The hood still covered my hair and part of my face, and I stood somewhat behind Ulric, nervous, and feeling shy about how this was going to go down. Ulric and Gerard both bowed while I stood awkwardly, unsure of what was happening.

"Ah, Prince Ulric. Is that you? The last time I saw you, you were shorter than me!" A feminine voice trilled, and a rough masculine chuckle followed suit. Prince? He was a prince? That explained his vast knowledge of court and royal duties - he was Elven royalty, Dark Elven royalty. I guess the reward wasn't all that was protecting him here either. No wonder he had no qualms about delivering me to the palace without invitation. His status as a Prince likely provided him some sort of political immunity.

"Yes, it has been quite a while, Queen Luciana. King Heinrich, my mother sends her regards."

"Hmm, does she?"

"To be honest, I don't know. I haven't been home in quite some time."

"Ah, yes, the adventurer. Tell me, how have your adventures been?"

"Complicated," Ulric quipped. "But apparently bountiful as I have come across quite the treasure. I present to you, Crown Princess Amberleigh."

Another gasp rippled across the room as he pulled the hood away from my face exposing me for everyone to see. I felt like I was an oddity on display as everyone in the room stared me down. I was not clean, I was not dressed in finery, my ears were clipped like a human. I looked wrong to them. But seeing my mother, queen Luciana standing before me, no one could argue that we didn't have a strong resemblance. The familiarity of her face within mine was the only thing that appeased the court's suspicions that I was the crown princess.

Studying their faces, I tried to jog any sort of memory of them in my mind's eye. I wanted them to look familiar, I wanted them to sound familiar, but they did not. I had no memories of them; I had no idea who they were.

"A-Amberleigh? Is that really you?" Queen Luciana stood from her throne and took a few steps forward.

"I think so. I don't have memories of Erivale or Ithica. Still, I was adopted and am the same age as what Princess Amberleigh would be."

"Oh, my goodness," She sobbed and ran towards me to pull me into a tight hug. I was taken aback and awkwardly wrapped her in a hug as well. The touch felt foreign, and I chalked it down to it just being new.

A few shouts rang out, ordering everyone to clear the room, leaving my small ragtag band of travelers, the king and queen, and their royal guard. When it was finally silent, the king stood from his throne and stepped towards us. "Tell us, Prince Ulric, how exactly did you happen to come across Amberleigh? I have half a mind to think that the Dark Elves have had her hidden this entire time!" The distrust was evident in his tone.

"Come now, Heinrich, you and I both know that the Dark Elves were cleared of all suspicions when you searched our lands and palace." Ulric's tone was tight with frustration. "I was hunting in and around the Draeton mountains on my way back when I came across this girl dressed in unfamiliar clothes, clothes of the human realm. She spotted my wolves and me and ran away. I had my suspicions that she may be the Lost Princess. There had been rumors of sightings of a human realm girl with a striking resemblance to Queen Luciana. She spotted me and ran. I tracked her through the forest to a cliff. From there, I could see her clearly, and there was no doubt in my mind that she was, in fact, Crown Princess Amberleigh. Before I could get to her, she jumped off the cliff and simply disappeared."

"Disappeared? Things don't just disappear."

"Well, she did." Ulric glanced at me. I felt like an object as they discussed me without ever asking or talking to me. "I camped out in and around that cliff for 26 days when she suddenly reappeared exactly where she had left from. I pulled her onto solid land, and we have been traveling ever since to bring her here."

"And what of the Faun? You aren't the likes to travel with company."

"The Faun was picked up along the way during a roadside skirmish."

"Hmm, will he be going with you or will he be staying here at the palace? I'm sure we could find work for him."

"Actually, he's requested to be my personal servant. And I agreed." I finally piped up.

"Requested? There are plenty of servants within these walls. Tell me, Faun, why should you receive the honor of being the servant to royalty?"

"King Heinrich." Gerard bowed low. "Crown Princess Amberleigh saved me from a life of slavery. I owe her everything and would like to make it up to her by serving her."

The king made a sound of approval and waved Gerard off. "Now, Amberleigh, what is this disappearing over cliffsides Ulric speaks of?"

"I don't really know. I don't understand how it happens or why, but when I would fall asleep at night in the human realm, I would sometimes wake up here in Erivale. My journey back to the human realm was always marked with a faint shimmer to the air. I was afraid Ulric was going to kill me that first night a month ago, so I saw the shimmer off the side of the cliff and took the chance. My arrival back in Erivale only a few days prior was the same. I was running from danger in the human realm and went to the shimmer and showed up back in Erivale."

"So you have been realm hopping," King Heinrich mumbled. He shared a glance with Queen Luciana. "With power such as that it is no doubt you are our daughter. The royal families of the Elves are blessed with gifts from the gods and heightened magical abilities. Realm hopping is rare and requires strong magic to even see doorways to realms."

I had nothing else to say. What else was there to say? Hey mom, hey dad, what's up? No, that wouldn't work in a situation like this. These Elves, while my biological family, still felt foreign. Their ways were unfamiliar, and I had no idea how the tides would shift as I was indoctrinated into the role of princess.

"Amberleigh, what happened to your head?" Queen Luciana asked me and reached up a tentative hand to look at the bandage on my forehead. Her voice was laced with motherly concern.

"It was a rough journey, I tripped and hit my head. It's a small cut."

"We will have a healer take a look at it immediately once you get to your room," Queen Luciana replied.

"Ulric, let's discuss your reward for returning our daughter to us. Luciana, show Amberleigh to her room, I'm sure she would enjoy a bed and a bath after her long journey." King Heinrich began to walk away before he paused, "Oh, and Smithson, take this Faun to receive royal robes. We can't have a half-naked faun following the princess." A soldier stepped forward and began walking out of the throne room with Gerard following behind.

Ulric went with the king, and half of the royal guards followed the pair as they exited the throne room to the right. I was surprised when Fenrir did not follow Ulric and instead stayed next to my side. Queen Luciana was still near me, and she grabbed my hand with a teary-eyed smile, "You have no idea how wonderful it is to have you back." I felt my heart pulse with happiness. Queen Luciana's words were beginning to eliminate my feeling of being an oddity. To her, I was not an oddity, I was family.

A gentle clearing of a throat called our attention, and the rhythmic sound of high heels on marble flooring came closer. The girl that I had noticed at our first entrance stood before us; I had forgotten she was even here. Up close, she looked just like I thought a princess should look: her skin was porcelain smooth, and her blonde hair was tied up in an elegant bun. She wore a sleek round-necked tulle dress in a soft grey color. Gold accented the seams around her chest and neck, and shiny jewels were sewn into the fabric make every movement shimmer. She was regal, she was poised, and she was perfect.

"Ah yes, Amberleigh, this is your cousin Guinevere." Queen Luciana gestured Guinevere forward.

"It's lovely to see that you survived," Guinevere said with a soft smile and cold eyes. A shiver ran down my back and I instinctively threaded my fingers through Fenrir's fur. Any feeling of being welcomed and accepted I had gained from Queen Luciana immediately disappeared in front of Guinevere.

My touch drew Guinevere's attention to the massive wolf beast. "It seems you choose some interesting company," she said somewhat distastefully and reached out to touch Fenrir, who bared his teeth and let out a warning growl to the Elven princess. She snapped her hand back in fear. "Surely a dog such as this shouldn't be allowed within the palace." She looked to Queen Luciana.

"Yes, I'm sure he would do better in the stables."

"No." They both looked at me, surprised with my outburst. I felt the need to backtrack and soften the blow of my harsh demand. "I'm sorry, it's just that, Fenrir and his wolves helped to keep me safe during my journey here. I feel much safer and more comfortable with him at my side."

"You travel with Fenrir?" Queen Luciana raised her immaculate eyebrows in surprise, but she said nothing else on the topic and instead turned to walk away with Guinevere on her heels. "Come, I shall show you to your room."

We walked out the throne room from the doors we first entered through and backtracked partway through the palace until we were met with a massive grand staircase taking us up to the next floor. From there, we traversed through more stairs and large hallways until we were walking down a grand hall with thick, elegantly carved wooden doors.

Strange glowing orbs that looked like a cross between a lightbulb and a candle illuminated the hallway and the various artworks on the wall. Periodically placed were pedestals of flower vases. To boil it all down, it looked just like a palace should – perfect.

I was informed that the lights within the palace are created with magic so that they don't need a constant flame to stay bright. The palace, while lavish, looked like something I had seen in pictures of castles and mansions in the human realm, the main difference being that here the palace seemed to be infused with magic.

There was also a mix of Elven royal guards and Garuda out in front of many doors. The Garuda looked very similar to the Elves that they stood next to with standard, humanoid bodies, and faces. The distinguishing feature of a Garuda was their bird-like wings protruding from their backs. At rest, the giant wings folded tight against their backs, and all that could be seen from the front was the tops of the wings above their shoulders and the pointed tips stretching down almost touching the floor.

We stopped near the end of the hall, and two Garuda opened the doors revealing the most beautiful room I had ever seen. It was massive and had a large fireplace roaring with a comfortable selection of seating in front. Everything was pristine white, with the royal accent color of Ithica, light blue. It was all also gilded in gold leading it to appear almost as if everything was glowing.

"We kept your room prepared in case of your return. Do you like it?" Queen Luciana smiled.

"Yes, it's beautiful." I was awestruck as I wandered around the room, gently trailing my fingers over luxurious, silken fabrics, and carved wooden furniture.

"We will have a servant come and prepare your bath for you. Heinrich and I have rearranged our schedules to fit in a private dinner with you this evening, so please, refresh yourself and rest up. We hope to get to know you."

"Okay, thank you." I felt stupid saying something so mundane at the prospect of dining with the king and queen of Erivale.

I had hoped that Queen Luciana would have stayed for a while; I had so many questions, and I wanted to get to know the person that gave birth to me. Instead, she left me with a healer to attend to her royal duties.

The healer inspected my wound and provided me with a salve to apply over the next few days and then left me alone as well.

No one stayed. No one talked to me. I was alone.

Fenrir nudged the back of my knee almost making me fall. I guess I wasn't completely alone; I still had Fenrir. Even so, I felt somewhat forgotten as my parents left me in solitude within this new place.

As a child, I had always dreamed of my real parents. I had imagined that they would come back for me, whisk me away, and hug me close and tell me they loved me. I appreciated my adoptive parents and everything they provided me with. Still, there had always been a longing for my biological parents and their affection. I wanted them to swoop me away to a cozy house where we would watch movies and play board games, and they would hold me so close, afraid to lose me once again.

My dream never considered that my parents would be from an entirely different world, nor could it have ever fathomed that they would be royalty. The childhood dream would never work here. Within a royal palace such as this, the king and queen are far too busy, I was beginning to realize. Interactions were to be scheduled, and there were no board games to speak of. The beauty of the palace masked the harsh loneliness within its walls.