Since it is my day off I take it easy by sleeping in later than normal and I don't get out of bed until 10 in the morning. After last night's ordeal, I still feel like Hearthgrim is near. Like he is lurking in the castle somewhere or in the city so I stay under my covers for as long as I can. I know that it is impossible but I can't shake it even while I try to read a book. Also Sebastian hasn't come to visit me. I hope he is all right... I hope he doesn't hate me after what I told him about his mother. Last night was a nightmare I never want to relive. What I can't get over, is how real it was. It felt like it was happening all over again.

Just after noon, I finally leave my room to get something to eat. The rush is over around this time and I don't run into anyone on my way to the kitchen. There is some food left over and I pick what I want and put them on my own plate. I had a hard time staying in my room when I first smelt the meal being cooked. Thank the Divine no one is around right now. I don't feel like talking to anyone except for Sebastian. I want to know how he is doing.

Women's voices echo from the hall leading into to the kitchen, so I duck out before they enter, taking my plate of food and find a quiet spot on an outside walkway to eat my lunch in peace.

I wonder what Seb said to Maude about my appearance? They said I was wailing for a while before they could wake me. That dream felt so real... Never had I had a dream so real. It has been a while since I have seen Hearthgrim so why would I dream of that? It's because I saw who Amelia is, that he knew her. A shiver runs down my spine as I stand to bring my empty plate back to the kitchen.

"Oh there you are." Seb says making me jump. "You weren't in your room." My body relaxes when I see him.

He doesn't seem mad, in fact he is acting like what I told him last night didn't affect him at all... "Oh, um, yes. I couldn't stay in there much longer. I got hungry." I tell him with a sheepish grin.

A small smile tugs at the corner of his lips. "How are you?"

"I'm okay... What about you?"

He shrugs, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Stayed up all night doing some light reading."

"Oh." I wonder what he was reading. Did my news keep him awake? With what I told him, I thought he wouldn't talk to me after. At least not a for a couple days. It would have gave him time to process it.

"I was reading my mother's diaries..."

"Oh?" I stop myself from looking into his eyes. They remind me too much of his mother's now.

He nods, looking down. "The way you spoke of Hearthgrim felt like it had a ring of truth, that he may have loved my mother some time ago. Before she met my father. So I wanted to find out if she wrote anything about him. She may not admit it but there might be some clues as to who he is."

I rub my hands together, not being able to look at him in the eye yet. "I hope you find what you are looking for."

"Me too." He speaks softly and our gazes finally meet. "How did you sleep?" Red rims his eyelids and a light blue colours underneath them. A twinge of sorrow hits my chest and I feel sorry for the King. Too much is already going on with him and now I add this to it.

I bite my lip turning my head away. As soon as my head hit the pillow I instantly fell asleep even if my mind was racing. "Good. Thank you for your help." I say and I feel my face heat up as I smile to him. Sebastian was gentle and calm with me, he knew how to handle the situation. I am glad he was there to take care of me. "How are you Seb?"

"Better, to my surprise." He smiles back with his head tilted to the side. "And I will always be here to help you, Cam. I just want you to be happy."

My heart flutters to his words, there is even a hint of red colouring his cheeks as well. Without him I would be with Hearthgrim still a slave. He has done a lot of things to ensure my happiness and well being. I owe everything to him. "I am. I'm most happy with you."

His mouth opens as he blinks back at me and I realize what I said but he quickly grins with a bright smile. "I feel the same way." He says with a chuckle. "You are the only person I can be myself around, that I can fully open up to and I hope..."

"Your Majesty." Someone calls Sebastian. He turns to his uncle walking towards us. What was he going to say? There's always someone interrupting whenever we are alone.

"Uncle." His voice changes deeper, more stern. "You are back from your trip unscathed."

The older man smiles when he approaches us. "Yes, I arrived late last night. All is well but we need to discuss the matters pertaining to some of our trading routes. We should meet with the council this evening."

They shake hands and Seb nods. "Right, make it for 2:30. I have a previous engagement at 1:30." He says to his uncle.

"Yes, Your Majesty." He winks to him then bows his head. "Miss." He addresses me, lowering his head and turns away heading back where he came from. Normally no Lord would address their servants as politely as Vernon does. Sebastian's family is full of kind people and I am starting to be more comfortable around his uncle as well.

I ask Seb what is going on with the trading routes when he looks to me.

He waves a dismissive hand. "There have been reports of caravans missing along our trade routes. This time of year is worst with the coming winter. Nothing to worry about." He assures me with a smile.

My eyes narrow to his. I would be worried either way but he seems unaffected by it. I wonder if he knows about the men going missing in the so called mines that Cherry and Audrey mentioned before, and if they have any connection.

"Shall we make our way to Nezra's? It is almost 1:30 already." He asks changing the subject.

"I guess so." I agree and walk alongside the young king.

When we arrive this time to the mage's quarters, Nezra is bent over his alchemy set, pouring some dark blue liquid in the glass vial. What sort of concoctions is he making with those odd coloured liquids?

"Nezra." Sebastian says when we step closer, the man turns his head and his lips stretches into a smile.

"Hey you two. Glad you could make it!" Nezra sets the vial down in a metal stand and clasps his hands together as he walks towards us at the table in the centre of the room.

I jump in spot, excited for our upcoming lessons. What is he going to teach me first? How to fly? Or make a ball of light like Sebastian can do? Whatever it is, I don't care, I get to learn how to use magic properly!

Seb leans his hands on the cluttered table next to me and Nezra looks to me with a smirk. "You seem excited for this." He points out and Seb glances at me, with a toothy grin.

I bite my lip turning my head away from them. Of course I am! I get to learn about magic! I tap my fingernails on the wooden surface with a raised brow. "Yes. I want to know more about magic. How to use it."

"Good! I like the energy!" Nezra chuckles and slides some papers in my direction. "You can start by reading these."

My smile drops to a frown. What? I have to read first? I gaze down at the top paper, it reads; 'Introduction to the Classes of Magic and Their Properties.'

"Do I have to?" I ask and Nezra laughs.

"Yes, you have to understand how it works before I can teach you to use it. Now have a seat over there." He orders, pointing to a chair tucked in a corner surrounded by two shelves with books on them.

"Don't worry, it's a quick read." Seb says to me while holding back a smile.

"What are you going to do?"

He shrugs. "Brush up on my skills."

All right... With a quiet sigh, I sit down and begin to read. It's a good thing I was taught before we started these lessons. Before reading, I flip through the book to count the pages. Twelve in total, which shouldn't take too long.

This book seems to only cover the basics about magic. No spells or incantations written in here. A couple paragraphs tell how the Fae taught the humans how to use magic. What the classes of magic are, and the relationship between Magic and the Fae. According to this, Magic is it's own entity. Like the air, you can't see it but it is there. How to use it is a give and take relationship. The caster gives a part of their energy and in return can use magic. That's why I feel tired after using too much magic.

Magic itself derived from the Divine because of their own abilities. There are two types of magic; light and dark, and then their corresponding elementals: wind, flame, earth and water. This is what Sebastian was talking about when we were in the Temple of the Divine. I feel like I'm overusing the word 'magic' now...

Sometime later I close the book and stand up, stretching out my stiff back. When I look around the room, the men are nowhere to be seen. I didn't even notice how quiet it was in here. Once I'm at the centre of the room, I hear Nezra yelling at Seb to stop touching his things.

I laugh to myself and follow their voices to an adjoining room. It is just as messy as the other room but there are different drawings in here. The men don't notice me as they bicker at each other while I inspect the mystical items around me.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop touching everything!" Nezra barks at Seb.

"Why can't you trust in me not to ruin your things and not treat me like a child?" Seb says calmly. "You leave all this shiny stuff laying around, someone is bound to get their fingers on it. You are lucky I'm not a wyvern."

He has a point, it's hard not to be amazed by all the little treasures in here... I look around some more and one drawing in particular looks odd to me. A large piece of paper sits on a table and there are long squiggly lines that connect together. Blues and greens are coloured within the lines and names are written on certain areas. My eyes drift to the center and I see the letters A, D, E, L, A, I,D, E. Adelaide? What is this drawing?

"Oh, you're done." Nezra says and my head lifts up to them watching me. "I didn't hear you come in." The mage says with a wide smile and pulls the large gem from Seb's grip.

I hold back my smile and nod. "Yes. It was a good read." I say and look to Sebastian.

He drops his hands, forgetting about the item he had a few moments ago and steps across the room. "Told you it was."

I smile looking down and ask him what this drawing is.

"That is a map of Zythinia."

I frown. "A map of Zythinia?"

He nods looking down and points his finger at the centre where Adelaide is. "Yes, a map accurately depicts the world we live in. The territories with their borders and cities within them, all rivers, mountains, oceans and lakes, all drawn on a map. Zythinia is the name of our planet."

My frown grows deeper. Planet? Seeing the confusion, Seb chuckles while rubbing the back of his neck. "That's a lengthy discussion for another day I think..."

"Okay... So, a map shows where everything is?"

"Correct." Nezra says cutting in after carefully putting the large gem in it's place. "If you are ever lost or need to know where something is then a map is your best friend."

"Yes. This is where we are right now." Seb says pointing at Adelaide. "This is how far my Kingdom's borders reaches, all the way around so my rule doesn't only extend to the outer walls here. There are small villages scattered around us as well, that are under my protection, except in the North because enemies keep invading them." His finger slides up northward. "These are our northern neighbours, Barthenon and Eldrin, where slavery is still legal there. We aren't on good terms with them. That's where I think you came from, from one of these two countries."

My gaze shoots up to his and he asks if I remember which direction I came from. We were traveling east to where ever Hearthgrim lives before I headed south. "From the West. There was a river that bordered the countries, but we were stopped by bandits before that." I tell Seb. "I ventured south on foot for at least three days from there."

"That's a lot of forest between there and here..." Seb comments quietly as he stares at nothing particular while rubbing his chin.

"How did a slave manage to get into Adelaide? Everyone is checked at the gates." Nez asks staring back at me.

I peek up from the papers and they are both looking at me.

Sebastian crosses his arms nodding his head. "Yeah. I've been meaning to ask that. How did you get on the wall?"

"Wait you two met on the wall?"

"Yes, Cam made herself look younger when I first saw her. She was hiding behind some storage crates while I was patrolling one night. I wouldn't have noticed her if she didn't knock over a weapon stand."

I start to blush at the memory, that felt so long ago now. For some reason it surprises me that he remembers it so well. "Yes, well if you hadn't stood there for so long I could have snuck away without being seen." I cross my arms then turn to Nezra while Sebastian laughs to himself. "I climbed the wall and I was too tired to continue so I hid to rest then His Highness came along." I tell them with a shrug.

Their mouths drop open but Sebastian starts to smile. "That's at least 15 meters you climbed. You didn't change into a bird to fly over?"

They both look stunned as I casually shrug again then tell them it took me a while to figure out the right way to climb up smoothly and that I didn't turn into a bird until after I was found to escape from Sebastian and the Captain.

"So you didn't use magic to get over the wall?" Nezra asks me.

"No, I did. I grew thick finger nails and toe nails, like a wolf's, to dig in between the softer parts of the stones."

"Can you show us?" Seb says with a growing smile.

I feel the heat rise to my cheeks as I look to Nezra who is nodding his head with a wide grin. I groan but say yes because Sebastian starts to pout his lip. No one can deny those sad eyes.

They better not faint at the sight of my nails. I sit on a chair to take my shoes off then spread my fingers apart to will the magic to grow the nails out.

"By the Divine!" Nezra exclaims grinning ear to ear once the shifting is over. He grabs onto Seb's arm and shakes him in excitement.

Seb whistles with raised brows. "Wow, that is amazing..."

"Yeah..." I nervously cough and tuck some hair behind my ear, remembering Seb's reaction when he asked me to show him magic. He stumbled back in shock. "Well, that's how I did it."

"Truly remarkable." Nez says as he keeps his eyes on me and he rubs his chin. "So you can make yourself younger and into different animals."

I nod. "Yes. As long as I have seen the person or animal before, I can turn into that."

Nezra frowns, thinking for a moment. "And have you used magic while wearing the pendant? Did you notice any changes at all?"

"Well.. yes, I am using a bit of magic now and I have noticed that I don't get as tired as I normally did..." My eyes drift to Seb and he nods knowing what I am asking then I turn my gaze back to Nez twisting my hands together. "You see, this isn't my natural look. I have blue eyes and black hair."

"Hmm." He hums, rubbing his chin in thought again. Not the least bit concerned about my appearance. "So, you haven't tried shifting fully with the necklace on yet?"

I blush while shaking my head and tell him no because I lose my clothes if I fully shift. Seb knows this and when I told him the first time he blushed and still does a bit this time but Nez doesn't move. What he asks next throws me.

"Can you try shifting fully into something? I want to see if the crystal helps you at all."

"Nez..." Seb says stepping in but the mage puts a hand up.

"You can go upstairs to transform back to a human, I just want to test something out." My frown grows deeper and he explains further. "Please? This is for research, if you lose your clothes while you change then we can run the clothes upstairs for you to change back."

Sebastian leans forward. "Or you can go back to your room if it makes you more comfortable."

I look between the two of them and they nod reassuringly back. "Fine." I mumble then stretch out my neck and arms. It has been a while since I fully changed my body... Before I bring up an image in my mind, Nezra suggests that I turn into one of Maude's housecats.

That is probably better than transforming into a wolf. I might have scared them out of their pants if I did that... Maude's housecat... those small feline animals that run around the castle chasing mice through the halls and storage areas.

I close my eyes, focusing on the one that ran past me some days ago and rubbed against my legs. The magic pulses through me as it shortens my arms and legs. My body becomes smaller and my skin tingles as short hair grows in. What hurts the most is my head, I can feel my ears moving up to the top of my head and my nose shrinking.

Everything stops tingling and I open my eyes. The men are even taller now and their mouths are wide open.

"Incredible!" Nez beams at me and runs to a nearby table and grabs a pen and paper.

Seb throws his hands to his face, grinning wide. "You are so cute!"

I look down at my hands, or paws, to hide my blush. I stretch them out to find sharp white claws peeking out. These could be dangerous.

"Her clothes disappeared." Seb comments to Nez as he inspects me. "That didn't happen before."

Really? I look around me, seeing no clothing. Odd but amazing at the same time. Is it because of the crystal? If so then I can shift freely now without having to worry about losing my clothes! I wonder what else I can do with the help of the Zythine.

"Right!" Nezra says, writing it down. "As I suspected! You can change back Camellia, I have more questions for you."

I roll my eyes. These two...

When 2:30 comes around, I leave with Seb because answering all of Nezra's questions is tiring. I had to leave anyway for I have an appointment with the seamstress to get the gown fitted for Seb's ball. Next lesson though, which is tomorrow, Nezra told me he will show me how to use wind and fire magic! Nezra is confident that I will be able to master the basic spells in no time. Apparently the higher levels of light and dark magic are hardest to wield.

"Oh Cam hang on."

I turn and Seb walks up to me. "Yes?"

"Would you mind if I borrowed those documents you showed me before? I would like to have a look at them again to see if I can find anything on Hearthgrim."

"Of course, they're in my room."

"Thanks." He smiles at me and follows close beside as we walk to my room.

We don't run into anyone as we walk to my room. I step inside and grab the documents from a hidden spot and hand them to Seb as he stands at the door. He hasn't stepped foot in here since last night and probably won't again. He takes them with his brows furrowed.

"Why are you asking to see these?"

He opens the envelope and skims over the pages still frowning. "I remember seeing some information written down about the buyer." His eyes don't leave the paper then he nods putting everything back. "I need to borrow this so I can look into it more, if that's okay with you."

Right, his meeting with the council. I nod, clearing my throat. "You can. Take all the time you need." My eyes drift down to the envelope in his hand, I didn't think to read that now that I am able to.

"Thank you." He shares a small smile with me then steps away. "I have to get going but I will keep you updated if I find anything."

"Okay." I say returning his smile and watch his receding back. Whatever is in there I hope it helps him in finding the enemy. I shake my head at the thought and head towards the seamstress after closing my door.

My feet carry me a little faster than usual out of the excitement and because I am late to meet the seamstress since I had to stop at my room then come back up here. I can't wait to wear a gown that I picked out for myself and attend my first ball.

"Hello?" I knock on the open door and poke my head into the room. No sounds or movement indicate that there isn't any one in here.

Fabrics of different styles and colours are draped down from the low hanging ceiling with tables placed underneath them. I notice small machines with big wheels attached to them that sit on top of said tables. Those must be used for sewing? Along the walls there are armless, faceless dolls with poles sticking out the bottom standing around the room. What are those used for?

My gaze doesn't leave them when I hear a woman welcome me. Those aren't dolls...

"You are Raven, right? I'm Claudia, the head seamstress." She greets stepping up to me then her eyes follow mine when I don't look at her and she chuckles. "Oh don't worry about those, they are mannequins. Completely harmless, or should I say armless." She assures me with a chortle and grabs my arm. "Come along now."

I am dragged over to the other side of the room into a smaller room that has a small platform and some gowns hanging on a rack.

"His Majesty kindly dropped this dress off for you yesterday and asked me to get it touched up to how you like it before the ball." She says ushering me to a room divider. "Change into this so we can put the dress on you." The woman says, handing a corset and stockings from the other side.

"Okay." I take the pieces and change quickly as she grabs my gown. Once I am done, I step up on the stand and raise my arms as Claudia pulls the gown over my head. She steps around me with a piece of long, flat string that has numbers and lines on it. What is she doing with that?

With one hand she holds one end of the string at my waist then brings the other down to my feet. She does this with other parts of my body for a few minutes. How long is this going to take? My stomach rumbles that only I can hear. I should have grabbed a light snack before coming up here.

After all that, she steps in front of me with a smile. "What a lovely necklace." Claudia says, gazing at the crystal.

"Oh thank you. My friend gave it to me."

"Hmm." She hums with furrowed brows. "Those colours compliment your skin and hair very well..."

"Um.. Thank you?" I say not knowing what she means by that.

She smiles to me then goes back to her work, walking to a table and grabs some needles that are poked into a pincushion then writes something down. For the next hour, I watch her pin and mark different places on the gown. She asks me to hold my arms up, or turn around occasionally. But the most she has asked me is to hold still. I apologize and sigh inwardly as I stare up at the ceiling. I wish Sebastian was here to entertain me, I wonder how his meeting went. Or he might even still be there.

"Mistress." The seamstress says to someone behind me, pulling me out of my thoughts.

I turn around to see Maude standing in the doorway with her arms crossed. I can't help but pick at my fingernails under her solemn stare. What is she doing here?

She smiles softly and steps over to me.

"So he invited you to the ball." Not a question but a cold statement. Why?

"I.. um, yes he did." Is she mad? I hope that she is okay with me going, I don't see what could be wrong if I go. If the King wants me to attend though, she can't do much about it.

"You two seem to be closer than I originally thought..." The old woman comments quietly as she looks me over. "What a lovely gown."

"Yes. I picked it out myself." I tell with pride then follow her gaze down to the skirt and a sharp object pokes into my skin, making me jump. "Oh!"

"Sorry dear. You need to stay still so I can get the measurements right." Claudia says.

I glance down to her frowning as she hems the end of the skirt to the correct length. Since receiving the gown only a day ago, she has already made many alterations to it and even more in the hour I've been here. The dress is now three shades of purple, the top half having the lighter colour to an almost white. Also, this gown had sleeves, now they are cut down to straps. What has she got planned for this dress?

Maude is watching me with weary eyes when I look to her. Why is she talking about this? "We are good friends." I tell the old woman and tuck some loose hairs behind my ear.

"I'm glad you think that, as you would do well to remember that His Majesty is a King who needs a wife to support his country. To strengthen his armies and promise an heir." Her eyes lock on mine as she stands before me. "A noblewoman who is born to be queen."

My eyes break from hers first. I get it now. After seeing how Seb took care for me last night it is obvious to her. She is right, even though we have gotten close I've kept that thought in my mind. That we aren't meant to be. That it can't be. Nothing could ever happen between us. "I understand ma'am." Although I do wish for things to be different...

"Good girl..." She says with a sad smile and grips my forearm. "I didn't mean to be rude, Raven. The way I saw him last night... well you would have to be blind to not see that he cares deeply for you... More than I have seen with anyone else. And you care for him as well. But he has his own path to take."

He cares for me just as I care for him. How does she know how he truly feels? She knows him best... How cruel fate can be. I bite my lip and nod slowly. "I know Maude, I am only a servant." He cares for me...

"Good. Then I have nothing to worry about." She says with a smile and lets go of my arm. "There are plenty of young soldiers that I've seen making doe eyes at you. Any of them would make a good husband. Once His Majesty sees that you are interested in another, he will back off."

Husband? My eyes widen and I feel Claudia stop her sewing to listen. "I, no, I'm not. I can't. I'm not looking for that in any man. Let alone marry. Not for a while at least." I stutter feeling flustered now.

Maude laughs then stops seeing my eyes. "Oh.. right.. Sorry. Love will come in time when you least expect it, don't worry dear..." Her eyes fall to Claudia and she goes back to working on the dress then Maude gazes back at me for a moment. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." I say looking down to the floor. Now I want to go hide in my room again.

"That's good. Just take it easy today and if you want you can have the day off tomorrow..." She says with sad eyes and turns away. She says her farewells to us before leaving me alone with Claudia and my thoughts again.

By the Divine. What gave that old woman motivation to come at me like that? At my age I should be looking for a... husband... If I was an ordinary woman. The thought makes my stomach churn though. I don't want to think of any man coming near me or touching me. Sebastian has been the only exception. I wouldn't have minded if I married him... Curse you Maude.

Claudia clears her throat after a few silent moments and when I look to her she is gazing back with a thin smile. "Um, if you are looking for a companion my son is around your age. He works for the Royal Guard."

I blink back at her with widening eyes. Divine help me. "Oh, well." My hands find each other and I break my gaze from her. "Thank you for the offer but..." Words escape me and we stand in silence again.

"Don't worry dear." She lightly chuckles. "Whenever you feel comfortable you can ask again... I shouldn't have brought it up. And don't worry about Maude, she thinks of His Highness as her own."

"It's fine..." I mumble under my breath although I am not happy about it. Being put in this position now has put me at unease.

Over the next two days I keep to myself. After what Maude said, I don't want to be near anyone especially Seb. My feelings for him haven't subsided but only grew with longing. He cares for me and I know I care for him too. It's conflicting with my fears. Yesterday I saw him in the hall and he was about to approach me when our eyes met but Maude had been near so I turned the other way.

Today I change into a cat before walking the halls so I don't run into anyone. I realize it's become a bit of an annoyance doing this but it is the only way to avoid him. Will I have to do this for the rest of my time here? Or at least until he finds a wife... Him with another woman, I couldn't stand to see them together or even live in the same home. Maybe by then my feelings for him would have passed over.

Now, instead of spending time with Sebastian, I have been able to focus on my work and also using magic. Nez taught me some elemental basics of a couple spells that I am now able to use wind and fire. Everyday I get to practice for an hour with him. By using the air or wind, I can make stuff move on it's own and I've also figured out how to make walls made of air around me. With the fire element, I am able to create a ball of light like I have seen Sebastian do.

No interruptions on my way to the court mage's quarters this time, thank the divine. No one pays any attention to me on my walks because they don't see or hear me walk past them. It is quite exhilarating travelling through the castle unseen. I step into Nezra's main room and jump up on the table he is working on. His eyes lift up to me and he greets me with a smile. "Good afternoon Cam."

I bow my head and set my attention on the pen he is holding and use wind to pull it out of his grip then let it fall to the ground below.

"You are getting much better in only a few days of teaching you." He says bending down to grab the pen. As he does this, I change back to a human and walk over to his alchemy set to watch the different coloured liquids mix together.

"Yes, it is easier to use my magic and I can shift faster."

"Where is His Majesty today?" Nez asks, shuffling some papers around. "He's been looking for you."

I spin to him quickly, my heart pounding in my chest. "Why would I know? I haven't seen him at all today, not for a few days for that matter."

"Whoa, okay. Just wondering where he was since His Majesty wanted to practice magic whenever you did. He hasn't joined in for a few lessons now... Is something wrong?"

"No!" I snap at him. "Nothing is wrong, he is just busy that's all and I am doing my own thing. Without His Majesty around."

There is a moment of silence as we stare at each other then Nez clears his throat. My cheeks begin to heat up so I turn away to hide it.

"No matter. It's you that needs the lessons anyway, the King has learned all that he is capable of."

I feel bad by acting this way but with Maude's warning I have to keep my distance. Seb needs to focus on his duties just as I should with my own. Even if it is going to be difficult now realizing my feelings for him. What do I truly feel for him? Affection? Love? Maybe it is lust. Whatever it is, I've never felt this way before about someone. Maybe I can get over it with time.