Aerin sat in front of the golden framed mirror with a great amount of lotions and oils paced on the slender desk.

He reached for one of the oils with his vine covered hand. Leaves touching the surface of the container as his fingers wrapped round it.

He frowned.

Knock. Knock

He quickly placed the oil on the desk and made himself look busy looking around the room. He cleared his throat.

"Come in"

Mara entered the room and placed his breakfast tray beside him. She smiled at him while struggling to catch her breath.

"You shouldn't exert yourself like that".

"I know... but duty calls you know?"

He hummed. He took the fork and started eating while she looked inside the drawers.

"Where did I leave the brush last time?"

"Second, your left"

She opened the drawer and found it.

"Well, aren't you so smart?", He smiled.

She started combing through his wet hair, untangling it. He slid the tray away when he finished eating.

She spread a cream around his hair and covered it with a towel wrapped around his head.

"It'll take a couple of minut- "

"Hours"

She rolled her eyes and took the tray.

"Your mother will be here soon, start choosing what you'll wear, you can't present yourself  in just a towel".

"Who says I can't?", he said, wriggling his eyebrows.

She snorted and stepped outside the room, closing the door behind her.

He sighed on stood up. He looked around his closet looking for something appropriate.

When he found something he didn't hate, he folded it and laid it on the desk.

He's never gone outside the palace, where all of the elves lived. His mother prohibited him from going outside. He was even restricted to certain places in the palace. Sometimes when he walked around the large corridors in it, people that walked past him gave him a pitying look. That, or would completely stop whatever they were doing and stare at him with a weird glint in their eyes, just like the crown prince did.

He walked to the window and sat in front of it, hoping that the sun's heat would make the drying process faster.

***

A couple of minutes later, the door opened.

His mother walked in with a pair of scissors in her hand.

He started to tremble and wrapped his arms around his middle, bringing his legs up closer to him.

His mom walked towards him and placed the scissors on the small wooden chair. She then stood behind him and unwrapped the towel in his head.

"It's still wet", he said.

His mum chucked.

"You sure?".

His head didn't feel heavy anymore, he reached up and touch his hair, which was now dry and undulating down his back with a couple of leaves and flowers.

"Mara told me it needed to dry without any magic involved, mom. She says one wrong step and it's all ruined", he complained.

His mom sighed.

"Well we don't have much time, so it's either this or you presenting yourself with wet hair".

"I'd rather be there with wet hair, thank you very much for asking, I appreciate your concern".

"Aerin", his mother warned.

"Fine", he grumbled.

"Good", she said walking to the small table and taking the scissors.

He gulped. Waiting for the worst.

"Shall we begin?".