The big day had finally arrived. Morrigan was officially sixteen years old and it was time to celebrate this memorable occasion. Unfortunately, she was too nervous to actually feel happy about it.

All of the prominent nobles from the big demon houses will be attending my birthday today. That means that there is no room for any errors. I have to look perfect, act with grace and speak with wisdom. One mistake could easily threaten my already weak position and send this country into civil war.

"Lady Morrigan, are you perhaps thinking of something silly again?" Gunna asked while styling her hair into beautiful curls using special magical hair gel. The maids were holding beautiful hair ornaments in the shapes of Underworld flowers, which were then used to pin and secure Morrigan's hair.

"No… Maybe?" she said nervously while straightening out the front of her gown for the tenth time. It was really beautiful – the strong black color used for the base with gold ornaments running all throughout with a layer of red on her skirt and waist. It all came together beautifully and looking at the mirror she felt like a real Underworld princess. But despite her pretty reflection, she still felt nervous about the day ahead.

"Please, do not worry. It is your birthday. Everything today is made for you and there's nothing that you can do wrong," Gunna said and the demon maids nodded in agreement as they worked on the various places on her gown, making sure it looked absolutely perfect.

"But–"

"There are no buts. Today is for you, Lady Morrigan. Happy birthday!" the nanny said as she finished doing her hair. She noticed that there was a beautiful golden rose hair clip which went wonderfully well together with her dress.

"Is that a golden rose?" Morrigan asked in surprise. She had heard of these flowers before, but they were incredibly rare, even in the Overworld which was the thriving place for all sorts of flowers and plants.

"Indeed it is," Gunna confirmed.

"Where did you get that?"

"I grew it myself, of course. It was a bit difficult in the conditions that exist in the Underworld, but I managed," the nanny said proudly. Morrigan threw her arms around her, despite the protests of the maids, doing her best not to cry.

"Thank you, Gunna. I really love it. I'll make sure to preserve it once the party is over," she said, taking a few steps back. The maids instantly began smoothing out the crevices in her dress, grumbling in the meanwhile.

"I'd be honored if you did. I believe there's a spell that could help achieve that, but you'd have to ask your teacher," the nanny said.

"I will. Thank you," Morrigan said and then took a deep breath. "But now, I have to go."

With somewhat shaky steps, she left her room and went into the living room where Alphegor was already waiting for her. A smile beamed on his face as he saw her emerge from her room.

"Morrigan, you look absolutely stunning!" he said proudly. She did a little twirl, showing off her gown from all angles and her father clapped. "Truly, I have never seen a more beautiful demoness in my life. Perhaps, only your mother."

"I wish she could have seen me now," Morrigan said a bit somberly.

"Me too, little one. But even if she cannot be with us today, remember that she loved you," Alphegor said and then beckoned her to come over. She obliged, and the King pulled her into a hug. "Happy birthday, Morrigan!"

"Thank you, Father," she said, enjoying the warmth that came from his body. After a moment they separated, and Alphegor pulled something out of his pocket.

"Would you turn around for me? I'd like to put on my gift," he said. Morrigan nodded and pulled her hair to the side to allow her father access to her neck. She felt his hand go around her and then something cold touch her exposed skin. Looking down she saw a beautiful necklace with a smoothly polished red stone in it. It matched perfectly both with her hair and her dress.

"Thank you, Father!"

"Don't be so quick to thank me. Open it," Alphegor said with a smile as he finished securing the necklace. Curious, Morrigan took the pendant in her hands and looked for an opening mechanism. There was a barely noticeable button on the back. After pressing it, the locket sprang open revealing two pictures. One was a miniature version of the portrait Morrigan had drawn for Alphegor. The other was a portrait of a beautiful demoness with long white hair and clear silver eyes.

"Is that… mom?" she asked, tracing her fingers over the picture.

"Yes. It is difficult for me to talk about her since her loss always brings me pain. However, I believe you deserve a piece of your mother with you at all times," he said softly. Morrigan's eyes welled with tears as she looked at the picture, the facial features of her mother being so similar to her own.

"Thank you," she said through a sob and once again hugged her father.

"Of course. But this is not all," Alphegor said, his smile turning smug.

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"Not all?" Morrigan looked at him curiously, while wiping away her tears. Good thing that makeup in the Underworld was waterproof.

"Yes. This necklace also serves as a magical conduit. If you pour your magic into it, you'll be able to talk to me no matter where you are," Alphegor said and pointed to a red cufflink he was wearing.

"So I'll be able to talk to you during my travels!" she said cheerfully. Alphegor nodded, although there was a sad hint behind his smile. He still hadn't fully accepted the fact that she'd be leaving soon.

"Yes. But we'll talk about that some other day. Now it is time to go to the ballroom. The guests are already waiting for you," Alphegor said and extended his hand towards Morrigan. She took it and a moment later they had both teleported just outside the ballroom. The music was already playing and there was a cheerful chatter of voices coming from the inside.

"Are you ready?" Alphegor asked, looking down at her with a smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said, her heart beating fast from both nervousness and excitement. Alphegor chuckled and instructed the guard to announce their arrival.

"His Majesty, King Alphegor Nachtstern, and Her Highness, Princess Morrigan Nachtstern," the guard announced. Morrigan held onto her father's elbow as he led her into the grand ballroom. It instantly erupted into applause and cheers, all eyes going to Morrigan.

Just keep your head up and smile, Morrigan. It'll be over before you know it.

***

The evening was long, but oddly enough it was not as unpleasant as Morrigan had expected. While nobles certainly did their best to attract her and also Alphegor's attention throughout the evening, most were tactful enough to say their congratulations and return to their own circle of friends and acquaintances. And under the King's watchful gaze nobody dared to start anything unpleasant.

She was presented with many gifts, which the servants promptly took away to be opened at a later time. However, Morrigan hardly ever took the time to open each gift by herself anymore. She opened the ones from her sisters and the most important people, but the rest were left for servants to open. Anything that could be used right away, like food, was used, and what couldn't be used was stashed in the Royal Treasury.

After all the greetings and congratulations were out of the way, there was a feast, which was followed by a lot of dancing. Thankfully, Morrigan had learned how to properly dance so it wasn't the issue anymore. It was tiring, dancing with one demon noble after the next, but it wasn't a bad way to pass time. Thankfully, she was still too young by demon standards for there to be any talk of marriage.

Once the dancing was over, it was time for cake. It wasn't a huge cake like on her first birthday, but rather each piece was a small cake on its own. A little black piece with a golden chocolate leaf on top, matching Morrigan's dress. It appeared rather plain at first, but once you cut into the cake you saw various decadent layers of soft sponge and beautiful fillings. This year fire magic sweets were incorporated into the filling giving the cake a slightly spicy flavor.

With the main festivities out of the way, the party carried on. But Morrigan was tired and instead decided to take a breather in the gardens. The ballroom was connected to them and some of the guests were already resting on the benches set outside. They greeted her as she passed by and she returned the greetings with a slight bow of her head, a gesture she'd adopted from Alphegor.

Once she felt like she was far enough away from it all she sat down on the bench located on the far side of the garden and sighed. Her feet were aching and she wanted to just go back to her bed and rest. But since she was the birthday girl, she'd have to stay up until the very end.

"Is the Princess not going to attend her own birthday?" a smooth male voice spoke from behind. She turned her head and saw Galandir approach with a pleasant smile on his face. His boyish features were slowly beginning to disappear over the years, and he was at the stage where he was beginning to resemble an adult. His short, blonde hair had grown out while his body accumulated a bit more muscle mass. He had been very scrawny before.

"Just taking a short break," she replied with a smile and gestured to him to sit down next to her.

"You look really beautiful tonight," he said, sitting down next to her. Normally servants wouldn't be allowed to sit next to nobles. But Galandir didn't really obey the rules much and Morrigan didn't feel like enforcing them on her friend either way.

"Thank you! Gunna worked hard," Morrigan replied graciously.

"Really? I praise your appearance and you give credit to Gunna," the boy laughed.

"Of course. Do you know how long it took her to make this hairstyle?" she retorted, pointing at her long curls.

"Let me guess – it was a long time," he said cheekily.

"You bet it was!" she confirmed and laughed.

"Would the birthday girl like to get her present?" Galandir asked.

"You got me a present?" she asked curiously. The elven boy had never gotten her one before and she didn't blame him. After all, she had a whole room full of presents, and Galandir needed every coin he earned to repay his debt and go free.

"I did. But it might be a bit different from others," he said and got up, extending his hand towards her. "And you'll have to come with me to see it since I can't really move it."

Morrigan regarded his hand suspiciously, but then relented and placed her hand in his. He pulled her up to her feet gently and then guided her away from the garden. She knew the route he was taking very well. It was without a doubt the way to Haku's stables.

"Is Haku involved in this gift?" she asked.

"Perhaps," Galandir replied with a smirk. She wanted to ask more about it, but the boy shook his head indicating that he would not reveal anything more. So they continued on in silence until they finally reached the dragon stable. The place was absolutely enormous, taking up a giant chunk of the castle's backyard. The enclosure around it was just as large, and Haku was already excitedly waiting for them outside.

"Hey, Haku!" Morrigan greeted him and the large dragon cooed, releasing a well-controlled stream of fire. It turned into little fire flowers that floated all around Morrigan in a beautiful harmony.

"Thank you, Haku!" she said as she admired the beautiful fire flowers. The large dragon wagged his tail happily, creating a strong gust of wind that scattered the fire flowers all around the backyard. Morrigan giggled at the display, watching the fire flowers float down to the ground and then disappear.

"Alright, alright. My turn now," Galandir said impatiently, waving away a stray fire flower that was flying near his hair. Haku produced a gurgling sound that was as close to laughter as a dragon could get. The elf took Morrigan's hand and led her inside the stables.

The place was completely pitch black, all lights were completely turned off. Even Morrigan with her enhanced night vision couldn't see further than a few meters ahead.

"What's going on?" she asked a bit nervously.

"You'll see," Galandir replied and closed the door behind them, plunging everything into complete darkness.