This picture was taken by my mum and it is Kilt Rock on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. Like in the last chapter, some scenery described in this chapter was inspired by this picture but isn't the same.

I hug Maryanne as we prepare to leave. Our travel clothing has been washed and is all fresh ready for today's journey.

"We'll see you next week, back at the academy," I say to them.

"Bye," the three say at the same time.

"Goodbye King Francis, Princess Savannah," I say to their parents. The King walks over to me and wraps his arms around me.

"Goodbye Isla, stay safe. We'll see you soon." I smile.

"Thank you, for making us so welcome," I tell him. He beams.

"Go on, you have lots of other lands to see," he chuckles, his deep voice rumbling.
Queen Savannah wraps her arms around me delicately.

"Goodbye Isla, enjoy the rest of your travels," she speaks kindly.
"We've also packed you a few of our fruits for your journey." I smile widely, thinking about the juicy fruits. The others say their goodbyes and the girls shift and we leave. We wave as they disappear into the distance along with their city.

The scenery is slow to change as we fly further and further from the hot lands of Zara. We next travel to Zylen, the Greybite's land. We fly without stopping for most of the day and the temperature is much cooler, the skies are darker with clouds. We sink lower to the ground which is thick with grass and wildflowers. Then, I see it. The large grey stone buildings rising in the distance. Large castles and pillars make up a long line. Lady Indira makes us fly over them to see the other side.

"Wow," I murmur as I see that these huge stone structures sit on top of high ocean cliffs. The buildings are the same stone that makes up the cliff faces so they almost blend together. These large buildings travel in a far line along the coast, a wall surrounding the land sides. The one in the middle is the biggest I see as we swoop toward it. I also see people waiting right at the top. A huge square makes up the roof of the building which is surrounded by stone columns. We all land and shake our limbs from the long journey. Serenity and Tanya look shattered. Four people wait with us and they all look similar. Andrea and Yvette smile as we approach.

"Welcome to Zylen!" Andrea says, flicking her grey hair around her.

"It's great to be here," Serenity replies.

"This is my mother, Queen Sophie," Yvette tells us. I look at the woman. She smiles warmly. She looks similar to her daughters. Her hair is a very dark blue-grey instead of their lighter silver colour. Her eyes are also the same blue-grey colour. They do share the same sharp, beautiful features.

"This is my father, Prince Max," she carries on. We all bow and I smile.

"Thank you, for letting us stay here for the night," I smile.

"We are happy to let you, we're glad you are here," Queen Sophie speaks.

"Let's get you changed and refreshed after your day of travel and let's get inside before the storm comes," she laughs. I look up at the dark grey clouds which approach from the sea.

Andrea and Yvette show us to our rooms. They are very similar in style to our rooms at the other palace. A four-poster bed with a mixture of furniture.  This time the walls are a dark stone and the rest of the room is decorated with blues and greys. A large fireplace also sits opposite the bed with a copper bathtub in front of it. There is also a large window with wooden shutters. I lean on the window ledge and look at the rough waters far below. It is a lovely room. Sighing, I strip off my clothes and sink into the steaming water before changing into one of the dresses in the wardrobe. It looks like every room in all the palaces already have our wardrobes stocked for when we visit. I wonder how they got our sizes and made all the dresses? I shake off the thought and pull on the first dress I see. It is a very different style from the loose dresses at Zara. It's more appropriate for the colder conditions. Once I am ready, I meet Andrea outside my room. She smiles and leads me back up to the roof we landed on. From this roof, we can see all the cliff buildings as they stretch along in each direction.

"What do you think?" she asks. I smile.
"It's spectacular," I reply as the wind whips our hair.

"Further down the coast, there are beaches and harbours. Our lands are home to the most fishing boats and we produce lots of pearls and jewellery," she goes on. "There are lots of stone cities which spread along the coast and there are some islands not far from the shores which have cities there as well," she informs me. I smile, listening and learning.

"Did you notice that there were guards patrolling the walls of Zara?" she asks. I frown.

"Yes, thinking about it," I reply, looking around. "There are no guards here though," I reply. She smiles.

"Sure about that?" she asks, looking up at all the seabirds flying around. I watch as they all weave around each other. Some perch on rocks whilst others make their way around the castles. I let out a little laugh.

"It's so interesting how everything is done so differently," I reply. She nods her head with a smile. I walk over to the stone wall and lean on it, looking down at the waters crashing roughly below. Andrea stands next to me.

"How are you with all of this?" she asks. I look at her, then sigh.

"It's all a lot to take in." She smiles and wraps her arm around my shoulders.

"I know how you feel," she sighs. "It's hard on all of us, the eldest children with the Choosing coming," she sighs. "I mean in a few months time, one of us will be a High King or Queen and we have to take over when Shadow is on the brink of a full-on war." I look at her. "I'm going to tell you something, Isla, that only the other eldest royals know. Well, apart from Darcy, we don't share anything with her." I look up at her with a frown.

"What?" I ask.

"I don't really want to be High Queen," she sighs.

"Why? I thought it was a great honour," I reply.

"It is and of course I would be very happy if Queen Katrina chooses me, but I don't think I could rule these lands, let alone all of Shadow. We all know that the Witches and Wizards are getting closer to planning something and I don't want to be the one who has to lead our lands through it, to have to keep them strong." I nod my head, understanding what she means. It is a huge responsibility considering we are all about seventeen years old.

"Are the others feeling this way?" I ask. She nods her head.

"Well, apart from Darcy, she wants to be queen and Daniel who can't be picked because the rule has to pass to a new house." She chuckles.

"At least Darcy can't be queen now." I laugh with her.
She sighs again and sits down, her back leaning against the stone. I follow her movements.

"I don't want to leave here either. It's my home. If I get picked, I have to live in the palace in the Capitol lands." We sit in silence for a few seconds.

"What is the palace like?" I ask, even though I'm going to be seeing it soon.

"It's spectacular, beautiful. I won't tell you about it because I don't want to spoil it for you. But, this is my home."

"I don't think I want to be queen, I feel like I don't have that right," I tell her. She looks at me with wide eyes.

"What are you talking about?" she asks.

"Well, I haven't grown up here, I don't really know the people of Shadow..." She interrupts.

"You will have learned it all by the time the Choosing comes and even if you haven't it doesn't mean you aren't worthy. It wasn't your fault you got sent away to save you, none of this is your fault. You are Isla Dragoheir, the future Queen of Zola. You were born to rule those lands and it will all come naturally to you. Don't you dare say you aren't worthy, Isla." She looks almost angry.

"Darcy isn't worthy, she is selfish and cruel but you aren't. You are kind to others and think about them above yourself. Those are values of a true queen," she sighs. A tear trickles down her face.

"We all thought the four of you died," she says. "All of us Royals grew up together, we learned together, played together. We were all like one big family." I feel a tear trickle down my face as I realise that we weren't the only ones affected by the attack. We weren't the only ones who lost people we loved. "The day we were told what had happened, was the worst day of our lives but now you're back and we are like a family again." I smile and wrap my arms around her.
She laughs a little between the soft tears.
"I don't plan on leaving anytime soon," I tell her.

"Good," she laughs, standing up.

"We'd best go and find the others, Dinner is almost ready."

The long wooden tables are laid out with lots of food, mainly fish dishes mixed with different things like pasta or salad and cheeses. They all taste good too. I sit next to Andrea and we just chat about normal things, which is nice.

"Isla," Queen Sophie interrupts. I look up at her.

"Yes?" I reply politely.

"Do you think you are ready to rule your homeland?" she quizzes. I gulp, looking at Princess Kayleigh.

"Mum," Andrea snaps. Queen Sophie raises an eyebrow at her daughter. I take a deep breath and reply.

"Yes, I do," I tell her. She frowns.

"Really?" I frown. "Because I don't." My eyes widen in shock as she says this. "In front of me now, I see a girl who knows nothing of the lands and culture she has to rule."

"Stop, Mother," Andrea seethes.

"I see a girl who is still scared of the people looking for her, who would rather run than fight and protect her family. Who would rather hide in a cave than find the answers. I see a coward. You don't have the strength it takes to rule and protect." I keep my face calm as she speaks, trying not to react. "The lands of Zola need a better and stronger ruler than you." She speaks with a calm almost wise tone. "If those monsters from Nightshade come for you again, are you going to run or fight?" she asks. "Because the people of your lands deserve better than a coward." I slam my fist on the table with slightly too much strength and stand up quickly.

"I am sorry Queen Sophie but I don't think it is any of your business nor your place to question my motives or how I wish to rule my lands," I tell her. She opens her mouth to speak, but I interrupt. "You don't have the right to judge me on my past decisions nor do you have the right to question me about my future ones. To my knowledge, you weren't there on the island so you don't know what situation we were in so you don't get to tell me what I should or shouldn't have done." There is complete silence when I finish. Then, Queen Sophie shocks me by smiling.

"Isla, walk with me," she says as she stands. I look around the room at the shocked faces, then follow after. We are silent for a few seconds before she starts to speak.

"I am sorry about the things I said," she says. "But, I wanted to see how you would react."

"Why?" I ask. She sighs.

"There is a lot of responsibility on you and your siblings Isla and I wanted to see how you would react to some unkind words against you and your past. Though I believe there are very few who have the opinion I have just voiced which is very similar to Darcy's attack on you last week, there may still be those who do. Not in Shadow, but our enemies who will try and use what they believe are your weaknesses against you. But most importantly, I don't want you to think what I said is true." She stops and looks at me. "The person you showed me tonight impressed me Isla. She was calm, controlled and spoke with both grace and confidence. You need to be that person, you need to believe in yourself so that your power can grow. Sometimes, your biggest enemy can be your own mind." She presses her hand softly on my shoulder and smiles.
"Don't let people tear you down Isla, stand above them. Make your enemies fear you and your people love you."

"How?" I ask. She chuckles.

"That is something that you have to learn for yourself as you grow." I sigh. Helpful.

"You'd best go and find your siblings and my daughters, they don't seem too happy with me," she chuckles. I laugh too.

"Rest for the night, enjoy the evening. Goodnight Isla." She smiles one last time and turns away and walks back through the corridors. I stand on my own for a few seconds, thinking about what she said before going to find my siblings.