Terror filled the young girl's eyes as she looked up at the sword pointed at her throat. She knew that he was going to kill her. She had dreamt of it many times, but now it was all too real. Bright red blood gleamed on the blade; not hers, not yet. She sighed softly as tears started running down her cheeks, against her will. She didn't want this bastard to see her cry, but, then again, it wasn't out of fear that she wept. It was out of sadness, for the loss of her life, for the fact that when he killed her, he would be destroying his own.

She looked up at the prince one last time before closing her eyes. She waited for the thrust of his blade that she knew was inevitable...

* * * * *

Seralyn brushed a lock of auburn hair from her eyes as she turned in the mirror, looking at her black dress. She needed to look fantastic tonight for the prince. She needed to impress him for the sake of her father, and of her kingdom. She needed his power to keep the giants at bay, and she needed it fast before they destroyed everything her father had worked so hard for.

She shook her head, the lock of hair falling back in front of her eyes. It would have to do. She always managed to find flaws in how she looked, even though many people would have termed her almost perfect. She slipped on her shoes and carefully opened her door. The party wasn't for another hour or so, but she knew that people had already started arriving. She could hear them talking in the ballroom below.

A few weeks before, the prince of Cari`sha had invited her to this party as a friendly gesture between two otherwise rival countries. Prince Alliron had wanted to make peace between Cari`sha and her country for some time and saw this as at least a step. Her father, Merikyl, hadn't wanted Alliron to know of their plight and their dire need for his help, so he saw this as a good way to try to get that help without outright saying that he needed it.

Quietly gliding down the stairs, Seralyn knew that a lot was on her shoulders. She had to make a good impression, try to gain the prince's trust, and create an alliance that would require Alliron's help in defending her country, all in one night. She took a couple deep breaths before stepping out into the ballroom. She smiled at the few who had already shown up who noticed her, but her eyes kept moving from person to person as she searched the small crowd for her target.

He was nowhere to be seen, and it occurred to her that he probably wouldn't make an appearance until most everyone had shown up. She moved to a table and sat down, still hopeful that maybe he would show up early so she would get a chance to talk business with him. Though she was a woman, something looked down upon in their society, it always caught her male counterparts offguard when she demonstrated how fluent she was in the ways of law and political affairs.

Determined not to lose her chance, she decided to be bold and look for Alliron herself. She wasn't going to sit around and wait for him to show up. She felt the need to take the initiative, and perhaps that would show him that she was willing to make the necessary sacrifices for both their countries. At least, this is what she told herself to justify her actions.

Slipping back out of the room and up the stairs she frowned a little as she tried to figure out what the best course of action was to find him. She assumed that he would still be getting ready so she quietly snuck down the hallway, trying to decipher which room could be his. Several servants turned around the corner and she ducked into a small niche in the wall behind a large pillar. She watched them as they walked right by her, not even noticing her. Their trays were full of empty very delicate looking plates. A grin spread across her face as she knew that Alliron had to be that way. She silently crept from her hiding place when the servants disappeared from her view and started walking swiftly in the direction that they had come.

When she turned the corner, she saw a large door with gold inlaid on the engravings. Seralyn stood there for a moment, in awe of the brilliant dragon that was inscribed on this door. She had never seen anything like it, for it seemed almost alive on the door. But it didn't seem threatening, it seemed to welcome her to knock on the door, or even to just walk in. She stepped up and softly rapped her knuckles on it. She waited for a moment and just as she reached up to knock again, the door opened just a bit.

As she took her first steps inside, her eyes were immediately drawn to the ceiling which seemed to reach up into eternity. Stars were drawn carefully and precisely to look like the true night sky. She quietly gasped as she got lost in the intricacies of the details on the painted sky that seemed so real. A noise broke her trance and she looked across the room at the very man she had been looking for.

"May I help you, young lady?"

His voice was smooth and warm and not arrogant at all as she thought it might be. He watched her with clear blue eyes, a quill still in his hand. He knew who she was, though he didn't want her to know how much he was aware of. And though he did know much about her, Alliron was still very surprised by her resourcefulness, not that it would have been too hard to find his room. His eyes flitted to each side of the door, signalling the guards there to stand down before coming back to her. The wind from his window stirred his black hair a bit as he kept his eyes on hers. He didn't seem to be challenging her, but seemed to be acknowledging her as an equal. She didn't look away from his gaze as she answered his question finally.

"Yes. I am Princess Seralyn, here by your request."

He chuckled softly, a sound that was very light and almost musical. "I don't remember inviting you to my room, Princess."

She faltered a bit and glanced to the dark stone floor. "I meant that you had invited me to your party."

He stood up and shuffled his papers around a bit, setting his quill beside them. "Yes, I know what you meant. But why did you seek me out before the party?"

She looked back up at him as he slowly walked to her. He stopped a few feet from her and looked down, waiting for her response. "I wanted to discuss a peace treaty and possible alliance with you on behalf of my father, King Merikyl."

He smiled a bit. "Ah, I see. And you wished to discuss this with me when you knew that I would not be distracted by entertaining the guests of my party."

She only nodded, his proximity to her causing some discomfort and yet making her feel as though she could say anything to him. "Well, perhaps you could wait until after the party? I don't really enjoy discussing politics right before such a happy event. Unless you were planning on leaving right after that is."

He tilted his head to the side slightly as she nodded again. "Of course. I apologize for interrupting your work, and we can discuss this after."

He smiled at her and took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips and gently brushing them against the back of her hand. "I look forward to seeing you at the party, but you must excuse me, for there are still a couple things that I must attend to before I join in the festivities."

She smiled nervously up at him. She could still feel his lips on her hand. "Yes, I will see you in a bit."

He slowly released her hand, his fingers gently lingering on hers as she turned to leave his room. "Oh, Princess?"

She looked back at him, his blue eyes dancing with laughter. "I take it you can find your way back here after the party is done?"

She snickered softly. "Yes, I think I might be able to."

He grinned at her and went back to his desk, sitting down. He began immersing himself in his paperwork again as she quietly shut the door behind her.

* * * * *

The party had started about an hour ago and Alliron still hadn't shown up. Seralyn assumed he was still busy in the paperwork that he was working on when she had interrupted him. She had sat down back in her seat at the beginning of the party and hadn't left except for once to get a drink. Colors shimmered in the room as people mingled and several couples danced to the soft orchestral music that was almost lost in the background.

She sighed softly and rested her cheek on her hand as she watched the entrance of the great room for the prince. She hadn't been able to get the kiss out of her mind. A small smirk curled at the edge of her lips as she berated herself for getting giddy over something so small when she had to keep her cool to set the terms for the treaty and possible alliance.

The celebration started to slowly wind down as several people left. Yet, the prince still hadn't shown up. Seralyn was ready to give up and go to her room when he walked slowly through the large arch entrance of the room. A big smile spread across her face as she watched him meander through the remaining crowd of people, occasionally stopping to talk with some of them.

The silver buttons on his black jacket glittered brightly in the dim light that came from lanterns and torches that hung on the walls. He casually glanced over at her and smiled softly. She laughed a little to herself and quickly looked down at the table. She fidgeted with her bracelets, trying to not look too interested in him.

A soft growl came from her throat as she berated herself mentally for being so much like the girls that she always strived to be better than. So engrossed was she in her own mind, she didn't notice as he took a seat next to her, his blue eyes watching her, almost searching her. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and as she did, she saw that him. Seralyn jumped a little bit, startled by his presence before she smiled a bit at him.

"Good evening, my lord. It's good to see you here. I thought that perhaps you weren't going to be able to make it."

He laughed softly and it seemed to blend in with the music that was slowly fading to the background. "And miss my own party? I don't think so, Princess."

His expression took on a more serious demeanor as he moved his chair a bit closer to her, as if to make their conversation more private. "But, there is something that I want to know."

She inclined her head to let him know to continue. He placed his hands on the table and clasped them together, his eyes slowly moving from hers to them. "Why is it that you aren't out there dancing?"

She shrugged a little and watched him fiddle with his own shirt sleeves, as if he was nervous. She laughed at herself for she couldn't imagine this man being nervous or unsure about anything he did. "I am new in your country, my lord. There's no one here that I know that I could dance with."

Alliron smiled to himself as he turned his eyes back on her. "Well, I'm glad that I can be the one to fix that. Would you like to dance?"

The nervousness left him as he stood up and offered his hand to her. She took it slowly and began to stand up on her own as he pulled her up out of the chair and against him. He smiled down at her and brushed his lips across her cheek lightly as he led her out to the middle of the room to dance.

He smiled down at her as he placed his other hand on her waist and began to slowly spin her around to the beat of the soft music. Her arms went around his neck as he looked up at him, confusion evident in her eyes though she tried to hide it. The smile didn't leave his face as he watched her, again seeming to search her for something. Seralyn laughed nervously and looked down at her feet, not knowing what to say, if anything. She felt him release her as the music stopped and she looked around the large room to find almost no one left.

"How long have we been dancing, my lord?"

He chuckled. "I'm not quite sure, but it must have been for a while, since most everyone is gone."

Seralyn nodded and walked back to her table, sitting down and taking a long drink from her cup. Alliron sat next to her again and cleared his throat a bit. "Now, about the peace treaty, what exactly are the terms you are looking for?"

She sighed a little and closed her eyes for a bit, trying to get into the mood that would allow her to talk business. "Well, my father and I see that we have a lot to offer you, as well as you for us. We think that it would be mutually beneficial for us to at least create a peace treaty, and perhaps create a lasting alliance, for there is no longer a reason for us to fight as we do. Your father is not in control anymore, and he was the one with the issue with our country. We are hoping that you don't have the same unfounded issues."

She took a deep breath and watched him, trying to gauge his reaction. Alliron thought to himself for a couple of moments, his face not registering any of the thoughts in his mind. He turned to her. "What do you need from me?"

His blue eyes turned stormy as he wore a concerned expression on his face. Seralyn sighed. She found herself unable to continue with the half lie that she had concocted in her room earlier.

"We need your help, Prince Alliron. The giants are going to attack our cities at any moment, and we don't have the military forces to stop them. They fear you and even have a certain amount of respect for you. We can't survive on our own."

She looked back down at the table and winced, knowing that she had just completely destroyed her chance to gain his help. Pushing her chair back a little, she stood up, not saying a word. She couldn't look at him as she began to walk away. Before she got to the arch, he very softly said, "Wait."

Slowly Seralyn turned around to look at him. "I understand your reasons for not wanting to get involved in our conflict, for it could put you at a great disadvantage, as well in great danger should something go wrong."

Alliron shook his head. "No. That's not it. What will I get in return for helping you? For putting my men in danger?"

She frowned a little and shrugged. "Our help in most any endeavor that you may choose to undertake."

He laughed, this time it was not musical, but a bit cynical. "Ah, so basically I get nothing in return. Don't think for a second that I can't see through that little statement. I am not one of the men who believes that just because you are a woman you don't understand certain things."

"We need your help, my lord. That's all I can say. We are willing to have a concrete alliance with you, which says that we would come to your aid were you attacked. Also, on top of that, we are willing to assist you in any attacks or other plans that you may need help with. This is much to your advantage because we haven't asked you for anything other than your immediate help with our situation with the giants. We have not asked you to assist us other than if we are attacked. Please, Alliron, we need your help."

He shook his head softly and stood up, walking over to her. "I won't accept any alliance that isn't equal. I also don't like being manipulated."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he raised his hand to stop her. "Wait until I'm finished, Princess. I don't like being manipulated like this. If this is what you wanted, there was no reason to not merely come out with it, as you should have done. It would have made things much easier. I am aware that your father probably didn't want you telling me as much as you have, and because you did tell me anyway, I am thankful. I see that you are, though misguided at times, a very intelligent woman. I am glad that you saw that I was not some dimwit who would blindly go along with your plans merely because you're a woman. Now, as I said before, I will not accept any alliance that isn't equal. So, if you are willing to compromise, perhaps you can accept this. Our kingdoms will become allies under the conditions that if one is attacked then the other will come to their aid. If there are any other conditions that you would like to set, please speak now, Princess."

"You will help us?" her voice cracked a little and was barely more than a whisper.

He nodded. "But only if you promise to be truthful about your motives in the future. I don't tolerate lying, especially since we will be risking our countries for one another."

She smiled softly up at him. "Thank you, my lord. You have no idea what this means to me, to us. How soon will you be able to get your troops together?"

"In a matter of days, I have sent someone to gather my forces. Perhaps we should retire up to my study? I have tea up there and we can more formally write down our terms."

* * * * *

Her eyes rested on the stone wall as her mind traced over the night’s occurrences. She didn’t know quite what to expect from Alliron, but it certainly wasn’t this. He seemed kind and actually willing to help, which completely contradicted what her father had told her. Seralyn rolled over in her bed, wondering why she had chosen to stay for the night. The various logical reasons went through her head, but she couldn’t help but think that maybe it was something else. A small sigh escaped her lips as she shifted, attempting to find a comfortable spot in her almost too soft bed. She was exhausted, but her mind wouldn’t let her sleep as so many thoughts flew through.

His eyes haunted her, their image coming back to her every time she shut her own. The pure blueness and the expression that was in them dazzled her. She sighed, angry that again she was acting like a silly girl with her head in the clouds, not on the ground where she should be.

Seralyn had always prided herself on being practical and sound of mind, especially when it came to interpersonal dealings with people that had she not been brought up as she was, she would be intimidated by. Her mother had died young, so she was the one who had to organize and host all the parties that her father would throw. He knew that he couldn’t afford to have her ignorant in the ways of his world, so he taught her all that he knew.

Her ability to read and gauge people was invaluable to Merikyl. Hence, he sent his nineteen-year-old daughter out into the wilderness by herself. He was confident that she would be able to take care of herself, since she was also well versed in the arts of sword play and happened to carry a dagger by her side at all times. Oftentimes when Merikyl would drift into thought he would wish that she was born a man, for she would have been a son that he would be proud to see take his place. But, she was a girl, and there was nothing that he could do about it. Seralyn knew his secret wish and was hurt by it, but understood her father’s hopeless desire and so she never told him how it made her feel.

A soft growl came from her throat as she realized that her mind wasn’t going to get quiet anytime soon. She shifted so that she was on her back and stared at the ceiling, hoping that the lack of visual stimulation would calm her. Instead her eyes started making out patterns in the clearly unordered spots. She squinted and leaned up a little, trying to read what she thought were words. Her eyes widened as she scrambled out of bed with nothing but her nightgown on and flew out the door.

* * * * *

“They are coming! Can’t you hear me?”

Alliron raised an eyebrow at the princess, unsure of what exactly she was talking about. “Who is coming?”

“The giants…they are coming here, they found out about our plan to speak with you and forge an alliance! They are coming here to kill you.”

He laughed and shook his head. “They can’t kill me, not while I’m in here at least. It will take them a while to break through my defenses,” he rested his hands on the table as he looked up at her. “Now, where did you hear this from?”

“I—I saw it. I read it.”

He narrowed his eyes as the blue slowly clouded over. “Read it from where, Seralyn? Who showed you?”

She opened her mouth to say something and then stopped, biting on her lower lip, not wanting to divulge where she had learned this. “Just believe me. They are coming, and I am warning you.”

“No. I can’t just take it on faith that they are coming. It takes a lot of energy to get my troops in battle formation, and I have to know if it’s worth it. Where did you get this information?”

Silently she ran her hand through her long auburn hair and sighed heavily. “I was laying in my bed; I couldn’t sleep, and I saw it, on the ceiling. The words formed, as if someone was trying to warn me. I know that it’s true, even though it sounds crazy, please, you have to believe me!”

Her last words were desperate as she looked at him, tears starting to fill her eyes as she was sure that he would toss her out of his castle and make her start her journey home in the middle of the night. His stormy eyes watched her for a few seconds, trying to understand what she had just said. The papers on his desk rustled a little as the wind from his window blew through. “You’re sure?”

She could only nod as she kept her eyes on his, trying to prove to him that she wasn’t going insane; trying to prove to him that he had sufficient cause to start putting up his defenses. He gritted his teeth for a moment before shaking his head softly. “Fine. I’m going to believe you, and I hope that you’re right.”

His desk shook a little as he stood up and walked to his door, calling in one of his servants and whispering to him for a moment before returning to Seralyn. He looked down at her. “How are you so sure? Couldn’t you have just been tired?”

“No—it was something else. Yes, I was tired, but it was so—you couldn’t understand unless you were there. I know that it was a message from someone and I had to tell you. I don’t know how or why it happened, but it did.”

He shook his head again. “That’s really not much of an explanation, Princess. I don’t know why I’m doing this. If this is a joke, I will not be pleased.”

“It’s not a joke. I wish that it were. I’m going to go back to my room now. I’m sorry about this, and I hope that I didn’t just warn you about something that really was only a dream. But, I really don’t think that it could have been.”

He nodded slowly and sat down behind his desk, flipping through the pages as she quietly walked out.

There was a lump in her throat as she walked slowly back to her room. She was really afraid for the first time in her life and just the thought that she was scared terrified her. Not even in the face of death had her heart ever jumped as bad as it did when she saw the words on her ceiling. She had never seen anything like it. The words “They are coming.” burned in her brain as they had on the stone. She knew immediately that it was referring to the giants that had decided to so quickly change their target. She wasn’t quite sure how she knew, and that frightened her too.

Slowly she swung the door open and lit the torch that was on the wall right next to it. The blankets on her bed were scattered on the bed and floor. She glanced up at the ceiling, not really wanting to, but out of reflex. There was nothing there now, not even a burn mark to show that what she had seen was more than just an illusion. Seralyn knew that she wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight, at least not in this room, so she grabbed a blanket and found the niche behind the pillar she had hid in earlier and curled up. She wrapped the cover tightly around her and leaned her head on the cold stone, staring at the wall ahead of her.

* * * * *

The hallways were still deserted as she opened her eyes slowly and looked around. The torches were out, but the moonlight shone through the window at the end of the hall. She carefully stood up and stretched a bit, her legs cramped from the position that she had been in. As she looked around again, the hall seemed different than before, nothing too big, but the tapestries on the walls and the stone floor seemed to be faded as if many years had passed while she slept.

She took a step forward and was surprised to hear a soft clicking noise. She looked down and saw that she was back in her outfit from the party. Seralyn squeezed her eyes shut tightly and opened them again, attempting to clear her vision, as she knew that she had changed into her nightgown before going to sleep. Nothing changed.

With careful steps she walked over to her room and tried to open the door, but it was locked now. She pressed her ear against it to see if she could hear anything. Several muffled moans came through and that was it. She swallowed softly and stepped away from the worn wooden door. Perhaps Alliron could explain what was going on. She walked down the hall again toward his room. The dragon was almost pulsing, almost alive on his door. The blood red eyes stared at her, challenging her to turn the doorknob. She began to reach for it as the door burst into flame and the dragon began to whimper softly.

A flash of light and Alliron’s image standing in front of her caused her to stumble backwards a few steps. The dragon was coming out of the door, coiling around in circles that seemed impossible. It dropped to the floor and started slithering after her. Her eyes widened as she started walking backwards again. She cried out softly as a sharp pain went through her head and she saw Alliron again. She saw him say her name, though she couldn’t hear anything other than a high pitched whining that she realized was coming from the dragon that was rapidly gaining on her.

She stepped on the back of her dress and fell down to the floor. The dragon kept coming and she tried to scoot away from it, but only succeeded in moving a few inches. Seralyn braced herself as it climbed up on her lap and looked up at her, its red eyes glittering menacingly at her. It opened its mouth and she screamed.

* * * * *

“Seralyn! Wake up!”

Alliron shook her roughly and her eyes flew open as she struggled against him. He let go of her and took several steps back to let her calm down. She looked up at him, breathing heavily as she finally recognized him. He stared down at her, concern filling his eyes. “For one, why are you out here and not in your room? For two, what just happened to you?”

Her eyes roamed over his face, she noticed several bruises and his eye was slightly swollen, slowly starting to turn a deep red. “I—I couldn’t sleep in there after what happened.”

His hand slid through his hair as he nodded a little. “And the other question?”

She shrugged, unable to think of any way to explain what happened. “I guess I had a dream.”

“Are you prone to violent dreams, Princess? Because it took several of my guards to get you off of me after I came out here to see what all the yelling was about.”

He chuckled softly and she looked down at the floor, the stone momentarily flashing into the grayish tone that was in her dream before returning to normal.