15 UNEDITED VERSION

"When you said we were going to get lunch I genuinely thought you meant a person."

Laughter burst out of her lips like what I said is the funniest thing she has heard all her years of age.

Strangely it made me feel good.

I didn't know I had it in me to associate so well with someone who isn't related to me.

Usually, I assumed that it's because my family loves me that they laughed at me or teased me.

Once again, a genuine smile stretched my mouth. Not only because I associate well with Dana who's a strange but also because I relate well with a being I had no prior knowledge of.

"You are so funny Aadya! I presume in your land your kind don't use the word lunch or some of our words?" Her left brow lifts as she questions me and I realize it's a habit of hers.

A cute one.

"Well, you and your companion said so many words unknown to me, it quite surprised me, and what is more surprising is that you're a princess! I would have never imagined it! You remind me of me." My hands reach out, plucks a green grape fruit and throw it into my mouth.

I use my tongue to roll it around my mouth a bit fully aware that I am yet to taste its glorious goodness. My teeth catch it within my mouth pushing against each other squashing the grape fruit in my mouth thereby bursting the flavour out of its encasing.

I moan as I savour the rich taste, then I proceed to throw more into my mouth without caring what I must look like, in my defence, I am very hungry and haven't eaten a thing for four sun times and four nighttimes, I've only had water from nature's supply.

"Well, my kind is quite creative with words and languages, I could always teach you if you want." She leans forward as she smiles at me and I'm taken aback by how pretty she is.

No not pretty, beautiful is the right word to describe her.

She's very much unlike what I'm used to, especially the fact that her eyes are white.

What I don't understand is why every time she leans closer to me, I feel like leaning towards her too, like I want to get closer.

Maybe it's because I find her very beautiful.

"I would really love that!"

She claps her hand in excitement, "great!"

"But I can't stay here for long, I need to find my family and remember you said you will help me with my fifteen years of age ritual." I watch as the excitement slowly dampens down to a neutral facial expression and I can't help but feel worried.

How can one's mood change so drastically and quickly too?

"Whatever works best for you."

She abruptly stands up which causes the small round table to shake taking down my cup of blueberry fruit wine, it pours on me and that makes me get up to my feet as well.

Two winter fairies in blue and white maid uniforms rush over to my side of the food table and begin to help me clean off the stains and liquid left behind by the drink that I savoured once upon a time.

She doesn't say anything only watches as they clean me up, she turns and begins to walk away towards the large double doors we walked in through.

"Dana! Where are you going? Did I say or do something to upset you?" She doesn't stop or slow down.

"No." I watch as she raises her hand to stop the guards stationed at the white wooden door from opening it for her.

She pulls the doors harshly causing them to open noisily, walks through and bangs them shut.

Well, I must have said something to upset her but I only said I won't be here for long.

Oh my, Boreas! Is that why she is upset with me?

I would like to stay but my family might be waiting for me at this very moment at the foot of the mountain.

I miss Aria, grandmother, Selene and I can't believe I miss Hero and Marcus so much, those fools did bother me a lot but they are my brothers. Even Troilus that's so strict I miss him as well.

Uncle and his wife are my family even if I don't see them always, they have been trying to be the father and mother I never had, especially grandmother.

What will I do without them? How can I survive without them?

But here I am in another being's land eating and drinking their food with their princess and I haven't even seen Aoife and Dion since I stepped foot in here.

"Miss? Miss?" I am thrown out of my thoughts as reality sets in once more as I turn my attention to the maid with red hair that is tied up on her head in a bun.

She is the same height as me and slim too but not as slim as me.

"Huh? Yes?"

"Are you done eating miss?" I turn my head to look at the small brown round wooden table with cute floral designs carved into its edges that have ten or twelve plates filled with different foods.

In one plate there are the green grapes I was eating, in another, there is freshly baked chocolate bread with almond nuts in it, another plate has tomato soup with green leaves in it, there's a bowl that has apples and cherries in it, there's also rice, roasted corn, baked carrot cake and other things that had weird names that I am unaware of, all of which she referred to as lunch.

When I walked in here I felt really hungry but now after what just happened I no longer have the need in me to eat.

"Yes, I am done, thank you." She and the other girl begins to clear up the food table.

I took that as my cue to leave the food table room, a place Dana showed me with open arms and called the dining room.

As I walk away from the room that its wooden walls are decorated and covered from the floor to the roof with white lilies.

A room I once admired and praised with how healthy the flowers looked even though it's so cold and practically snowing outside.

At the mention of the room being cold Dana ordered her maids to light the fireplace that is built with stones and held together with something I am yet to know the name of, however, it is grey.

I felt warm and comfortable.

Maybe I should stay a bit longer, two sun-times will not be too much right? My family may have not got to the agreed destination and if they did they can wait for me a bit, right?

After all, Dana did promise to help me with my fifteen years of age ritual and welcomed me a total stranger into her land, she also fed me their food and asked nothing of me. I also can not forget that it was she and Aoife that saved us from the same hole I got us into in the first place because I was not concentrating.

Maybe I shouldn't have refused her offer? After everything, I do owe her a lot. Will she forgive me if I apologize?

The smooth wooden floor creaked as my bare feet walked on them in the direction I hoped she went.

There are no statues in sight of the royal household, maybe they kept them all in a place, sacred I suppose?

The walls are decorated with flowers I have no knowledge of seeing in my kingdom. They are pretty, and they form shapes that make their floral beauty even more obvious, there's pink, white and blue flowers all arranged in a pattern that makes them look like stripes on the walls.

They also seem to emit a very satisfying fragrance and I breathe it in wholeheartedly.

I don't see anyone in this passageway, not a guard or maid in sight.

If I were home I would have found it strange, but I am standing in a strange being's wooden castle, so I shouldn't be surprised.

As I continue to walk down the hall I hear voices, I can't make out what they are saying but for some unknown reason I want to see who the voices belong to.

So with this thought, I try to walk more quietly and follow the voices that are making strange noises and saying things that are not audible.

It leads me to a door with blue flowers covering every inch of its surface, how do they preserve all these flowers by the way? At home, they would need to be watered regularly and I don't know how it is possible to sprinkle water on them without creating a mess.

Again, it's a strange place, so I am supposed to expect to see strange things.

My hands reach forward with my right hand to open the door slightly just enough to peek inside.

I know this is wrong, it is not of my concern as this is not my home but I feel a strong urge to look inside, I am not usually this curious about something that no one called my attention to.

Boreas! I am not even this concerned about things that require my attention back home.

I push the door open slowly the same way the guards used their hands to turn the handle and open the door when I and Dana walked into the food table room that she called the dining room.

Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have imagined seeing what I am seeing and hear what I'm hearing.

A tear slides down my face then more followed after.

It's as though I am stuck, paralysed and everything around me seems beyond unreal to me.

My heart bleeds from the wounds caused by what I see.

"What are you doing here?" I quickly close the door and turn around forgetting to clean my face that's covered with tears.

I'm not even sorry I got caught in a place I shouldn't be.

"Are you OK? What's wrong? What did you see?" Dana makes a move to bypass me and open the shut door where I keep hearing their voices.

They didn't notice we were at the door, so they keep voicing whatever comes into their mind.

What I heard is devastating and I feel like the food I ate at the food table, the food they referred to as lunch climbs up out of my stomach and makes its way to my throat.

I try my best to swallow it down, it would be embarrassing to vomit my lunch in front of Dana. It is funny how I first assumed lunch to be a person though.

I wonder how they will explain the things they said and did in that room if I asked or if Dana confronts them right now. She may get furious such is happening in her castle, she may punish her companion even.

If she punishes her companion does that mean she will punish mine as well?

Maybe it would serve them both right for committing such abominable act in the castle for Boreas' sake! Have they no shame?! The things they said should be thrown back at them as well, and they should feel nothing but disgrace!

However, I am not willing to find out or cause trouble over a matter that no one requested my attention for.

Grandmother was right, minding things that concern you is the best way to live life in peace.

But it was the same way our people minded their business to the point we were cut away from the rest of Mu.

Even other wolfmen were cut off.

The wolfmen of the East, the West and South don't relate with us anymore. Now, look where that got us.

Attacked by beings that we don't know much of.

Our people died, even Felicity and Morgan, and in some ways, I feel numb about the thought.

Causing trouble here should be far from my intent, and Dana may abandon her words on helping me with my fifteen years of age ritual and I don't want that, so with that thought, I stop Dana before she could turn the handle.

She looks at my right hand that's over hers then her white eyes move to look at the owner of the hand that is wrapped around hers.

She releases what one would call a sigh with her head pushed back as her face looks upward, probably thinking if she should listen to my unvoiced request, I am sure she too can hear what I hear and I know she would be upset, she would definitely have a lot of questions for me now.

Her long yellow hair falls backwards as well.

"Alright let's go somewhere else, let's talk."

"Okay, that's alright with me."

I drop my hand from hers, I get an unexpected gesture from her in return.

She grabs my hand, squeezes it a bit and pulls me to follow her and I do.

We walk down the hall away from the words I hear from a recognizable voice, words that pierce my heart.

I can't seem to get it out of my mind and thoughts as they keep repeating over and over again the same way the sunrise and sets.

What did I do to deserve such from Dion and Aoife?