Ivy lay in her bed. Her nose caught the wisp of smoke from the bedside candle she had doused, but she saw nothing. Only darkness. Comforting darkness. Someone with a firm tread walked past her door in the corridor. Probably Heidel.

She curled up, closing her eyes. Prince Gavin.... If she thought of him, maybe she would dream about him. Maybe she could get the kiss she had not received on her birthday.

The nights had become warm. It made a blanket unnecessary but always left her feeling exposed. She tucked up her knees beneath her cotton nightdress and hugged her own shoulders. One kiss. That was all she had wanted. That was all she had wanted....

"Why?" said a new voice. Male.

Ivy gasped and pushed herself up. The candles in her room were lit again - all of them. Prince Gavin stood by her fireplace, hands behind his back, smiling at her.

"What are you doing here?" she whispered. "This is my bedchamber! If Maelyn finds out...."

"Oh, she knows. She said you're always in here. It's your bedchamber. Your art room. Your place to hide." Gavin laughed and shrugged. "I let myself in."

"But-" Ivy was about to object that the hour was much too late, but saw bright morning light pouring through the windows. Furthermore, she was fully clothed in her favorite turquoise dress. She didn't remember changing, but that didn't matter. Nothing mattered except Gavin was here, and she was delighted.

Keeping one hand behind his back, he offered his other as if asking her to dance. Just as he had the day she met him at the Early Spring Ball. His sandy hair looked the same. His elven features and playful grin. He even wore the same russet-colored vest she liked so much. She slid off the bed and walked across the floor, smiling.

"You didn't answer my question," Gavin said. They took hold of each other and began a slow dance in the middle of her chamber. Ivy was happy. She felt the warmth of his hand clasped with hers, the delicate touch he kept on her waist. As they swayed together, Ivy realized she had no need of her crutch. Felt no pain at all in her body. She felt normal and whole and healthy, dancing with two perfect feet.

"What question?" she asked.

"Why do you want the kiss so much?" Gavin smiled.

"Oh!" Ivy laughed, embarrassed that he knew. "I've just never had one. I want to know what it feels like."

"That's it? Doesn't matter who?"

"No... it matters." Ivy felt shy, unwilling to say more.

Gavin took her hand and twirled her once around on the spot. "Let's finish the dance first!" he said cheerfully.

At the end of the twirl, they weren't in Ivy's bedchamber anymore. They were in the ballroom, where Ivy's sisters had joined in dancing. All of them, which surprised her - Maelyn and Briette almost never danced. She could see her sisters distinctly but not the faces of their dance partners. They all appeared to be strangers, with blurred faces. Ivy looked back at Gavin and was shocked to see his face had blurred too. She shook her head and blinked her eyes, but his face would not come into focus.

"Gavin?"

He didn't answer. She tried to pull away from him, but found she couldn't. The ballroom had darkened, losing its walls. The floor beneath her bare feet became uneven stone and cold air cut through her dress. They were outdoors, under a starless sky. Ivy didn't know where she was, but it was high - terribly high. Like a mountain top, or the cliffs above a chasm. She heard signs of distress and saw her sisters fighting to break free of their partners. Heidel kicked savagely and Coralina scratched at her partner's face with long fingernails. But not one of them could free their wrists from the grips of the faceless men.

"Where are we?" Ivy asked Gavin - and shrieked. His face had become grotesque, like that of a goblin. He gave her a wide smile, exposing fang-like teeth and said, "You're right where we want you to be."

Ivy sobbed and struggled. He was so hideous. She heard a voice - not Gavin's - say "make them kneel" and knew the grotesque men had a leader, though she could not see where he stood. Gavin pushed her forward, bringing her to the chasm's edge, and forced her down on her knees. On both sides of her, Ivy's sisters were also made to kneel, their hands bound behind their backs, while the grotesque men kept a tight grip on the hair behind their heads. Ivy heard Arialain crying. And Maelyn. She wasn't used to hearing Maelyn cry and it ripped her heart.

A black, bottomless gorge lay before her. When Ivy lifted her eyes to avoid looking at it, she saw her own castle on the other side of the void, serene and beautiful on its hilltop, every window glowing with golden light. Her home. But without anyone telling her, she knew it would be her home no longer. It now belonged to the hideous men.

In one synchronous motion, the men lowered knives to the throats of the nine princesses. Ivy felt the cold nick of steel against her throat. She stared at the black void beneath her and heard the leader's horrible voice. "A fitting end to the daughters of Dellan. On three, men. One... two...."

Ivy jolted awake in her bed. And screamed.