"I know what you just said, but I also know something else," I look over at Zaedel and he gives me a look, it says; Do not tell him. So I won't. The King is impatient.

"So What is it?" Says the king

"Um, nothing, sorry." 

"That's what I thought," The king says with a hearty laugh, "Throw her in the dungeon and inform her family." 

The guards thoroughly follow the directions. They literally throw me into a cell. I didn't know that these dungeons existed, and I guess that's because nobody got out. I look around for a way to get out and only find the skeletons of other people thrown in here. That fact just makes me panic, but luckily, before I can break down, I hear footsteps down the stairs. And I see a familiar face. "Zendi! What are you doing down here?"

"I came for you, Mama's up there yelling at the prince. Let's get you out." I'm surprised, I never thought he would try and break me out of jail, although I appreciate it, I can't let him do it.

"Go back up to Mother, I'll deal with this myself," As he starts going up the stairs I yell for him, "Hey Zendi? Thank you". I thank him, and as he leaves I lay down on the cold, dusty, cracked, stone floor.  

I think I fell asleep sometime around midnight, but I'm not sure. I wake up and groan as I roll over onto a soft, and comfortable bed. Rolling over again, I meet skin. Soft yet rough this skin leads up to a face, I open my eyes to Zaedel, with his arms around me yet again he looks at me and says, "Good morning, beautiful," I blush and turn around, only for him to pull me back to face him.

"What about the dungeon, I thought I was supposed to stay there?" I realize I'm indifferent clothes, "And who changed me!" I get stopped from ranting on about someone else changing me by Zaedel's finger on my lips.

"Shush," I nod, "You were released after my parents heard you snore, I mean I think it's cute but they don't. I was supposed to take you home, but I decided to keep you would be better. And about your clothes, I had Joseph Fifi Get you some of my sister's old clothes and I dressed you." I blush again, why would he change me? I stand up and feel the silk on my skin. "Come back to bed," Zaedel pleads, but I shake my head, "Please" The long, drawn-out note, draws me back under the covers to snuggle up on the prince.

"Only for a minute." We relax for a while until I realize parchment and a pen on his desk. "Can I use that?" I say, pointing at the pen and parchment.

"Yes, Of course, my love." I stop and look at him.

"'My love'? What do you mean by that?" He pauses as well.

"That's for another day. What are you going to write?" I resume walking over to the desk and grab the pen and ink.

"I have to write my letter to the Birds Academy," I say.

"Oh, right," Zaedel speaks as he walks over to sit beside me, "I mean, you can learn things here". 

"I know that, but they teach something that you can't learn here unless you're in a royal family,” I remark.

“And what might that be?” The prince asks. I hesitate for a second before telling him what I'm going to study at such a faraway school.

"Sorcery," I state. Zaedel's face goes flat, he looks confused.

"But how, sorcery comes from within you. The only people in this kingdom that can practice magic are the royals and the higher soldiers. How are you able to hold sorcery?" 

"Have you not seen my ears?" I say, Zaedel looks to my ear as I pull my hair out of the way. He looks surprised. "Yeah, I'm a half-elf. Half-human, have wood-elf. My mother is an elf, like you, but my dad, he was human. He ran away when I was born." I look down back at the paper and start writing:

Salutations Birds Academy,

My name is Ashe Wetstoné, from the kingdom of Croathepia, and I'm looking to be accepted into the arts of sorcery, and melee weapon fighting. Please get back to me.  

Sincerely, Ashe Wetstoné

"What do you think?" I ask Zaedel after finishing my letter. Silence. I turn around to see if he was still there and I'm brought to him bareback, "Your Highness!" 

"Sorry," He says with a laugh, "Didn't think you'd mind.

"Fine, Just come look at my letter," He walks over, still without a shirt.

"Looks good," he says, then he kisses me on the head and walks off to, finally, put something on, "I hope you didn't mind that".

Back at home, Mother asks me a series of questions. Probably originating from the king or queen. The questions are asking how long I've been around the prince, and telling me that it's forbidden for us to be together. 

I go into my room and am desolate when I don't see Zaedel there on my bed, with his guitar as usual. I crawl under the covers and find something hard against my leg. I uncover it and see Zaedel's guitar. I pick it up and strum those notes I learned. I use the notes to sing his song

"Sounds pretty good," Says a familiar princely voice.

I set the guitar down and tackle Zaedel with a hug. "I see you're learning". as the prince says that I hear a knock on the door, with a voice immediately following.

"Ashe, remember we have to go to the summer ball tomorrow, your dress is out here". I forgot about the ball. The ball is the only time Mother lets me pick the dress I wear and finesse my hair.

 Any ball here is a big gathering of everyone in the kingdom and neighbouring Islands, such as the island of our ally Tabaxi clan.  Balls are usually a commemoration of something. This is the Summer ball, celebrating the start of Summer. Everyone is going to be there.

"Look at me," Zaedel requests my attention, "I have an idea for tomorrow night," says Zaedel. 

"And what is that?" I ask

"Are you bad?" He smirks while saying, "Are you up to killing someone?" He asks, and I'm surprised, I did not expect him to say that.

"Yes actually, who may it be?" I agree because I have nothing else to do. 

"Princess Shvez, of Danian," Says Zaedel, "Kill her, and run away together. It shouldn't be too hard". We spent the rest of the night planning. Going over different spells and tactics that we could use. We finally landed on a plan and went to bed ready for tomorrow. I wake up without the prince, but his guitar is still here. I walk over to the guitar and on further investigation. I find a note in-between the strings, It reads:

Good morning Beautiful, 

I had to leave early so I wouldn’t get caught. I honestly can’t wait to see you tonight. And remember, if you don’t want to go through with it, just tell me. I wouldn’t mind. See you at the ball.

-- Zaedel

I blush and hold the note close to my heart. My mother knocks on the door, "Come on, get dressed I want to see how it looks," Mother gets a little too nice on these days. I close the door and put on my dress. This dress is pale green. The skirt is lightly pleated, to my knees in the front and floor-length in the back. The bodice has a small v-neck and off-the-shoulder princess sleeves. I walk out of my room and my mother yelps, "You look even more beautiful this year than you did last year. It just keeps getting better. Come on, spin for me". I spin for my mom and she covers her mouth in awe. I guess I look pretty good.  

Just when the sky turns dark, we hear a knock on the front door. My mother opens the door and in comes a strange man with a mustache. He stares at me for quite some time before walking up to me. He gracefully snatches my hand from me and kisses the back.  Mother sneaks in a wink as the mystery man straightens himself.  "Come along, we wouldn't want to be late," We head outside to be greeted by a horse-drawn carriage, only fit for a royal.  

"I'll be there soon," Yells Mother, "I have to get Zendi ready!"

On our way to the castle, the mysterious mustache man jumps into the back with me, he rips off his mustache, and I recognize the face.

"Zaedel! I missed you". And it's true, I missed him so much. 

"I've missed you too," says the prince, "Oh you look, gorgeous. But I think you forgot that it's a masquerade this year". And for a fact, yes, I have forgotten this year's Summer Ball, is a masquerade.  

"What should I do? I don't have a mask." Just as the words come out of my mouth, Zaedel whips around and grabs 3 masks. All three are beautifully coloured and designed. "No, I couldn't" The words stutter, I'm in awe of the masks. They almost... glow. 

"You should, they will help you tonight. I think you will like what I say next," Zaedel says while moving closer, "I read your journal last night."

"You did what!?" I'm surprised and angry, "It's been years since I've written in that".

"Well, what I found interesting. You've always wanted to see a magical item, correct?"

"Y-Yes. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"These masks are magical. Choose one and you will find out their abilities when we do our thing." I look down at my choices, all so perfect. I choose the one that matches my dress, the green mask. "Good choice. Oh, it appears we are almost there," Zaedel says this very monotone, "Put on your mask".

We arrive at the castle. As we step out of the carriage I hear festive music and I smell delicious food. This year is different. My mom isn't dragging me around. Instead, I get to my walked in by the man I love-- What am I thinking, I don't love him... Right? Whatever. When we walk in we are greeted by the whole town, dancing and enjoying the night. Even Mother is having fun chasing Zendi around the ballroom. "M'Lady," I turn to see Zaedel's hand in front of me, urging me to take it. I take his hand in my own, and we head off to the floor.

"I've never danced before. So, just warning you" I caution him. We have fun dancing, though I step on his feet a couple of times. Then a slower song comes on. Zaedel takes hold of my waist and grabs my hand in his.  

"Here we go. Just put your arm around my back, or on my shoulder, then follow my lead," He smirks, "You'll do fine." Followed by a kiss on the cheek. We dance for a while, not as gracefully as the others, but good enough. Just as the song ends Zaedel says, "It's time," I look around and see Princess Shvez entering the ballroom.  

Zaedel walks away from me, I look like an abandoned kitten when the mother cat walks into the street. Zaedel walks over and kisses the princess's hand like he doesn't want her gone. You could say I'm jealous, or maybe I just want her gone as well. It's probably both. The princess notices me staring and looks me up and down. Then she seems to point me out to Zaedel, who looks back at me and winks. His optimistic attitude makes me smile, which makes the princess look away in disgust like a dad changing his child's diaper.
I turn around to look for my mom and see a perilous-looking dwarf in front of me. Well, more like below me. He's about as tall as a pony. "Hello there, would you like to dance?" He says with a hoarse voice, "I've been alone all night, you seem as graceful as a swan. I would greatly appreciate a dance with you".
"I guess I can,"
We dance for quite a while, but I keep looking at Zaedel and the princess. Zaedel soon notices me and nods. That's my cue. I leave the dwarf and make my way to Zaedel and the princess.
I soon am face-to-face with the princess. Being older than me, she towers over me. Even more intimidating. “Princess, may I give you a tour?” I say. She looks over at Zaedel, and he nods to her.
“Yes, that would be pleasant,” says princess Shvez.
“Right this way then,” I say quickly. I show princess Shvez the throne room, around the ballroom, and then lead her to the dungeons. Good, where no one can hear us.
“Where are we?” the princess questions Zaedel and treats me like a pleb.
"Your misery” I respond
“My wha--” Before she can get the words out of her mouth I cast Ray of Frost, the only spell I know, to slow and weaken her. The blue-white ray of cold shoots out of my finger and hits the princess right in the heart, though it seems to do more damage than I've seen before. Zaedel follows by shooting out a bolt of fire, that being called Fire Bolt. He finishes her off from behind. I cast Prestidigitation to clean us all up. We put her body in a cell with the other useless piles of bones. I turn to leave, only to have Zaedel pull me into a warm embrace. I look up at him, and he pulls me even closer. He leans in and kisses me. The feeling of his lips against mine, so soft. After the kiss, I look down and smile.
“Shall, we head up?” Says Zaedel, I nod in response.
We head up back to the dance floor to see everyone with a serious face. I split up with Zaedel to find my mother. the prince heads to the king and queen. When I get to my mother, she's sitting at a table with zendi and the dwarf I danced with before we killed princess Shvez. I sit next to the stout dwarf and he scoots over and sniffs my hair. "What are you doing?" I whisper harshly as I pull my hair from his grasp.
"Your hair smells nice," The, now creepy, dwarf says, "Can I have some?" I stand up being dismayed, but the dwarf pulls me back into my seat. "We haven't officially met. My name is Kneetano."
I free myself of his hold on me and stand up, "You're such a creep!" I leave the table to get away from Kneetano, but he follows. I try to get away but he keeps following me. I look up far across the room to see Zaedel being scolded by his mother. It seems we're both in a pickle. Looking up to see the prince slowed me enough for Kneetano to tackle me. The weight of this dwarf crushes me. He knocks me out by landing on my head. The rest of the party goes on without notice of a missing girl and dwarf.
I wake in that same comfortable and soft bed I love. I sit up to feel a weight off of my head. I touch the back of my head and find my hair is short. I stand up to get a better look at it. I reach the mirror and am startled to see Zaedel right behind me, maybe I didn't notice him before, or maybe he's just an agile prince. "You should be resting," Says Zaedel, "Get back in bed. Let's cuddle".
"My hair," I say astonished, "What happened?" I climb back into bed with the prince and he holds me as he answers.
"That dwarf knocked you unconscious," Zaedel remarks, "He cut your hair to take home, then he ran like the wind to try and escape the guards," Zaedel looks distant today, "The guards caught the dwarf, and they are interrogating him in the throne room now". He turns away from me.
"Zaedel," I say, as he looks back at me I continue, "Something is wrong". He looks away again, but I take hold of his face and move it so he is facing me again.
"Nothing is wrong," Says the prince, but I know something is up. So I get closer to him.
"Tell me," I say in a serious tone, "Or I'm leaving". Zaedel's face softens up, but before he can tell me anything, there is a knock on the door. the prince looks over at m and shoots a look at the window. I climb over to the window, trying to be quiet. I get up on the window and see Mr. Fifi by the wall, on his guard duty. I kiss Zaedel on the cheek before sliding down the branch of the tree that is under the prince's room. I slide down the gambrel and scale down the wall to meet Fifi. "Hey, Mr. Fifi," I say, and he jumps, not expecting to hear my voice from behind him.
"Ms. Wetstoné, I wasn't expecting to see you tonight," Says Fifi, "Did you do something with your hair?"
As I reach back again and feel my hair I respond with, "I guess"
Mr. Fifi states, "I like it," I smile in return, "Would you like me to walk you home?" I nod as an answer. Most of the way home I keep my head low, but when I hear the sound of a goat I lift my gaze. I see one goat out in the street. Then another joins the initial one. It's possible somebody's goats escaped but there is only one person in the kingdom that has goats, and they are nowhere near here. Three more goats come out of the alleyway. Immediately following the goats comes a giant goat. And I mean giant. the giant goat makes a low-pitched bleating sound before it begins to charge Mr. Fifi. Once the goat is almost at Fifi, I un-sheath my longsword and stab the goat in the heart. Stopping it before it can hit Mr. Fifi. "Thank you, Ms. Wetstoné" Mr. Fifi thanks me and I nod.
Mr. Fifi drops me off at my house and leaves to continue his shift. I walk inside the house and see darkness. This is unusual. Though it is nighttime, Mother is usually up waiting for me to get home so she can lecture me. Confused, I go into my room and sit on my bed. I begin to take a deep breath but smell a faint odour. Then I feel the presence of another being in my room. "Zaedel?" I ask, "Is that you?" I get pulled back by the smelly figure, and they cover my mouth with their large and dirty hands. Most likely carrying a disease.
"Think again," A hoarse voice speaks as the hand releases. When the hand is removed from my face an arm comes and takes me into a chokehold. I can't breathe. I struggle, kicking and fighting. I try to scream but it won't come out. Then I remember my training. I throw my head back to get momentum and bite into his arm. He winces and breathes in through his teeth, like when you are running upstairs and stub your toe. "Feisty girl," says the man, "I guess we're doing this the hard way". The man picks me up and jumps out of the window with me in his arms. Outside, the moonlight peeks through the canopy. The light helps me see who's taste I have in my mouth. I look up to see a familiar face. I see a rough face and long beard, a dwarven face. I look down to notice that I'm not actually that high up off the ground. And I put together a plan. I will put my feet down and use that momentum to stand up. Then I will grab my longsword and slash his arm, weakening him. I will pin him down, and yell for help. Because, his small size aside, he is a very hearty dwarf. So when the right time comes, I will follow through with my plan.
Up ahead I see a clearing, with a beam of blue-white moonlight shining down. That's the spot.
I go through with the plan. I put down my feet. Then kick him into the beam of light, so I can see him. I pull out my sword, but before I can slash his arm he moves out of the way. What he doesn't know, is that I rebound fast. I quickly change my hold on my sword. Now holding it with the blade opposing my face I stab at his arm and hit. He winces in pain, slowing down. I move in and kick his leg, making him trip. He tries to back away but I quickly pin him down. "Don't do this," He pleads. But I don't listen, I'm tired, angry, and sad. I'm not going to let him go. I take my sword and pierce it through his cold, unarmoured, heart. I take my sword out and run. I don't know where I'm running, but I'm running, my legs move in a direction I do not know. Soon they stop, I'm at the castle. I see Zaedel's back to his window. I walk up to Mr. FIfi, "Can I have a boost?"
"I owe you one," He says, as he kneels so I can get on his shoulders. I step off the 'Fifi express' and climb up on the wall.
"By the way, there's a mess out by Jones Inn" When I say mess, I mean the dead dwarf out in the courtyard. I scale up the branch and walk to the window like a tight-roper. Then I knock on the window. I haven't realized I've started crying. Zaedel jumps at the sound and walks over to the window and opens it to let me in.
"Ashe," Zaedel says in a calming voice, "What's wrong?" I run into his arms, crying. He holds me and moves over to his bed. We sit there for a while, me in his arms. He doesn't know what I've done. I look up at him and take a deep breath.
"I killed him," I say with a shaky voice, "I killed the dwarf" Zaedel pulls me in into that familiar warm embrace.
"It's going to be okay," He says, as he squeezes me tight. "It'll all be fine". We stay here for a while. Well, that is until Zaedel's parents start knocking on the door.
"Zaedel," His father is outside the door, "Is the girl in there with you?" asks the king.
"Your turn" Zaedel whispers to me before pushing me to get under his bed. I crawl under the bed and lay there. "No, she isn't," Zaedel says in his strong, royal voice. I move to get in a more comfortable position. As I crawl around, my hand hits something. Something sharp. My elf side comes out and helps me see through the darkness. It's a shovel. Why does Zaedel have a shovel under his bed? I think about why he would have a shovel until I feel a hand on my ankle. I get dragged out like a rug ready to be cleaned. I look up to see Zaedel. The moment is so random. We laugh for a while before I speak.
"What did they want?" I ask. I zoned out when I touched the shovel, I never heard the conversation.
"It turns out," He speaks sarcastically, "That Princess Shvez is missing" He winks at me and I snort. Zaedel pulls me in and holds me. "You're so cute" We stay here for a while. Holding each other. Keeping each other warm on this cold night. Zaedel pops up in excitement, "I have an idea," he takes me by the hand, "Let's go".
Zaedel pulls me out the window, and we slide down the branch. We reach a split and go right. I look down and see the royal gardens. I've never been inside before. Zaedel steps onto the wall surrounding the gardens. My arms are around his neck. My head is buried in his chest, so I can hear his heartbeat. And he jumps. I feel the sensation in my ear as we fall. We land in the garden. I take a look around and breathe in that beautiful smell you would expect in royal gardens.
Zaedel sets me down on the edge of a stone. He walks off into the distance mysteriously. I'm curious. Just as I start to get up, I hear Zaedel's voice. "Don't move". I don't know how he sees me from wherever he is, but I slowly sit back down. After a few more seconds, Zaedel comes out of the bushes like a raccoon. He walks up to me with a smirk and a bouquet. "For you," he says as he hands me the flowers. Zaedel leans in and plants a kiss on my lips. I again feel the tingles all over my body, though I don't know if it's for him or not. And neither is Zaedel. I see him look away, hiding his blushing face. I smell the flowers and the aroma flows in through me and I feel sort of empowered. When I look up from the flowers I see that I am glowing.
"What's happening?" I ask Zaedel.
"You're already radiant, but now" He pauses and looks me over, "You're actually glowing".
"So you don't know what's happening to me?" I say confused. I start to lose control of my body, I feel all the weight coming off of me. I look down to see Zaedel below me and find myself in the air. I'm floating. Before I reach the height of no saving, I hear running footsteps behind me. The footsteps stop abruptly. And I soon feel arms around my waist pulling me down. I'm so shocked that even happened, I don't notice who saved me.

"I'm not gonna lose you to flowers am I?" I hear a voice I know and recognize, it breaks me out of my state of shock. I snap my eyes to him. I look into his chilling, blue eyes.

"Lee!" I give him a big hug. "I didn't know you were coming back today". Lee left the last Stirring on an adventure, he's been gone for so long. Before he left he gave me a gift. He gave me a ring to remember him if he didn't come back. A cut emerald embedded in the silver band twists and swirls like the autumn breeze. I've always worn it on a necklace. Never taken it off. I can't imagine the tan line that would be there if I did. 

I look over to my right and Zaedel is gone. I turn back to see my old friend looking right at me. "You know I missed you right?" He asks, still holding me. It feels right. "I've longed to see you ever since I left. All those temples, the tombs and monsters fought," He looks deep into my eyes, almost putting me in a trance with his look. "It was all for you".

"I-I don't know what to say," I say, speechless, "Why?" I ask, expecting him to not respond. But he does.

"I... I've known you since you we went to Skyline Pre-school. I still remember that day. When you shoved grass down my new white shirt. The class went to the Old Willow Tree, and that day, when you laughed," He pauses, "I fell in love with that laugh." Lee Leans in and gives me a gentle kiss on the cheek. I feel the tingles run up my legs, through my arms and fingers, up to my chest and neck, and through my face. I feel my face flush. But this time it's different. Lee looks up, "Hey look! Chlamyphorus is out," Lee breaks the silence. Chlamyphorus is the constellation that represents the god of time. Lee continues, "Who would've thought. Liam Withers, and Ashe Wetstoné, together again, staring at the stars." I let out a laugh on that one. He dates back to when we were younger. I remember those days. When we would lay in the grass by the Old Willow Tree and stare at the stars. We would name each constellation we could find. Liam was the best at it, it seemed he knew all of them. I really admired him. 

 He's older than me, back then he was only ten, but I was eight. A little kid needs someone to look up to. But I didn't just look up to him, I liked him. Always blushing when he walked into the room, I was just a kid with a crush. 

We would lie under the tree for hours. One day I woke up in his arms and wondered if he did that purposely. It turns out he might have. I pretended to be asleep when I felt Liam's grip tighten. He readjusted and pulled me closer. As he kissed my head, I fell back asleep. 

Lee takes his guitar from his back and begins strumming, "I've been away for so long, And I've been missing you, I found you're where I belong, Oh, You can't refuse, you are my muse, I thought we were meant to be, but that might just be what I see, That night under the Old Willow Tree, You were so close to me, I've been away for so long, I found you're where I belong, Oh I can't refuse, Maybe you feel this way too," Lee finishes his song with an appropriate blast of sound on his war-guitar. His guitar has an axe blade on it. "Or is it him?" Lee points behind me and I see Zaedel standing there, but something's different. I can't read his face. I stand up to try and reason with him, but he backs away.  

"So you come back into this kingdom, just to steal my girl," Zaedel says, still with a blank look on his face. "Ashe, get out of here, the floating should have worn off by now". He speaks with his scary and serious prince voice. I look back at Liam before I walk away.

By the time I get home, it's almost morning, the royal gardens are far from my house. I see a note on my bed. It reads:

Hey Ashe,

It seems the gods have rolled well. That prince of yours gave up, I'm going to keep chasing your heart. I will always love you, even if you don't love me back.

-- Liam

I'm so tired. I'm so flustered. I'm so confused. I'm going to bed.

I wake with a dragon in my face and a dwarf by my side. I scream and kick, but the dragon-man holds me in place. "Ashe what's wrong?" says the dwarf.  

"How do you know my name?" I ask confused, "And how did I get here?"

"You're in our adventuring party," Says the dragon man.

"Yeah, what Neet says," The tiny dwarf agrees with the huge dragon man.

"And," I pause, "What is that?"

"Slow down there," I hear a calming voice behind me and a handsome man comes out from behind a wall of fire. "That right there is the Forsaken Monument". My eyes fade black and everything around me disappears. My vision clears, and I find myself in an unfamiliar setting. I look around and see that same dragon man.  

"Neet, you are now the first Dragonborn Hawk," Says a disembodied voice, "This stature is high, but you still have a lot to learn". The voice finds its body when three men step out from behind a tapestry. The woven cloth looks like it's been through a lot, but it still holds together strong. It portrays birds, of all shapes and sizes. The birds are flying around this giant academy-looking thing. I'm guessing that's where I'm at. "Ashe, you now have the place or a Kyte, though you have more to learn, I see you are growing much stronger than anticipated". I notice the Dragonborn known as Neet's face. He looks happy, too happy. I nudge him, does he not know how to act around higher officials? Again, my vision goes blurry and fades to black as everything around me disappears. 

My eyes open and I see a cat person by my side. I've read of this race, the Tabaxi. This humanoid-cat person has the fur, tail, ears and face of a cat, but the body of a humanoid. The Tabaxi is an interesting race to learn about. The Tabaxi woman is curled up in a ball next to me. She purrs and snuggles up on what looks like a dagger. The sharp object seems to be glowing green. I'm just about to reach to touch it before the dwarf I saw at the Forsaken Monument touches my hand. I hadn't realized it before, but the whole group is snuggled up together. I'm sitting on Neet the Dragonborn's lap with the Tabaxi curled up next to me. I have the dwarf with his head on my shoulder, and a human woman laying in front of me. She is beautiful. She carries a broad sword, holds it close like it's the only thing she has left. She looks ever so peaceful in her slumber. I would lean forward to get a better look at her, but I currently have a sleeping dwarf on my shoulder. And he is quite heavy. I start to feel light-headed so I decide to rest my head on Neet's chest.  

I wake with pain in my hips, and I realize something. I'm stuck in a window. I look around and flail my arms and legs. "Ashe, what are you doing?" I hear a familiar voice say. "Do you want me to help you out or not?" I name the voice, Neet. But before I can speak, I hear something, "Ashe!" Why would someone be calling my name? "Ashe! Please wake up!" I realize, I should get out of here, whatever this may be. I figure touching something will send me back. Every time I touch something is this dream thing, I get sent to another. Maybe this time I can get out. I look around for any people around me, but Neet is the only one. And he's behind me and the window. I notice something glowing in the corner. It seems to be some sort of glowing orb. Naturally, I want it. But when I touch it nothing happens. I look back, but Neet's not there. I now - without Neet's grip on my ankle - can squeeze out of the window. When I get out, I dust myself off and begin to look around. I see a figure in a distance, a tall man. He runs toward me, and I start to panic. I don't know where I am, I don't know who that is, and I don't know what he wants from me. When the light hits him I recognize him. Why would he be here? This 'world' that I'm in is filled with people and places I don't know. Why would Lee be here? "Ashe! Thank the gods you're all right!" Says that same voice I heard before, "We need to get out of here before it's too late," I don't understand what he's saying, and he seems to have noticed. "Remember that story I told you when we were kids? The tale of the Oshropha Plant?" I nod in response. I remember the story, Lee would tell me the story whenever I felt disappointed in myself.

"Once upon a time, there was a place, this place was magical. The most magical places of all. Far up in the sky lies a magical place. This magical place was called Oshropha. Ever heard of the Oshropha Plant? Yes, this 'sky kingdom' is named after the uncommon flower, Oshropha. This kingdom is also known for the same reasons that the plant is. The people of this magical place glowed. Yes, they actually glowed. These people had powers, magical powers, unlike any others. The people of Oshropha could make others float, Float up into oblivion. One day a Princess was born. Se was the most powerful of them all. She met another powerful person living in the kingdom, they fell in love. And lived a happy, powerful, ever after."

A classic. Every little girl has had that story told to her at some point. Liam continues talking, "This is what happened to my father, he did the same thing you did today. He breathed in the spores of the Oshropha flower. It makes you first glow, then you float, and when you go to sleep, well you see parts of your future". I think back to when Lee's dad passed away. He died in his sleep, how would the flower have anything to do with that? Suddenly I understand what Liam is saying. His father was stuck in this loop of future visions. Unable to escape. "I found a way in, and, well, I couldn't save him," Liam says, lowering his head remembering the event. I put my hand on his arm for support. "But I can save you". He says this with determination, and I look up at him. I try not to express my emotions a lot, I suck at it, but I try. Though this time, I feel my throat tighten and my eyes water. I knew he cared for me, but I never thought he would risk his life for me. I guess that's what you do when you love someone. I try to never cry because it shows weakness, but this time I couldn't stop myself. I put my head on Lee's chest, and he put his arms around me as I cry 'happy tears'. "I've been a pretty lone-lee the past year," Liam pulls me in close and kisses my head gently, "And I think you have too". 

After a minute, we pull ourselves together and think of a way to get out of here. Lee informed me that last time, with his father, they had to go through many visions to get to the 'end'. But his father was not strong enough to make it through to the end. Liam told me that the visions change as we move through them. Supposedly my fate is changing as I find out more about my future. And I digress, knowing what your future holds will change your decisions. But not for me, I believe in holding true to your destiny. If I see myself die in a volcano, I won't stay away from volcanoes. I will go with my gut. We figure that we should go fast, so we don't get trapped in here forever. So I take Lee's hand in my own, and I touch the window I just squeezed out of. 

We reappear in the same dark and suppressed place I was in when I first met Neet, the dwarf, and the handsome human man. I see all of them there, plus a strong-looking winged knight. He holds the biggest maul I've ever seen, and it seems to be admitting a slight glow. He looks over at me while getting flanked by Neet and the handsome man. I turn around to see that Lee isn't there. I look around like a lost child at a festival looking for his mother. "I'm right here," Says Lee's disembodied voice, "I'm a spectator in your visions, I'm not physically here, but I'm with you. Do your best". I feel encouraged by Lee's words, and I look ahead. I'm taken aback to see a giant scorpion approaching me. Out of pure fear, I cast ray of frost and a thin layer of ice covers the scorpion for a second, but then it cracks off. The spell barely phased it. It is a cantrip, Ray of Frost doesn't take much energy to cast. So I keep backing away and casting the spell, eventually bloodying the giant scorpion. When I try and grab my sword I hear the disembodied Lee voice again, "Don't touch that yet, let me get over there". I wait a second before feeling an interesting sensation in my hand, which I would guess is Lee holding my hand. So I touch the sword.

When Lee told me that there was an end to this, I didn't know what to expect. But it certainly was not this. There seems to not be anything that can hurt me, but then again, there is nothing here. I take a look around in awe. When I look to my left I notice another person. I see Lee, I thought he was a spectator. But maybe this really is the end and not another vision of my future. He sees me too, he sneaks a smile in before a full and obnoxious voice speaks, "Well hello there," I look around in search of the voice's holder, but I can't find anything. Though I do see Lee's face, he looks scared. I've never seen him scared before. "Oh ho ho, You've made a big mistake coming back here, Liam". I'm confused. "You know what I said; I will kill you if you come back again". What? No, he can't be killed. But before I can argue, Lee dies. I watch my best friend have his throat slit by a disembodied voice. He floats there, limp, with blood pouring out of the gash on his throat. I basically have to swim to move in this, 'no gravity zone'. I swim over to the corpse of my best friend and hold him in my arms. "Now that that is over with, we need to get you home," says the voice, "There are two rules. One, you may never, and I mean, never return to this place. Two, never speak of this to anyone. Got it?" I nod in response. I hear a faint snapping sound as my sight fades black. I hold Lee tight.
I wake in a cold sweat with Lee in my arms. His throat is not sliced though he isn't breathing. "Mother!" I scream, crying, "Mother! It's Lee! We need a cleric!" Mother rushes in and covers her mouth in shock. Then she rushes out to get help.
I put my strength to use as I lift this 17-year-old boy. I struggle as I carry him out to the front step of the house.
"What happened?" Says a familiar voice, and I see Zendi walk in front of me.
"Go away Zendi!" I yell out of impulse, "Sorry, this just isn't where you need to be right now".
"But," He speaks as he looks down at Lee, limp in my arms. "I can help him, I've been practicing, He won't be healed. But he will be alive". I nod and let Zendi try to save Lee. I watch as Zendi focuses on Lee as he uses magic to give Lee some life. As Zendi relaxes his tensed face, I feel Lee start to breathe.
"I am forever in your dept little brother". I thank Zendi as he leaves.
I look down at Lee, and he opens his eyes. He takes his hand and glides it down my cheek, then smiles. I take his hand in mine and we wait for the adult cleric to arrive.
When the cleric arrives, they have to pry Lee from me. Lee had a pretty painful laugh about that. They heal him all up and give him back to me. "You're staying with me tonight," I say assertively.
"And what if I don't?" Lee challenges me.
"If you don't I will follow you home and I will stay with you" He falls for it. He follows me inside and we get cozy in my bed. Our arms around each other, and my head on his chest. We stay there for a while until Lee breaks the silence.
"I love you". I look up at him and move up. I kiss his lips.
"I love you too". We stay like that for some time before Lee flips over and pins me down. He looks over towards the door.
"What are you--" But before I can get the last word out of my mouth he turns back and kisses me. He stops to breathe and traces my figure with the tip of his fingers. He makes his way down but stops. "I don't know if we should," He says, but he keeps tracing my body. I kiss him and try to slide under his arm to free myself, but he grabs me and puts me in my place. He's holding me down with his strong arms. He notices me staring, "I guess you want to."
Lee takes my hips in his hands and kisses me passionately, but I pull away. I may love him, but this doesn't feel right. "I can't," I say and he nods, "I'm too young". He flops over to my side and pulls me close.
"I understand," Lee says while playing with my hair, "Well I should go". Before I can stop him, Lee jumps out the window. I look out after him, "Until next time!" He yells turning around. I smile at him before he flips back on track.
I lay on my bed reminiscing on the day I've had. I curl up in a ball just thinking about what I saw happen to Lee. As I do I hear a clatter over by my window. I rotate my body dramatically, "Back already?" I say, thinking the noise is Lee coming back. But I'm surprised to find that it is, in fact, not Lee. I strain my eyes as I search for whatever is in my dark room.
"My dad died," I hear a monotone voice say.
"I've had enough disembodied voices today," that is true, from 'Bush Princes' to the mysterious voice in the void of a room. "Who are you?" I ask the man in the dark.
"It's me," the voice says as a figure steps closer, out of the darkness. I realize who he is. Prince Zaedel. "I'm not exactly allowed to be with you, but you're the only person I have to talk to". I stand up off the bed to hug him but he backs away, fading into the darkness.
"Seriously? We have never been allowed to be together, what makes this time different?" I say, urging forward into the darkness.
"That guy. Liam or whatever,". I hear the prince say. As my eyes finally adjust to the dark, I see Zaedel backed up into the corner of the room. Like a scared kitten watching its mother get trampled by a horse while crossing the road.
"Come here," I state, also needing comfort. "Hold on. You said your dad died?" I ask, realizing what Zaedel said.
"Yes, the king is dead. And that means" He stops and takes a few steps forward, "After my brother died in the war I was bumped up to be the heir to the throne. Which means I am king". I close the distance between Zaedel and myself and wrap my arms around him. I'm used to his warmth coursing through me, comforting me. But this time it's my warmth comforting him. I take his hand in mine and drag him over to my bed so we can talk. I sit on the edge of the bed, but Zaedel does not sit with me. Instead, he lays down and sets his head in my lap. I begin to play with his hair as he talks, "I don't know how it happened. I just walked into the throne room and there he was. Lying on the floor, my dad's cold dead hands limply holding his throat". He swallows hard, "The queen, walks in and ushers me out of the room, then slams the door shut on my face". I play with his hair and look into his eyes. I've never seen him like this. He continues, "I've never seen those eyes before, the hatred, and pure anger, but I saw past them for a second before the queen closed the door. I saw regret like she had done something, and now regrets that decision," He pauses, "It was scary, I don't know any other way to put it". A tear escapes, and before Zaedel can hide it I wipe it off his soft skin. He looks up at me and I smile at him. "You're too cute," says the prince as he sits up. he holds my hand once more and lays down on my rugged bed. I join him and turn on my side to face him. He slides his arm under me and pulls me close. "Why do you care?" Zaedel asks as he lets me tuck my head under his chin and snuggle up against his chest.
"I care about you, your opinions, your life, and how you're feeling". I say in response.
"But why?" He pushes on.
"Because, Well," A nervous laugh escapes my lips, "Well, because I love you"
Zaedel's grip on me loosens, what have I done? He moves so that when he looks down, our eyes meet. He looks into my worried eyes, and says, "I-I love you too," His eyes flash from my eyes to my lips for a split-second before he curls further to reach my lips and kisses me. It's different this time. He seems to feel it too, he looks taken aback by the experience. I think we are both feeling the same sensation, I know I am. I want more.
I smile and grab his shirt in my hand. I pull him in and kiss him more. He pulls me over and I plank above him. Zaedel puts his hands on my waist, digging his thumbs into my skin, pulling me down. I sit there as he moves down to my neck. He kisses me delicately, knowing I'm not used to these feelings. He leaves marks as he moves to my chest. Noticing I'm still wearing the necklace, I take it off and tie it around my wrist. I want to keep Lee close, but not that close. I look back at Zaedel to see him shirtless with his clothes neatly folded and his cloak hung on the coat rack. How he did that without me noticing? I have no idea. He slides his hands under my white and stripy dressing gown and takes hold of my hips. Zaedel digs his fingers into my skin, begging for more. I lift my arms while the prince brings the stripy cloth over my head, revealing my pale skin-sitting flesh to the bone. Lifting his head, Zaedel kisses me before laying back on my bed. Not knowing what to do I just sit there, blank face, on top of the prince. Noticing my confusion, Zaedel pulls me down with him, and I snuggle up with his arms around me and my head on his chest. He pulls me close and kisses my head before closing his eyes. I watch his rest, then he speaks, "You doing it again," I giggle in response. He opens one eye to look at me, "I can't stay mad at that". The prince turns on his side and pulls me into his chest. He holds me tight like he's going to lose me. I can hear the beating in his chest and it calms me. We soon fall asleep.
I wake to the sound of chirping birds. Which is unusual for this part of the kingdom, I usually wake to the sound of merchants bargaining loudly outside. But it seems the prince serves an aura liked by the birds. I pry Zaedel's arms off of me and crawl over to the window. I gently open it and stare at the beautiful assorted birds. They're so diverse, many different shapes and sizes, such pretty colour variations. I feel hands around my waist. I turn around, forgetting the height difference, and am met with muscular bare shoulders. Remembering how short I am I look up to see the prince. But I am not only met with the prince. I look up and see a sleepy Zaedel. And aw slips out as I look up at his adorable tired face. His eyes, squinting to hide from the light. His cheeks, rosy from his slumber, and marked by the wrinkles in my pillow. His hair, messy and tangled from moving around while sleeping. He frowns at me adoring him. But I kiss his cheek as I slide under his arm to get dressed. I pick out some clothes. The shirt I choose is a light grey coloured, cropped, top with black straps over the arms and chest area. I pick out tight-fitting leggings, also grey, with black straps on the waist. I put on a plain belt, and walk back over to Zaedel who I haven't noticed has been watching me this whole time. I give him a nice punch on the shoulder when I reach him. He puts his shirt back on, which I'm sort of sad he did and pulls his cloak over his head. And we set out through the house, avoiding all possible entities.
We walk out into town, hand in hand. Ready to face any enemy. But not this one.

We see a man, a powerful one in fact. A mythical entity only depicted in stories told to scare children. Zaedel and I are staring right at Hadeon.  

One day, in this kingdom of ours, there was a man. This man was the evilest of them all. They call him Hadeon the Destroyer. Hadeon walked among the rest of the humans, he talked like us and walked like us. But he was different, and he knew it. He spent his early 20's learning magic, but he didn't get his power from within himself, or from spell scrolls. He was granted this power by a friend, an entity that carries unimaginable evil. Hadeon used this power for evil, terrorizing the kingdom, and attempting to kill the king. After many wars fought, the militia, armed with magic and melee weapons of all types, finally slew the beast. Hadeon was chained and locked up in the deepest of dungeons. Being tortured all day and all night, he still lives far below the castle. Haunting anybody who dares enter the same room as the one and only Hadeon.

The story of Haedon is known to all who have lived after the event. And he looks just as described. He wears iron boots with light blue decals and tight pants with a light blue stripe down the side. Covering one side of his lower half, Hadeon wears a piece of soft-looking cloth around his waist. With dark blue bandages wrapped around his abdomen and chest, Haedon wears an iron gorget, protecting his chest and collarbone. Coloured with a light blue trim. He rocks iron bracers with light blue bindings, and a pauldron on his right shoulder also made of iron but with a light blue filling. Oh his head, Hadeon wears an elven crown made of iron and embedded in it, lies a blue gem. He has a mask made of iron and a light blue metal covering his face.

His looks, remind me of someone. His facial features, look keen and mature even through the mask. Though far away, I can see the crystal blue of his eyes. His fluffy hair almost white flipped to the side. 

The people of the kingdom also recognize who he is and runs. I decide to stay, and Zaedel stays with me, his hood pulled over his head. I watch as Hadeon looks me up and down, then sighs. Hadeon walks towards us and smiles wickedly. When he reaches us he pushes past Zaedel and looks me in the eye. It is hard, but I'm able to read his look. Pain. Why is this powerful warlock hurting inside? I shall think of that another day. But for now, I need to figure out how Hadeon got out.  

"I told him to stay away from you," Hadeon says, his voice sounding like multiple people are talking, "And he didn't follow the rules. So now, I have to dispose of him". I look over at Zaedel with a confused face, and he speaks.

"There are things about Hadeon that you do not know," he states, "For instance, he is much younger than you might think". As Zaedel speaks, Hadeon turns to face the prince.

"You would know wouldn't you?" Says Hadeon, He leans in close to Zaedel and whispers in his ear, unable to hear what Hadeon says, I move forward. Hadeon turned away from me, put his arm out and stops me in my tracks. "Don't try me cutie", I try to push on, ignoring Hadeon's words. But he simply shoves me back. "Now then, shall we continue?"  

Hadeon pulls a blade out of thin air and begins twirling it. He brings the sharp metal blade close to Zaedel's neck, scaring me. Hadeon begins to move the blade down to Zaedel's wrists and begins to carve out divots in his skin. Zaedel winces in pain and I cover my mouth to stop myself from screaming out. I try to reach forwards, but Hadeon, yet again, throws his arm out to stop me from getting any closer.  

I'm arguing with myself, my head knows that I can't get any closer, but my heart wants to help Zaedel. I burst out with Force, pushing both Zaedel and Hadeon back about 5 feet. As I"m grabbing to the prince and use all the power I have left to weakly Misty Step us away from Hadeon. But I don't go anywhere. 

I feel a cold hand around my neck, pressing, digging into my skin. Blood dripping from his chin, Hadeon speaks, "You really are foolish, aren't you?"

Not able to speak from his hand squashing my vocal cords, I let out a squeak and spit on his face.  

The saliva mixes with the blood dripping from underneath his mask. I watch as the colours mix and swirl. It might be me moving closer to passing out, but those colours sure are mesmerizing, almost metallic. The transparent light-red liquid slides down Hadeon's face, to his chin and falls. As gravity pulls it down, the droplet glistens like a potion. It falls and hits my forehead.  

And all I see is fire. Red, hot, fire.