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In a few hours Tharina would awake and just as she did every day she would send up a servant girl to wake me even though I was already awake. I sighed deeply and sat in my chair. Grabbing my journal I started writing. Every time I woke up in the middle of the night because of a dream I wrote about it in my journal. It was a habit that Tharina had bestowed upon me as a child and that had stuck with me for many years.

Slowly time crept by. I paced from my window to my chair, chanting spells and enchantments under my breath. Would it ever be morning? I even tried sleeping again. For a few moments I was able to fall asleep and I dreamed of a fairy prince coming to whisk me away from my nightmares and depressing memories. But then it was gone and I was pacing once again. My nights kept getting shorter and my nightmares more frequent. Eventually the servant girl came up to my room and she knocked lightly on my door. "Come in" I replied.

She came in and curtsied deeply "Good morning miss."

"Good morning to you too Marian." She smiled and told me that breakfast was waiting. I thanked her and she promptly left the room. Easing out of my chair I looked into my full-length mirror. How long had it been since I had last looked at my reflection? A week? A month? Most would call me beautiful with my long black hair and stark green eyes that usually twinkled with happiness. I was tall and thin with nice curves along my body. Whenever I saw my father he always remarked immediately on how much I looked like my mother. Sometimes it seemed like she was all he talked about. I sighed again and walked out my door. On my way to the kitchen I saw an unfamiliar horse in the front yard tied to the large oak tree. Curious, I hurried into the room. It was not long before I found out whose horse it was.

"Good morning, Senara." Tharina said when she saw me. "This is Untar." She made a light gesture to a young man sitting next to her. He was very handsome with high cheekbones, light hair and blue eyes. He promptly stood up when Tharina addressed him.

"How do you do this morning?" Untar asked politely, taking my hand in his and kissing it gently. I gave Tharina a questioning look. She usually warned me when a guest was coming and wouldn't let me leave my room until I looked perfect.

"Untar came without notice this morning." She explained, reading my look. "Untar is my son."

"Oh," I said and looked at him in a new light. So this was the young man I had heard so much about from Tharina. He had always lived with his father, a wealthy Lord. Every time Untar had come in the past, I had coincidentally been on a trip to a town somewhere else. But now that I had finally met him I sensed something that set me ill at ease with him. "How long will you be staying?" I asked but his mother quickly answered for him.

"As long as he wants," Tharina said before turning to other business. "Marian," She called and the girl seemed to appear from nowhere. "Please escort Untar up to the room he will be staying in." Marian curtsied and left beckoning to Untar.