Noelle suddenly was thrown awake from her nightmare by a rapt knocking on the door. Her blood ran cold, in fear it was Adron coming to "talk" to her again. She straightened herself up, smoothing out her dress, and the door opened to reveal not Adron, but instead a boy around her age. Her eyebrows raised in surprise.

From his attire, Noelle could tell he was a servant. While the clothes he wore were in good condition, they were certainly of a lower status than royalty. They held none of the deep, royal colours like Noelle's gown, but a washed-out brown colour. He wasn't tall, just about the same height as she was, and his hair was curly and dark brown. He was thin - too thin - and his pale skin held a sickly glow. In one hand, he held a tray, filled with luxurious foods that made Noelle's mouth water. In his green eyes, she could see the hunger as his eyes drifted to the meal.

He placed it on the table in front of her and stood back in front of the door.

"Is this for me...?" Noelle cautiously asked, and the boy nodded, but did not say a word or take his eyes off her.

"Thanks," she muttered and took the egg cup in her hand. Upon examination, she saw miniature paintings of people, yet they were hard to make out. Either this was a form of art, or the artist had been talentless.

She felt uncomfortable eating under the boy's steady gaze, but her protesting stomach forced her to eat the egg. She had not had any food since yesterday morning.

Not once did the boy say a word to her, despite how hard she tried to engage him in a conversation. He kept himself stoic and stony-faced.

"What's your name?" she tried to ask. "I am Noelle."

"Are you a servant?" she also said. "Can you help me?"

Eventually, it turned into a game. Noelle continued talking, trying to push the boy to at least give her a name.

"I grew up in the North but I moved to London when I was three," she began, fiddling with her spoon but casting an eye at the boy at the door while she spoke. "I never had many friends, because I value fewer friends that are loyal than a lot who are all fake, you know? My best friend is called Zuzanna, and she is the longest one I have had. There are others too, of course, like Ivan, Melanie and Rupert. There used to be Donna, but she left our group and only talks with the popular kids so-"

She was cut off by the boy stalking towards her and grabbing her empty tray. She tried to protest, but Noelle swore she saw the ghost of a smile on his face as he turned and walked away. She was left sitting alone at her table, spoon still in hand.

. . .

Those moments when Adron came in were arguably the worst moments of her entire life. The fear she felt in his presence was indescribable; she was always afraid he would hurt her in some way, be it mental or physical. The man opened the door and came towards her, dirtying her bed with his person and infecting his surroundings. He turned towards Noelle with a smug smile, like he was plotting something sinister.

"I would like to take you for a dress fitting. Please follow me, Noelle," said Adron, and his voice was uncomfortably soft. He placed a slimy arm around her shoulder, and she flinched at the sudden contact. Noelle was powerless as he led her out of her room. While she hated the place with all her might, now she would do anything to return to its safe confinement.

She entered a lady's boudoir, and Adron told her that it would soon be hers. Despite the dark connotations the room had surrounding it, Noelle had to admit to herself that it was beautiful. There was a large, oval wall-length mirror hanging on the wall, surrounded by a golden frame. It was carved out to resemble serpents, and Noelle backed away when she saw them. A crystal chandelier was fastened to the ceiling, holding real candles which brightly illuminated the room. Noelle wondered how it was possible for them to shine so brightly, and the idea of magic came to her. Who knew what was possible in this world?

The walls were painted a gloomy grey and there was a great brown wardrobe pushed against the wall and a makeup table with another mirror pushed against another.

In the middle of the room stood a tall and thin woman with platinum blonde hair. Noelle immediately recognised her as the woman she had run into during her first attempted escape from the castle.

"This is Emanda, and she will help you into your dress. It has already been decided, and I am sure it will fit you perfectly. You two will get along well," remarked Adron, smirking. He showed off all of his pearly white teeth, causing Noelle to shudder at the unnatural colour. She doubted that she and Emanda would get along well, considering the woman was scowling at her like she had committed a crime against her grandmother.

"Hello," Noelle said politely. Aurora always taught her to be polite, even to the rudest of people. She believed kindness could take one a long way. Unfortunately, Emanda did not reciprocate and glared at Noelle with a look that could make the weak cower in fear.

"I am not here for pleasantries," she hissed, folding her arms. "Your dress is there, you do not need my help for it."

Noelle turned to where she was pointing: at the wardrobe. She chose not to reply to Emanda's comment and respect her wishes. She swung the doors open and searched through the thousands of dresses swinging on the hangers.

"Um, which one is it?" she asked Emanda, and the woman looked possibly even more irritated.

"Obviously the white one, foolish girl," she spat.

To steady herself, Noelle took a deep breath. This world was odd, to think a grown woman was angry at a child for no particular reason at all.

Noelle peeked through the dresses, and a baby blue one caught her eye. Noelle snook a glance towards Emanda, who too was immersed in observing her own nails to even look at what she was doing.

She fingered at the silky fabric of the dress, marvelling at how smoothly it ran through her fingers. There was a tight velvet belt around the waist, and the biggest and most beautiful puffy sleeves she had ever seen. Around the low-cut collar was an intricate white lace, enveloping the dress and giving it the final charm. It looked like something straight out of the books Noelle had read as a child.

"Have you found it yet?" Emanda groaned. "What, do you really need help with it?" She mocked.

"No no, I think I've found it,' Noelle reassured, finally pulling out the wedding dress. She gave the blue dress a final, longing look and entered the changing rooms with Emanda coming in behind her. She ducked behind the curtain and examined the dress, trying to figure out how she would put it on.

"When you are finished, I'll measure the fit," informed Emanda.

Noelle crawled into the dress, hoisting the heavy thing above her head. She adjusted the sleeves and brushed out the many layers of the skirt. It was hauntingly gorgeous.

Pearly white, with a tight top half that clung to her skin. The sleeves were long, extending to her wrists and were completely devoid of pattern. The dress showed a revealing amount of cleavage, with the end of the collar almost reaching her navel. Noelle counted five layers of the skirt, the top three see-through and the bottom two a sturdy white to give the effect of falling snow.

The more she looked at the dress, the more despair rested inside of her. It was a horrible reminder of the tragic fate of an innocent 15-year-old girl, bound to the tyrannical King of an imaginary land. She looked so grown up, yet felt like a child.

"Are you done?" Emanda called.

"I am," mumbled Noelle, and for a moment she thought Emanda would not hear if it weren't for her coming through the curtain.

She did not receive a single compliment from the woman, who worked in complete silence with a grim face.

"Do you have any idea how fortunate you are?" She finally spat.

"Excuse me?"

"Marrying the King. Any woman would die to be in your place," Emanda hissed, and Noelle was convinced she purposely poked her with the needle as she tightened the waist. "But instead you cry and whine."

"I'm sorry?" Noelle could not believe the words that left the woman's mouth. Each syllable felt like another bullet hole in her body.

"You heard me right," Emanda scoffed. "You are being ungrateful."

And with that, the woman turned on her heel and left the changing rooms, leaving a baffled Noelle standing alone in front of the mirror.

. . .

She had cried twice today and promised herself that she would not do so again. Noelle has been much too emotional lately.

If she wanted to get out of the castle, she needed a better plan than protesting and crying.

She needed to be convincing if she wanted to survive.

It seemed to Noelle like she spent most of the hours of the day, sitting alone in this room. She didn't even know the time or how long she had been here. Everything was the same, an endless rut she was trapped in that she had to repeat, every single day.

A knocking on the door sounded, and a dark presence entered the room. Noelle did not even have to look up to know who it was.

"Did your dress fit?" Adron asked, unmoving in the doorway.

Play nice.

"It did. I loved it, the dress was beautiful, thank you," Noelle said sweetly, blinking her large eyes. King Adron beckoned her to his side and she obeyed, presenting herself as submissive to her fiancé while her guts squirmed inside.

"That is good to hear," Adron purred, offering his arm to Noelle, and she took it graciously. "Will you take a walk with me through the gardens?"

She agreed though every nerve in her body screamed for her to say no!

Adron gently led her through the hallway, and now that she was walking through with ease, Noelle could fully appreciate the beauty of the castle itself. Crystal chandeliers hung every few metres, and there were shelves full of old artefacts like fancy glasses and plates.

They walked along the crimson carpet, and Noelle listened with half an ear open as Adron talked to her.

"I am in control of two other lands other than Dacnella," he bragged. "Which I conquered last year. When you become queen, you too will have control. You are a very fortunate girl, Noelle."

No, I'm not.

The garden was a sight to behold. In fact, there were several. With the money and power Adron had, he could afford to employ the nation's most talented gardeners. The garden was smaller than the castle; roughly half the size. It held the greatest assortment of flowers imaginable. There were carefully cut trees, taller than parts of the castle itself, lined with hedges and carved to resemble brave stallions and soldiers in battle. There were vines sprawled on the castle walls, leaving their dark print on the ivory walls. Noelle could smell the sweet perfume of the flowers in their beds, spread like a mosaic. There were bees and butterflies floating along the petals leaving pollen in their wake; Noelle could hear their gentle buzz from where she was beside Adron.

"Welcome to the Garden of Eden."

"Garden of what?" Noelle's eyes widened in surprise. "Eden?"

"Yes," confirmed Adron. "This is paradise."

To Noelle, it felt like anything but.

Adron sat with her on a bench in the gardens, one of his arms snaking closer to her shoulder with each passing moment.

"Do you have a family, Noelle?"

"Yes. I live with my parents and sister."

"You must forget about them. This is your home now."

"I know that," reassured Noelle. "I cannot wait for the wedding, when is it?"

Adron narrowed his eyes, and Noelle did not know if he was suspicious.

"Why, dearest Noelle, it's tomorrow evening!"

She tried to hide the shock and fear on her face, putting on an ecstatic mask instead.

"Oh! That's lovely," she whispered, turning away.

"May I explore the rest of the gardens, alone?" Noelle inquired, getting up and shifting away from the King. She did not want to be in his presence any longer than she strictly had to.

"Of course, I trust you will not do anything brash, my dear." Adron smiled, and to Noelle's surprise, he didn't argue at all. He left without another word.

She wanted to scoff at his stupidity. Just yesterday, she told him she would do anything to leave the palace, and now he was letting her walk the castle grounds alone. Unless - a rational side of her thought - it was a manipulating trap? Adron allowing her to be unsupervised was too suspicious to be anything good.

Noelle explored the gardens, looking for a hole in the hedges. Somewhere a rabbit may have dug a hole or a Royal pet. Though she had not seen one yet, Noelle was sure Adron must have a dog somewhere, even if it was just a guard dog at his chambers.

Gardeners must have a way to enter the gardens, right? Unless they pass through the castle, which in hindsight made more sense.

Noelle ducked into the shade of the trees, where she was sure that she wouldn't be spotted by any guards inside the towers. With no surveillance on her, Noelle allowed herself to just breathe.

The wedding was tomorrow, which meant she did not have much time. Noelle feared she would not escape, the fear paralyzed her and melted her into a helpless puddle on the ground. Noelle knew that if by tomorrow she didn't get out of the castle, she would spend the rest of her life by Adron's side as a submissive wife.

When she found nothing, Noelle returned to the castle, taking her time to stroll the corridors so she was aware of her surroundings. She decided to make her escape tonight and then go on the run in the forest that surrounded the castle. It would keep her safe for a few days before she reached civilization.

The castle was oddly empty, and Noelle did not meet another soul as she walked back to her room. What was going on?

"Relax, Ellie. You're fine," she reassured herself, uncomfortable with the silence.

Each step she took echoed and bounced off of the walls, slicing into her the longer she walked.

Once Noelle reached her room, she jumped in quickly and closed the door, breathing a sigh of relief. It was good that she got back when she did because the sky had just begun getting dark.

Noelle realised how hungry she was when she felt a sharp pain in her grumbling stomach. As if on cue, the door swung open and the servant from the morning entered, holding a tray full of food in his hands. He nodded wordlessly at Noelle.

She quickly realised that he looked much worse than he had before; there were dark rings under his eyes, and she thought she could even spot something akin to blood on his vest.

"What happened to you?" she whispered, but the boy did not reply. He never did.

The boy just gave her a quick nod and looked desperately at the soup on the tray, before leaving the room and locking the door.

That had to mean something!

She walked cautiously towards the soup. She had seen the way the boy looked at it: a desperate plea for help. It looked like normal tomato soup on the outside, but inside, who knew what secrets it kept?

Noelle took the silver spoon that had been left along with the soup and pushed it into the soup. She gasped with surprise when it made contact with a loose object, and she fished it out to reveal it to be a key.

Her heart soared with hope. Eyes wide, she used a tissue to clean the key and rushed to the door, throwing it into the lock. Yet despite how much she jiggled the key and how much she pushed the door, it stayed locked. Did the boy give her the wrong key? Noelle even tried the window, wondering what the boy intended for her to do. Did he want her to jump out of the window?

Noelle further examined the key, wondering whatever the boy gave it to her for. Maybe it opened a box, in which there was something to help her? However, Noelle has searched the room twice already and she found nothing to indicate an escape.

Unless, it was a mistake, and he never meant to give her the key..?

It made Noelle's head hurt. For a moment, she was ecstatic; she was sure of escape. But of course, it was all fake. She was doomed to spend the rest of her life chained to the castle and forced to marry the King. Carry on his legacy with children before she even reached 18.

It all made her sick.

She decided the next time she ran into the servant boy, she would get the answers she needed. Noelle would not let him leave until he explains the purpose of the key. She knew when she would do it, for the boy was always tasked with bringing her food in the morning and at night.

Adron was not going to keep her here.