Prologue
Leah paces back and forth, giddy with excitement. She can’t believe it’s finally here! She has been waiting for this day since he proposed, and seeing as she is the Princess of the Light Fairies, after all, and her parents wouldn’t let her have a wedding before a year's time so they could have everything perfect!
The last few weeks have been a nightmare! Honestly, how many flowers were needed at a royal wedding?! How many times had she been poked and prodded to get the gown to fit just right? Then Mother had to switch out the colors from Rose to Peach! What a mess that was! Everyone was running around like it was the end of the world! And Leah just wanted to be married…
You would think being able to use magic could fix all your problems... And you would be wrong! All it did was cause more problems... At least, that was what Leah felt.
If it was up to her, she would have just run away with Prince Theo and eloped. Theo didn’t care about the wedding either, but apparently, eloping is against royal protocol, so, a year’s wait, it was.
Theo was the Prince of the Woodland Fairies, a kingdom not far from her own borders. He had been waiting just as impatiently as she had!
It had been agony! She just wanted to start her happily ever after! She’d known Prince Theo since they were small. She had fallen in love with him when she was young, and that love only grew over the years. They were best friends, so when he proposed a year ago, it was no surprise to anyone. In fact, it may have been the plan for both kingdoms from the beginning, but Leah didn’t mind.
Leah looked out over the dark night and watched the nearly full moon shimmering across the lake under her window and wished she could be holding Theo right now. It was such a beautiful night, and while she did have her lady in waiting with her, she was desperately lonely for his arms. She felt so safe with him!
“Oh! Rose! I can’t believe it! I’m finally marrying Theo tomorrow!” Leah giggles, turning around to look at her best friend. They had also been together since Leah was really young. In fact, she couldn’t remember a time in her life she didn’t have Rose.
“I am so happy for you, my princess,” Rose gushes. Rose was so happy for her best friend. She really liked Prince Theo… ÿ in a love interest, as she already had Michael and had been married now for half a year and was expecting a little one soon. Her and Michael were both human and would not want it any other way. They both respected the fairies but would not want the responsibility of the power they hold! But she liked him for her Princess, who was sweet and kind and deserved to be loved.
Leah rushes over to her wedding dress, hanging in her changing room to admire the beautiful gown. Yes, she had been poked more than she would like to admit during all the fittings, but she was very happy with the result. It was going to be perfect and she couldn’t wait for Theo to see her in it! She wanted to be beautiful just for him.
“You will look so lovely, Princess Leah! You will be the most beautiful bride!” Rose insists, admiring the beautiful lacy dress. Her wedding dress had been much more simple, along with her wedding. She doesn’t blame Leah for her frustration with the whole thing! But Rose knew that since Leah was a Fairy Princess, she didn’t have much control over her life. Rose was just happy that Leah was given the chance to marry someone for love and not political gain… Even though that will be a side effect of the whole situation.
“Thank you, Rose. You are my best friend!” Leah hugs Rose tightly, fighting her tears. Leah was filled with so many emotions right now that some of them just slipped through. It’s hard to act according to protocol and not show what you are feeling. It is tiring, really, but in here, with just her and Rose, she is allowed to be a girl with real feelings… Even if those feelings are those of gratitude and happiness, or overwhelming frustration.
“Of course I am! That is why you made me your lady in waiting!” Rose returns with a giggle of her own. Both girls were 17 and yes, they were supposed to act grown up and be part of the world, but sometimes Rose just wanted to act like a normal 17 year old girl, and Leah let her. They both needed to be normal girls sometimes!
A sudden crack fills the air, and a heavy chill seeps along the walls as darkness fills the room. Leah shivered, holding onto Rose. This was not normal! She could see puffs of her own breath through the shadowy darkness. How did it get so cold all of a sudden?
“What’s going on!” Leah demands, not quite sure who she is asking, but no one responds.
The sound of breaking glass comes from her right, she turns her head to see what made the noise.
Rose suddenly dropped to the ground with a heavy thud. Her best friend didn’t make a move, nor did she make a noise. She was silent as death, and it sent a chill up Leah’s already prickly spine.
“Rose!” Leah cried out, rushing to her friend's side. Kneeling by her side, she shook her friend, trying to rouse her from her sudden state. She filled her friend with her light healing magic, but it wasn't working! Tears started leaking out of Leah’s eyes for a completely different reason now. “Rose! Wake up! Don’t leave me!” She practically screamed, unable to keep her emotions in check any longer.
Leah was scared and there was nothing that she could do about it! She wasn't a warrior trained to fight! She was a healer meant to help! But right now she couldn't even do that right!
What was happening? Was her family in danger? Was her kingdom being slaughtered? Was there a war going on she didn’t know about? So many things ran through her mind and each was worse than the previous thought.
How was she supposed to help if she doesn’t know what is going on? She couldn’t even wake her best friend from falling unconscious! Her magic was completely useless! Now when she needed to be strong she was falling apart and all she wanted was to run to Theo and have him hold her and tell her everything will be alright.
When did she become so weak? Her magic has never failed her before, but the time she needed it most it won't work!Normally, she could stand up to the pressure, but not now! Not right before the happiest day of her life… Not when…
Suddenly, several dark shapes took form, surrounding the princess. The darkness covered their faces, but there was something wrong with these shadows. They didn’t look substantial… They looked like she could see right through them, like smoke! How could smoke figures just turn up in front of her? That made no sense at all!
Deciding to ignore the scary figures surrounding her, she turned her attention back to Rose, and once again tried to shake her friend awake, filling her with more magic, yelling at her this time, “ROSE! WE NEED TO LEAVE!”
A dark sinister chuckle came from behind her. Jumping to her feet in fright, she left poor Rose to her own devices on the cold hard floor at her feet. Maybe if she could get away, she could get someone to take care of Rose and bring her back, but she had to get out of here first! She would have to save herself before she could save anyone else!
Turning quickly, Leah gasps in fright. Her escape was blocked by an unfortunately familiar face. How did he get here? And what was he doing here in the first place! She needed to get to her Father, and fast!
“I finally have you now, my dear,” the man’s sinister sneer was the last thing she saw, before he reached out and touched her face.
And everything went black.
