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Description
Location: The Tower of Midnight; the Castle of Illusion
My hand ran along the silk garment, it felt so soft. Slipping it on I smiled deeply, the way the silk felt against my skin was brilliant. I tied off the garment to the side. There was something I wanted to do.

Location: The Illusionary Maze
I'd seen this once before, this massive stone arch. Beyond it lay giant hedges hiding the passage from view. Passing through I wandered into the maze. Within minutes I had lost my way. The green leaves had swallowed me up, only spoiled at regular intervals when a marble statue stood there. I turned to the skies, it was the midst of night. Out here I could see the illusions had a lesser effect. In the sky hung a red orb, after all, this is the Land of the Midnight Sun. I kept on walking.

After some time I came across what I thought was the centre. Six pillars stood in a ring, a stone ring atop of them. Inside was a basin, the surface of the water flat. Putting my hands on the edge I looked in. As I looked in things began to change.
"Brother!" my eyes opened wide as I saw his image. There was a cut across his cheek, blood dripping from it. The view scanned out, he seemed to be arguing with someone. Mu husband-to-be appeared. I reeled back from the basin.
"They're both looking for you." I turned, the creature from before was there.
"What are you?" I backed away.
"I'm a Cat Demon. My name is Xilef," he strode forwards.
"Why are you here?" the words stuttered from my mouth.
"You don't even know why you're here do you?"
"What?" My back was now against a pillar, the demon in front of me. His paw pushed aside the robe to hold my bare left shoulder, his forehead touched mine.
"You really don't know do you?"

"Why does everybody faint?" Xilef sighed, pulling away. Going to the basin he dipped a claw in, watching the ripples move across the surface. For some minutes he considered the bowl, wondering what the Princess had actually seen in the water. Behind him his tail wafted about slowly, and after some time the tip came up to touch his cheek. Looking up to the skies his eyes glinted in the midnight sun. Sighing yet again he ran a paw through his hair, stepping back from the water. She was still out by one of the pillars. Shrugging his shoulders he turned into a cat, and jumped on top of the hedges, finding his way out that way.

As the vampire wandered through the maze he put away the vial of blood. With new blood about he was feeling a greater lust for blood, and it was only because her blood had a different smell to it. His hand trailed across the leaves softly, but it was still harsh enough to scratch his fingertips. For a moment he paused, sniffing the air. Such a sweet scent arose in the air, as his thoughts shifted the hedges around him changed to rose bushes. Looking back the way he had come he saw the flowers were a midnight blue, and on the path before him the roses were turning a lighter shade. By some instinct he knew the lighter the roses got, the closer he was to that scent. And so he followed.

Coming to the centre of the maze he stopped, blinking a few times. There, seemingly asleep in a pile of scattered rose petals, was Amerisa. Her breast rose and fell gently with breathing, otherwise she didn't move amongst the innocent white petals. Bending down he held her head in one hand, the rest of her in his other. Having picked her up he slowly turned and looked in the basin. Images scattered before his eyes, he knew what they meant.
"You've been here near a month now," he whispered to himself, "They've been looking for you all this time. They'll find the castle in about a week, and storm it. By then most of the people of this castle will be gone. On that night when they storm the castle, all will be revealed to you then." He said this, knowing she couldn't hear it, but also it was the first time he had heard it out aloud.
"Such beauty shrouds the face of innocence."

Location: Unknown
A sweet scent arises, but identifying it is hard. The last thing I remember is the cat demon Xilef, the velvet touch on my shoulder and his forehead against mine. After that, all my senses had gone into this bleak blackness. From what I then began to see I wondered if it was real, or rather just an illusion. The darkness was fading, revealing a pool of light. Glass, or perhaps a mirror, was broken on the floor. The vampire was knelt amongst the shards.
"Luc?" he did not answer, "Lucifer?" The vampire turned, blood was on his hands and down his front.
"Lucifer, what's happened?" my voice somehow didn't sound scared.
"Lost, all lost," came his hallowed voice. The blood was fresh, still dripping from his hands.
"What's happened Luc?" I found myself holding his hands.
"It's all gone," his eyes were shut, tears running down his alabaster cheeks, "How could this have gone so wrong?" He turned his head away, water running across his jaw line.
"Luc!" Before my eyes he suddenly disappeared, "Luc!" The scent, suddenly I knew what it was. In my hands were cream rose petals.

Location: The Illusionary Maze
As he walked he picked a rose, admiring the soft golden colour. Pushing back strands of her coppery hair he placed the flower in it. Beneath her laden lids it looked like she was stirring.

It took some moments for me to realise that the touch on my cheek was actually real, or an illusion. I wasn't sure, was all what I was seeing now real or not? All I know was that it was different from everything else here. What's real and illusion, I don't know? Luc said listen to my heart, but at the moment it just feels like a beating organ against my breast. All this time I've been trying to look for answers, I just wonder if I should be looking for the right question.

Those holly green eyes opened, her gaze not focused.
"Princess?"
"Mmm…"
"Amber?" She shifted slightly in his grasp, and he really noticed the silk moving across his arms.
"Luc?" she whispered, her head falling against his chest. The hand supporting her head caressed her cheek.
"What is it?"
"The plan," he could feel her lips through the shirt, "Your plan. You don't have to go through with it, not if you don't want to. You've not got anything to prove to anyone, only yourself."

Description
Location: The Tower of Midnight; the Castle of Illusion
My hand ran along the silk garment, it felt so soft. Slipping it on I smiled deeply, the way the silk felt against my skin was brilliant. I tied off the garment to the side. There was something I wanted to do.

Location: The Illusionary Maze
I'd seen this once before, this massive stone arch. Beyond it lay giant hedges hiding the passage from view. Passing through I wandered into the maze. Within minutes I had lost my way. The green leaves had swallowed me up, only spoiled at regular intervals when a marble statue stood there. I turned to the skies, it was the midst of night. Out here I could see the illusions had a lesser effect. In the sky hung a red orb, after all, this is the Land of the Midnight Sun. I kept on walking.

After some time I came across what I thought was the centre. Six pillars stood in a ring, a stone ring atop of them. Inside was a basin, the surface of the water flat. Putting my hands on the edge I looked in. As I looked in things began to change.
"Brother!" my eyes opened wide as I saw his image. There was a cut across his cheek, blood dripping from it. The view scanned out, he seemed to be arguing with someone. Mu husband-to-be appeared. I reeled back from the basin.
"They're both looking for you." I turned, the creature from before was there.
"What are you?" I backed away.
"I'm a Cat Demon. My name is Xilef," he strode forwards.
"Why are you here?" the words stuttered from my mouth.
"You don't even know why you're here do you?"
"What?" My back was now against a pillar, the demon in front of me. His paw pushed aside the robe to hold my bare left shoulder, his forehead touched mine.
"You really don't know do you?"

"Why does everybody faint?" Xilef sighed, pulling away. Going to the basin he dipped a claw in, watching the ripples move across the surface. For some minutes he considered the bowl, wondering what the Princess had actually seen in the water. Behind him his tail wafted about slowly, and after some time the tip came up to touch his cheek. Looking up to the skies his eyes glinted in the midnight sun. Sighing yet again he ran a paw through his hair, stepping back from the water. She was still out by one of the pillars. Shrugging his shoulders he turned into a cat, and jumped on top of the hedges, finding his way out that way.

As the vampire wandered through the maze he put away the vial of blood. With new blood about he was feeling a greater lust for blood, and it was only because her blood had a different smell to it. His hand trailed across the leaves softly, but it was still harsh enough to scratch his fingertips. For a moment he paused, sniffing the air. Such a sweet scent arose in the air, as his thoughts shifted the hedges around him changed to rose bushes. Looking back the way he had come he saw the flowers were a midnight blue, and on the path before him the roses were turning a lighter shade. By some instinct he knew the lighter the roses got, the closer he was to that scent. And so he followed.

Coming to the centre of the maze he stopped, blinking a few times. There, seemingly asleep in a pile of scattered rose petals, was Amerisa. Her breast rose and fell gently with breathing, otherwise she didn't move amongst the innocent white petals. Bending down he held her head in one hand, the rest of her in his other. Having picked her up he slowly turned and looked in the basin. Images scattered before his eyes, he knew what they meant.
"You've been here near a month now," he whispered to himself, "They've been looking for you all this time. They'll find the castle in about a week, and storm it. By then most of the people of this castle will be gone. On that night when they storm the castle, all will be revealed to you then." He said this, knowing she couldn't hear it, but also it was the first time he had heard it out aloud.
"Such beauty shrouds the face of innocence."

Location: Unknown
A sweet scent arises, but identifying it is hard. The last thing I remember is the cat demon Xilef, the velvet touch on my shoulder and his forehead against mine. After that, all my senses had gone into this bleak blackness. From what I then began to see I wondered if it was real, or rather just an illusion. The darkness was fading, revealing a pool of light. Glass, or perhaps a mirror, was broken on the floor. The vampire was knelt amongst the shards.
"Luc?" he did not answer, "Lucifer?" The vampire turned, blood was on his hands and down his front.
"Lucifer, what's happened?" my voice somehow didn't sound scared.
"Lost, all lost," came his hallowed voice. The blood was fresh, still dripping from his hands.
"What's happened Luc?" I found myself holding his hands.
"It's all gone," his eyes were shut, tears running down his alabaster cheeks, "How could this have gone so wrong?" He turned his head away, water running across his jaw line.
"Luc!" Before my eyes he suddenly disappeared, "Luc!" The scent, suddenly I knew what it was. In my hands were cream rose petals.

Location: The Illusionary Maze
As he walked he picked a rose, admiring the soft golden colour. Pushing back strands of her coppery hair he placed the flower in it. Beneath her laden lids it looked like she was stirring.

It took some moments for me to realise that the touch on my cheek was actually real, or an illusion. I wasn't sure, was all what I was seeing now real or not? All I know was that it was different from everything else here. What's real and illusion, I don't know? Luc said listen to my heart, but at the moment it just feels like a beating organ against my breast. All this time I've been trying to look for answers, I just wonder if I should be looking for the right question.

Those holly green eyes opened, her gaze not focused.
"Princess?"
"Mmm…"
"Amber?" She shifted slightly in his grasp, and he really noticed the silk moving across his arms.
"Luc?" she whispered, her head falling against his chest. The hand supporting her head caressed her cheek.
"What is it?"
"The plan," he could feel her lips through the shirt, "Your plan. You don't have to go through with it, not if you don't want to. You've not got anything to prove to anyone, only yourself."