"I always liked it better when you're asleep," says a female voice with tints of annoyance as her dearest friend snoozes away.

"..." Of course the blonde sleepyhead did not reply.

"You're quieter for one and the other is because you're so defenseless. You make such an easy target," continues the first voice.

"..."

A soft sigh escapes the first girl.

"If I'm being honest, I guess it's because I know you only find peace when you're asleep. You don't dream anymore, but at least the nightmares won't get you. I'll let you sleep for a little longer." A trace of gentleness is present in the voice.

"Don't open your eyes, Ulrika...I'll give you an incantation so that you won't ever have to see...the nightmare that is your reality."

Little did the owner of the voice know, the slumbering girl had only been pretending to sleep. Her eyes stay close as the spell is cast.

It doesn't work.

Ulrika's eyes flutter open as she prepares to face the voice before her.

"What nightmare are you talking about?" she asks in a raspy voice.

"Nightmare? Shouldn't I be asking you that?" replies a voice. "Well, at least you're awake now. Care to share?"

Ulrika's eyes focus on the voice at her bedside. "What are you saying? I've been awake the whole time!"

She's about to argue with the voice until she realizes it isn't the same as the one from earlier. This one is masculine, solid, and piqued with interest instead of soft, feminine, and sometimes filled with annoyance. Who was the voice from earlier? Who is the person in front of her now?

Said person at her bedside is a young man in his late twenties to early thirties with long white hair tied in a high pony tail and almond red eyes. He sat in a chair near her bed, fiddling with a sword and shield of sorts.

The sight alarms her.

"Ah, don't get the wrong idea, I'm not here to hurt you. I was asked to watch over you for a bit, in case you woke up. These are just to keeping me preoccupied should I need to wait."

He shrugs and effortlessly tosses his sword up and catches it just as easily.

"So you were saying you've been up this whole time, were you?"

"What?" Ulrika looks at him confused. Right, she did say that, but..."No, you weren't the one I was listening to...who are you!?"

"Listening to…? Well, obviously you're confused. Name's Reicher Wallach, for starters and since I answered your question, you should answer mine."

Ulrika hesitates and he notices. The man by the name of Reicher doesn't seem very trustworthy in her eyes and it doesn't help that his smile masks his true feelings.

"Ma-maybe I was dreaming, sorry," she stutters. "I don't even remember it anymore so...umm, can you tell me where I am?" She tries to change the subject, hoping he will not ask any more because honestly, she doesn't know how to answer.

Her heart pounds heavily as he quietly studies her with his gaze and his grin tells her he knows she's lying, but doesn't press further.

"Welcome to Terin Castle, you're in one of the guest rooms."

Ulrika's mouth falls open. Did she hear that right? Is she hearing anything right? Could she really be dreaming?

"You're still confused? Allow me to explain." The man, Reicher proceeds.

"You've been out for about...5 hours? You fell from the stage in the town square and were brought here under the orders of the Knight Commander, Flay Gunnar. With permission from Terin's Queen, this is now your resting quarters so make yourself at home. Just look around, it won't get any more luxurious than this."

And for the first time, they come to an agreement. The whole room is lavishly adorned, the very picture of a fairy tale castle come true, even more shocking is that this room is hers to use with direct permission from the queen of Terin. Ulrika can only muster an awe.

"Since you're up, she'll want to know. The queen awaits you, Ulrika-chan." Her name comes out playful and teasing, but it makes her feel uncomfortable.

"You know my name?" She's slightly afraid to know how he got it and doesn't completely believe she is safe yet.

"Thank your azure knight, he's easy to squeeze answers from when he's frizzled and endlessly pestered. Guess I should thank pinky for that, eh? He's been sent back to headquarters, but my guess is you'll see him soon enough."

The man chuckles before walking towards the door.

"If you'll pardon me, dear Maiden. See yah soon, too."

Soon is too soon, in her opinion. She would meet the queen of a kingdom- her of all people, something she never fathomed would happen in her lifetime. Weren't royalty suppose to be really hard to get in contact with? And yet...

Barely half an hour later, Ulrika finds herself in Reicher's presence once again along with the Queen. She silently thanks the goddess that she isn't alone and that there's a table that separates them. One because she's overwhelmed, and two, he guy doesn't seem all that bad, but he still gives her the chills.

Her attention is suddenly drawn when the queen speaks.

"It's good to see you finally awake. We were getting worried when you weren't showing any signs of coming to. The doctors couldn't find anything wrong with you, you can imagine my relief to see you up and about. It must be unsettling for you in this new environment."

Unsettling is an understatement, but Ulrika keeps it to herself and simply nods. She puts her focus on the young queen in front of her. Her hair color reminds her of Roze's blue and are accompanied by similarly colored eyes. The air around her is both prideful and benevolent, marking the makings of royalty and qualities of a caring ruler.

"My name is Anna Lemouri, queen of Terin Kingdom and leader of the Lemouri household. It is a pleasure to meet you, Maiden Ulrika. As you know, the man beside me is Reicher Wallach. He unsettles you, does he not?"

Ulrika's jaw nearly drop. Maybe she's a mind reader too.

"That's quite the usual response," chuckles the Queen. "Reicher may be hard to read, but he is by far my most loyal and trustworthy comrade. You may have noticed that he is quite privileged. His status in this kingdom is of the highest equivalent to that of our Knight Commander whom I have been told you are already acquainted with."

Her mouth falls agape but quickly shuts it to avoid blurting out anything unnecessarily knowing she has a habit of being rude in the wrong moments.

"Didn't he tell you?" the Queen sighs before glancing to the man beside her. "Typical."

"I thought it would be fun to see how she would react," responds Reicher while failing to stifle his laughter.

"I'm a knight under none other than the Queen herself. Knight Commander Gunnar bears responsibility over the military force, while I alone serve as the Queen's Knight, a special unit if you will. The Queen herself is strong on her own, a master of the blade, but etiquette requires her a serving form of protection. I'm here just for show." He shrugs almost nonchalantly.

"Not entirely," the queen resumes. "As self-serving as he is, Reicher follows orders quite obediently, although not without some digression. What I'm saying is...he can be trusted. I hope you will feel more at ease."

Reicher's smile deepens, knowingly, taking no offense at all. "Being able to accept the reality of things is one of the reasons why I'm a special unit. However, you can say I do work better alone."

Oddly, she does feel a bit more relaxed. It must have been the way they speak to each other, she thinks. There is an openness and sense of equality that eases the tension making the atmosphere around her more easily inclined to.

"Oh!" gasps the queen, "I apologize for having taken so much of your time only speaking of ourselves. I really hope you will tell us a little more about yourself. I must say that I have been looking forward to this moment."

Ulrika nods. "Before that, ummm...my friend Ena. Do you know where he is?"

The queen nods.

"Ena has already been alerted along with his party. He is part of the festival committee. He's a Terin Academy student majoring in engineering so he'll be busy with the technical stuff. I will find someone else to escort you."

"I'll be accompanying you for tomorrow since everyone else is assigned," Reicher speaks. "The Queen doesn't mind, in fact, it's her order. Your safety before any other...well she's still my priority, but she can handle herself. Until we find someone else, I will be your guard."

"Okay," responds Ulrika. She feels uncomfortable at the new arrangement, but doesn't want to doubt their kindness and accepts their offer.

"Now, if you will," the queen speaks, softly. "I really would like to hear more about you."

"Ah, yes of course Queen Lemouri."

"Anna is fine. We're within my personal quarters so there is no need for formalities. Here, we are just three new acquaintances getting to know each other."

Ulrika nods. "Alright...where should I begin?"

After a few hours of chatter, Anna finally calls it a day.

xXxXxXxXxXxX

Ulrika learned that the Queen had barely turned thirty and has reigned for the past ten years. Her rule has been remarkable, according to Reicher, and would continue to produce excelling results for their land. Reicher is just a year older and are actually long time friends along with the Knight Commander who is about three to four years older.

During their chat, she learns the names of the five main noble houses: Valendorf, Dysler, Eisler, Vonderchek, and Schevesti, and a few branching families including a few that lost power. Although she couldn't really remember all the new things she heard, she remembered that each family held some kind of responsibility and oversees a district, dividing their power and keeping the public safe.

Everything else was lost to her.

After the chat, Ulirka retreats to her new sleeping quarters. It's a nice place, but it will take some time to adjust to. She lays down on the huge bed and squeals at her new accommodations.

Honestly, she believes that it is all too good to be true. Her spirit dampens when she is hit with insecurities.

Everything is too new to her. The land, the people, and it hurt her head just thinking about it. Still, she feels a sense of longing to be with them. Meeting these new people has surely sparked something inside her and looking at them made her happy and somewhat nostalgic. Looking at Anna and Reicher makes her feel as if she had siblings, but she didn't, right?

Yun makes her feel warm inside as if the life in her had been lit again, so why did she feel cold in the first place? Why is it that every time she looks into his eyes, her heart flits in a familiar pattern?

And then there's Roze, Et and Ena who are supporting her yet cause her so much headache, but what she really feels is a form of heartache. It's wonderful being with them, but something about them causes her pain.

Everything feels new and familiar at the same time.

She feels sad, like she is missing something important connected to her memories. Maybe she had people waiting for her. She shakes her head remembering clearly growing up in a lonely household, far from other homes. Most of her life had been empty. She had lived with her parents for a few years and then they passed when she was eight. She developed skills to survive by herself and when she turned fifteen, she was of age.

Her eyes widen at the new discovery.

Her coming of age happened when she turned fifteen. What happens after that?

She….she went out somewhere….

The town! She left home and went into town!

But something didn't make sense to her. Why did she wait until she turned fifteen to venture off?

She's still missing something, but it feels so close, all she had to do was grab it!

But she doesn't know what to grasp for except air.

Its cold during the winters, believe it or not. Sure the region is warm all year long but at night it's too damn cold. Ulrika sighs. Of course it would be when you're by herself in a house that's too big for her. She really wants to go into town just once and see for herself what the lives of the village people were like, but she can't, not yet.

She hates that rule, but she endures it for her family's sake. It was something the Goddess had decided long ago and must absolutely be obeyed or something tragic could befall her. It is times like this that she curses her blood, curses the loneliness.

Being a young teen is hard, a tender age of thirteen makes her all the more vulnerable. Maybe that's why she has to wait.

Two more years, she thinks wistfully.

There is a soft knock on her door, scaring her out of her stupor. Odd, she never gets visitors, but the problem is that it is night. Ulrika remains alert as the knock is heard again. And again. And again.

She opens the door slightly, leaving the chain lock in place.

"Who are you and what do you want?" she questions the stranger on the other side.

"I...I'm sorry," says the stranger. His tone is soft and sad. "Forgive me..."

Confused, Ulrika peeks out the door. She sees a hooded man wearing all black from head to toe. She can't quite see his face because it is hung low, almost bowing. Definitely suspicious.

"It's late, I won't ask again." Her voice is louder and braver, but she is scared inside. Her hands press against the door ready to shut them, but she finds herself unable to.

She senses him hesitate before continuing. He apologizes again remorsefully for bothering her during these late hours.

"My name matters not, but my duty is to you and you alone..." his voice drifts and feels strained. "I am yours fall all you need and desire. Whatever you wish I will become for you."

Ulrika stares at the bizarre man. "Huh?"

Sensing her confusion, the man continues to elaborate. "The Goddess Ibis wishes that I be your new guardian. If you will allow me the honor, then I shall give all of myself to you."

Ulrika gasps and shakes her head fervently. "Why would you do something like that?"

And he replies just as eagerly. "Because I'm yours."

She could here it in his voice, the sadness and desperation. She could hear what he really wanted to say, but his words were limited, she guesses because of his servitude. Yet she hears it so clearly because it's a cry of her own.

'Please, I don't want to be alone anymore.'

"Give me your name," she almost whisper, her voice as lost as her head.

The man straightens himself slowly and reaches for his hood.

"My name is..."

And the rest is lost.

"Who are you?" She cries in anguish. Her voice is loud in her big and quiet room.

She wakes up with tears streaming down her face. Her heart aches at something that she can't quite remember. She is so close! So close, but everything still escapes her!

Even worse, this time there is no one by her side.

A/N: I apologize that it took me two years to post another chapter. Believe it or not, I'm still committed. I love RozexUlrika too much, but it's just hard to keep up with so much going on.

Please, review or ask questions. Feel free to send messages too if you all are getting lost.