Following our escort of male wisps, we fly down toward the lake. Sitting in the middle of the water is an island with a large tree, several times larger than those on the surrounding mountains. The tree appears to be larger than the trees in the forest Myrna lived in, but this one has a broader layout. Around the tree are numerous other trees of smaller sizes. Unlike the barren leafless trees scattered on the mountains, those on the island are full of leaves and exude energy. Encircling the large tree is a multitude of glowing lights of various colors, all moving about in the evening sun.

Those lights, they look familiar…

The size of the trees grow as we approach the island, the lights become easier to define as well. We cross over the lake, the water is clear and still. A slight sound starts to resound through the area, though it is still too quiet to determine what it is. Now on the island, I let go of Faraine and Zoelle and begin to fly on my own.

“I can go the rest of the way on my own,” I state.

“Are you sure?” Zoelle asks. I nod in response.

As we make our way through the trees, the cold air slowly disappears. The temperature on the island is neutral, neither hot nor cold. The sound in the distance grows to a discernible chatter. The glowing lights become fairies, the glow originating from their wings.

One tree after another, the number of fairies increases, from only a couple, to tens, to hundreds. There are all kinds of different types of fairies resting on tree branches, flying about from tree to tree, and talking with one another.

We make our way past them and I notice it has become quiet. I look around and see the fairies that we’ve been passing are all now staring at us.

“Hey,” I whisper, “Why are they all looking at us?”

The fairies around the trees all begin to fly toward and follow behind us, most of them whispering to one another in a language I cannot understand.

“Hey, what’s going on?” I ask, starting to panic. This is really weird.

“They’re probably surprised to see a new skryver,” Zoelle answers.

“Yeah, well you can’t miss the other three,” Faraine comments.

So, they’re all coming over here to see me… I guess it’s not so bad, but it’s still kind of weird.

The male wisps escorting us move closer, causing Lenadrea, Orianna, and Koralesca to bunch up near Faraine, Zoelle, and I.

“Be careful,” Vestele warns, sorrow apparent in her voice, “From now on, there’s going to be a lot of fairies that are going to want to get close to you.”

“Pages?” I mutter under my breath.

“Yes,” Vestele responds.

“What’d you say?” Faraine asks.

“Ah, nothing,” I quickly reply, “I’m just a little surprised by all this.”

“Right, this is your first time seeing so many fairies,” Zoelle comments, “I guess that can be a bit intimidating. Well I hope you like attention, because everyone’s going to be talking about you from now on.”

Hurray…

“Don’t worry princess, I’ll show you some good hiding places, no one will be able to find you,” Orianna declares.

“Orianna, would you be willing to show me your hiding places?” Zoelle pressures menacingly.

“No way. If Zoelle found out, then nowhere would be safe any-”

Zoelle grabs Orianna’s cheek and starts to pull on it.

“Ow ow ow,” Orianna whines.

“Please, see I’m asking nicely,” Zoelle intimidates, “Won’t you tell big sis?” Orianna shakes her head, refusing Zoelle’s threats.

“Big sis?” I comment.

Zoelle lets go of Orianna’s cheek and says, “Yeah, I think I mentioned it yesterday, but we all live in the same orphanage.

“Don’t remind me,” Koralesca remarks, “Living with that little runt, what did I do in my past to deserve this?”

“Hey, I’m the one that should be saying that,” Orianna bellows, “Do you have any idea what it’s like living with a gorilla?”

“Who’s a gorilla?” Koralesca hisses as she grabs Orianna’s head.

“That’s enough, everyone’s watching,” Faraine reasons, “Besides we’re almost there.”

I turn my focus away from the girls and to my surroundings. The massive tree is still covered by the surrounding vegetation, with the surrounding trees having a couple of holes carved into them. The fairies start to form a crowd behind us as we continue to fly closer to it. The number of fairies in the area seems to only increase, both in the air and on the trees. Once we come into view their chatter turns to silence, and then to whispers as they join the crowd.

We fly through a set of arched trees as the massive one finally comes into view. From top to bottom, holes of varying sizes cover its exterior. Around the entirety of the trunk are thousands of fairies flying in and out of the holes, their lights decorating the tree, giving it a mystical feeling. The smooth bark weaves around the openings, making the surface look like waves.

“Woah,” I mutter in amazement.

The male fairy leading us stops, turns around, and announces, “Welcome princess, to the Vravyth, the heart of Folian Sanctuary.”

With the sudden announcement, the fairies surrounding the Vravyth turn to look in our direction, almost all of them stopping in their tracks. Silence suddenly washes over the area, with only occasional whispers disrupting the calm.

*GROWL* My stomach grumbles. With everyone looking at me, my face heats up.

Thanks, you idiot, now they all know I’m here, my stomach just had to growl too.

“This way, the verger is waiting,” The male fairy says as he turns around and starts to fly up toward the tree.

As we all follow behind him, I whisper, “Is the tree the Vravyth?”

“Yes,” Zoelle answers, “The Vravyth is a type of tree created by fairies to act as safe havens in the realms.”

So, their man-made, or fairy-made…

We approach the top of the Vravyth, enter through a large opening, land inside, and walk down a long corridor. The fairies that were previously following behind us do not follow inside. After walking a moderate distance into the tree, our escort leads us into a large room.

The interior wood is light tan in color. The room is massive and circular in design, with a large round table and a multitude of chairs surrounding it. The chairs have a slit down the middle of the backrest, while each one has a different design. Across the table on the opposite side of the doorway is an old male fairy sitting in a larger, ornate chair. Dotting a few of the other chairs are some fairies.

The old male fairy has long, light-green hair that goes past his shoulders, and a long thin beard that extends down to his stomach, both his hair and beard appear to be dry. His tired green eyes and pointed nose are more pronounced by the wrinkles on his thin face. He has a slender figure that is adorned in a casual looking white shirt with a brown vest over it, and brown pants. He has large green and black wings that have three tips on each side. The larger areas of the wings are various shades of green, only being broken-up by a black pattern on both sides.

“Old man Flos seems to be doing well,” Vestele sighs.

The seated fairies turn to us as we make our way into the room. The leading male fairy that escorted us here says something in a language I do not understand as we enter the room.

The old man, Flos, responds in a gruff voice, and all of the escorts, except for the leader, leave the room. The male wisp walks over to the side of the room. With the escort gone, Flos continues speaking, I still cannot understand.

The girls all reply in unison and begin to leave as well.

“See you later princess,” Orianna declares with a big smile as they leave.

“Bye,” I reply. I watch the girls leave, then glance at the remaining male escort. I guess he dismissed them, but why’d he stay?

With everyone else gone, Flos starts speaking to me. I turn to focus on him, yet I fail to understand his words.

“He’s welcoming you to Folian,” Vestele explains.

Thanks for translating, but I can’t reply in Zoic…

A moment of silence follows after he finishes speaking.

“So, you don’t know Zoic?” Flos questions in Annic.

“No, I can only speak Annic and Parazic,” I respond in kind.

“Very well, we will continue our conversation in Annic,” Flos states then continues. “I’m sure you’re tired, so we’ll keep this short. First, I am Logleas Flos, and I’d like to welcome you to Folian. I am the verger here”

Is a verger the person in charge?

“Hello, I’m Evetta,” I respond as politely as possible.

“Gathered here are a few of the wardens of Folian,” Flos says as he gestures to the other fairies sitting around the table, then continues, “I apologize for not being able to welcome you properly, but when little Lenadrea arrived saying they had found a skryver claiming to be a princess, we gathered anyone available.”

“Please, it’s okay,” I reply. I’d rather not get the princess treatment.

“Thank you for understanding. Regardless of whether you are a princess or not, it is always a pleasure to welcome another skryver,” Flos explains, “Now, it is getting late and I’m sure you’re just as exhausted, so for tonight, rest up and we will go over everything tomorrow.”

“Alright, but where-” I respond.

“Don’t worry princess,” Verger Flos interjects, “Novaraine, you will be in charge of the princess for the night.”

Damn, he’s also calling me princess…

Suddenly, a violet male fairy yells.

What’s this guy’s problem?

I look over at the male fairy, he has shoulder-length violet hair and cold violet eyes, an umbra. His aged face makes his cold glare toward a teal fairy, likely Novaraine, more intense. He has an average build and has a dark green robe over his clothes. His wings are similar to Koralesca’s, with dark veins, and tattered edges, and the membrane changing from black to violet as his wings extend away from his back.

Verger Flos then says something in Zoic back at the violet fairy before continuing on with his sentence.

*GROWL* My stomach complains while I stand there. Would you be quiet, I’ll get something to eat as soon as I can.

I look back and forth between the fairies as they continue their discussion. Not knowing what they’re saying is annoying.

“They’re debating about who should be in charge of watching over you,” Vestele comments, as if she could tell I was confused, “Honestly, it would be best if it was one of the other skryvers though. I wonder if they’re busy?”

If you say so.

The fairies go silent and Verger Flos motions to the teal fairy.

“Understood Verger,” states the female teal fairy sitting near Flos.

“Looks like the nix won,” Vestele says.

Nix? Is that what teal fairies are called? I look over at her, we make eye contact, and she stares at me with sharp, teal-colored, jewel-like eyes.

Her teal hair is in a bob cut hairstyle. She has an intimidating yet cute round face, and is rather short with a small frame. She is wearing a white shirt that is similar to Verger Flos’ and has a dark blue vest on along with similar brown pants. She has four wings that are thin, similar to Lenadrea’s, but they point upward. They are teal in color, with a bright cyan diamond near the tips of her wings, making them look like eyes.

Finally, a girl fairy that’s wearing pants, I almost thought I was destined to wear nothing but dresses…

“This is Novaraine, she will be in charge of you for the night. She will show you to your room and will assign some temporary guards for you,” Flos proclaims, “Novaraine, if you would.”

Guards? Is that necessary?

Verger Flos, along with the other fairies, remain seated, while Novaraine stands up, walks over to me, and says, “Please follow me. Vallen you come too.” She motions to the wisp who escorted me here.

Vallen, so that’s his name huh?

She starts to leave the room.

“Goodnight,” I say before I start to trail after Novaraine, Vallen following behind me.

“Sleep well, little one,” Verger Flos replies.

As we make our way back down the corridor, Novaraine introduces the male wisp, “Princess, this is Vallen. He will be your acting guard for now.”

“Hi, I’m Evetta.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you princess,” Vallen replies.

“We’re going to make one more stop before I show you to your room,” Novaraine states.

After making our way back to the opening from earlier, we fly down to the middle of the tree and enter a corridor. It’s similar to the previous one, however, this one has another opening at the other end. On both sides of the long corridor are a couple of doors; Novaraine walks over to one, and knocks. “Wait here,” she says, then enters.

Novaraine shouts in a crisp voice and two female voices follow after. They have a brief conversation that I fail to understand.

“She’s talking about a new assignment, and that they will need to speak Annic,” Vestele states.

“Thanks,” I respond.

“If you’re thanking me for escorting you back to Folian, it’s no big deal,” Vallen remarks.

Ah, crap, I just responded to Vestele, that could’ve been bad. It’s a good thing he thought I was thanking him.

*GROWL* My stomach shouts and I quickly place my hands over my stomach.

“Hungry princess?” Vallen asks.

“Yeah, I haven’t eaten anything all day,” I complain as my face gets warm.

Two female voices suddenly speak up as Novaraine walks out from the room with two fairies trailing behind her. One is a nix that looks almost identical to Novaraine; she has thin cold teal eyes, a soft round face, average lips, a small nose, thick eyebrows, and a medium skin tone. She has short teal hair that is in a bob-cut hairstyle with her bangs brushed to the side. Her four wing are thin, but they point diagonally upward. They have straight edges and each wing has 2 pointed tips; within each pointed tip is a bright teal diamond. There are thin veins that travel through the wings and the wings are bright in color the closer to the veins they are, while the outside edges are darker in color. She is wearing a white long sleeve sweater, purple shorts, a purple scarf, light yellow shoes, and intricate yellow gloves on her hands.

The other fairy, a type I haven’t seen yet, is tall, slightly taller than Vestele, has a well-defined figure, with a voluminous bosom. She has large yellow eyes, a thin face with high cheekbones, big lips, a thin nose, her eyebrows are arched at the end, and she has light tan skin. She has long yellow hair that is up in a ponytail that comes down to her lower back, while she has curtain bangs that are brushed to both sides. She is wearing a red zip-up sleeveless shirt that exposes her stomach, brown and red shorts, and brown boots. She has four wings that are each pointing in a different direction and have a white design on them. Her hindwings have a round tip with a blue circle on the end. 

“Yellow fairies are alves,” Vestele comments.

“This is Galatia,” Novaraine says, motioning toward the nix, she continues as she motions toward the alve, “and this is Lyris.”

“This is Princess Evetta,” Novaraine says as she motions toward me, “You two will be guarding her tonight.”

“But... it’s my day off,” Lyris retorts.

“It’s mine as well,” Galatia adds.

“You two do realize you’re in the presence of a princess, right?” Novaraine inquires.

“And, doesn’t change the fact that it’s my day off, why do we have to do it?” Lyris questions.

“Simple, I have high expectations for you two, now stop complaining and follow me,” Novaraine answers.

“Fine,” Lyris sighs, defeatedly.

Novaraine leads us back to the opening at the end of the corridor and starts to fly back up the tree. Galatia, Lyris, Vallen, and I follow behind her.

They aren’t treating me like royalty, it’s pretty nice. Maybe I’ll be able to relax around them, well as much as I can while trying to get to the spirit realm.

I laugh to myself. “What’s so funny?” Lyris asks.

“Nothing,” I respond.

We fly up alongside the Vravyth, passing by hundreds of fairies again, all of them turning to look at me as we pass. Novaraine flies past the hole where I met with the Verger, and we continue up into the branches of the Vravyth. We finally stop at a hole that is on a large branch. Several smaller holes dot the side of the branch. We head into the large opening, revealing a long hallway with smaller openings that act as windows.

We walk behind Novaraine along the hallway until she stops in front of a door and announces, “Princess, this will be your room. Please use it as you see fit.”

“Galatia and Lyris will be using the room right next door. Vallen you’ll be using the one at the end of the hall,” Novaraine continues as she points out the different rooms, “Call them if you need anything.”

“Okay.”

“Vallen you’ll be with her tomorrow, so once the princess is ready to go to sleep, you’ll be done for the night,” Novaraine explains, then looks at Galatia and Lyris and says, “One of you will remain posted in front of her door at all times. In the morning you’ll help her get ready. You two can discuss who does what between yourselves.”

“What! But-” Lyris protests.

“I will come get you in the morning, goodnight,” Novaraine says, turning around to walk away.

“Wait, we can’t stay here, this place is meant for skryvers and their pages!” Lyris shouts as she grabs Novaraine’s arm, “And we aren’t either!”

“I concur,” Galatia adds, “If we are to stay here, does this mean we are now Princess Evetta’s pages?”

Novaraine sighs and answers, “This is only temporary, and whether either of you becomes her pages will depend solely on her decision.” She points at me, then continues to walk away, leaving the four of us alone in the hallway.

“Well, now what do we do?” Lyris asks.

“I’d like to talk with you as soon as we can,” Vestele says.

“I’d actually like to go to sleep,” I say to Lyris.

*GROWL* My stomach roars out once more. Would you shut up! I know I know.

“You seem hungry,” Galatia states.

“You sure you don’t want to get some food before going to sleep?” Vallen asks.

“Um… yeah, I’m sure,” I reply, still embarrassed, “Goodnight.” I open my door, head inside, and close the door behind me. Food sounds nice, but I’ll be fine going one day without eating. Right now, I need to talk with Vestele and figure out what’s going on.

Galatia, Lyris, and Vallen mutter something from the other side of the door.

“Are you sure you don’t want to eat something first?” Vestele asks.

“I’ll be fine,” I mutter as I scan the room.

Everything in the room is small enough for fairies to properly utilize. There is a dresser on the wall to the left, a door next to the dresser with a bed across from it. A small table that sits next to the bed with a white crystal on it, and a desk with a chair underneath a small window on the wall opposite the main door.

“A bed I can actually use,” I say in amazement.

“What, did you think we just slept on the floor? Vestele asks.

“No, I just wasn’t expecting to see stuff my size anymore,” I reply.

“That’s because you’ve been living with people of the realms for so long now,” Vestele states, “Had you been around fairies from the beginning, you wouldn’t be so surprised.”

I walk over to the bed, sit down, and after realizing how comfortable the mattress feels, lay down. This is nice...

“Hey, don’t go to sleep yet,” Vestele says.

“I’m not,” I hastily respond as I sit back up. I move over toward the wall and rest my back against it in an upright position. A moment of silence passes as neither me nor Vestele say anything.

“Um… Vestele?” I mutter.

“How many times do I have to tell you, call me mother,” Vestele sighs, pausing for a moment, “I’m just not sure where to start…” 

“Is it fine if you just answer some of my questions then?” I ask.

“Sure, I’ll explain from there,” Vestele replies.

“Okay, then yesterday, why’d you scream? You scared the crap out of me.”

“Oh, were you worried about me?”

“Focus please.”

“Boo… You’re still no fun. Fine… Yesterday, when little Koralesca was explaining what happened after I left, I screamed because… Yesterday, I found out that many of the people I love are now dead. I’m actually in a fairly similar situation that you’re in. I know next to nothing about what has happened in the last seventeen years.”

“Then why have you been acting like you know everything?”

“I spent almost seventeen years alone, what else was I supposed to do aside from speculate what was happening while I was gone.”

“So, what you found out yesterday was actually surprising?”

“Surprising? More like, devastating. The entire time I’ve been gone, I’ve thought about how things have been going for the fairies here in my world, well, our world now. I’ve known for many years that my pages were already gone... but I never would’ve thought that the matriarchs and most of our family would have died too…”

A moment of silence follows Vestele’s previous sentence.

*GROWL* My stomach cries out. I’m sorry but it’ll just be for the night, now, shut up!

“Then, what do you think would’ve caused this to happen?”

“The only thing I can think of would be the vampire I told you about before. Remember how I said we got into a fight, well even though he sent me away to your world, I would say our fight ended in a draw, with no clear winner. Apparently, I was wrong though, because he’s the only one that I can think of that would be capable of eliminating so many fairies.”

“Why would he go after them? Actually, what were you fighting about in the first place?”

“He was after the emblem of ice… An emblem… hmm, think of it as an object that radiates the purest form of any element, like a miniature moon. I don’t know what he wanted it for, but since I refused to tell him its location, he started attacking me. Once the battle was over, I assumed he left to search for the emblem, but I have no idea what he did after.”

“And what about attacking the fairies?”

“No idea, I’m still trying to figure that one out myself. If he was after the emblem then I don’t know why he’d return to attack the other fairies, after all, I’m the only one that knows the locations of the emblems.”

“I guess we’ll have to ask the verger tomorrow. Ah, is the verger the one in charge?”

“Yes, verger is a title given to the fairy that is connected to a Vravyth. The Vravyth is bound to, will grow with, and die alongside their verger, unless a new one is designated.”

“Interesting… okay, then what are matriarchs, patriarchs, and can you go over pages again?”

“Matriarchs and patriarchs are the male and female representatives that are in charge of their elemental clan. Pages are…” Vestele goes silent again, obvious pain in her voice.

“Vestele, it’s okay if you’d rather not talk about it.”

After a few moments of silence Vestele responds, “I’m okay… Pages are, technically, servants that have formed a connection with a skryver… But it would be better to view them as your second family, brother’s and sister’s that you’ve chosen. In some cases, they can even become your family… just like...” Vestele goes quiet again. 

Maybe I should change the subject. “Is that why you were telling me to be careful around the other fairies?”

“...Yes. Every skryver, at some point, will acquire pages. You can have one page for each element, giving you twelve pages total. Once you have bound your heart with the heart of your page, no other fairy can replace them, even if they die.”

“And how many pages did you have?”

“Twelve…”

And now, her pages are all gone… Yeah, definitely time to change the subject.

“Hey, um, why do... so many girl fairies wear dresses?”

“Pfft… Why?” Vestele laughs, pauses for a moment, then answers teasingly, “Who knows.”

“Come on, tell me,” I yawn.

“Well, if I had to guess. It’s probably because they like them?”

“Really… That’s it?”

“Do you need a reason to wear something you like?”

“No… I guess not…” I yawn as I slide down from the wall and lay on the bed.

“Tired?”

“Something like that.”

I lay there in silence for several minutes. My eyes become heavy and I pull the fuzzy blanket over me, then ask, “Vestele, are you still there?”

“Where else would I be?”

“I can’t use the elements, but the girls believe I can,” I explain, “Do you have any ideas about how we can fool everyone here into believing I can use the elements, or should I just explain I can’t?”

“Do whatever you want. If you feel the need to tell someone, that’s fine. Besides, if someone finds out, it’s not the end of the world. We can just explain that you’re actually only seven-months old, after all you did just create your soul cores two days ago.”

“Okay, what about if someone finds out about you?”

“Well, since either Nolodar or Alduin are here, I plan on telling them at least. They should be able to help us get back to the spirit realm. Aside from them, I’d like to keep it a secret, although there might be a few other people that it would be okay to explain our situation to.”

“Should we tell the Verger? Couldn’t he help us get back to the spirit realm?”

“We could, but he primarily manages Folian, so I’m not sure how much help he’d be able to provide, especially with how many fairies are already here,” Vestele states, “You might end up with more guards placed around you, and you’ll likely have most of your freedom taken from you. So it’s really up to you if you want to tell old man Flos.”

“Having guards in general is already going to be bothersome, so I’d rather not have more.”

“I guess we solved that.”

“Hey Vestele.”

“Yes sweetheart?”

I sigh-

*Knock* *Knock*

“Princess are you still awake?” Lyris asks from behind the door, “I brought you some food. If you’re still awake, you should eat something.”

“You should eat, and get some sleep, we can talk more tomorrow.”

I get up, walk over to the door and open it. Standing there holding a wooden tray with food is Lyris.

“So, you were still awake,” Lyris mutters, “Come on, go sit down.”

“I can get it myself.”

“It’s fine, just go sit down,” Lyris sighs, “I’ve already brought it this far.”

Following Lyris’ instructions I head over to the desk, and sit down. Lyris follows me in and places the tray of food atop the desk, then sits down on the edge of the bed.

“You didn’t need to-”

“Yeah, well I already did, now eat,” Lyris orders, then mutters something under her breath.

“Thanks,” I say before digging into my late dinner. A hot bowl of stew, filled with pieces of meat, blocks of varying colors, and a thick, deep-brown broth.

As I devour my meal, Lyris says, “See, you should’ve just eaten something earlier if you were so hungry. Why the hell’d you decide to go to sleep if you were that hungry?”

I swallow my food, stop eating for a moment, and say, “Um, well… no real reason.”

“Look princess, I brought you the food, the least you could do is tell me why you didn’t want to eat.”

Ugh, just drop it. “Well, I just… it’s because… I was embarrassed…” I lie.

Lyris sits there quiet for a moment then starts laughing, “Pfft, hahaha, really that’s it? Alright, well next time, how about we go to the cafeteria to get something to eat. It’ll save me a trip to the cafeteria.”

She believed me. I resume my eating and once done, make my way back to my bed. Lyris takes my tray with her and heads for the door.

“Now you can go to sleep,” Lyris says, “after all, it’s a pain to sleep on an empty stomach.”

“Thanks, and goodnight.”

“Go to sleep,” Lyris barks before closing my door.

“Well, she’s an odd one,” Vestele comments.

“Yeah,” I yawn. Sleep sounds nice now. I lay down on my bed, pull the covers over myself and say, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight sweetheart…” Vestele whispers. She starts to hum, the soothing sound causing me to relax until I fall asleep.

---

*Knock* *Knock*

“…eart…” A voice chimes.

*Knock* *Knock*

“Sweetheart… wake…” Vestele’s voice echoes.

“Just a bit longer,” I mumble.

“Sorry, but it sounds like they’re not going to let you,” Vestele replies.

I open my eyes and begin to work my way out of bed.

“Sleep well?” Vestele asks.

“Mhm,” I answer.

*KNOCK* *KNOCK* “I’m coming in!” Lyris shouts.

The door opens and Lyris walks over, “So, you’re awake.”

“Sorry, I just woke up,” I reply.

“Obviously.”

Galatia walks into the room carrying a wooden tray with a few bowls on top. She brings them over to the desk and places them on it.

“Good morning. You should eat,” Galatia says candidly.

“Ah, thanks,” I reply as I look over at the bowls of food.

Lyris grabs my arm and pulls me out of bed, “Come on, we’ve got things to do. I’d like to finish this before I have to get back to actual work.”

Pushy much?

I head over to the desk, sit down, and look at the food before me.

Is this the same stew from last night? And some fruit?

“You eat, Galatia go get the bath ready,” Lyris orders as she points at us, “I’ll get an outfit for her.”

“Huh?” I stammer. Actually, a bath sounds nice, but… I’m not sure if I’ll be able to relax as much as I’d like around her. She’s like a different person from last night.

I eat my breakfast. Once done, Lyris brings me out of the room, and down the hallway to another door. We walk into a steam filled room. Lyris tells me to strip, and after a short argument that I lost, I make my way into the bath.

“A bath inside a tree?” I mutter, soaking in the warm water.

“The wood in these areas are treated to deal with these conditions,” Vestele answers.

After I finish my bath, Lyris presents me with my new outfit. Another dress...

“You can’t be serious…” I groan.

“Hey, I think you’d look great in this,” Lyris explains, “You were already wearing a dress, so I assumed you’d like one that was similar.”

Dammit! “Can you grab something else?” I question.

Galatia walks in and states, “Novaraine is here for the princess.”

“Sorry, you took too long,” Lyris replies bluntly, “Now put it on, I’d rather not make Novaraine wait for us.”

I put on a white, frilly, princess-style dress, and leave the bath. Waiting for us outside is Novaraine and Vallen. Galatia, Lyris, and I follow behind as they lead.

This is so embarrassing. How do I keep finding myself in dresses?

As we walk through the corridor, I start to pound my fists against my head.

“Does your head hurt?” Galatia asks.

“Hey, I just fixed your hair, don’t go and mess it up now!” Lyris roars.

“Sorry, I’m just not that fond of dresses,” I reply.

“Why didn’t you say something earlier then?” Lyris asks, “I could’ve got something else.”

“I think it looks good on you though,” Vallen comments.

“I agree,” Galatia adds.

Please don’t say that… I don’t want to receive compliments from guys...

We arrive at the opening of the branch, fly out, and start to descend down the Vravyth. There are just as many fairies busily going about their day as there were yesterday. We arrive at the conference room from last night, and walk in; the room is full of fairies.

Sitting around the table is the verger and the wardens. More are here than last night, but there are still some empty seats. Behind each warden is another fairy, standing at attention. Crowded along the left wall are several male fairies, including the remaining wisps that escorted us yesterday. To the right are Zoelle, the others, and a few more female fairies.

As we enter the room, I glance over at the girls. Orianna excitedly waves at me, and the others do a simple hand gesture.

They look a little anxious.

“Princess Evetta is here,” Novaraine exclaims.

“Thank you Novaraine, you may be seated,” Verger Flos says.

Novaraine walks over to her seat from yesterday and sits down. Galatia follows behind her and stands at the side of her chair. Lyris walks over to the right wall and joins the girls, while Vallen joins the guys in front of the left wall.

“Good morning Princess Evetta,” Verger Flos greets.

“Good morning,” I reply.

“Alright now that everyone is here, we can begin,” Verger Flos declares. All the fairies turn their gaze toward me as Flos asks, “Princess, first I’d like you to explain your connection to her majesty. We don’t doubt your words, but with the decline in skryvers, it’s rare to see a new face, especially one so young.”

I bow before everyone. This feels appropriate. Then straighten out and with the most confidence I can muster, I say, “My name is Evetta. I am ten-years-old, and am Vestele’s daughter.”

*Gasp* A handful of fairies in the room begin to whisper in disbelief. Verger Flos glances over at Zoelle and the others, and they nod in agreement with my statement. “Silence!” He roars, causing everyone to be quiet.

“Vestele’s daughter,” Verger Flos mutters, then asks, “Is the queen alive?”

“Yes,” I reply frankly.

*Gasp* The fairies in the room start to murmur amongst themselves again, causing Verger Flos to yell out, “SILENCE!” once more. He continues, “Being ten-years-old, what have you been doing, and why are you no longer with her majesty?”

“I have been living with an elf, who taught me Annic, and cared for me while mother was recovering,” I answer, taking a deep breath, I continue, “With mother’s condition, she is unable to travel, so she tasked me with traveling to the spirit realm in order to summon her upon my arrival.”

“And you expect us to just believe you!?” the male umbra, who had the outburst yesterday, yells out, “On what grounds?”

“I have no way of proving myself currently, but if I can make it to the spirit realm, mother will return,” I proclaim.

“Do you honestly expect us to use our resources to escort you to the spirit realm, with a feeble promise that our queen, who’s been dead for years, will return?” the umbra protests.

“She’s telling the truth!” Orianna interjects.

“Children shouldn’t interrupt when adults are talking!” the umbra snaps.

“That’s enough Sidgar,” Verger Flos demands. He looks back at Orianna and says, “Speak little one.”

“The storm we were sent out to deal with,” Orianna pleads, “We saw the princess stop the entire thing on her own.”

“There’s nothing special about that,” Sidgar retorts, “Any skryver could do the same.”

“Sir, I don’t think you understand,” Faraine interjects, “It wasn’t just that she stopped the storm, but how quickly she did it.”

“That storm would’ve taken the five us at least two days to handle,” Faraine continues as she motions to Zoelle and the others, “But the princess dealt with the storm in a few minutes.”

The room once again fills with murmurs upon hearing Faraine’s statement.

Wait, I didn’t know getting rid of that storm that fast was going to be something so impressive.

“Vestele,” I whisper under my breath.

“What, I was only helping out,” Vestele chimes.

“Verger, how quick would Desela, or Nolodar be able to quell an elmite storm?” Novaraine asks.

“Oh, so little Desela and Nolodar are here,” Vestele comments.

That’s only two though, didn’t the girls say there were three skryvers here?

Verger Flos ponders for a moment and replies, “Depending on the size, it would likely take Nolodar a couple of hours at best if he was on his own.”

With Verger Flos’ announcement, the chatter becomes louder and more erratic.

The verger, along with some of the wardens ask me questions about who my father is, why I do not speak Zoic, and why I was living with an elf. I answer their questions as best I can while following Vestele’s instructions so that they do not become too suspicious of me.

They continue by questioning Zoelle and the others about my story, about what happened while we were traveling to Folian, and whether they believe I am Vestele’s daughter. Each one recounts the same story, claiming that they think I am Vestele’s daughter, especially Faraine and Orianna.

“Princess Evetta, after hearing all of this, I assume your current goal is to travel to the spirit realm?” Verger Flos inquires.

“Yes,” I answer.

“Very well,” Verger Flos replies, “We will begin preparations for a group to escort you to the world vein.”

“Thank you.”

“Then let’s move onto the next topic. Gathered here are several fairies that were chosen by myself and the wardens. While you’re here within Folian, I would recommend having a couple of guards with you at all times,” Verger Flos states, “Normally, they would’ve been picked by your parents prior to your birth, but with your situation, we will leave the decision of whom you pick up to you.”

“Thank you, but are they really necessary?”

“Princess, do you by chance have any pages?” Verger Flos inquires.

“No.”

“Then all the more reason to start looking into whom you should pick. Additionally, if you wander Folian without any guards, you’ll essentially be giving every fairy a free invitation to talk with you,” Verger Flos explains, “I’m not against you picking someone here, however, you’ll be safer having someone with you.”

“Does it matter who I pick?”

“It can be anyone in this room. Also, if you aren’t fond of anyone here, we will be holding a feast to welcome you tonight,” Verger Flos says, “So you’ll have a chance to meet more fairies there; if any of them are to your liking, then we will have them assigned to you.”

“It’s not a bad idea to start considering who you want to be your pages, just one thing to keep in mind,” Vestele advises, “Your relationship with your pages should be natural, artificial selection of pages almost never goes well.”

“Alright, then I want the fairies that traveled with me to Folian and the ones that were assigned to me last night to be my guards,” I declare. I’d rather keep the people that I already know and go from there.

I look over at the girls and see Orianna smiling at me, but Faraine doesn’t seem as happy.

“I think they’re all pretty good choices. None of them seemed terrible, but make sure you keep a watchful eye on them,” Vestele remarks, “You never know, appearances can be deceiving. You’re a perfect example, a new-born skryver that’s unable to use the elements, and has the fairy queen hiding in her soul.”

Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind...

“Wonderful, I’m glad you already have some people in mind, then-”

Suddenly the door bursts open. I turn to see who it is, and entering the room is a large group of fairies. The group consists of a skryver and several other fairies, some male, some female, most of which have different wings. Everyone in the room goes silent as they walk in.

“Oh, it’s little Desela,” Vestele states.

The skryver, Desela, has wavy white hair that is brushed to one side and extends past her shoulder. She has a sharp jawline, thin straight eyebrows, fierce white eyes, a round nose, and rosy white skin. She stands about as tall as Vestele and her slender figure and fair bosom are pronounced by her white mermaid-style dress. Her wings are identical to mine and Vestele’s, except the circles on her wings glow a rainbow color, while mine are white, and Vestele’s are black.

(NOTE: The clothes Desela is wearing in the picture is not the outfit in this scene. Instead she is wearing a more casual outfit in the picture.)

Desela walks past me, approaching the round table, and starts talking, likely in Zoic, saying several sentences to Verger Flos. The two exchange a couple of sentences with one another before Desela turns toward me and starts talking to me. I am still unable to understand her.

I tilt my head to the side in confusion in response to her words, and reply in Annic, “Sorry, I can’t speak Zoic.”

She raises her eyebrows. “So, you’re my cousin that’s just arrived?” Desela hisses as she scans the fairies in the room, “I heard a princess arrived so I went and got all dressed up hoping to meet either Sylvia or Lilia, but it’s just…”

She looks back over at me, tilts her head to the side, glares at me, and haughtily says, “Who are you?”

Wow, someone’s got an attitude.

“Hi, I’m Evetta,” I introduce myself.

“Evetta, Evetta, Evetta… Sorry, doesn’t ring a bell,” Desela states as she walks over to me. “I don’t remember any cousin by the name Evetta,” she says, then asks, “Who’s your mother?”

“Vestele,” I answer.

Desela freezes, tilts her head, and mutters, “Interesting...” The atmosphere around her becomes thick and heavy.

I look up at her, she stands about the same height as Vestele. Desela walks around me inspecting my wings, walks back around, and stands in front of me again. She bends down and looks me in the eyes, our noses almost touching.

What’s she doing?

“So, you’re auntie Vestele’s daughter huh?” she asks.

“Y-yes,” I stutter. What’s wrong with her? She feels like she’s going to attack me…

Desela straightens out, sighs, turns around, walks back over to the fairies that arrived with her, and says, “You indeed look like auntie, but that’s all. From what I can tell, you’re nothing alike. You can’t speak Zoic, you lack confidence, and most importantly you claim to be able to quell elmite storms when you clearly lack any ability to use the elements. You’re useless!”

Useless huh… That might be the most accurate way to describe me...

“She’s not useless!” Orianna shouts, “She stopped a massive storm on her own!”

“That’s right!” Faraine adds.

No, she’s right.

“Oh, is that right?” Desela inquires as she turns to scowl at Orianna and Faraine, “And what makes you think that she is capable of doing something like that?”

“We saw it!” Orianna exclaims.

Wrong, it wasn’t me. That was Vestele…

“Really now,” Desela scoffs as she looks back over at me, “Then tell me, Evetta, what element are you most proficient with?”

“Huh?” I mutter as I look away. What element, I can’t use any of them though.

“Little Desela’s got some good eyes if she can tell someone’s proficiency with the elements by looking at their wings. Even I can’t do that,” Vestele praises, “But I’m definitely going to need to talk with her later.”

“What’s wrong, is it wind, maybe nature?” Desela pesters, “It’s simple, you don’t have an element you’re good with, in fact, I’d wager you don’t even know how to use any of them yet.”

Desela then looks back over at Orianna and Faraine and shouts, “And you two expect me to believe that she’s capable of stopping a storm. Unlikely, she likely can’t even defend herself.”

“But it’s true!” Orianna yells.

“Enough!” Desela screams. Silence fills the room for a moment as Desela collects herself. She walks back over to me and demands, “Use an element, it doesn’t matter which. I want you to show them. If you can use any element I’ll apologize, but don’t lie to us.”

Vestele, what should I do?

“Sorry sweetheart, there’s not much I can do without revealing myself,” Vestele chimes, “I will if you want, but-”

*cough* *cough*

“Alright, I understand.”

“What’s wrong? There’s no reason to be scared, just use an element. It doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. Like this,” Desela says as she holds out her hand and creates a small ball of fire, “Simple.”

As I scan Desela, trying to determine how she’s using the elements, I notice her eyes and hair have changed to red. Well, that’s new...wait focus!

I hold out my hand, trying to imitate Desela. Everyone in the room is silent as they watch us. I try to create a ball of fire. I imagine one appearing, and hope. Please work, please.

I stand there for a moment and nothing happens.

As I hold out my hand, I look down and mutter, “I can’t,” under my breath.

“Did you say something?” Desela asks.

“I said I can’t,” I mutter as I lower my arm back to my side.

“Can’t what?” Desela proclaims.

“I can’t use the elements,” I state clearly, so that everyone in the room can hear.

“Good. Now that everyone is on the same page we can get started,” Desela whispers to me. She then walks toward the round table and slams her hand down on it. Huh? Get started? What’s she mean?

“You idiots didn’t even know that she couldn’t use the elements,” Desela roars, “While she’s in Folian, I’ll be the one watching over her!”

“Very well,” Verger Flos says, “The princess has already picked out some guards, what do you want to do with them?”

Desela looks over at me, “Is that true?”

“Yeah,” I mutter.

Desela sighs, “Fine, I’ll bring them with me.”

“You heard her,” Verger Flos orders, “Those that Princess Evetta chose earlier will follow Desela and the princess.”

“Alright, then this meeting is over,” Desela announces, then points at me and orders “You come with me, we need to talk.”

“Yes,” I cry.

“Anyone following Evetta, come along too,” Desela says as she walks past me toward the doorway.

“Goodbye everyone,” I say before I follow after her. I can’t get a read on her, but I’d rather not argue with her… For now I’ll just follow along.

The fairies that arrived with Desela, my guards from last night, and the girls all walk behind me as we chase after her.