Time blurred for Avelon. Days melded into one another as she and Brianne alternated between never-ending kitchen and stable duties. It was always, unfalteringly, and unpleasantly, the same. Either Brianne, or herself or both of them were scrubbing dishes. Sometimes Brianne had managed to grab them both a day in the stables. The latter being the more pleasant chore. To Avelon's surprise, she seldomly found an additional fae slave joining them. They always kept to themselves and ignored Avelon and Brianne as blatantly as possible.

With each passing day, Avelon's anxiety swelled. Each day that Balor or Elha did not seek her out was both a blessing and a curse. She knew the next experiment was coming, sure of it even- Especially when they were so inclined on testing out every element known in Vexar. Though, with each passing day, Avleon would find herself checking the corners for secret entrances in hopes of finding Fallon.

She had not been successful yet.

"So what will Today bring us- more disgustingly fermented food assortments or disgustingly fresh horse manure?" Avelon remarked sarcastically, rolling her shoulders and cracking her fingers. She wished, with all her might that she could climb into a bathing chamber and soak for an entire day.

Brianne chuckled, spooning the dreadful grey porridge she had scrounged up for them. It looked terrible, and unluckily, tasted even worse. She was appreciative of the fact that Brianne had ensured that they were able to eat albeit unappetizing grey sludge, though she wished for something of colour- every single day.

"Which do you prefer?" Brianne mocked, waggling her eyebrows. Avelon snorted, mustering enough courage to swallow an entire spoonful of porridge without lingering on the taste of the thick sludge.

"Fortunately, we'll be busy in the hall Today. The event is Tonight." Brianne mumbled and slurped, Avelon frowned in disgust at the sight.

"Pig." Avelon picked at Brianne, deepening her frown as Brianne slid her gaze toward Avelon. She playfully rolled her eyes and set the bowl down on her bedspread. The brown of the bowl had been painfully bright in comparison to the rest of the greyness in the room.

Brianne playfully pushed her nose up with a finger, mimicking a pig's snout, and Avelon burst into a fit of genuine laughter. Mornings and late evenings were the only times that Avelon and Brianne could fall into a semblance of themselves. They were playful, reckless and- normal- during these moments. The rest of their days would only consist of quick, knowing, glances and rushed discussions. They opted not to let their guards down the way they had the first time Brianne had taken Avelon to the stables. Avelon did not want to tempt the Gods by letting her guard down at all.

"What event is Balor hosting again?" Avelon squinted her eyes, trying to remember whether Brianne had mentioned the significance of the event. Her mind drew blank.

Brianne shrugged with a scowl, "Who knows, he has them frequently. Sometimes it's for fun and pleasure, and other times it's for pleasure and fun."

Avelon swallowed a snort. Her sixth sense drew its painfully intruding finger down Avelon's neck at the thought of the event. She shrugged uncomfortably on her bed, finishing her breakfast slowly.

"Balor uses us to ensure that his guests are kept refreshed and..." Brianne continued, but trailed off, swallowing hard.

"And?" Avelon pushed.

"He ensures we keep the guests entertained." Her hushed whisper had Avelon's stomach plummeting.

"What do you mean, entertained?" Avelon rushed, her anxiety skyrocketing so much that she almost leapt from the bed.

"He either demonstrates his abilities using us as an example, or he has the finest of us indulging his male counterparts." Bile rose in Avelon's throat, her breakfast threatening to escape.

"And if we refuse?" Brianne gave Avelon a steady look- they both knew what happened if they refused.

Avelon's eyes shot up to the ceiling of the room, anger threatening to spill from her mouth in unfiltered word choices.

Brianne barely indulged in her own encounters with Balor and her overall experience of living within the palace, yet Avelon knew and understood that Brianne had been subjected to Balor's mannerisms a long while before Avelon was even in the picture. Brianne was born and raised within the palace walls, confined, and subjected to anything Balor or his family had deemed fit.

"I get it. We don't refuse. As per usual" Avelon sighed, swiping a hand across her face.

"Have you honestly never tried escaping?" Avelon pried, her voice strained as she studied Brianne. Brianne immediately hushed Avelon into silence while warily studying the door to their room.

"We went over this before, Avelon. Balor controls wind- the very air that you breathe. Within his palace territory he knows everything." Brianne whispered, her head swaying as she spoke.

"But what about outside his palace?" Avelon wondered. Brianne's eyes flashed with mischief, though she shook her head in denial.

"I wouldn't put it past Balor to know everything in the whole of Teine." The thought had riled Avelon, stirring her emotions to subconscious levels.

"He's that powerful?" Disdain edged Avelon's tone. How was she supposed to stop him if she had no way of getting away from him?

"He's that powerful." Brianne confirmed, her face pale and grim.

Avelon let her head drop into her hands, a groan slipping from her throat. If Brianne believed that Balor possessed the type of power that could control an entire continent, there was no way she would be able to stand in his way.

Avelon needed the aid of fae who already went through the awakening. Fae who would stand against Balor's plans.

Another sigh- Avelon barely knew what his plans were, only that she somehow formed a part of them. She knew that he was indulging in blood bending and that he wanted to achieve some sort of outcome from it. What exactly that outcome was, she had no idea. She had speculated that he wanted to bypass the awakening rituals, which was not a bad thing in essence, but Balor was bad. His reasonings would not be for the good of Vexar.

She could not rally or involve any other fae without gaining more insight and gleaning some idea as to what Balor's end goal was.

When Avelon lifted her head from her hands, she found Brianne studying her- which happened more often than Avelon would care to admit. Brianne never pushed or pried- patiently waiting for Avelon to open up about what exactly happened when Balor's guards tossed her, highly dosed on Ciorra, at Brianne's feet.

"I'm really not looking forward to tonight." Avelon muttered, watching silently as disappointment flashed through Brianne's eyes.

"Yeah," She blew out through her nose, huffing sadly, "Me neither."

***

"Elha," Balor breathed in anticipation, "What news do you bring?" His hands clasped together tightly as he smiled up at her from his desk.

Elha's blue eyes narrowed, contemplating her words and his positively endearing attitude. She had learned to tread carefully in the presence of the High fae- the Lords and Ladies of the continents. None of the Lords or Ladies deigned themselves as High fae, though Elha named them by what they were. She also knew that Balor's charm was a veneer over something far darker that she could not pinpoint.

"The guards, and myself, have been silently watching. Avelon has yet to show any inkling of power." Balor's smile quickly faded into a deep frown, a switch tripping in his mind as disappointment coated his features. The room seemed to close in, darkness lurking in its corners. She wondered whether the darkness was waiting patiently for a command from Balor.

Elha's gaze darted around him, analysing the spaces where she knew the darkest parts of him dwelled. Something she had not understood but knew loomed around him like a shadow.

The flame inside the hearth sputtered- Elha flinched at the sound of the logs cracking. The light emanating from the hearth illuminated the red carpets flowing from underneath Balor's desk. The scene had reminded Elha of blood flowing from a corpse. A shiver ran up her spine as her eyes met Balor's awaiting gaze.

"Not entirely surprising, given the fact that we have been supressing her." Elha nodded quickly at his words, trying to stay as still as possible.

"She has not been showing any signs of breaking through the suppressants, and water has not shown any signs of being drawn to her, though her exposure has been limited." Elha voiced mechanically, reciting the words she prepared in her mind.

Balor hummed deeply, his lips pursing into a tight line as his eyes trailed away from hers in thought.

"We have to be sure, Elha." He reprimanded, voice lowering, "See to it that she finds herself surrounded by water." Elha swallowed, her palms turning sweaty at the hint in his tone. She had to push Avelon to near death.

"How would you like me to proceed, sir?" She mumbled apprehensively, refraining from taking a step backward as his eyes shot back to hers- rage evident in the blackness that consumed them.

"You're a grown fae; I trust that you are capable of deriving something on your own." His voice had hallowed out, death dancing on his tongue. Elha's throat constricted slightly as his the air he sent towards her caressed her cheek. She had an affinity for water, she could conjure a water bubble if she had to- as long as it had meant Balor would not chastise her.

"Yes, Balor." She nodded again, her movements as frantic as a mouse caught in a trap. She tried to pry her eyes from his, meant to- but could not move a muscle without seeming weak.

She was a mouse, and she was caught in Balor's trap.

She wished with all her being that she had not opted to work with him—believing that he had good intentions amidst all the slaughtering.

"Good." His tone lightened, a ruthless smile spreading on his face. Although his tone had lightened, the room had stayed dark- save for the flickering flames in the hearth.

Elha had not expected the flames the first time she had entered Balor's office, never dared to question the anomaly amidst the suffocating heat of Teine. It had surprised her, confused her even, though she never asked- and never would.

"Report back to me once you have news." Balor snapped, his eyes drifting down to the scattered papers on his desk in dismissal.

Elha fought the urge to flee from his office as he dismissed her. The overwhelming coating of death and fear that enveloped her the moment she stepped inside evaporated just as quickly when she left. The weight of his presence clung to her, a residue of fear and submission.

Relief flooded her body as her senses returned to normal. Elha scanned the hall for any peculiarities, sighing calming when she found none. Balor had liked watching her, and she had been thankful for the moments he was otherwise preoccupied- only in those moments could she breathe fresh air.

She had not anticipated the effect Balor would have on her- mentally, physically, and perhaps on her very soul. She had not thought that the stifled darkness that he carried all too well would infiltrate her very self the moment she agreed to work with him. She was blind not to see it. She regretted every moment of it.

Balor's promises of a better life for all fae in Vexar had lured her in, masking the reality of his true intentions. Balor had planned on siphoning out the rituals completely by forcing the awakenings to occur earlier in fae childhood instead of the normal timeframe as fae entered adulthood. His reasoning defended by clarifying that the brutal sacrificing of young fae would be ruled out completely. Elha had praised Balor in his intentions, agreed in his defence, though the innermost parts of her knew all of it was for show.

The entire backbone of the rituals had been a rouse in order to supplement a type of governing of higher fae over what society deemed "lesser fae". Elha knew his reasoning lacked important judgements and information, yet she still sided with him. It wasn't until a few years later, already under his command, that Balor had revealed his true intentions. That, which had nothing to do with improving the livelihood of any fae.

Balor had planned to manipulate them, to mould a new breed of fae, surpassing even the ancient Dagdlan bloodline that had ruled for centuries before dying out completely- if not recreating the bloodline.

Elha had suspected that in doing so- if he had succeeded, he would try and indulge himself. Mould himself. Either by blood bending the direct lifeblood of a remade offspring, or by siring his own. Both resolutions had chilled Elha to her very core. Elha's resolve wavered. She had assisted in Balor's plans, her autonomy slipping away with each passing day. Yet, she couldn't turn back now, even if it meant dancing with darkness itself. As she walked down the dimly lit corridor, Elha wondered how many others had fallen into Balor's trap. How many souls had been claimed by promises and veiled intentions?

She had contemplated reporting Balor to the continent's rulers, yet each time her resolve crumbled. Somehow, Balor had become aware of her growing reluctance, aware that, if given the chance, she would rise against him- and in his awareness he had become a leech to her every move. She knew she would rise against him eventually, but for now, she maintained a facade of compliance, her steps measured, her expression neutral. Elha's lips pressed into a thin line as she hastened down the hall.

A fleeting moment of consideration passed as she evaluated Avelon the first time she met her—Balor's latest subject in his relentless search for suitable candidates. Avelon had endured the first of many trials, a feat few before her had achieved and that sparked intention in Elha, though she dared not let the knowledge she possessed fall into the wrong hands. If Balor so much as sensed the extent of her hesitance towards his experiments, her life would be forfeit in an instant.

Shaking her head, she bit the inside of her cheek. Any lapse in her demeanour could hand Balor the victory he sought, though she liked to believe she was too valuable for him to dispose of. She was the sole fae with the water affinity willing to do as he needed. Others who had been approached with promises of a better future had refused and, tragically, paid with their lives. That realization alone was enough to temper her self-hatred. She had seen through Balor from the start, yet she had followed him, like a lamb seeking shelter from a storm. Disgust clawed at her mind as she evaluated her own decisions- she was to blame for her own path, amongst other things. The fact alone had her swallowing bile as she hurried to find Avelon.