The cooing of a lone mourning dove wakes a young woman from her slumber. She blinks slowly, sleep weighing on her eyelids, urging continued rest. A sudden sharp pain on her nose jolts her awake, her eyes meeting with those of the mourning dove. The bird hops towards her face, cooing once more before flying out through a large hole in the shack. Sweeping her cloak to the side, she sits up, staring at the ceiling. The sunlight pours through the holes revealing the dust that floats lazily. She stands and stretches, her body aching from having slept on the hard wooden floors. Brushing dust and dirt from herself, she pauses for a moment and looks at the cuts covering her hands. Her stomach calls out to her, begging for food that she does not have. Silently, she creeps towards the door and peeks out.

Clear. I hope.

Cautiously, she steps out of the old, worn down shack, scanning the surrounding area. The forest is quiet with some of the trees rustling softly in the gentle breeze. She pulls the hood of her cloak over her head. Her thin cloak provides little protection from the chilly morning air. Sighing, she steps carefully to avoid branches, but cares not for the fallen leaves that are wet with morning dew. The trees begin to thin out as she reaches the edge of the forest. She examines the area before stepping out. As she emerges, she realizes she is at the edge of a cliff overlooking a large town with a large wooden barrier encompassing it.

“Fallhaven,” she whispers with relief.

Crouching down to avoid being seen, she squints, looking for a way to sneak in. A large bird swoops down past her and she falls to the side with a start. Emerald green feathers lay elegantly across the top of the bird with sky blue plumage caressing its underside. The sunlight glints off of its golden plated beak as it soars down towards the city. Scrolls are clutched tightly in its sharp talons and a small vial is strapped to its leg. She scrambles closer to the edge, trying not to lose sight of the bird as it glides down to the guards at the front gate.

“No, no, no, no, no,” she whines.

That’s definitely a bird from the Myosotis. What am I going to do?

Closing her eyes, she rolls onto her back, thinking of how she will get out of this mess.

“Uhm… Excuse me. Miss?” A voice calls from a distance.

Bolting upright, she sees a young man approaching from the tree line. Reaching for her hood, she pulls it further down to shield her face from his view.

“Wait, please. I have no ill intent. I simply wish to speak with you, if you’ll allow me.” His tone is soothing.

She keeps her guard up, contemplating on escaping, but nods instead.

“If you need help getting into Fallhaven, I may be able to assist you,” he informs.

His reply shocks her, “Why do you want to help me?”

“If I am not mistaken, you are the princess, yes?”

“Princess?”

“Yes. The one blessed by the goddesses. Am I correct in assuming that is you?”

“There is a bounty for capturing that person,” she states.

The man stops only a couple feet away from her. If there is any chance of escape, it would be now. However, she wishes to first hear his response.

He chuckles, “If I were concerned about money, I would have followed the family trade of becoming a knight. Though I much prefer the life of a simple farmhand.”

He sees her flinch at the mention of knights and he hurriedly continues, “Ah, but, if it’s the bounty you are worried about, then worry not. It would be unwise to go against the goddess’ wishes. If you need further convincing, I know of a man who can help you. If you are here you may have heard of him. His name is Caraway. He runs an inn here.”

Upon hearing of Caraway, a feeling of relief washes over her. She removes her hood as she approaches with a smile.

“My name is Reina, and you are?”

He brushes his fingers through his red hair in embarrassment, just having realized that he had not introduced himself earlier, “Ardor Byrnhardt, although, I prefer to be called Ardor. I don’t really deserve to be called by my family name.”

Reina giggles, feeling safe and comfortable for the first time in a while, “You are a lot like me.”

A pale pink graces his  freckled cheeks as his bright green eyes darted back and forth. “What? How so?”

“Quite talkative, with a dash of oversharing,” she teases.

His face darkens to an apple red, “I- uh- I’m unsure of the proper way to greet a princess. Ah! But we shouldn’t linger around here, Princess. It is unsafe.”

“Yes, I suppose I have better chances following a stranger than wandering by my lonesome.”

“Stranger? I thought we were already friends. Well, come this way,” he walks back in the direction he came, “So as not to surprise you, I should inform you that my friend is waiting. Even though he and I met not long ago, I can assure you that he’s trustworthy. You’ll soon find that he can be quite helpful.”

Reina follows behind him from a distance, “Is that so? Tell me, what brings you two out here?”

“Well we were on our way back from a delivery when he sensed that you were in need of help.”

“What do you mean by sensed?”

“To be quite honest, I’m not sure. There are many mysterious things about him. Though, he’ll be more than happy to tell you anything you want to know.”

“And why is that?”

“Well it’s not every day you get to meet a future goddess. And even less likely to help one directly. It is a great honor, Princess.”

“Is calling me Princess necessary? I would prefer to just be called Reina.”

“It’s a show of respect, but if you wish to be called by your name instead, I won’t argue. My friend may not be so easy to convince.”

They then arrive at a rugged dirt road. Reina can see someone covered in a hooded cloak, leaning against a run-down wooden cart that is filled with sacks.

As they are making their way over to the cart, Ardor leans over towards Reina and whispers, “Ah! I just remembered something. My friend is a bit, how should I say, out of the ordinary. Don’t be alarmed by his appearance.”

Her heart begins to beat louder and faster, causing her chest to feel tight. She does her best to keep her breathing normal. Unconsciously, she begins to eye him closely, taking notice of all of his movements. It seems as though he is shaking. Is it nerves? Maybe rage? Although Ardor had stated that their intention was to help, there was still the possibility that she was walking into a trap.

Ardor jogs ahead a bit and greets his friend, “Camille! I’m back! Why don’t you go ahead and say hello.”

Reina, keeps her distance and watches as Camille nods then turns towards her. A scream traps itself inside of her throat and her knees shake as he removes his cloak. Emerald scales cover a third of his dark skin with his short hair being just as green. His topaz eyes are so sharp and piercing that she almost did not notice the small spikes lining his brows; similar spikes line his jaw as well. His shocking appearance makes her want to run, but she is frozen in place. She recalls seeing a similar looking creature when this whole mess started.

Seeing her tremble, he frowns and quickly puts his cloak back on, fumbling to pull his hood over his head. The light of the sun glints off his scales before they are covered. The light causes them to briefly change colors, as a prismatic light graces his skin for those mere moments.

He drops to one knee, placing a hand on his chest and bows, “My apologies Princess, for my appearance has offended you.”

Reina clutches at her heart and gulps. Despite his appearance, his voice was soft. She steps forward and hesitantly places her hand on his shoulder. “No. No, please. I’m sorry I reacted that way.”

When he looks up at her, his eyes no longer appear to be sharp; they are gentle. Slowly he stands, and she notices that he was not much taller than her.

“Your scales…,” she starts, his eyes quickly dart away, “they are beautiful in the sunlight. They shine like rainbows.”

His gaze returns to hers, “It is a great honor to receive a compliment from you. My name is Camille.”

Ardor pats his friend on the back, smiling. “The old man is going to worry if we don’t get a move on. Why don’t you go ahead and show her your cool trick.”

“It’s not a trick, it’s magic, but you’re right. We’re late enough as is.” Camille turns to Reina, “My apologies, Princess, but it only works on myself. I’m afraid we’ll have to hide you in one of our empty sacks.”

“Anything to help me get into Fallhaven.” Reina replies.

Camille removes his cloak, his scales once again visible. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. His scales lift off his skin ever so slightly and a grey mist seeps out. The mist surrounds his body. Once his body was completely covered, the mist conforms to his figure and solidifies. Reina looks to Ardor with confusion; he motions for her to continue watching. Her gaze returns to Camille, who is covered in the strange grey substance. A few seconds pass and it begins to crack, then shatters into dust.

Reina’s eyes widen with amazement, “Camille, this is incredible!”

The green scales that graced his skin are no longer visible, with the spikes on his jaw and brow also having vanished. His hair has changed to a dark brown color. “I look like a human now, don’t I?” Camille exclaims with a smile.

He puts his cloak back on, “I’ll explain to you later about how it works if you’re interested. Are you ready to go?”

Reina nods slightly as Camille gently takes her hand and leads her to the back of the cart. “I know there’s not much space, but you’ll be safe here.”

Reina steps into one of the empty sacks and Camille pulls it over her head, tying it shut. He carefully arranges the other sacks around her before joining Ardor at the front. Camille and Ardor then take a handle each to lift the cart and begin heading towards Fallhaven.

It was not long before the gates appear in sight; Ardor speaks softly to Reina to let her know. Reina’s heart pounds so hard that she swears the others can hear it. The palms of her hands are pressed firmly against the floor from both nerves, and her will to not fall as they pass over a bumpy area in the road. Camille glances back with concern; none of the bags seem to have fallen on top of her. He returns his attention to the guards up ahead. They were leaning against the gate doors, chatting. Despite everything that has happened over the past week, they look as though they have not a single care in the world. The guard on the left is lanky with small ears, while the guard on the right has a large nose with freckles dotting across it. As they near the gate, the guards straighten up, yet still they hold that casual air about them.

“Hark! State your name and business!” The tall guard shouts, slightly amused grins on him and his partner’s faces.

Ardor chuckles, “Your performance is lackluster, but I should hold my tongue. It’s a miracle you two are actually doing your jobs!”

“Trust me, if the Capital wasn’t breathin’ down our necks, we wouldn’t be!” Freckles laughs heartily.

Lanky leans forward slightly and squints at the cart, “Ye got more of a haul than usual! Best be careful now! Ol’ Pops would kill ya if you messed up any o’ his merch!”

“You know what Pops likes to say, ‘Do things right the first time and you won’t have to fix it later!’”

Lanky clears his throat, “I hate to be the killjoy here, but if we don’t do our job properly, we’ll be hearin’ it from the higher ups. Mind if we check your cart?”

Reina stiffens and places her hands over her mouth. She can hear the thumping of their boots as they approach the cart. The guards check under the cart before moving some of the sacks around. Camille’s grip tightens on the handle.

“Hey, now. Remember what you said about being careful with the merchandise?” Ardor chuckles.

“Ah, you’re right.”

The two guards push the gates open and stand to the side.

“Tell Pops we’re sorry for holdin’ you up.” Lanky says.

Ardor nods and they continue on through the gates. The first part of their mission completed.