WE were barely a day away from the palace.

The cold stone of dread in my stomach hardened, knowing with every step we were getting closer and closer to the palace.

You could use so many words to describe it — my birthplace, my prison, the place I had been tortured and yet the place where I'd been loved. A place of love and isolation, protection and danger side by side.

But behind this, it was my ancestral home, the place where the royal family had lived for centuries. I had a duty to protect it from the wrong hands. Which I hadn't done. But I was doing it now.

A glance at Maple told me she was feeling the same thing. She'd gone through horrible things there, too. Her mother's death, my torture, and her engagement to Forreston.

We stopped for the night, knowing that we'd reach the next morning. I sat on a pallet, between Maple and Aiden.

"What's the plan?" Arden asked. We'd gone over it once, briefly, but even I wanted to hear it again.

"We take turns again. I'll go with the Princess — "

"I'll come with you," Maple said. I turned to her. "I know the place, I know how to get in."

Terran nodded sharply. "Then the three of us will be one group, Aiden and Arden another, and Pecan and Aster the last."

"I'm not eager to be a soldier," Aiden said, his tone dark.

"It's our best option," Pecan said, sighing.

"Now, the rebel attack will happen three weeks from tomorrow — it's an eclipse," Terran said sharply. "The sun will be hidden for almost an hour, and we use that to our advantage."

"What, exactly, do we do?" Aiden asked.

"Princess, you will make it to Queen Ivy's chambers. We will escort you. Once you defeat her, we will take care of the Prince. Then it'll be over."

Over.

After so long — it could be over in three weeks. It didn't seem real.

"Get some rest," Aster said, her eyes gentle, "You'll need it."

We cleaned up and finally, I laid down on my pallet.

The others' even breathing filled the air, but I couldn't fall asleep. Memories from my time at the palace flashed before my eyes — the beatings, the dungeons — my sisters. My dead sisters.

"El?" Her voice was hushed. "Can't sleep?"

I looked to the side and swallowed. "No."

"Me neither," she said, exhaling. I could just make out her face in the moonlight. Her eyes were dark. "Can I sleep next to you?"

I nodded, and she crawled out of her pallet, into mine. I shifted to make room for her, glad for the extra warmth.

"I'm scared," Maple said softly.

"I am, too," I admitted, turning my face to her. "Maple, whatever has happened between us — in that palace, we're a team."

She nodded sharply. "No lies. I'll need you."

"I as well," I said quietly.

Maple was the only one who truly understood what it'd been like in there. She'd been by my side the whole time.

"We're going to defeat Ivy," she said. I gave her a nod.

"We will."

***

By dawn, we were getting close. We were approaching from the backside of the palace, where there were only trees, but I could still hear the sounds of the town beside the palace.

Soon enough, we reached.

From the edge of the trees, we peered at the palace, surrounded by a ring of guards. It was a huge, imposing fortress and not a very pleasant sight — but so familiar.

I was back.

I turned to glance at Maple — or, rather, Tulip Wisteria, standing next to her me. Her vibrant, pink eyes were haunted, and she didn't look a thing like herself — her hair was a few shades lighter, and more curled than usual.

My own eyes were darker purple. I couldn't recognize myself — I shared the same curled blonde hair Maple had.

Aiden and Arden were, of course, brothers, going by the names of Sparrow and Linden Amaranth. They had identical tawny eyes and plain brown hair. Unnoticeable.

No elf would recognize us.

"I miss my hair," Aster grunted, touching her brown locks gingerly. She did look so different without her sheet of blonde strands and brown eyes, now changed to gray-blue.

"As do I," I murmured. Without my red hair — I felt different. Weaker.

"And me," Pecan echoed. His brown hair and dark eyes were now raven and blue, rendering him completely unrecognizable by any of his old comrades.

Maple gave us a flat look. "We all do."

"Come," Terran grunted.

We broke through the trees, joining the town inconspicuously and making our way to the palace. I could see the others on the street, at a safe distance from Maple, Terran and I.

Terran had kept his olive eyes, only changing his brown hair to blonde. But there was no mistaken the unwavering determination in his eyes.

We reached the palace. I sucked in a breath, gazing not at the stone walls, but at the elves.

Peasants, like us, had formed two lines from the gates of the palace, coming all the way to the streets. Their chatter filled the area. I could only watch. There were so many.

"There were less when my parents came," Maple murmured, her eyes shifting over the elves.

"So many villages have been attacked, elves are going to the palace for work," Aiden murmured, coming up beside us casually.

"The pay is good, there'll be a roof over their heads — it's the best opportunity," Arden said, on his other side.

"This is going to take all day," Maple said, her shoulders drooping.

"We will go there. Boys — that line. Pecan, Aster — wait a bit here before going," Terran said sharply.

I cast one last look at them — at their disguised selves. Aster and Pecan gave me encouraging smiles. I nodded at the twins, hoping that this wouldn't be the last time I saw them.

Aiden's eyes were determined, though, and I let the feeling sink in me as we joined one line, and they walked away to the other.

I looked at the long line, my heart sinking. We'd be lucky if we didn't have to spend the night outside.

We'd be lucky if we made it through those gates.

"Are you here for work, too?" The girl in front of us asked. My eyes shot to her She was accompanied by a taller boy, who shared her golden hair.

"Of course they are," the boy said, his tone exasperated.

"I was only asking," she said defensively. "Anyhow," she said, turning back to us, "I'm Daisy."

"Tulip Wisteria," Maple said, gesturing to herself, "This is my sister, Calla. And our father."

"This is Jonquil," she said, gesturing to the boy. He grunted. "He's very rude, don't mind him," she whispered loudly. He elbowed her. She elbowed him back.

My fingers curled as I remembered my own siblings. They weren't coming back.

Tears burned behind my eyes and I looked away sharply. I hadn't cried for them in so long.

I could just make out the twins in the other line in the midst of all the other bodies, not talking. Just standing next to each other, watching everyone else.

"I'm hoping they'll take me on as a cook one day," Daisy was saying, when I turned back to them.

"We just hope they'll take us in," Maple said, pursing her lips.

"There are so many elves, I worry we won't get in," Daisy fretted.

"Aye. But hopefully they'll have pity on us," Maple said.

"They'll take me in. They need all the soldiers they can get, now," Jonquil said, his face hard. I exchanged a look with Maple.

"But we might not be so lucky," Daisy said, tilting her head to the side and twisting her lips. "I've heard that they aren't taking in many servants," she sighed.

"Let's leave those worries until we reach," Jonquil said, his eyes turning to the line ahead.

"We have food, in case this takes too long," Daisy said, gesturing to the basket swinging at her elbow.

Maple grimaced slightly. "We don't. We hadn't expected there to be such a crowd."

"I suppose all we can do is wait," Daisy said, turning to the front.

And wait we did.

I'll probably cut Jonquil in the next edit, unless I can find any use for him. Any suggestions? Don't forget to:

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