I walk into my room with a yawn; stretching my arms out above my head. I have a few hours until I got to go back down for dinner preparations. Everyday is the same, work in the morning until noon have a break for a couple hours until dinner. Maude is a busy woman overseeing everything that the servants take care of. I don't know how she does it. Another yawn comes out and I lazily step to my bed dropping down face first. So soft... I could nap for a bit. I don't really have any plans today.

Between my chores, my reading and writing lessons the days have been melting together. Almost two weeks have passed since I moved here now that I think about it. It's nice. I'm starting to feel more comfortable and I feel like I am fitting in well with the others. Sebastian has been busy with his duties, he is still reading through diaries and found that that his great grandfather married a Hearthgrim. Princess Danika, the daughter of the King at the time. Since that news, I haven't seen much of Sebastian while staying here.

I lift my head up so I can roll my body fully onto the bed and a rustling sound crunches underneath me. A piece of paper with a note written on it.

'Meet me in the ballroom. 2 o'clock.' Signed by Seb at the bottom.

I smile to myself looking at the clock. It's almost 2 now, so I clamber off the bed to change in more casual attire. Not feeling tired at all as I did a moment before.

The young King is standing in front of a tall window that reaches the ceiling. Sunlight shines on his face making his golden skin glow. His hands are in the pockets of his trousers as he rocks on his feet. I stop to watch him for a moment longer.

Maude had shown me where the ballroom was but I haven't seen what it looked like inside. From this entrance, on the left is a wall of tall windows where Sebastian is standing and to my right are mirrors underneath an open walkway. On the other side of the room from where I am standing is a grand staircase leading up to the second floor. The walls are adorned with gold accents and pops of a pale pink colour the panels. Above me, hanging from the centre of the ceiling, is a large crystal chandelier that glints from the afternoon light. Casting rainbow shadows across the walls and flooring.

I run my hand on one of the accents along the door frame. The golden vines curl up into wide leaves. The columns that support the balcony have this design wrapped around them as well. What a marvellous room to hold a party or ball in. I wonder how it would all look at night in here full of people in extravagant clothing. A band playing uplifting music as the guests dance around with a partner.

My gaze turns back to Sebastian and he is still looking out the window, so I walk up to him not wanting him to wait for me much longer. When I'm a few steps away he spins to me and grins.

"Good afternoon." He says with dazzling eyes.

"Your Highness." I greet with a curtsy.

My blush grows warmer when our gazes meet and he asks me how I am.

It has been a while since I've seen him for more than a brief moment. While working alongside Maude as well as my classes, I've been kept busy. It's tiring I will admit but not to him. "I'm good." I reply with a smile.

He nods. "That's great to hear. Maudie tells me that you are working hard and picking things up quick. She says you've started on your own already."

"Oh.." I rub my arm looking down to the floor. "Well I just wanted to earn my keep for you letting me stay here."

"I know and you are doing an exceptional job Cam."

We share some more smiles and I frown. How does he know that I've been working hard? Has he asked Maude about me again?

Sebastian claps his hands together snapping me back, saying. "Now, you must be wondering why I asked you to come down here." Actually I was starting to wonder why he asked me to meet him in the ballroom. Is he going to teach me to dance now? "I thought I could finally introduce you to my court mage." He tells me with raised brows and widening smile.

"Oh! That would be wonderful." I can learn magic and finally have this mark removed like he said he would. My heart thumps in my chest at the thought. This is exciting and I can't help but look down at the faded mark sitting on my wrist. I'll be a free person.

He chuckles then holds up a hand in front of me. "This way M'Lady."

I grab his hand, almost jumping in spot and he leads us towards the mirrored wall. We walk through a door into a hallway then turn down another with a dead end. He continues walking toward the end but stops suddenly and looks around us. What is he doing? After he is done looking at the other end of the corridor, he turns so we're facing the wall with a large portrait hanging in front of us.

"Before we see Nezra I think I should show you this..." He says softly.

I gaze up at the portrait of an old, heavier woman standing over a dead animal as she is holding its heart. Bright red drips from her hand and runs down to her elbow. It's interesting... although a bit odd. Not to mention gruesome. Did he think I would like something like this. My brows furrow together. "Um... Why?"

"Because." He lifts his hand up to the pictured heart. The Zythine ring glows dimly and I hear a low thumping noise then a rumble like gears from a clock moving. The portrait shifts then swings away from us revealing a gaping hole. I jump back a step with a yelp and see a dark hole carved into the stone wall but also stairs leading down into the darkness. What is this...

My hand grips tighter around Sebastian's as he takes a step forward. "We should move quickly... No one knows of this and I can't have anyone find out about it either." He explains stepping into the cave with me right behind him. Once we are inside, he waves his hand again. The picture moves back covering the hole, closing us inside the now pitch black cave.

A snap of his fingers and a small ball of light appears showing his wide smile.

"What, what is this? And why doesn't anyone else know about it?" I ask turning to him, not wanting to look into that dark cave that dwells beyond. How far does it go? Where does it lead?

"Well.." He says clearing his throat and continues down the stairs, pulling me with him. I make sure to stay right by his side as we walk through. Thank the Divine we are holding hands.

"Do you remember Professor Ozcan talking about Oryn II. How he fortified the heart of MystHaven by
building the walls and protecting Adelaide with his own magic?"

"Yes, he didn't want anyone to steal his power."

"That's not the only reason he did that. For centuries the kings of the past have been trying to unlock that power. People don't know what really happened on the day MystHaven was sieged except for my predecessors and the people that were there of course. When he sieged MystHaven he discovered something and since then we have been keeping it a secret."

Further down we go. Chills run up and down my spine as I look around us. This is not a hallway it's just stone naturally cut out making a rough tunnel leading us into a dark pit. Like this tunnel has been here since the beginning. "Where are we going?"

"To the heart of MystHaven." His voice echoes against the bumpy, jagged walls. With the ball of light, it makes the top of the tunnel glitter like stars as we walk. It's captivating.

It feels like there is no air down here. How far below ground are we? A sense of urgency rumbles through me as we approach an entrance to a giant cavern. A dark glittery stone covers every surface of this large round room and at the other end a tall door stands. It looks like it's made out of different material. I realize that it matches my Zythine amulet, and in the centre where the two doors meet a bright purple glows. What's behind there? Are we in the Heart of Adelaide?

The hairs on my arms start to rise when we get to the middle of the room. Sebastian stands beside me and snaps his fingers again. Two fires from either side of the door burst up, lighting the space.

"Behind those doors is the actual Heart of MystHaven, the Essence of Magic."

I can feel it with every heartbeat, in the air around me and in my blood flowing through me. The Zythine sitting on my chest pricks my skin too. As if there's an unseeing force that lives and breathes. What did Sebastian say? That magic was an entity.

I let go of Sebastian's hand and step closer to the door, feeling an unknown pull then place my hand on the surprisingly warm stone. A sensation like a heartbeat pulses under my hand. There's an energy rushing through me, awakening somewhere deep inside me. No handles or any kind of grip-holds are on the surface so you can't pull it open. I try to push and nothing happens either. There is no doubt that great power lies behind that door. Locked away. Then I hear whispers. They call to me but I can't quite make it out. My hand pulls away when I hear one phrase clearly and I shake my head trying to make sense of it.

"Inside there is the largest deposit of Zythine in the entire world. There are more like it located in other places but not as big as this one. When the humans discovered its properties they began mining it. That's when the Fae taught humans magic to protect the crystal from being completely depleted. They also hid this vein from the humans. Then, as the general public knows, many years later Oryn found out about a 'great power,' meaning the Heart. He thought he could harness it and use it for his own volition and eventually found ways to take away everyone's magical capabilities through the use of Zythine."

He steps closer to me not too far behind. "When Samon, the First Azure Emperor, learned of Oryn's plans he locked the heart away so no one, no human I should say, could abuse that power. Sealing the Heart off made it hard for anyone to use magic again though. Even to the Fae apparently. What they didn't know, was that it would eventually kill magic as well. Its life is draining, its hold slipping from the outer walls and within the city. There have been reports of forests dying or crops not growing. Groups of people are even going missing. It's already affecting the outside world too and we can see it withering away in Adelaide. The wall being an example..." Sebastian shifts in his stance.

"Oryn wanted to be the most powerful human sorcerer and drive the Azure and Fae to extinction. He would've won if it wasn't for Samon's sacrifice."

"He didn't die of old age did he?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oryn, he died here. Samon stopped him."

I turn around to Sebastian who has his arms crossed and knitted brows. "How do you know this?"

"Is it mad to say that I heard voices?"

A small smile grows across his lips. "Well all that has happened in the last few days. Actually since I met you, nothing is outlandish to me anymore. You could say you talk to animals and I wouldn't be surprised."

I laugh nervously. "Yeah. For anyone else it would be but not to you."

"You can talk to animals." He says deadpan.

"Maybe or at least they can understand me..." I confess with a wide grin. Thinking back to the pack of wolves that saved me, how Silver protected me as I slept in their cave or how the horse helped with carrying Elyse. I should tell Sebastian that story sometime then he will really believe me.

He shrugs. "You are half Fae, and they are connected to nature including the wildlife. So really, it is no surprise that you can talk to animals."

Another perk of being an Azure, so maybe Silv and the horse could understand me. It would also explain why I was so good with the animals they used in the circus. Elyse would have never believed anyone could talk to animals but I think she would agree that I could. I wonder if she knew what I really was.

"Come on. We better hurry back before anyone notices I'm gone and you are going to meet my court mage." He says holding out a hand.

Right, the court mage... Completely forgot about that. How exciting, I will finally learn about magic or more importantly how to use it. I look back at the door before taking his outstretched hand then ask him if anyone else knows about this place. After looking around the room as if someone else is here, he replies with a hushed. "No, as it should be. No one can know of this."

"Then why show me?"

He laughs side glancing me. "Isn't it obvious?"

I frown, should it be? "No..."

When I gaze at him his head is tilted to the side then his mouth drops open as he blinks at me. He stops walking and turns to me. "Cam... This is your heritage, your history. Miraculously those Fae descendants, their bloodline is strong enough within you. Tthey live on with you, you carry magic and their story within your blood and bones. Your kind is supposed to be extinct yet here you are. With you, you could be the key in to bringing peace to this world. Connect the Fae and humans once again."

His words rattle through me. I didn't realize... just how important I could be... and that thought hits me like a punch in the face. Now I understand why Sebastian was so excited when I told him that I could use magic on my own. Why Elyse protected me from the bandit...

"I get it..." I say looking down to my feet.

"Hey." The young King says squeezing my hand making me look up to him. "Don't think about it too much, we still have a long way until that happens. Just think about now and how you are going to meet someone who has spent a majority of their life learning about the Fae and practicing magic."

"Okay."

We sneak out of the secret hallway unnoticed. Walking together, not holding hands now, towards one of the towers on the eastern side of the castle to meet the court mage.

The court mage's quarters is quite a sight. There are books left open and loose papers are strewn about covering the different sized tables and the floor too. As if there isn't enough room anywhere else. All kinds of baubles or knickknacks litter the floors and shelves as well. How could one keep track of anything in here? My gaze wanders up around the curved walls and see scribbles in a different language scratched into the stone itself. I wonder what those mean... Could they be written in ancient Fae?

Sebastian steps to the middle of the room while I wander to the other side to a glass contraption with oddly coloured liquids inside them. A small flame burns underneath one of the vials. There's water inside that bubbles up, pushing a green substance through twisted glass. I lean in closer to see what it is but Sebastian speaks softly. "I wouldn't touch that if I were you."

I stand up quickly and turn to him. "What is that thing?"

"That's Nezra's alchemy stand." Seeing my frown he explains further while tucking his hands into his pockets. "He brews different potions with that. For what only the Divine knows."

"Okay..." I say returning to the middle of the room. "So where is he?"

"I am not entirely sure, I didn't notify him that I was coming today." Sebastian answers while slowly spinning his body around. I can see the same amount of amazement as I have in his eyes. "He sure has been busy up here though."

Something crashes above us and a bunch of papers rain over us then someone cursing in some other language. Sebastian and I look up to a man holding an arm load of papers peering down at us from a loft. Is that Nezra?

"Oh! Your Majesty, please grab those before they get mixed up in the pile on the floor!" He orders as he walks down the steps that seem to be only held by the wall.

Sebastian chuckles to himself as he gathers the floating pieces before they land on the ground and I do the same. Why does he have so many of these? As I grab one I turn it around and find more scribbles like the ones on the walls. Maybe it's Ancient Fae? Or it could be something entirely different.

I study the writings more and a hand grips at the top of it. "Thank you sweetness but these are for my eyes only." He says while pulling the papers out from my hands.

"Sorry, didn't mean to read them, or try to at least." At first glance you would say that this man is an ordinary human. But upon a closer look, you can see his skin has a pale green tinge to it. His bushy eyebrows and jutted jaw only tell me more about what he actually is. There's something going on with his eyes that are off putting to me too. When he was facing me I could see they were a lighter brown colour but as he turned away, they looked almost black. Is he an orc?

Sebastian stands next me and hands his pile to the court mage. "It's fine Cam, only Nez can read them anyway."

Nezra nods his head quickly then places the stack on a table behind him. "Who knows? She's not from here and you could have learned it but you didn't want to."

How does he know that I am not from here? I cross my arms shifting my weight to one foot and quietly watch the two talk.

The King shakes his head with a laugh and grabs a small round object from a shelf and leans on a table. "No one speaks Xaltic anymore. It's a dead language, has been for a long time." He says tossing up the orb and catching it in the same hand.

Xaltic? I shake my head and my eyes wander off to the side, to a long stick resting against a wall. It's made of twisted wood that's as tall as me and at the top end, a blue gem sits within the spiralled bark around it.

"Don't touch that!" Nezra barks at me and slaps my hand away which startles me. Then he grips my wrist and pulls me back to Sebastian in the middle of the room again. "She a curious one ain't she?"

"Yes." He agrees, smiling at me. "But that's what I like about her." What?

I turn to glare at him but he just laughs. I'm not that curious... Am I?

"So what has brought you two here unannounced, My King? Come to annoy me?" The court mage asks grabbing the clear orb from Sebastian's hand and puts it back to where it was sitting on the shelf.

"Well..." He bites his lip turning to me and my eyebrows raise. "First I need you to promise me that you will not, under any circumstances, tell anyone what I am about to tell you."

Nezra's face lights up when he turns to us. "You have piqued my interest Your Majesty. What is it that you want to tell me?"

A pointed glare is sent to Nezra from the King. He raises a hand up and says he promises that he won't tell a soul. I sigh quietly to myself, preparing for the reaction I'm about to get.

"None of your assistants are here are they?" Sebastian asks glancing around.

Nezra shakes his head. "No, now get on with it!"

"This is Cam, she is a slave and also an Azure." He blurts outright. I wasn't expecting him to actually say it like that.

The court mage looks between us for a moment. Then bursts out laughing hoarsely with his head tilted back. I glance at Sebastian and he shrugs. Nezra gazes at us and stops laughing when he sees our straight faces.

"That's impossible! Azures are all but gone or dead along with the Fae!" He stares at me and reaches for my arm with the mark on it before I can move out of his grasp. "Did she show you this? Huh? She is definitely a slave but not an Azure. Did you really believe this one when she told you that she was a descendant of the Fae?"

Sebastian crosses his arms. "Yes, it was all written in paper as well. She was about to be sold to a potential enemy, I think, in hopes of using her to get the crown."

I bite my lip when Nezra turns to me again with a raised brow as he scans me and his eyes fall to my chest. "You know she's wearing Zythine. How could you be so daft to think she's an Azure? She doesn't even look like one."

How did he know I'm wearing the necklace? I have it tucked under the collar of my dress. Or is he bluffing? It is true that I don't look like an Azure, what does that mean of me?

"Well maybe that's what I am hoping to figure out once you lift the slave's contract on her. That mark might be keeping her true form hidden." Sebastian says stepping closer to us. "Similar to the spell you use."

Nezra lets go of me and turns to the King with a frown. "No spell I've ever heard of has that kind of capability. All masters used the same magic to bind the slaves, their very souls, to them. They wouldn't glamour the Azures to hide their appearance. They wanted it to be known as a symbol of status and to let the slaves know that too. She isn't an exception." He says making a pointed stare towards my way. Although I feel that anger isn't towards me but at the people who held those innocent Azures captive.

"Then there might be an added glamour spell." Sebastian counters but the court mage just shakes his head.

"I would be able to tell. Glamour spells work on the surface, anyone adept in magic will see the differences."

I frown at him. "I am an Azure, I can use magic without using the crystal." While the court mage chuckles, I take the necklace off and hand it to Seb who is standing next to me.

"Then prove it." He says with a smirk.

Sebastian smiles at me when I glance at him and he gives me a reassuring nod. Then the two of them take a step back to see what I can do.

I lick my lips commanding the magic to take shape as thick black nails at the ends of my fingers and green scales cover my skin. Now I'm the one smirking as I see Nezra's gapping mouth. Told you!

Just to make a show of it. I give myself a tail and horns too and turn slowly around to show him that I can do magic. When he gasps, I change back to my regular self all while staring at him.

"See?" Sebastian says after handing me my necklace.

"Divine preserve me..." He gasps stepping back and slumps into a chair. "How is that possible?" His gaze falls onto Seb. "Do you know what this means?"

He nods. "Yes, that's why I need you to remove that mark and then we can figure out our next move."

My heart skips at that and I can't help but wrap my hand around the mark. My wish is finally coming to fruition, to be free. To be my own person.

Nezra hums, making me shift my gaze onto him and he stands up with a serious face. "Of course I'll do it, it would be an honour." Then he turns to me with a kind smile. "I must warn you that it is going to be painful."

I blink at him gripping onto my wrist tighter and he grimaces. "It won't last long, the pain will ease almost right after I finish the spell."

Sebastian comes up to my side again and grips onto my shoulder.

Licking my lips I nod, giving Nezra the 'ok'. He looks down at my hand as he approaches me so I lift it up between us. His hand is rough against my skin but they gently grip my wrist. He turns it over to show the mark. With the other hand, he grazes his finger over the skin making me flinch.

"Why is it going to hurt?"

His eyes lift up to mine. "The contract you are under is not only bound to you but your soul as well. Thus limiting your magical abilities. Which is why I am surprised you are able to change your appearance. That uses up quite a bit of magic."

The contract is bound to my soul... No wonder the Fae and Azures weren't able to fight back against the humans. What terrible circumstances. And something deep inside me breaks at the thought of all those that were enslaved. How powerless they must've felt.

Nezra breathes in deeply closing his eyes to ready himself for the spell. I notice that he isn't reading from a scroll like Drakon was. I'll have to ask about that after...

"Et per potentias," He begins to say and I start to feel a burning where my mark is. Well this isn't so bad.

"Divinae lucis in me animam meam ab his conteram tua disrumpam." I suck the air through my clenched teeth and I feel Seb's hand holding tighter. The burning has spread from the mark up my arm and continues as the court mage speaks in Ancient Fae.

"Det vobis spiritum deambulatio vestra magis ac liberos in perpetuum tenendum in solitudinem te numquam nisi per ipsum nemo." My breathing has become fast and ragged. I squeeze my eyes shut now that the pain is coursing through my body but at the spot where my mark is, something digs in, clinging into my flesh. By the Divine! How much longer of this? I think I hear Sebastian tell me to 'hold on' quietly as Nezra breaks the spell.

It feels like I was dropped into a pot of boiling water. My skin tingles and my bones and blood bubble from within being melted away. The heat is too much that I just might faint, it fills my lungs and my breathing hitches. I blindly reach out to hold onto something, to steady myself and I feel a firm arm in my grasp.

"Ne fiat hæc signum damper in lumine tuo amplius. Clare splendere." The world tilts and that something that was burrowed into my wrist releases then a sickening scent hits my nose. I try to gasp in some air as I hold onto Seb. That was the worst pain I've ever felt and I hope that I will never have to relive it again... My legs shake then give out but a pair of arms catches me before I land on the floor. I'm in a forest full of lavender flowers and cedar wood trees surrounding me.

"Nullus tentur ad Unum iam solutum. Bound to no one, now unbound." The court mage says lastly in a whisper.

A gasp of air finally enters my lungs and I open my eyes to Sebastian and Nezra watching me with worry. The pain ebbs with every breath until I feel it no longer but a distant howl of wind in my ears.

Nezra clears his throat letting my hand go when my eyes fall on to it. "You handled that better than the ones I've heard in the stories. Some passed out or threw up their guts from the pain."

"You didn't need a scroll." I comment dryly. The sound seems muffled to my own ears... I need water and sleep.

He shakes his head. "No, I made sure to memorize that spell..."

Sebastian shifts underneath me, I forgot he was still holding onto me. Slowly, because of the dizziness, I lift myself out of his reach. But his arms still hover at my side and he asks how I am.

"A little dizzy, but good I think." I tell him, fixing my hair and wipe the sweat from my forehead. "Did it work?" I ask the court mage. I only ask because if it didn't, I don't think I would go through with it again to try to get rid of the mark.

He grins at me. "See for yourself."

I do, lifting my arm up and see no marks. Just my pale skin. "It's gone." I say gasping then laugh. Joy, pure joy takes over me and I look up to Nezra with pooling eyes. "Thank you.. So, so much." Then I turn to Seb. "Thank you both for what you have done."

And then my feet carry me to Nezra and I wrap my arms around him because I don't know how else to thank him. To show my gratitude. When I step back I see a hint of a blush cover Nezra's cheeks as he rubs the side of his neck.

Sebastian grins at me as we hug. "Everyone deserves their freedom, including you Cam." He says softly into my ear and now the tears fall down my cheeks.

I want to dance, jump, sing, cheer. I owe my life to these two, they have given me the greatest gift I could have ever received. We beam at each other when we lean back. With his thumb, he wipes a tear that is rolling down my cheek.

Nezra coughs loudly, bringing my attention back to the room, to the other man standing near me. Sebastian and I step away from each other and look toward Nezra.

"I was happy to do it Camellia." He says to me then speaks to Sebastian. "Your Majesty, I am sorry but I should take leave now as I have my research to get back to."

"Right. Thank you for your help Nezra." Sebastian says as he rubs the back of his neck.

They nod their heads to each other so I nod to Nezra and he smiles back. As we turn to leave though, the court mage says to me. "You are welcome to join in on the lessons if you would like."

I spin around with a wide smile. "Really?"

He shrugs. "Yes! As an Azure you'll need it and it'll be a great honour to teach you."

"Oh." I stop and blink at him. "Thank you. I would like that very much." He wants to teach me how to use magic! This is shaping up to be a joyous day indeed.

He bows his head. "It'll be my pleasure Camellia."

Sebastian turns around with a stern glare towards Nez and his smile disappears in an instant. What is that about? As I glance at Sebastian, Nezra turns on his heel and steps to a pile of paper.

He doesn't say anything while he walks out of the mage's quarters so I follow behind quietly. When we get to the main building of the castle, Sebastian turns down a hallway and speaks softly. "Before we part ways there is something else I would like to do with you."

"Oh?" I say, walking faster so I am beside him. What is it now?

He nods giving me a side glance. "Yes, but I want to do it in a more private location."

My heart stops along with my feet. He walks a few steps before looking back, his eyes widen then smiles. "No it's nothing like that... Just want to ask you something."

It better not be what I am thinking of or else I am not going to be his friend. "Um... okay."

He leads me through the castle and we step outside to his mother's garden area. We are on a different side of it, as I can see the public entrance through the trees. A smile spreads across my face, the air smells sweet and fresh. The light breeze that blows through the leaves makes them sway back and forth. As we walk I let my fingers run through the vines that are hanging around us.

Streams of light punch through the shade. The trees are much thicker here and it seems to stretch farther than I thought. Why does he want to take me this far into the garden? My eyes fall onto his wide shoulders. Maybe he wanted to show me the rest of this space since I didn't get to see much last time I was here. This part of the garden is more overgrown than the rest of the place, thick vines and moss cover the trees and ground. The dirt trail has ended and now we are walking on spongy green plants.

We eventually stop at a smaller pond with a wood bench sitting beside tucked into a corner. If you didn't know about this spot, you wouldn't notice that it's here. Sebastian goes to sit on the little bench first then pats the empty seat next to him. I bite my lip feeling nervous all of a sudden but I step over to him and sit. What is it that he is going to ask me? It seems serious if he brought me to a secluded area.

I feel his eyes watch me as I look into the dark water and notice fish swimming around. They are brightly coloured with splashes of orange and white blotches on their scales. I rub my hands together not being able to sit in silence any longer. He clears his throat so I turn to him with raised brows.

"Um... So how are you feeling?"

I frown. That's what he wanted to ask me? "Well," I shrug, scratching my forearm. "I feel great actually, while he was doing the spell it hurt. The worst pain I have ever felt." And I have been whipped before but that wasn't even close to what I felt just a few minutes ago.

"Good, good..." He says with a smile then looks down at his hands. He brings them together as he leans his arms on his legs. Why is he acting so weird. "I am glad you weren't too hurt by it."

"It was worth it and I will be forever grateful to you and Nezra." I say quietly and he doesn't shift his gaze, just nods. Is something wrong? Why isn't he looking at me.

More silence as he stares at his hands so I lean forward like him to try to see his face better.

"I... um." He runs a hand through his hair and breathes out harshly.

"Are you okay?" I ask worried now. He looks flustered but why?

He laughs finally looking at me, his cheeks are a bright shade of pink. I blink at his expression and he says, "I am fine. My nerves are getting the better of me... I want to ask you to, well you see my birthday is coming up soon and I. I am a King and we royals like to host huge parties for ourselves and invite a bunch of people. For years I never really cared who came but now... With you here... It would be nice to have you there."

My goodness, I've never seen him so flustered before. It is quite amusing and cute to see him like this. He's usually more composed than this. "So wait what are you asking of me?"

"I am asking you to be my guest for the ball." He says with a growing smile. In an instant that nervousness is gone from him and now I am starting to blush.

"You want me to attend a Royal's Ball? Where they are filled with nobles and other royals and they wear those big gowns?" I ask bewildered. Surely he wouldn't want me there. Drakon had hosted plenty of balls at his estate over the years I lived there. Only to promote his circus or other businesses. I was never invited as I was just part of the entertainment but they did look fun. To dress up and eat delicious food and mingle with other people.

He laughs. "Yes, that kind of ball. And don't think twice about why I want you there. Just accept my invitation because I want you there."