"My goddess, hear my darkest fear
I speak too late
It's forever more, that I wait."

With her snow white hair, skin pale as ice and subtle brown eyes.

Striking beauty together with her gentleness and admirable generosity, the utmost care about animals and her people alike is well known across the land.

When Phoebe, her stepfather and the previous king of Milton died.
She was crowned as the ruler of Milton, others were taken aback since her origins are still in question but her capabilities as a ruler said otherwise.

She blew the minds of the bishops under her.
She's cunning and practical.
While doing her role as a queen, she helped everyone and anyone she could and without any discriminating boundaries.
She even showed compassion towards the hated ogres from Bodukan and even gave them a small trip of land from the outskirts of Milton despite their connection with Odeon's dubious attack on her kingdom.

Even with her soft heart, she was been mistreated by the people around her.

The ruling bishops would often disregard Amelia's proposals whether its political or not, fearing that under her rule, their tyrannical thumbs will be cut short once she finds out their connections and agreements with Zandra, the ruler of Odeon, also known as the notorious war monger - The Black Queen.

--------

When Amelia was only just a young girl. Her first 14 years of existence only circled around the kingdom.

She was not allowed to roam outside the castle. Her wings clipped behind her back. Naive to the chaos of the outside world. She was quietly strolling within the bricked walls of Milton Gardens.
She wore a red silk dress that falls right into her angles. She tied her curly white hair to a pony tail and hanged it right to her shoulder.
The night sky was clear and the stars above twinkled like thousand glitters painted into the night sky.

She saw a blooming rose not far from where she was standing, she plucked the rose out of its stem but alas, she was wounded by one of its thorns. The blood dripped from her finger. She immediately stuck her finger into her mouth and sucked the oozing blood from her wound. When suddenly, she heared a soft voice behind her.

"On such a breathless night as this, upon my brow, the lightest kiss. I walked alone."

She saw a raven haired boy as he hummed the words with tender.
"How are you my fair lady?" he mused
Amelia wheeled around as she tries to run.

"Oh no don't run! I've seen you quite a few times around here my lady, you are always alone. Erm, would you mind if I join you tonight?'
Her eyes bugged wide with terror. She havent seen this boy before.

He wore a rugged patches of clothing. Under his arm, tucked a small piece of paper. His eyes were green and his ears sticked out pointed from his dark hair.

Elven ears. Is he a fairy? Amelia mused.

His garnet green eyes twinkled with anticipation.
"Did I startle you my lady? I apologize for intruding your private space."

With careful hands, the green eyed fairy handed Amelia a piece of crumpled paper.

"I - I made a song for you." he smiled.
Amelia was still in shock.
Her feet was still glued to the bricked pavement.
She haven't seen an outsider for
quite sometime now but for some unknown reason, she was entralled by his eyes.

They were innocent and somewhat subtle.
Feeling slightly embarassed, the fairy tucked the paper again on his
arm.
"You're hurt. Let me."

The fairy held Amelia's hand.
She doesn't know how to react so she let him observe her wound.
With a slight pressure, he clasped her hand, slowly, he released it. The once oozing wound has
magically vanished.

"How did you do that?" she mused.
"It is something that our kind has and how awful of me. I haven't
introduced myself, my name is Kashoggi. I came from Rainbow, a small land far west from here."

"Far west..." she whispered.

From that day on, they started a beautiful friendship.

The kingdom of Milton hired Kashoggi as a healing guard.
The continous assault of ogres from the outskirts of Milton left many soldiers wounded.
He was under the direct command of the king.
Every month, during the first full moon, where the stars lit up like thousand glitters across the night sky, Kashoggi never faltered to visit Amelia on her castle.
He would recite beautiful poems and lullabies that would ease Amelia's lonely heart.

"The mother of the willow green, I call her name. And 'neath the window have I stayed. I loved the footsteps that she made. And when she came..."

Kashoggi sang it with his eyes closed.

Amelia's full red lips stretched a grin across her pale face. Her grey eyes glowed with happiness as her snow white hair swayed as the cold autumn wind blowed across her face.

"Beautiful."

That was the only thing she managed to utter.

"I made it specially for you. I want you to be happy Amelia." he tucked a piece of paper inside his pocket.

"Why wouldnt I be happy?"

"You've been here since god know when. You know, at the far west, there are oceans. During dawn, the ocean reflects the setting sun. It was like a gleaming mirror, it is beautiful."
Kashoggi waved his hands as he tried to explain what an ocean is.

Amelia never knew what an ocean looks like. She only saw illustrations of these large bodies of water but never saw it personally.

Kashoggi pointed a finger, west towards the luscious green mountain range.
"One of the fey gods, Roger, resides on our land but nobody has ever seen him in flesh but some of my kind has been able to hear his voice. High and might, across the terrain. His voice soothes every ache in your body, like a lullaby"

Amelia's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. Her father used to tell stories about the ancient fey gods who used to rule the land.

"I wonder what he looks like. I want to see everything.. I hope I could.."

Kashoggi smiled in return, he was just starting to say something when with a loud bang, the door to Amelia's room swinged open. They are both startled when they saw to guards, one holding a sword and one holding a torch.

"Kashoggi! The castle is under attack! We need reinforcements from the rear side. Come with us quickly!"

One of the guards quickly seized Amelia's arm. The guard gripped hard that would probably leave a mark against her pale skin.

"I will lead you to safety my lady"
Kashoggi, with one last smile uttered something to Amelia that would hunt her for the rest of her life.

"Come with me and I will show you the world. Just stay alive And I will come back."

With a quick whirl, Kashoggi vanished together with the guard.
While she and her guard went down the stairs to safety.

Her heart throbbed inside her rib. What was happening? Why are we under seige? All of the peacefulness of the night was bombarded with random explosions and clashing of swords.
Sound of trumpets were heard outside the castle walls. Then a loud bang, like a large tree rapping against a wall. They all jumped with fear. A platoon of knights moved from the rear east of the castle.

"Where is Phoebe?" she quipped, knowing that her step father might be in deep trouble but all of a sudden, the door on their right exploded.

"THE GATE HAS BEEN BREACHED, GET ALL THE -"

Even before the knight holding a long sword finished his warning, another explosion has taken place.
Amelia and her guardian flew a few feet away. She can felt her body trumpled across the room, her ears ringing.

Dazed and confused, it all happened in a span of an hour.

Upon the acrid smoke, she saw a huge figure coming out of the door.
It was green and with glowering red eye, sporting a huge axe.
The manacing ogre swung the axe towards her but the guard blocked his swing with a shield but nonetheless, the much bigger opponent kicked the human on its stomach a flew a few feet away from where he was standing.

"My dear Kashoggi please, I dont want to die." she uttered.

Remembering what he just said to her before they parted ways.

Just stay alive no matter what.

Amelia lunged her self forward, avoiding the first swing but the ogre managed to grip her foot.
She was trapped.

All of a sudden, a gilded red spear pierced the ogre directly to its heart.
With her teary eyes, she saw a slim and tall figure walking towards her.

Behind him was several dead bodies of already defeated ogres.

He was clad in flowing white silk ruffles. Tight black pants and a shock of curly dark brown hair.

"Keep yourself alive, princess"
He pulled the spear out. It was a beautiful gilded red spear tipped with a glowing red crystal.

He seems to be human.
"I will take care of these creatures. Go and find yourself a shelter"

"Thank you for saving me. Are you one of the guards? Do you know where the king is? He needs me."

"No, I'm not a guardian. My name is Brian, I'm here to clean up this mess. Go now, they're coming. Your father as far as I know is on his throne room together with his fellow knights."
He looked at his sorroundings for a second before trailing his eyes on me again. "I am here to fix a little wrinkle but nonetheless you should get away from here."

I don't know the reason why but it feels like this Brian was no ordinary human.
Before I went off, I gave him one last glance.

He threw his spear towards the rampaging ogres. Pierced them right in the heart.
He swung it with grace, like water flowing in a river, rigorous but graceful.
The blood splattered on his white wing like garment.

Towards the door, she saw chaos.
The burning stack, the rummaged houses, dead bodies lying on the cold ground.

Was this what the real world looks like? Amelia's face contorted with sorrow.

This wasn't the world she imagined.

Amongst the fighting guards was Kashoggi, he was struggling on stabbing a smaller ogre.
Then he saw her from a distance.

"Amelia!" he shouted.

She ran towards his direction.
"Amelia, come with me. I will fend you to safety." he grabbed my hand.

Out of breath. The mostly confused Amelia dropped to her knees and cried.
"My dear, what is happening?"

Kashoggi untied a horse from a post.
"I am not entirely sure but the intels have provided me with little information but it seems like some of the knights from Odeon is attacking us, they brought some ogres from Bodukan."

Odeon. The infamous city of unjust but why would they attack a small and poor city such as Milton?

"Near the end entrance, there's a small door, we can escape through there."

Even with a heavy heart, for the first time in her life.
She can now escape this place that has been imprisoning her from the outside world. She smiled.
Kashoggi and Amelia mounted the horse and rushed towards the entrance door.

Upon the clashing of swords, she saw a crow feasting on a dead body.
Its eyes glowed red.

Needing, unheard.
Pleading one word.
So sad. My eyes.
She cannot see.

Just a few feet away from her greatest escape together with her saviour.
An arrow flew overhead and pierced Kashoggi right on his chest.
And they both fell.

The stark utter horror strucked her heart.
She clutched his hands as blood gushed out of his chest.
Her white dress soaked with blood, her curly snow white framed her face as tears fell down from her cheeks.
Kashoggi fell dead on her arms.

"Just stay alive for me Amelia... For me and for...them..."

His words ringing inside her head.
She raised her head as he drew his last breath.

All around her was chaos.

She rummaged Kashoggi's pocket revealing the ever crumpled paper that contains words from his poem for Amelia.
---------

Phoebe died during the siege and she was crowned as the new Queen of Milton Keynes.
Despite the opposing comments of the high table because of her unsure origins, she stood her ground and granted his late step father his wishes.
She is a just ruler of the land.
She gave a piece of land to the captured ogres. She even ourished the land and preserved its resources.

She is calm and innoncent from the surface but her heart is cold as ice.

She promised to Kashoggi's dead body that she will avenge his death.

He was buried in his land in Rainbow.

She unfolded the paper. The only remembrance of her almost freedom.

She took a pen and wrote down:

"My goddess hear my darkest fear. I speak to late. It's forever more I will wait. Dear friend, goodbye. No tears in my eyes, so sad it ends. As it began."

"Odeon will fall into my knees. They will know what suffering is."
She placed Kashoggi's poem beside the ivory chess board and turning down the black queen piece.

The White Queen walks and the night grows pale.

Across the distance, Brian one of the fey god observed Amelia from afar.

"Truth that gave you power to conquer the intolerable. How sad would it be fairy king? You can do right and nothing wrong."

He walked towards the deep forest and vanished.