-Year of Our Unity, 257 -

Three days ago, Talitha Moss put on a wedding dress made of gold and purple silk and set off to meet her childhood sweetheart in the kingdom of Dir. This should be the happiest day of her life, but instead of butterflies, she feels knots in her stomach.

“Hey, look! You can see the castle from here! We should be in the city within the hour.”

Talitha’s brother Jori, who was riding his horse beside the carriage, was the first to spot the tips of the towers at the edge of the forest. The sight only made Talitha more nervous than she already had been.

“Wow…” Jori continued, admiring the turrets in the distance. “This is where Leif has been all this time? How’d he end up in a castle, I wonder?”

“Well, his father was a duke. He and the king probably knew each other.” explained Talitha. In fact, it had been in a different castle that she had first met Leif, all those years ago. Jori was quite young at the time, so he didn’t fully remember the incident, nor did he know Leif before he came to live in their humble community after everything that had happened.

Phoenix, Jori’s good friend, was sitting in the driver’s seat of the carriage. His horse was currently hitched to the vehicle, steadily pulling it towards their destination. “Have either of you ever been to Dir before?” He asked.

“No,” admitted Talitha.

“Hell no!” Jori laughed. “I don’t think they’d like us there!”

“Hmm? Why is that?”

“Because the king is a religious nut… so basically, if something is fun, then it’s probably banned.” Jori tilted his head. “Uh… and that includes magic. Are you sure you should have brought all that stuff with you?”

Talitha’s satchel and grimoire sat on the floor of the carriage, resting against her feet. “I haven’t brought that much. Just the essentials. See—a couple of medicine packets—just add water, and it becomes instant potion! You always need those, just in case!”

“And your witchy book?” asked Jori.

“My grimoire! Yes, of course! A witch without their grimoire is... well, not a witch.”

“And, also, that thing, whatever it’s called—”

“The demon lock!” Talitha dug through her bag and produced a bronze hexagonal amulet, sealed with six tiny keyholes. She held it up so Jori could see it through the open window. “To trap any demon that might dare break through the veil!”

Jori raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure you’ll really need all of that?”

“Of course. I have no way of knowing what entity I’ll encounter until I’m there.”

Jori shrugged. “Well, fine. As long as it makes you feel safe, I guess.”

“Yes, exactly. Anyways, that’s all that I’ve brought. I promise.” At that moment, Finley, Talitha’s ever loyal black cat, appeared from beneath her skirt and meowed.

Phoenix chuckled. “You’d better make sure you’re not caught. With all that evidence, the jury would have the easiest trial of their lives. Hey, maybe you should leave your satchel in the carriage during the wedding, huh?”

Talitha’s face fell. “I... I don’t think there will actually be one.”

“Well, that’s all according to plan, isn’t it?” Jori said.

It was. Talitha knew no one at the castle would allow three strange elves to just walk through their gates, but she and Leif really had been betrothed, long ago, so it would be a believable enough alibi to grant them access to the castle. She’d been proud of herself for coming up with such a plan… at least, until the reality of it sunk in.

“I’m sure Leif is going to reject me. We didn’t exactly... part on good terms.” Talitha fidgeted nervously. It was not the threat of demons which worried her so, but the thought of what he would say once they were face to face again. “It won’t take long to find Olga and figure out what’s going on at the castle... a day or two, maybe... just long enough for him to politely refuse our proposal.”

“Yep. ‘Damn, we came all this way for nothing? What a disappointment!’” Jori laughed, until he saw Talitha’s face. “Anyway... let’s just try to make sure everything goes as smoothly as possible. After all, we don't want to stay for any longer than we have to.”

“Right...”

Talitha hadn’t seen Leif since he disappeared... nearly seven years ago, now.

He was probably a completely different person.

What if he still hates me?

What if...