Darkness. Nothing but darkness and a faint burning sensation in her midsection. Both urged her to open her eyes, but her brain begged to keep her body at rest. Her brain lost.

Icy cold water slithered into her nostrils and mouth and shocked her skin. She gasped awake, coughing, and sputtering water. A guard with a bucket came visible in her blurred vision along with the grins of his comrades.

"Wake up, Strange," he demanded.

Mageia groaned feeling the pain burning inside her body intensify. They laughed at her agony.

"That was a good jump, but good thing you didn't know those thorns cause numbness or we'd still be chasing you."

She shook her head and crumbled up into the fetus position, hearing and seeing the heavy chains now clasping her wrists.

"Are you finished with her doc?" the guard said.

Mageia squinted in her blurred vision and spotted Master Joras holding a bloody bowl and tweezers.

"I plucked the thorns I saw, but who knows how many more are lodged into her flesh."

"Doesn't matter," he said then shouted to her. "Get up."

Someone grabbed a shivering arm and yanked her off the bloody floor. She stumbled into him until another guard took her by the other arm.

Her legs wobbled, slowly waking up from the numbness. "Have mercy," she managed to say feeling a few thorns the doctor missed.

The group of guards laughed. "Come on," said one leading the way as she was dragged through a plain and narrow hallway of the palace to a room smothering in perfumes. A sitting room. A fancy one with a few sofas and armchairs circled in front of a large gold flecked chimney.

Blurs of people and soldiers were everywhere who muttered and cringed in horror. She was dragged to the center of the room and dropped onto the rug like a sack of potatoes.

"What have you done to her?" said the familiar voice of Prince Grisonce.

Mageia blinked, determined to both clear her vision and keep herself awake. Whatever kind of vines those were, really did its job because she felt woozy and exhausted. On the side of the throbbing pain in her midsection, her fury of failure and defeat stirred deadly in her soul.

"You mean to ask, what did she do to herself," said one of her draggers. "She pushed Royce off the roof."

"Ledge," she corrected.

"Shut up," said the guard slapping the side of her face with the back of his hand.

"Don't do that," Prince Grisonce shouted.

Mageia shook her head now able to see the entire royal family, Master Joras, Judge Criily, the well-known High Priest Lord Hercones, and some officials and guests honored to join in on the scene. The Prince struggled to approach her, but royal escorts- a ton of them- held him back.

King Dimitri gave an irritable sigh, his bulbous being looking close to breaking the legs of the armchair he sat in "Grisonce, you embarrass us."

"Why? For having a heart?" he snapped back.

Mageia felt that one and everyone in the room did too. The King's upper lip scowled, and his large hands squeezed the arms of his chair.

"Did I not deny your request?"

"You n-never denied my re-requests before," he said.

"Because those requests concerned the condemned. This Strange may or may not be a servant of the dark arts," the King said.

"She is not a witch of any sort," Grisonce shouted.

"But she is a criminal," Eron barked.

"Yes, a thief, not a rampaging murderer," Grisonce said as if he was talking to someone stupid.

"Doesn't matter what she is. She doesn't belong beyond the Doomed," the King said.

"That's not fair. Gideon has his escorts bring him c-condemned from the Doomed and the Taefo all the time," Grisonce said.

"Hey brother, watch yourself," Gideon sharply snapped, his cool blue eyes turning into an ice dagger.

"Gideon isn't on trial here. You are," the King reminded.

"Of course, your little fake family can get away with anything they want," Grisonce slurred out very quickly.

The King's body inflated in his rage and his large hands clenched. "Yet you should know better."

Mageia felt that blow, not only to the Prince but towards the royal blondies. The Queen's painted lips parted in a gawk, speechless by the underhand insult on their character.

"Whatever. I had my reasons," he said eyes glaring hard as gold, refusing to stand down.

"Then enlighten me on those reasons."

The Strange Prince glanced at her for a minute she felt nauseated. The boy was mad to have such a ridiculous, blasphemous theory, but if he were to present it right now, he'd be a dead man.

"I w-wanted to ask her questions relating to her-her eyes, that's all," he said.

"Why other than the obvious?"

Mageia held her breath, eyes widening and jaw dropping. Every ache in her body increased as tension spewed into every muscle and bone.

Oh Holy Rasaal don't let him say it.

Grisonce cleared his throat and tugged on his vest. The silence in the room grew hotter with every second the Prince took to gather his courage. Then he said it.

"I believe, she is a Fairest, promised by Hamino and p-prophesied by Tiivon Seviine," he said.

Mageia's shoulders dropped in full defeat. She may as well stand and lead everyone to her cell in the Dungeons. The one lowest in the ground, far from any source of light. Laughter erupted, loud and hard, but the King, Lord Hercones, and the Commander held dark expressions. The Prince stood tall and determined, despite the slight trimer in his chest and shoulders. She had to give it to him, he had guts.

"You think she is the Fairest of us all?" the King said face twisted in confusion and disappointment.

"Oh, gods he's gone mad up there in his cave," Queen Saia laughed.

"I knew I should've checked on you earlier," Prince Gideon grinned, elbowing his red-faced sister.

"I-I've been studying this theory for a while and... uh I j-just wanted to ask her some q-questions," he said then glanced at Limp who didn't look at all happy by his decision to disclose such information. Mageia glared at the boy, who glanced at her with not a hint of regret for saying such a thing. She shook her head, feeling her senses heighten with an unwanted unease that what he said was true. For him to do this, embarrass himself, made her wonder.

"Look I know it sounds ri-ri-," he tried to say but his tongue twisted.

"Ridiculous, Your Highness," Limp said unable to keep his mouth closed. The soldier shook his arm with a warning to be silent, but the manservant ignored him as if he had a right to speak his mind.

"Ridiculous," Grisonce said with a nod, "but it was an innocent curiosity on my part. I take all responsibility for what happened. I only ask you do n-not take it out on Lady Mageia."

The laughter was unbearable, but Mageia noticed that he was talking straight to his father, who never cut eye contact.

"Lady? So, she's a lady now?" Queen Saia said waving a fan at her sweaty bosom.

Mageia scrunched her nose and shifted her weight on her aching knees. Nausea flustered her gut and the room spun in her eyes. She needed to sleep and wake up from his nightmare. The ruckus slowly died into silence. Mageia looked to see what happened. The King's right hand was raised, but his eyes were now deeply studying her.

"Grisonce, you embarrass me and yourself," the King said.

"It's just a theory," he shrugged. "I was going to s-speak to Lord Hercones about it, but I've been s-so busy."

Lord Hercones' wrinkled face appeared flushed of its color as he glanced between Grisonce and Mageia. She felt a tear escape an eye but didn't have the strength to wipe it away. Then she realized how terrible she probably looked before these Fairs and squeezed her eyes shut. Never in her life did she ever expect to be in such an embarrassing predicament.

"Not busy enough," Gideon chuckled.

"Silence Gideon," the King said then shook his head at his son. "Lord Hercones, what say you on Grisonce's theory?"

The High Priest did not move upon the acknowledgment nor the question. His gaze shifted between Grisonce and Mageia, deep with thought.

"I've done similar studies but must review them with my priests. It will take some thought," the elder said.

The King bore his eyes into Mageia, and she dropped her gaze to the floor.

"I would like to make another request," Grisonce said tugging hard on his vest and raising his chin.

"The nerve of you," Queen Saia said.

"Hush it woman," The King ordered, and the Queen's upper lip twitched in utter disappointment. "What is it?"

"Allow me to have Eron's assignment to discover what she is," Grisonce said.

"Not a chance," Eron said with great authority.

"Silence Eron," the King said but Mageia noticed his tone was harsher and sharper than anything she'd heard before. The fiery glare the Commander gave the King added to the chill to her spine. She realized this Fiisen could kill them all if he wanted to, but it also revealed more of how little control he had on the palace grounds.

"Look, I believe a path of compassion and respect would produce great results in either proving she's a Fairest or a s-soother or a s-s-sor-,"

"Sorceress," Limp said proud and strong for him.

The Prince nodded and bravely continued. "Simply give me two weeks or so and I-,"

"No," the King said. He rose to his feet causing his chair to creak a bit. She stared up at the giant king casting his shadow over her and swallowed her lung.

"W-why?" the Prince said, anger flooding into his bright eyes.

"You have made two loyal men break rank, responsibility, and protocol to aid in this crime, let alone two slaves and who knows else," the King said. "You disobeyed my orders that resulted with a palace guard in a coma. You've placed everyone and your family in possible danger."

"Family? What family?" Grisonce said.

"Watch it Grisonce," the King said taking a step forward.

Mageia felt relieved that the guard didn't die, but she scorned herself for not staying put and trusting in the Strange Prince. She didn't know him personally and by what she has witnessed thus far concerning respect from his family, she knew the boy wouldn't have a chance in succeeding. Plus, something had gone wrong, and she had to take the chance.

"I want the assignment," Grisonce said with an eerie leveled tone.

"No," the King said.

"Father, but-,"

"No. I said no. For her actions, she will receive no appeal," he said then to her, "You will rot in the cell until you figure out what you are, or death finds you."

Mageia grimaced in both emotional and physical pain by this new verdict.

"And Eron will keep the assignment until I see fit to change it."

Grisonce gave his father a vicious dark glare, like the one he gave her when she mentioned his mother. She shifted on the floor and held her breath, preparing herself for the boy to explode with some hidden power of his own. He stepped forward, but the escorts grabbed him and pulled him back in the line away from the Royals, away from his own family.

"You're a coward to not trust me," Grisonce said.

"A coward? You watch how you speak to me boy," the King said. "This girl means just as less to the gods as you. You think she's Fair? You think she's special? The gods would never place a Strange above the Fair. Never!"

"You're so delusional, y-you can't even see when you're wrong," the Prince said.

"I am King. I am never wrong," he said with his massive beastly voice.

"But you are!" The boy shouted back with strength.

"You will not be returning to your chambers. You are banned from it starting right now."

"You can't do that."

"This is my house. I can do whatever I please," the King said taking steps closer. "You've gone mad placing your interest on this Strange. Allow me to show you she is nothing and means nothing. I will not give her an appeal. She," he jabbed his finger down at her trembling form, "will not be spending any time in the Dungeons or the Runes or in the royal prison. She will die, tonight."

Everyone gasped. Mageia's jaw dropped and every pain in her body spiked high. The Prince's face flushed of its color. A deadly silence took the room.

"Tonight?" Mageia managed to say in unison with the Prince.

The King nodded, eyes dark with a mocking intent and cut his glare down on her.

"You heard right. A fair consequence for both your poor decisions. You will make one of the Sacred Sevens lucky today. Make peace with the gods, Purple Thief. You will die tonight."