Amber: 

Auora was not smiling. Despite her eyes glowing with adrenaline, and her breaths in short, rattling gasps, she was pissed. 

"You knew," she said with lethal quiet, "You knew that there were monsters in there, and you didn't tell me." 

I bit my lip, "Auora..."

"You thought I was going to run away, didn't you?" She accused angrily, staring in the near, pitch black darkness in front, "You thought I was too much of a coward for that, right?"

My fingers curled into fists, "I..."

"Well?" She demanded, "Didn't you?" 

Anger flared out so fast that I wasn't quick enough to reel it back within me, "Yes. Would you've gone in otherwise? And it didn't help that you kept on begging me to leave- if I had told you that the monster was a Hydra, wouldn't you run the other way?" 

Auora paled at the mention of the Hydra, but it seemed to add fuel to her rage, "You act like you know me, Amberly, but you don't. It's been like, what, nine years, and I've changed, Amber. I'm not the same girl you knew- I can handle that. You need to start trusting me, Amber, if we're going to work together, got that?" 

I nodded numbly, holding her heated gaze until she broke off the eye contact. Silently, I watched Auora urge her horse ahead, saying nothing at all. 

~

Evelyn had called me power hungry, once upon a time, and I did not deny it. Perhaps I should've worked to fix my relationship with Auora, but all I could think about was the Lover's Wand, pulsing with power in my satchel. 

"You're thinking about it, aren't you?" Auora's cold voice cut through the night like a sharp knife. Maybe she really had changed from the gentle and loving princess I knew her to be. 

"Thinking about what?" I asked, tearing my gaze away from the satchel and to my mare. 

"The Wand. Because that's all you can think about, you power hungry bitch," Auora snapped, her voice dripping with disgust. 

Struggling to keep my composure attached, I coldly replied, "I've changed as well, Auora, don't you dare act like you know me." 

She shook her head, her beautiful curls dancing in the wind, "Oh, but you haven't changed at all, Amberly. Nothing about your personality has changed-perhaps more seductive and sly, but deep down, you are still the same girl I befriended."

"I've changed," I mildly protested, my fingers twitching and the whispers growing in a crescendo.

A dark, wild laugh erupted from the princess, "No, you still refuse to give up your magic."

My mouth dried up a little, "You knew..."

She snorted without humor, "I can recognize my brothers anywhere, with or without glamour, and you turned away the one person that could save you from damnation. Sebastian deserves better than you."

I said nothing, but my hands tightened on the reins of my mare.

Auora continued, "Your plan is not going to work, and more people will be hurt because of your reckless actions-"

"Don't," I snarled as the whispers in my head grew louder and more persistent.

"News flash, Amberly, not everything is going to go your way, and it's not my fault that everyone, even your own sister, is disgusted by you-"

A roar escaped me, so beast-like that you would've never guessed I was human, and I let out a strong pulse of magic that threw Auora off her horse. A sickening crack made my blood run cold. As the vibration shook the earth, I hopped off my horse, running to Auora's limp body, "Auora!" I cried as I stumbled toward the fallen princess. 

As I grew closer, I saw the rise and fall of her back and breathed a small sigh of relief, "Oh Stars, Auora, I'm so, so sorry," I sobbed as I finally reached her and turned her body toward the sky so that she could see the stars. She was bleeding from her nose and her arm had fallen into a thorny bush that scraped the skin, bringing about blood. 

"Everything hurts," She moaned, her eyes struggling to open. 

My breaths now came in rattling gasps, "S-stay with me Auora, please, you can't do this." 

The princess seemed to manage to look at me, "Promise me, Amberly, promise....me that you will change for the better." 

I brushed stray strands of hair out of her face, "I promise, Stars, I promise, just stay with me."

"F-find Bast, he can help you." 

I began casting spells of comfort, healing, preservation, frankly not giving a damn that my hair was turning white at a rapid pace. 

"Oh, Am, your hair," Auora mumbled, barely coherent. 

She was barely breathing now, and I knew I had to get serious medical help. I gently set Auora down, "I'll be right back princess, right back." Quickly, I attached the harness of Auora's horse to the one of mine and went back to pick up Auora. 

She was heavy in my arms, and her body was limp, but the rush after using dark magic prompted the strength and the ability to gently put her on my ride, her body slumping on the neck of the horse. I climbed in next, and gently put Auora's weight against my body, kicking at the mare. 

My knuckles turned white from how tight I clenched the reins, as I cased spells of speed and strength to aid the two horses. 

Then, I gently ran my fingers through Auora's curls, "Stay with me princess, stay with me." 

Auora muttered something incoherently, and I shushed her, "I'm so sorry, A, so so sorry," My voice cracked at the end and swallowed the lump in my throat, struggling not to cry. 

Auora's breaths were getting slower and slower, and my heart melted with relief when I saw village gates looming. 

"Hurry," I barked at the horses, and in a few minutes, we were in the village. Thankfully, I saw the healer's hut close to the gates and I pulled the horses to a stop in front of the door. The door opened as I got one leg over the horse- a healer and an apprentice. 

"Please help," I begged, "She was thrown off her horse." 

Without another word, the healer and the apprentice gently lifted Auora off the horse with my help, and carried her into the hut. The apprentice came back out to take the horses into a stable in the back and brought me in. 

In the small waiting room, I waited impatiently, my head and eyes heavy with guilt. The apprentice had offered some tea before he disappeared into the doctor's room, but now, the cold tea sat untouched in front of me.

How could I've done such a thing to my friend? Was I truly the monster Auora described? What Auora still be alive? Could she be saved? Hours ticked by and my eyes grew heavy, and eventually, I succumbed to sleep.

a/n: first time actually finishing my word goal for NaNo! Granted, I changed the goal to 20k, but I got somewhere, right? 

Anyway, I'm going to be focused on editing and adding more detail to the chapters, especially the ones I written for NaNo. I'm going to try and update at most twice a week?