix and a prince of Fulgur. Why did I make this for myself?

---

Daewon walked by Arishtat, gazing down at the floor. Memories flashed in every corner of the school, and he couldn't help but remember his old days back here, before he'd enlisted at the Academy of Paladins. Something Arishtat had just said had struck a chord in his heart.

How do you allow it?

Daewon didn't know. All he knew was that there was one person responsible for this school system. The school hadn't always been this bad. In the lower school, they'd been more amenable towards each other, even friendly. There had been no hierarchy whatsoever. They'd all grown up together, sang together, and learned together.

Until his sixth year, when everything changed.

That was the year when Aria had reached the point of fame. By her seventh year, she was already a mini-celebrity. She sang for various audiences, and was constantly missing school to go on tours. And everyone had praised her, elevating her for it.

Like the rest of the boys in his grade, Daewon had a severe crush on Aria. He would not miss the opportunity to fawn over her, to admire her. And he was blind to the way the system was working, the way it elevated her at the expense of everyone else. The way she and the other Stars beat down upon the Minimums. He was an Ensemble, and a pretty good one at that; how did it matter how cruelly she treated others, as long as he wasn't the recipient of it?

But then, once he started dating her, he began to see the cruelty behind her personality. The other girls were jerks, too, but they were merely taking orders from their queen. Aria had wrapped the system around her finger and made it one hundred times more maleficent. Whereas people used to look at the Stars with awe and respect, they now looked upon them with fear. In fact, it was during her reign that the term Minimum was even coined. She was a bully, and he'd been too blind to see it.

"Is that it?" Arishtat asked.

Daewon looked up. A brown door was ahead of them. A sign read COMMON ROOM 9-10 in large Harmonian letters. He nodded.

"Here we are," he said, opening the door.

Not many people were in the room yet. On opposing sides of the room were staircases that led up to the girls' dorm and boys' dorm. Some kids were playing ball, but others were laughing and chatting. None of them noticed Daewon or Arishtat. Daewon scanned through the group of teenagers until he saw the one he wanted.

She was sitting by herself, wearing a blue floral dress and black sandals. Her head was bowed, and she was reading – or maybe pretending to read. Daewon didn't know. He stealthily crept behind her chair and tapped her on the shoulder.

She gasped, shaking slightly, and turned around. Her brown eyes widened and she stared at him, at a loss for words. "Daewon!" she breathed out at last.

"Daewon?" Two other boys had turned around, and were staring at him. The others stopped playing with the ball to stare at him. "Where'd you come from, mate?"

Daewon shrugged. "I just came by to visit," he said casually. "If you don't mind, I'm going now." He narrowed his eyes at Cixi. "Coming?"

"S-sure," she said shakily, following him.

"Ooh, look at that." One of the boys whistled.

Ignoring them, Daewon walked towards the exit. Arishtat opened the door, and they entered the hallway. It was largely quiet, but then again, no one could be sure who was listening and who was not. After all, boarding schools weren't exactly famed for their privacy.

"Don't worry," Cixi said. She spoke the Common Tongue well; without saying anything about Arishtat's presence, she'd effortlessly switched to the language, and understood that Daewon wasn't going anywhere without him. "I know a place where we can go where we won't be overheard." She began to walk towards a staircase, and climbed.

Arishtat looked at him in confusion. Daewon shrugged and followed Cixi. The two young men followed her until she found a tiny room on the next floor. It was a hidden closet, once which would easily hide them.

"Bit tight, but okay." Daewon followed her, and she flipped on a light switch. The light turned on to reveal a shaded room with boxes all around. This is one of the boxrooms, he realized. The girl sighed, and turned towards him.

"I figured you'd come by one of these days," she said.

Her voice wasn't any different than it'd been before. Soft and unassuming, it resembled her submissiveness, the way she always stepped behind everyone. Another reason why he couldn't hate her.

"So," he said, cutting right to the chase, "what happened with you and Aria?"

Cixi sighed, looking down. "I've been called for so many police interrogations," she said. "Ever since she… murdered our princess."

"Obviously," Daewon muttered. "But I'm not asking you from a detective standpoint. I'm just asking you: why'd you do it?"

Cixi looked at him shrewdly. "Maybe you ought to have asked me that on that night, instead of screaming like a raving lunatic," she said coolly.

"I know," muttered Daewon, his face heating up. "Look – I was an idiot back then. I acted stupidly and rashly. I'm sorry about that."

"'Sorry' doesn't make up for the fact that I've been shunned by everyone," Cixi responded.

Okay, maybe she wasn't as submissive as he'd thought. He glared at her. "Well, you shouldn't have been with her."

"And you shouldn't have dragged me out in front of everyone, making me the fool" –

"Stop!" Arishtat's voice rang through the air. Cixi stopped, still giving Daewon the cold stare. Not angry – it was far worse than anger. Daewon could practically see the ice in her solid brown eyes as she stared at him, not letting go one inch. He had to admire her for that.

"Let us start again," Arishtat said. "First of all, I have a question." He looked at Daewon. "What did happen that night?"

Daewon scrunched his face up, closing his eyes. Oh no. He didn't want to tell Arishtat. Arishtat, of all people, who thought that Daewon was practically an angel. I can't tell him…

"Well?" Cixi's cool voice pierced through the air.

He had to tell them. He had to clear it off of his chest, something he hadn't even done with Atete. He opened his eyes, remembering that day as clearly as ever, the single-most memorable day of his life.

The door to the 7-8 common room had burst open. Fifty kids were inside; they were playing ball, laughing, chatting. But at that moment, all chatter ceased and they turned around, their eyes wide.

Daewon stood in front of them, panting. Aria was grabbing him by the ankles, and attempting to pull him down. He tried to resist, but found that he could not fly out of her grip. Cixi burst in right behind them, staring at them.

"Um"… A fifteen-year old girl named Chen voiced exactly what everyone else was thinking. "What the heck is going on?"

Daewon managed to wrestle himself out of Aria's grip. He soared into the air, and then landed on the floor. The crowd parted for him as he turned around, glaring at everyone, and then pointing at Aria.

"She. Is. A. Fake." He could hear Aria's wails, but ignored them as he pointed at her. "The biggest cheater anyone has ever seen. I'm here to tell you all to stay away."

"What are you talking about?" Bo demanded. "And how do you know that?"

"She cheated on me. With her." Daewon pointed at Cixi, whose shoulders were slumped as she stared at the ground. "Those two were kissing in a practicing studio, instead of being at Aria's 'concert'. She is a liar, and no boy in his right mind should ever think of dating her!"

Aria let out another piercing wail.

"How dare you treat her in this way?" Li, one of the Stars, demanded. "She's never done anything wrong. She's the best singer here, certainly better than you! You have no business coming here and bringing her down with some slander" –

"I'm not lying!" Daewon shouted. "Ask her." He pointed at Cixi. "Tell them!"

"Well?" Bo pressed, staring at Cixi. "What happened?"

Cixi swallowed. Daewon saw her look down, and then murmur, "It's true."

The common-room was stock still. Everyone stared at the cowering Cixi, the sobbing Aria, and the enraged Daewon. There was a silence, until Chen said, "So, what are you saying?"

"This girl is not who you think she is." Daewon fixed his classmates with a stare. "She has lied to me continually, trying to make me feel guilty for her wrongdoings. She claimed that she loved me more than anyone she'd ever met before! And now look at what she's done!"

"How do we know that?" Mahin, a member of the Ensemble, cried. "How do we know any of what you're saying is true? Aria is the biggest Star MOA has seen in decades! And yet you treat her this way" –

"I'M NOT LYING!" Daewon roared. "You all remember, don't you? Remember when she asked me to go to prom with me at the end of last year? Remember when she sang for me, and in that song, she told me I was the one she loved more than anyone? You all remember that!"

The others were silent, and Daewon could tell that they did remember. Even Li and Mahin, two of Aria's closest friends, were starting to look uncertain. They stared at her.

"I'm here to tell you that you can't trust her," he said. "Watch your step around her. She'd lie to you just as easily as she lied to me. And there's only one way to deal with liars – to expose them and root them out! So that's why I'm doing this. That's why I'm" –

"What's going on?" a voice said. A Melodian girl with dyed blond hair and pale skin was coming down the girls' staircase, wearing a white dress. Her eyes narrowed as she looked over at Daewon and Aria.

"What are you doing?" she shot straight at him.

Daewon stared at her. "Galatea"… The Melodian princess, the one person esteemed around everyone, a Star yet not quite a Star; the girl who, in his opinion, was not only the best singer in MOA; she was also the only Star who didn't bully the Minimums. The quality he liked the best about her. He stared at her, puzzled.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked directly.

"Stay out of this, Galatea," he protested. "Look, this doesn't have anything to do with you, okay? I'm exposing her, for all of the cruel things she's done. I'm exposing her abusiveness as a Star, and calling her out" –

"No you're not," she said, clearly. "You're screaming at her, in front of everyone, because you're angry. That's not right."

"What are you talking about?" Daewon stared at his friend. "She literally cheated on me!"

"But this is not the way to deal with it." Galatea still retained her calm, yet firm, voice. "You can't assert your dominance as a way to deal with problems. That's not how things work. And so I'm ending this." She walked up to Aria and pulled her to her feet. "Come. We're going to bed."

And so Daewon saw Aria being taken by her greatest enemy, her sobs still filling the air as the two walked off. There was another silence, which lasted much longer than before. Daewon could still feel the stares upon him and Cixi, who was now sitting quietly in the back. And then hushed conversation began to start, which soon gave way to gossip, and eventually, laughter. But no one included him – or Cixi, for that matter. No one wanted to be reminded of what just happened.

And at that moment, Daewon had no clue what situation he'd made for himself. All he knew was that life at MOA would never be the same again.

And so Daewon finished telling the story, Arishtat and Cixi staring at him. Arishtat was the first to speak.

"You did that?" he gasped. "You yelled in front of everyone?"

Daewon nodded shamefully, lowering his head. "Yes," he said. "I did that."

"But I don't understand." Arishtat frowned. "You say that Galatea was your closest friend, and that she was the roommate of Aria once they both went to Alfea. Why couldn't she tell what kind of a person Aria was?"

"Galatea was never a serious opera singer," Daewon said. "She loved it, but it could never be her job. She was only at MOA for two years." Though she was awesome at it. "She was fairly clueless about the whole deal. Also, being the princess of Melody and all, she was isolated from us most of the time, and rarely stayed in the dorm with us – as soon as classes let out at 15:00, she was taken back home to the palace." The one night she was with us, it had to happen.

"I see." Arishtat frowned. "It must have been a miserable experience for you as well as her, I am sure."

"Yeah," Cixi murmured. "It must have been."

Was that something like respect glimmering in Cixi's eyes? Daewon couldn't be sure. He lowered his head silently, a thousand curses upon himself for what he did that horrible night. Cixi approached him.

"Look," she said, "what you did was wrong, and we all know that. But the fact that you came out and admitted it takes guts. And while we're on the subject of wrongdoing, I did plenty of wrong, too. It takes two to tango, you know."

Daewon nodded slowly, trying to adjust his mind. His mind was far from the subject of Cixi now. What he was thinking about was Galatea, how everything had changed between them after this… He slowly looked up at Cixi. "Were you really in love with Aria?"

Cixi let out a sigh. "Honestly? I don't know anymore. In hindsight, I know it was a trap. She was looking for someone, as she was unsatisfied with you. I was pretty enough, I guess, and a fellow Star, and so she lulled me in. We made out a few times in the dormitory, when you guys were all away. But… real love? I somehow don't think so."

"I guess," Daewon nodded slowly. He felt bad for Cixi. She had gotten the short end of the stick in every deal – not finding love, then being eternally hated for what she'd done. "I'm sorry, Cixi. You don't deserve to deal with this crap."

Cixi shrugged. "What can I do? This is how it is." She sighed. "I've even tried applying to other schools."

"Seriously?" asked Daewon, surprised.

"Yes," she answered. "I've discovered that I really like painting. There's this art school that I applied to – I sent a portfolio. I don't know if they'll accept me, but I'm trying."

"Anything to get out of here," Daewon responded.

"I agree," Arishtat said, speaking for the first time in minutes. "This does not seem like a good place to be."

Cixi looked over at him dully. "Worse than you can imagine."

"I guess we'd better go," Daewon sighed. They began to walk out of the room.

This had, by far, been the gloomiest day of Daewon's life. Returning back to his old school had shed a light on so many problems, problems he'd never even recognized as an insider but was appalled by, now that he was on the outside.

Daewon knew he would never look at Aria, or Cixi for that matter, in the same light again. I can't afford to. Like Arishtat said, we need to move on. He closed his eyes.

We're taking steps in the right direction…

---

Maire stood with her mother, helping her to clean the dishes. The boys were in the family room, playing fiddle and doing Natura-knew what. And Darius – frustration filled her.

She could not believe she'd acted like that. Why had she yelled at Séan, standing up for him like that? And why had she expected him to respond?

"Ya brought a nice boy with ya," her mother said, "an' one that clearly likes ya."

"Huh?" Maire said, taken aback. "What do ya mean?"

Maire's mother laughed. "Maire, I thought ya sharp as a thimble. Ya notice how he shudder and look away evry time ya walk by? Ya got yerself a man all right."

"Well" – Maire stared down at the ground. "But I thought you said not to go after boys."

Maire's mother sighed. "Well, I bin through mah fair shares ah troubles. When I was a young'un, I wanted ta escape mah family. And so I found yer father, a man who treated me like a right princess. And we both raist six fine boys togethah. Things were goin' alwight until" –

"Until I was born," Maire said flatly. Her mother's face registered shock for a moment, and then she looked up at Maire.

"Don't ya dare think that," she said roughly. She reached her hands forward and shook Maire's shoulders. "Is that what ya've grown up thinkin'? It was nevah yer fault, girl. Yer father was a hell-bent liar, and never understood da importince ah family. An' I didn't want ya to grow up and suffah like me, Maire. I didn' wanted ya to be swindlt by a good-fer-nothn' man an' lose yerself.

"But ya've made me change, Maire. Ya've made me realize ya can love without sacrificing who ya are, or yer womanhood. Yer young, Maire. And ya should get up an' take a chance with this boy, an' love him. Plus, I think he needs a right youn' woman like ya."

Okay, thought Maire. Her mind was spinning. Her mother had spoken about her father twice, two more times than she'd ever heard about him in the past.

"Mom," she said, "can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Why did Dad leave us?"

Maire's mother looked at her in shock, as if she hadn't been expecting that question. Then she nodded. "I knew there'd sometime come a day when I had ta tell ya," she said. "I've bin keepin' it too long, Maire. Ya deserve ta know."

Too right I do, Maire thought, watching her mother take in a deep breath before speaking.

"When the boys were younger, yer fathah used ta help me raise 'em, like a man. He taught 'em huntin', fencin', and fishin', and they grow up ta become fine men. I taught 'em the basics in readin' and writin' and sent them to school, which they, of course, all hated. But those boys were fine, and I couldn' 'ave asked fer better.

"But right when Rowan was born, yer fathah changt. He would leave 'is work on the fields an' come back late ah nigh', stinkin' ah alcohol. And then he gambled with men from da mainland, he did – put us all intta debt. He was shirkin' his duty, that's what. And I wasn' havin' it – I wasn' gonna raise those boys mahself. So I began to keep mah eye on 'im, figuring out what he was doin'.

"And so I followt 'im. Followt 'im to da house of a village girl, whom he was seein'. While her family was ou' in da fields, breakin' their backs, she was inside, kissin' 'im. I snuck in an' watched 'em together, and they didn' even notice."

Maire gasped. That's the kind of dad he was? The thought of a middle-aged man taking advantage of a teenage girl was abhorrent, something that made her shudder. Why would he do that?

"Yer fathah was sick," her mother said, almost as if she'd heard the question in her head. "Sick in da head. While da boys were in bed, I waitd fer him ta come home, and then I let it out. I told him how it ain't right how he didn' do work, how da boys were strugglin' without their fathah, and how I knew he was cheatin'. I tol' 'im ta either start actin' like a man, or just leave.

"We had a big fight, one that right rockt da very walls. And da next day, I woke up an' fin' that he was gone. He right disappeared, and so did that girl down the street. Mah guess is that he took her and they left. Never heard from him again, and I didn't wanna – didn't have da energy ta go after him."

"You were pregnant with me," Maire said. It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I right was." Maire's mother nodded. "Yer brothers had questions, but I didn' tell them what he went and done. I just say he left. They's so upset, they trys ta forget 'im. Ya notice how they nevah talk about 'im? Well, it's cause none of us wanna remembah. An' I raist six fine boys and one fine girl, all by mahself. And I ain't needin' a man ta help me." She sighed and looked down at her daughter.

Before opening the door, Maire's mother turned towards her. "I'm sure glad ya never met 'im, Maire. I'm sure he's long forgottin about us now. I'm glad he didn't taint yer life the way he did fer yer brothers an' everyone else."

Maire nodded silently. It still didn't cease her never-ending curiosity about her father, or how much she wished she'd known him, but she was glad her mother had told her. Glad that one worry she'd had was finally put to rest.

"Let's go," Maire's mother said, putting up a bright face. "Let's go see wha' those bad boys are right up ta."

"Let's go," Maire agreed, feeling a lot lighter. The two women walked outside.

---

Aria sat down on her bed. Her face was tight, but the tears weren't coming. They had never come, all this time. For once, she was too shocked to cry.

Now she knew who she was. She was a murderess, and had killed Galatea in cold blood. But the worst was that she hadn't even been able to remember it until now. How her mind had completely blocked out such a monumental event, she had no idea. That was what terrified her the most.

But how was she going to fix things? How was she going to become a better person? Especially in such a cold, chilling place like this?

A gentle knock brushed the door, and then Angéle peered in. "How are you doing? I was just coming to check on you."

"I'm fine," Aria answered, feeling a sense of guilt come over her. Angéle had always been there for her, had always helped her. And yet, she'd always treated her like dirt, when she was her one ally in this cold, desolate place.

Maybe things could change now. Maybe they could start over.

"Really, I'm fine," Aria repeated. She stared around the walls of the room, the cold and drafty room that Isolde had assigned to her. Never had she ever wanted to get out a room so fast. "Can we go to your room?"

"Of course," Angéle nodded. "Let's go."

The two girls walked barefoot down the hall. Angéle opened the door for her and they went inside, sitting on Angéle's bed. Aria stared around the room, taking a moment to appreciate the festively colored candles and the golden harp in the center. Angéle's room was certainly simple, but she'd done such a good job of decorating, to uplift the décor.

"Where'd you get the harp?" she suddenly asked, looking at the immaculate golden instrument.

"Isolde took it from the Rêvian palace," Angéle answered. "She installed this instrument, my very own harp, in the center of my room. Yes, I know," she added at the incredulous look on Aria's face. "It doesn't make sense why she would go out of her way to get it for me. But I know by now that she never does anything without a reason."

Aria shuddered. Everything in this world was pre-ordained, all set by the matriarch of the castle. There was nothing she or anyone else could do about it. And still, she had yet to understand what those reasons were behind the mastermind – and by the looks of it, so did Angéle. She looked down at the younger girl.

"So, I was thinking of something," she said awkwardly. "I – do you want to listen to this?"

"I'll always listen to you," Angéle answered, looking up at Aria attentively.

Aria smiled, placing a hand on Angéle's shoulder before speaking. "Well, I was thinking," she admitted. "About yesterday. I – well, you should hate me, Angéle." She saw Angéle's eyes flicker. "I'm the worst person in all of the realms."

"No, you're not," Angéle answered, looking truly surprised. "What are you talking about?"

"Back in Alfea and MOA, I used to be one of the popular girls," Aria answered. "I always had a group of admirers – everyone looked up to me. Well, everyone except for a few who were jerks, but then I always made sure they paid for hating me. I would get my group of girls to put mood-swing spells on them and publicly humiliate them in front of the other girls. And they all listened to me. Not one person dared go against me."

"But that doesn't make you a horrible person," Angéle insisted. "I mean, yes, you hurt other people, but you never killed anyone."

Aria couldn't respond. She stared down at the bedspread, unable to meet Angéle's eyes.

"Oh Aria… did you?"

Aria didn't respond. The thoughts swirled through her mind, and she remembered, quite clearly, what she and Galatea had gone through before. Their lives had been powerfully woven together, and the memories came flooding back to her, memories she'd known all along.

The first was at the end of her seventh year. She had stood on stage, singing her heart out at the end-of-year production. It was run by the upper school; Years 5, 6, and 7 did a show, as did Years 8, 9, and 10. Since Aria was in the oldest age group, she managed to get the lead role quite easily.

It was also her first time ever singing a lead role. This was the year her singing had really kicked off: she'd trained fiercely, in an effort to forget her parents existed. Music filled the void, easily shaping itself so that she didn't remember what she'd known was going to happen all along: that at the beginning of the seventh year, her parents would stop writing to her.

It stung like a sucker-punch, but Aria had learned to deal with it. She'd made groups and groups of friends, all of whom had doted on her. And she'd risen high in the ranks. For no matter what, she was on her way to becoming a star, and that was all that mattered.

The end of the show. After bows were over, she walked down the steps to be cheered on by a group of admiring girls.

"That was amazing, Aria!" they squealed, jumping up and down.

"Thanks," Aria smiled demurely. As she gazed over the heads of her adoring fans, she caught sight of someone else. It was Galatea, surrounded by her friends and family, laughing and talking.

Aria felt her heart clench as she stared at Galatea. She'd sung the second role alongside with her; in fact, her voice very much rivaled Aria's. Although it wasn't as high, it stayed on the pitch more clearly, and many said it was purer. And she had the friends to prove it.

As she saw Galatea embracing her father, mother, and brother, she felt something inside of her break, and she knew that no matter what, there would always be something Galatea had, something that she would never come to know…

A few years later. Aria had been in her ninth year at MOA, and was auditioning for the Magix School of Opera. She had applied for Alfea, and had been accepted. Now the choice came: was she to go to Alfea, or stay at MOA?

Either way, she could get a degree in opera singing. If she went to Alfea, she would just have a double degree instead of a single one. But staying at MOA might be better than staying at Alfea; her study would be far more in-depth.

She was taking a spacecraft to Magix for her audition. Daewon was coming with her for moral support. MOA was supportive of them leaving for a few days, as long as they made up their coursework upon coming back.

There was just one problem: Galatea was going to audition, too.

She would be leaving MOA within the month. The first year at Alfea started in Trimensis, and Galatea, as a princess, had the obligation of studying at Alfea to study defense. And she might outperform Aria at the audition.

Aria couldn't allow that. If there was even a chance that Galatea might place above her, a chance that she might go to Alfea only to be defeated by someone else, she couldn't have it. She knew Galatea was certainly capable of it. After all, she was just as good – no, almost as good – as her.

So Aria woke up early. She went to the breakfast area of the hotel, and poured some coffee for the three of them. She added a spoon of Nodule Potion, which she'd bought on the way here, to Galatea's coffee. She put the potion quickly away in her backpack.

She jumped as she saw Daewon appear at the entrance of the breakfast area. His eyes flashed as he saw the spoon move, and she let out a smile. "Just adding sugar," she said.

Did he know? Was that suspicion in his eyes? Aria hoped not. After all, he had no proof – she'd put away the potion too quickly for him to notice. He simply went to the breakfast line to get something to eat, and came back, sitting at his place.

Galatea came down, looking tired. Aria made sure to pass the tainted coffee her way, and she drank it. By the end of the morning, her voice was exhausted. She was forced to forfeit the audition, and broke down in tears.

Aria couldn't afford to feel guilty. She'd done it as a means of survival. If Galatea had placed above her in the audition, she didn't know what she would've done with her life. All of her fans would've switched to Galatea's side; without her fans, she was nothing. After all, Galatea had a life without her fans, she reasoned; she could afford to miss this one audition.

But she still wasn't sure if she was going to Alfea.

That decision came at the end of the month. Upon returning to MOA, Aria had begun to suspect that Daewon was tiring of her. The fact that he didn't come to all of her concerts, and didn't love her like he had before, made her suspect that something was wrong with him.

Did he suspect her of tainting Galatea's coffee? Was that why he was so distant? No, he couldn't be. She hadn't done anything wrong. She'd just been smart about eliminating the competition, so that she could survive. That was all she'd done.

Then she'd had her crush on Cixi. The girl was shy, but was also clever – almost as clever as Aria herself. They took to each other instantly, meeting up in a music studio. They were kissing, completely ignorant of everything around them; all they knew, at that moment, was each other and themselves.

Then the studio door opened, and Aria knew they were in trouble.

There was that fight. Daewon dragged her up the stairs, and she was forced, weeping, into the common-room. Everyone looked at her like she was a beetle on the wall. It had been the most horrible thing she'd ever gone through. She'd wept bitterly, cursing Daewon's name for all of eternity at the horror he'd put her through.

And then who should save her but – Galatea!

Aria had been too weak to protest Galatea's intervention. She'd allowed herself to be pulled by the other girl, taken up the stairs to the dormitory. Galatea had comforted her, telling her that things would be all right in the morning, that tomorrow would be a new day.

And it was indeed. That night, Aria had emailed Faragonda, headmistress of students, to confirm her attendance at Alfea.

She'd gone with Galatea on the flight the next afternoon. They'd barely spoken on the flight; Aria had been too embarrassed by the previous night to talk. They'd sat in silence, watching their own movies on their own screens.

Aria couldn't even bear to look at Galatea. She was a living reminder of everything that had happened at MOA, even though she'd barely been part of the drama at all. As luck would have it, they'd ended up as roommates. There had been nothing Aria could do to change it; Griselda had ignored her request and she'd been forced to endure.

Until the day everything had changed.

Aria looked back at Angéle's face. She knew she had to tell. Taking a deep breath, she let it all out, her voice shaking as she spoke.

"It was the night before I ended up here," she cried. She saw Angéle's eyes widen with shock. For a second, she thought Angéle was going to pull away from her, now that she knew she was a murderess, but she didn't – if anything, she drew even closer. "There was this girl whom I hated, who always used to steal the limelight from me. She went to MOA and Alfea with me, and as the world would have it, was my roommate. She was the princess of Melody, which automatically made her popular, even though I was the better singer." Her lip curled in disgust. "And so, that night, I battled her. She held her own against me, but it was I who was more powerful. And I killed her, on that horrible night. I had no remorse, no sorrow at what I did – all I felt was cruel satisfaction at having done away with my nemesis. I didn't even remember until now!"

"Aria, that wasn't you," Angéle said urgently. "That can't have been you. Don't you see? Someone is doing this to you, making you" –

"Let me finish," Aria interrupted maniacally. "All my life, I've been like this. I guess it's because, when I was young, my parents didn't care about me – at least, I don't think they cared about me, because which loving parents would send their daughter to boarding school and never come visit her? And so I've never felt – what do you call it? – this thing they call love. I've had all the friends in the world, but I've never felt a sense of peace. No one's ever looked after me or cared for me. And so I've tried to find it by building up my voice, and then using that to build up my group of friends, people who never actually loved me but only stayed with me because I was so powerful" –

"Oh, Aria!" gasped Angéle. She was crying; tears spilled down her cheeks at an alarming rate. Aria stared at her, and, seized with a sudden desire to make things better, stroked the other girl's cheek.

She wanted to make things better. She couldn't believe she'd said such a thing, and hurt Angéle too. She was about to say something, but Angéle beat her to it.

"I'm sorry you've gone through so much," she said tearfully. "That must have been horrible. But… don't you see? The very fact that you're talking about this means you're not a horrible person, that you want change. And I can't promise to help you change, but I can promise to be there for you the very best I can. Don't ever forget that." Tears flowed down her cheeks again.

"Thank you," Aria whispered, stroking Angéle's exposed back as she stared into her deep brown eyes, eyes that clearly had their own misfortunes and struggles. And in that moment, she knew Angéle would never stop caring for her. They were both together, each other's only hope in this castle. And together they would always stay.

"Can I stay here with you?" she asked.

"Of course," Angéle smiled. "I won't ever let you down."

---

Next chapter:

- Sharzad speaks to Sedna.

- Daewon and Arishtat search for the Siren's Song.

- Isolde takes Aria on another trip.

- Darius and Maire go looking for the Quintet of Elements.

See you next week!