Young Writers Society

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Leif Vex

“Welcome my faithful warriors. Many were called yet few accepted, so I owe you my immense gratitude. Most of you I have known for many years, others for only a few, but this I know: that I would trust you with my life and my sword. You all understand my plight, you understand that this mission is extremely important, you understand the danger, the risk, the challenges you will face, yet you still accept. I thank you from the deepest part of my heart.
Moving on, here are some instructions. You have two days to train and meet each other. You do understand why you cannot take any longer. After a feast here in the royal hall, you will be taken to your chambers. Then there will be a meeting where you must decide the role of each person. You are all very responsible mature people and I do not doubt that you will make the best decision for the group. I give you my blessing and leave you with the firm belief that you will succeed,” ended the king, looking at each person in turn. His pale blue eyes looked tired and broken. Worried creases lined his forehead and he seemed to have gained ten years of age in the last month. Leif looked sadly at the man whom he so loved, this kind king and lord that ruled his people so justly and honestly. Leif pitied the king and hoped he could help in his own small way.
A court official with a high-pitched nasal voice stepped to the front of the group. “For those who don’t know the palace, you will find the royal hall where the feast will be held just down this hallway.” He pointed to the right. “You may refresh yourselves that way,” he explained pointing to his left. “And if you have any questions just come to me. The king will retire to his chamber until the feast.” With that, the king left their presence and the little official stood importantly at the front of the room. As soon as the king left, the room began to buzz with excitement. People began talking and laughing, some as if they had known each other forever. Leif felt alone and out of place and hoped that he would form some friendships on this journey.

Imara Landson

After the King had finished speaking, Imara screened her surroundings. It was not difficult to separate her party and the rest of the castle folk, the ones either the most serious and attentive were the ones she figured would be going with her. She noted at most four other humans, and only one other girl who looked like she could hold herself well. She then looked to the mystical creatures, they looked strong, ready, some seemed small but they all looked capable. She noticed a Ghost Sprite moving and smiled to herself, that would help them a bit. She looked to the ceiling thinking that maybe there could be flying creatures but saw none. She did though, as her head was lifted, notice a dragon that she had not seen in the midst of not only people gathering to hear what the King would say, but also the many structures in the grand room they were in to receive the speech. Continuing her search for those with her she had found another Ghost sprite, and smiled again, she had often wished she had their ability, to see but not be seen. After her slight assessment of who was joining her she felt that at least they would be able to make it to the Azaks Kingdom in one piece. After that, well, knowing what she knew, she only hoped the two days of training would be enough to prepare everyone for what was coming. Especially since there wasn't that many of them. When the king had finished, there was a slight bustle and people were greeting each other. Although she had been watching the others, she was not yet truly ready to meet them, and with the feast coming up and the two days of training she knew there would be plenty of opportunity. She turned to one of the castle servants and asked him when the feast would be starting, she was told in about half an hour. With that knowledge she walked north towards passageways found one of the winding staircases leading to the outside, hurried down it, and once outside, she quickly found the dragon stalls. She decided to do some last minute practice flying with her dragon before the training started, to avoid herself embarrassment, and also because she could never practice enough with their advancement drawing near. There were many different dragons held at the stalls, even though some dragons could fit in the castle it would be easier to leave the dragon in the stall and truly they were well taken care of there, she found hers and released it.

“Forward,” she told it softly, and it went towards her slowly. It was not only trained by such keywords, but also with her tone of urgency, that way, she felt, if she needed the dragon quickly she would be able to simply use her temperament to let it know. She smiled at the beauty, Ice was growing, she could remember how it looked when she found it, abandoned, forlorn, and how much it needed to simply be interacted with. She stoked his silky skin and spoke to it her deepest fears. “This is going to be tough,” she confessed, her smile staring to fade. She knew what lay ahead, she knew what to expect. For years she had trained under the king, knowing the dangers of the Azaks and for even more years, those who were allies of the Azaks attacked her family’s home which was in the woods, not allowing them any rest, and taking her father’s life. She straightened herself up and reminded herself why she was there, she was there to destroy the Azaks, and then also use the proof of their destruction to show their allies that if the Azaks can be destroyed they can be too. She was there to set an example of the Azaks, as well as of course freeing the princess. But the princess was just the other part of the plan. She chided herself, ‘don’t get ahead of yourself’ she thought. ‘The princess is first, her safety first, you are the Kings servant’. Yet she knew her plan was to make sure the Azaks knew which kingdom was most powerful. Which brought her back to the tiny ‘army’ they were. She hoped that when training she would be able to see their strengths, and wondered what type of training they would be put through. “Uplift!” she said in preparation of catching the creature by surprise, and it followed perfectly immediately allowing Imara on its back, which she had nothing to hold on but its skin, and picking her up in the air. Rising higher and higher, she was filled with exhilaration and accomplishment until she realized that they only kept getting higher, she then quickly shouted “Settle, Ice, settle!”
Ice then abruptly stopped climbing and starting soaring, almost throwing Imara off of its back, and down to her death. She was frightened, but was glad that had happened so she could learn how to prevent it again. When they were safely on the ground she decided that she would have to try saying “Uplift-Settle!” combining them into one statement so that the dragon wouldn’t have to learn any new terms. Climbing off, she noticed someone was rushing to her; one of the women in charge of hospitality.

“Hurry now, you look a mess, you must freshen up for the feast!” said the woman as she grabbed the surprised Imara leaving her only to shout “Bye, Ice, be good: In!” and then be whisked away into the castle to prepare for the meeting of the group. She was actually quite excited about it considering she had not see any of them face to face, to truly know what they were like. Also she was hoping that the feast would be used to discuss important strategic elements for getting to the Azaks kingdom. She knew that the king had some good advisers and hopefully they would be there too to dine. She could only hope for such things when the road before them was a grave one, and the battle, of utmost importance.

Marlon Grey

I cleaned my hands at the washroom and considered the window. It was intentionally small, to prevent people from climbing in; although I was more interested in leaving. They had promised me a vacation after spending a year behind Azak lines. Two days later, the Princess gets kidnapped and I get invited to a feast. I wouldn't have shown up, except it's hard to say no to a squad of secret police.

I had a feeling there was more to this than there appeared on the surface. The King had sent the summons quickly, but for all the urgency in the summons, there was no urgency here. He was holding a feast and wanted the group to train together for two days while his daughter was being carried of to the Azak frontier.

Perhaps the rumor was true and there hadn't been any kidnapping at all; and that it was a charade so that the King could declare a just war on the Azaks. I looked away from the window; I would find a way to escape once I knew more information.

Titch Van Ro’Shay

‘Now where am I going to land?’ That was the only question that had run through Titch’s mind as she tightened her grip; J.P.’s landings weren’t the smoothest of experiences. The sky was fairly clear except for the scarce amount of clouds that hadn’t fully evaporated, but it was still cold; her eyebrows were covered with miniscule amounts of frost. As J.P. descended lower and lower towards the castle, she could see a group of soldiers huddling together to gain a clear view of the incoming stranger.

Titch hoped they’d realise she was just another guest of the kings who was unfortunately late; partly because she wasn’t in the mood to dodge a flurry of flaming arrows. The other reason was because she didn’t want to be penalised as the only guest that had arrived late, she’d be severely underestimated by the other trainees for the rest of the journey.

J.P. was gaining speed now and there were shouts from the armour clad men below, she knew she had to make this landing fast; maybe enter with a witty remark about the soldiers investing in a more qualified lookout.

Seizing the opportunity, Titch brought her legs up from either side of her dragon and rested on her knees until she felt she could maintain her balance. When J.P. was low enough, she somersaulted off and the thud of leather hitting grass informed her disorientated mind that she had landed.

“Who goes there?” A male voice was speaking to her; it was getting louder and from the shuffling sound of movement around her, she could tell that the guards had her surrounded. ‘Take a deep breath and keep calm.’ It was easier said than done but somehow Titch managed it. She had straightened up and raised the fingertips of her right hand to fiddle with a red strand of hair.

“Don’t tell me you’ve never seen a dragon before. I know for a fact that the King has a whole stable full somewhere around here.” Titch walked confidently towards the only man who had stepped forward. He didn’t look like a general or a captain but maybe he was just one of the crowd daring enough to approach further. “Y-Yes of course, but we have to be—” Titch pranced the short distance between then and placed a finger on his lips. “I know, I know. You’re just doing your job, but please, I’m already late and I don’t fancy standing out here for the rest of the night.”

“Certainly, the rest of the king’s guests are beginning to gather in the royal hall. I can—” Titch continued skipping past him and towards the glorious stone arch that was the entrance; “I’m sure I can find my way but if you wouldn’t mind, please show my dragon to the stables. If he bites, it only means he doesn’t like you!” Titch giggled as she went, the unnoticeable scent of cooked meat spiralling her senses into bliss.

Doe

The cluster of artificial soldiers that the King had scraped together looked like a poor housewife's homemade quilt, made out of a great variety of rags scavenged from the gutters. It wasn't exactly that everyone in the hall wore rags; quite the opposite. The hall was a flurry of crisp royal uniforms and the delicate cloth work of the mystic folk, but when thrown together on the equally contrasting color scheme of the royal hall made for a curious sight. She had arrived just as the King began his speech, gently padding close enough to pay the respective amount of attention. It wasn't easy; the hall and its populace greatly piqued her attention, with the hall having magnificent arching ceilings fit for a giant and the people having seemed to come from places she had yet to see.

After the King had finished, the people had started to group in clusters. Her ears were filled with their voices, bouncing off of the graceful columns and fine rugs to reach her in a jumble of conversations she wasn't apart of. She was contempt to wander and gaze around herself, wondering what it would look like to be able to touch the ceiling. A faerie sprite could fly up there and look down at them. Out of all of the talking creatures she had met, faerie sprites were always the best to her. Of course she had only spent around two weeks with one once, and then he was only meeting her briefly to give her food in an abandoned cave. He had talked to her as little as possible, but they were kind words and nothing less.

She had the sudden urge to talk to the others. Doe was well aware that she would be spending the good bit of the trip with these people, even though she wouldn't feel less of herself for pointing out that it would be much faster and efficient if the King had sent all dragon riders. Not only would they get there faster, but they would have the advantage of dragons. She wished she had the right situation to voice her suggestion, but the King had already made his pretty speech and would be unlikely to take it back.

She gazed on the fellow creatures, a little less desperate to engage in conversation now. She wasn't good at it by regular standards, for she had the habit of letting her mind do the talking in her head and when she would voice something they would look at her oddly. Oh, well. Doe was accustomed to odd stares, more or less.

There were no halfings, as far as she could see. Doe knew the pride purebreds had, and had been the end of it multiple times. Most purebreds ignored her when they could, shed their gaze when they found out her heritage. Doe was an anomaly, a bad stain and product of interbreeding that wasn't supposed to ever happen. She had never denied it, but she would admit to a twinge in her chest when she would be harassed. Luckily it was mostly the drunkards and children that did so, but she had a right to harvest doubts of her future travel mates.

The court official was back, his annoying voice wanting to make her pinch her ears shut. "The feast is ready, please follow me to the dining hall."

She followed with everyone else, a pleasant feeling tingling her spine at the thought of another room with possibly more columns and an even grander ceiling. The people around her kept talking, but she heard only the echoes that vibrated back. How big would the dining hall be? What colors were they painted? She wished Ares could be with her, if only to be her company, but the guard had stopped her when she had wished to bring her in. Ares had growled and snapped all the way to the stables, disturbed by the scent and presence of other dragons. Doe decided that she would sneak her a leg of something when she went to check on her later.

The court official paused at a set of beautifully carved and golden flecked doors, waiting for everyone to get a significant view of the entrance. Doe could have spent hours tracing the lines on the doors and fingering the glittering brass knobs, but instead the court official had servants open the admirable doors and into the dining hall. Doe shuffled in with the others, craning her neck to catch the painting that dominated the ceiling. A long table was surrounded by great wooden chairs, and upon it laid food in an amount she had never seen before, in a variety she had never seen before. Without thinking she sat down right next to a group of people and began supplying her plate starting with the most strangest foods she saw.

Roukin Luric

Roukin held himself high and important, as he walked through, he looked at the groups of people and the other things. They all had another to talk to, another of their own kind.
Roukin was a little annoyed that he only saw a couple of female elves, then any of the male elves, it wasn't that he had anything against girls, he was rather fond of them, just wasn't looking forward to training with them.
He didn't think there really should be any girls on this journey. Not that he was sexists, or so he told everyone he wasn't.
'But be what the king wishes.' He thought glancing around at the females, then he noticed the remarkable carvings on the wall and ceilings, not as remarkable as the one's in his kingdom.
Even the king's crown was rather exquisite, although a human's filthy, greedy hand would take it in an instant, he didn't think highly of them.
His attention was then turned to the man calling them in to the feast. He put both of his hands behind his back, and walked through the small crowds. He could see over most everyone's head.
He entered the feasting hall, it was long but not as long as the one's he normally saw. This place smelled of normal things, the king usually kept himself up to date on smelling good, unlike most dirty humans, not to mention the dwarfs, he would have fainted if he were more sensitive.
He gathered his food, the platters were of fine gold and silver, he tried to sit in a chair away from the humans, and next to some girls, he hadn't meant a new one in fifty years at least, he could give them a chance to meet him, who wouldn't want to meet an elf.

Glumber Flod

The smell of food was overpowering. Glumber could barely hold his chubby fingers back. If there was one thing he loved better than food, it was feasts. He was able to combine his enormous appetite with his love for people and jests.
"Slounder Bong! Old buddy," he cried out catching sight of his old friend. "How goes the training? Have ya finally learned to mount a dragon?" Glumber let out a deep belly laugh.
"They're too slippery for my liking," replied Slounder adding his own laugh. "It's like trying to ride steak in meat sauce. Too slippery. I don't get along very well with dragons anyhow."
A large dragon that had entered the feasting hall turned to stare at them then continued serving himself food. The two dwarves clapped hands to their mouths to stifle their laughs.
"This'll be a fun journey eh?" asked Glumber pleasantly. "We've got everything from elves to dragons and ghost sprites and then that little thing that looks like a mouse." He pointed to Leif who turned to glare at Glumber. "Come, come Slounder. Let us go and meet the rest of these people. Personally I find that little halfling quite pretty." He elbowed Slounder in the side.
"How do ya know she's a halfling?"
"It's obvious, see? Her ears are elven shaped but look at her height! She's nearly my size. Can't possibly be an elf. Either human-elf or dwarf-elf if ya ask me."
Slounder nodded his agreement and the two old friends headed for the table. Food came first, and then people. That's how it always was with their kind.

Ahkrin Sunvaar ~ Dragon

Ahkrin left the feasting hall soon after entering. There will be plenty of time for meeting the others later, he thought to himself. He departed from the castle and ,flapping his huge wings, soared into the air. He would be back later before it was time for the meeting, maybe. He didn't really care for the cramped confines of the castle and was just happy to be away from the castle, it's people, and those of his "domestic" kin. It made him sick. Dragons were beings, they weren't your "beasts" or your "pets" or your "possessions". He continued to soar through the sky, thinking and delighting to be in the open air.

Ayleth Kaduri ~ Fairy Sprite

The room was alive with conversation and laughter. Ayleth couldn't contain herself. It was like a fairy in a feasting hall. Oh, wait! That is exactly what it was. Ayleth flew over and landed next to a couple of dwarves. Dwarves always enjoyed a good laugh.

"Hello," Ayleth told them.

"Well hello there," one of the dwarves replied.

"Watch this!" Ayleth said enthusiastically, as she soared into the air. Using her powers of transformation, Ayleth turned herself into a ball of light. She flew over the center of the room in a tight circle, changing the color of the light she had became every second. Sounds of amusement lifted up from below her. After about 30 seconds, or maybe a minute, Ayleth landed back down beside the dwarves, dizzyness starting to kick in.

"I'm hungry," Ayleth stated, still swaying from the dizzyness. Picking up a piece of fruit, Ayleth tried to stick it in her mouth, but her dizzyness got in the way and she ended up falling over. She heard the dwarves laugh and a smile spread across her face.

Michael Van Halen - Human.

Having a black dragon worked well to Michael's advantage.

He was able to arrive silently through the dark night, suddenly landing with a light thump as Pyre descended from the sky. Well over twelve feet tall, with a muscular built and coal scales with the barest of red, his dragon was magnificant, powerful, and obendient.

Michael lightly patted Pyre on the head, thanking him for the ride as he usually did, then swung his leg over to the other side. He braced both hands on the cold scales, then pushed off, landing into a crouch, one hand on the ground and the other above his head. Out of instint, he grasped the handle, ready to draw it out of the shealth and attack if necessary. Only the gods knew how many enemies he had made, here in Isurdru.

The man slowly rose to his feet and looked around, idly brushing dirt off his clothes. Then he turned to his dragon and patted Pyre's snout, whispering, "You know what to do. Stay low and listen for my call."

The fire-breather did what seemed to be a nod and spread his black wings, jumping into the air and quickly disappearing into the night. Satisfied, Michael moved out of the shadows and made his way up to the front of the king's castle. The moonlight sought him out and illuminated his unnoticed features. Tousled black hair, dark sapphire hues, a muscular body, porcelain skin, a slightly grimaced frown. He had a height of 6'3" and was often labeled as threatening and dangerous; which he was, make no mistake.

He had no trouble getting past the guards, who merely nodded at him curtly and retracted their spears, opening the pathway to him. As he started inside the castel, he heard one of them call out to him, "Van Halen. Your dragon. Where is it?"

Michael slowly turned his upper body, fixed the guard with a quirked eyebrow and shrugged. His lips were tilted up into a half smirk and he merely bowed his head apologetically and continued his journey down the castle's halls, finding his way to the main room.

He arrived to catch the last half of the king's speech, something about them having two days to train and get to know each other. Then they had to set out on their quest to find Princess Laena, who had been kidnapped by their enemies, the Azaks.

The mission looked dangerous and nearly impossible, but Michael was raging to go, regardless of the fatal consequences. He could die, sure. Anyone of them could die; chances are, someone will die. And if it was him, then so be it. At least he died trying to fulfill his promise.

Raven Ordare~ Ghost sprite


Raven sat down at the long table silently, next to another ghost route with silvery looking hair.

Raven decided to make the first move so she picked up a piece of bread and said quietly. "Hi, I'm Raven."

"I'm Aureo." He replied using the same quiet tone. Raven politely nodded and looked up to see what he was watching. A fairy was flying around making a group dwarves laugh. Raven rolled her eyes in their stupidity, but for some reason Aureo was smiling.

Maybe I just need to losen up. Raven thought asshe watched the fairy come down nearly falling from being dizzy. Raven giggled a bit as Aureo smiled wider. She looked around for other ghost sprites, but of corse their were none. Raven had a friend and that's all she needed. She filled her plate with Yummy food, even better that usual because we had guests. She ate in silence as the other recruits walked in and started to meet others and fill their hungry bellys.

"How many are coming?" Raven asked Aureo who was eating a large piece of chicken. He shrugged and kept eating while watching the groups form and friendships start.

I wonder if he's happy that I sat here. Am I too boring? Raven thought as Aureo watched the others. Raven sighed and went back to eating telling her self not worry, for that she needed tosave it for later when they started to actually work.

Slounder Bong` Dwarf

Slounder was in his dwarf heaven, with all the good food he could eat, and all the ale he could drink, and he did it all with his buddy Glumber Flod. They both loved food.
He stuffed as much as he could stuff in his stubby fingers, he shoved it all into his mouth, with bits and pieces of food that fell onto his beard, then he quickly chugged it down with one huge gulp of ale.
He let out a burp, and saw a fairy come over, as it started to fly, he laughed and hit Glumber on the back, they both laughed at it heartily. When it fell, Slounder almost chocked on a drumstick, he was laughing so hard that his cheeks were turning red.
“Oh, what fun these thingy's are Glumber!” he pointed at the fallen fairy, and hung his arm around his neck, “And did'ja check out that elf! Ah!”
“Aye, aye, that he is a pretty one!” they both burst out into more laughs.
The elf raised an eyebrow at them, those foolish dwarfs would die chocking on their food.. He thought drinking from his goblet.

Leif Vex~elf-sprite

Finally the feast was over to Leif's great relief. For one, Leif didn't enjoy eating. He ate because it was necessary to survival. Second, he didn't enjoy the revelry and drunkenness. What was the king thinking giving them ale right before a strategy meeting. This should be very interesting, he thought to himself.
"Come, come," ordered the little official. "The meeting is going to be held in the private courtyard. Oh," he added, "And you MUST attend. I see many of you arrived late to the palace." He scrutinized the company. "If you do not attend, you will simply not be given a role. It is as simple as that." He walked away and Leif followed. The rest of the company followed Leif.
The courtyard was decorated with gold. Gold lampstands, golden butterflies hanging on the walls, gold jugs, gold tables, and beautiful golden chairs arranged in a circle. There were a few chairs smaller in size for the fae and elf-sprites. Leif took one of the small seats and waited for the rest to take their's. There was a gap in the circle and Leif could only guess it was for the dragon, wherever he was. In the middle of the circle there was a small podium with a book and quill placed there. The little official stood there currently.
"You must be respectful, honest, understanding, and kind. This podium will not be used by any of you since you will see each other as equals. I will be here though, if you need me."
Leif had a mind to tell the official that there was no way they could need him, but waited for one of the bigger people to put that little guy in his place. They were not children who needed a nana but grown warriors who were in charge of themselves.

Titch Van Ro’Shay ~ Human

Titch entered the banquet hall and was instantaneously amazed by the golden chalices and complexly designed plates on the table, everything was so sparkly. She practically climbed over a minor group of elated dwarves to analyse one of the chalices; it was stunning.

Titch spotted a fairy across the room and sniggered to herself, something so bright and vibrant should belong in her pocket but as she’d formerly learnt the hard way, fairies aren’t pets. Setting the cup back down and making a silent note to come back for it, Titch decided to take a lap of the room.

Titch thrived off of communication, talking with somebody and finding out everything about them was almost as fulfilling as acquiring something shiny; almost. Every step she took between the small collections of different species led to a new appealing item: bracelets, swords and even earrings were donned by virtually every person in here. Some lanky, some dumpy and some big enough to fit into the palm of her hand.

After delicately pressing a fingertip against the point of an elfs ear, she swiftly darted to a corner of the hall and took a deep breath. That was when she spotted the hefty dragon exiting the hall and she grimaced, she loathed being away from J.P. for too long.

There had to be someone here that she could talk too, even if for a little while. That was when she spotted a stranger leaning against one of the stone walls, a burning torch a few feet away made his black hair look even more luxurious.

Titch decided that he would be her target; she was a definite sucker for the clichéd tall, dark and handsome; if not for love, then for amusement. Men would often indulge her curious questions until they got bored, often finding a more interesting female to interact with.

Titch slowly walked over to him and conveniently stopped beside him, carefully deciding on the first question she should ask. She had a habit of swinging back and forth on her feet while thinking and then it came to her, the perfect question to ask somebody of such mystique. “Have you ever ridden a dragon, before?”

Titch was confident that she’d asked him something that would peak his own curiosity, something she assumed was hard. The stranger didn’t show any indication that he’d heard her, so she repeated herself; this time a little more loudly.

Again, no reply. Titch pondered for a brief second and then took a bold step in front of him, her eyes met his almost instantly and she raised an eyebrow. “Why are you ignoring me?” She was agitated; nobody had ever ignored her before now.

That was when somebody behind the pair of them fell over and the sound of dwarves laughing heartedly wafted through the air, she couldn’t help but giggle; the fact that the man hadn’t shown any sign of amusement either immediately enlightened her.

“Oh, I’m sorry! You must be deaf!” Titch gently swatted her palm to her forehead. “I’m very sorry; I’ve never met somebody who couldn’t hear.” She genuinely felt guilty but before Titch could apologise again, she watched as he furrowed his eyebrows. “I can hear you perfectly fine.” His voice gave Titch chills that started from the top of her scalp all the way down to her toes; it was filled with confidence, this guy could clearly stand his ground.

Titch rolled her eyes and then her posture relaxed; she placed a hand on her hip. “Good, then you can tell me if you’ve ever ridden a dragon. No, instead, you can tell me your name.” She didn’t fail to notice that those dark eyes had left her small, roundish face and landed back onto the crowd behind them. “Well, c’mon!” Titch insisted.

She could see that he was finding her presence to be more irritating than amusing but she didn’t care; he intrigued her so she wasn’t going to leave until she had the answers she wanted.

He let out a sigh. “My name is Michael Van Halen.” His expression gave away the fact that he was somewhat surprised at her answer, because she was chuckling. “Did I say something that amused you?”

“Titch Van Ro’Shay.” She outstretched her hand and signalled for him to shake it. “Ah, you’re laughing because we have the same name.” Michael looked at Titch oddly..

Before Titch could enquire anymore about her mysterious new friend, a rather official looking man entered the hall. “Come, come,” he ordered. “The meeting is going to be held in the private courtyard. Oh,” he added, “And you MUST attend. I see many of you arrived late to the palace—” He looked in Titch’s direction and she felt red flush to her cheeks. ‘So much for keeping that a secret.’ The man continued speaking for a few more seconds but Titch wasn’t listening, she just began following the rest of the crowd. She stopped abruptly and then turned towards Michael, “See you later.” Titch mocked a serious salute, winked and then disappeared amongst the crowd of dwarves and fairies.