Morning light shone through the window and fell upon Aria's sleeping face. It glistened against a small stream of drool that dripped down the side of her mouth. It was a blessing to find such deep sleep. The ache that had accumulated in her muscles had finally disappeared with one good night's sleep.

Aria grunted, angry at the light for daring to disturb her sleep. In response, she buried her head deep under the pillow and cursed the sun for its existence. It was easy to get lost in the soft and silky bed sheets that wrapped around her body. Their softness felt like clouds that would rain a gentle shower and erase every discomfort and terrible memory.

"Maria, please close the curtains!" Aria grunted, far too lazy to get up and do it herself. When the door did not open, she tried again louder, "Maria!"

But nothing.

Aria reluctantly pulled her head from beneath the pillow and looked around, ready to scream for her handmaiden once more. Then, the memory of what had occurred over the last few days washed over her like a pail of freezing water—waking her up from her imagined state.

"What's with the screaming, human?" The door to her cage suddenly flung open. Estel and Nessa stood at its entrance in their fierce armor, their hands readied at their swords.

"Ummm," Aria wondered what to say, "nothing, just a bad dream." There was no point in confiding in them. She had forgotten, for the briefest of a second, that she was a prisoner. But, she knew better than to let that happen again.

While Estel just grunted in annoyance, Aria could have sworn she saw some sympathy in Nessa's eyes. A plan began to form in Aria's head. Perhaps, she could gain Nessa's trust for information. Any information that would help her should she need to escape.

"Since you are up, breakfast will be brought up soon. The prince said he would come to collect you once you awoke to take you to the High Sheevra."

"The High Sheevra?"

"Yes, your training begins right away." Nessa walked into the room, and for the first time, Aria noticed the pile of clothes in her hands. "These are yours, should you choose to wear them. More will be given in time, but these should suffice while others are made."

"Thank you," Aria genuinely said.

Nessa's eyes widened slightly in surprise at Aria's gentle tone. She simply gave Aria a nod of acknowledgment and stepped out of the room. The large blue and gold door closed behind them.

Aria rose from the soft bed, the chilled floor under her bare feed. She looked outside her window and wondered how it maintained its tempered temperature despite the warm morning breeze that broke through the opened window.

The first sight of the fae kingdom through those windows took her breath away last night. A warm breeze had blown on her skin as she watched the slumbering trees from her tower. Yet despite the quietness, there was nothing dormant about the wilderness out there. Glimpses of glowing creatures could be seen here and there. Aria couldn't help but think, 'what undiscovered wonders laid out there.'

Aria made her way to the clothes that Nessa had laid on the table and took the soft materials in her hands. A couple of silk dresses, trousers, and two tunics of pale earthly blue and green. A blush burned bright on Aria's face when she noticed a long white dress. It was, revealing, to say the least. Two long cuts made their way down the sides, surely to allow the legs to peek through. The top was made of soft material that molded to the shape of the wearers breast.

The dress was so unlike the structured and rigid clothing she was used to. Aria threw that one to the side. There was no way she would wear that. She would undoubtedly hear her father calling her 'whore' from his grave if she ever dared to put that scrap of a dress on.

For now, she would settle for the dark grey trouser and a soft purple tunic. A bit warm for the weather outside, but it would make her feel far more comfortable with these unknown hosts. So far, the elves did not seem so bad, but ever so often, the stories she had heard all her life would ring warnings in her head.

As she put on her clothes, she let her eyes wander over the room once more. It was so elegant, genuinely fit for a queen. But it remained so silent. It irked her how time seemed to have been frozen here.

But, there was something that was frozen yet seemed like it wanted to move—dozens of still paintings laid against the wall. Aria had turned some last night and marbled at the care and technique. The oil paint scrapped and merged on top of the canvas with such deliverance.

A shiver ran down her spine as the lines of the paint seemed to call to her. They beacon her to come closer. Tempted was a better word. She forgot the tunic in her hands and took one step closer. Then another. And Another. And...

"Hurry up in there, human! The prince has arrived!" Estel's sharp word broke through the closed door and broke Aria from her trance.

Aria shook her head violently and wondered what she had been walking towards. Then it was forgotten as she proceeded to put her tunic on.

Just as promised, Elvin had appeared to fetch Aria after breakfast. They walked out of the castle and into the kingdom, closely followed by Estel and Nessa. Along the way, everyone would stop in their tracks to greet the prince. Every fae, whether big or small, bowed their heads in respect; their eyes radiated with sincere admiration. It contrasted so much with the panic Aria was so used to seeing in her people when her brother was near.

Aria felt conflicted. She was slightly enamored with the beauty of the place she found herself. It would have been easy to feel at home. Yet, the hate within the look of everyone around her, made the potential of spending the rest of her life here appear quite dreadful.

They left the kingdom's common grounds and ventured to the far north corner of the domain. It was far more remote. A road ventured from the main town, sneaking its way up a hill.

On top of the hill, a small hut sat, hidden by an old tree. Its vine-like branches cascaded down around its roof, rendering it barely visible—a hidden world to those not careful enough to pay attention. The tree had a mystical glow to it. Its leaves were not the traditional green, but a cyan-blue that glistened in the bright morning blue sky.

Near the tree, sat a lonely little girl, a pool of flowers at her feet. With extreme care, she would take each lone flower and weave them into a unified crown. Every single one held the other sturdily in its place.

Aria curiously watched the little girl. She was confused at the contempt in Estel's eyes as they approached the girl. It was so similar to the one she often received from all the kingdom residents.

The little girl seemed to have taken notice of the approaching party, most of all, she rejoiced at seeing Prince Elvin. With a giant smile on her face, she ran towards them, the flower crown held proudly in her hands.

There was something about her that was quite different. Something that Aria could not quite place her finger on. Her skin and eyes were the color of milk chocolate. Her hair flowed down like a black curtain, obscuring much of her features.

The little girl stopped in front of Prince Elvin. He greeted her with a smile. "Milady Lia, how have you been?"

She bowed down in return, giving him a curtsy. "Prince Elvin, I have prepared a crown for you!"

"I am honored." Elvin swiftly got down on one knee, tilting his head forward, and awaited to be crowned. With most care, the little girl placed the crown upon his head. She pulled back, a broad and proud smile now graced her face.

The whole scene looked surreal to Aria. A prince, in warrior armor, bowing down to a little girl. She now understood why his people seemed to love him as such.

Elvin looked up and said, "your gift warms my heart, milady."

"Should you not be at home?" Estel's harsh words broke the moment. The smile on Lia's face turned into worry.

"But mother is never home!"

"Does the high sheevra know you are here?" Elvin inquired, drawing Lia's attention back to him.

"Yeah, I have been helping her make her healing mixes."

"Is that so,"-Elvin looked beyond the little girl to the cabin- "can you take us to her?"

"Of course!" She rejoiced, twirled around, and skipped towards the cabin.

Lia moved the tree branches and revealed the door to the hut. It creaked in resistance as it was pushed open. Within it, a slender older woman wandered from side to side. Ever so often, she would stop to pick one of the many herbs that sat on the shelves, gently caressing their leaves before sniffing them.

The door's opening made her stop and turn towards the entrance. Her face and long grey hair reflected her age. She wore a long white silky gown that flowed down beyond her feet. It gilded against the dirty ground as she approached the incoming figures. Her bare feet could be seen touching the ground.

"Child, what have you brought me here?" the old woman asked.

"Prince Elvin has come to visit!" She joyfully announced.

"What does ye seek here," the Sheevra asked, looking in the prince's direction? Something seemed off about her gaze.

"I sent soldiers to inform you of our purpose here today." Elvin looked slightly annoyed that his instructions had not been carried out.

"Ahh, I sent them away. Came in here, barging, and scarring my poor Mita," she said, swatting away at the air as if dismissing the prince's annoyance.

As she spoke the name, a small creature appeared from underneath the main table. It was as small as a white baby wolf. Except it was no mortal world. Its tail, covered in scales, expanded and swang behind like the motion of a serpent— a fluffy hair bundle at the end. A bright red spot, like a polished ruby, adorned its head. The white fur that composed its body looked more like feathers than the strands of hair.

The creature sniffed the air. Its hair stood up and growled at Ari as if sensing danger.

"Calm down, Mita." The Sheevra instructed the dog, she reached her hand out and advanced towards Aria.

Aria attempted to step away, but mistakenly crashed into the unwelcoming Estel, who pushed her off. Thrown off-balance, Aria fell into the old lady's reach. Old, wrinkled hands touched all over Aria's face. She tried to pull back, but suddenly the woman's hands clamped around her ears. "A human?" she mused.

Aria managed to rip her face from the older woman's grasps, "what do you think you are doing?"

"She is blind,"- Elvin elaborated from behind Aria - "it is how she sees."

"Do not worry, child. I just wanted to see if what my dear Mati was growling about was indeed true," she explained.

"You can talk to that creature?" Aria asked. Her eyes fixed on the animal whose eyes seemed to follow her every movement.

"Saying that I can understand it to some level would be far more accurate. But that is a topic for another time. It appears we have bigger matters to discuss." The older woman began walking around her hut, grabbing some herbs from her shelf, and crushing them with a stone. "That is quite a nasty seal ye have there, my child."

"You can sense it?" Elvin asked.

"Mita can smell it on her. I only felt it once I touched her. It made my skin crawl to feel such darkness." She added a metallic liquid to the plant and watched it disintegrate into a silver powder. She placed some within her hand and turned to Aria once more. "I assume you want me to remove it?"

"Yes, among other things," Elvin spoke.

"Come here, child," she held out one hand in the direction of Aria.

Aria looked towards Elvin for guidance on what to do. He simply gave her a nod to do as she was told. Cautiously, Aria took the older woman's hands and let her guide her to the center of the hut.

"Kneel, please."

Aria looked once more at Elvin for confirmation but received the same response. Despite being afraid of what was to come, Aria lowered herself to her knees.

"So, why has his royal highness taken an interest in the dark seal of a human?" The older woman asked as she parted Aria's caramel hair to either side, exposing her neck's skin. She began rubbing the silver mixture on Aria's skin. Aria tried to decipher the patterns drawn on her skin, but she did not recognize its meaning.

"She can use light magic. We hope that once you break her seal, you can train her. She has agreed to remain here and used it to help our people,"

"Well, let us first see how this seal fairs against my magic," the Sheevra placed her hand on Aria's nape and began to chant in an unrecognizable language.

It started as a tingle—a slight warming of the skin on her neck. The temperature of her body rose like a fever trying to fight off an illness. Out of the corner of her eyes, Aria saw a bright light pouring out of the Sheevra's hands and into Aria's body. She felt like her skin was being carved and pulled from its roots. Tears began to fall from Aria's eyes when the pain became too great.

"IT HURTS!!!"She screamed in pure agony.

But Aria's scream did not make the Sheevra stop; in fact, her magic poured more fiercely into her neck. The observers watched with concern at the pure distress in her voice. Even Estel held some pity in her eyes.

"PLEASE STOP!" Aria wanted to get up and run, but all her strength was spent on staying awake. Her limbs felt numbed.

Aria saw Elvin's approach with concern in his eyes, "that's enough!"

But again, the Sheevra just ignored his command and continued with her work. The air began to sizzle with magic, causing Mita to whimper in the background.

Aria starred at Elvin, who seemed to be trying to help, and pleaded 'please.' Her throat was too tired and raspy to scream anymore. Her body was giving out.

Elvin's eyes widened in shock for a second. He approached, grabbing the Sheevra's hand quite hard. Yet as old as her hand was, it held steady over Aria. Tired from fighting, Aria gave in to the burning feeling, a burst of light releasing from her neck. The release of magic caused everyone to move back. Mita whimpered in the farthest corner as waves of powerful magic poured out of Aria, each wave more intense than the next.

Aria screamed once more, allowing everything to spur out of her. With it, went wherever semblance of a strength that had previously held her body. Aria collapsed face down, her body no longer functioning.

The world around her blurred as strong hands picked her up. The last thing she saw was Elvin's intense gaze.

'Impossible,' Elvin's voice rang in Aria's head. But, his lips never moved.