The fabric of her emerald dress cascaded down her body, starting at the waist, and poured over to form the image of the skirt below it. The whole dress was dark green, like the damp trees in the depths of the forest when they were exposed to the morning sun. The synching created beautiful layers that feathered the hem. She stood on the veranda overlooking the estate's back grounds. The stone was as smooth and steady underneath her elaborate flat ruby-covered shoes; unfortunately, they were rarely seen within the length of that particular dress. She straightened the sash wrapped around her waist.

The grounds, once vibrant with life, were now shrouded in darkness. The plants and flowers, which usually dotted every dreary spot, were now withering, their colors fading into the gloom.

She looked up behind her, and the ivy that climbed hooking into each crevice between the stones had cast eerie shadows.

She could feel the chill of winter lingering in the air. Shivering, she folded her arms to instill warmth on her exposed skin.

"Charlotte." someone called out to her.

"You are requested in the drawing room."

She turned back towards the voice just soon enough to see Jasper disappear through the door.

Her dark, laquid hair fluttered with her movement, dark like the night sky.

A knight's voice could be heard echoing from the other room.

The Pilara army is making their way to the capital of Eroth,

The capital of Eroth, New Garde, was along the continent's west coast. It was a royal city near a huge trading port. All three states of Eroth were coastal, and large chunks of each state had exposed borders pressed against the tumultuous ocean. The whole west side was oceanside, and the coast was mostly stone and rocky cliffs rather than sandy beaches.

"Scouts spotted the fighters when they crossed the border from Baston Marre to Alshtal."

There were two ways to reach the central city in Alsthal: one was to travel through the city of Hylis and traverse the mountains, or they could head southwest and loop around the tail end of the mountain range.

"One army is traveling to Drofross in the center of Alsthal, and a second regiment is going from Hirshade to Dawndrift. It is clear that Pilara and all of its entities are aggressively pursuing territorial victories.

Down in the bottom corner of Alsthal was the city of New Garde, where the royal city was housed and lay near a considerable trading port. All three states of Eroth were coastal, and good chunks of each state had exposed borders pressed against the tumultuous ocean. The whole west side was oceanside, and the coast was mostly stone and rocky cliffs rather than sandy beaches.

Charlotte looked out from the window and saw the sailing port. It wasn't very close, and the people walking weren't noticeable, but the large ships stood tall in the sky.

She leaned against the frame as she watched the ships. Below her, her father was meeting with some dignitaries who were preparing for the invasion,

Her father was a lord in the Royal house of Eroth. He was a very sharp speaker, and no matter how docile the meaning behind his words, his tongue had the tendency to cut like a knife—a great contrast to the very soft-spoken King.

The kingdom of Eroth had been led by the same family for decades, and that day was Charlotte's first step towards joining that family.

The present King, Aurelius Mavi, was preceded by his father, Richard Mavi, and his father, Charles Avi. Charles was granted the throne after a long, tedious war that led to territory separation, and that was when the Kingdom of Eroth was born. Before, the kingdom was much smaller, and its three states were once totally separate.

Charlotte had gone to the castle with her father and liked to watch the soldiers practice. She always wanted to be a swordsman, but because her father knew the dangers of war firsthand, he refused to let her even attempt to learn sword combat.

One day, more recently, when she went to the castle with her father, she wandered off to the barracks, and there she caught the eye of the Prince who was training there that day.

He fell in love as soon as he met her and announced to the King that he would settle for no one else as his wife. He begged his father for her, and he agreed that she was a kind, lovely girl perfect for his son. Her skin was smooth and pale, and her eyes were a beautiful light blue—the perfect image of something otherworldly and pure.

Her mother walked over to her and began to straighten out her gown.

"You are a beautiful bride," she said

Charlotte smiled, but she felt uncomfortable. She didn't know if she wanted to get married, but it was necessary for her family, and that was the only reason she agreed to it. But she felt a little bit trapped. The gorgeous dress she was wearing was a gift from the Prince. He had it delivered to her to wear on the day she moved into the castle. She loved the dress. She thought it was beautiful but felt out of place wearing it.

Her grandmother was sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, and when her mother left, she walked over to her. Don't be nervous, she said. The Prince and King are honorable men, and you will have a much better life than you would here. Kari looked at her. She knew this meant once she was handed over to them, she probably wouldn't see her family again. She wasn't sure, but she had a good idea that what she thought was true.

She looked down; her grandmother lifted her chin.

"As long as you stay away from the goblins, you will be fine."

Kari laughed

Her grandmother always joked with her about goblins; she would tell her horror stories about the creatures. They were dark creatures that would slink amongst the shadows. Over the years, she told her more and more stories about them, and they became increasingly more entertaining and absurd, but she always said at the end of her stories by saying,

"Remember to watch the shadows."

She remembered that when she was feeling sick, her grandmother told her about the Golbin's special powers.

"Be careful, and do not underestimate the goblins. Some are small, and some change shape, but they are very powerful. They have their own dark powers, but the only one I know about in detail is the Turn of the Ground."

"What is that?," she asked all those years ago

"Something that can save lives; they are the only ones with the power to remove any curse or dark shroud. Even if they did not create it themselves."

Charlotte knew that was a remarkable talent. She had learned that curses could only be broken by those cast by her tutor, but her grandmother was very adamant that this was not true.

When her mom entered the room again, she was pulled out of her own thoughts and back into the reality of her marriage.

The Prince sent a carriage to her house, which was attended by two footmen riding horses on the side for protection. The carriage was not as large and ornate as she expected it to be.

She stood on the threshold of the front door and watched the driver open the door for when she was ready.

Her father was assigned to accompany her to the castle. He was wearing full regalia when he walked to the entry hall.

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He smiled at her when he saw her in the dress for the first time.

"I never would have imagined my daughter would be marrying the Prince," he said.

He was very proud of her. She smiled back at him. Though nervous, it made her feel better that her father supported the decision. He gestured his hand to her, and she turned to look next to her. Her mother was crying. She ran over to her and hugged her, and her mother hugged her very tightly. She then hugged her brother and grandmother and returned to her dad.

He put his arm out, and she took it. He escorted her to the carriage. The soldiers saluted him. After Charlotte was inside, he entered the carriage from the other side, and they shut the doors.

Her journey had begun.

She and her father got into the carriage, and they departed.

She was not supposed to bring anything, but she sneaked a satchel under her dress so she could take a few items she loved and refused to part with. Her mother gave her that idea, but her mother didn't realize she also strapped a large dagger to her thigh.

Charlotte wasn't sure why she felt safer doing that. She was about to join the most protected family in the kingdom, but somehow, that made her feel even more vulnerable.

The ride to the castle was not a terribly long one, but it felt longer than normal for her because she was nervous. She wasn't sure what living in the castle would be like or what the Prince would be like; she had only talked to him once.

The carriage finally reached the front gates of the castle grounds. Hundreds of people had crowded around the area to watch the momentous occasion. The guard told them to get out of the carriage, and there she would leave her family and get into the carriage with the Prince, marking her shift into the royal family physically and symbolically. She turned to her father, said goodbye, and met the Prince at the gate.

Suddenly, they heard the sound of swords being drawn and someone yelling. A group of men dressed in black ran forward toward them. The one in front swung his sword and sliced through the Prince's arm. The guards and her father drew their swords and pushed back the attack.

The Prince grabbed Charlotte and pulled her under the carriage to protect her. She felt his armor dig into her skin, but she was grateful for his protection. When the commotion had ended, he helped her up.

"What was that?" He asked a footman.

She looked at her father to make sure he was alright. He used to be a warrior, but he was old and more of an advisor now. She saw he had a man under his boot, so he clearly was able to handle himself.

The top advisor yelled for them to have Charlotte leave and return another day, but the Prince protested and brought her and her father with them back into the castle.

When they were safe inside, Charolette turned towards the Prince. Thank you, she said. That was so brave of you to protect me. She looked at his eyes. She realized he had a face covering the first time she met him, and he wore the same one that day. She placed her hand on his upper arm. You're bleeding, she said. Let me wrap that, she offered.

He looked at her. He was going to tell her that there was a servant who could help him, but instead, he led her to a healing room, and sat down on the bench. She tried to roll up his sleeve, and he winced.

"Oh, I need to take your armor off," she said.

He took off his helmet and chest piece, but he still wore a scarf on half his face. Charlotte began to untie it, but he stopped her.

"What's wrong?"

He dropped his hands and she gently pulled off the cloth. He turned his head, hoping that she wouldn't look at him, but she did.

She saw half of his face was covered in scars. She placed her hand under his chin and lifted his head so he could face her.

"You…,"she began

He felt embarrassed, didn't want her to see his face, felt utterly unworthy in front of her beauty, and knew she would never truly love him if she saw him before she got to know him.

"You must be an amazing warrior," she said.

She placed her other hand against his scarred cheek and looked into his eyes and realized he was uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry." She said she removed her hands from his face.

She reached down and lifted off his shirt. That's when she realized that the scaring continued on his chest. She looked up at him, and they locked their eyes again.

"What happened?" she asked.

"…a few years ago," he said.

She began to help seal the gash on his arm.

"It was the battle in the Hasa desert," he said. "The night was violent, and the armies did not stop, and a man got the best of me. It was my first foray as the leader of the army, and I was punished by the enemy very badly."

She finished bandaging his arm.

"You…" she said, "are brave. I was nervous to marry you today, but now that I've learned a bit about you, I honestly would be honored to be your wife." She said and touched his cheek again.

His eyes widened.

The first night in the castle quickly approached, and she was led to her new room, which they had prepared for her. She was not to stay with the prince until she was married, but their rooms were connected by a passage that sat between the parallel walls.

The prince had his own wing of the castle, occupying the whole east side of the third floor.

The handmaid led her from the banquet hall, where they had just finished a celebration. The halls were lively, and she was one of the first people to leave the party. Typically, when there was a royal wedding, the night before, there was a giant feast, and the soon-to-be bride would be sent to bed early in the night so she could get enough sleep for the wedding.

The woman, Ana, led her up a large marble staircase with golden trim that boasted intricate flowers carved and illuminated by melted gold.

The castle was bright and seemed to be a lovely and cheery place, though she was still nervous.

She was excited to be a princess but still uncomfortable leaving her home.

The prince's wing was marked by two large gilded doors with large gold door handles. On either side of the hall at the doors were two royal guards.

They opened both doors, which swung outward towards the hallway walls. This led to a long, narrow hallway, and at the end was her room.

The room was magnificent, with beautiful shades of pink and light blue.

She couldn't even imagine how they could dye the fabric such a light, lovely color.

Her bed was a canopy bed that had gold posts and a dark wood frame.

Ana led her inside.

"This is your room, Miss. "Food is laid out on the table by the window, and there are chests full of clothing over here."

She pointed to the wall, where there were a few large overflowing trunks.

"Everything here is yours, and we will bring you the dress you will wear tomorrow, along with the jewelry and shoes, in the morning."

Charlotte nodded, and the girl left the room. Her room had two other doorways, one set leading to a beautiful balcony and the other to another room. She walked over to them to see what they led to, but they were locked. They were on the wall perpendicular to the first set of doors. She didn't try again and decided to go out onto the balcony.

The fresh night air was warm and soothing. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her view was of a garden with a vast pond. The water glistened under the torches that lined the edges.

She turned around and walked back into the room. She decided it would be best to go to bed so she would be alert for her wedding. She was still excited, but she was calming down a bit. She sat on the side of the bed and took off her shoes.

She looked around for something to wear to sleep. A set of silk underclothes draped across the foot of her bed, with slippers on the floor beneath them, caught her eye.

She changed into silk clothes and slipped under the blankets on top.

She had never experienced a bed so comfortable in her life. She giggled, moved around, and nestled herself into the cushion.

She fell asleep very quickly, but a few hours into the darkest part of the night, she heard a noise—the sound of heavy footsteps just outside the hallway door.

She tried to ignore it at first, but it began to get louder.

She got out of bed, grabbed her short sword, and tiptoed to the outer door. The air was silent momentarily while she looked around. She waited and then heard the banging again.

She slowly grasped the handle and opened the door a tiny bit—just a crack so she could see through.

Everything in the hallway was dark except for one wall torch that was still lit.

She opened the door a crack more and continued to hear the stomping

She creeped towards the torch and pulled it off the wall.

As she turned around, the shadows shifted menacingly. The light didn't help, shaking and creating more demonlike shadows.

She was very uncomfortable.

Her night dress was long and silk. And white with ribbons that created an intricate collection of bows down her back

The dress was long, and the hem ended just above the ground.

Suddenly, a massive gust of wind whipped through the hallway, pushing her back to her door. The shocking burst of energy took her breath almost entirely.

She stood in the doorway shocked, and then another gust came through, filling the whole long, usually stagnant hallway. As the wind raced by, she saw something in the light of her torch.

At the end of the hall, there was a tall, dark gray-man. He looked partially ghost-like. He was gray and had long, thin, bone-like fingers.

She was very sure that he saw her and as he looked at her, he quickly disappeared.

She jumped back into her room and shut the door.

Charlotte frantically groped the edge of the door for the lock latch.

When she secured the door, she stepped back and took a breath.

"What was that?" She said to herself.

She shook off her terror and tried to convince herself that the man wasn't a ghost and that the shadows were too dim for her to see properly.

She tossed the torch into her fireplace, let it catch fire, and sat next to the hearth.

She crouched over, stoked the flames, and kept looking at the door behind her. The door to her back made her feel very vulnerable, so she shifted her position so she was sitting with her back against the wall beside the fireplace, facing the doors.

She tried to think about what she saw.

She didn't want to forget it and was determined to draw it. She looked around for parchment.

She found a few pages of parchment, a quill, and ink inside a desk. She took the items back to the fire and placed the paper on the ground with the ink.

She dipped the pen in the ink and slowly and gracefully slid the pen across the page.

She drew the shoulders and lanky arms, but she didn't draw the face because it was canvassed in the dark shadows of the midnight hour, so she didn't get a proper look at his features, which she was grateful for.

She continued to slowly draw the long robe and then the unmistakable skeleton fingers.

The fingers were so long, too long to be human.