What a shame, the girl who once believed in fairytales and magic, had to be struck down by reality with demons in her mind and the fear of never being loved.
~k.f.
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We docked on land and as I stepped onto the sand, I felt a strong magical presence.

She has to be here

"I'm gonna set up camp, you gonna explore?" Travis questioned. I nodded and tightened the straps on my bag. I pulled out my sword and held it tight. I made my way through the forest, I heard the distant sound of a soft sob.

Some say, as you walk through the forest leading to her fortress, you can hear the wails and sobs of her victims.

I remembered a passage that I read. I followed where I heard the sound from, and rounded the corner on a large hill.

In the distance, stone ruins sat crumbling. The only thing relatively in tact, was a temple of sorts.

I went back to where Travis was and sat next to the pit where fire was supposed to be.

He was trying to light a fire, but he was failing miserably.

"I saw some ruins, we can check them out in the morning" I sighed. Travis glanced at me, smirking.

"Sounds good"

I helped Travis with the fire and we ate some fish for supper.

I went to bed early, preparing for our journey the next day.

When I woke up, Travis was already awake and ready. I quickly got ready and ate the bread he had set out for me.

And after about fifteen minutes, the two of us went into the forest. I took the lead of course.

"So the ruins I saw were in this direction" I narrated as we ventured through the trees.

"There they are" I breathed as we rounded the hill. Now that it was broader daylight, I could see the ruins far more clearly. It looked like an old village of some sort.

"What are we waiting for?"

Travis carefully, and quickly, went down the hill. I followed him and we went towards the ruins.

When we got there, we stopped to breathe before entering. It looked like the archways could fall at any given moment, and, what little was left of, the streets were dangerous and had large gutters and holes.

"If I die here, bury me in the gold you promised me" Travis sighed and walked through the, or what looked like the, main gates. I followed suit and took in my surroundings.

Travis was meandering somewhere while I took my sword and stabbed it into the ground. I held the handle and tried to sense a magical presence of any kind. I'd become good at this with my family being around.

It was faint, but I felt it. There was a magical being here, and even though the presence was faint, it was obviously powerful magic.

I brought my head up and searched for the large cathedral I spotted earlier. I saw the tips of it, and walked towards it without Travis.

When I arrived, the cathedral was casted in shadows. I didn't need my blade to tell there was immense power here. I gripped my sword tighter and walked in slowly.

"Books?" Travis somehow found me and we were walking side by side.

"I guess" I whispered.

Books climbed high to the ceiling. Piles, among piles, of books were everywhere. I traced some of the bindings and looked at the titles.

The Story of The Dark Queen

The Evil One and How She Came To Be

The Fear of Fables

Demoness and Her Warriors

They were all history books about the Evil One.

"Maybe she...forgets who she is?" Travis wondered

"Or maybe she's born again, and wants to remember her past selves" I theorized

"I keep them because I want to know what the humans think of me"

Travis and I jumped at the gentle voice. We swung around to see a figure in the darker shadows. She slowly walked out, her wings were the colour of ink. And instead of ending in feathers, they started in feathers but ended in smoke. Her hair matched her wings, and it looked meticulously done. Her hazel eyes shone brighter than her smile that she wore. Her dress was an innocent white, but had small tears at the bottom. She wore no shoes, and her feet padded the cobblestone flooring.

"Is that..." Travis breathed

"Are you The Dark Queen?" I asked, authority lacing my voice. I pointed my sword at her and she walked closer to me, pushed the blade away from her neck

"Please the Dark Queen is my mother"

I rose an eyebrow

"It was a joke" she sighed, "I guess you could say I'm her, but I prefer to be called by my birth name, I'm Aphmau"

"So you're the one in all of the books?" I asked

"Yes" she reassured, "why are you here?" She didn't sound....angry. She wasn't even scared, she just sounded curious.

"My companion and I have come to retrieve you, you're coming with us"

"Where to?" She asked walking over to, what looked like, a map

"O'Khasis"

"Oh, that far?" She groaned, "okay let's go"

"W-wait, no resistance?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing

She...wants to come with us?

"Yeah, why would I wanna stay in this stuffy place? Its lonely. So why do you wanna take me?"

"We want you to help us in fighting a war" I said taking rope out of my bag.

"W-war?"

"Yeah, do you not like fighting?"

"I like fighting for the right side"

"Well we're the good guys, so you don't have anything to worry about" I said gesturing her to turn so I could tie her hands behind her back

"If I'm willing to go, why are you tying me up?"

"It's a precaution. You're dangerous"

"I'm not dangerous"

I sighed and tied her up nice and tight. She winced at the tightness, but I didn't care. My fingers grazed her wings and from what I could feel, they were soft.

"What's your names?" She asked

"Travis"

"Mr. Ro'Meave"

She nodded

"Like I said, I'm Aphmau"

I grabbed the rope that circled her hand and guided her out of the cathedral.

"Wait, can I not get some of my things?"

"You're already tied" I said pushing her out the door more.

We walked her through the ruins and out the front gates. We hiked through the hills, and treaded through the forest and out to the beach. I felt her tense and panic started to emit from her.

"Um..."

I looked to where she was looking and saw she had her gaze set on the boat.

"Is something wrong?"

"Uh, what's that?" She nodded towards the boat.

"A boat"

"I've never...seen one in person...is it safe...?"

"Perfectly" Travis answered and started to light another fire.

It was becoming night and we decided it would be better to set off in the morning instead of the dark of the night. Well, Travis preferred the day and I wasn't about to tell him that I was an assassin who preferred the dark over light.

"Rest up, your highness" I instructed

"It's Aphmau"

"Either way, get some sleep"

She nodded and went into the tent Travis and I had set up for her. She was still tied, but it was like the ropes weren't even there.

What I can't understand, is why she doesn't just rip the ropes off. She has the power. And why was she so willing? And why on earth would the Dark Queen want to work on the good side?

Maybe she knows something we don't?

A/N Another part!! Geez, I'm exhausted. I'm writing this on Mother's Day, so...happy belated mother's day!!! I love you all devil, byeee