ONE

Princess Elaine loved the beautiful kingdom of Delphi. She had grown up there and never left once. It was a place filled with many happy childhood memories for her. 

It wasn't just the place that she loved, but all the people too. As the Princess, she would do anything for her people, even at her own expense. 

Her family always described her as bright and bubbly, even on their darkest days - not that there were many. 

Delphi was also known as a peaceful land. Nothing serious usually never happened there. Everyone got along well and no one ever fought. There was no treason or invasions from anyone that had been banished… 

It was perfect. Almost too perfect. 

Although Elaine was young, she was also very wise for her age. Every decision that she made was always thought through carefully, with her family's best interests at heart. 

It was now the eve of her eighteenth birthday and almost the entire kingdom had come together to organise her highnesses ball. 

Everything was all set for her big day and now all she had to do was get to sleep somehow - a difficult task whenever she was excited or nervous. Tonight was no different. 

Tossing and turning, she could not help the giddy excitement that was building up inside her.

As each second passed she grew closer to the age that she would be free to go and explore on her own accord without needing guards or anyone for protection. 

It must have taken half the night, but at some point she managed to drift off… 

Awakening to the sound of birds singing in the treetops and rays of sunlight illuminating the entire room causing dust to glisten like diamonds. 

Opening her eyes and using the tips of her fingers to remove all the grit that had accumulated throughout the night, she threw back the covers with a yawn and stretch before staying still for a moment. 

It took only seconds for the realisation that it was her birthday to dawn on her. As soon as she became aware of the fact, a huge grin spread across her face. 

The day that she had been waiting for, almost her entire life, had finally arrived. 

Standing up, she walked over to her dresser and eyed the outfit for the day that she had picked out the previous night when she'd been presented with a moment of peace. 

It didn't take her long to change into the chosen items of clothing and fix her dark brown locks to create a princess braid that rested atop of the rest. 

Finally she set her silver crown upon her head, straightening out. It was a rule that her parents had made that whenever there was a celebration or duty to fulfill, they had to wear their crowns. 

Once she had decided that she looked flawless she headed out of her room, dreamily imagining how the day would play out. 

Her feelings changed as soon as she dismounted the bottom step and was confronted by silence. Along with all her people, her parents stood in a crowd outside on the castle steps, staring off into the near distance. 

Pausing for a moment, furrowing her brow, she ran over a thousand possibilities in her mind of what could have grabbed the attention of everyone in the entire kingdom. 

Quickly, she gathered her thoughts and then raced over to where the people were, holding up the hem of her dress along the way to ensure that she did not trip over. 

Though she could not see through the swarm of people, she could hear what they were looking at very clearly. As the sky turned a thunderous grey, a high pitched cackle echoed through the land. Sounding too much like a witch, at least to Elaine. 

Waking up to the feel of her heart pounding as though it was going to explode, she bolted into a sitting position almost instantly. 

Once she realised that it had all just been a dream, she relaxed a little more, relieved to be back in the conscious world. 

Her eyes scanned the room to confirm that she was in fact awake, and when she saw everything exactly as it had been last night, rather than how it had been in the dream, she breathed a sigh of relief before a smile crept onto her face. 

Pushing a strand of her chocolate hair out of her eyes, she was excited for the day to begin. 

Just as she had in the dream, she walked over to her dresser and picked up the beautiful lapis lazuli coloured ball gown with diamonds studded around the waistline that she had chosen only yesterday and slipped into it. 

After straightening out the folds of the dress, she began to fix her hair. 

Not wanting to replicate the style she'd done in the dream, she decided on a fishtail plait and once she was happy with how it looked, placed her silver crown upon her head for the finishing touches. 

Standing in front of the full body mirror, she gripped her bottom lip in between her teeth. 

This day would be one of the happiest of her life and one of her proudest moments, however there was still a part of her that felt somewhat empty. 

In just a few short hours, she would be in a crowded room surrounded by the people of her kingdom and usually that would be enough for her… not this time. 

It was different now because no matter how many people would be in and around the castle grounds, none of them would be her brother Lucas. 

Despite the presence of her parents and her grandmother, her family would not be complete today. It was the same with every gathering since that fateful day when her brother's life was cruelly snatched by an evil witch. 

The guilt she carried from that day was almost unbearable, especially in times like these, but she knew that she had to manage. She could never let it slip through in front of anyone, particularly her parents. 

Instead, she would go downstairs to the ballroom and put on a brave face for everyone. Though the questions in her head could not take the back burner today. 

Everyone always told her that Lucas was proud of her but… How could he be? 

Since his death she had always tried to convince herself that it was not her fault but… Was there really no way of saving him? 

Today was her day and she intended to make it a good and memorable one, if not for her then for the sake of her family and to honour the promise she'd made to her brother in his final moment. 

He had made her swear that she would go live a happy life full of excitement and adventure, and that's exactly what she planned to do.