It takes a while for me to fall asleep and almost immediately I wish I hadn’t.

I find myself in what seems to be a one room shack, with no windows and the only door locked tight. There is a panic sitting in the center of my chest and I force myself to breathe through it. 

And then the flames erupt.

So focused was I on trying to escape that I hadn’t noticed the beginning tendrils right away. It wasn’t until smoke began to cloud my vision that I finally spun around, sucking in a breath at the flames that greeted me.

“Help me!” 

No matter how much I scream, there is no-one coming to my rescue.

The smoke is burning my lungs, the fire surrounding me so I am forced into the center of the room. It is unbearably hot.

“No-one is coming to save you, Princess.”

The voice rings out clearly, as if it is in the room with me though I know that’s impossible. I’m on my knees, hands clutching my chest.

“You should have stayed away.”

This time I recognize the voice. Philip. Had he started the fire?

I don’t have time to ponder on it. Just as the flames consume me I open my eyes with a scream. Darkness surrounds me, and it takes me a moment to realize I am no longer dreaming.

My chest still feels tight and I struggle to suck in breaths, finally scrambling out of bed and stumbling to my balcony. I gulp in the cold air, sliding against the wall to the ground.

While the coolness outside helps to calm my racing heart, I know there is no way I am going to be able to fall back asleep. Not when I can still feel the heat of the flames licking at my skin.

After a while of sitting outside, the chill finally chases away the lingering feelings and I make my way back to my room. After picking up the book I’d taken from the library, I settle onto my bed, hoping to pass the time quickly.

The light is just beginning to pour into my room when there is a knock on the door. Daphne comes into the room a moment later.

“Good morning Princess.”

I blink up at her, rubbing at my eyes. “Good morning.”

Daphne is closing the balcony doors. She turns to me, shivering. “The Queen is requesting your presence. I will help you get dressed.”

I nod, sliding off the bed and following her to the wardrobe. 

“Are you alright Princess?” Daphne asks as she pulls my hair into a ponytail. “You look quite tired.”

“I just didn’t sleep well.” 

I am dressed rather quickly and we are off to see Rosedriah. 

We meet in the library, Rosedriah already standing in front of a table with various objects sitting on it. Of what I can recognize there is a stack of books, a stone of some kind and a mirror. There are other bottles and a basket of what looks like yarn as well.

“It is time we start your lesson.” Grandmother says as I approach her.

“Lessons?”

“Yes. From now on, starting today you will have a different tutor to teach you how to tap into your abilities, should you have inherited any. At the start of the week I will teach you magic. Tomorrow I have a Werewolf coming where you will at the very least learn to defend yourself. The days after that will be a very old Vampire friend of mine, and a Siren. The fifth day is dedicated to teaching you all you need to know about running the Kingdom, and Nathaniel will oversee that.”

I let out a sigh. It all sounds so overwhelming. 

“The weekend will be set aside for you and Caspian to get to know one another.”

At those words I finally draw my eyes from the table to Rosedriah. “Do I have to?” I find myself asking before I can help it.

Rosedriah offers a gentle smile. “I understand your apprehension to an arranged marriage, Pandora. Under normal circumstances you would be able to marry for love. However, these are not normal circumstances. I sincerely hope that the two of you will grow to love each other as time goes on. At the very least, these weekends will allow you to not be complete strangers at the time of your wedding. Now,” Rosedriah claps her hands together, coming to stand on my side of the table.

“How much do you know about witches?”

I shake my head helplessly. Even though Gemma and I did some very rudimentary research, I’m sure whatever we read about was inaccurate.

Grandmother laughs, telling me it’s alright and begins to explain just the basics of what a witch can do. My head is spinning by the time she’s done with her explanation. She gestures to the table. “There are several ways we can test to see if you have any magical inclination. Given that I am your grandmother, you will have a significant amount of witch in you so you should have at the very least one gift.”

The next several hours are filled with disappointment after disappointment. Rosedriah is still optimistic, telling me I have to have a gift, while I feel as though she is wasting her time with me. Maybe because I was born human that stunted whatever gifts I may have had.

I set the scrying crystal down with a sigh. “I think maybe I just don’t have a gift.”

“Nonsense!” Grandmother clicks her tongue, going over to the stone we have yet to touch. She picks it up, walking over to me. “There is one more thing we can try. Now, I don’t have any elemental gifts myself but that does not mean you didn’t inherit any. If you do, the stone will change color.” She drops the stone in my hand, taking a step backward. “It is not unheard of for a witch to have just one, or even no elemental gifts like myself, but--”

I have stopped listening to her, my eye fixated on the stone in my hand. It has gone from a dull grey color to shining vibrantly. It is a myriad of colors, beautiful and gleaming in the palm of my hand. Even Rosedriah has been stunned into silence by the light show.

“Is this a good thing?” I can’t help but ask.

“Good? My dear this is more than good! You are an Elementalist, Pandora. You can wield any element to your heart's desire.”

I close my hand around the stone, feeling it pulse in my grasp. Rosedriah goes over to the table, sifting through the stack of books until she finds the one she is looking for. “This will tell you the basics of what you need to know about using elemental magic. We will go over it in more detail during our lesson next week as it is quite late. For now, let us go eat. Lunch should be ready by now.”