Chapter 1

Quick Note: The images come from WeHeartIt, and belong to their respective owners.

Dia came to Noctaria in her golden chariot. It was pulled by her pegagsus, Skypainter, who was the colors of the sunset. Her makeup sparkled despite the gray clouds, as did her gold jewelry. It had stopped raining, but the clouds had not cleared. She felt the cold wind, and Dia wished that she brought a thicker sweater. Linen was useless in these conditions. It was April, but yet winter's grip could still be felt. The architecture that surrounded her was of folk victorian houses, with hardly 3 feet between them. The townspeople stared at Dia, a tall, dark skinned, orange-haired woman dressed in white, red, and gold. She felt rather awkward.

Shivering, she told them, "I'm Dia, goddess of the sun, and princess of Illuminana. Could you tell me where I can find Midnight Maidens? My mother's birthday is arriving, and she'd love a rare flower."

The townspeople pointed her towards the castle in the center of town, Eventide Castle, detached from the ground. It was much older than the rest of the town, made in a more Gothic style, with spires that reached to the heavens, made of stones that were many shades of dark colors.

Dia wasn't sure if it was proper to just wait outside the crater underneath the castle until the guards noticed her, or she should yell at them to open the door. Thankfully, she wouldn't have to wait long. The collapsing steps were lowered, and Dia was escorted inside by two of the guards. Her chariot and steed would be looked after by the resident stable-master.

The guards were star spirits, glowing, ethereal beings. Slim and somewhat effeminate looking, they wore armor the colors of distant galaxies. They were silent, their large white eyes made them look nervous and wary.

Dia knew that Eventide was a unique castle, but she was surprised to see the stars out the windows close to the ceiling.

Is it a clever spell, thought Dia, or am I really in space right now?

Eventide was just as Gothic and foreboding on the inside, as well. The castle was full of rare magical artifacts, from gilded skulls on the mantelpiece, books on long-forgotten lore, and calendars that showed the movements of the planets and other celestial objects. Paintings of plague, disaster, horror, and suffering were proudly displayed along paintings that were of love, harmony, and discovery. All the furniture was dark and austere, the only vibrant and "fun" colors being silver and white, hinting at who once lived there. Dia thought she saw a black cat, but it disappeared before she could be sure.

Urainia met Dia in the library. She was a lot shorter than Dia, but most were. She wore a translucent starry veil and long, sleeveless dress with the same sparkling star pattern. Her hair was light indigo, pulled back into a neat bun, showing her divinity. Her skin was pale, like everyone in Noctaria. Dia explained her motive for coming there.

Urainia said to her, in a heavy and distinct Noctarian accent, "The Midnight Maiden grows 10 miles north of here, in the Black Forest. It is a delicate plant, and only thrives in cold shade. I doubt it will live long in Illuminana. Wouldn't it be easier to commission an artist to paint one for Iris?"

Dia shook her head. "I came for the Midnight Maiden, and I won't leave until I have it. There's spells for keeping areas cold and dark. All I need is a guide who knows the area and can lead me there in no time."

At this moment, the princess of Noctaria was walking down the black spiral staircase. She had heard the conversation from upstairs, and was curious to see the stranger her mother was talking to. She was a short girl who was on the chubby side, dressed in a witch's hat, a navy blue apron dress, and black and teal striped tights. She shared her mother's hair color, with her hair in two low pigtails. Her skin seemed to be almost ridiculously pale, as if she had never been in the sun her whole life.

" I heard you needed a guide. I know the area pretty well."

Dia turned to her, and her heart skipped a beat. Out of nowhere, there was a beautiful stranger in front of her, more than happy to help. But she remained calm, shoving those feelings aside. "And who might you be?"

"Oh, I'm Noctave. Well, actually, I'm Princess Noctave."

Dia was shocked. She'd heard of there being a princess Noctave, sure, but never expected to meet her. Noctave had never showed up to any ball, was ever seen attending a festival - outside of Noctaria, at least - or seen when Urainia was having an audience with someone. She felt it was very out of character for her to just greet a stranger out of nowhere. Unless...

Noctave continued. "If you want to go to the Black Forest, you'll need heavier clothing. You might also want to lose the gold jewelry. The goblins that live there will likely steal it from you. And-"

Dia interrupted her. "Why are you helping me out? You don't know me."

Noctave giggled. "I guess I find great interest in you, Princess Dia." Dia gave her a confused look, but she found her guide.

Urainia lent Dia a wool, button up royal blue sweater to wear in the forest. She took off her necklace and armlet, but refused to take off her sun earrings. They were her lucky charms, after all.

Noctave was dazzled by Skypainter, her hide shining bright in the partial sunlight. She petted her muzzle and gave her an apple as a treat. Skypainter nuzzled Noctave in return. Dia thought it was cute, but she didn't know how they'd both get to the Black Forest.

"I don't think the chariot is big enough for the two of us, Noctave."

Noctave agreed.

"I can give you a little bit of room if I stand over here."

"Nevermind, I have a broom for that." 

A broom?, Dia thought, What use is a broom for travel?

Noctave teleported away for a moment and returned with a broom that had a blue sparkling bow where the bristles were attached to the stick.

"Alright, let's go to the Black Forest!"

She mounted on the broom and took off like a comet. It took Dia and Skypainter a while to catch up with her.

With equal parts worry and amusement, Dia said."We almost lost you!"

Noctave smiled, not acknowledging Dia's concern. "I knew you'd catch up to me. We should be getting there soon. If you see a dark green patch of land with a river running out of it, that's the Black Forest."

Dia spotted it first, and they landed right outside of it. Noctave said "You should leave Skypainter out here. And don't wander; this forest can be dangerous if you stray off the path."

"Path? what path?" asked Dia.

Noctave took out her wand from her apron pocket. It had a crescent moon surrounded by stars, all made of jet, with the same sort of ribbon that was on her broom right under it. The wand glowed a light blue, as did the moon disk on her hat and the triple moon symbol on her apron's waistband. She hummed a melancholy melody, and a blue glowing path appeared in front of them.

"Can we hold hands? I'd rather not lose you." Noctave asked Dia.

Hold hands? I barely know her...but I trust her... "Um...OK..." Dia responded.

They held hands, Noctave leading Dia.









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