The splendid Summer Palace shimmered in the moonlight as we entered the massive gates into the palace's outer courtyard. We were led through the great central arch of the north faade and into the inner courtyard, where Aunt Serena was waiting for us.

Erien jumped off his horse, ran to his mother, and hugged her. I followed, sliding off my horse most inelegantly, and hugged my aunt.

"I've missed you, little one," Aunt Serena said."Welcome to the Summer Palace, my dear."

I smiled. I was happy to be here. And I would definitely be safer here than at Evolon.

"Are you all right?" she asked genuinely. "After Professor Dekela sent me a message telling me what happened, I immediately came here to speak to the king. He has given his permission for you to stay at the palace, under his protection, until my father gets back and decides what to do."

I nodded. "Thank you, Aunt Serena. I'm sorry I acted stupidly. I shouldn't have taken off the amulet."

"What's done is done," said my aunt. "We cannot change that. The truth had to come out sometime. It's just that we wanted you to be ready, and in full control of your powers, when that happened."

I looked down, ashamed that I had let her and Uncle Gabriel down. He was going to be so angry when he heard what I did.

"It's nice to see you again, Penelope," said Aunt Serena to Mrs. Plumpleberry.

Penelope curtseyed. "It's always a pleasure to be of service to you my lady," she replied deferentially.

"Come," said Aunt Serena to me. "I will show you to your rooms. You will be staying with us in the west wing of the palace where the Silverthorne family resides while we are at court."

"Your room will be next to mine," said Erien, "overlooking Cherry Blossom Grove."

I smiled; I loved the names of all the places in Avalonia.

The foyer was an enormous, high-ceilinged room with a white marble floor that gleamed under the light of magnificent crystal chandeliers. Gilded columns stood like sentinels guarding the way as I followed Aunt Serena up a great marble staircase and through an immense hall lined with huge mirrors. Beautiful, intricate tapestries decorated the walls on one side, and big French doors led out onto white balconies and the gardens beyond.

We walked down exquisitely decorated corridors with portraits of what I assumed were royal ancestors, past ornamental rooms, and closed doors, to the west wing of the palace.

My room at the Summer Palace was a luxurious haven, which was even bigger and more spacious than my bedroom at Silverthorne Castle. Compared to this place, Silverthorne Castle could be called rustic.

A massive four-poster bed, hung with beautiful cream and gold brocade curtains and raised on a platform, could be reached by climbing four carpeted steps. The floors were white marble, and dozens of exotic carpets were placed tastefully around the room. Comfortable chairs, a gold brocade sofa, and elegant chests of drawers created a lovely entertainment space. Gilded frames and massive mirrors decorated the walls. A great crystal chandelier hung from the impossibly high ceiling, which was carved with intricate designs. The massive chandeliers were already lit with glowing candles, and it spread a warm glow over the whole room.

I washed up and went across the corridor to Aunt Serena's parlor. It was a beautiful room with blue and gold walls. A huge, blue-and-gold brocade sofa dominated the parlor, and Aunt Serena was lounging on it reading something.

When she saw me, she called me to sit beside her.

"Come, my dear," she said, warmly patting the plump cushion next to her.

Aunt Serena looked at me with a kind smile on her porcelain face. Sometimes I couldn't help staring at her. She was so beautiful. Perfect skin, beautiful blue eyes, long golden hair-she looked every inch a countess.

"The king is having a ball two nights from today," said Aunt Serena. "I brought you some clothes so you will have something suitable to wear in the day, and your dress for the harvest ball should be arriving shortly."

She showed me my new wardrobe, and I was quite speechless at her generosity.

"Thank you so much, Aunt Serena," I said, giving her a big hug.

The next day was extremely hectic. I was woken up by one of the palace maids at the crack of dawn and told that Erien had asked me to join him in the courtyard for his morning ride. I dressed quickly in my green riding clothes, slipped on my soft riding boots, and followed the maid through the extremely confusing corridors, down the great staircase, and into the inner courtyard of the castle where Erien was waiting with a huge white pegasus.

Erien grinned his silly lopsided grin. He waved to me and said, "Surprise!"

"Snow!" I cried and ran towards my pegasus. I hugged her round her large neck and stroked her white mane. "I'm so glad you're back."

"I am glad to be back, little princess," said Snow in my mind.

"She got here last night with Grandfather," said Erien. "You should have seen his mood. He was so angry. I figured you could use some flying time before you have to meet with the duke."

Poor Erien. He was so sweet, and he looked quite worried. I could imagine what Uncle Gabriel must have looked like when he found out what I did and that everyone now knew who I was. I wondered who told him. Must have been Aunt Serena; no one else would have been brave enough.

I knew I was in trouble, but what was done was done. I did regret hurting Damien so badly. It was not my intention, but the truth had to come out sometime, and I felt like a great load of lies and deceit had been lifted from my shoulders. In some ways even though Morgana was hunting me, I felt freer than I ever had in my life. It was time to stop hiding, take my life into my own hands, and make my parents proud.

I held onto the leather strap that was wrapped around the pegasus's middle and hoisted myself up onto her huge back.

"Snow, have you grown since I last saw you?" I said in my mind.

Snow laughed her musical laugh. "Yes, my princess. I am still a young pegasus, and I will continue to grow for a few more years. Soon I will be able to fly you across the Stardust Sea to Elfi with no problem whatsoever."

Snow cantered a little, flapped her great wings, and soared into the sky.

"Why Elfi?" I asked. "I thought I was going to stay here."

"Your uncle has been planning to send you to Elfi for your safety. To your grandmother Isadora, queen of the fae."

"Sounds like Uncle Gabriel has already made up his mind," I said.

I knew I had a fae grandmother and that she was queen of the fae. But I had gotten so involved in my mage life that I hadn't thought much about my mother's family. And if what Penelope said was true and she was very powerful, I would be safe from Morgana in Elfi. Right now I was a sitting duck. Morgana probably already knew I was here.

"Will I really be safer there?"

"Queen Isadora is an Immortal and extremely powerful," said Snow as we soared over the azure sea. "It is only because of her that Elfi still exists. Morgana fears your grandmother and will not attack her kingdom directly."

"If Morgana fears her, then why is she attacking the fae in Illiador?" I asked. "Why doesn't my grandmother help them?"

"Morgana knows that Isadora cannot leave Elfi, as it is only her power and her presence that keeps the kingdom of the fae safe. She is trying to draw Isadora out, leaving Elfi vulnerable to attack," Snow replied.

I nodded. It made sense that Uncle Gabriel would try and send me to the safest place in the seven kingdoms, but I wasn't really sure if I wanted to run away and hide all over again. Although going to Elfi to learn to use my fae magic was probably not such a bad idea. I didn't want another incident where I lost control. I hoped we would be able to stay at the palace for a little while, though; I really wasn't looking forward to another long journey trying to evade Morgana's minions.

We soared over the landscaped gardens of the Summer Palace, over the cliffs, out to the open sea, and back. Snow flew abruptly out of the sky and cantered to a stop inside the palace courtyard. My neck was jarred with the impact of hitting the ground.

"Sorry," said Snow, "I've been used to the duke's weight for so long that I misjudged my landing."

I got off Snow and patted her on her neck as the grooms came scurrying to take the now sweating pegasus for a cool down and then back to the royal stables.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" said Erien enthusiastically as I came over to him.

I smiled, my mind racing. I was going over what Snow had just said to me. "It was fun, yes," I said absentmindedly. "Thank you Erien."

I followed Erien into the palace, through the great halls and massive corridors, to the west wing, where our rooms were. Aunt Serena was waiting for us.

"Well," she said sternly, "where were you two?" She looked angry again.

"Aurora was just flying on Snow," grinned Erien.

But Aunt Serena was scowling at him.

"What did I do now?" he asked, his face falling.

"I have expressly forbidden you from taking Aurora out of the palace grounds. What part of that sentence do you not understand?" said Aunt Serena.

"In actual fact we were not really outside the grounds, or anywhere on it. She flew over the sea and came back," said Erien, still oblivious as usual.

I wanted to throttle him. He was just making matters worse, and he had no clue. Aunt Serena was getting angrier by the minute.

"Aurora has been summoned by the king to meet him this afternoon, and I have to get her ready," she said, pulling me towards my room.

I went back to my room and changed out of my riding clothes and into a pale blue chiffon dress with silver embroidery on the neck and cuffs. It was cinched at the waist with a wide silver sash. Aunt Serena had said that I was to meet her in the outer chamber of the throne room at noon, where I would be presented formally to Petrocales, King of Eldoren and to the crown prince as well.

I followed an old footman, who had come to escort me to the throne room, which was situated just under my rooms, in the west wing of the palace. Aunt Serena was waiting for me in the outer chamber.

I was a little nervous. What was the king like? Would he accept my claim to the throne of Illiador? Would he help me?

The massive doors to the throne room opened, and we were summoned inside. Aunt Serena led the way, and the doors shut behind me with a thud. The herald announced the Countess of Everdale, and I walked stiffly behind Aunt Serena.

The throne room was a cavernous hall, long and rectangular, with white marble floors. Huge pillars, spaced out at regular intervals, lined the two sides of the enormous room. The ceiling here was two stories high and decorated with magnificent frescos; huge arched windows bathed the room in sunlight. A long gallery ran along the first floor of the room, and a few lords and ladies of the nobility were standing around, whispering in low voices.

My hands were becoming clammy, and my heart had started hammering in my chest. Was this going to be a formal audience, in front of so many people? What if I slipped up? What if I said something wrong? All these people would laugh at me.

When we reached the dais where the king sat on the throne, Aunt Serena curtseyed and gestured for me to do the same. I immediately dropped into a clumsy version of a curtsey that I remembered from ballet class. Aunt Serena had been teaching me, but I wasn't very good at it.

The king looked pleased. He was a big, burly man with deep-set eyes and closely cropped salt-and-pepper hair, which peeped out from beneath his crown.

The king looked over to one of the guards standing on the side of the throne. "Where is my son?" he asked, his voice booming across the throne room. "Did I not expressly give a command that he was to be here for this audience today?"

The guard looked embarrassed. "I am sorry, sire. The prince got away from us again," he said in a soft voice. "We have no idea where he is."

"Probably out in a tavern, holed up with some wench as usual," said the king loudly, his voice laced with disgust. "Just find him. I want him here for the harvest ball tomorrow."

"Yes, sire," the guard said, nodding, and backed away into the shadows.

Some of the ladies in the crowd snickered and giggled. It looked like the reports about the crown prince were true. He sounded like quite a rake.

The king dismissed the sniggering, smiled, stood, and offered me his hand. "Come, my dear," was all he said, as he led me through a door behind the throne room into a smaller, more comfortable room. This was the private audience chamber of the King of Eldoren, and I immediately felt more at ease.

We sat across from each other, Aunt Serena and I perching ourselves on an elegant settee, while the king sat on a high-backed chair opposite us.

"The countess has informed me of who you are and why you are here," said the king. "We are glad to have you with us." He smiled. "I wanted our first meeting to be private, but later we can have a meeting with the council."

I must have looked startled, because Aunt Serena put her hand on my leg. "Don't worry, my dear. I told you we will not do anything you do not want. My father has arrived, and once you have had a talk with him, we can decide what is to be done."

I nodded. I was dreading meeting Uncle Gabriel. He was going to be so angry with me.

The king looked disconcerted. "I thought that fae-mages were a myth," he said, "but Serena has informed me that you are being taught to control your powers."

"Yes," I said meekly, looking down at my hands. I was still embarrassed about the fiasco at school.

"It also seems your powers are exceptionally strong, like your father," King Petrocales said. "It would be a shame to see such potential go to waste, so we must get as many nobles as we can to support you if the war comes. You will need troops, and you need to be ready to face Morgana and Lucian."

"But . . ." I said, trying to get a word in.

The king held up his hand to silence me.

"Let me finish. When the time comes, we can decide what is to be done. I understand your hesitation. Serena had informed me that you are reluctant to rule Illiador."

I nodded again, more fervently this time. The king's brows scrunched together as he rubbed his temples.

"Nonetheless, you need to understand that we cannot permit Morgana to rule, nor can we permit her to invoke the old law of Illiador as the high kingdom. If Azaren were king, it would have been a different story altogether. I do not know how much your aunt and granduncle have told you about your father," he said, looking at Aunt Serena and back to me.

"After so many years, we had given up hope. You must be the one to ascend the throne. If you do not claim your right, the other noble families of Illiador will rally to someone else's banner, there will be strife in your kingdom, and your family name will disappear. Illiador is your kingdom, and you are its true heir. Do not shun your destiny because the way ahead seems too hard. You must embrace who you are, take your life into your own hands, and win back your kingdom in the name of your father Azaren and the great Firedrake dynasty."

I knew what he was saying was right. It was my duty to hold the kingdom for my father. He would never have wanted Morgana to destroy the kingdom like this. But why was this king helping me? Couldn't he just take over the kingdom himself? I thought all kings were power hungry.

"Your father was a dear friend of mine, Aurora," said the king, obviously sensing my confusion. "I do not want his legacy to go to ruins. When my own kingdom was in strife, Azaren was the one who brought troops into Eldoren to quiet the rebels. He was a kind and just man and would have made a wonderful king. I owe it to him to see his daughter restored to her rightful place on the throne of Illiador."

Hearing the King of Eldoren say all these things really drove the point home. And, even though I had decided a while ago not to run from my destiny and to accept my role as queen, I still had doubts as to whether I would be able to succeed in this monumental task. Morgana would not give up her throne easily, and there were no guarantees that I would even survive long enough to sit on the throne. But I was willing to try. I owed my parents that much.

"What do I have to do?" I said finally.

"At the moment, you need to advance your training and strengthen your powers. No one will follow a weak queen. Although," he paused, and then he went on, "you being a fae-mage will rally many to your cause, but only if you learn to control your magic."

"When and if Morgana attacks us, I intend to be ready," I said, now resigned to the idea, but sounding more sure than I really was.

Serena got up, came over to me, and hugged me fiercely. "I knew you would soon come to understand your responsibilities," she said smiling.

"Azaren's name itself will rally most of the nobles to follow your banner," said the king, standing up and indicating this meeting was over. "In the meantime, I want you to enjoy yourself here as well. Just stay within the walls of the palace, and you will be safe for now. I will leave you to meet your uncle. What's done is done. Now that everyone knows your true identity, it is futile to try and hide it."

Serena stood too and curtseyed, and I did the same.

"Know this: you have the support of Eldoren, should you choose to stand against Morgana. After the ball, we can meet with the council."