"I really don't know," I said worriedly.

"The blue is nice but the green looks amazing. Don't worry I speak the truth."

"O...okay. How about the beige. It's simple and comfortable and-"

"Boring!! You can wear it before you go to bed!" Timothy said pointing at my blouse. I was taken aback by his comment. I thought the blouse was simple but nice.

"Nice will not do for your first date."

"Hey! Don't read my mind young man."

"I can't help it when it comes to you." He said sheepishly.

"I can't wait for when you start dating," I stared at him through the mirror and witnessed his cheeks redden at once.

"Aha! You have someone!" I jumped, turning around.

"No I do not! I'm ten years old."

"Why are you blushing?" I wiggled my eyebrows and smiled creepily.

"Let's get back to picking your outfit Aeval," he scolded me. Maybe Little Timmy vamp has a secret crush.

"So...."

"Quiet, next dress!" I took out a short red evening gown. "Ehmm, too much. Next!" I giggled at his shyness.

"That brown one makes you look old. Nothing is beating the green yet so....next!"

"Alright I won't ask about your secret love life. I was wondering.....how did it go with your brother?"

"Not bad at all. I'll have to thank you for that."

"Really? What was the punishment?"

"Cleaning. Extra chores when we get back." I gave him a sympathetic look.

"Hmm. Hopefully it's not for too long." I picked out a knee length black dress.

"Two months. No big deal and that looks really good. Wear it."

"I'm glad you think the punishment isn't so bad. How did Kyle take it?"

"He hates it of course but he's glad he gets to keep his life." He fell quiet while I examined the black dress in my hands. It was pretty but...

"What's wrong princess?"

"Umm....I don't know how to feel about this one Timothy. Black is not really my color and it shows more skin. Are you sure this is more suitable than the green?"

"Try something new, once in a while. You're gonna look fantastic," he gave me a thumbs up.

"If you say so." I simply pouted and picked the dress. After a few seconds I faced Timothy with a big smile on my face. "Thank you for your help."

"See now are you happy that I read your mind? It was such a disastrous tornado inside your head that it took me a while to actually figure out you were nervous." I blushed at his comment.

Tornado?

"Go easy on me. I didn't know what to think, or what to do after he asked me. I don't know what to expect or how to act or what to wear. I basically don't really understand the concept of a date," I rushed the words out, blabbering whatever I could to explain the 'tornado'.

"Whoaa, slow down. All you have to do before you go on a date is dress up and be yourself. Now, you're already going to look fantastic no matter what you wear so the one other thing for you to do is just be comfortable in your own skin. Be you." He explained casually.

"You talk so smoothly. How many dates have you been to?" my curiosity spiked up.

"None." He he said sternly. "I observe people and I can read minds remember?"

"Right."

~~~~~~~

I started getting ready at five thirty. Ms.Odelle actually came to me and helped me out with my hair. Timothy blurted it out to her and told her to aid me in whichever way deemed necessary. She brushed my hair until it was smooth and silky. Then she made two thin braids on either side of my head. Once that was neatly done, she brought them together and pinned them up at the back of my head. It was simple and pretty. "Now just a little bit of make up," she picked up my make up bag which was gifted to me by my mother.

She used some eyeliner and darkened my lashes with mascara. She then applied some blush and finished up with a medium shade of pink lipstick. It suited my skin very well and I loved the effect of the eyeliner and mascara. They made my eyes stand out.

"There you go, princess. You don't need much," she clasped her hands together and looked at me satisfied. "Thank you so much Ms.Odelle." I gave her a hug.

"Oh nonsense! I hope you call me again very soon. I would love to do this for you and oh look at the time! Go wait downstairs he's probably here." She gushed. I looked at the time and noticed that it was already six thirty. I quickly wore the black dress and looked in the mirror. It was a sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline. It hugged my body until my waist and it was flared from waist down. The dress ended right above my knees. I was extremely grateful that my scars were mostly faded. My mother told me they will most likely disappear completely in the next two weeks.

I ran my fingers over the neckline. The top part of the dress was covered with black lace. It was modern and lovely. I silently thanked Timothy.

"Aww, your look beautiful. Now go make his heart stop." I looked at Ms.Odelle only to see a wide smile on her face. After thanking her again, I grabbed my clutch, wore a pair of flat strapped shoes and walked towards the staircase.

As I neared the stairs, my stomach began to churn and my feet were slowly getting heavier. Why am I nervous? It's just a date and we're just going to talk about random things. Why are you nervous Aeval?

I couldn't answer the question and my heartbeat wouldn't slow down. Why did he have such an effect on me?

I put my cold hand on the banister and slowly descended down the stairs. To my surprise, I spotted him on the floor below. He had his back facing me. Both his hands were clasped behind him. He was dressed in black as well. I could only see his jacket at that moment. I quickly walked down before he spotted me. Thankfully he only decided to turn around the second I reached the bottom of the stairs.

Wait a minute he has heightened senses anyway. He could probably hear me in my room so what are you trying to do Aeval? Sneaking up on him will never work!

After scolding myself, I finally decided to meet his gaze. The first word which came to mind when I saw him was....neat. He looked so neat. He surprisingly wore a white T-shirt under his black jacket and paired them with black jeans. This was the most casual outfit I've ever seen him wear. His hair was styled. It also had that after shower effect to it. He looked good.

He openly assessed me from head to toe. As he was observing me, his eyes visibly darkened as the red in his eyes became more prominent. I gasped at what I just witnessed.

"What are you doing to me?" he whispered under his breath. He walked in my direction until we were inches apart. With him towering over my height, he stared down as if he wanted to devour me.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" he caressed my cheek. "You look breathtaking Little Flower," he said after a moment's pause. I looked at my toes feeling too shy to look up. Did I really look that good? He gently held my chin and made me look at him. His eyes were back to its midnight blue with its red irises.

"You....you look handsome too," I said with my small voice, fidgeting with my fingers. He smiled and grabbed my hand, leading me out the door towards his car.

This time we walked towards a very shiny silver car. It looked like one of those sport cars Alex admired. "This is yours too?"

"Nope I'm taking my brother's car."

"Oh," I wondered why. "Because I know he'll be mad at me for doing it," he replied looking at my puzzled expression. He opened the passenger door for me to get it.

So you can be nice if you wanted to.

He quickly hoped in and started the engine. "Where are we going?"

"I'm not telling you anything Little Flower." He winked at me. I shrugged and looked out the window instead. Golden Haven was a beautiful kingdom inhabited by beautiful beings. I enjoyed passing by the trees, the colorful pixies and all the animals. Phoenix let out a grunt as he drove faster. He hated pixies and he did nothing to hide that fact.

As time passed, so did the familiar surroundings. "We're leaving Golden Haven?!"

"Yes. Don't worry," he said softly looking at my shocked face. "You won't dump me anywhere right?" I asked with a nervous laugh.

"You have one hell of a mind." He looked at me in disbelief. After he repeatedly confirmed that he wasn't going to leave me stranded in the middle of nowhere, I continued to admire the view outside.

"So many mountains and look at the sky," I stared in awe. Since it was nearing sunset, the sky was a light orange turning into a soft pink. Everything was beautiful. The route he took, was mostly surrounded by nature. The air was clean and I saw many creatures on the way including a herd of wild horses running free when we passed the open fields. They carried with them a wave of ecstasy and pure bliss. No one to tell these guys what to do.

As he drove further east, the sky became darker. "About fifteen minutes more in case you're wondering Little Flower."

"Okay," I looked ahead. Just as I was drowning in my own thoughts, something caught my eye. There was a soft glow up ahead to our left. I watched closer and the glow grew brighter. Only it wasn't a glow. Its looked more like a flame and it was moving.

"A phoenix bird," the Prince Phoenix beside me muttered. I never thought I would actually get to see one of these. They were very rare. Sensing my interest, the he slowed the car as we passed by. Only then I knew why the flame was moving, the gigantic bird was flapping its wings. The phoenix's skin and feathers were all vibrant colors. It's body was almost all yellow. Its wings were yellow, orange, red and darker red. It was a magical sight. Its eyes were blue. Sapphire blue. Once again, the breathtaking creature spread out its wings and flew up to the sky in the matter of seconds. This time the flames on its wings spread throughout its entire body. It soared through the dark sky, a huge bird that looked to be made out of fire.

I couldn't stop staring at the sky, looking for the phoenix and hoping it would pass us by once again.

"It has been five minutes. You are going to crane your neck by looking upwards for too long."

"That was the most beautiful bird I've ever seen." I said still a little dazed. The bird sort of reminded me of the prince himself. They both shared a similar trait besides their name.

Beauty in their ferociousness. Only the beauty of the phoenix bird was external as much as it was on the inside. One look at it and you're already mystified. The Dark Prince on the other hand, well he needs more digging.

"We'll come across another bird in time. Now, we're almost there." The trees were slowly clearing out, becoming less and less. I followed his line of vision and saw small lights ahead. "A town?"

"Yeah. A small town."

"It looks lovely." I could already listen to the faint music coming form that place. It's seems like it has been ages since I've been to a town. More precisely, ever since we were taken from the village in Red Kingdom. As we neared the town, I observed the many houses. Some were small, others were bigger. There were countless amount of children playing outside. It was so peaceful and I felt happy by just looking at them. The town folks look like one big happy family.

He parked the car close to a one of the houses. "Come on."

"Is it alright if you park here? In front of someone else's house?"

"This house belongs to one of Zenas' friends. He won't mind Little Flower." I quickly got out of the car and followed him closely. Everyone was staring at his car, then they were slowly staring at us. Why wouldn't they? It's not everyday you get to see a car, let alone a very slick, expensive looking one. "Everyone is staring." I mumbled uncomfortably. "This is where my brother comes whenever he wishes to run away from his responsibilities. We usually come here with his car, so the folks are expecting to see him."

"Are they disappointed to see us?"

"No, just surprised. I've come here with my brother a few times. Just never without him. Maybe they're worried I'm going to kill everyone here," he shrugged and smiled down at me. I looked around and saw that some of them were whispering among themselves, others were already minding their own business. Some were looking at me curiously. I wonder why. The children were still drooling over the car, some of them waved at me and I waved back. Phoenix opened the trunk and took out a big rattan basket.

"I'm sure they don't think that. They seem nice and this place is really homely but where are we?"

"At the boarder of the elven kingdom. If we keep going east, we would reach the Great Myrtle Mountains, that's where King Epaphroditus Urien's castle is."

"Oh," he then reached out and took my hand in his. He was gentle and I was surprised that his hand was actually warm. He didn't grab me like he used to and for that I was glad.

As we walked past the houses, I could smell the sweet aroma of home cooked food, mothers scolding their children, parents spending time with their kids, siblings arguing with one another. I missed this. I missed this environment. Everything used to be so simple. Life used to be innocent. This is something I can never be a part of. I will never be allowed this lifestyle.

"They're staring at you. Want to meet them?"

"Hmm?" I was distracted and didn't pay him attention.

"The children." I looked to a group of children that were no older than ten years of age. They were staring at me and giggling among themselves. One of the little girls walked up to me. She had long raven black hair that was styled in center parting braids and she had beautiful dark brown eyes. She was wearing a floral, cotton dress that reached her knees. Looking adorable as ever, she walked and stood in front of me.

"Lovely night miss. A...are you a fae? You look a lot like one." she asked shyly, lightly rocking up and down on the balls of her feet.

I bend down to her level and shook her hand. "Yes I am. What's your name cutie?"

"Rosie. What's yours?" she asked excitedly.

"My name is Aeval Flo-"

"Florentine!! I knew you were the fae princess! She's the fae princess you guys! Mommy look!! IT'S THE PRINCESS!!" she jumped and shrieked and looked at her friends.

Oops.

Phoenix glared at the small girl. "Well, that went exceedingly smooth....in a deafening way." He muttered. I looked at him sheepishly as more people began to observe us. "That's the Dark Prince!" She gasped and went quiet for a moment. "Are you two going to get married?"

Huh?!

"That would be so awesome." Another boy yelled.

"A fae and a vampire? Of the pure blood family? No way! The princess must marry another fae." Another child argued back.

"This would be cooler. Maybe"

"Romantic."

The children began spluttering ideas one after the other. I slowly backed away from the group. Some of their parents scolded them for saying those things and looked apologetically at Prince Phoenix. He was right, they were afraid of him. They were not terrified but there was a certain unease in their eyes. "Um...we have to go somewhere now. So goodnight children and Rosie." I said quickly and stood close to Phoenix. He grabbed my hand and rushed us away from the group of children muttering something about how annoying they were.

"That you Prince Zenas?!!" A man yelled from a small bar.

"Wrong Prince." Phoenix said. That's all it took for the poor man to keep silent. He just awkwardly nodded and went back into the bar. We walked hand in hand passing by more houses and shops. There was also an antique store which had all kinds of items in it.

"You want to go in?" Phoenix asked catching me stare at the store.

"Err....no." It looked a little creepy to me.

"Where are we headed?" I was getting impatient.

"You just can't wait huh? Patience," he smirked at me while slowly lifting my hand to his lips. He then kissed the back of my hand. Heat rushed up to not only my face but to every part of my body. My face must have been the same color as my hair that moment. His eyes never left mine as he let his kiss linger for a while. His lips were soft and warm which made my skin tickle.

I immediately looked down allowing my hair to block my face. It was already dark but I bet everything was still crystal clear to him. "Don't look down, Little Flower. You look beautiful when you blush." He said softly while he tapped my nose. We continued walking ahead slowly moving away from the town.

"We're walking into the forest?" I whisper yelled. "It's so dark what if we get eaten?"

"Yeah, more like the woods. Would you calm down already? You're the most powerful fae creature and I'm a hybrid. Whatever you think is out there, they can't really take us both down." That kept me quiet but I moved closer to him and held on to his arm, scanning for the slightest signs of trouble. He stiffened immediately.

"Hmm, I should take you to more places like this."

"Huh? Why?!" He just smiled and continued to walk. I held his hand tighter as we walked inside the woods. He was so calm and his footsteps were quick and light. He must be really familiar with this place. There wasn't exactly a yellow brick road to follow. I couldn't see much of anything really. I kept tripping over twigs and small rocks, regretting why I didn't wear sneakers instead.

"Here hold this," he said handing over the rattan basket. "Do not open it or I will leave you stranded here," he said playfully but I was still weary of his words.

"Okay-" before I could finish whatever I wanted to say, he scooped me up in his arms like I weighed nothing and started walking.

"I can walk Phoenix. Put me down."

"I don't want you tripping and hurting your feet. Just relax and let me carry you. Our destination isn't far." Instead of arguing, I just rested my head on his shoulder. I quite liked the warmth that enveloped me. He also made me feel safe.

Phoenix was right, it wasn't that far. Minutes later, we found ourselves in a wide clearing. I wiggled out of his arms when I saw candle lights from a distance. "Whoa careful now. Give me the basket," he took it away from my hand.

"Are you ready?" he suddenly asked. I looked at him and saw his tender gaze on me. As I looked at him closely, I saw that he was no longer the creature that only wanted to see my despair. He was no longer the terrifying hybrid who wished to inflict nothing but pain in me. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. In that moment, as I stared back at the infamous Dark Prince, I really saw him. I could somehow feel what he felt and for the first time, I could see what was within him. He was a changed being.

Slowly, I nodded. Phoenix then took out a small square device and pressed a button on it. I let out a loud gasp and covered my mouth with my hands.

Oh my goodness.