The entire rest of the walk to Faye's room, I contemplated a way to ask Kindle about the queen. Or, more precisely, his relationship with her. But how could I? First of all, I couldn't think of a way to word it that didn't sound too invasive. And second, who was I to think I actually could ask such a question? I had to keep reminding myself that I had only been here— awake, at least—for little over a few hours! I had about one decent conversation with Kindle. That didn't make me worthy of what might be a deep secret. But there was one question I could ask.

"How old is she? The queen, I mean." When Kindle tensed up again, I regretted asking. He had finally relaxed and I just went and blew it.

"Seventeen."

Well there's a shocker, she's the same age as me! And here I thought she was twelve or, If I was being generous, thirteen. But, now that I think about it, she did speak and carry herself much more maturely than a twelve year old would. I guess it was just her size that made her appear so much younger.

"And the king?" I guess he's not a pedophile now, since someone in their twenties with a seventeen year old really isn't that big of a deal, especially since I doubt there are laws against stuff like that in this world.

"One hundred and twenty three."

"You're kidding!" I gasped.

"Nope." Kindle replied.

"But... you said that the two of you grew up together!" I cried.

"We did." He shrugged, clearly amused by my reaction.

"You said you're nineteen!"

"I am." He shrugged again. It was obvious that he was fighting a smile.

"But... but..." I sighed heavily, completely confused. "I give up. This dream is just too weird."

"Dream?" Now it was Kindle's turn to be confused.

"Mhm, dream." I nodded matter of factly. "I've decided that this is all just a dream. Because other worlds, and girls with silver hair and purple eyes, and one hundred and twenty three year old men do not exist."

"Maybe other worlds don't exist, you're in another realm. The Shadow Realm, to be exact." Kindle corrected. "The queen has silver hair and purple eyes because everyone of her species does."

I raised an eyebrow at that but kept silent.

"And about Seraphim's age, it's just another species thing." Kindle explained. "His race remains a baby for the first one hundred years of their life. That way, their parents can teach them all sorts of things while their brains are still developing. So technically, the king is twenty three."

"So let me get this straight..." I said slowly, "You're trying to tell me that the king and queen are not human?"

"Of course they aren't!" Kindle laughed, like that was supposed to be common knowledge. "In fact, I'm almost positive that you are the only human here in the castle right now."

Oh. Cool. I love how creative my mind is, this dream was really in depth. It's amazing, actually! "But you look human." I countered.

"Yep, we can do that."

With a newfound curiosity, I studied the stranger walking beside me. We can do that. So Kindle made himself look human. He didn't really look like that. Everything I saw about him, everything I knew about him (as little as that may be) is all a lie.

So let's say, for arguments sake, that this isn't a dream. That I'm really here in the lair of the villains of the video game Elle and I have obsessed over since its release. Why am I even talking to him? Why am I carrying on a normal conversation with him as if we're friends or something? He's evil for crying out loud! He kidnapped me! In the game, he stabbed me in the stomach without even a moment off hesitation! And here I am walking along next to him like it's a perfectly normal thing.

Good lord what is wrong with me?

'We're here." Kindle said suddenly, making me jump.

We were in a small corridor, with a little wooden door in front of us. It was quite obvious from the mud on the floor that this section of the castle wasn't as well cared for as the rest. This must be where the workers homes are. The maids and butlers, and whoever this Faye lady was.

Kindle stepped forward and rapped his knuckles on the door.

We were met with a loud crash and a muffled shout of "I'm okay!" from inside the room.

Kindle sighed, shaking his head. A small smile played at his lips as he pushed the door open, revealing a cramped little room filled with all sorts of boxes and crates of fabrics and other supplies. In the corner, a mannequin stood in a stunning floor-length black sequin gown. There was a table with a sewing-machine on it, and next to it another table held scraps of fabric and ready to be used patterns. The chaos reminded me of my eight grade Home Economics class. Only the dresses here were much prettier.

Suddenly, a young woman popped up from underneath a pile of boxes and fabric, a bright smile lighting her face. "Told you I was okay!" She chirped, pushing her tangled black hair out of her face. Wow did she have some hair!

"Blondie, this is Faye. She'll be making all of your new outfits." Kindle gestured to the woman, who was busy untangling herself from the cloth and boxes. "Faye, meet Blondie."

"Maggie," I corrected, extending a hand to Faye.

She was taller than me, which was a relief. At least now I knew that all of the girls in this world weren't as tall as a twelve year old. She had lightly tanned skin, interesting cerulean eyes, and the longest, thickest, darkest hair I had ever seen on a human being. Her wavy tresses hung down to her mid thighs, and I couldn't help but wonder how long it would be if she were to straighten it!

"Pleased to meet you, Maggie." Faye shook my hand happily, "It's a very rare occasion that we get a new member in our little family!" Still smiling, she blew an unruly wave of hair out of her face.

"Oh I'm not really.... That is, I'm not staying I'm just..." Just what? Just being prepared for a ball in exchange for my life? I was going to say "just here for a little while" but how do I know that? The bargain was for my life, not my return home. "I'm just dreaming." I finally say.

Faye arched an eyebrow in confusion, and the light glinted off the cluster of shimmery green sequins that clung to the outer corner of her left eye, drawing my attention to them for the first time. What an interesting style choice.

"She's not from here." Kindle interjected, locking eyes with Faye in an attempt to subtly-- or not so subtly, I guess-- get his point across.

"Ooooh!" Faye exclaimed, realization lighting her face. "So she's the girl from the other world! From the way the queen described her I expected her to be... darker?" She pointed out, a thoughtful finger on her chin.

"Yes, yes, I grabbed the wrong one, I know." Kindle sighed. "Just make her ball worthy." He lightly shoved me toward Faye, who caught my shoulders and held me at arm's length, her cerulean eyes scanning me with newfound interest. "Do your best, her life pretty much depends on it."

"Oh that won't be hard, she's got one of those figures that looks good in anything." Faye smiled.

Huh, that's the first compliment I've received since my arrival here.

"You can come pick her up in an hour. I should have her measurements and a few outfits sketched out by then." She said to Kindle, "How many dresses does she need by the way?"

"Hm, Seraphim never said..." Kindle mused, "I would say at least five ball gowns, and a few everyday outfits for her to wear during training."

"Five ball gowns?" Faye exclaimed, "Kindle, I'm good, but not that good! It'll take me weeks just to get one done!"

"Try, Faye. Please." Kindle insisted.

"Ugh, you're so lucky I'm in a good mood today." Faye sighed, once again pushing her hair out of her face. "Now get out."

"Yes ma'am." Kindle saluted, his casual smirk back in place. Her then tuned and exited thee room leaving me alone with... well, whatever non-human creature Faye was. Speaking of which...

"What are you?" I asked. It seemed as though I could be nothing but blunt and socially-awkward in this world. Lovely.

"What are you?" Faye countered calmly, wrapping a measuring tape around my bust.

"Human..." I had to stop myself from ending that with "of course", because apparently here being human isn't all that normal.

"Aw, well that's boring." Faye sighed, pushing more thick black waves behind her ears.

"Okay, then what are you?" I asked again and extended my arms so that she could measure their length.

"I'm a mermaid, silly!" Faye laughed, "Why do you think I have these?" She questioned, pointing to the sequins by her eye. I took a closer look at them and my mouth fell open. They weren't sequins, they were scales!

"Oh." I mumbled, prying my eyes away from the scales. "There aren't any mermaids where I'm from."

"Sure there are!" Faye laughed again, "You just aren't looking hard enough. Put your finger in your belly button."

"Excuse me, what?" I questioned, sure that I didn't hear her right.

"Your belly button." Faye said slowly and deliberately, "Put your finger in it."

"W-why?" I gaped, taking a tiny step back.

Faye rolled her eyes, "So I know where to measure your natural waist at."

"Oh." I replied, slowly touching my belly button with my index finger.

"Have you never been measured for a dress before? No, never mind that, it's obvious you haven't." Faye said with an amused glint in her eyes as she wrapped the measuring tape around my waist. "So, Maggie the Human, how old are you?"

"Seventeen." I answered.

"Same as Her Royal Witchiness." The sarcasm was heavy in her voice. It was obvious that Faye didn't like the queen, but after meeting Lydia for myself, I really couldn't blame her. "I forgot that seventeen year olds could be a normal height. I'm twenty-two by the way, I'll be twenty-three in about two weeks."

"So have you known the queen for long?" I asked as Faye jotted down my measurements in a notepad.

"Almost her entire life." Faye sighed. "I met her when she was seven, I always saw her as sort of a little sister. I would like to say that she was nicer as a child... but that would be a lie."

"And Kindle?" I asked casually. If she's known the queen for so long, maybe she knows what caused all the tension between those two. "Has he known the queen for that long as well?"

Faye quickly glanced up at me from her notepad, "Yes..."

I decided to stop beating around the bush and just ask what was on my mind. "So do you know if they have a history or something? Kindle seemed really uncomfortable when we met her in the hallway today..."

Faye put her notebook down and locked her eyes on me, her cheerful smile replaced with a serious frown. "Maggie, you seem like a nice girl and all, but it's really not my place to talk to you about Kindle's love life. And judging by how long you've known him, I don't think it's your place to ask either. Maybe once you get to know him and actually become his friend he will trust you enough to tell you, but maybe not. And that's his call, because it's his life. Everyone has a past. You could have taken your finger out of your belly button for a while now, but you didn't, and it's kind of freaking me out, just saying."

I blinked, caught off guard. "Oh. Right." I dropped my hand to my side.

"You're surprisingly easy to design for," Faye commented, the smile returning to her face as if nothing had happened. "I have the sketch for your first ball gown already done-- I hope you like blue.-- and the second one should be done shortly. As for right now, we can't have your running around in your pajamas, so let's get you into something more comfortable, hm?" She scurried over to a dresser that stood against the wall and pulled open a drawer.

I navigated my way around the boxes and other objects littering the floor. It took me a few moments, but eventually I joined Faye by the dresser.

"Here, put these on. They're really comfortable, but they're my favorite pair so if you get them dirty I might have to hurt you." Faye said, tossing me a pair of gray jeans.

"Mermaids wear skinny jeans?" I asked incredulously.

"Humans swim?" She replied, mimicking my tone.

"Fair enough." I nodded, catching the shirt she tossed at me next. It was a simple green cotton tee-shirt, it looked comfortable enough. I rubbed the fabric between my fingers. Yep, perfectly normal shirt.

"It's a tee-shirt, do they have them where you're from?" Faye asked.

"Yeah, I'm just... surprised." I admitted. "I mean, we're in a castle. The queen was just in the hallway wearing a lacy ball gown. It had a corset! You just finished taking my measurements for ball gowns, and now your handing me a pair of skinny jeans and a tee-shirt?"

Faye shrugged, yet again shoving hair out of her face. She should really just braid it back or something. "We technically only have to dress up for important events, like balls and weddings and such. The queen dresses like that all the time because she thinks the huge skirts compensate for her height-- or lack thereof."

"Oh." I replied, eyebrows knitted together, trying to take it all in.

"Now go get changed. Kindle should be here to pick you up any minute now." Faye insisted. "The changing room is through that door right there." She pointed to our right.

"Okay, thanks." I started heading for the door, but then turned back to her. "Do I need shoes?" I questioned.

Faye shook her head, lifting up the hem of her skirt and wiggling her toes at me. "Not in the castle, you really only need them when you go to the market or to a ball or something."

"Okay." I nodded, then went into the changing room. I pulled on the clothes as quickly as possible, not wanting to keep Kindle waiting. Faye was right, the jeans were super comfortable. I decided I would have to find out what brand they are. Maybe they had that brand in my world as well? I jumped when I caught sight of my reflection in the floor length mirror that hung on the wall. Good lord, did I look like that all day? My hair was a wreck!

"Um, Faye?" I called, making my way back into her workroom. "Do you have a hairbrush I could use?"

"You know..." Faye said, tapping her chin. "I have one somewhere... but I haven't seen it in weeks." She shrugged, blowing more hair out of her eyes. That explained a lot.

"It's fine." I shrugged, combing my fingers through my hair in an attempt to untangle it. "Thanks for letting me borrow your clothes." I said with a smile, "I'm going to go wait in the hallway for Kindle."

"Okay, see you soon!" Faye chirped. "I don't really feel like I need sleep tonight, so I'll just work until tomorrow. You should be able to get all of your training outfits by tomorrow afternoon!" I didn't realize mermaids were so... perky.

I let myself out of her workroom and into the silence of the corridor. I was a bit surprised that Kindle wasn't waiting in the hall for me, but I didn't mind waiting. I leaned against the wall, still running my fingers through the knots in my hair.

"Hey, where are you going? We haven't had a moment alone in forever and you're walking away?"

My head snapped in the direction the queen's voice came from.

"I have to get Blondie."

Kindle? Now I was interested. Slowly, I made my way down the hall, trying to get closer.

"Blondie? Oh, right, the prisoner," Lydia huffed. "Can't you just forget about her for now?" She whined, and then after a moment she added in a quieter voice, "I missed you."

"I can't just leave her to fend for herself. She'll end up lost." Kindle insisted, his voice still sounded as cold and distant as it had earlier in the hallway.

My heart thrummed in my ears as I inched ever closer. I had reached the end of the corridor. If I turned the corner, I would be able to see them.

"That was a cute little trick you pulled earlier," Lydia giggled after a beat of silence.

"And what would that be?" Kindle replied.

"Letting her off her leash, like she actually has freedom here." Lydia giggled again.

"A slave works better when they allow themselves to believe it's their choice." Kindle stated simply, easily. It was almost as if he was reciting a memorized script.

My heart dropped to my stomach. I was right. Kindle was evil. My throat felt tight and my eyes started to prickle. I was going to cry. Over what? I already knew he was a villain, why is this bothering me so much?

"You're horrible." Lydia teased.

I knew I was probably going to regret it, but I took a deep breath and peeked my head around the corner. And I was right. I regretted it.

Lydia stood with her back pressed against the stone wall and her hands casually draped around Kindle's neck, her fingers knotting the collar of his shirt. Kindle towered over her, his body pressed close to hers, his fingers absentmindedly tracing the pattern of the lace that hugged her hips.

I wanted more than anything to look away as the blush crept onto my cheeks, but my wide eyes stayed glued to the scene, partially with disgust, partially with genuine curiosity for Kindle's answer.

"It's a gift." Kindle replied. Though his voice was still hard, his casual smirk was firmly in place.

An amused smile twisted Lydia's perfect lips, and she gripped Kindle's shirt tighter.

And then she pulled him down to her with more force than I would have expected from such a small girl, and tangled their lips in a heated kiss. One that Kindle didn't seem interested in breaking.

I clamped my eyes shut and pressed myself against the wall, feeling light headed. Kindle's love life... Faye's words floated to the surface of my mind.

"It's getting late." Kindle breathed after a moment.

Lydia sighed. "Fine, go get her," She mumbled.

And that's when I ran. I didn't know where I was running to, but I had to get as far away from this place as possible.

This dream was quickly becoming a nightmare.