Ch. 201..210

Chapter 201 - Tree Of Light

"I… I…" Evie could barely follow along with what the light fae was telling her about she being the one to bring the prophecy to pass, much less speak. Her? She was the chosen one? The one who will bring back light and life to this land again?

Everything was just getting more and more unbelievable and fantastical. She had finally found the answers she was looking for but now she had also found something more. It was something she had never even imagined, not even her dreams. It was bigger than even her as a single individual – in involved a whole race of people!

She was simply overwhelmed at the sudden responsibility that had been put on her shoulders. Apart from the immense pressure of hopes and expectations of a whole race of people, doubt and worry bloomed in her heart. Was she truly the daughter of light as was mentioned in the prophecy? How to know for sure? Was there some kind of power that she could wield to make all these come to pass? What if she was not the chosen one as the light fae had said, and she failed in bringing the life and light back to this land? How would that affect the light faes on the whole? Would they be able to bear with the disappointment?

It was as if the light fae had read all her thoughts, her fears, and her doubts, she reached out her hands to touch Evie's own. Her faint, shimmering translucent hands touched Evie's fair, slender and elegant ones.

And though Evie could not feel her touch, she felt warmth being transferred across to her. The light fae was smiling. "Please do not doubt yourself or the prophecy, Princess," the light fae assured, "you are the daughter of the light. There is no doubt about it. You've even seen the undeniable proof… Onyx, the ancient dragon of the last fae queen had answered to you… Onyx has never, ever let anyone pass through the gate of darkness since that fateful day. You are the very first. You are the only one. Moreover, the throne had responded to you as well. Because you are the chosen one, you are destined to come home and bring this land back to its former glory. You will rule over this land and become our new queen."

Frozen still from the shock of the light fae's statements, Evie took a long while before she could speak. She was completely appalled now. Not only because she did not even have the slightest idea on how to fulfill the prophecy but also because of the mention of the light fae's last line. She was going to be this land's queen?! How did that happen?

"But… but I am only part fairy…not even half…" Evie reasoned, "a… a very… very far distant descendant of the light fae royals. Moreover, I believe I am mostly human. Though it seems I have magic, my body is definitely human." Evie tried to explain and justify her concerns.

"It's because you've been away from Crescia since birth and because the tree of light had long since lost its power and is no longer there." The light fae responded.

"Tree of light?" Evie asked curiously. The light fae descended from the throne.

"Please follow after me, princess," she said after which she beckoned to Evie and led her towards the back of the throne. A secret door suddenly opened where there was none there at first and they both entered.

The men hurried after Evie worriedly. But at the light fae's request, Evie stopped them from following any further. Evie quickly assured them that she would be alright even before the men could agree to wait outside the door. However, they kept worrying and asking her about the amount of time she would be spending inside without them. In the end, they came to an agreement that she could go ahead and enter without any of them following her. But the condition was to only stay in there for an agreed duration of time.

Understanding fully of the men's worry and doubt, Evie agreed with their condition and at last she entered the door and followed after the light fae.

After walking for some time, they finally arrived to what seemed to be a veranda which was at the very back of the great castle.

Evie was awed at the sight that greeted her eyes. There was a lagoon below them, shimmering with silvery lights. In the middle of the glimmering waters lie a steep rock jutting out of the waters and on the top of it, a huge dead tree.

"That is the tree of light. It is said that its the source of the light fae's magic. You seemed like a mere human because you were born far away from the faeries land. The reason why your magic began to awaken only when you came in Dacria is because Dacria is very close to the Middle land. Light faes could only maintain their magical powers for a certain amount of time if they leave the land. That's why light faeries cannot stay for long outside the fae realm. When the tree of light was still alive, light faeries could still maintain their magical powers for longer times even if they were in places as far as the Southern Empire. But when the queen died and this tree died along with her, I found out that faeries could no longer go as far as before without losing all their magical powers. That is why i could only reach Dacria when I was wandering about for thousands of years." She explained as she stared at the dead tree that was once brighter than anything else.

"There are ancient inscriptions on the trees' trunk." She then continued. "We have never noticed it before since this tree have been shining so brightly since the ancient times. No one, I believe the queen included, had seen the messages. And as the tree was so powerful, no one could approach close enough to it. But in my long time of wandering about, I discovered many things and I've managed to figure out the message encrypted in the tree trunk. It stated the process on how the tree can be brought back to life again."

"Process?"

"Yes princess, the process had been documented right into the trunk of the tree of light. Everything was there as if whoever created the tree of light knew about the prophecy too, and that one day, the tree will die. Once you bring this tree back to life, the whole of Crescia and the Middle Empire will see the light again. That is how you will bring back the light into our kingdom again."

Evie stared at the obsidian tree and then asked. "H-how? How can I bring it back to life?"

"There is ritual to be performed and then the queen must sacrifice drops of her precious blood. Your blood will be able to awaken it. Once that happens, the tree will light up and the darkness will be completely gone, and the sun will shine again."

Chapter 202 - Torn

Subconsciously, Evie gripped her wrist. She did not know why but she was suddenly reminded of the dark fae prince.

"Back in Dacria… you told me to come here before the dark fae catches me. Does he already know about me?"

"The dark fae prince once lived in Crescia as well when he was still young. So, despite him being a dark fae, he'd certainly learned about that song. He is very powerful and intelligent so it wouldn't be a surprise if in the countless of years that he was trapped inside that crystal not able to do anything, he must have figured out the meaning behind this song too. That was why he took an interest in you when she saw your power awakening in Dacria." The light fae answered.

"He must have already felt the power in you, and he must have realized you are not just a descendant of the light faes but a royal descendant as well. It was very easy for him to identify just by sensing your magic. That's why if he catches you, that dark prince would definitely kill you or use you to gain everything he wanted."

"What more does he want? Didn't they succeed in their aim since they have ruined this land already?" Evie felt an anger surged inside her chest.

"Now that the Middle Empire had fallen, I believe he wanted to conquer the entire continent of Lirea as well. And that's why he had targeted the vampires as he knew they are the superior race now. But I believe he would still want this land too. That is, once the tree of light has been brought back to life. He would want to conquer it again from you since he failed thousands of years ago. We don't know what he is planning but knowing him, he'd definitely be carrying out all the worse things imaginable." The light fae's voice was tight and filled with wrath.

Remembering the duration of the time limit that her men had given her, Evie glanced at the tree again one last time before turning around and both Evie and the light fae returned to the throne hall again.

Evie had immediately thought that awakening the tree of light now in this land's current state would be useless. If Thundran attacks again with the help of the vampires, she would definitely not be able to defend this place against them. Even if Onyx was being added into the equation.

"These are all the remaining light faeries right?" Evie asked and the light fae nodded.

"I believe the queen's purpose was to preserve the race by saving these young ones. I don't know if she knew about the prophecy on the daughter of light, but I want to believe that she had preserved everyone in this state, hoping that one day, someone would free them from their despair."

"How can we free them? Can I free them?" Evie was half asking the light fae and half questioning herself.

"Yes, princess."

Evie looked at her and then the thought of her using her blood again made her worry a little.

"Please be assured princess, these crystals wouldn't need your precious blood." The light fae somehow again, read her mind and responded, causing Evie to heave a sigh in relief.

"But didn't you say, Thundran had used the dragon guardians' blood to free himself?" Evie remembered this point.

"The dragon guardians are different from you, princess."

Evie was appalled again as she looked at her with questions in her eyes.

"The dragon guardians were indeed the descendants but due to the long generation of your family being married off to humans, the fae's blood was almost gone. That's why Thundran had to use so many guardians' blood before his spirit was finally freed and then eventually, his body. That was only because the guardians' blood was not that pure anymore. But your blood, princess is very much closer to the real faeries and one of royal descent too. The scent of your blood is the proof. I believe it was because you are the destined one."

The light fae stood near a crystal and looked at Evie.

"All you have to do is touch them and command them to awaken, princess." She told her.

Evie swallowed.

"What will happen when I free them?" she asked. "Would they serve me and obey me?"

The light fae smiled. "Yes. They will, without a doubt. Free them, princess… we need more of our people to protect you."

At that moment, Evie glanced at her men. Seeing their numbers, she knew that the light fae was right. However, Evie was a little torn now. Because her plan was to learn everything. The secret of her powers and then how to use it. She had come on this journey to learn about the origins of her powers and how to freely call upon the dragons and control them fully. She had thought that once she has all the answers, she would then go and look for her husband. And then next would be to save her father from Thundran. Not forgetting the Dacrians too, who were waiting for her return.

Suddenly, Evie did not know what to do. If she awakened these faes, would they come with her and help her find her husband first and foremost? Would they support her if she prioritized her beloved before this land?

She knew this land needed her but was it wise to bring this land back to life when the danger of the dark fae was looming just around the corner? Deep within Evie, she felt that it was not yet the time for this land to rise again from the ashes. There were too few light faeries… this number would never be enough…

If this land were to rise again, the light faes will be needing allies to defeat Thundran and his allies. And Evie just believed that the one ally they needed the most would be Gavriel. She had seen it before, how her husband had led a small place such as Dacria to victory against the army of a whole empire. If it was not for Thundran and the dragons, he would have won the last war too. If only she knew about her powers at that time, she would be able to support him.

Evie clenched her fists tight as she remembered how she had been so helpless back then and could not even help. But it would be different now. She swore to herself.

She would learn everything and grow even stronger than ever so she could go and look for Gavriel. She must find him.

 

Chapter 203 - Tied

After sweeping her intent gaze over the numerous numbers of black crystals before her, Evie lifted her hands and stared at them. Remembering what the light fae had told her earlier, she only needed to touch the crystals and command the fae within to awaken. She was thankful that all she needed to do was touch them for them to be freed and not carry out some complicated ritual or even use her blood. But Evie still could not help but hesitate.

The light fae seemed to have read the hesitation on her face again and she was about to speak but Evie spoke first.

"What is your name?" she asked, as she could not be referring to her in her mind as 'the light fae'. The light fae then gave a small bow of her head as she introduced herself.

"I am Zanya, princess."

"Zanya…" Evie uttered her name and the light fae lifted her face. "I understand you wanted me to free all your comrades as soon as possible, but I will need some time to speak with my men first."

What Evie said made Zanya's expression became a little guarded as she looked over at the vampires. It was obvious to Evie that the light fae held a grudge against them – or more specifically, their kind. Though it was unfair for her men, Evie could understand why Zanya was feeling that way with the knowledge of the history of the light faes that had been told to her earlier.

"Princess… are you saying that you're going to tell them everything that I had told you?" Zanya questioned Evie with a conflicted tone.

"Not everything…" Evie replied, "but they need to know what is going on. They are my companions and are also worried for my safety."

Zanya's face hardened over. "Princess, they are… they are vampires… they were the ones who…" the light fae trailed off after realizing that Evie's smile had dimmed significantly and was not pleased with what she had said.

"Yes, Zanya. They are vampires…" Evie's voice remained calm and soft though her smile had all but faded. She understood the light fae's grudge but those vampires in the past could be considered victims as well as they were manipulated. And even if they were not, it was totally unfair to blame these vampires for the wrong doings of their ancestors that had been done thousands of years ago. It had already been so long. These vampires had nothing to do with what the vampires in the past had done. "But they are my men and without them, I wouldn't be here by now," Evie continued, "they had put their lives on the line so many times to protect me, to keep me alive. I trust them more than anyone else here right now for without them, I would have died many times over before I could even set foot onto this land."

The light fae was silenced by Evie's explanation and her face took on a contemplative look. Her expression slowly but surely became better.

Seeing that Zanya had mellowed out at her words, Evie let out a soft sigh of relief, glad that the light fae seemed to have realised and understood what she was trying to tell her. "Also, I am not sure if you have already known this… but I'm actually married to a vampire prince, and I love him very much."

Evie smiled wistfully but her eyes shone with such intense emotions as she suddenly started missing Gavriel again. But she took another deep breath to focus her mind on something else immediately. "Give me a moment…" she then told Zanya before she turned and walked towards her men.

Watching Evie closely as she spoke to her men, Zanya set her eyes on each of the vampires, observing them very closely in their interactions with the princess. She had already seen how these men tried to protect the princess even back in Dacria. Thinking about it now, she realized that her grudge against the vampires was still very strong. She had never forgiven them as a whole. But these vampires here had nothing to do with the war back then. And true to what the princess had said, they really were the ones who had helped the princess to return home! And she also knew how the vampires, including the princess' husband, had protected the princess all of the times when she was still in the vampire realm.

Realizing that their princess was inextricably tied with the vampires now and also acknowledging these vampires' help this time, Zanya realized that perhaps, this was now the time for her to let go of the past grudges. What was important now was the present. More so since these present vampires seemed to be truly genuine in serving someone that was not a vampire like them.

…

The men were all mind-blown at the details that Evie had revealed to them. She had even told them the involvement of the vampires back then in the downfall of Crescia and the men were speechless. It was the most shocking revelation to them since the fact that Evie was a descendant of the faerie royals was not such a surprise to them anymore. Since they had kind of already imagined the possibility of their princess being someone superior to a human, a magical being, after all the things that they had seen with their own eyes.

However, the fact that their race was involved in the direct destruction of this land and its people simply made them shake their heads in disbelief. Who would have thought that had happened? And the most aggravating thing to the men in their minds was that the vampires in that era were used as mere pawns.

"Zanya asked me to awaken all these remaining light faes who are trapped in the dark crystals." Evie informed the men as she looked around at the crystals. "She said these light faes will serve me and they will definitely be a big help to protect me."

Chapter 204 - Right Now

The men immediately realized that their princess was having a little trouble in deciding whether or not she should listen to the light fae and awaken these creatures.

"What do you want to do, princess?" Zolan asked and Evie just looked at him, unable to respond. She was still undecided.

"Whatever you decide to do, we believe it will be the right choice." The man gave his encouragement and grinned at Evie. "After all, your decisions until now had never been wrong and had brought us to this point," he shrugged, "what I'm saying is, no matter how risky and almost ridiculous your decisions were, like the fact that you had decided to come to this place, was in the end never a mistake. That's why we will support whatever decision you make. We all believe in you, princess. Always remember that."

Evie was touched at the man's words. She was a little worried and afraid that the decisions that she made might cause something she would regret – especially if it were to negatively impact her men directly. She would never allow herself to live it down if that were to happen. That was why she still hesitated. But hearing Zolan's words and seeing her men nodding at her with their eyes filled with faith in her, gave her all the confidence that she needed, and it rose to its height again.

They were right, all she could do now was to continue believing in herself too. And that the decision that she was about to make was the right one.

Squaring her shoulders, she turned and faced Zanya. Zanya had a small smile on her lips and was happy as Evie looked confident and relaxed after her talk with her men.

"I have decided," she told the light fae. "I am not going to awaken everyone yet."

Zanya's eyes widened as her smile fell. Her face showed the shock that she was feeling. But before Zanya could protest or ask why, Evie had already opened her mouth to speak again.

"You said the dark fae is still unaware about the surviving light faes, right?" Evie asked and the shocked light fae nodded.

"I don't want Thundrann to find out that there were still surviving light faeries for now. I want him to think that this land has no more hope, and that the prophecy is never going to be fulfilled. If I bring back the tree of light now and the land starts shining again, he will definitely find out what is happening. Then he would realize that I am indeed the one mentioned in the prophecy. However, if nothing changes in this land, he will think I am not the one or he'll think that the prophecy is not real. Unlike you, Thundrann had not seen all the proofs that I am the daughter of the light in the prophecy." Evie trailed off and her gaze on Zanya became incredibly intense with determination. "I don't think I am ready to defend this land yet from Thundrann. I know you understand what I am saying. That's why I need a little more time to become stronger and… gather allies… We will need allies to defeat Thundrann. Once I'm strong enough… once I find my husband and find enough allies to aid us in our cause… I'll definitely come back here and awaken everyone."

"I understand that this is your decision princess, but… I still think you must awaken the light fairies now. They will be a strong force to protect you!" Zanya tried to persuade Evie one last time.

Evie shook her head. "No… awaking them would be the same as telling Thundrann I'm the daughter of the light in the prophecy. And didn't you say that light faes cannot maintain their powers outside the faeries' realm especially now that the tree of light is dead?" Evie put her point across.

Zanya could not respond as she too realized that the light faeries might not really be able to help once they step out of the Middle Land. They could only go as far away as they liked if the tree of light was brought back to life again.

"I am going to venture out of the Middle Land to find my husband and to look for allies." Evie declared and then smiled at her. "Do not worry Zanya, I will come back again." She turned her gaze towards the number of crystals in the throne hall. "These faeries would serve as my trump cards… because Thundrann has no idea they still exist. Once I return… I promise to bring them all back and at the same time, awaken the tree of light to give them more power."

Zanya's eyes glimmered. She was moved with the determination of the princess and the queen-like confidence she had exuded. Everything she said had made so much sense that she could no longer argue. She was amazed that though young, the princess had the presence of mind and the clarity to see to all angles regarding the awakening of the rest of the light faes and reviving of the tree of light.

"All I need right now is you, Zanya. You alone will be enough for now." Evie then said, "I need you to teach me everything I need to know about the things that I am capable of doing. I want to learn everything I can as soon as possible before setting out and continuing on my journey. Ah… I most especially want to learn about the dragons and how to use my magic in combat." Evie rattled off a list of things she would want Zanya to instruct her on.

The light fae was awed at the will Evie exuded and the light fae smiled again. She could not help but remember the princess and the queen she once served. This princess almost had no difference to them, especially when compared with the queen.

"Very well, princess… I will teach you everything you need to know and learn."

"Thank you. Please let's start now."

"Now?" Zanya was taken aback. Did the princess not want to take a rest first?

"Yes, right now Zanya."

"Your wish is my command princess." And Zanya's awe and respect for Evie only grew.

Chapter 205 - First Try

"I am going to free you now. But only you alone, Zanya." Evie said as she took measured steps towards the Crystal where Zanya's body was being held within. "However, I must first ensure that you will listen only to me and abide with whatever decision that I make in future. I know this is an extreme condition, but I hope you can understand why I am doing this… I know I should trust you, but I need reassurance… I can't afford to make any decisions I will regret later on."

Evie was a little worried her bluntness was too much for Zanya to accept. But she was not in a situation where she could afford to waste any more time to sugar coat her words nor her actions. She did not have the luxury to dally on as well so she could only be as cautious as possible to avoid anything and everything that could possibly disrupt her plans. Especially because she was not ignorant about the fact that many had fallen and were destroyed because they had put their absolute trust in someone too easily.

"You are very wise in doing so, princess…" Zanya complimented her even as she was the one suspicion was being cast on, causing Evie to sigh in relief at the sight of the light fae's expression. "I am relieved to know that you are not someone who would give out her trust so easily. Trust is something that must be earned after all. Now I am more convinced that you will be just fine even without us going along with you as you venture out."

"I am glad you understand, Zanya."

Zanya smiled at her before turning her face towards the vampires. "Since I am already trapped, you must choose one of them for you to practice with. I will teach you how to trap one of them inside a crystal before you try releasing them again, out of the entrapment."

When Evie blinked at her with question in her eyes, Zanya smiled.

"You need reassurance, right, princess?" she asked, "I am going to teach you this so you can trap me in another crystal again if I ever do something that make you regret your choice in freeing me. You are royalty and your magical power is certainly stronger than mine is. So, be rest assured that I cannot break free of the entrapment on my own." Zanya patiently and lengthily explained the reasoning to her actions.

Surprised at the light fae's words, Evie stared intently at Zanya's face. All Evie was asking from Zanya was to keep her promise. But somehow, Zanya ended up offering more than necessary. Perhaps this was better. This knowledge would definitely be extremely helpful in combat as well if she could actually trap anyone inside a crystal, holding them immobile until she released them of her own volition.

"Alright," Evie agreed to Zanya's statement, and she looked over at her men. "I will need someone to practice with. I am going to trap one of you inside the crystal. Don't worry, I will free you immediately." Evie explained quickly, laying it all out without beating around the bush.

"I'll do it." Elias was the quickest to raise his hand as he stepped forward.

All the men looked at him with varying degrees of surprise and raised brows and the butler shrugged as he 'spoke' to the vampires via their telepathic communication. 'Well, I am the most useless during battles so I guess I should be the best choice for this. I trust the princess' decision, but this is just in case she ends up taking more than a while to free me or something. So, you guys have no need to be jealous of this!' Elias told them as a matter of fact. Then with a smile on his face, he turned and approached the princess before his fellow vampires could say a thing.

"I'm ready, princess." Elias said as he stood before Evie.

"Thank you, Elias. That was really quick." Evie nodded at him then she looked at Zanya.

"Please stretch your right hand and hold it just over his chest, princess," Zanya gave her instruction and Evie did as she said, "then close your eyes. All you need to do is envision everything within your mind. First, imagine your magic collecting and pooling out of your body as a cloud of light, before you gather those lights in your palm. You need to concentrate and don't get distracted. Make sure the picture you imagine is vivid in your mind's eye." Zanya's voice was soft, calm, and neutral, allowing Evie to listen to it without her emotions being affected.

As Zanya list out her instructions, Evie did her best to concentrate and carry out all the things that the light fae was instructing her as precise as possible. At first, she failed to collect all the lights that appeared around her body to concentrate over her palm but in her very next try, she managed to do it somehow.

"The next thing you should do is command the magic to trap the person using the fae's language. You must envision the whole process in your head very clearly, princess. You must picture that the dark crystal is slowly covering every inch of the person until he is fully swallowed and trapped." Zanya continued, looking pleased as Evie was already doing an amazing job at her very first try. Zanya was even more convinced that Evie is the long-awaited daughter of the light mentioned in the prophecy. Her eyes sparkled and sharpened as her gaze hung on every action of the princess trying to cast her very first magic entrapment.

When Evie opened her eyes, she saw that the dark crystal had only formed right over Elias' chest. "I knew it!" she groaned as she threw her head back, disappointed at not getting it right the first time. She had somehow known and felt that she had failed to carry it out perfectly as she was unable to envision the whole process smoothly in her head. She could not 'see' the dark crystal growing and creeping over Elias smoothly in her mind's eye. There were still gaps in the process where she could not get the image to 'flow' as how Zanya had instructed her to.

"It's alright princess, you have done extremely well for your first time. Please, try it again." Zanya encouraged Evie. Her voice shook a little, betraying her excitement in Evie's insane progress.

Evie's eyes gleamed with determination as she heard Zanya's excitement as she too, was affected by it. She then closed her eyes again. After letting out a deep and long breath, Evie then started releasing light from her body which engulfed her, before she then gathered it on her palm.

A word then came from her lips and on her fourth try, Elias was fully engulfed within the dark crystal.

The vampires were awed as Evie almost jumped with happiness. "I did it!" she exclaimed as she grinned widely, and her men could not help but whistle in amazement. They could only see a large dark crystal before Evie, with a blurry figure held within its depths which they knew it to be Elias.

"Incredible!" they all exclaimed in unison and looking very proud at their princess' achievement.

Chapter 206 - Zanya

"Now, your next task is to free him, princess…"?Zanya pulled her attention back to the present and Evie was quick to refocus and return back to business. "Touch the crystal then command it to let the person go. This time, you must envision the crystal disappearing into tiny, crystalised particles."

Evie focused her entire mind on following Zanya's instruction, remembering to very clearly picture it happening in her mind as how it should look like in reality. And with just one try, the crystal burst out into gleaming tiny dark particles and Elias was freed from his confinement.

"Great job, princess!" Zanya praised and Evie smiled from ear to ear for the first time in a long while. Utterly glad that she was able to do something amazing and useful. The other vampires were clapping at Evie's success as they walked over to Elias.

"Thank you," Evie said still smiling.

"This will become very easy for you as time goes by and the more you use it, princess. It will all be dependent on your strength, ability, and the power of your magic. The late queen was able to trap these number in one go with just her stretching out her hand from her position on the throne. This number was her limit. Also, please remember that the stronger a person is, the harder it would be to trap them. You would find that you cannot trap someone who is stronger than you." Zanya explained and gave Evie reminders as she listened and nodded attentively.

After that, Evie practiced two more times, trying out her new magic skill on the other men this time as they volunteered to experience it too. Reed and Luc were the most enthusiastic, so Evie ended up practicing on them.

Once Evie was satisfied with her casting and releasing speed, she then faced Zanya while the vampires were silently talking about how it felt to be trapped inside the dark crystals. It was time to put her training to the real test and release Zanya from her own entrapment within the dark crystal.

When the men saw their princess started to shine again as she touched one of the many dark crystals in the throne hall, all their attention was focused on that single crystal. They have been curious about the creature their princess had been talking to since they entered into the castle. Now they will finally see what it looked like, as all of them obviously had never seen a fae in their entire lives.

Unlike the way the princess freed the three of them, it appeared that freeing this one was not as easy as it was to release them. The princess took a longer time, and she was extremely focussed before she succeeded on the third time before the crystal began to dissolve and then at last, it burst into the particles similar to when Evie did during her practice with the vampires.

The tiny dusts turned into black glitters as Evie finally opened her eyes and dropped her hands. She was slightly sweaty and panting a little. It seemed that it was harder to free this fae. Perhaps it was due to the fact that the entrapment lasting for over thousands of years!

She then saw Zanya's spirit enter her body. And then after a short while, the ethereal woman before her finally opened her eyes. The deep forest green eyes framed with thick ashen lashes were so mesmerizing. Evie already knew that the faes were an extremely beautiful race and had stunning features. However, seeing it in real life and right before her very eyes was a totally different experience that just had her catching her breath. Zanya was simply as breath-taking as Evie had expected, or even perhaps more.

Now that Zanya was no longer wrapped in light, Evie could now see that they had almost the same physical features. Seeing this light fae in person and in physical form finally made Evie realise how close she was to them in terms of physical features if in comparison to humans. And this still shocked her deeply even though Zanya had already mentioned that she is descended from the fae's royalties themselves. It is now that she could appreciate the saying that 'seeing is truly believing'.

Zanya immediately fell on her one knee and bowed before Evie, silently revering her as the new fae queen in her heart and with her actions.

Surprised at her action, Evie immediately helped her up. "Please stand. There is no need for you to –"

Evie trailed off as she realized that Zanya was tearing up. She looked up at Evie as tears quietly and charmingly fell from her beautiful eyes, wetting those gorgeous ashen lashes in attractive little clumps. Evie could not help but secretly release a small sigh of appreciation at the beauty of the fae. Even crying, they could look so stunning!

"I'm honored to be freed by you, princess." She bowed deeper in thanks and Evie hurriedly bent and hugged her, realizing that the Zanya must have been overwhelmed with emotions. After all, she had been trapped for an unimaginable amount of time in that crystal. It must have been very hard for her.

She comforted her and Evie felt such a protective feeling over this fae that was kneeling before her.

Once Zanya gathered herself and stood up, she thanked Evie again and she immediately forced herself to go back to their main order of business. She needed to teach everything she could to the princess before Evie left this place. This was her duty now.

"What do you want to learn next, princess? Is it how to control the dragons?" she then asked, and Evie smiled at her, nodding excitedly.

"Yes. I believe that the dragons will be the most helpful ally for me especially outside the Middle Land. So, I must focus on them next."

"At your service, my princess." Zanya then bowed again as they walked towards the vampires to leave the throne hall and go meet with the dragons. It was time for her to learn how to control them at her own will.

Chapter 207 - Call

Evie walked over to where her men were waiting for her with Zanya a step behind to her side.

"We are going to…" Evie trailed off halfway as she was speaking to her men and raised her brows at the sight of them staring at Zanya with varying degrees of mouths hanging open. They looked as though they were beyond dumbstruck, except for Zolan and Leon who were still somewhat quite composed and were not as mesmerized as the others.

Evie could not help but laugh inwardly at their expressions. She definitely understood why her men were so enchanted by Zanya's beauty. As beautiful as vampires were – both males and females, the beauty that faes possess far outstrip any other race. Theirs were the kind of delicate yet distinct beauty that one could not imagine even when in their dreams. So, it stands to reason why her men were literally drooling over Zanya's features.

Zolan cleared his throat to get the others to snap out of their reverie and the men finally blinked and broke free from being completely enchanted. "We're going somewhere… was it, princess?" Zolan asked as he fixed his gaze on Evie.

"We're going to meet the dragons." Evie replied with a small smile, still amused at how some of the men were still having dazed looks in their eyes. "But first, everyone should introduce yourselves to her." Evie gestured with an arm to Zanya as she looked at the men with hilarity in her eyes. Almost in the next second, Levy stepped up to introduce himself to Zanya. His brown eyes were gleaming, obviously infatuated with the beauty before him.

"I'm Levy, my fair lady," he said and even gave a slight bow at the light fae in a very gentlemanly manner. The men behind him cringed at his action. However, all of them were already aware that this man was the most shameless one in their group and the one who is always into beautiful women. To call him a ladies' man might even be too mild. Elias rolled his eyes exaggeratedly as he saw Levy's move.

"Zanya," the light fae said simply as she smiled and gave a small nod, still a little wary towards the vampires.

The other men then introduced themselves as well, all of them simply said their names as they noticed the light fae's slight discomfort at being this close to them. Levy in his eagerness, had missed out on how the light fae was not quite comfortable with so many vampires at such close distance to her. Luc then sighed before grabbing Levy's collar and pulled him to the back to stop him from getting too close to the light fae.

As they stepped outside the great dark castle, Evie halted and looked at Zanya who was walking right behind her, not daring to walk right by her side. She understood that it was Zanya's way of showing respect to her station as one from the royal bloodline.

"I think Onyx refused to get close to the castle. It stopped by the last great arch at the foot of this hill. Is there a reason behind its action?" She asked and Zanya looked like she was surprised with what Evie had said. It seems that the princess' observations are very on point, and she is very sensitive and in tuned to the dragon's feelings.

Zanya contemplated for a while before she eventually shook her head. "I am not certain why Onyx refused to come here. Onyx used to enter into this area back then. In fact, he loved roaming around the castle. But now that you mentioned it, Onyx has never stepped foot in here since the death of the queen. He simply stayed at the entrance to the gate of Crescia and never ventured out." She thoughtfully said. "Are you certain that he refused to come in here, princess?"

Evie nodded. "Yes. I've told him I want to reach the peak of the hill. Though I think he understood, he only dropped us at the entrance of the gate and crouched on the ground as if he intended to wait for us there."

"Pardon me princess, but I am not certain about the reason why. However, I think it must be a miscommunication. Or he must have chosen to stay there to act as a guard as Onyx is very intelligent. Back in the day, I remember the late queen calling Onyx the greatest dragon who had ever lived. I believe the queen gave him her last order before she died and that was to guard Crescia. And that's why he never left the gate at all." Zanya told Evie her opinions on the matter.

There was a sadness that bloomed in Evie's heart as she remembered the very first time when she laid eyes on Onyx. The dark dragon was simply crouching there, motionless in the darkness, as though a dead lifeless statue. As though he was waiting for something or someone to appear into his life. Her heart ached for the dragon as she realized how the dragon must have been fulfilling his former master's order all this while. His loyalty was heart-warming just as it was also heart-wrenching.

Suddenly, she felt that she wanted to summon him to where they were. "I want to call him up here," she said to Zanya.

One glance at Evie's face and Zanya immediately nodded, realizing that the princess needed her to teach her how to call upon the dragon now.

"Calling the dragon is only slightly different from the release magic of the entrapment but calling the dragon will definitely take more strength, princess." Zanya explained. "It could exhaust your powers especially when you are trying to force the dragon to obey your call. However, if the dragon comes to you willingly upon hearing your call, your strength and power won't be drained and much affected."

The explanation made Evie's eyes widen with intrigue. She remembered that the past dragon guardians always fall into exhaustion after the calling of a dragon. Was it due to the dragons who were not willing participants to the summoning and were actually forced to obey their call!? She never would have thought that was the case.

Chapter 208 - Names

"How can I make the call so that the dragon would come to me willingly?" Evie questioned, her eyes brimming with a very strong will. She wanted to learn to call on the dragon to come to her without forcing them against their will. No living creatures would be pleased if they were forced into something. If only she could make them respond to her call willingly… that would be the ultimate power that she can wield! And she knew deep within her that that was what she wanted the most. For the dragons to come to her aid without being forced.

"I am sorry, but I don't know the answer, princess." Zanya's expression was apologetic. "Back in the day, there was no answer as well. That's why even since a long time ago, light faeries aren't that fond of calling upon the dragons for help. Calling the dragons are always the last resort for us in wars because they drain too much energy from us. However, there are some who managed to call a dragon without suffering any side effects, like the late queen. Her dragon, Onyx, had responded to her willingly and to her alone. I believe, it must have had something to do with the attachment since other royals back in the days were unable to call a dragon without draining their magical powers."

"He responded to the late queen alone?" Evie repeated as she realized that Onyx was indeed very different from the dragons the guardians had been summoning throughout the years since they had known how to. He was so different from the other seven dragons they had seen on their way here as well. She also heard from the stories and history in the past and everyone thought that the dragons were of the same size and had similar features to each other. She thought that was true at first until she saw another dragon that was bigger and darker in Dacria. And now Onyx was even bigger and much darker than the others she had ever seen. Could it be that he was the largest?

"Yes, Princess. Back then, only the queen could call for him. Others just could not call on him even if they used force and spent up all their magical energy. That's why Onyx was considered special even back then when the summoning of dragons was still considered common."

At that moment, Evie did not know why but Zanya's words made her want Onyx to be hers even more. She wanted to call him and wanted him to respond to her call. It still mystified her why she felt a strange attachment towards the dark dragon. She had thought that it was because she was the queen's descendant. But somehow, she was not quite satisfied with the thought. It was as if there was more to it than just her being the descendent.

"Tell me how, Zanya. I'd like to try to call him now," Evie said and Zanya immediately obeyed.

"It's the same process princess. Gather all your magic but this time, instead of collecting them into your palms, concentrate them in your eyes. Imagine the dragon's image then picture yourself opening your eyes. Your eyes must glow brightly – as bright as possible – as you look into the dragon's eyes. Make sure to look deeply as if when you are talking with someone and wanting to convey your words through your eyes. Then say the words 'Come forth my dragon' in the fae tongue."

Evie did not waste a moment and immediately tried what Zanya had instructed her to do.

"Razhyan ze vaske ryuhz!" she commanded after she managed to carry out the prior steps.

The sky thundered and lightning flashed. In that moment, Evie knew something was off. And her intuition was right as she opened her eyes and saw that the dragon which was flying over to their position was not Onyx.

The men were again smiling proudly as they watched a dragon land before Evie. But Evie was a little disappointed. She made sure that it was Onyx that she envisioned in her mind.

"That was amazing, princess! Right on your first try!" Zanya exclaimed, "Do you feel exhausted at all?"

Now that Evie took stock of her body's condition, she indeed did not feel exhausted at all. It thrilled her somehow despite the disappointment.

She shook her head and Zanya beamed at her. "Incredible. You didn't only successfully carry out a summoning on your first try but also managed to call a dragon without sacrificing your strength or your magic!" Zanya's voice was trembling with excitement.

"Thank you," Evie said as she set her eyes on the dragon that had landed before her. It was one of the seven dragons she saw after they entered the gate. Though she could not stop herself from being disappointed, Evie berated herself that she should not be too greedy. It was already an amazing feat that she had managed to even summon a dragon. For now, she should be grateful that this dragon had willingly responded to her call. Maybe, she could make Onyx respond to her next time.

Evie approached the dragon. It has the same amber eyes as Onyx, but the vividness was different. Its body was an ashy grey colour unlike Onyx's colouring which was as dark as ink.

"Do you have a name?" Evie asked as she touched the dragon's snout. The dragon did not make any sounds and just crouched down in satisfaction, as though it was enjoying Evie's touch.

"She does not have a name, princess." Zanya informed Evie.

"She? How did you know this dragon is a 'she'?"

"They have reddish colours on their chest. That indicates the dragon is a female." Zanya explained.

"I see… why doesn't she have a name?" she then asked, curious.

"Because unlike Onyx, this dragon is not an ancient one. I told you previously that Onyx was the only one who survived back in that war, right?" Zanya said, "This dragon, including the others, except Onyx were still in their eggs when the queen killed off all living creatures that day with her light. The dragon eggs were wrapped with smooth dark crystals and that was why they weren't affected back then. And since dragon eggs takes a thousand years to hatch, these dragons are still considered young. No one was there to give them their names. So, they are still nameless until today."

Evie was once again surprised with this new information. She looked at the dragon and a smile bloomed on her face. "Alright, then I shall give all of them their names." Evie declared.

Chapter 209 - Crimson

Evie did not even take a long while to think about a name as she had noticed the faint colouring on the dragon's chest. Unlike Onyx that had every part of its body as dark as midnight, this dragon has other colours mixed in especially along the edges of its spikes. A colour between rose and red… Evie thought to herself.

Since the dark dragon was named Onyx, she thought of naming these dragons according to shades of other colours as well.

"Alright," Evie breathed and caressed the dragon's snout, "your name from now on shall be Crimson." Evie declared. The dragon did not make any sound, but it remained docile as Evie continued caressing it.

With a smile on her face, she looked at Zanya and her men. "Her name is Crimson." She said and Zanya smiled as well.

Then, without a word, Evie climbed on the dragon's back. She already knew how to command a dragon since she had already experienced it when she had tried it with Onyx. And now, since she already understood the fae language and could speak it well enough since that moment she sat on that throne, she knew that there were no more barriers stopping her. At least when it comes to communicating with the dragons and in the fae language.

But as soon as she was seated on the dragon and before she could speak to it, the dragon already spread out its wings and began to take off. And in the next moment, they were flying above and circling the great castle at a very steady pace.

Everyone on the ground were in awe. The vampires could not help but break out in complaints. "Damn! Our princess is getting more and more over-powered by the minute don't you think?" Luc asked with a pout, as he followed their princess' movements with his eyes. All of them had somehow unknowingly stopped worrying about her now. She was already a force to be reckoned with. And if anyone were foolish enough to be fooled by her petite stature and innocently beautiful looks, they would be in for a rude awakening. The men could only chuckle among themselves as they thought of this.

"Yeah… this still somehow feels like a dream," Elias uttered, "I never would have thought I would live to see the day when this princess riding so valiantly on a flying dragon like this." The butler muttered, as he shook his head slightly, remembering that this was the very same princess he had served and worried about since the first time he had met her. She was a fragile human, he had thought to himself every time he was with her back then, constantly worried that she would end up hurting herself whenever he was not looking. But looking at her now, his heart could not help but just well up in pride and joy. There she was, way up there, flying on a dragon which were almost regaled to fables, looking invincible. She was fully matched up to His Highness Prince Gavriel's magnificence the way she looked at the moment.

However, their awe eventually faded when they saw that the dragon simply continued circling around the vicinity, almost aimlessly. They were waiting for it to breathe out fire like what had happened in the forest before the gate of Crescia. But it did no such thing even after everyone looked on for a long while, just staring and waiting.

The men started to wonder what was going on and when their eyes turned red for them to focus their gazes on the princess' face, all of them immediately began to worry after seeing Evie's face looking slightly troubled.

"What's going on?" Zolan asked, glancing at the light fae, who was a few steps to their left.

"She's having trouble controlling it." Zanya's reply made the vampires to immediately become quite alarmed and hastily looked up to follow Evie's movements in the sky. Nothing must happen to their princess!

Zolan immediately told everyone to get ready in case the princess accidentally fell from the dragon's back. However, something surprising made them all halt in their tracks as they were about to spread out around the castle to carry out their plans in rescuing the princess.

Their eyes widened as an ethereal pair of butterfly wings appeared and unfurled from Zanya's back. The wings were large – almost spanning three quarters of Zanya's body length – and colourful and simply magical. It was something they had never seen before. Faeries could grow wings?!

Before the men could even react to that occurrence, she was already flying up towards the princess until she reached the dragon.

"Princess!" Zanya called out as she landed herself on the back of the dragon as well.

"Crimson's not listening to me!" Evie said, there was no fear on her face but pure confusion. "She's not listening to my command! It is as if… as if she does not understand me at all! I don't know what went wrong!"

"How did you command her princess? Did you envision her in your mind's eye to do what you wanted her to do? Remember, your instructions need to be seen, heard and felt in full by yourself and the dragon you're commanding." Zanya was quick in her questions and statements.

Evie looked at Zanya with questions filling her eyes. "You're saying I should not be commanding her with words alone?"

"Yes, princess." Zanya simply replied.

"But Onyx had listened to my words without –" Evie trailed off, remembering that Zanya said Onyx was different from these other dragons. Evie gave a start at that thought. That was where she went wrong! She had assumed that this dragon would listen to her just like Onyx did! She had totally forgotten that Zanya had earlier on told her about how these other dragons were considered still young as they had only hatched from their eggs after the disaster that befell the fae kingdom.

"Are you saying that Crimson doesn't yet understand the fae language like Onyx?" That was all Evie could guess from what she understood so far.

Chapter 210 - Dream

"Are you saying that Crimson doesn't yet understand the fae language like Onyx?"

"Yes, you are right, princess." Zanya nodded with a smile, glad that the princess was very intelligent and quick to understand things.

"But didn't I call her using the fae language? How did she understand that and she listened to my call?" Evie asked, utterly confused.

"She responded to the word because they already recognized it as they had heard it many times before. Because the guardians who had been calling for them for many years now always used that same word to summon them. When they hear those words, they'll immediately respond but unlike Onyx, they don't understand other words yet as the fae language had disappeared from usage long before they were even hatched from their eggs." Zanya explained to Evie.

Evie bit her lower lips. So that was why Crimson suddenly took off to the skies before she could even command her. It seems it was her instinct that made her fly to the sky as soon as her rider was seated on her back.

"What should I do now then?" she asked Zanya, her expression now calm even though Crimson was still flying about aimlessly and somewhat a little unsteadily.

"Please do the same thing you did when you called for it! Imagine yourself being inside the dragon, as if your body and her body are one. Picture the two of you melding into one unit until you are seeing what she is seeing too. Then tell her to land on the spot your eyes are focusing on."

Evie immediately did as Zanya instructed and on the first try, she failed. But she immediately tried again and with this second try, the dragon finally landed on the bridge.

The vampires were all incredibly worried as Zolan immediately jumped to help her climb off the dragon's back. All of them had their hearts in their mouths when they saw the princess having troubles with the dragon and was swerving around in the air. They had thought she and the dragon would both come crashing down! Thankfully she managed to get it under control.

Zanya landed as well and approached Evie. The princess was panting, just like when she had released Zanya from the crystal earlier. It was clear that the exercise had drained some of her energy and tired her out.

"Are you alright, princess?!" the men all came running over and were checking her over, making sure she was completely safe and fine. Evie only nodded and smiled apologetically at them, realizing that she had given them quite a scare.

"I am alright." She quickly reassured them. Then she glanced back at Crimson and then a soft sigh escaped her lips, realizing that she had been quite desperate to immediately learn everything. She should have known there would be a limit to everything, especially when dealing with things related to magic. She berated herself inwardly for thinking that everything would be easy now since she was already in the fae's homeland. She should have expected that the world would never work that way. In order for her to earn the loyalty and trust of these magnificent and powerful creatures… and for her to be able to fully control them, she must work hard for it first.

"Please have a rest first. You've done so much already for today, and your wounds are still not fully healed."?Zolan reminded her and Evie only let out a deep sigh. Realizing that she did overexert herself a little too much.

"Right, princess," Zanya spoke as well, "I understand you are in a rush to learn as much as you can. But please, you must not force yourself till it brings more negative impact on you instead of more good."

Realizing that she felt that same weakness she had felt after leaving the stream waters yesterday, Evie finally gave in to their advice and nodded at them. She needed to pace herself as well. It would be no use if she learnt everything but ended up getting hurt or even worse, incapable of moving or getting a backlash on the magic usage that she was still learning to get used to.

Once the princess nodded, Zanya immediately led them back into the castle.

…

Inside one of the spacious and incredibly beautiful room inside the castle, Evie finally laid down on the large and luxurious bed. It was still firm without being overly soft and seemed to be stuffed with some sort of feathers. Evie did not know what type, but all she knew was that it felt heavenly as her back came into contact with it.

The men also did not know what the light fae did, but when they entered the room as quietly as they could, they noted that it was already as good as new, as if it had not been abandoned for countless of years. They could only feel awed once again at the magical powers of these creatures.

Upon making sure that their princess was fine and resting well, the men agreed to stand guard outside of her room doors while Elias went to cook the princess' and everyone's food with Zanya's help.

When everyone was gone, Evie closed her eyes. Perhaps because of exhaustion, she almost immediately drifted off into dreamland as soon as she was fully stretched out and turned to her side. Even as her eyes closed in exhaustion, her mind was already not aware of her surroundings – that was a testament to how much she had exerted herself and her newfound powers.

And as it was usual since entering into the forbidden lands, the moment Evie slept, her mind drifted into the land of dreams. It was the same dream that had been haunting her every night since she was separated with Gavriel.

Then she began to dream.

In her dream, Evie could see herself wielding her bow and arrows. Her expression was so intense. The gentle wind was blowing her hair behind her as though it were waves of silvery silk. She could feel her heartbeat thumping loudly inside her ribcage even as it thundered in her ears as she aimed at the tall figure wearing a dark cloak. His face was fully covered with his hood drawn low over his chin.

It did not take long, and she saw herself released the arrow she had been aiming and it flew straight and true towards the man's face. But to her surprise, he caught it just before it pierces him. The wind came from the opposite direction this time, and when his hood was blown back over his head, it revealed his face causing Evie to catch her breath. Her eyes widened in utter shock as her body suddenly became frozen and paralyzed.

Chapter 211 - Just To Be Sure

Outside Evie's room, the men began to chat after just standing there quietly for a long while.

"I guess I'll go check on our cooks, shall I?" Levy said. It was obvious the man just wanted to go and see the light fae and Zolan could already tell that he must be planning to flirt with her. So Zolan was quick to grab onto his collar the moment Levy took a step to leave.

"Read the atmosphere here, Levy," he said with a sigh, "the fae is obviously wary of us. Remember, our ancestors were one of the reasons why the faeries had been annihilated so her wariness against us is well and fully understandable."

"I'm not going to do anything!!" the man pursed his lips, sulkily turning his head away.

"She's already uncomfortable with the way you look at her, you bumbling idiot."

"Well, how could you guys blame me? She's so damned beautiful! I can't help but stare. It's you guys who are having a problem, really. How could you not stare at such a beauty?"

With a sigh, Zolan pinched the skin between his brows. They all know that Levy was truly annoying when it comes to women but sometimes, they really just want to smack him up the head. And now is one of those times.

Ignoring him, Zolan looked at Reed. "Go and see if they needed help, Reed." He told Reed and the young man blinked, his dark eyes gleaming with hesitation. But eventually, he nodded and left as Zolan had ordered while Levy groaned comically in frustration.

When Reed reached the kitchens where Elias was cooking, he saw that the fae seemed quite relaxed with Elias' presence now. Reed remembered that the very first vampire Princess Evie got comfortable with aside from their prince was Elias. Was it because Elias brought himself as being quite harmless?

The young man approached quietly but as expected, Zanya noticed him. Reed scratched the back of his neck sheepishly as he spoke. "I was wondering if you two needed any help." He had already prepared this excuse in the event that his presencewas discovered.

"Yes," Zanya immediately replied, "I'd like to go outside for a while, so I'd appreciate if you could please help Elias in my stead while I'm gone for a bit."

Reed blinked as he glanced at Elias, but the butler was busy with his preparations, so Reed could only nod at her request.

The light fae flashed a small smile. He watched her stood by the large window and then her ethereal butterfly wings spread out behind her before she flew off.

"Don't just watch there, come over here and help me." Elias' voice echoed through the kitchens.

"Where is she going?" he asked but Elias shrugged. "She's not uncomfortable with you anymore?" Reed continued asking.

"Hmm… I'm not sure but I guess so. She's not wary of me. We were having quite a fun time just before you arrived."

…

Outside the castle, Samuel and Leon were watching at the gate. Both of them were quietly crouching at the top of the massive gate and looking down at the dark and empty bridge.

They have not seen any moving objects at all, not even a stray animal. After a moment, they saw something white flying past above them. It was the light faery, and she was leaving the castle.

Leon and Samuel looked at each other.

"Is it safe for her to go out there alone?" Samuel asked and Leon just tilted his head a little, uncertain about the answer too. "I am guessing she's strong but…" Samuel paused and stared at the faery now entering the forest beyond the castle's bridge. "Go follow her, Leon. The princess is asleep right now so I'm certain she does not know Zanya's leaving the castle. She doesn't look like she's going to get into any trouble but… just to be sure."

There was hesitation in Leon's eyes but since Samuel was their leader and had already issued his orders, he could only nod and then he disappeared.

He followed after Zanya secretly, hoping that the fae would not notice him. Leon lost her traces as she picked up her pace the moment they were out of the dense forest of dead trees, causing him to pick up his pace as well. Where was she going? Was she actually trying to escape?

Deep lines appeared on Leon's forehead as he run as fast as he could, trying to find the light faery again. He got passed Onyx who was still in the exact spot where they left him.

To Leon's relief, the dragon did not do anything. It simply stared at him.

Looking around at the vast desolate land, Leon caught his lower lip between his teeth. His tussled hair now soaked from the rain and his purple eyes had already turned red so he could see as far as he could. But he could not find her! There was absolutely no trace of her anywhere that he looked.

His jaw clenched. Now worried that the fae might be really escaping. It would be bad if she had escaped, right? He thought then he immediately rushed towards the entrance gate of Crescia knowing that that was the only place she might be headed for in order that she could leave.

Upon reaching the gate, he went past the dragons. He was wary at first but somehow, the dragon did not attack him. Did they already recognize him as their ally? Leon was awed but his mind was focused on that little fae he thought was now escaping now that the princess had released her.

Leon could not help but feel angry at the fae if she really was going to escape and betray the princess' trust. No, he could not let her escape!

At last, Leon had spotted her light as soon as he was out of the gate. His red eyes gleamed intensely, and he moved as fast as he could straight towards the faery who had just landed on a branch of a tree.

As if she finally felt his presence, the light fae turned to look behind her but at that very moment, Leon had already caught up to her and seized her.