Aurora was in the nursery. The twins were playing quietly as she knitted a blanket. When had she learned to knit? How had she gotten here? Where was Nanny? Aurora looked down at the blanket. On it were land masses and oceans. They were crafted so carefully that they seemed alive. The Empress stared at her handiwork. She ran her fingers along one of the oceans, and her hand came back wet.

"Wow, Mother! You have the whole world in your hands!" Mairwen exclaimed. Her eyes were big and innocent…too big. She went back to playing with blocks silently.

"Thank you, dear," Aurora found herself saying. Alaron turned toward her. His face was not right either. His mouth was too large. He was fighting an imaginary enemy with a wooden sword. The Empress looked as he played. She could feel someone was watching her, but she could not see them. A chill ran up her spine.

"Mother?" Alaron said, pausing between strokes. "Who was born first?"

"What?" Aurora could not comprehend his words. She stood and walked toward him, the blanket still in her hands. A strange menacing whisper filled the room around them. The prince seemed to breathe in the quiet words. His expression darkened.

"Was I born before Mairwen?" He asked again. His voice dropped to a deep tone at the end of the question and as Aurora blinked, Alaron transformed into a teen. His blue eyes pieced her heart as he looked at her with contempt. His wooden sword was replaced with one made of hardened steel. "Who is first?" His voice was slow.

"I don't know." Aurora answered as a fear crept into her soul. She stepped away from the boy. The nursery was growing fuzzy in her vision. Her heart was beating from her chest visibly as Alaron closed the gap between them. He hefted the sword on his shoulder.

A whisper called softly then grew louder. The prince listened to it as his hatred deepened. "Who is my father?" The blue eyed man demanded. Aurora felt her legs melt into the floor, holding her in place.

"I don't know." Tears streamed down Aurora's face. That question was the one she feared the most. The fate of the world rested in that answer. Were his father not the same as hers, he could have a legitimate claim to the throne. The whisper chuckled, and she could hear its deep tone. The prince joined it with a bitter laugh.

"You are a liar and a thief. You have stolen what is mine. You must die." Alaron sneered as an army broke through the walls of the nursery, engulfing Mairwen. She screamed before disappearing into the crowd. Aurora was surrounded. There was no escape. Alaron reared back to strike the Empress with the sword. Instead, he cut the blanket of the world in two. The tearing sound caused Aurora to drop the cloth and cover her ears. Alaron laughed bitterly and lifted his sword again. As he was about to deal the death blow, a bright light flashed and everything froze.

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Before Aurora, a strange woman appeared with colorless eyes and a flowing white gown. This was the being that had been watching her silently. Her expression was blank as she regarded the Empress. "Consider this a warning," the woman's voice echoed, "and beware!"

Aurora jerked and sat up in her bed. Her body was covered in sweat. To her surprise, she was surrounded by her ladies-in-waiting, the head doctor, Chief Zan and Devrim. All of them looked relieved that Aurora was alert and staring at them. All of her visitors were in various states of undress. Devrim's night shirt was tucked into his pants. He had obviously come in a hurry.

"You are awake!" Devrim said, taking her hand. He kissed the tip of her fingers before he could stop himself. Embarrassed, the grey-eyed man quickly released her arm and backed away. He bowed formally.

"What is wrong? Why is everyone here?" The Empress studied their faces. At first no one answered. Finally Anna spoke.

"You were screaming, Your Majesty. I came to check on you, but you would not wake up. You were just screaming and thrashing about. Nothing I did seemed to help. I sent Bella to get the doctor and Candela to wake Chief Zan and the Emperor. When Consort Devrim arrived, you stopped screaming and relaxed, but you still would not wake up. Your skin felt like it was on fire!"

That explained why Aurora's throat felt raw. No doubt screaming had hurt her voice. Devrim picked up where Anna left off. "We used ice from the kitchen to bring down your temperature. That was hours ago." His voice shook slightly. Devrim had thought the Empress might lose the fight against the mysterious illness.

"HOURS?? What time is it?" Aurora looked toward the window. The sun was streaming in full force.

"It is well past lunch, Your Majesty," Zan answered. "You have been gone nearly sixteen hours."

"Are you ok?" The doctor interrupted. The physician looked in her eyes and made her open her mouth. He would like to give her a full examination, but the other men in the room made that task difficult. "How do you feel?"

"My heart is racing and I am a little dizzy, but I think I am fine." Aurora lay back in her bed.

"Get her something to eat and drink." The doctor ordered.

The three sisters scattered to fulfill his request. Aurora smiled weakly. "Thank you, doctor. Any idea what happened?"

The doctor furrowed his brow. He was clearly distraught. "This was unlike anything I have seen, Your Majesty, but it seems to have passed."

"Do you remember anything from the night?" Zan asked her.

Aurora nodded. "Excuse us doctor. I need to speak to the Chief and Emperor alone for a moment."

The doctor bowed, "Glory to the Empress. I will be outside preparing some medicine for you, Your Majesty."

When the three were alone, Aurora struggled to sit up. "Save your strength," Devrim warned. He took some pillows and propped her up gently.

The Empress waved off his concern. She knew her body would heal. "Gentlemen, we have a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Zan took her words seriously. The look in her eyes was not of a deranged invalid; the Empress was clear-minded.

"I think this sickness was brought on by a dream. Someone is trying to send me a message."

Devrim was incredulous. "How can a dream cause a sickness? Surely it was the other way around: the sickness brought on the dream!"

Zan was quiet. He stroked his chin as he considered her words. "Why do you think that someone is trying to send you a message?" He had been around long enough that he knew strange things could still be true.

"This is the third time I have had this dream. I could tell each time that someone was there watching the events. Only this time, the third time, she appeared with her strange colorless eyes and white flowing gown. She gave me a warning: beware."

Zan's hands clenched. Devrim's countenance darkened. "What happened in your dream?" They asked in unison.

'Nothing good' the Empress thought.