I started the day nervous, yet excited. I had seen something useful and fully intended to exploit it. I was going to give the council the first glimpse of my power. So, I decided that it was time to stop not caring about my appearance. I have often not cared about the state of my hair and would leave it tangled and knotted. My clothes would be wrinkled and plain and I hardly wore jewellery. I have never thought my wardrobe would affect how I rule. I never thought it mattered. I have come to realise that I was wrong. As the Queen, I should be presenting myself in the best ways possible. Showing my power in my clothing. My lady in waiting could hardly believe what she had heard when I ordered her to get my best dresses and jewellery from storage and brush my hair.

When I looked in the mirror after she was done, I couldn't quite believe what I was seeing. All essence of childhood naivety had vanished from my appearance. That's why I am going to describe it. This was a major turning point for me and it must be recorded.

The dress was light blue with patterned swirls of gold. The neckline was off the shoulder and the corset clung tightly to my torso. Pushing my breasts up slightly. The neckline allowed more room for the spectacular golden necklace to shine. The blue silky skirts flowed to the ground without any creases and the shape of them actually made me look taller. My hair was smooth and knot-free. It shone as it descended down my back.  Then, the crown had been placed on my head.

The crown is beautiful and as I write about it now, my fingers reach to touch it. Three bands of gold jaggedly wrap around each other like branches of a tree. Decorating the branches are golden leaves so intricate that could be mistaken for being real. Dotted around the golden twigs are little emeralds, pearls and sparkling white diamonds. They are only small and delicate, but the way they sparkle is enchanting. The front of the crown is really special. The three vines wrap around one large, glittering diamond. It is spectacular and though I describe it as very delicate, which it is, it is also fairly large. And heavy. Really heavy. It was made for Visara. Like the throne, it is moulded and inspired by her sign. The Golden Tree. Only her female, gifted descendants can wear it.

Anyway, enough about the crown. That is not why I started writing today.

When I entered the Council chambers, the room went completely silent. It was a different silence to the usual one out of respect they all make as my presence is announced. They were shocked and even better, scared. I wanted to smile and gloat but I didn't. I kept my face stone cold and looked at them all with a challenging stare. I made sure they knew who the true power in that room was. It was glorious.

~The Diary of Orianna Dulavelle

Nianzu and I have travelled for five days. Bored of our normal routine, Nianzu and I have come up with a game. Who can hunt our dinner in the most unique and impressive way? Tonight it is Nianzu's turn.

The first night was my night. I hadn't hunted for a long time. Not since training in the King's Wood. So, I decided to use it as a practice night. I was awful. I tried to set traps but most of them failed. After about two hours, one of my traps finally caught a rabbit. Well, caught is a loose term. It actually just slowed it down enough for me to catch and kill. Though it did put up a fight. Nianzu laughed at me the whole night. His first night, he shifted into a great big cat. He managed to track down and kill at least five rabbits. From that night, I made the rule of him not being allowed to use his powers. Unfair advantage. My second night went a bit better, but I only came back with small squirrels. Last night, I waited quietly in the woods we stopped in. I watched the squirrels climb up and down the trees. When they stopped, I'd throw my little dagger. Sometimes I missed, other times I didn't. I caught four. Two each and plenty to fill us up for the next day of travelling. The food we had brought from the villages is mostly gone. We ration it. Having only a little with our meal to add a little flavour. It is also our only meal of the day. We are both pretty hungry and bored of eating rabbit and squirrel. They are the easiest and most common animals to find and kill. A deer or boar would be nice. It would fill us nicely. They, however, don't really live in the area we travel across. The patches of woodlands we occasionally ride through aren't big enough for them to live in. The miles and miles of grassland are far too exposed.

We aren't in woodland tonight. We are next to a large river, however.

"So," I say. "How are you going to match the speed and accuracy that I displayed last night?" I ask. He smiles and folds his arms.

"Think I can't do it?" he asks. I shrug.

"Have you ever hunted in human form?" I ask casually. He ignores me and grumbles under his breath. 

"I think something different for dinner would be nice," he says, taking off his shirt. I can't help but admire the sculpted muscles of his chest.

"What do you have in mind?" I ask. He steps into the river.

"Fish," he smiles. I raise my eyebrows.

"You think you can catch fish in your human form?" I ask. He glares at me and I can't help but let out a laugh. The great immortal shifter standing in a river to catch a few fish. 

"What now?" I ask with a chuckle.

"Patience," he says, looking at the water. I shake my head and roll my eyes as I sit on the floor and begin the fire. We have learned that it is best to carry a fair bit of firewood because it can be a few days before we are back in woodland again. I grab the large pile we made at attached together with some rope from my bag. I don't light it yet. I wait until the food has been caught and is cooking so I don't waste any wood. Once I have done building it, I look back up to Nianzu. He is standing dead still, glaring into the water.

"There's not much daylight left," I say to him. "You might want to hurry up whilst you can still see," I taunt. He doesn't react. I look at him closer and smile. His long black hair almost touches the water as half of it falls down his back. The other half is tied up on the top of his head, wrapped in black cloth and drawing the hair off his face. His different coloured eyes seem to be glowing as he stares at the water. Though that could be the golden colour of the sky as the sun sets.

I jump as he suddenly dives into the water. A few seconds later he appears again, cursing. 

"Little shit got away," he grumbles. I laugh and shake my head. He goes back to standing dead still. Beads of water drip down his smooth tanned skin, catching the golden light of the sun.

"Are you going to keep staring at me?" he asks. "It's putting me off," he grumbles.

"I don't know, are you going to actually catch anything so I have something to do. Or is my only entertainment going to be watching you attempt to catch a fish with your bare hands?" I ask. He sighs and I lean back, looking up at the sky.

I watch as the clouds drift across fluffy and tinged with colour. The shapes change and the colour fades and soon it is dark. I sit up. Nianzu is still standing in the same position. I let out a groan and stand up, walking over to the river bank and crossing my arms.

"Do not come any closer. They have just got used to me again," he whispers. I still and wait for him to make his move. After a few seconds, he moves. It is a flash as he dives into the water. A few seconds later, he appears with a fish in each hand.

"Yes!" he shouts then lets out a grunt as the slippery animals try and wriggle out of his grasp. Before they can escape, he throws them toward me.

"Hey!" I shout, jumping out of the way as they land on the ground where I was just standing. Nianzo looks at me smugly.

"I think that shows more speed and precision than throwing knives at squirrels," he tells me as he puts his hands on his hips. I roll my eyes and pick up a handful of stones from the bank and throwing them at him. He holds up his arms to protect himself. The sudden movement causes him to slip on something which sends him tumbling into the water. I let out a roar of laughter. He resurfaces after and glares at me. Suddenly, he makes a move toward the shore. I grab the dead fish and run back to the fire. I hear him get out the water and then the quick thuds of him running. I scream as arms wrap around me. This makes me jump, causing me to drop our dinner. Not that it makes much difference. The cold water from his skin soaks into my clothes and sends chills through my body.

"What are you doing?" I shout with a laugh as he picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. He turns back toward the river and I begin to struggle in his grip.

"No no no no," I laugh as we get closer. He stops at the edge of the water. Before I can even say anything, I am flying through the air. The cold water engulfs me and I quickly stand up. Once my head is out of the water, I let out a little scream of shock. Nianzu stands on the shore with his arms crossed and a smug grin on his face before he turns and walks back to the fire. Deciding I'm not going to let him have a victory, I stay in the water. I submerge my shoulders to help my body adjust to the temperature of the water quicker. After a few minutes, the water no longer feels icy cold and is actually quite pleasant. I sink my head down again, letting the water flow through my hair. I've not bathed for three days and even though there are no soaps and I'm still in my clothes, this feels refreshing.

"Are you going to get out or what?" Nianzu shouts from the now lit fire.

"Nope, not yet," I shout back. "I'll wait until you've gutted the fish," I tell him. He sighs and grabs my knife and begins to work on the fish. I stay floating in the water and looking up at the sky. The stars are out in full force and the moon is large and bright. It is actually a lot easier to see than it has been on other nights. Even the temperature is warmer.

"Okay, I'm done," Nianzu says, snapping me out of my daze. He is standing on the shore of the river. I wade toward it, wanting to get out as I am starting to feel cold again. I smile as Nianzu holds up a blanket. When I step out of the water, he is quick to wrap it around me.

"Thank you," I smile. He smiles back and we walk back to the fire. It isn't as big as our others, but the warmth is still nice. I don't stay next to it though. I quickly grab the dry clothes Nianzu has put out to warm next to the fire. I want to get out of the wet ones as soon as possible. When I've got them, Nianzu turns away. I strip out of my soaking clothes quickly, my body shaking and teeth chattering. I use the blanket to dry my body a little before pulling on the warm trousers, top and a thick leather jacket.

"Done," I say, wrapping the blanket around my hair to keep water from dripping into my clothes. I take my wet clothes and lay them on the ground by the fire for them to dry before sitting down as close to it as I can get. I still shiver a little, but not as much. Nianzo sits next to me and turns over the fish cooking on the spit.

"They are nearly done," he says. "Shall we use the lemon tonight?" he asks. I smile.

"Yes, I think that would go nicely," I tell him. I reach into my bag and pull out the single lemon I brought from the market. I cut it in half. Nianzo takes the fish off the spit and gives one to me whilst I give him the lemon wedge. I squeeze to juice onto the fish and eat it quickly. The sharp taste of the lemon plus the slightly smoky taste from the fire is actually quite nice. It is also a good change.

"Thanks for the fish," I say to Nianzu as I finish. He just nods his head as he bites away at the last few bits. When he is done, we allow the fire to die and get ready to sleep. I still have yet to completely warm up and the dwindling fire is no help. Nianzu sighs and shifts into a large bear.

"My fur will be warm," he says. I smile and snuggle into his side.

"Go to sleep," I say. "I'll keep first watch," I tell him. He grunts and we go silent.

After a few moments, I hear his voice in my head.

"Illyana?" he asks.

"Yes," I reply. He goes silent again and the bear lets out a long sigh. Almost as though he is deciding how to say what he wants to say.

"I don't want to intrude, but when I was helping you with your shoulders I noticed some scars at the top of your back," he says slowly. I don't answer for a few seconds as a lump forms on my throat. I find myself curling up into myself a little. My knees rising up to my chest and my arms encasing my legs as I lean my chin on my knees.

"I've only seen the top of your back," he carries on. "But even that looked pretty severe," he stops upon hearing my sigh. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," he tells me quickly.

"No, it's okay," I reply. I gulp and lean back into his warm body again. "My father would often,"  I struggle to say the words. Nianzo stays silent. "My father thought that the only way to 'tame' me was through pain and disfigurement. Of course, he couldn't mess up anywhere visible like my face or arms because then everyone would see. He thought that if I had a permanent, painful reminder of the consequences of my actions, I would stop," I tell him and close my eyes as the memories pour back into my mind. I take a deep shaking breath. "The severity of my punishment depended on what I had done. Most of the time, it was five lashes. Though if I really upset him he'd do it until he was satisfied." I stop talking. I remember the worst time he did it and I shudder.

"I will never let him touch you again," Nianzu promises, a coldness to his voice. I smile and snuggle closer to him. The bear for moves so that I can.

"He hasn't done it for a few years," I tell him. "It's not that I stopped disobeying him. I just stopped getting caught."

Tonight is my turn to get the food. After another big day of travelling, we have arrived in a large forest. It's denser than the other random woodlands we've found and I have high hopes that I'll be able to hunt a deer today. I stop Nianzu and slide off his back, looking on the ground for tracks. When I find what I am looking for, I continue to walk. Nianzu shifts into his human form and follows me silently. Observing what I am doing as I track the animal. I have my bow and arrow ready. I walk slowly, my feet not making a sound against the soft mud of the forest floor. We come to a small clearing in the wood and my eyes widen. Standing by the edges is the deer I've been tracking. It munches at the grass, unaware as I ready my bow.

Nianzu treads on a branch.

The deer looks up startled. I don't dare move from my spot behind the tree. The deer bolts.

"Fuck!" I snarl. "Horse form, now!" I order. Nianzu shifts and I jump onto his back. "Chase after the deer!" I order. He takes off across the clearing and into the spot where the animal vanished. I see a brown blur ahead as the deer darts around the trees. Nianzu is just as agile and fast, even if he is a bigger animal. I grip onto his body tightly with my legs and raise the bow. Nianzu catches up with the animal as it jumps over logs and darts around madly. I take a deep breath and calm my body, not taking my eyes off the animal.

I let go.

The arrow flies through the air in a blur and slams into the side of the deer. It lets out a pained grunt and falls to the ground.

"Holy shit!" Nianzu shouts in my head as he races toward the fallen animal. I slide off his back before he even comes to a stop. The deer moans in pain and I want to end its suffering quickly. I pull my dagger out and stab the creature straight in the heart. It lets out another moan before its breath leaves its body.

"That was impressive," Nianzu says. I grin.

"I think I'm the lead now," I tell him.

"I guess so," he shrugs. "This is going to take a while to cook," he sighs.

"Well let's find a place to set up camp and we'll get started," I say. He nods, lifting up the deer and walking deeper into the woodland. We come to a stop when the woodland suddenly disappears. There is a large patch of grass, then the ground disappears.

"Whoa," I say as I look down to where the forest continues far below the wall of jagged grey stone. I look out into the distance. The forest stretches for miles and in the distance is the faint outline of mountains.

"Is that Tarlon?" I ask in a whisper.

Yep," Nianzu replies. I grin. "It should only be a few days ride now," he smiles at me.

"Finally," I laugh. "Though let's get this deer ready. I'm really hungry," I say as my stomach grumbles. 

I rummage around gathering plenty of twigs and sticks whilst Nianzu guts the deer. He buries the bones and the parts we don't eat, leaving just large chunks of meat. I raise my eyebrows.

"That's a lot. If we had more time, we could dry it," I sigh.

"Don't worry, I won't waste it," Nianzu grins. "I can transform into carnivorous beasts, remember?"

We build a large fire and spit. Soon, the deer is roasting.

"What treat should we have with it tonight?" I ask. I pull out some rosemary from my bag and give it Nianzu. "Try this." he takes it from me and presses it into the meat. I then grab two carrots from my bag. Using my knife, I peel away the skins and let them roast over the fire too.

After a few hours, it's all done. Though we have no plates, I make use of a few spare cloths and place my portion on top of it. It is pretty big for me and will definitely keep me full for a day or two. Nianzu and I eat with our feet hanging over the edge of the cliff and watch the sunset. We don't say anything. We just enjoy the view and the feeling of full bellies.

The spare meat we don't want to waste. We cut it up and wrap it up in the cloths. It will keep for a few days. I sigh and lean against Nianzu as the moon appears in the sky.

"You know, I've actually quite enjoyed this journey," he tells me.

"Yeah, me too," I reply. "I'd never left the city before this trip," I tell him. His eyes widen as he turns to look at me.

"Really?" I nod my head.

"Yep. Seeing all this for the first time is incredible. I feel so free," I sigh. "Vivelle is even more beautiful in person. The paintings I've seen in books and on the walls do it no justice. Even the Lost wood was spectacular in its own way."

"Not when you've lived there for the past thousand years," Nianzu grumbles. I nudge him.

"Don't be so negative, you're out now. You can put that all behind you." He looks at me and smiles.

"Yeah, I can."

We stay sat for a while longer before I decide we should rest. As usual, I make Nianzu sleep first. Bored, I switch between my form and the one Nianzu gifted me with. I've been wearing my own form for the last few days. It has been so remote that we've not seen anyone for miles. I sigh and sit up straighter, stretching. I keep the bow and quiver of arrows on my back plus my sword in my hands, just in case. I rummage through my bag. I grab my potions and inspect them. I check that there are no broken viles or spillages. I also see what I need to make more of and find ingredients for. Once I've done that, I role up the bag and put it in my inside jacket pocket. Not wanting to put it away because I plan on rummaging around some more.

The next thing I reach out for is the book. I shuffle closer to the fire so I have a little more light. I slowly open the book to the first page. The unfamiliar letters of ancient Lupine fill the old paper. I frown, grazing my fingers along the words again. I feel the magic. It is pulsating, causing my fingers to tingle.

"What secrets do you hold?" I whisper as my eyes focus on the pages. Entranced, I almost think the words are moving. The world silences around me as I begin to hear whispers in my head. At first, I can't make out the words. Then I do pick up something. 

"Illyana. Illyana." I gasp and try and focus on what's being said.

Another sound startles me. I raise my head from the book with a frown and put it in my pocket. The ground below me shakes and there is a low rumbling. My heart starts to speed up with fear. What's going on? The rumbling gets louder and I think that perhaps there is an earthquake. But as it gets louder, I realise that the earth isn't making this sound. It sounds like a herd of horses. A very big herd.

It hits me.

"Fuck!" I whisper in a panic, jumping up and onto Nianzu. I shake him wildly and look back into the woods as he stirs. "Nianzu!" I say with a shaking voice. He wakes, sitting up immediately alert. "Centaurs!" I shout, looking behind me as their figures begin to appear.

"Princess!" I hear a shout from the woods. "Your time on the run is over. Surrender now!" The deep voice shouts again as they run into the clearing.

Nianzu grabs my arm and we take off running toward the cliff.

"Princess!" I look back and see the centaurs bursting from the woodlands. Nianzu swings me round in a smooth movement, throwing me onto his back. I latch my arms around his neck and wrap my legs around his hips.

Nianzu leaps off the cliff, jumping outward. I let out a shriek as we begin to fall.

"Princess!" I hear a deep panicked voice call out from above us. My hair whips my face and my stomach starts to feel heavy from the force of falling. Nianzu's body begins to change beneath me. My legs slowly unwind as do my hands as his dragon form grows. finally, I am sat on his back, my hands gripping some of the spikes on his back. He extends his huge black wings only meters from the canopy of the forest below. Gliding just on top before flapping his wings and rising back into the air. I look back at the cliff. it is lined with over one-hundred centaurs. Those are the only ones I can see who are out of the forest line.

"My bag," I gulp. "All the spare clothes and warmth," I whisper, my heart still racing and my hands shaking.

"At least we got out of there," he replies. I nod my head and hold on a little tighter as we disappear into the clouds.

"The secret will be out now. Soon my father will know about you. That there is a man with the ability to transform into a beast," I reply in my head. Nianzu grunts.

"That doesn't matter. We'll just have to fly from now on. They can't catch us up here. Plus, we are almost in Tarlon," he tells me. "The Mer and Sirens are bound to help you." I nod, still shaken.

"I hope so."

"Trust me, if you could get me on your side, then you can get them." I don't say anything. I just let out a shaky breath.

I try and wrap my head around how they found us but I am still too panicked to think properly.

"Get some sleep, I will wake you when we're in Tarlon," he orders. I'm not sure I can. But as I lean forward and rest my body on his back between some of the spikes, I find sleep taking me quickly.