»Please excuse the interruption, Your Majesties. I thought that Your Highness might want something else to wear,« she asks, excusing her unauthorized intrusion.

I nod to her and thank her for the things.

She puts the small box at the foot of my bed and hangs the dress on the curtain rod. Then she bows goodbye and goes back to the injured.

My parents don't question the fact that she brings me something else to wear, apparently without being asked. Darya probably knew that I wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible.

»We'll wait for you outside the door. It would probably be best if we went back to the battlefield together,« my father suggests.

He has completely returned to his role as king. My mother stands up and bends down to kiss me on the forehead. Then she lets my father lead her outside. I close my eyes for a moment.

Maybe I shouldn't go back among people yet. Since the moment I followed Addison and Joyce outside, I haven't had a moment's peace. My thoughts are buzzing wildly in my head.

On the other hand, several first-graders and probably some second-graders have just heard my speech to my father, how much value could they place on my word if I stay here now.

I stand up and feel the fabric of the dress. It shimmers in beautiful shades of blue and flows through my fingertips. I take off my nightdress and swap it for the silk dress. The long skirt billows around my legs at the slightest movement. It flows over my hips into a starched bodice that hugs my upper body without cutting off my air flow. This dream of blue fabric is held up by a single strap over my right upper arm, exposing my birthmark on my left arm.

The silver stars stretch from my elbow to my collarbone and seem to sparkle on their own when they reflect light. It is not unusual for a birthmark to spread so far, as it grows with the magic of its wearer.

My magic is strong, which is why my star pattern is large. When I was little, it was just a small ring of stars that curled around my arm. Over time, it spread out more and more. Now all I need are shoes and something to tie my hair with.

I open the small box. Darya has thought of everything. Inside are thin, light blue sandals that I lace onto my feet. They match the simple style of the dress perfectly, although it looks very elaborate at first glance. The box also contains a hairbrush, hair clips and ribbons, and a small tiara.

I don't know how Darya conjured all of this up so quickly, but she was probably just waiting to get it when I finally overcome my unconsciousness.

After brushing my hair, I braid the ribbons together with a few strands into small braids. I leave the clips in the box, but I decide to take the tiara, even though it's hardly noticeable with my hair color. I carefully put it in my hair and then look at my appearance in the box's built-in mirror.

My mother would recommend that I brush a little color on my face to accentuate my eyes and get rid of the paleness, but I like it the way it is. I already look much better.

My skin is only a few shades away from its natural color, luckily there are no dark circles under my eyes and the overall look doesn't look so sunken thanks to the new hairstyle.

I was right. The tiara almost disappears completely in my hair, but when the sun hits it at the right angle, it shines like the birthmark on my arm and the one on my forehead. I close the box and put it on the folded nightgown on the chair.

They will probably be in my room later and I will never know who put them there. This is how it often goes with my things, but also with the things of the other academy residents.

Taking a deep breath, I pull the curtain aside and cross the infirmary. The eyes of everyone present follow me to the door. At least this time they don't applaud me. As promised, my parents are waiting for me outside the door.

My father is just removing a fold from his perfectly fitting suit and my mother is trying to put the strands that have fallen out back in place.

»Perhaps you need a hair clip,« I point out.

They both flinch in shock. They are really not in a good mood when they let themselves be thrown off track like this. They turn their eyes to me in unison and examine my appearance.

I turn around to give them the opportunity to nod at my appearance from all sides.

»You look much better again,« my father remarks.

»It's the dress,« I brush off his compliment.

»Maybe,« he mutters, more to himself than to me.

»Let's go,« my mother suggests. She links her arm with my father and I follow them through the main building.

We pass several injured people who are just coming to the infirmary or trying to go from there to their rooms or the arena. Each of them steps out of our way and bows to my parents. When their eyes meet mine, I smile at them. A look of relief flashes across their faces before they bow even more deeply to me.

I hate it when they bow to me. During school hours they don't do it anymore unless they want something from me or are trying to mock me.

This time, however, I gratefully accept this sign of respect. It shows me that they were really worried about me and that touches me deeply. We step outside through the main entrance and cross the lawn to the battlefield.

From a distance, I can see the white tents that have been set up around the field. The students can change in them before they have to go into the arena.

Two tents also serve as first aid tents. The last two nurses of the academy are in them to treat the most serious injuries as quickly as possible. Most of them don't even have to go to the infirmary afterwards, but can go straight to their rooms or to the stands, which we are also heading for.

There are raised seats around the sand court for onlookers. The stands are filled to the last seat with parents, siblings, other students and families. As always, the final fights are a magnet for visitors.

This time, however, the exuberant atmosphere is overshadowed by a restlessness that I cannot quite put my finger on. In the middle of the stands there are three special chairs, which are arranged on a small elevation covered with a fabric roof.

The royal family sits there. My father in the middle, my mother to his right and me to the left.

Normally, anyway.

The chairs are empty at the moment and the spectators' eyes keep darting from the fight in the arena to them. I can't yet see who is currently competing in the arena, but they will have to interrupt their fight soon. Hopefully our appearance won't distract them too much.

We line up in front of a small staircase that leads us directly to our special seats. My father goes up first, followed by my mother. Once at the top, they ask for a moment of silence and a break in the fight.

»Please forgive our audacity in interrupting your fight, but given the special circumstances, you will certainly understand our abrupt appearance,« my father begins.

The crowd becomes quiet and the sounds of the fight die down. He now has the undivided attention of those present.

»As you all know, there was an attack on the students and employees of the academy two days ago. Unfortunately, the culprits managed to escape and we have no trace of them. However, I can assure you that we are doing everything in our power to bring them to justice. Unfortunately, no one was immune to this spell. No one could resist the spell. No one, except Princess Micah. She risked her life to save everyone. She used so much magic that she fell into an inexplicable unconsciousness.«

»We are all grateful to you for your compassion and concern for your princess, classmate and friend,« my mother continues. »It is all the more gratifying to announce something special to you today.«

That is my cue. I gather up my dress, take a deep breath and walk up the steps to my parents.

»Princess Micah has woken up and is in perfect health,« my father announces at the exact moment I take the last step and stand next to him.

At first the sunlight blinds me, but I can still hear the cheers and applause of those present. I feel their joy and relief coming at me in waves, how they stand up and can hardly contain themselves. My eyes slowly get used to the light and I can see whose fight we have just interrupted.

The faces of my two best friends beam at me from the arena. Alivia and Levi have to compete against each other. I nod to them and absorb the joy.

The applause doesn't want to die down.

My parents sit down on their chairs and I address those present.

»Thank you, thank you very much. I would love to undo the past. But that is not in my power. So let's look forward together and continue with the final exams. I am sure that the first-years have put on unique fights and that the past second-year fights were no less exciting. I myself will also take my exam tomorrow. But now let's concentrate on the fight that we interrupted.«

I nod to Alivia and Levi. They get into a fighting position and I sit down next to my parents.

My mother gives me an encouraging look, but my concentration is focused solely on my friends. From the stands it is impossible to hear what the fighters are discussing below, but I see that they are wishing each other good luck.

A gong sounds and the fight continues.

Cheers become louder and mix. I myself cannot decide whether I am for the siren or the puck.

Alivia starts with a direct melee attack. She has a curved dagger in her hand and is aiming it at Levi's arms. He knows what she's going for and seems to be able to predict her attacks. Every time her blade rushes towards him, he's already out of her reach. How he does it is a mystery to me.

Alivia will use up all her energy if she keeps trying to hit him like that. He's faster than her. She tries a feint and hints at an attack on his left arm, pulling out a second knife and throwing it at his right side.

But Levi is a Puk, they are the masters of deception and so he has seen through her plan long before she can carry it out. He bends down and kicks some sand. A cloud of dust forms in front of Alivia and she retreats, coughing.

When she has rubbed the sand from her eyes, Levi has disappeared.

The crowd holds its breath.

Some people start to boo Levi and call him a coward. But there is a plan behind his disappearance. He is not retreating and is therefore giving up the fight.

Alivia knows this and stays in attack position. With the dagger in front of her chest, ready to stab, she turns around and examines the floor of the arena carefully.

»What is she looking for on the floor?« my father mumbles to himself.

I smile.

She is looking for Levi's tracks. He is good at disappearing from one moment to the next, but Alivia is an excellent tracker. She will track him down.

Suddenly Levi appears behind her and runs towards her. The crowd starts to shout for her to turn around. But Alivia has long since rolled to the side, so Levi's attack is in vain. He runs past her and into the wall, where he crumbles to dust.

Levi uses his magic and conjures up images of himself from grains of sand. Alivia knows this trick too and dodges the next Levi imitation before he can attack her. More and more are coming at her from all directions and trying to surround her. Levi plans to attack her with these illusions until she is completely out of breath. But he has chosen the wrong opponent for this.

Alivia spreads her black feather wings, pushes herself off the ground and flies high into the air.

The crowd cheers. Seeing a siren fly is a rare and beautiful sight. Alivia spends a lot of time tending to her wings and today they shine menacingly in the sunlight. She is floating above the field and the illusions are below her.

They have now grown into a group of twenty Levis, but I cannot judge whether the real one is among them. They try to grab Alivia, but she flies too high. Alivia beats her wings vigorously and creates a strong wind that knocks the Puks off their feet and makes them smash against the arena walls. There they crumble to dust.

Alivia sinks to the battlefield and a cloud of sand blocks our view. The audience is beside itself. Many have jumped up and are trying to see what is going on down there.

A gong sounds and silences everyone.

The fight is over, but we cannot see who won through the cloud of sand. I nod to a row of fairies sitting in the audience. With the help of their air manipulation magic, they make the cloud of sand disappear.

On the battlefield, Alivia and Levi stand facing each other, breathing heavily and each holding a dagger. Neither of them is bleeding or has given up. The fight is over, it's a draw.

The crowd cheers.

My friends come out of their trance, put away their daggers and shake hands. They turn to us and bow.

As they stand up, they look straight at me and at that moment I realize that they have deliberately caused a draw. They don't want to know which of them is better.

They did it for me because I firmly believe that we are better as a team than as individuals.

I nod to them and they leave the battlefield together.