THE FESTIVAL of Stars was easy to research. Andorra sat holed up in the grand library, the table in front of her covered in books. She had tried to ignore it, the pull to research the holiday, but it was distracting.

It was punishing, really. Andorra could claim she only wanted to know about the festival because this was her kingdom, after all, and shouldn't the Queen know of all the holidays? But if Andorra was being truthful, it was for more than that.

It was for her potential soulmate.

All her life, Andorra had grown up reading fairytales about Princes and Princesses and true love kisses. She had read book after book about soulmates; two people destined to be together against all odds. It had thrilled her. It gave her hope. But, she knew it had always been fake.

And now suddenly it wasn't fake.

She felt the familiar warmth inside of her, the hope that grew there. Hope that maybe she wouldn't have to marry Anders afterall. Hope that maybe she would meet her soulmate and things would magically get better.

Hope that maybe, just maybe, it was Noah.

She banished that thought immediately. If it was supposed to be Noah, then they wouldn't be separated right now. If it was supposed to be Noah, then he wouldn't have betrayed her. Right?

Logically, Andorra knew pining after a boy who had wanted to kill her wasn't good for her mental health. It was like a bandaid she needed to rip off and get it over with. Moving on was going to be painful, but it had to happen. And the slower it happened, the more painful it was.

She deserved better. Andorra deserved someone who cared.

That didn't stop her from pouring over the books, daydreaming that maybe one day she too would be matched with her soulmate during the Festival of Stars.

And, another intriguing thing: the Festival of Stars was her birthday.

The Festival of Stars took place during the heat of summer. The Festival of Stars had been a long standing tradition for centuries; for as long as Anlithamy had been around.

The more she read about the Festival of Stars, the more she began to understand a little more about the truth behind the revelations revealed and about the Prophet. Andorra had expected that the Prophet would be like a fortune teller, such as the ones found during halloween and would show up at school carnivals, or would exist on the streets of Salem, Massachusetts. She expected a woman with cards and a crystal ball and smokey incense.

She didn't expect Sivelle.

The Prophet was a woman named Sivelle, and she lived in the woods just beyond the Woodland Clan. She had lived in the same small cottage for centuries, possibly older than most all fae. As one of the magical creatures that resided in the Woodland Forest, she was more than just faerie. She was something else, something older, something more magical than Andorra could possibly understand.

Her readings were accurate. She prided herself on being a direct line of communication to Cornomus. She didn't do private readings, only because finding her cottage was as impossible as she wanted; she revealed herself to those who she sought, and to those she did not would become lost in the Woodland Forest. As tale had it, searching for her was a sure way to find yourself dead.

As Andorra scoured the ancient books about the Festival of Stars, she realized that as enchanting as it was, it was too coincidental she was born upon that day. Shivers raced up and down her spine at the thought. She was meant for this. She wasn't just the daughter of the Queen and King. No, there was something else. Something that fate had in store for her.

She slammed shut the book and pushed herself away from the desk. She closed her eyes and sucked down a long breath. She wasn't human, and she knew that, but a part of her missed how simple it once was. She missed the feeling of coming home to a warm house, her mother home, her father cooking dinner, the three of them eating and talking about their days. The simple pleasure of going back to her bedroom, reading by the light of her bedside lamp until the dark hours of the night. She longed to wake up to the sound of chirping birds and the smell of fresh cut grass and the knowledge that downstairs was a stack of pancakes, waiting for her.

She wanted to be human again. Painfully human. She wanted it so badly in the moment, she felt her throat close up and the tears burn behind her eyelids. The immediate homesickness that hit her was strong, almost debilitating. How she longed to run into her mom's arms, smell her dad's aftershave, laugh with them over the dinner table. The way they had looked at her that night of the dance was branded into her memory. The way they smiled. The way they held each other like, finally, our daughter is finally blooming here. Finally, it feels as though we've made the right choice.

Andorra bowed her head and let the tears escape. She couldn't stop them. She thought about how excited her mom had been for Andorra to go dress shopping. Her throat ached with the silent sobs when Andorra remembered how her father had made pancakes for her first day of school, just because he loved her and wanted her to have a good start.

No one would love her as much as her human parents had. No one would make her pancakes anymore, would buy her books on a whim because they knew she loved to read, would grocery shop to meet her weird and specific food tastes.

And the truth of it was, Andorra wanted to go back. She wanted to forget all of this nonsense, to be human again, to just lie in her small twin bed and think about her upcoming school assignments. And instead, she was worrying about becoming a Queen, about marrying a boy she hated, about becoming the royal she was supposed to be. She didn't know anything about Anlithamy still. People hated her and wanted her dead. She was failing, and she still loved Noah.

A hand on her shoulder had her flinching back against the chair, her tear stained eyes searching frantically to the person behind her. She recoiled when she saw it was just Callum, his face dark but there it was, the hint of concern.

"You're crying?" His voice held a hint of accusation.

Andorra swiped at her tears. Great, she thought bitterly. This is going right back to Prince Puck. And he'll know you've been crying like a baby. "I'm fine. It's nothing." Andorra stood up to shake Callum's hand from her shoulder. "Let's go get food or something." Anything to get out of the library. Anything to get away from that book and the thought that she wasn't just Andorra, she was so much more. Destined for greatness, yet she was bound to mess up. Expected to excel at Queen without any of the support or resources she needed to succeed.

And she realized, they wanted to see her fail. Anlithamy wanted to see her mess up and make a mess of things. Anlithamy was counting on her ruining everything, but Andorra couldn't figure out why. Was it so Prince Anders became the sole royal? Was it so they could have a plausible reason to turn against Cornomus? Why wouldn't they want her to succeed, despite their mixed feelings? She would be Queen regardless, so why wouldn't they just help her?

She could ask Callum. He was ruthless and evil, but he wasn't a liar. He proved himself honest. When she turned to look at him, he raised a brow in question. "What? Done crying yet?" His voice held a note of cruelty, but Andorra wouldn't let him bother her.

"It's not a coincidence, is it? That I was born on the same night as the Festival of Stars."

Callum regarded her for a moment, then he grasped her arm and yanked her into a small alcove in the hallway, shielding them from sight for a moment. He pushed her against the wall, and for a split moment, Andorra wondered if he was going to kill her.

Instead, he leaned his head down low to speak into her ear. "Shut up and never say that again, you understand?"

His voice was low, threatening. Andorra opened her mouth to ask why, but she didn't have to. Callum continued, pulling away slightly. He was tense; the entire situation was tense. She felt uncomfortable with his closeness, knowing that he was hiding something. "No one knows that. No one needs to know that. Fuck, I can't help you if you're spreading around that information."

Andorra's head spun. "Why is it a secret? I don't understand. Why does it matter?"

Callum looked around. "There is a lot you do not know or understand. I'm guessing Win told you that. No one knows anything about you. Only who your parents are, what prophecy says, and what Cornomus wants. That information about the Festival of Stars needs to stay hidden, you understand?"

Andorra nodded, swallowed, then nodded again. "But why? It's not a coincidence then, is it?" She jutted her chin out in defiance. She wouldn't drop this. She couldn't drop this.

"I can't answer that for you."

"Yes you can. You can!" Andorra's voice rose. "You and your father are hiding things from me, but why? Why can't you just help me succeed? Why can't anyone help me?" Her voice broke and her lip wobbled and she pulled it back in. She couldn't cry again. She couldn't be weak in front of Callum, his father's personal spy.

"You have your own secrets. Or should I ask about your relationship with Clan Leader Nohx? You know, my father would love to hear how Clan Leader Nohx feels about you. I can tell you my father won't want to keep him around."

Shock spread through Andorra like a lighted match. Was Callum threatening her? "There is nothing going on between us. Nohx tried to have me killed. Tried to force me to stay behind in the human world to dispose of me after getting his clan across. He is nothing to me, and he feels nothing towards me."

Callum tilted his head to watch her. The Princess was strange, he thought to himself. She was protecting someone who she believed to want her dead, and she would continue to do it. "But you feel something towards him, is that it then?"

Andorra flushed. Her pause was too long; the answer was clear on her face. And suddenly, like in the library, she was back in the human world. She was back in Noah's arms, feeling his hands on her face, seeing his smile on his face, listening to his sweet words. She could feel the warmth of him, the way her heart ached for him, the way she felt happiness.

"You're an idiot, I swear," Callum ground out. "Pull us in the in-between now."

Andorra did as he asked, pulling them effortlessly through, hovering there in the in-between still in the alcove, but now hidden from the world. She blinked her tears away, scrubbing at them in her eyes.

"My sister was coming. And if she knew why you were crying..." his voice trailed off darkly. "Pull yourself together. You have to know how impossible that would be. For you to be with him." And then, he cocked his head again. "But... fuck. No one else knows, do they? Not even your precious little friends."

Andorra was shaking. "Please," she broke off. "You can't tell anyone. It's not... it's my fault. My problem. I know it's stupid and pointless and hopeless, and that he tried to kill me, but I can't help it. Please, don't tell your dad. Or your sister. Or, oh my god, please don't tell Anders."

Callum tapped his chin, regarding Andorra with his dark eyes. He made her wait one, two, three beats before he sighed. "You don't need to worry Princess. Breathe, before you pass out. Your secret is safe with me."

Andorra knew it was a lie. Her secret would fall upon Prince Puck's ears, and then Noah would find out. "Not even your father, please." Begging him was humiliating, but what other choice did she have? If Noah knew she wasn't indifferent, he would worm his way back into her heart just to tear it apart again.

"You need to calm down. Get yourself under control. If anyone even tried to interrogate you about anything, you would crack in a second. Not very Queen-like."

Andorra shot him a look. "I'll never be Queen-like in your eyes. I'm not your bestie Anders. I know which side you're on, Callum. Don't need to pretend."

Callum crossed his arms. "It's true, Anders is my friend. But not in the same way you're friends with Coralia. Besides, Win told me we'll be friends, and I know she's right. I might as well get used to the idea that I'll actually like you."

Andorra opened her mouth to retort, but she thought better of it. Was he keeping her secret because he knew they'd eventually be friends? That didn't seem very much like something Callum would do, based on how he'd acted days prior. But she wasn't going to push him.

"Listen, Callum. The only way I'll ever be able to convince new people to be my guards is if we even get to the mountains. To do that... I can't continue being held blind in the darkness about who I am and what this place is. I need your help."

She didn't want to ask for Callum's help. She didn't want a truce with him. She didn't want to be anywhere near him. But, this wasn't a choice. He knew things. He had access to information she never would find on her own. And if Win was right, then he would be her friend eventually. Calling a truce with him now couldn't hurt.

He regarded her for a moment, a long moment it seemed, then held out his hand. Andorra slid hers in his, and they shook on it. Before Andorra could drop his hand, he gripped it hard and yanked her close to him. "Be careful who you trust, Princess. Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Don't forget."