Author's Note:

Hello, dear readers!

I’m a new author, and I want to thank you for taking the time to read my story. As this is my first attempt at writing a longer work, I want to be upfront that the first 15 chapters (or so) may have some inconsistencies or tone differences. I’m still figuring out what style works best for both myself and my readers, and I appreciate your patience as I find my rhythm.

I hope you’ll continue to join me on this journey. Your feedback and support mean the world to me!

Thank you,

Ravents07 

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Artemis' Perspective:

I was wearing a long white dress with semi-transparent sleeves and knots around my waist. It resembled what humans wear when they decide to live their lives with someone else and get married. I was alone inside the large forest that surrounds and protects my home, walking towards the lake. When I reached it, I saw little fish swimming in the water, and I decided to try to catch one. 

And then I fell...

It was dark, dark like the abyss. 

I had fallen into the lake, and even though I was a good swimmer, I couldn't swim up. I was only falling... 

Then I saw my father with a man I hadn't seen before, welcoming him as my husband and telling me that I "had to do what I had to."

I woke up.

I was panting. I woke up covered in sweat, breathing heavily. My vision was blurry, but I understood that the sun hadn't risen yet. I got up and lit a candle.

I attempted to read a book I had been gifted, but my mind kept returning to my dream.  

I stayed up for about an hour overthinking the entire dream until the sun was finally up and the maids came to my room to dress me. I wore a plain white dress that reached down to my knees. It had small purple flowers around my waist, and I wore a purple lunar-shaped necklace around my neck.

"Your father has asked to see you," a maid told me. She was young, around my age... in a way. She was a 15-year-old human girl whom my brother had saved a few years ago, and for some reason, he tried to protect her even though humans are forbidden here. I'm an elf, and two weeks ago I turned seventy-four, or fourteen in human years. We elves are blessed with longevity, but humans hunt us down to make us slaves, so any interaction is prohibited for our safety.

"You... show some respect to the princess, human girl. This is not how to talk to her," an elderly elf maid told her.

"Hera, how many times have I told you to behave yourself and be respectful to Maria?" I asked her, to which she replied with a nod and left the room.

"I'm sorry, Maria. I've told them several times before to behave themselves, but..."

"You don't have to apologize, Artemis. That's the price for staying in Elviel. Anyway, your father has asked for you, so you better hurry."

We got up and walked towards my father's office. I skipped breakfast, even though I kept asking for it. The maids said, "Since your father asked you, your breakfast can wait."

~~ 

When I arrived before a large white door, I hesitated to knock. I remembered my dream again and feared what he might want to tell me. Eventually, I knocked and was told by his assistant that he had a meeting and I had to wait for him, so I headed straight to the kitchen to ask Maria to help me smuggle some food to my room. 

It would be too suspicious to stay in my room, and Hera might find out I was eating again, so I went out to the garden to make a bouquet of flowers for my father.

The garden had all kinds of trees and flowers. Anywhere you looked, you would see green. This garden was a small representation of the treasure my country has: its plants. While I was collecting some purple orchids, I heard something cracking behind me. A rabbit or something, so I decided to go check...

That wasn't a good decision, I thought afterward.

The moment I stepped closer to the bush, two men dressed in black grabbed me and placed their hands over my mouth to prevent me from screaming. They had probably put something inside the handkerchief they were pressing against my mouth because it made my head dizzy and eventually made me fall asleep. 

I started dreaming again—no, not exactly. It was like continuing the dream I had in the morning as if it had never ended.

The man my father welcomed as my husband had black, medium-length hair and... he didn't have pointy ears.

He was a human.

That was unexpected. Why would I dream of being married to a human? I have no idea...