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  Above her, the dragon roared again. Vivilyn looked up just in time to see a blast of flames coming straight at the darkness, directly at her.

  The scorching heat blew Vivilyn backwards. She couldn’t help but scream.

  As she screamed, the world returned to the present.

  Vivilyn blinked rapidly, catching her breath. A hand was heavy on her shoulder.

  “Are you okay?” Duncan asked, concern making his voice seem heavy. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with tears. It was his hand on her shoulder.

  “Viv,” Darissa said. She pushed past the other women and lightly grasped her elbow. “What happened?”

  “I…” she started. She coughed a few times. Her eyes saw smoke expel from her mouth, but since no one said anything, she figured it was just a remnant from her vision. “I think I got a splinter.” She lifted her hand to her face as though checking for a small piece of wood in her skin. She could almost see the remnants of light that the fruit left on her hands. “What were we talking about?”

  “The Seer’s Fruit,” Louise said. She looked at Vivilyn, with her head tilted slightly and her eyes wide with concern.

  “What’s that?” Vivilyn asked. Her mind suddenly filled with a picture of the fruit she’d tried in her vision. She saw herself eating it and then her mind flickered through quick scenes of many other people eating them. Vivilyn didn’t recognize anyone in the flashes.

  “The fruit that used to grow here,” Jolene said. She huffed and rolled her eyes. “Were you listening to anything I said?”

  “I’m sorry,” Vivilyn said. “I guess I just got lost in a daydream.”

  “I’ve had her out all day,” Duncan said, stepping between Vivilyn and the other women. “I fear she’s tired. I should have realized after everything that happened, she wouldn’t be able to spend the day outside like this.”

  “And just who are you?” Marisol asked, flipping her gaze between Vivilyn and Duncan.

  “I’m Duncan Eloy of Treelyn,” Duncan said, as he bowed to the women in front of him. “I am Vivilyn’s brother.”

  “What are you doing here?” Jolene asked. “We aren’t allowed to see our family until a lot further in the Trials. No outside contact is allowed.”

  “After everything that happened, the royal family felt it would be beneficial to allow me to come for the day.” Duncan set his arm around Vivilyn’s shoulder. “I’ll take her somewhere to relax for a bit. I’ll see if I can get the splinter out.”

  “It was a pleasure to meet you,” Darissa said. Her smile seemed to put everyone at ease. “We will be having dinner in an hour or so, if you care to join us before you leave.” As Darissa turned to leave, the rest of her group all said their farewells and followed.

  “What did you see?” Duncan asked, as soon as the women were out of hearing range.

  “It wasn’t the dragon that destroyed the trees,” Vivilyn said. She looked cautiously over at the dead trees. “A mass took the energy out of them. I think the dragon was trying to get the mass, not the trees.”

  “Dragons are evil,” Duncan said. They started walking the opposite direction the other women had. “Was the mass trying to gain enough energy to maybe counter the dragon?”

  “I’ve never felt something as negative as that dark… thing.” Vivilyn shivered. “There was no way it was trying to help the kingdom.”

  They walked in silence for a few moments. Vivilyn’s mind kept showing her people walking, but they looked faded as though if Vivilyn tried to touch them, her hand would go right through it. Vivilyn knew if they were really there, Duncan would not have asked about her vision.

  “What is the Seer’s Fruit?” Vivilyn asked.

  “It’s the fruit that used to grow there,” Duncan said. “Apparently it would help energize someone with magical abilities who overextended themselves. It was especially potent for those with Sight and would allegedly make visions easier to summon.” Duncan shrugged. “At least, that’s what Jolene said.”

  “I ate one in my vision.”

  “Do you think it did anything?” Duncan asked. They walked right through a tall woman with a silver diadem around her forehead. A green stone hung between her eyebrows.

  “Yeah,” Vivilyn said, turning her head to look at the woman they’d gone through. The woman seemed to watch them walk away. “I’m relatively sure it did.”

  “You’ve twisted your ankle in a vision before,” Duncan said. “So, it makes sense if you eat something, it’ll cause real life issues.”

  “Did Jolene mention how long the effects of the fruit last?” Vivilyn hoped perhaps she could sleep off the effects.

  “No,” Duncan said. “Even if she had, who’s to say it would be accurate for one eaten in a vision?” Duncan shook his head.

  “We should go inside,” Vivilyn said. All the people she saw seemed to be drifting closer and closer to her. She didn’t like walking through them. Hopefully, none of them would be in the palace. “Perhaps go to dinner. Maybe I’ll be able to introduce you to some more of the people around here.”

  Chapter 2

  “I don’t want you to leave yet,” Vivilyn said, as she burrowed her face into the front of Duncan’s scratchy brown shirt two hours later. The carriage door opened with a sharp squeal. “It feels like you just got here.” With a heavy sigh, she pulled away from her brother.

  “That’s because I did. It was a day trip, remember?” Duncan said, the left side of his mouth raised in a small smile. Duncan ruffled at Vivilyn’s hair.

  “Hey now.” Vivilyn swatted at his hands as she backed away.

  “Be careful, Little Sister,” Duncan said. He took a step toward the carriage. “The next time I want to see you is at home, healthy, telling us all about the new things you’ve tried.”

  “Bye,” Vivilyn said with another sigh.

  “I mean it, Lyn. Be careful.” He slid into the carriage and the door closed behind him. When he leaned his head out the window, he continued, “I love you.”

  “I love you too,” Vivilyn said, as the carriage started moving away from the palace. She shouted after it, “Tell everyone at home I miss them.” She waved as he was driven all the way down the road until he turned out of sight.

  As Duncan was vanished from her sight, she saw others approach her, including the cameraman Maxwell.

  Back to this, Vivilyn thought with a heavy sigh. No more time truly to myself. Who knows when I’ll get any again.

  “Who was that?” Freya said, as everyone approached. Behind her came Brayleigh, Macy, and a darker haired girl Vivilyn vaguely remembered from the ceremony.

  “That was my brother, Duncan,” Vivilyn said. She looked back to the direction he had gone and a couple tears escaped from her eyes that she quickly brushed off her face. She missed her family and friends so much it actually hurt.

  “We aren’t supposed to meet with family until much later in the process,” Brayleigh said and crossed her arms. Vivilyn could hear the woman’s dislike in her voice.

  “I think she earned a little special treatment,” the woman Vivilyn hadn’t met yet said as she stepped forward. “Besides, I bet you think he’s cute.”

  “I never—”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Vivilyn said, as she turned to face Brayleigh. She didn’t want to hear of anyone thinking her brother was cute. “It was as a special thank you, and he was only here for a little bit of time.”

  “I’m Entra,” the other woman said, with a slight nod of her head. “We’ve not had the chance to meet yet, but I’m glad you are okay after…” Entra nodded to where the main entrance of the palace used to stand proudly.

  Thinking about what happened caused her back to spasm in pain for the first time that day. Vivilyn took a deep breath.

  “We were just heading to get some food,” Macy said. “Come with us?”

  “No, thank you,” Vivilyn said. “Duncan and I ate before he left, but thank you for inviting me.”

  As if Brayleigh would really want me
to join them. Of all the people Vivilyn had met since being at the palace, Brayleigh was the one that seemed to go out of her way to show her dislike of Vivilyn being Chosen.

  Once the others left, Vivilyn leisurely entered the Hall of Mirrors and made her way back to her room.

  She walked slowly, listening for the sounds of anyone else nearby besides her and Maxwell as he followed her.

  There was no extra sound. When she arrived at her door, she stood for a few minutes just listening into her room. With the threat of spies still looming over everyone’s heads, she couldn’t be too careful.

  “I’m just going to bed, Maxwell,” Vivilyn said as she began to open the door.

  “Yes, m’Lady,” he said, before moving the camera off his shoulder. The red light signaling that it was recording blinked three times before it went off. “If you decide to go somewhere else, please come get me from this hall’s library.”

  “I won’t be going anywhere,” she said. When Maxwell started to open his mouth she added, “But if I do, I will be sure to come find you. Goodnight.”

  Vivilyn walked over to her dresser and changed into a nightgown. Although she had told her cameraman that she was going to bed, she sat in the comfortable red chair near the window.

  She looked at the canvas in front of her and considered adding some final touches to it, but instead pulled out the piece of paper she’d started sketching Adontus on. It was difficult for her to get in the right frame of mind to work on it, but she tried. She’d heard of some artists, like the great Grisoli of Trikilio, who could turn creativity on like a switch.

  As she sat, imagining Adontus posing in front of her, the sound of her pencil on the paper created a soothing scratching sound. Lines here, shading there. She lost herself as she worked on the sketch.

  She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, but it wasn't long before she was done. It wasn’t her best work. Between everything that had happened since she had first been given the task—the brunch with Prince Bryton, the Choosing Ceremony, the explosions, and then Duncan's visit—the portrait had been pushed aside as a priority.

  Vivilyn sighed as she looked at the sketch.

  Without prompting, her mind flung her into a vision. Fiona, the youngest member of her team, lay curled up against the guard, Lance, on top of a comforter.

  “I love you, Fi,” Lance whispered. He tightened his arms around her. “I promise you, we will figure out a way to make it work.”

  “Lance,” Fiona sighed, as though they’d had the same conversation before. “You know as well as I that this is just temporary—”

  “I don’t want to think about all that can go wrong right now.” He kissed the top of her head. “All that matters is how we feel about each other. I love you. Can you honestly tell me you don’t love me? Has all of this meant nothing to you?” Fiona remained quiet. “I have duty in half an hour, can’t we just pretend like maybe things will work out how we want them to?”

  Fiona closed her eyes before shaking her head.

  “I should go see if Lady Vivilyn needs anything,” she said. “She’ll be needing her evening snack tray soon.” Fiona opened her eyes and crawled out of Lance’s arms.

  “Fiona…” he said, as he reached to lightly grab her wrist. She moved too quickly for him to stall her.

  “You’re going to be sent away,” Fiona said shortly. She looked at him, tears filling her eyes rapidly. “Love isn’t the only thing to consider. And although I love you more than anything, I’ll be helping with the Trials for the next two years. You are a handsome and perfect man. Soon someone else will draw your eyes and you’ll find someone else to love before we could even hope to be reunited.”

  “You are the only one for me,” Lance said, as he sat up. “Nothing in this world or the next will stop me from loving you, from wanting you, from making you mine for all eternity. I will marry you, Fiona Grace.” He hesitated for a moment, before he looked up sheepishly. “If you’ll have me, anyway.”

  Fiona moved toward him and pulled him into a deep kiss.

  Vivilyn’s mind switched the scene in front of her to the little stairwell behind to Tailors’ shop. Ryso and Cleo sat curled up together looking at the moon above.

  “We can marry once Lyn returns,” Cleo said. She moved her head to look at Ryso. A dreamy smile formed on both of their faces. “That’s the only thing stopping us from marrying at this point.”

  “Well, that,” Ryso said as he pulled Cleo closer, “and you wanting to follow custom so closely.”

  “She won’t be back by the time we’ve been courting a year, a month, and a day,” Cleo said. She sounded so sure about that, Vivilyn smiled at her friend’s confidence in her. “Can you imagine what it’ll be like to have the queen-to-be at our wedding? Do you think Prince Aiden would come too?”

  “She hasn’t won yet,” Ryso exclaimed. “Goodness, you sound just like Iza right now.”

  “Vivilyn saved the prince’s life. We all saw it. That has to mean something.”

  “Yeah, something,” Ryso agreed, but then he shook his head. “That doesn’t mean she’s guaranteed to win this whole thing.”

  “I mean,” Cleo said, smiling playfully up at Ryso and tapping at his lips gently. “How many people can say they gave the queen her first kiss.”

  Ryso blushed hotly, before saying, “I can’t believe she admitted that in an interview.” Cleo pulled Ryso into a kiss, before he could continue.

  Vivilyn’s own cheeks grew warm as the vision faded away.

  I want to go home, she thought to herself as she leaned her head against the back of the chair. Tears began to fill her eyes. She let them fall. Soon, the few tears turned into a waterfall. What am I even doing here?

  Duncan’s visit was supposed to make her feel more comfortable after everything that happened. While he’d been there with her, it had worked. Now that she was alone again, though, her heart never felt heavier. She felt alone, but not in the comfortable, being able to relax way. Rather in a lonely, longing for home way.

  Every time she thought of her family and friends back home in Treelyn, her heart ached.

  As Vivilyn cried, she didn’t notice her door open and close as Fiona entered the room with a late-night snack.

  “Miss, I’ve brought—” Fiona stopped in her tracks and set the covered tray on the table next to Vivilyn and the chair. “What’s wrong, Miss?”

  “Nothing,” Vivilyn said, then she looked up at Fiona and saw her dark eyes wide with concern. “Everything.”

  Fiona grabbed the sketch out of Vivilyn’s hands and set it next to the tray. Vivilyn leaned forward, heavily crying. “I just… I don’t know what I’m doing here.”

  Fiona knelt in front of Vivilyn and pulled her into a hug. She tried to pull away, but Fiona held tight. So she kept crying.

  Despite Fiona being so small, her arms had a strength that reminded Vivilyn of her father. It made her cry even more. When her sobs finally began to lessen, Fiona pulled away slightly.

  “It’s perfectly understandable to feel overwhelmed in this process,” Fiona said. “Andrea mentioned that it’s especially difficult early on.”

  “How would Andrea know?” Vivilyn said shortly, turning to face out the window. “She’s just Malcolm’s assistant.”

  “She was in the Trials for Prince Bryton,” Fiona said simply as she stood up and busied herself with uncovering the tray of fruits and vegetables. Vivilyn was quiet for a few moments before picking up the picture of Adontus again.

  “I’m sorry, Fiona,” she said. None of this was Fiona’s fault. She felt that she had been unnecessarily rude to her, and she didn’t need to be rude to any member of her team. They were all on her side. She didn’t need to be rude to anyone. “I just…”

  “You’re second-guessing why you’re here. After everything that has happened, I’d be more concerned if you weren’t.” Fiona looked at Vivilyn as though she understood how she was feeling.

  “What if all of this is just a waste of time?�
� A few more tears fell down her cheeks.

  “What if it’s not?” Fiona countered as she held up a small handkerchief.

  Vivilyn looked at her and sighed. She spoke without really thinking, “What’s it like to be in love?”

  Fiona looked over at Vivilyn, her thin eyebrows furrowed. “Why ask me?”

  “I…” Vivilyn hesitated. She had no reason to know about them besides her vision. She couldn’t mention those at all. “I’ve seen the way you and Lance look at each other,” Vivilyn said.

  Fiona blushed. “It’s not like that. We just… nothing can happen between us. He will likely be moved away from the palace before too long and who knows when we’d see each other after that?” Fiona looked away for a brief second, then changed the subject. “What do you really think of the prince?”

  Vivilyn looked at the sketch in her hands and back at Fiona. She smiled shyly.

  “I’m not sure yet,” she said. “But I think I could really like him.”

  In the distance, a bell rang out the hour. It was later than Vivilyn thought. Fiona glanced quickly at the door before standing up. “Is there anything else I can help you with tonight?”

  “No, thank you,” Vivilyn said but then looked at the sketch again. “Actually, would you mind doing me a favor?” Quickly, she signed the bottom of the sketch and handed it to Fiona. “Would you mind taking this to Adontus when you have a moment?”

  “Of course, Lady Vivilyn.” With that, Fiona left the room rapidly. The door bounced slightly open.

  After Fiona left, Vivilyn sat staring out the window as clouds moved in, blocking out the end of the sunset. She lit a candle beside her bed and closed the door completely before sitting on her bed with a new, blank sheet of paper in front of her. The book she kept on her nightstand was a perfectly suitable hard surface to draw on.

  It was one of the best things about being in the palace. No matter where she was, blank paper was generally within reach. In her room alone, someone made sure she always had a stack of paper set on the table next to her bed.