Tristan rubbed his head. His entire body was sore and wet. He groaned, “Wha-what happened?...What is on me?!” Roughly he removed the fabric that was on top of him. It was a cloak, and damp from the rain. That would explain why he was wet.

Why am I on the ground? Where am I? Tristan asked himself. Then everything that had occurred came back to his memory. The attack, him fighting, then…when he was stabbed.

Color drained from his face, and his body became stiff and cold. Slowly he sat up and leaned against a nearby tree. Raising his hand, he placed it on his chest to the exact area where there should have been a wound, no wound remained, not even a scratch!

Did it even happen at all? Tristan wondered. But he knew it had. A swift look at his torn, bloodstained shirt confirmed it. He had been stabbed, yet he was still living. He could not move or think; he was too taken aback to come to realization that something unexplainable had saved him from death.

“Um…Prince Tristan?”

Instantly he was up on his feet, looking at the young woman who had called his name. Her face showed uneasiness, and yet also relief.

Alera could barely contain the joy she found on seeing him awake and well. “How are you feeling, your majesty?” she asked, just wanting to make sure before she came to the conclusion that he was perfectly well.

Tristan stared at her. Words wanted to come forth, but they would not come. He was so confused, and he needed answers. The girl still looked at him, anxiously waiting.

“I-I-I…How...Do you know how I…” The things he was trying to say could not come together. Fear still lingered within him.

What is wrong with him? Alera thought. Did the magic have a bad effect upon him? She moved to stand next to him. “Are you--.”

“What happened to me?!” Tristan rushed out, interrupting her. His blood was racing and his head was dizzy with nerves.

“Oh! So that is…” Alera had not planned on how she would tell the Prince why he was still alive. “…Well, that is kind of complicated.”

A look of sheer anger came across Tristan’s face, “How on Earth is it complicated to explain?! Why am I alive?!”

“It is not complicated to explain!” Alera snapped back. She would not tolerate such rudeness, especially from the person she had just saved from death. “What I mean is that it won’t be easy for you to believe.”

“How is it difficult to believe you did it…didn’t you?”

“Yes, I did it, but again it is not hard for me to believe, but for you.”

His patience was running thin, “Fine, just…what did you do to me?”

He would believe her or he wouldn’t: there was only one way to find out. “I…healed you Prince Tristan, with magic.”

There was a moment of silence before the Prince broke into a laughing fit.

“What is so funny?!” Alera asked, appalled.

“Just…just,” Tristan tried to silence his laughter. After all the tension, the girl’s unexpectedly ridiculous statement, combined with her serious expression, seemed hilarious to him. The very idea of using “magic” to heal him! He calmed himself down. “I’m sorry, but there is no way you could have used magic to heal me. There is no such thing.”

Alera was confused. “No such thing as magic? Then what about your father, your servants?” Alera questioned.

“What about them?” Tristan asked, puzzled.

They hadn’t told him. Alera realized. She couldn’t use his father as an example. “Never mind them, but I did use magic to save you, regardless of whether you believe it or not.”

This girl should be locked up in the asylum! Tristan thought. “Magic does not exist.”

“Yes it does!”

“Magic may exist in books, but outside in the real world magic is as unreal as fairies!”

“How would you know?!” Alera snapped. “You’re human! You can’t see fairies!”

The two glared at one another, waiting for the next move. Tristan, who was close to losing his sanity with this girl, gave up and ran in the direction his men should be, yelling behind him “Magic is not real!”

Tristan was unprepared for what he discovered at the site of the attack. His loyal soldiers lay bloody, frozen, and dead on the dirt ground. This couldn’t be happening! Tristan bowed his head respectfully to them; murmuring a prayer. As he finished, his throat began to close up. If that crazy girl could save him, why couldn’t she save them?

Then again, deep down, Tristan did not want to know. This was all too insane for him to understand. Eyes closed for a moment, he cleared his thoughts and focused on one thing: to go home. Once he was back home, things would be sorted out, with that comforting thought in mind, he began his trek home

Alera went in the opposite direction. This had not gone as she had planned at all. All she wished to do now was return home. Grabbing her bag, she pulled from it her mirror. She cleared her mind and pushed away her feelings.

“Take me home!”

The mirror rested in her hands. She was still where she stood. She tried again to summon the magic…and again. Alera began to panic. Why was the mirror not working? The only reason her mirror would stop working would be if her mother’s mirror had stopped working, since they were magically linked. Had something happened to her mother?

Her hands shaking, she put the mirror back inside the bag. The only means of getting her home was not working and she was in an unfamiliar place.

Her throat began to close up. What do I do now?! I can’t stay here by myself…maybe Tristan…

“Prince Tristan!” Alera cried, running in the direction he had gone. As she ran, she thought of how she would lie to him. He wouldn’t even consider letting her come with him if she kept on talking about magic. Yet thinking of a lie was difficult – her thoughts were filled with worry over what could have caused the mirror to stop working. She put that thought aside and continued her run to reach Tristan.

AN: Thank you for reading, and please review I’d like to know what you think of it. Thanks so much to TrudiRose, who wonderfully edited this chapter!