The dream plagued her.

Screech!

Crash!

A fading steel rainbow around her.

Anayrn's death stare.

Night, after night, after night. An endless loop throughout her sleep. She was an immobile prisoner shackled in nightmares without a voice. Doomed to witness the same scene time and again. Each time the dream began she fought for control.

They were driving. Her mother was speaking; her head turned to face Aurora. But the words were lost to the background. Aurora's gaze stretched beyond her mother. To the oncoming vehicle approaching at high speed yet slowed down by time. Everything around them in hyper focus.

In a moment, it would happen. Metal would strike metal. Then her world would be different. Shattered. But she still had this moment frozen in time.

This is where she fought for control.

Her lips parted, ready to demand answers to questions that had been silenced. In this moment, she saw her mother. Relaxed, carefree and smiling. Planning for a future that would never come. This was the mother she knew.

The woman that lied to her.

The mother that laughed with her.

The woman that stole her identity.

The mother that loved her.

The woman that betrayed her.

It was too late. Time unfroze. As she opened her mouth to speak her voice became that of someone screaming underwater. Glass shattered around her. Metal crunched nearby. Her mother's hair floated in the air as her head slammed back from the impact.

But nothing touched her.

It was over in an instant. Anaryn's lifeless eyes drew her into the darkness of a vortex. She was spun out onto the bright sunlight and the sound of screeching tires.

Aurora wiped her face and gave a tired sigh. She sat at the edge of a bed in an unfamiliar room. Neera had wanted to place her in one of the grander rooms, but she quickly squashed that idea the moment she asked if her mother had used it. Instead, she'd opted for a much smaller room, but closer to Eri, who had decided to stay in Crown Guard along with her brother.

They'd been in Crown Guard for nearly a week before Aurora had worked up the courage to write to Lily. She had agonized about the letter for hours, not certain of what she should write. There was much she wanted to say but couldn't. In the end, she'd settled for a simple message.

I am safe. Heal soon.

Aurora

The soft light of a glowstone revealed that dawn was still hours away. When sleep brought her neither rest or comfort, she dressed and wandered into the halls. Neera had advised the staff to allow her to go where ever she pleased, though they did not know her identity. There were no awkward glances or uncomfortable conversations. All they knew was that she was a welcomed guest of the Steward.

For several nights she had roamed and explored the multiple levels of the palace complex. It was a very large complex, and she could count in one hand the number of paths she knew. There was much to be discovered, but there was one path she knew well where it led. She had only been there once after Neera had shown it to her.

The Royal Portrait Room. She stood at the center of the back wall before the portrait of her mother. Anaryn was about her age in the portrait. Dressed in a white gown with a navy sash, a golden crown rested on wheat colored hair and a scepter  in her hand. Aurora looked up to study her face. The artist had done a remarkable job of capturing the fire in her green eyes. She was warm and powerful and regal and foreign all at the same time.

Aurora took a step back and looked throughout the room. It was full of portraits of generations of Armindian rulers. Kings and queens that shared her ancestry. They stared down at her in judgment; a family of strangers. She had never felt so alone. It did not feel like home.

Since that day she hadn't returned or ventured near that hall. Seeing her mother had not brought her solace of any kind.

Instead, she paced down the halls, making an internal map of her nocturnal journeys. She had discovered multiple terraces neighboring cascading waterfalls. Some large, some small. She knew her way to the lower levels well where the corridors became more open. One path splintered off to two different courtyards and the other to a large dining hall.

The final path she was familiar with led to the kitchens that never seemed to sleep. No matter how late in the night or early in the morning she visited, the hearths continued to be fed with cooks preparing meals and servants peeling fruits and vegetables, or washing pots and pans.

The fires crackled and sizzled while the aroma of fresh bread and spices wafted down the nearby halls. A rolling wave of heat struck her as she entered the kitchen where she found Lunda, head of the kitchen staff, vigorously punching a large lump of dough. Strands of brown mixed with grey hair dripped down her forehead, peeking from a worn red bonnet and beads of sweat dotted her face. Her sleeves were rolled to her elbows, exposing lean muscular forearms gained from years of working in the kitchens.

Lunda was older than Neera and she was a force not to be reckoned with. "I see you are back." Lunda did not even turn around as her right fist met dough.

Two large bushels of apples overflowed from barrels in a corner. Aurora had learned that nothing could be taken from the kitchens without Lunda's knowledge or permission. She also discovered that there were no stools to be found. The kitchens were no place for rest as Lunda had informed her on their first meeting.

"I can't sleep. May I take a couple of apples?"

Lunda continued to punch at the dough. "You've been here four nights since you arrived." Aurora bit her lip but made no move to answer. "Take what you need."

She grabbed the apples and just as she was heading out, "Wait." Aurora froze with Lunda's command. "Next time you come in here—," Aurora gulped, "guest or no of the Steward, be prepared to stay. I aim to put a proper meal in your stomach and some meat on your bones. I'll not have you bad mouthing my kitchen."

"I wouldn't dream of it." She turned biting into the apple and walked out ready to explore.

Morning found her sooner than she expected by one of the many terraces overlooking the falls. She sat and allowed the thunder of the falls to envelope her. In her mind's eye, nothing existed beyond the flowing waters. Losing herself to the falls, was the only thing that brought her peace. Thoughts of her mother ceased. Consul Anthonias' demands that she accept her role and take her place as Queen and savior of Armindia were drowned out.

From time to time, wisps of fine mist sprinkled her bare arms and face. Her eyes scanned the horizon and stumbled upon Tezaro standing on a terrace below her. It was mid-morning and he, too, seemed in search of...something.

She didn't know why she crouched and hid in the shadows. There was no explanation for the awkwardness and timidness she suddenly felt at seeing him. She had succeeded in avoiding him in the past days. Not that she could go on like this much longer. Regardless of how she felt, her eyes remained fixated on him. He turned in her direction and she huddled deeper into the shadows until he walked away and out of sight.

Taking a deep breath, she ventured into the sunlight and gazed at the terrace where he had stood. She hoped he hadn't seen her and at the same time she hoped he had. Nothing made sense anymore.

With a frustrated sigh, she turned and entered the maze of corridors until she arrived at a courtyard. It was a stone garden with a small spring on the side gurgling into a tranquil pool. She stepped onto the stone path and admired the garden's fierce beauty. She rounded a corner from a large boulder and came face to face with Tezaro.

His lack of reaction made her uncertain if he was glad to see her. Nerves had already dried out her mouth and his lack of emotion did not ease the matter. "H-hello."

Silence. What was going on behind those steel colored eyes? His head shifted to the side in response.

He wore unimpressive linens and leathers but his sword remained always at his side along with his long dagger. His appearance reminded her of when they'd first met. It seemed long ago and yet it had only been a few months. She was dumbstruck with realization, "You're leaving." Again, he didn't respond.

Fear and regret flooded her. There was so much she wanted, needed to say. He had been her anchor throughout all of the struggles to find Lily and reach Crown Guard. In a short amount of time, he had filled a void that she'd never even known existed.

She couldn't begin to express what he meant to her. And as she opened her mouth to try to explain a small depth of what she felt, all that came out was, "Stay."

He remained silent, looking at her. "I'm yours to command."

Aurora shook her head. That was not what she wanted. "It's not a command. Please don't go." Her voice sounded small, insignificant. She took his hand in hers, "I just want--- I just want you to stay." There was no time to hear his response, as Consul Anthonias arrived with measured steps.