A beat picks up and the ladies twirl. I hate it here, but for my sister I’m willing. A woman walks out in a shimmery white wedding gown on the arm of Prince Owen.  The New Princess. My sister Adele. She smiles and catches my eyes. She whispers in the ear of the Prince. He nods and she comes running to my arms. “Evylene,” she yells and I grin. “Princess Adele, may I have this dance?”  I ask her. She giggles and nods. The beat picks up and I twirl her faster. If anybody thought it was weird to see the new princess being twirled around by some silly noble lady, they did not dare say it. Prince Owen might just be a prince but he is willing to hurt anyone who dares tease the two of us. 

“I love you sister,” I whisper in her ear. “So you’re not mad at me?” She asks, her eyes filling with tears.

I shake my head. “Why would I be mad at you?”

She tries to smile, “Because I took away your one chance to leave our past behind.”

“No, you didn’t, you give me hope.” I want to tell her more but the song ends and Owen comes.

“My dear, it is tradition to dance with the family of the new bride.” He tells her and grabs my hand.  “I have to dance with her now as your Mother…” he shakes his head, his eyes filling. 

He leads me out to the dance floor. “Evylene, Why? Why did you ask me to take your sister’s hand instead of your own beautiful one?”

“Because of the Prophecy, you know that I would be willing to do anything to make sure she stays safe,” I tell him. 

“But the ‘Prophecy’ is just an old man’s trick to fool us all!” He bellows and the whole ballroom stops. “Do I have to remind you of the silly words?

Wonder

Truth

Will be found

One shall perish one shall prosper

Own

The crown

Gray lamps

Twins 

A promise to keep to the end

Truth and wonder.

Just a silly trick. I mean who even says your interpretations right.” 

“Ollie did,” I whisper. “Yeah, that’s right, the ‘mad man’ himself. And you want to know who he is to me. He was my very best friend and my brother! And you stopped all that. He was 10, and his prophecies were already known to come true. And still, you led him straight to his disappearance.” I was yelling now. “So don’t you dare say you’re the hero in this story, you’re just the coward!” I closed my gray eyes, took a deep breath then opened them. They filled with tears I had desperately buried down. I ran into the night…