Sasha's real mother was thriving. It was time for the ballet and every suitable girl in the area was there, all searching for Elias's attention. Sasha saw the queen’s knowing smile as she ushered some of the more noble ladies to make an introduction. None of them were witches, all of them had thorough education and manner. Sasha didn’t know if she was relieved the queen had stopped the matchmaking of Elias and Ivy and instead turned her attention to the younger noblewoman, or if she would have preferred looking at Elias politely attending to Ivy. Either way, Sasha felt sick. She couldn’t believe how they had convinced her to attend the dinner. The girls were pretty much throwing themselves at Elias. He was their way to luxury and fame. Or just some entertainment for the night. Or if she was being honest, just a very good catch on his account. Sasha was not sure what they wanted or that she wanted to know and she fumed. She had refused to wear the tight red dress her sister had insisted on and instead come in all black. It was the right choice. She was as amused as going to a funeral. The only difference the coffin was still empty. That could be arranged.

“So you are just going to stand here and watch him all night?” Ivy asked.

“Why we could leave this moment”, Sasha said. “I bet Isaak would enjoy the company.”

“As it happens he specifically asked me to keep an eye on you”, Ivy said. “If you misbehave he might come to take the attention away from you. I am kind of counting on it.”

So that was what her sister had planned. Sasha kept quiet, knowing venom when she saw it. Ivy was pissed Isaak wasn’t here. Honestly, Sasha was too. He would have to stand up for her sister eventually. She was the to-be queen after all.

“He is ok with you being here? Alone?” Sasha asked. “We will need to introduce him and put some polish on him eventually.”

He was the closest to a brother she had had. She adored Isaak. He and Ivy were the sweetest couple she had ever seen. Had been so since the start. Seeing them avoiding the same topic year after year was slowly tearing apart her patience.

“Isaak will not change”, Ivy chuckled. “Nor would I like him to. Although I think we might have to force some change around here.”

“I am working on it” Sasha mumbled. She had no clue so far. All she knew was that she had misjudged the king and his power. She didn’t have a chance. She was fighting an opponent so strong and arrogant he didn’t even notice. It was boring.

“It will work out just smoothly”, Ivy said. “I have a good feeling about it.”

“You what?” Sasha asked.

“I have found the Achilles”, Ivy said and pushed Sasha in the back.

Sasha involuntary took some step forward and bumped into Elias. She felt herself blushing.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to”, she said, glaring at her sister that waved and smiled at her. This was embarrassing. She felt no better than the party that had been hunting him for the better part of the evening.” Ivy pushed me”, she blurted.

“Lucky me then, I was just looking for you”, Elias said and put his arms around her waist. He bent closer to her ear. ”You have to save me from this madhouse.”

“If it was up to me I would have left a long time ago.” She glanced towards the table with fruit and cake. “No food is worth this circus.”

“Well, lucky you didn’t leave. The king has sent some of his dogs to follow you.”

Sasha pondered on the new information. She would have thought nothing less and was worried he hadn’t done so sooner. Maybe the queen's hold on him was firmer than he let on?

“So you came to rescue me from the madhouse”, Sasha smiled. “So thoughtful.”

“No way”, Elias teased, bringing her closer and slowly swaying to the music. “I am purely selfish. I know you can take care of yourself, the young ladies the queen has sent to tormenting me on the other hand.”

He twirled her around. The strain she had seen in his face during the evening seemed to disappear.

“Want to skip the party? I know the perfect hideaway.” Elias said suddenly, an eagerness in his voice that hadn’t been there before. He was not just teasing her now. This was a serious suggestion.

Sasha took one look at the king, and the queen and nodded. She wanted as far away from here and her responsibilities as possible.

“I’m in if you are.”

Elias led her to the buffet, lowering his voice.

“Try to sneak out when no one is looking. Meet me at the oak in the backyard.”

She nodded, feeling as if she was on one of her secret mission with Isaak again. With the risk of starting to giggle she walked away from Elias. She had spotted her sister and the door. If she just moved with the grace she could disappear just under their nose. It was not the first time they had done so. Sasha looked intently at her sister, with a broad smile put on her face. At the exact moment, she saw her sister's small nod she looped for the exit. This was as much fun as skipping school had been back in the good old times. Ivy was outstanding.

“Where are you taking me?”

Sasha was curious. They were walking in the private woods behind the castle, further away than she had ever been. For a short while, she had thought he would take her to the tower. Instead, he had continued.

“You will see”, Elias said. “I promise it will be much better than the proper and very dull thing we attended to.”

“That is an easy promise to fulfill.”

“Indeed.” Elias rounded a big oak. “This is it.”

They had reached the water. As unexpected as that was, it was there. She couldn’t see it very well from above, but there was a cliff in front of her, and in the sunset, she could smell the breeze of salt.

“The kingdom lands reaches from here to the ocean. Want to go down and take a look?”

“It’s steep”, Sasha looked down. There was a small path leading downwards. “It will take us hours. It will be dark before we reach it”

“Not if you are brave”, Elias said and lead her to an opening in the woods. “Besides, nothing is dark when you have the fire elemental at your disposal.

“What is it?”

“It's a ropeway. I constructed it myself.”

Sasha held her hand around the rope, testing its strength and looking downwards.

“Guess you learned this as well at the camp?”

Elias motioned Sasha to step up on a small circular wooden plate.

“We did. Never tested this one with two passengers though. You should hold on tight.”

Elias stepped up behind her, putting his feet next to hers. There was just enough space for them both. He anchored a rope around her waist and pulled a wooden figure from a stand.

“Are you ready?”

Sasha looked down at the lusher trees. She could see the path they would travel, and although it was not high up in the air, she was sure it would feel like flying.

“Ok”, she said. “Let's dance.”

It felt liberating, the air swooshing around her, Elias's arm tight around her. He slowed downed the speed with the wooden figure he had picked up, pushing it towards the steel wire they were traveling along. She could smell smoke, the wood hot towards the wire, and she felt the magic from Elias, blowing wind against the figure. When they closed in on the water, she felt more wind, stroking against her body.

They landed with a soft bump, sand underneath her feet.

“Wow, I should have traveled two before, what a speed!” Elias said and smiled broadly.

“Yeah”, Sasha said, musing. “You used magic to slow us down.”

“That’s a first one”, Elias noted. “Thought the wood would catch fire. Would have been bad.”

He stilled smiled, putting the wood piece in his belt.

“It’s beautiful here”, Sasha rushed forward to the water, putting her hand in it. “It's colder than I thought.”

Elias was not far behind her, going for a small cabin that was built some hundreds of meters from where Sasha was standing.

“It's because it's the ocean. The water is salty, it's a fjord going all the way up here.”

“No way”, Sasha said, bewildered. Having a fjord here would mean a weak spot, somewhere the enemy could reach directly to the castle. She bend down and tasted the water. It was salty. Turning around she started to run in the sand to catch up on Elias.

“This is impossible”, she stated.

“No, it's not”, Elias said. “And now that you know, I will have to kill you if you tell the secret.”

“Just so you know, you will have to kill Ivy as well.”

“That could be arranged”, Elias chuckled, “ but you do know you will never leave this place?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, opening the door to the cabin and grabbing some stuff.

“Put this one, the real party are down there”, he said and pointed towards the water..”I come here as often as I can, it’s the most calming I know.”

Sasha couldn’t agree more. The sea was beautiful, filled with more fish than she had ever seen out at the big ocean. This little spot seemed like going down in its wonderland. The greenery of the seaweed and the soft movement of it enthralling. Small fishes kept coming forward, curiously taking a look at her when she looked elsewhere. Probably wondering why two people looking like torchlights were doing down here.

When Sasha reached the beach again she laid down, looking at the water. Her complete body and soul were relaxed. She hadn’t a care in the world.

“You often go here?”

Elias lay stretched out beside her. He took off his snorkel and smiled at her.

“This is my place. The queen and the king don’t understand, but if it wasn’t because of duty, I would never leave.”

She had seen him in the water, and she believed him. He belonged there, the lithe body looking as if he was indeed a fish.

“How did you find it?”

“I didn’t. It found me, or the dragon queen showed it to me. I think she knew I needed a place to be myself.” Elias pondered. “She knew all the time didn’t she?”

There was bitterness laced in his voice. His toned body tensed, there was an edge to him now that she recognized. One she hadn’t seen for the last hours. An aura that never left him up there, and oddness coming from being a wicked healer, the core of his magic being twisted. That was what the queen had done to him. The man some minutes ago hadn’t been damaged.

“I am sorry, I must go.”

Sasha rose fast, almost running backward. “I forget I promised my sister to look out for her.”

It was a lie. The truth was far worse. She was running from herself. From the thoughts tearing at her inner.

“Wait”, Elias stood still, the snorkels still in his hands. “You can't find the way back without me.”

He might be right, she didn’t care. She needed the distance. It was not her mother that had left her baby in the dragon's den.

It was not she that would tear the last of his sanity to pieces.