Rounding down the hallway, were portraits. Ranging from glorious war heroes basking their elven armour in the light of the sun, to the very simple portraits of their past princes, princess, kings and queens.

One in particular piqued my interest. It was of a woman fighting a dragon.
She was clad in fine silver and lacking a helmet, her flaxen-blonde hair was caught by the wind. Her pointy fae ears amused me a bit. She had beautiful blue eyes and wore a small mischievous smile.

Aloft in the air, she was, with a sword in her both hands. Directly in front of her was a dragon with scales darker than the night and fiery red eyes. Little lights were cast on the grey mountains below and the woman was shining like the sun. I was easily reminded of how well, a single picture could tell a story.

I cast one look at the dragon slayer and smiled at the absurd notion that dragon existed but the smile quickly disappeared from my face. 

I diverted my gaze to Solan. I saw a sort of resemblance between the woman in the painting and him. Though it was anything too striking for while his eyes were the blue of the ocean depths,  her were like the bright reveries of the morning sky, bright and alit. Still I believed that She must have been a relative of his.

Solan, whose expression at the moment, was impossible to read. It was ironical that he was so distant while our hands were linked together. I knew he was more like the introvert,  perhaps one with a frozen heart, but he's been a lot more things, in this short time frame of a hours. He had been cruel to me, when I opposed him for Flash's sake. He had been kind and thoughtful when he let me meet Lalarein, knowing fully well talking to her would comfort me. He could  be all this things, when he wanted. but then who was he? Really?

Perhaps I was giving him too much relevance. He was only a stranger I had met today, I shouldn't think we had become friends. It was very ironical that he was so distant while our hands were linked  together.

He released my hand from his hold, gently and stepped in front to push open the large doors to the court room.
The thought of meeting such an important figure as the king, instantly made me nervous. I could already see myself cowering before his stern intimidating gaze. Stuttering like an idiot when I'm addressed, or worst tripping on the tail of my dress and making a fool of myself.

I had planned to achieve this with Flash. With Flash gone, I only had half my confidence, which wasn't very much.I found myself seeking consolation from the faery prince.
"Solan" I called 
"Don't you have any advice for me?"
His voice was low as he replied, I had doubted he would respond.
"What sort of advice I can give that will help you against a Mad King"

My eyes widened, and my heartbeat hitched a beat. I was just tensed before but now he had succeeded in scaring the living daylight out of me. He regarded this and a smile crept on his face, obviously enjoying the effect he was creating.
"Here! Give me your hand, I am to announce you"

We ambled into the large hall. The tail of my dress, swiping down the obsidian floors. My gaze wallowed the lines of empty chairs, only two people were in attendance, the king with the ruby crown and a young fae seated beside him. I instantly felt better, I was always more comfortable with a small audience. But still, a mad king! How could I safe, he may find my words offensive or my silence insulting.

My eyes became fixated on the figure on the throne. A crown lied sideways on his silver head. Tilted in an angle, that I feared it would drop. His long silver hair poured his shoulders. His face was not as youthful as his immortality suggest nor as old as the grey highlights in his silver hair suggested. He was generally good-looking and had eyes like Solan. He was adorned in a T-shaped tunic.

Seated by his side was a male fae, obviously not as half as elderly as he was. I could easily tell he was the king's son and Solan's elder brother. He had their family signature eye color and long silver hair, his, he allowed to pour downwards, with a side fringe covering his right eye. A small sardonic smile tugged on his pink frosty lips, revealing a cute cheek dimple. He probably thought himself to be the beautiful thing in the world.

"Father" Solan called "I give you June Seras. Oberon's grand-daughter, the one we suppose is of the prophecy,  born of faery and human blood."

Now that wasn't too formal. I walked forward stiffly. "Bow" came a rash whisper from behind me. I made an effort.

"Rise' ordered the king in a bored tone. I straightened at his commands. My movements were rigid and without grace. I was so tensed I was forgetting to breath.
"Come closer, girl, do not be scared."
I moved too small steps ahead, much to his annoyance.
"I will not repeat myself." he ordered with a frown. Quickly,  I scurried forward, until I reached a distance I thought was proper enough.
"I know you've heard that I'm a bit accustomed to madness, " He stated eyeing his more feminine son who had stifled a laugh at his statement.
"This are all lies. However, I do get a bit agitated. sometimes."
I would had believed him if his crown wasn't almost falling off his head.
"But I'm in a fine mood today." He smiled, adjusting the crown on his head, as if reading my thoughts. There was a huge pause before he spoke next.
"You do not share your mother's features,  but your beauty is just like hers, radiant and unrivalled."
"A little too overstated" Broke in the younger fae. His voice light, with an air of all-importance.
"She's a bit thick around the hips"
I'm not thick! I'm...just curvy
The king sighed.
"Never mind my son Dalan, he's an idiot sometimes. As I was saying-"

"Yes! Yes!" Dalan broke in. " As you were saying old man, but we can not say that for sure, this girl here might as well be an imposter."

He cast his brother a loathing glare, a wicked grin smeared on his face.
" We just can't take the words of your little boy here as the fact"

I cast a glance at Solan. His jaw tightened and his fist clenched. He glowered at his brother,  with absolute hate. For me, I considered only his words. I knew what they meant, and I was frightened.
The king nodded as he digested his words.
"It's only as expected, Solan, she will have to take test"
***

"Fair maiden" The king addressed me.
"I wish to give to a chance to decide but it is on your word, my son Solan had brought you here. You should know how priceless, the sword fragarach is, to us all. We can not allow it fall into the wrong hands. If you be then an imposter, your death will a justifiable punishment"

I nodded. I was scared to think that the sword will reject me and I will die, scared to think, that this part of my life was a lie as well. That I had grown without a mother, hunted by the dark-fae, forced to abandon my father, my life, all for a lie, all for a little misconception. It was a torment to my soul and I needed to get rid of it.

"Pity" Solan's elder brother said. "She's pretty, would had served as an amusement for me for a few days, what a waste."

I shot him a glare. A cynical smile crept on his face and he winked at me.

I braved the challenge. It was after all my moment of truth.
"I will take the test!" I decided.

It was the twins I pitied, who watched me discard their million-dollar silver sequins dress, without even wearing it for up to ten minutes. I on the other hand, was a bit glad, it had seemed a bit over-the-top for me.

I discarded the onyx earrings and necklace and reserved only my pink-jewelled ward.

By the time I was done, they were hairpins littered everywhere and my hair were was a wild untamed mess. With assistance from the twins, the unruly strands were locked in in two long braids that ran to my waist.
I searched the wardrobe myself and was lucky to find black leather pants and light boots to match and even luckier to find a dark grey woolen shirt. A souvenir, the twins said they collected from the human realm. The only person liking the look of me was me.
Walking back into the king's Courtroom, I had found a new sense of confidence.

Solan was seated, not beside the king and his brother, but was taking up a random empty chair at the right.

In the centre now, was an wooden box, the size of a pirate's treasure chest. It was engraved with silver at the ends.
On it's smooth magohany surface, was engraved the seal of the Winter court which was the emblem of a white owl.

There was another seal, this one painted with black ink. It must be a blinding seal, used on instruments used to hold magical artifacts.

A guard came and undid the locks of the box, flipping the top open.
On the smooth velvet silk lied was what I thought was a very normal looking sword. A bit blunt, by the look of of it.
But I was one to know that appearances could be deceiving, especially in this world of the faery.

I wish Flash was with me, It would have easier to go through all out of it with his worry-free attitude, or Lalarein, her beautiful voice would have soothed my fears or Amaryllis. Even If I despised her, it was still the blueprint of her plan I was following. It would have made me feel safer if at least she was here to supervise-Like a matron and make sure nothing goes wrong. In all I knew, it was something, I had to do on my own.

"Well then" said the King impatiently "go on and take it"

I cast a glance at Solan. He was sitting at the edge of his chair, his shoulders were stiff betraying his anxiety. I spared another glance at his brother, who was grinning like a snake.

Then again, came the stinging doubt.
I cleared my head of it and with fierce determination, went forward and picked up the sword.

A fluorescent wave of energy surged forth, blowing across the vast hall like a wind. I barely took any notice of this, for when I touched the sword, it was like I dipped my fingers into the mind of somebody else.

A fresh wave of memories hit me, it wasn't my memories, it must have been those of the sword's last wielder. It wasn't just the memories of his life that came to bit, It was like a part of his soul. I could feel his pain, his love- It was broken, then his anger and rage. They burnt endlessly like the fire of an eternal furnace. And although I thought they would burn forever, like the flames of hell, they didn't. And slowly went off and I found myself by a lake. It felt so real because so beautiful were the flowers buds stretched beside it, and the chirping of the tiny forest birds.

Then I saw him, the last wielder of him, Aringar as he was called. King's Oberon grandfather. I realised then by looking at him, I possessed most of his features- hair, the colour of the sun, beautiful green-chestnut eyes, I wondered if my mine were as beautiful as his. He was by a few inches taller than me. His hair was tied in a loose pony tail and loose strands fell and caressed his face. 

His shirt was a deep dark green, loosely fitted with lonely. On his left hand, was golden ring, with an oval beryl stone.

Then his gaze met mine, sad and sorrowful,  very sorrowful. I could never forget the words he said to me, and yet at that time I could not understand.
You may be able to save them. But you can't save yourself.