Fairy servants led Ceris to the place where she would be staying during the festival. The expression of the elven king was stoic as she followed them.

When she entered the extravagently-decorated suite, Ceris sighed. She thought about getting some rest right away, but she changed her mind and chose to sit at the desk that had been provided. She withdrew some blank paper from the top drawer and started writing a letter.

"My Dear Mora Draiochta,

I have safely arrived in Emmeralde Verthaven for Wairua Cruin. Queen Kiridian has received our people and the fairies have provided excellent hospitality, as our ancestral bloodline always does. The fairies are behaving as they always do, but there is something which I find rather unusual happening here. Queen Kiridian herself has taken a disciple, a young human child who calls herself Anya. I realize that my pen has moved quicker than my thoughts, as I described this child as a human. However, this young girl has been granted the Siol Draiochta, as our ever-distant ancestors once were, and has become an elf, just as we are.

You must be doubting your eyes as you read this letter, I imagine. What a shock it was for me to arrive and see the "Queen's Child Anya," as others address her, standing among the other royal fairies as though they are all equal! A former human, of all beings! Have our esteemed ancestors forgotten why they no longer have a king? Is it truly so easy for them to forget their past grievances and forgive this descendant of the accursed humans?

I worry for our royal fairies. This child, I fear, will be no different from her ancestors. I fear that she will take advantage of Queen Kiridian's kindness and generosity to stab her in the back, but as I have no evidence to this intuition of mine, I can only worry silently. Our Queen is very powerful, to the point that a straightforward attack from any of this world's creatures would still do little more than cast a breeze over her body, but an attack from one she trusts so greatly, although it may be difficult to imagine, would not be unprecendented. Of course, you understand that I speak of the tragic loss of Our True King.

I must keep an eye on this child. Even though she is supposedly pure of heart, since she can see the fairies, now that she has become an elf, if her heart is to be sullied in any way, she will still be able to see them. I believe that, though her body may now be that of our Draiochta people, her heart will still be that of the greedy humans from which she is descended.

I wish you the best as you manage our people in my temporary absence, dear brother. Should the need arrive, I am prepared to remain in Emmeralde Verthaven, as a guest of our queen, though I certainly hope that it does not come to that.

The Best, as Always,

Ceris Draiochta"

As she finished writing her letter, Ceris sealed it and cast a spell to teleport it to the elven palace. There was a magic formation in her room to send letters, and it was so simple to use that the elven ruler did not require much effort in ensuring its safe arrival to its destined recipient.

Having taken care of that, Ceris changed into her nightclothes and slid into the bed. Her mind was full of thoughts as she tried to sleep.

She had been the ruler for some time now, and this was obviously not her first Wairua Cruin, but why did the addition of that child make her feel as though everything had changed? What was this slightly bothersome feeling in her chest as she thought about the human child?

Unable to sleep, she threw her blankets off of herself and changed into light clothing. She headed towards the courtyard with her staff clenched tightly in her hands as she walked at a brisk pace that would cause her old etiquette teacher to reprimand her.

She began practicing her martial combat with her staff, swinging it around fiercely and aggressively, as the imaginary opponent before her evaded.

In the hands of the King, this staff was sharper and faster than a sword in the hands of an ordinary person.

Ceris had begun sweating, but the elf just dried herself off with her own shirt when it started to bother her. The moon tonight was so bright that she could see just as well as she could during the day. Every step of her combat footwork was illuminated, just as was every hair that passed in front of her face.

With every staff technique she practiced, her moves became more and more aggitated, until she finally snapped and let out a scream.

She had vented her frustration to a certain extent now, and the physical fatigue of her practice, she hoped, would allow her to fall asleep more easily.

Heaving a sigh of relief and satisfaction, Ceris relaxed and ended her practice. She wiped her sweat away with her own shirt again, revealing her well-developed abdominal muscles. Elves were well-known for their magic capabilities and often neglected their physique, but Ceris' muscles were evidence that she had trained frequently for a very long time. If her etiquette instructor were to see her like this, Ceris could expect to suffer her harsh punishment, but there was no one around to see her behaving so indecently at this time... She thought.

As she grabbed her staff and prepared to head inside, the elven king heard the crisp sound of a footstep. She spun around, searching for the one watching her, and found the end of her staff pointing at none other than the human child who had been taken in by the fairy queen and caused the ruler of the elves to feel so distraught that she could not sleep.

It was Anya Tran.