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My eyes flew open, heart thumping at an alarming rate. What just happened? I thought to myself.

Slowly, I sat up, sweat trickling down the sides of my face. After a few deep breaths, I tried to think back to the dream I just had, scrambling to fit all the pieces together before the memories became fuzzy and further to grasp from my mind.

My eyes scrunched in concentration. It was hard to focus when I felt as though my entire body was on fire. I was panting and feeling sticky from my nightgown sticking to my skin.

In the dream I was running for my life. I was scared, and in danger. Something was chasing me, but how did I get in the forest? I shook my head, almost as if the swinging motion would unfurl the details to the forefront of my mind. But nothing.

I reached over to turn on my lamp, it was made with a soft peach colored fabric that had strings dangling down. At the end of each string were different sized crystals, swaying gently and reflecting the light. The warm light flooded the room, just bright enough to help me gain my bearings.

I'm not in the forest anymore, it's okay. My ragged breaths had started to calm down, and my heartrate reducing. I sighed as no new information came to me. The more frequent these dreams were becoming, the more I am piecing together what they contain, albeit slowly.

I glanced out my window, the transparent white curtain flowed in and out of the room with every small gust of wind. It's dark outside, presumably the middle of the night with no signs of the morning light creeping in. The moon hung high in the sky, a moon beam casted into my room, over the wooden floor and danced with the curtains.

I huffed as I pushed myself out of bed. There was no use trying to go back to sleep, my mind was still racing. Part of me feared I'd go back to the same dream if I did. I hadn't been sleeping well lately. Sometimes it's the same dream, just slight variations here and there. It had the feeling of familiarity, like this had happened before. Other times it's was a completely different and new scenario. Those ones are fuzzier.

This forest dream had become increasingly frequent, as if I was being sent a message I didn't understand. Each time the nightmare unfolded, it left me trembling and terrified for hours, and it was hard to function the next day from sheer exhaustion.

My feet touched the cold floor, jolting me out of my daze. After grabbing a long coat, I slipped out of my room and down the castle halls, eager to get to my safe space. Within the castles grounds there was a particular patch of trees and flowers that I liked to go to when I needed to think or couldn't sleep.

The palace was deadly silent, every sound I made echoed as I tried to be as quiet and careful as I could. I continued barefooted past multiple doors and hallways until I made it outside.

I crossed the path, eager for my feet to touch the dewy grass. It felt like a mixture of spiky and wet, yet soft. The cool night air gently moved my hair and gown. Goosebumps formed on my arms as the slight chill of the night took over me. I increased my pace and headed to the trees. Owls hooted and cicadas chirped, their comforting sounds distracted me from my weary thoughts.

My father had designed this garden for me when I was an infant. He made use of the hilly environment and concealed the garden slightly underground near a natural spring. Lush greenery and trees swallowed up the space, perfect for when I needed to get away from the kingdom's court to think. The area was adorned with beautiful flowers, some that bloom during the night. It gave privacy to the ones inside, yet was spacious enough from the outside that it didn't obstruct the view. You could tell the earth users who designed and maintained this garden took pride in their work.

We got our elemental powers from the fae, who had occupied Asgardia for a millennium before humans discovered its magical lands. The fae took a liking to them and they lived in harmony for hundreds of years. The result of this were a hybrid species of fae and human called faelin. Our powers are not as strong as they once were, years of isolation from the fae had caused the numbers of magic users to dwindle.

Inside the garden stood a tiered waterfall surrounded by mossy stones and countless varieties of flowers. My father specifically had made sure to add as many roses as possible, as they were my favorite. Inside the pond connected to the waterfall were clusters of lilypads. The familiarity of the tricking water immediately calmed me down. This was my serenity.

I walked to the swing that hung off a tree and sat, allowing my legs to dangle off the ground. My feet were soaking wet now but I didn't mind, it felt soothing to stand on something cool— a stark contrast to earlier in my room when I felt like I was burning up and sweating profusely.

"Thought I'd find you here." A voice whispered. I jumped and turned around, Relion was smirking behind me.

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"How did you know I was here?" I asked, taking a few deep breaths.

"Why wouldn't you be? Lately, you've been a late night frequenter. Besides I saw your lamp on and figured you'd had another one of those nightmares." He smiled sadly.

"And why weren't you asleep?" I asked, gesturing for him to sit on the swing with me. He followed suit, and I took the left side.

"Why not? I get to spend time with you."

There was enough space for two people to sit comfortably, yet a little cozy. His weight tugged down on the right side, throwing the seat off balance.

I didn't reply, not in the mood for his playful banter. Not when I was fearing for my life not too long ago. It still felt fresh, leaving me feeling vulnerable. He sensed my mood was off and didn't probe further, instead he pushed the swing off the ground. His right arm held the rope and the other arm snaked behind my back.

The swing didn't flow smoothly, just slightly out of sync from our varied weights. I could laugh at the irony if I wasn't feeling so upset. The swing perfectly described our relationship. There was something slightly off balance about it that I couldn't quite place my finger on.

On paper it was a match made in heaven. The Contarini line was a strong royal family and had produced plenty of monarchs in the past, some even ruling with my ancestors. Our union would make us great candidates for the throne, or so I'd been told my whole life.

"So, tell me about the dream," he said, his voice filled with understanding. He knew the real reason I was here—ever since the dreams started a few months ago, I had been coming to the garden to clear my head.

His empathetic expression made it easier to open up, and I took a deep breath, trying to relax my stiff body before diving into the details of the latest dream—even though it was vague in my mind.

I described how I was running through the forest at night, and something or someone was chasing me.

"I was terrified, I thought I was going to die." I whispered, flashes of the dream replayed in my mind, sending shivers down my spine.

"But the person that was chasing you didn't catch up." He pointed out. I sensed he was trying to comfort me, but it wasn't working.

"That's because I woke up before they could." I sighed.

"The dream feels really urgent," I continued, tears welling in my eyes. "it's like it's sitting there right under my nose, but I can't grasp what it means."

"Do you think these dreams are about your visit to the Kingdom of Mahlek?" He asked.

"It's probably a mix of everything going on right now, my 18th birthday is coming soon as well, and I still haven't found my magic." I slumped into his arm, defeated. I had been dreading my birthday for a while now.

Now that I was close to my coming of age ceremony, there was more pressure for me to cast my claim over the throne, considering my parents were king and queen of Kalem. There was only a slight problem, the next monarch has to have declared a magic, with no exception. I had tried everything under the sun to find my powers. There was just nothing there.

Now that I was close to my coming-of-age ceremony, there was more pressure for me to cast my claim over the throne, considering my parents were the king and queen of Kalem. There was only a slight problem: the next monarch needed to be bound, meaning they had awakened their essence and bound it to an element. There was no exceptions.

I had tried everything under the sun to discover my essence, but so far I remained unawakened.

If I didn't find my essence soon and bind an element, my unity with Relion and his family would cease to exist. It was only a strategic move, with little care to whether or not we were in love. As soon as we were born, this arrangement was made, and we grew up knowing that one day we would be married.

He wrapped his arm around me and brought me closer to him. "It's going to be okay." Relion said matter-of-factly. He looked down at me with a concerned look, then pulled me even closer.

A sudden rush of wind whipped around us gently, causing the swing to sway. "Stop making me jealous." I teased. Relion had discovered his air magic not too long after we turned fifteen—late for some, but not as late as me. While I was happy for him, my own issues were at the forefront of my mind.

The thought of disappointing my parents was the worst out of all of this. They had worked so hard to provide a bright future for me, and I felt as though I was unable to repay them by continuing their legacy.

"In all seriousness, you should tell your mother about your dreams. Maybe she can help." Relion suggested. It wasn't a bad idea, except for the fact that I didn't want her finding out about my dreams—even though she was partly aware of my sleepless nights. The real reason would put more stress on her than I already wanted. I had noticed the worried looks she gave my father when I would come home from class to tell them I still hadn't found my essence.

"I'll think about it." I replied.

"Don't worry, your magic will come when you least expect it." He said confidently.

"How do you know that though? There's no guarantee!' I exclaimed.

"Both your parents have strong holds over their elements, it's a higher chance you will get them too."

"Not necessarily, look at Amara. Both her parents are powerful magic users and she never got hers. It's way more humiliating when you're the only one in your family without magic. Especially for the king and queen's only child. I have to find it, I have no other choice."

"It's going to be okay." He murmured, leaning in to kiss my check. I tried not to flinch and instead embrace it, but his touch felt cold. A small shudder ran down my back.

"I hope so." I sighed.

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