The last week had come.

Corren stared into his pillow, knowing that by the next ball tomorrow he would be betrothed to someone, hopefully Selene. And he had no choice, because the rumors in the City was that fire from the sky would burn them all if he did not marry soon.

Stupid idiots. What was the rush? No meteor would cut short their breath if he didn't marry.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I suppose it's time to prepare," Elesia said, shaking out her silk gown from the last ball. "Mother's still angry with me, so could you help me do my hair again?"

Selene grimaced. "It won't look the way Terah did it. I'm all thumbs."

Carriage wheels clattered over the cobblestones. "Girls?" The motherly voice of the old nurse rang out with all the skill of repremanding careless children. "Where are you?"

"Terah?"

"The one and only."

"In the attic," Selene called out, opening the doors to the staircase. The woman arrived up the stairs breathless, with her followers carrying boxes. "What is all this?" The young maids grinned, pleased with their burdens.

Terah snorted. "It's not fashionable to be seen in the same dress for two consecutive balls. Or three, for that matter." Waving away all protests, she accepted their profuse thanks.

And so the evening saw Selene in white and gold, the beautifully embroidered gold skirts and bodice gleaming in the lantern light. Hair bound up traditionally instead of trendfully in a heavy braided bun, Terah carefully placed a delicate diamond and gold crown on the golden mass of shimmering locks.

"Is this blasphemous?" she asked idly, spinning the chain of her diamond necklace between two fingers. "I'm not the King or Queen."

"Oh, don't worry about that," the woman said cryptically. "It's fitting. Besides," she added quickly before Selene asked a question. "Other women wear crowns besides the monarchs. But only as decorations."

"Ready, Selene?" Elesia squealed. Her face, normally so reserved, was open and shining as she twirled around. "Do I look all right?" Her rose pink skirts swirled around her, hair once again in a long braid with rose quartz droplets bound into the auburn mass.

And, decked out in finery, they were met by Corren and Trenel near the gate, same as the last time. As he took her hand, Selene paled slightly at the thought of him, married, but stoically smiled and entered the pretty vehicle.

Trenel, in one of his barding moods, sang a sonnet to the blushing Elesia, though she thoroughly enjoyed the attention of the handsome young man, a duke-to-be.

Elenia scowled, but flounced off to her Lord in his carriage. Mother had always said she was the greater of the twins, and she was determined not to let this humiliating sister ruin her night.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Corren fingered the circle of gold in his pocket. How was he ever going to muster up the courage...?

Next to him, Selene was daintily eating her dinner, manners and ettiquette returning to her memory after so many years. The covert glances down the table from the younger nobles was a testimony to her beauty, yet the young men's eager glances did not catch her eye contact.

Not that she didn't notice the looks from the young women. They knew he was honor-bound to betroth himself that night, and they were all hopeful despite the Lady sitting at his right. Their gazes were a mix of envy and wistfulness, though none were actually malicious.

Corren sighed, picking up his fork. Determined to finish the meal, he choked down the delicious food as his stomach fluttered with nervousness.

~~~~~~~~~~`

Selene whirled experimentally around the dance floor. Since the last ball, Elesia had managed to teach her the simpler aspects of dancing, and she had yet to tangle herself into a mess. Her partner, a twenty-something year old noble, seemed to be an expert.

She sighed inwardly, for Corren was across the large room as his mother introduced several maidens, each who curtsyed gracefully. "And he will be betrothed this week," she whispered, blinking back tears.

"Excuse me?" her partner said courteously.

"My apologies," Selene demurred. "It was not of any consequence." He nodded, satisfied with this polite answer, and twirled her around for the rest of the dance.

Bowing to her, and kissing her extended hand through its delicate silk glove, he smiled. "It was my pleasure for this brief acquaintance."

"And mine, good sir," she replied, as the courtly ettiquette demanded.

As she departed to the chairs, gracefully declining several offers for a dance or two, Corren caught her eye. Gesturing with his head, he indicated their curtained balcony, and she quietly and inconspicuously made her way through the crowd.

As soon as the velvet slid back into place behind them, cutting off the ballroom from the starry night sky, the prince let out a breath of relief. "It's good to be away from all those people."

"Yes, it is," she replied, slightly detached.

He cleared his throat, eyes wild with nerves as he fidgeted by the railing. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, it's a lovely ball. I am thoroughly enjoying myself, your Highness."

Corren grimaced. "Is that the way you want to talk? Then I shall say, 'The weather is exquisite, clear as a golden bell rung by the hand of the sweetest Lady.'" He picked up her hand, but it remained soft and limp, and she made no answer. He sighed. "Selene, what's the matter?"

A single tear slid down her cheek and her aloofness broke as a small spasm shook her shoulders. "After this, I won't see you again. Ever!" Her last word was a quiet wail, her face clearly distraught.

"You don't want to? See me again?" he whispered, hands shaking as he pulled her closer. What was going on?

She stared up at him with surprise. "It's not that I don't wish to, Corren. I cannot!" she exclaimed. "After all, you're to be married and-"

He stopped her with an upraised hand. "Is this what it's about?" he said, well pleased. "My marriage?" Selene nodded, and buried her face into his tunic. Well, he was in luck! Corren thought to himself. It wasn't that she didn't love him...

Then he snapped back into the present, to his current problem. She had stopped crying but her face was grimly set, and she was staring straight out into the sky. "I'm going to miss you," she said, voice oddly muted. "But I suppose I'll be content with the starwish." She held out her hand and cupped the silver star, the north star, in her fingertips, but it sagged sorrowfully and drooped down with it's own unhappy weight. Closing her eyes, one more tear left it's track over her pale cheek.

And it was then that a smooth, heavy circle was placed in the center of her palm.

~~~~~~~~~~`

Opening her green eyes, the first thing she saw was Corren, hovering above her anxiously. Then she focused on the small round thing in her hand, a tiny circlet of gold crowned by a sapphire.

"Is..." she breathed. He took a deep breath, and cradled her hand within both of his.

Meeting his eyes, Selene saw the unasked question in his gold-brown eyes before he even spoke. "Will you marry me?"

Maintaining eye contact, she gazed directly into his face. "Will you marry me? A poor servant girl, with no penny to her name?"

"Yes, I will."

"With no reletives? And nothing to offer the royal family?"

"Yes." He smiled faintly. "If you will have a clumsy, uncivilized, and completely out-of-place Prince, who will positively manage to ruin every banquet, meeting, and ball ever created?"

"Then," she smiled up into his face. "I will marry you."

Sweeping her up into a tight embrace, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you," he mumbled into her hair, feeling like bawling himself at the moment.

"I thank you too," she added, her own maudlin emotions getting the better of her. "By the way, what are your parents going to say?"

He grinned. "I think they'll see it through my eyes, one way or another."

Selene laughed into the crisp air. "I cannot wait to tell Elesia!"

"Then, let's go, by all means." Grabbing her hand, Corren tugged on it gently. "Can we possibly wait to tell the happy news? Trenel will be estatic, and will probably dance in circles."

Her silverly laugh echoed through the cold air. "Don't laugh, love. I'll probably be doing the same."

~~~~~~~

Selene woke up the next morning strangly exuberant, until the clasp of
the smooth gold on her first finger awakened her memories. Doing an
impromptu dance around her attic, she hugged her ball gown and dressed quickly.

Tripping down the stairs, she collided directly with Elesia. "Lessie!" she cried. "It's a wonderful day!"

Her stepsister grinned, curly brown hair bouncing. "It's wonderful because..." she teased. "Really, Selene, this is fantastic! You can
escape, in a way..." She paused. "How are you going to tell Mother? And Elenia?"

Sobering, Selene twirled a bit of golden hair in her fingertips. "I have no idea," she mumbled. "I'm...scared?"

~~~~~~~~~~`

Corren took the deepest breath he had ever inhaled in his life. "Corren," his father prompted, "You've been standing here for seven minutes, did you have something to say?"

He sighed. "Yes, I do." Swallowing hard, he muttered, "I asked someone to marry me, without your exact permission, and..."

"Why, thats wonderful!" his mother exclaimed.

"Besides, the people were just about ready to commit mass suicide," the King commented sourly. "I never suspected what complete idiots my subjects were, but I underestimated their compacity for stupidity. But back to the subject," he smiled, "who is the bride-to-be?"

"I have to get this straight," Corren said candidly. "She is not a noble, has no dowry, no formal craft title, and she has accepted."

"Ella?" his sister asked.

"Yes." He cringed, waiting for the scathing teasing only an older sister could perform.

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I always liked her, she'll keep a good eye on you, little brother. And you need it. Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I thought you wouldn't like it," he mumbled.

"We approve," his parents chorased. "You would have been so unhappy with someone stuffy."

"We agreed on one thing," Corren began. "Her...her name isn't Ella, for one. They call her that at Duchess Pertia's home, but her name is really Selene."

His father sat silent for a moment. "Selene, you say?"

"Yes."

Standing up hastily, the King grabbed his wife's hand. At a near run, the family quickly followed him to the library, where he grabbed a thick leather-bound volume,The Book of Nobles, from the shelf. Running his finger down the pages, he halted over one gold-inscribed name: Selene of Arelde, daughter of the late Duke Roane.

"Gods," he moaned, not appearing like a King but rather like a man who has made a grave mistake, "I forgot his daughter!"

"What?" Corren gasped.

"Selene, Duke's daughter," his mother whispered. "Would Pertia have...she couldn't have..."

"But she did," the King said grimly.

"Pertia stole the estate? Hid and enslaved the girl?!" the princess said, a wrinkle forming on her brow.

"It appears so," the King replied. "We have to set it right. The Gods only know what will happen when Selene announces the marriage to that witch-woman! Grab a horse or two, and Trenel," he commanded Corren, "We'll be right behind you. Hurry, boy!" As he ran through the hall, Corren could hear his father's furious roar as he called the palace to his assistance.

Banging on Trenel's door, he barged in and grabbed the sleepy boy by the arm, shouting into his ear while his cousin yawned and protested. Within two minutes, a fully dressed Trenel and an anxious Corren were off on horseback, racing through the castle's silver gates.

~~~~~~~~~`

Selene trudged up to the left attic room, mood slightly dampened with the coming event: telling Pertia what happened. She slammed the door and collapsed on her bed. "Why me?" she moaned.

"Why me?" a sarcastic voice echoed from the corner. Pertia stood in the corner, smiling cruelly, the sapphire ring in her hand. "Why me? Don't you know that there's a multitude of females, with more prospects and wealth, who would give their right foot for this opportunity?"

"What are you doing here-" Selene breathed, but the woman stopped her words.

Her voice changed suddenly. "I know how confused you must be," she said kindly, tilting her head to one side. Walking up to Selene, who had stood up hastily, she asked, "What's wrong?" Taking her left hand, Pertia slipped the ring on the girl's fourth finger. "I'm so happy for you."

Something in the Stepmother's eyes frightened Selene, and she circled away from the woman. But with a harsh jerk, the taller, heavier Pertia slammed her shoulders against the attic wall. Yanking her long braid, uncovered by its protective kerchief, she pushed her to the floor and knelt on the small of her back. Selene's head hit the edge of the old table and she felt a warm wetness on the side of her face. Pain flooded her mind.

She screamed, the shrill cry echoing in her ears as the woman slapped her fiercely and jammed a hankerchief to her face. Selene fought, twisting from side to side wildly, but it was too late. Against her will she inhaled, and the cloying smell of the soporific made her head spin.

As she slowly relaxed, Pertia whispered in her ear, "Sweet dreams, my dear. I'll deal with you later, as I did your father..."

Selene gasped, and the world faded into darkness. The last thing she remembered was rough hands tying her own with scratchy rope, painfully behind her back.

~~~~~~~~

Elesia shrieked downstairs, an echo of Selene's own cry. The girl, so shy and reserved, shot up the stairs, skirts gathered in one hand. "Selene?" she shouted, all inhibitions gone. "Selene!"

She slapped the door open with her fist, as Pertia quietly stood staring at the figure on the floor. "Mother?" she gasped, as the woman turned around. Running to her stepsister, she grabbed her apron and reached for her stepsister's still face. But Pertia, from behind, dragged the painfully slender girl easily into the next chamber, despite screams and cries for help. "Let me go!" Elesia's raking hand disheveled her mother's greying hair, but she was tossed inside nonetheless. With steady hand, Pertia slipped the ornate silver key into the lock, and heard the satisfying snick of the bolt.

~~~~~~~~

Corren and Trenel banged on the large front door. "Hello? Selene? Elesia? Anyone?"

Pertia hissed. "Elenia, get that!" she called, staring at the smears of blood on her hand, the strands of grey hair hanging and sweaty. She left the kitchen, dropping the set of keys in the barrel of flour.

The girl flounced in. "What now, Mother? I was d-" she stopped, staring. "What happened?" she shrieked, blue eyes wide. "Is that blood?"

"Of course. Please answer the door. The servants are at market, like I sent them. Daughter, I have your fortune made?"

"What..." Elenia whispered, eyes still fixed on the scarlet drops as her mother moved towards a pitcher of water. "Fortune?"

Pertia smiled smugly. "I've gotten rid of that brat girl."

"Selene?" she cried out.

"Don't use that name!" Pertia snapped.

"You killed her?" Tears began to slide down Elenia's face. "Mother?"

"What do you care?" the woman continued. "With her gone, you can easily win fame and fortune, with your beauty and prospects. I will only have the best for you!"

"Where is she? Mother, I cannot believe this!" The banging continued on the door, as Pertia calmly began to wash the crimson stains from her wrists. Elenia's hysterical screams grew in intensity. "You hurt her?"

"And?"

"I admit I am jealous of her, but...Did you really kill her, Mother?"

Pertia smiled, holding out her arms. "I'm doing it for you, darling." Elenia backed away, eyes large and frightened. "Dearest?" Her voice hardened. "Are you not grateful?"

"What about Stepfather?" she whispered, trying to make time, as she slowly inched towards the door. "He was kindly, I do remember."

"He was useless!" Pertia dismissed the man she married in an instant. "With his money and power, we-" Elenia jumped for the door, opening it quickly. Corren burst in, Trenel on his heels.

"Why didn't you answer the..." Trenel drifted off, his keen grey eyes taking in the condition of the room. Corren himself did not stare at anything in general, just scanning for sight of his love. The rosy water still lay in the basin, the scratch on Pertia's cheek, it just didn't add up.

Elenia threw herself violently away, behind both young men. "Get me away from her! Murderer!" she sobbed, curling up behind the ornate velvet couch. "I cannot believe you."

Corren, golden eyes furious, only saw the blood on Pertia's wrist. "Where is she?" he shouted wildly, rushing to the woman and shaking her. The stepmother's head snapped back and forth with each flexing of his fingers. "What did you do with her?"

The crazed woman laughed. "Wouldn't you like to know!" she cackled. She seemed almost impervious to the pain. "There are one hundred and two chambers in this dank palace, I counted yesterday, and I threw the keys in the well!"

"Where-is-she?" he yelled into her face.

But Pertia continued to babble, not answering his question. "She's drugged, you know. By the time you find her, she will be dead. I at least hope so, Prince." She spat the last word hatefully.

Trenel secured her wrists to the doorhandle, leaving her ranting wildly to herself. "Is she crazy, or just pretending?" Trenel asked quietly.

"I don't know!" Corren cried out. "Where is Selene?"

Elenia spoke up tearfully from the corner. "And where is my sister?" she asked softly, looking around her carefully. "They're never apart, a minute at the most. And she wasn't lying about the rooms..."

Trenel stared at her. "What happened here?" he asked briskly.

"I don't know," she wept. "I came in here, after practicing that stupid lap-harp..." she trailed off. "And Mother came in here, her hair all messed up, and smears of blood on her hand!"

Corren managed a strangled gasp. "Do you know where, possibly, she could be?" Elenia shook her head wildly, still sitting desolately on the floor.

"I'm sorry I was so mean to her!" she cried. "I don't want her to die! Or my sister, where is she? Mother, where is Elesia?" The woman smiled to herself, testing the strength of the ropes binding her hands. When they did not budge, she laughed a little bit.

The prince tore up the flight of stairs, testing the doorhandles. "They're all locked!" he yelled, voice echoing through the long hallway. Trenel listened to the air.

"Do you hear anything?" he asked, his usually joking manner muted. They became quiet, and below Pertia's ranting and Elenia's sobbing they heard brief thumps. "That?"

They took the most logical path, up the long, rickety staircase, the boards squeaking shrilly as they moved. Downstairs, the two boys could hear the tearful Elenia letting in the King and Queen, the troop of soldiers taking hold of the crazed woman.

The pounding became louder, and Corren shouted, "Stand back!" before knocking the old wooden door off its hinges. "Corren?" the girl said breathlessly. "She's not here, she's in the other one. Trenel!" she cried, running into his shocked arms. For a brief moment, his grey eyes were surprised, and the prince smiled a little bit.

The next instant, he broke through the door of the adjacent attic room.

Selene lay on the floor, a trickle of blood running down one bruised cheek. "Selene?" he whispered, afraid of what he might find. Stumbling over to her form, he touched her cheek gently, leaning in close. Was she breathing?

With a sigh of relief, he felt the slightly warm wash of air lightly touch his face. "She's breathing!" he said, sighing with happiness. "She's alive!" Corren stared down at her face, and despite the blood and bruise, he believed she was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on.

Trenel sighed, arm around a limp and frightened Elesia. "We found her, cousin. One hundred and two chambers, and we found her." His grey eyes were merry once more, losing the fearful spark that had marred their cheerfulness, until he noticed his girlfriend trembling. "What's wrong, Lessy?"

Elesia, a tear running down her cheek, pointed to the ground. "Elna plant," she whispered. "Induces sleep. Pertia was not much of an expert, anyhow." Explaining, she showed them the tiny bottle. "Only a few drops, for safety, it's so very potent. You must get her to a healer. She used the whole bottle..."

~~~~~~~~~~
~~WrItiNgs~~