The inside of the castle was grander than anything I have seen before. The cold stone halls were decorated with a long blue carpet with golden edges. Various portraits sat on the walls, staring down at us with an intimidating glare. Malvolia led us down the winding halls until we got to the throne room. I kept my gaze lowered as we entered and stood before the throne. Alder and Stolas bowed, while Malvolia and I curtsied.

"Ah, welcome to Othesh! Please, please. Raise your heads."

I raised my head. The king was younger than I expected. He looked to be in his late twenties, with neatly styled blond hair and deep blue eyes. His clothes, just like the decorations of the castle, were a vibrant blue. Attached to his waist was a black and gold scabbard. It held a sword that had a white hilt. I scooted behind Alder, trying to hide behind him. I already made a fool out of myself when I met the Fairy King. I wasn't about to do it again here.

The king tilted his head. "I don't believe I had the pleasure of meeting any of you. I am King Ilesh Basileides."

"I am Stolas, patron of the Fairy King." Stolas's words were stiff as he bowed his head.

"I am Alder Hydnell," Alder didn't bow, keeping his gaze steady on the king. "The Fairy King and protector of Elfil Forest."

I stayed silent. The amount of raw power in the room was almost enough to make me choke. The king's eyes landed on me. A shiver ran down my spine. Alder stepped in front of me, as if to shield me from the king's attention. I gratefully sighed and thanked him quietly. Despite my curiosity on the king's insistence for me to attend this meeting, the priority should be the Atrophy. I'm sure Alder was more than ready to finish this ordeal once and for all.

"King Basileides, I am sure Malvolia informed you about the importance of this meeting."

"Yes, yes." He stood up from his throne and walked towards us. "There is something I'd like to discuss before that."

Alder's eyebrows furrowed. "But this is a matter of importance-"

"Nonsense." 

Nonsense? I've never seen Alder get brushed off like that. I could practically feel the frustration radiate off of him. Stolas's feathers ruffled as he took a deep breath. My hand found Alder's. I squeezed it gently. His shoulders relaxed. I didn't want to see him angry, especially not here. Maybe the king was just not fully aware of the situation.

"There is a sickness. It has spread through the forest and is rapidly expanding to the borders."

"Has it left the borders?"

"What?" Alder blinked in surprise.

"Has this sickness left the borders?"

"No. Stolas and I have done everything to delay the spread."

King Basileides clapped his hands once. "Good! Now… how about a banquet?"

"A banquet?" Stolas suddenly spoke up, unable to hide the disdain on his face.

"Yes," The king nodded and smiled. "We must have a banquet to celebrate this occasion!"

Alder grunted, squeezing my hand. "And what occasion is there to celebrate?"

"Your arrival, of course. It isn't every day that the Fairy King leaves his humble abode. We can have a banquet to discuss this little problem of yours."

"Little problem, my ass." Stolas muttered.

"Luckily for you, Divination week starts in two days. We will have the banquet then, where all the government officials will be in attendance."

"I…" Alder looked away before answering. "I suppose that is adequate. As long as we discuss it soon."

The king grinned. "Perfect. There will be a ball after Divination week. I do hope you can attend. Make connections, dance… have fun."

Alder nodded stiffly. "Of course, King Basileides. If you no longer wish to talk about the subject, then we will be making our leave."

I could tell that Alder was holding his tongue. He's never been the type to hold back the truth. He spoke his thoughts and was often confident. I guess being a ruler meant learning when to push and issue and when to back off. All four of us bowed. I haven't said a singular word, but I was completely okay with that. I wasn't one for any type of… ruling talk. That was all for my younger sister. I had no responsibility after I left my home. 

"Princess Cahira!"

I stopped in my tracks. Did the king just say my name? Did he just call me princess? I turned around, still holding Alder's hand. "Y-Yes?"

"Please, stay back. I need to discuss something with you."

I looked over at Alder. I knew he didn't want me to go, but he just sighed. "We'll wait outside for you."

I nodded and watched as they walked out of the throne room. I was now left alone with the king. I nervously wrung my hands together. My eyes looked everywhere except for his face. He walked closer to me. Why did I let Alder leave? I should've just asked him to stay. I was so nervous. Why was I so nervous? 

"How do you know my name?" I squeaked out.

The king stared at me. And then he started to laugh. "You're a Northern War Elf, are you not? If I remember correctly, only the royal line has that many markings."

"Oh," I pressed my hands against my face, hot with embarrassment. "Duh. Yes, my parents are the matriarch and patriarch."

"You've been making quite a ruckus in the kingdom, Princess."

"I have?"

"Yes. It's not every day that royalty visits and doesn't seek out an audience with me."

I laughed awkwardly and lowered my hands. "Ah… I've never been much into the whole royalty thing."

"I know. I've been watching you, Princess Cahira. You are a fantastic bard."

"You've been watching?"

"You are holding concerts on my front steps."

There was that embarrassment again. Normally, I would be proud of my performances. But now that I was standing in front of the king of Othesh, I couldn't help but feel almost shy. I brushed my hair behind my ear and looked at him. His smile was calm and sincere. Maybe he wasn't so bad. He seemed kind enough.

"I apologize for asking, your majesty."

"Nonsense! In fact… I would like to give you an opportunity that will change your life. Only if you accept, that is."

My ears perked up. "An opportunity?"

"Yes. Divination Week is important here. For the opening ceremony, I would love for you to play a song."

"Really?" My eyes widened in surprise. "B-But I don't know any songs other than ones I've made up or Northern War Elf songs…"

He waved his hand, as if trying to get rid of my worries. "That, I can help with. Since the event starts in two days, I'll need you to stay here and prepare. You'll be compensated handsomely."

Excitement started to build inside of me. "I-If it's not too much… could I also perform throughout the week?"

"Of course!" King Basileides's eyes shone brightly. "Will you accept?"

"Yes! Oh, thank you so much!! I have to go tell my friends!"

I started to run off. I stopped in my tracks, turning around and running back up to the king. I curtsied. He laughed and shooed me off. I couldn't believe this was happening! My steps were light and quick as I ran out of the castle. I spotted everyone standing off to the side of the entrance. Stolas and Malvolia were conversing while Alder paced nervously. I couldn't help myself and ran over, jumping excitedly.

"Guys, guys, guys!! You'll never guess what happened!!"

"Woah. Rare to see someone so happy after seeing the king." Stolas wrinkled his nose.

Alder put his hands on my shoulders and tried to keep me anchored to the ground. "Easy, little blossom. What happened?"

A giggle left my lips. "King Basileides wants me to perform a song for the opening of Divination Week!"

"What?!" Malvolia gasped. "Are you serious?! Cahira, that's huge!!"

"I know, I know! At first, I was weirded out because how did he know my name? Of course, I kind of completely forgot that I'm royalty so of course he knew who I was. And then he said that he loved the concerts I've been doing!"

"How does he know? He has never shown up." Alder frowned.

I was too enthusiastic to notice his skepticism. "And then, he said he wanted me to perform at Divination Week! Through the whole thing! I have to stay here to prepare and learn some songs. Isn't this great?!"

"Wait–" Alder's hands moved down my arms. "He wants you to stay in the castle?"

"Yes!"

His whole body went stiff. Before I could even dwell on it, Malvolia started to bounce with me. She grabbed me and hugged me. I just couldn't stop smiling. I haven't even been here that long and I was already presented with an opportunity that would change everything. After a glare from the palace guards, Malvolia and I calmed down. I let out a sigh before grinning. 

"I should get back inside."

Alder smiled at me. "You… I am proud of you, Cahira. Please make sure to keep me updated."

I nodded. "I will. Bye!!"

I went off once again, with a wave to my friends. Stolas's wings stretched out as he started to angrily talk to Alder. Malvolia looked like she was trying to calm him down. Whatever the reason for Snappy's anger, I didn't care. I didn't care about Alder's concerned stare. I was going to live out my dream and I couldn't be happier.