Reaching Mossca she was whisked off to the castle where she was rushed to a room to clean up after her long journey. It took them longer than planned to reach the castle city as one of the horses had to be switched out along the way.

"You have such lovely hair, young miss." A maid said.

"Oh, thank you. My mother would always brush it for me and make sure to rub it with a herb mixture after every wash." Loraz said.

"She did a wonderful job on it, miss."

"Umm, I don't mean to be rude, but do you all have to be present while I wash, Miss..."

"Oh, I do apologize, my name is Yila. I will be tending to your needs as of today. We must get you ready to meet with the king after this, miss. It is very important to make sure the king's special guest is presentable."

"King?"

"Yes, the king of Mossca, miss, His Majesty, King Fedrick."

Loraz sunk into the water a bit covering her face up to her eye. She pulled her foot away from a different maid and both her hands from two others.

"Miss, we have to finish, please come back up," Yila said.

Loraz was confused as to why she had to meet with the king and what would happen to her after she saw the king. They dressed her in a beautiful yellow gown with gold-colored trim, combed her hair styling it beautifully with braids, and pulled it up in a bun. She was then escorted to a room with many chairs around a rather long oddly shaped table.

"His Majesty will be with you shortly, miss," Yila said.

"My name is Loraz," Loraz said.

Yila smiled and then bowed.

"Yes, Miss Loraz." She said and closed the door as she exited the room.

Loraz marveled at the expensive walls decorated with massive portraits of who she assumed to be the royal family. She looked over the elegant chairs and the wood table that seemed to be polished with extreme care then walked over to one of the many large windows that seemed to overlook the entire northern side of the kingdom.

"It's beautiful is it not?"

Loraz screamed and jumped at the sound of the deep voice that appeared from nowhere. Having not heard anyone enter the room she spun around quickly and clutched at her chest. Standing behind her was a gentle-looking young man in his thirties and she stared a bit while she tried to slow her breathing by taking a few deep breaths. His salt and pepper hair framed his face nicely and his gray eyes smiled at her. He wasn't very tall for a man, and she was a little puzzled as to who he might be; she didn't see him in any of the portraits that hung on the walls in the room.

"Yes, it is breathtaking...the view that is..."

"Did I startle you? I didn't mean to. This view is one of my favorites, you see. To be completely honest, I'd rather have this room as my private sanctuary than for it to be used as a meeting room."

She looked back out the window and nodded. It was pretty how the sky and land met each other on the horizon. The ocean of trees dancing as the wind blew past brought a smile to her face and she reached her hand and placed it gently on the glass.

"If I woke up to a view such as this every morning it would be wonderful."

The gentleman walked up beside her, and they both stood there staring off into the sunset and both became lost in their thoughts.

"So, if I am correct you are Loraz?"

"Yes, that is my name. How did you know?"

"You remind me of a close...friend; you have her eyes, you see."

Loraz looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Sir, may I ask who you might be?"

The gentleman chuckled and nodded his head.

"Ah yes, yes, of course, you must be confused. My dear, you will be staying here from now on. Please think of me like family as you are now in my care, I am Fedrick Lecross Dontick, the current King of Mossca, your parents and I go way back."

"King Fedrick..."

A knock came on the door, and it slowly opened. Standing at the door was a young boy, maybe a little older than her. He was a bit taller than her and looked to be a bit winded, had the same grey eyes that seemed to have years of wisdom as King Fedrick, smooth youthful skin like ivory silk or maybe satin. Yet there was a gentleness around him that made her feel at ease in his presence. Graceful in the way he walked he seemed more like a delicate lady than a young man, but you could still tell he was a gentleman. He was dressed for horse riding so his hair was barely visible with his riding cap on, but she could see a pale silver cluster of hair poking out from under it. She watched him walk up to the king and their eyes met briefly.

"Father, you called for me."

Loraz smiled slightly and looked away. She felt her cheeks get hot and she found herself sneaking a peek at him as he waited for his father to speak.

"Oh yes, come my boy. I wanted you to meet someone, she will be staying here from now on, treat her as a brother would a sister."

"A sister," The boy looked over at Loraz and scanned her over, "Father, what are you talking about I have no sisters, so how am I to know how to treat her?"

"From now on just think of her as your sister," The King motioned to Loraz to come closer, "You must be kind to her and protect her for you are like an older brother now."

His face blushed red as their eyes met again and he turned his face away from her gaze. She smiled and giggled a little as she reached out her hand to greet him.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, please guide me in the years to come, my name is Loraz Worthtin. How may I address you?"

Shocked at first, he stood there dazed. Normally one would bow or curtsey when greetings were exchanged. Especially when in the presence of royalty, he looked over at his father and then back at her. Bowing his head, he took her hand in his and kissed the back of it gently. Standing upright he smiled and greeted her.

"My name is Robert Fedrick Dontick III, Fourth Prince of Mossca. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Worthtin."

He couldn't help but think of how beautiful his new adopted 'sister' was. His heart was racing, the palms of his hands were beginning to sweat, and his mouth was slightly dry. The fact that his father wanted him to treat her as his sibling was strange as well. Who was she really and why did, His Majesty, The King, take such a liking to her that he would allow her to live in the castle? She was far too young to be one of the many women that would join his harem. An illegitimate child from some long-lost love affair, perhaps. No, if she were his sister, his father's introduction would have been something more like this is your sister. Whoever she was, she held the King's favor, which brought unwanted attention. So beautiful or not he had to make sure not to fall for this girl, it would be dangerous if they became close. The target on his back was big enough as a contender for the throne, the last thing he needed was a weakness to be used against him. He looked at her graceful smile coating him with warmth and sending his pulse into a frenzy.

"Well, I will leave you two now, I have other things to attend to. Robert, I expect you to escort Loraz around until supper. Make sure to show her the castle and help her understand the beauty that is Mossca as well as its laws. I leave her in your care."

King Fedrick left the room, leaving the two alone. His hope was to have the two befriend each other and then one day have their friendship blossom into a romance. Robert stood there trying not to make eye contact and there was an awkward silence between them.

"So, you will really be a brotherly figure for me? I have to say I have never had a brother before. I am a little sad that I had to leave my home and all my friends, but if I have a beautiful friend like you, maybe I can get used to this new life. Oh, you don't have to treat me like a sister if that makes you uncomfortable. We can just be friends."

Robert looked at her and his heart tightened a bit at the thought of what he planned to do. He clenched his fist at his side and stepped away from her. In order to make sure they didn't become close he had to place some distance between them. He grits his teeth and lets out a long sigh.

"Listen here; I have no intentions of being your brother or friend for that matter. I cannot be associated with a dirty creature such as you. Please do not come near me after today and if you wish for an escort have one of the servants do it. I'm much too busy with my lesson to play with children."

Loraz stood there a bit dazed at first.

"What a rude thing to say. You don't look like anything special and are not that much older than me."

"Please don't try to compare me to you. We are two different breeds of the same species; I'll take my leave first. Find your way around alone if you wish."

He waved his hand at her as if to dismiss her and walked out of the room. Loraz fell and she began to cry. Robert's words were enough to break what little courage she had left, and she was completely broken and felt so alone.

"What an awful person. I miss my mother and my friends...Vestin I wish you could be here with me."

On the other side of the door, he stood there and listened to her cry. Clenching his fist tight he closed his eyes as he lightly banged it against his forehead.

"I must make her seeme as a loathsome person. She can't get close to me. This is for the best."