******************

I awoke the next morning and laid tangled up in the massive, cream colored blankets of my king sized bed for longer than I should have. Today was a big day, and I wasn't sure if was ready to face it. I needed some serious motivation to get going, today.

I reached for my scrying mirror, which was perched on my bedside table, and gazed into it while I thought of my father. He appeared, standing in the market under the bright, morning sun. He was talking with numerous villagers, trying to get a sale. He still looked well fed, and it helped put my mind at ease. Even all those miles away, my dad still gave me strength to put on a brave face and try to make the best of things.

I would try to remain strong thoughout the day, but it wouldnt be easy. There were three big things happening today...

Number one, Dristan had told me that I'd be visited by a beautician today. As a High Lady and a Princess, apparently I was expected to always appear polished and presentable. I wasn't looking forward to it. I was not keen on being touched and prodded at by strangers.

Number two, a doctor was coming by today. I was to be tested for illnesses, since I'd spent my entire life in a human village and was at risk for blister fever. I was also to be treated for lingering injuries from our journey, and given a basic, physical check up to rule out any potential threats to my health. I hated needles, so I was dreading it. But it was necessary.

Dristan had instructed me last night that when the doctor came, I needed to make sure he saw my 'birthmark'. I needed a way for it to be discovered without making Dristan's discovery of it look suspicious. Once the doctor found it and realized it was a rune, we could work on figuring out what kind of rune it was, and what to do about it. The thought scared me a bit, but also intrigued me...

And third, the welcoming ball was tonight. I'd have to meet countless people and keep a smile on my face while I did. Not to mention that Andromeda was going to help me pick out a dress. That was going to be awkward, to say the least.

But I had to face reality and at least try to get along with her. I had to give her a chance... For all I knew, she was a very nice person. It wasn't her fault she was betrothed to Dristan. She'd been destined for him since birth, after all...

As I thought more about Dristan and Andromeda, I suddenly felt very nauseous. I groaned and rolled out of the bed, pulling a throw blanket along with me. Wrapped up in the blanket, I made my way to the washroom. I felt a little bit better after I brushed my teeth and took a quick shower. I'd never taken a shower before. It felt like standing outside during a storm, or standing beneath a waterfall. I couldn't decide if I liked it better than the bath tub.

After dressing in my favorite kind of outfit, which consisted of an oversided, dark grey sweater, thick black leggings, and some comfortable socks, I made my way to the kitchen. The smell of fresh coffee made me smile as I sat on top of one the bar stools.

The coffee was waiting for me there, thanks to my magical chambers, and I sipped it gratefully. It even had sugar and milk in it. I grinned even wider when I heard a familiar, loud popping noise, followed by the appearance of a steaming plate of eggs, maple flavored griddle cakes, and a blueberry muffin.

A light, morning breeze from the open balcony doors cascaded over my face and ruffled my hair as I sipped my coffee. The conversation between Dristan and I from last night re-played in my mind while I slowly ate my breakfast.

********************

"Is it really necessary for a doctor to see me?" I complained.

"Of course it is. You took a nasty fall out of that tree and I saw the bruises on your shoulder. I'm sure there are more under your shirt. And you need to be checked for any other health risks." He said, lingering by the front door.

I scowled. "I've had worse injuries and done just fine without a fancy doctor."

"That's only because you didn't have access to one." He countered.

"But-"

"You're seeing the doctor weather you want to or not."

I planted my hands on my hips. "When are you going to stop talking to me like I'm a gods damned child?"

"When you grow up." He smirked

I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed.

"Make sure the doctor see's the rune. He will be doing a physical on you, so I suspect he will notice it, but if he doesn't, make sure you point it out. Ask him if it looks concerning, whatever you need to do. I'd tell him myself, but..."

"I know. It would look suspicious." I said awkwardly.

"Yes... I'm sorry, I should've been stronger. I should've resisted-"

I held up a hand. "Don't..."

"Brenya, if I had a choice-"

I cut him off again. "Please, let's just forget about it, okay? It never happened... It won't ever happen again. Just... just go, now. Please." I said, turning away. My eyes were beginning to burn with unshed tears.

"Just... forget it ever happened..." He repeated quietly.

"Right... Like it never happened." I whispered.

He was quiet for a few moments.

"Goodnight, Brenya."

*************************

When the door clicked shut, I'd thrown my hands over my mouth and ran to my bed. I didn't cry that time. I just laid there, staring at the ceiling, hating myself for what I'd done. He was promised to someone else, and I'd kissed him. What was wrong with me?

I'd fallen asleep after swearing to myself that I would lock the memory away and do my best to forget about it. Besides, there were more important things to think about now... I had to get the doctor to notice the rune and then figure out what the hell it was. It had to be the reason why my Fae abilities were dormant.

A sudden knock at my front door pulled me out of my daydreaming.

Who had shown up first? The doctor, the beauticians, or Andromeda? I stood from the stool and took a deep, steadying breath. I could do this. I could get through this with a smile painted on my face. I tried a few practice smiles as I padded toward the door and then scowled at how ridiculous I was.

Think of father. Think of father....

I thought to mysef as I reached for the handle. The smile that came to my lips felt a bit more natural after that, so I opened the door.

The smile fell off of my face and onto the floor when I laid eyes on who was waiting for me on the other side of that door. I'd never seen beings like them before. There were two of them, both female. But they weren't dragon, and they weren't Fae.

"Uhm..." I mumbled as I gazed down at them.

They were about three feet tall. They had grey colored skin that reminded me of a stormy sky. They both had thin, long black hair, which hung straight and limp to their shoulders. They were oddly skinny and had very sharp, angular facial features. My eyes widened as I stared at their enormous, bat like ears. In comparison to their small, frail bodies, their ears almost looked comical. And they made their small, beady black eyes look even tinier. They were both wearing plain, white dresses, which were held up by a golden clasp on one shoulder, the other left bare.

"Princess!" They said in unison. Their voices were high pitched and squeaky, like their vocal chords had rusted over. "We be finally meetings!"

They swept past me, ducking beneath my arms.

I spun around, startled. "W-who are you?" I stuttered, shutting the door.

"We? We be here to make princess do a pretty." They chimed, again in unison. I felt my face screw up and I cocked my head cock to the side as I tried to understand their strange way of speaking.

"Okay... A-and what are you?" I asked.

"We be brownies." They smiled.

"Oh... I'm afraid I've never heard of that before." I said, walking toward them hesitantly.

"We serve masters. We do big cleanings, and many cookings. We be working. We gets to stay here because we helps masters." They said, cocking their heads at me, their large, bat like ears flopping with their movements.

Their strange way of talking was the most puzzling thing I'd ever heard, but they were sort of adorable. I gave them both a shy smile.

"Well... It's nice to meet you both." I said.

They both shrieked, grasped each others hands, and began jumping up and down in excitement. I watched in amused confusion.

"We begins now?" They said, edging closer to me.

"O-okay... Do you two always speak in unison?" I asked as they each took one of my hands and began tugging me toward the washroom.

"We? Always!" They giggled, pulling me along.

********************

Two hours later, the brownies had scrubbed, shaved and waxed nearly every surface of my body. They'd clipped, polished and pained my fingernails and toenails. They'd waxed my eyebrows, along with my armpits, legs, arms, and other places I did not wish to remember.

They'd trimmed my hair to perfection, after washing and conditioning it twice with a strange, green colored concoction that smelled of flowers. I'd never seen my hair so shiny before. They'd also rubbed a brown colored cream into every inch of my skin, which once washed off, made me glow with a tan, sun kissed complexion. I looked like a painting.

They had applied my make-up to perfection, making it look so natural, and yet quite glamorous, at the same time. My hair had been left down, but the sides had been braided back, showing off my manicured face.

I stared in the mirror, memorized with the transformation they'd been able to achieve in such a short amount of time.

"Princess, you be doing a like?" They asked together, both fondly gazing at me in the mirror.

"It's... wow. I look... Different..." I whispered, turning my head this way, and that.

"Differents?" They furrowed their thin brows.

"Yes, in a good way." I said quickly, not wishing to offend them. I did like it, but I hardly recognized myself. I supposed it would just take some getting used to.

"I like it very much." I said, pulling on a smile.

They beamed at me.

***********

An hour after they strange brownie twins left, another knock sounded at my door.

This time, it was the doctor. And he was Fae....The very first Fae I had ever laid eyes on.

I gaped at him as he stood in the doorway, one of his eyebrows raised. He was beautiful in an otherworldly way. Of course, I knew that the Fae were known for being very attractive. But I didn't realize just how true that statement actually was.

He was tall and lean, but muscular. His tan suit was immaculate, pressed to perfection, and fitted exactly right. He had chin length, wavy blonde hair and shockingly bright, green eyes. His delicate, pointed ears poked out of his long hair and swept backward toward his head in a graceful arc. He was clean shaven, and when he gave me a tight smile, I noticed dimples in his cheeks.

"Princess Brenya, may I come in?" He said, snapping me out of my stare, in a no nonsense type of voice.

"Oh, yes, of course." I said, shaking my head. I side stepped, letting him enter the room, and shut the door softly behind him.

"I'm sorry, it's just that I've never... I've never seen a Fae before." I said a bit akwardly.

He turned to face me. "Yes, I am aware. Please, come sit on the couch."

I shuffled to the couch and sat down, careful not to stare at him and make him uncomfortable. I decided to stare at my folded hands in my lap, instead.

"Remove your clothing." He said flatly, placing his briefcase on the coffee table.

"What?" I gasped, my eyes snapping up to meet his.

He stared at me. "I am going to be doing a full body examination. In order for that to be done properly, you need to undress." He said slowly, as if speaking to a small child.

I swallowed. "Is that absolutely necessary?"

"Yes." He said firmly.

"Fine.." I grumbled. I stood shakily and began to strip. He waited patiently, his eyes never leaving my face. When I was naked before him, he nodded once.

"Now, lie on the couch, face up please."

My cheeks burned as I did what he said. I stared at the ceiling furiously as I laid back, covering my breasts with my hands. I'd never felt so exposed in all my life.

After several minutes of the doctor feeling around my ribs, joints and muscles, he finally withdrew his gloved hands and cleared his throat.

"How did you sustain all of these bruises?" He asked, gesturing toward the right side of my body.

"I fell out of a tree." I said through my teeth.

"Is it causing you discomfort?" He asked.

"Nothing I can't handle." I growled.

He was silent for a beat. "I am going to give you a shot that will accelerate your body's healing process. By tonight, you will have no bruising at all. I am also going to take a sample of your blood to be tested for blister fever or any other underlying illnesses you may have contracted while living among the humans."

"Just get it over with." I said, squeezing my eyes shut.

"As you wish. Sit up, please."

I sat up, trying not to let him see how much it truly did hurt to do so. But I thought he might've noticed when I saw the corner of his lip quirk upward. I pulled a blanket over my shoulders, shielding my nakedness from him.

After rubbing a foul smelling, clear liquid onto the skin of my right bicep, he pulled two, long needles from his briefcase. I felt my stomach turn as I stared at them.

"Afraid of needles?" He asked, raising a brow.

"No." I lied.

"Hmm." He mumbled. "Alright then. On the count of three."

He held the point of the needle an inch away from my arm and I let out a shakey breath.

"One..." He said, lowering his head.

"Two..."

He stuck the needle deep into my flesh and injected the shot before I could even realize he'd done it. I gasped.

"Ouch!" I complained.

"Come now, that wasn't so bad." He said softly.

I scowled at him. "You said on three. You lied."

"Only so that it wouldn't hurt as bad." He said, giving me another tight smile.

He placed a piece of cotton and a small bandage over my arm and then proceeded to clean my inner elbow with the same, clear, foul smelling liquid he'd used before. I pursed my lips as he picked up the second needle.

"That one is even bigger." I whined.

"It will only hurt if you don't relax." He warned, positioning the needle above my vein.

"How am I supposed to relax?" I hissed, squeezing my eyes shut.

"Think of something comforting." He suggested.

"Like what?" I sighed.

"What comes to mind?"

I considered it for a moment.

"Waffles." I said, remembering my first breakfast with Dristan at the treehouse village. A smile spread across my face at the memory, remembering the way he'd scolded me about drinking too much coffee. But the joyful memory suddenly transformed as flash images of him shoving me up against the wall and kissing me, filled my mind. I closed my eyes as I recalled his large, rough hands sliding down my body and his hot breath on my neck, sending goosebumps down my spine.

"There, all done." I heard the doctor say.

I opened my eyes. "What?"

"Done. See?" He held up the vile of blood, the cotton and bandage already in place in the crease of my elbow. I furrowed my brows at him.

"I didn't feel a thing." I whispered.

"Must've been thinking of something quite nice, then." He said with a soft smile.

My cheeks filled with blood and I looked away.

"Now, there is one more thing I need to do. It may cause you some discomfort." He said, standing to his feet.

"I'm already uncomfortable." I pointed out, crossing my arms.

He nodded. "Please, lie back down. Place your feet on the couch, as close to your bottom as possible, and spread your legs."

My jaw fell open. "Excuse me?!"

"High Lady, it is imperative that we do a full physical examination today." He said seriously.

"Why? There's nothing wrong with... That!" I cringed.

"Let me ask you this... Are you a virgin?" He said, crossing his arms.

"No..." I said, staring at my lap.

"And when you've engaged in past sexual activities, did you use protection?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. "I didn't have access to that..."

"Very well, then. It's possible you've been exposed to sexually transmitted diseases. Now, will you cooperate?"

I sighed. "I suppose I have no choice in the matter, do I?"

"I understand that this is strange for you. But I assure you, I am the best doctor here. I have many, many years of experience. You have nothing to feel embarrassed about." He said in a professional tone.

I did as he'd asked, cursing the gods above.

I cringed when I felt a cold, metal object being inserted inside of me. I held my breath as I felt a strange tugging sensaiton deep in my belly. The whole thing only lasted about sixty seconds.

"There, all done." He said.

"Great." I mumbled.

I felt the strange object being withdrawn and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"It will take about twenty-four hours to develop the test results. You will be sent a letter if everything is okay. If there is cause for concern, I will return in person and we will talk about it."

"Okay..." I sighed.

"What is this?" He suddenly said in a strange tone of voice.

"What?" I asked, feigning confusion. Of course, I knew what he was talking about... I sat up on my elbows and saw him gazing at my inner thigh with furrowed brows.

"This mark..." He murmered.

"Oh, that? That's just a birthmark." I said, trying to sit up.

"Stop." He said, pushing my leg back down. He studied it a moment longer. His head snapped up to meet my eyes and his lips parted.

"This is a rune." He said.

"What? Are you sure?" I gasped, sitting up.

"Yes, I am sure."

"W-what... What do we do?" I asked, wrapping the blanket around my shoulders.

"I must go. I need to send in your samples. I will speak to Lord Dristan of this and figure out what to do." He said, standing and throwing his belongings back into his briefcase.

He scurried out the door before I could even say goodbye.

Well... That worked out nicely.

***************

After lunch, I stood in front of the mirror and stared, open mouthed, at my reflection. The doctor was right. Any sign of bruising was gone. Even the faint bruising and scapes on my face were gone, no scars left behind. I rubbed at my ribs, which had been tender to the touch this morning. I felt no pain. I smiled at my reflection.