"Zelda! How long are you taking to don a single dress?" Aurora called out from the outside, knocking rather impatiently on the closed doors.

But I paid no heed to her as I myself was entangled in yet another annoyment. What in the world made these people to have a dress code for balls? Was wearing enough clothes not enough for them anymore?

My legs fumbled through the lengthy and intricate curtain of the dress, while my scarred arms felt undeniably exposed in this piece which sported no arms. With a low cut bust and a high cut that showed my legs, I was left flabbergasted at the amount of skin it showed. How was I supposed to cover myself when this dress was made to uncover me?

Groaning in utter frustration, I held the midnight dress up by putting a hand on my bust and opened the door. As soon as I did so, Aurora barged inside, her long black hair dancing animatedly on her delicate back.

"I knew you would need succour. What was the meaning of closing the doors when you had to finally let me in?" She reprimanded me while turning me around and taking control of the strings on my back.

"It's because all of this is extremely risible. I don't want to asphyxiate in a dress which weighs myriad kilograms and lessens the speed of my body. I feel the most comfortable in clothes that make me move with nimble precision."

Aurora sighed softly as her adept fingers worked on securing my dress. "Yes, my little fighter lady. I almost forgot how it's a shame for you to become like the other women in this world."

Her mordant remarks didn't really hurt me, as her quick tongue was one of my favorite things about her. It brought me a sense of realism in a life that was bound to gift me one misery after the other. Thus, I welcomed that fresh breath of air with both arms, but never let her know so.

When people realize they have some power over you, the days of fun start to become obsolete.

"Of course, I do not. This world would not be the same if I suddenly wish to change," I remarked in faux haughtiness, making soft laughter escape her lips.

"Here, you're all done," she said while tying the rest of my strings tightly behind my back. "Look at me, and let me see how well of a dress I've chosen for you."

I turned around with much difficulty and said, "No matter what you think, I still don't like it."

"Are these scars bothering you?" She asked me, completely disregarding my earlier comment.

I nodded after a moment, becoming pensive and serious all of a sudden. "Yes, I do."

My simple words made her think of something, and she rushed around her commodious room, seemingly in search of some item.

Her room was located right at the top most floor of the tavern, and sported a huge balcony which provided majestic views of lush mountains and hills of Goldwyn. The walls were painted in hues that resembled a light blush on a maiden's cheeks and the rich jade which emerged from the underside of sea waves, while her ceiling had elaborate paintings of unicorns flying in the royal blue sky.

Filled with ornate furniture that cost a fortune, her room was a dream come true for any young maiden. It was trendy yet maintained her high status as a royal of the Fae Kingdom. Although nobody in this human town would ever recognize her real self, Aurora stayed faithful to her real identity.

Aurora rushed back to me, her eyes sparkling, which was seldom not a good sign for me. "I have something for you. Something you will be immensely keen on possessing."

Alert and chary of what she was about to do next, I posed my question, "What is it? What now?"

She held her hand out and dangled some blackish thing in my face. "These matching gloves for your dress! Now you don't have to sweat over your scars showing!"

I blinked back the shock and feelings of gratitude as I continued to stare at her with a dotish expression. Without waiting for my reply, Aurora continued to pick apart my arms and slide on the delicately spun lace gloves on them. Instantly, my skin became an object of intrigue and appeared much more beautiful veiled behind the priceless fabric.

I smiled at her in gratitude and knew that she would comprehend its meaning.

"Now let me do the rest," I told her as I shuffled towards the redwood dresser to my right. Ignoring my quotidian reflection in the mirror, I set my eyes on the black leather belt laying on the wood.

Picking it up, I parted my voluminous skirts that gave way to my muscular thighs. Unfastening the belt, I tied it fastly to my left thigh as it was hidden better than my other one. Picking up the sheathed poisonous dagger, I tucked it inside the belt, securing it to my leg.

"Do you really need your dagger? It's a masquerade ball, and demons aren't allowed there!" Aurora remarked, her tone filled with absolute chagrin.

I looked up at her from my bent position, lips widening into an emotionless smile. "Oh, how naive you are, dear. Just be satiated that I decided to leave my sword behind."

She sighed once again, knowing that I wouldn't change my mind. "Alright, whatever you wish to do. Now let's get going elsewise we will be late."

Nodding, I followed her out of the room and down three rows of stairs. The tavern had rooms on the first two floors, meant for esteemed guests to relax and make merry while taking a short break from their journey, or for any other purpose.

Being the closest companion of the owner here, I was aware that people indulged in illicit shenanigans more than innocent purposes of resting. It seldom made me ponder over my duty, and whether these humans were deserving of getting rescued from the demons.

Whenever I found myself encircled by such thoughts, I invariably reassured myself that nobody deserved to get their life taken away from them in such a ruthless manner. If somebody had committed a crime, they could just be punished for it in the human world itself.

As we reached the ground floor, Aurora led us towards a nondescript door at the end of the corridor. It was the only door here that lacked so hugely in elaborate decorations. It stood out like a sore thumb amongst all other ostentatious entrances and frankly, drew more attention than it should.

I wondered what Aurora was thinking when she had conceived such a wonderful idea of letting such a significant secret shine so dazzlingly.

Right, I almost pretermitted. She was not really thinking when she did such a thing.

Beside the door, Dominic leaned on the embellished wall. He stood up alert as he saw us approaching, but he seemed to be tad bit amiss tonight. Although his light coloured hair were set behind his ears neatly, and he donned a new black coat just like the nobles, his expressions seemed off.

Why was he gazing at me like I was some otherworldly creature?

"What are you staring at? Do I look so hideous that you can't recognize me?" I asked, my voice harsh and my tone taut.

I was already mortified at my state, so much so that I discountenanced looking in the mirror. I did not need another mouth voicing out my bitter feelings toward myself.

"N-no, it's not that. I apologise for staring," He answered, averting his eyes from me.

I stared at him, gauging his actions and body language, but couldn't find any vestige of derision in him. Giving his aberrant behaviour rest for now, I nodded at Aurora to open the door.

Closing her eyes, Aurora concentrated on her magical powers and chanted incoherent words under her breath. The ground experienced slight tremors and they shook us all. A dull glow encapsulated her, making her raven coloured hair shine brighter than ever. Her eyes were closed, but I knew behind those eyeslids, they had turned golden as she unleashed her true self.

Circling her hands in an uncanny fashion, Aurora pointed her slender fingers towards the door, imparting the strange golden glow to it. The ordinary and dreary wood began to glow in the same light, spreading the light all along the dark hallway. In the dim glow, I caught Aurora's eyes open to reveal their golden shade, as the door shattered into countless pieces.

The pieces scattered in the air, flying high above us, as they gave way to the pitch black pathway. Even though I had traversed this path countless times before, it still managed to instill thorns of disquietude in me.

Whenever I found myself standing at the entrance to the parallel world of the Fae, I was reminded of the first time I had to enter this world. With a wounded Aurora in my arms and a mysterious tunnel in front of me, I didn't really approve of this method at all. But I couldn't help it, as this was the only way to the Fae Kingdom, Windsor.

We stepped inside the dark tunnel, hearing our feet across the path and feeling our feet step onto a smooth road. Nevertheless, I was grateful towards Aurora for creating a second entrance into her world that was not in the middle of the woods and could be accessed with much more ease.

The light at the end of the tunnel told me that we were nearing the kingdom. Windsor was everything I had not expected from a parallel world. At the very least, I had believed it would still look a tad bit similar to our world, but it was anything but.

The sun did not rise in this land, nor did the moon grace the people with its beauty. A bright yellow light akin to the sun was installed in sky high towers, while the innumerable stars filled the dark night with their dazzling starlight.

Our tunnel left us straight in front of the castle of Windsor, in all its colossal glory. White and spread over a vast piece of land, it shone and sparkled with thousands of lights. The day had ended and the stars were gradually showing themselves from the dark sleeves of the sky, as we saw unicorns of all shapes and sizes flying in different directions in the sky.

It was really a sight to behold.

♠︎♠︎♠︎

(Word count - 1778 words)

Soo... this chapter is mostly an insight into Zelda's and Aurora's friendship. Hope you like it!

Also, what do you think will happen at this masquerade ball? Do you think demons could infiltrate this place?

Let me know in the comments!!