8

I grabbed my long skirt and ran at full speed through the castle. I'm sure I was quite the sight: the supposedly dignified princess of all Aeylan, sprinting barefoot in a nightgown.

All I can say is, if they're not used to it yet, they should be.

I burst from behind a tapestry (loved the secret passageways) and into the huge hallway that was just the beginning of the Castle of Royals.

And immediately bumped into someone.

I bounced right off and landed in a heap at the feet of the tallest person I've ever seen.

Not person... elf.

I stared up at the huge ears that had flicked back at the impact, the white-blond hair in a ponytail that reached his waist, the near seven feet of slim frame, and the long-fingered hand that rested on the hilt of his sword. His eyes narrowed as he looked down on me, the pupils like a cat's. As I watched him, his pupils grew round and a look of bemusement spread across his angular face. His hand left the sword and stretched out to me; he had to bend almost all the way down to reach me.

"Child, why look so afraid? I won't bite," he said in a soft voice, accented with the melodic tones of the elven language.

I hesitated, then took his hand. He helped me to my feet, and I brushed myself off. Then I looked around.

Lots of shocked elven faces. Tons of shocked human faces, too. And a familiar grin next to a look of mock disappointment...

"Mom! Dad!" I cried, rushing toward them.

Mom tucked a lock of her somewhat curly reddish brown hair behind her ear, gave me a huge smile, and smothered me in a bear hug. Dad rumpled my messy hair, his dark gray eyes sparkling.

"Nani, I told you to not grow while I was gone!" Mom admonished, giving me a kiss on the forehead.

"I tried," I said weakly, giggling.

Someone cleared their throat, and I pulled back, embarrassed.

"Wyg'e, this is my youngest daughter," Dad addressed the elf I'd bumped into, his hand on my shoulder.

"And how pretty she is," he replied.

My face felt hot. I avoided everybody's eyes, mumbling, "I should go get dressed."

"Hurry back, honey," Mom said, her dark blue eyes laughing.

I walked with as much decorum as I had left out of the hallway. Once out of sight, however, I pelted as fast as I could back to my room. When I got there, I dug through the trunk of everyday clothes that rested at the end of my bed. I probably should've gone to the gown room to find something more elegant, but I just wanted to wear something besides my night dress.

I soon found one of my nicer outfits: a white blouse and a sky blue skirt. (The skirt was one of my favorite things to wear, because it was durable, light, had really pretty embroidery, and, when I spun, it would spread out in a big circle around me. It was just really fun to wear.) I ran a brush through my unruly hair, pulled the top half back, and put on some plain white slippers, which were good for a day in the castle.

On my way out of the room, I caught sight of my reflection in the mirror. I stopped short and looked at the girl I saw.

I was kind of short for thirteen. Mom would say petite, like her, even if I wasn't... well, wasn't her daughter.

The truth is, only Axen, Katrinelle, and Markus are the actual children of Corinath and Caitlyn Alexandar.

Seriena and Nickolas were adopted together, because they're actual siblings. Mom and Dad were riding through a town when Nick, only three years old, ran in front of a horse whose rider was an important general. The horse bucked, throwing the general off into a big puddle of mud. Enraged, he staggered to his feet, grabbed his whip, and moved towards the little boy.

Dad saw what happened. He leaped off his horse, landed running, and jumped in front of Nick, blocking the whip's blow with his arm.

The general was, of course, shocked. He began stammering apologies, but Dad ignored him. He rubbed his arm, grimacing slightly, and turned to Nick. Nick was pretty freaked out, and he ran away from Dad and into the crowd, which separated; Nick was hiding behind Seriena. They were both famished, abandoned by parents who couldn't keep them, living on the streets.

Mom joined Dad, took one look, and instantly understood everything. She approached the small children, and said, "Hi there. Can you come with me?"

Obviously, these grown-up's were nice, so Ena let them lift her and her little brother onto their horses and take them to a brand-new life.

Ena and Nick have each other, and they're not ashamed that they're adopted, especially since Dad has told this story so often. They adapted beautifully.

I was adopted too. Except, (and I'm not technically supposed to know this) I was adopted as a replacement.

Mom lost a baby boy, who was born about the same time as me. The midwife told her that the child was stillborn, and that she had taken the baby away while Mom was passed out. Anyway, Mom and Dad were really upset.

Then somebody came up and said that a kitchen girl had gotten pregnant with a stable boy, and didn't know what to do with the little girl.

Guess who that little girl was?

Yep.

Me.

I was adopted. But I've never figured out who my real parents are. I don't know if they're still working at the castle, or if they're even still in the province.

Not to say that I don't love Mom and Dad. 'Cause I do, very very much.

You can tell I'm adopted easily too. My hair is sort of a caramel color; golden brown, you might call it. And it's not curly, or straight, or even wavy. It's just messy, and long. I have plain brown eyes, and my skin color doesn't quite match any of the other royal's. I look so... different.

Looking at my reflection, I wondered if I was "pretty". The crop of zits across of my forehead said otherwise. Compared to Ena and Kat, I was like a Shetland pony next to two unihorns. Destiny had a beauty all her own, and the rest of the girl cousins looked just like princesses should. Most of them acted like princesses should too.

Well, some of them did...

A rapping on the door made me jump. I took a startled breath, then said, "Who is it?"

Kat stuck her head in. "Hey there. You ready? We're looking for you out there. Some big elf guy wants to talk to you."