If any of you have seen his book, The Power Inside, you might say I copied Archie, here on Tablo. Actually, I was one of his best friends in primary school, and I keep track of his work. He's probably the best friend a gal could wish for — well, I mean, male friend (I know a lot of girls only have female friends).

*ahem* anyway, Sarah was a character in a game we once played in the sandpit. It was her Defense class that first gave me the idea to make her as sweet and kind as she is. This book is real special, as it is an adaptation of something I invented alongside my best friend who I never really  get to see anymore >^<.

Anyway, enjoy, and keep on reading!

Aria Sienna Xx❤️

"Goodbye, Elise!" I called out the shop window. The day was going as planned; I'd picked some herbs in the morning and made quite some profit over the course of the seemingly slow Saturday.

My name is Sarah. I'm a herbalist, a student, and... well, I guess it would be fair to say I'm one of the most respected women in the world.

Not that I know that for a fact. However, I have heard tales of marvellous women, all of whom have people who despise them. I, on the other hand, make friends wherever I go, and will only dislike those who dislike the people close to me.

Oh, and did I mention that the King's daughter, who sits on the throne, is my best friend?

The door of my shop swung open, triggering the bell that alerts me of people's presence. I looked up, smiling as I saw Princess Nina walk through the door. Oh her face was a stern frown, not the expression she usually wore.

"Sarah," she muttered. "The Ancient has fallen and the Lava Throne has been taken control of."

Suddenly, my head starts spinning. "Wait, but... but the Ancient is the Elve's symbol! How did it fall? Was the Elder there? Who caused it?"

"Apparently," sighed Nina, "the Elder tried his hardest to stop it. The one who caused it was a half-dragon in his full —"

She was interrupted by the door swinging violently open, and a sobbing elf lady strode into the room. "Please, lady Sarah, reunite me with my beloved Coroth! He's my only child... he went rogue! Please! Help me!"

I stared in confusion at the elven lady perched in one of my chairs, sobbing gently to herself. "This is Ary." Sighed Nina. "She's the half-dragon's mother. She... ugh, I can't put it any simpler. You of all people, the miracle worker, the herbalist, the beautiful young human lady, have been asked to escort this woman to her son's palace." 

I eyed the crying woman empathetically, practically feeling her struggle. "Ary," I said, sitting beside her, "your son... what was his name?"

"Coroth," replied the elf, still crying into her palms. "There, there," I crooned, rubbing her shoulder. "What is this palace?" 

"The Lava kingdom." She replied stonily.

"So Coroth... will he talk to anyone of lesser power?"

"Only if giving them orders or threats... or asking them to speak their last words." I recoiled slightly at this statement.

"And..." I looked to Nina. "The Ice, Forest, Sea, and Sky palaces remain vacant?"

She nodded. I inhaled shakily before continuing. "Ary. What you are asking of me is no mean feat. I must claim a palace, become a queen, and take you to Coroth. These are huge tasks that will result in huge sacrifices. You understand all this, right?"

"Yes," she whispered. "But you will go down a hero, if you do at all! You would be forever my saviour and I would —"

"No," I interrupted. "I'd do it anyway. I'm too weak to say no, and strong enough to take this on. Nina... I'm sorry I have to leave you." I put my hand on the Princess's shoulder. "I love you with all my heart. You are my closest friend... I will always remember you, and I swear I'll come back to your throne as a queen. Okay?"

She smiled at me and nodded. Before she left, she gave me provisions for the journey, two horses, and a map to find a Pegasus — the nearest palace was Sky, and a Pegasus was the only way to reach it. She wished me luck before walking out, the bells twinkling in her wake.

 The pegasus's wings were the only sound apart from the whistling of the wind in our ears. I looked down at the golden clouds below me, as bright as the crown Nina wore. As bright as the crown I would soon wear.

Ary sniffed a bit, shivering in her saddle. "Do you want to go down?" I queried, "it's a bit chilly, I know."

The Pegasus beat its wings as it flew closer to the ground. We passed through the clouds, and what I saw shocked me.

Golden, rippling waves shot across the landscape below us, flowing like the silk the Elven ladies wove. A single silver snake of water ran across it, reflecting the clouds and looking like a big red and golden ribbon.

We continued to marvel at the desert, still not speaking a word. The sun sank even lower below the horizon.

I winced into the horizon, the last dregs of the suns light still blinding me. The black outline of a rather large structure loomed as a silhouette of the dying light, drowning out my joy at the new sight of desert and the gold and purple sunset. Ary whimpered behind me. "What is it, Sarah? It... scares me."

"I know, it is strange. I'll see — it's getting closer." And indeed it was. I gasped as it grew on the horizon, a giant black tower. I noticed the real colour when we were practically right on top of it, a dusty sandstone yellow.

The Pegasus moved uneasily below us. His soft voice mingled with the whistling wind, "Sarah, we should go faster... and lower, it depends if you're on a suicide mission-"

He was cut off by a yell from the temple below us. "You there! Stop your Pegasus and land, for you are on the territory of the Sand king. You will bow before him as you..." 

His last words were lost in the tossing sand that swirled on the horizon behind us and swallowed up the view of the Sand Kingdom.

Hours passed, saying nothing, just thinking about that single incident. The Pegasus kept flying tirelessly, and I made a mental note to give him due credit and reward once I was queen. Ary fiddled with my clothing, tugging the loose strings to distract herself from thought. She immediately stopped as she saw that it was unravelling the shawl around my shoulders.

I began to notice a change in the ground and landscape around us. Small patches of green grass struggled through the sand at some points, and we were coming across more and more oasis. Quite soon, the landscape changed to bright green grass, occasional trees, and ponds and lakes whirring past us at the rate we were going. 

The silence was pressing down on me, and as the sun finally slipped all the way behind the red horizon, the Pegasus asked to stop and rest.

I happily nodded, commenting numerous times about how well he had put up with us and the long flight. He smiled, saying that it was all well for his future queen.

"Excuse me, but I'm afraid we never caught your name. And you're far too special for us to just call you Pegasus, so..?" He grinned a little, glancing at the grass below his hoofs. "My name," he said, slowly and deliberately, "is Silverprince. Back in the days when we were ruled by our own race, it was my family who ruled the throne. Having 'Prince' or 'Princess' at the end of your name was a way of signalling that you were indeed related to me. That's why I didn't hesitate to help you and Ary, because I knew you were my only shot at getting close to the throne again."

Ary and I smiled at each other. "So... you are actually the prince of the Pegasi?" Silverprince dipped his head in a sort of nod. "Unless, Sarah, you have a child. Then I guess I wouldn't be."

We laughed around like this for a while before settling down to eat a meal made of our provisions. Silence again accompanied us.

I stirred my bowl of rice around with my chopsticks, a question bearing down on me. I finally forced myself to eat, knowing that this would be my last meal in a while. But I still couldn't get the question out of my head.