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The day was clear, blue skies, not clouds. The grass was green and wildflowers grew about. Arista lay there underneath a great oak, reading the book her mother had just given her. Arista had come outside in excitement. It was the first big-girl book she had gotten. At the age of five, she was already reading novels and classical literature. She excelled at both reading and math. In the kingdom of Fresia, she was widely known as the Enlightened Princess of Joy. Everyone loved the princess. She was not only smart but very pretty and sweet and mannered. Her hair was liked to gold. Her eyes, majestically purple, were likened to jewels. And her smile was likened to radiating the same level of sunshine as the sun itself on a smoldering day. There were very few people who did not like her.

And thus this sunny day, a day where everything seemed ok, was just the opposite. In a quick moment, the sky turned gray. Arista, looking up, realized that it may rain. And soon, one drip fell and then another. Arista ran home, keeping her book close to her heart, shielding it from the rain. As she approached the palace, she realized the white marble blackened and the inside alit with fire. She stopped in her tracks, afraid. She did not know if her mother and father were ok but she was also afraid of going in to check. She reasoned that they were adults and will come out soon. And so she waited and waited. Tears and rain mixed on her face. No one was coming out and no one was going in to help them.

In a panic, she got closer to the building deciding at last that she would go in to get her parents. Just as she got closer, she heard men laughing some distance away. Arista did not know who they were so she hid to observe their intentions. Hiding behind a bush, she noticed three figures approaching. Two of them were men with tall figures and one was a small boy. As they got closer, she realized that it was her mother's good friend, Lord Richard with a man she did not recognize. The boy was no one other than Lord Richard's son, Thomas. He was three years older than her. Just as she was about to come out of her hiding spot, she saw another figure approach. The figure was of her older cousin, Eliza. Arista did not like Eliza. No matter what she did, Eliza always looked at her in disdain and had even hit her sometimes. Despite that, she did not tell her parents for dear they would do something to her. Although she knew some people, she had an ominous feeling that something was not right. Why were they laughing meanwhile her parents were in the castle engulfed in flames?

Tazia got to overhear their conversation.

"Lord Richard, Lord Julian, fancy meeting you here."

"Well, Eliza, it's not every day that a palace goes up in flames."

"Your right but you speak as if you had not known it would happen."

"Well, my dear Eliza, you and I know well that if everything goes as planned, then you and I have reason to celebrate. You and I will become the new emperor and empress of this nation and Lord Julian will become captain of the royal guard."

Arista was heartbroken to have heard the conversation. To have known that her mother's good friend and her cousin would plot against her parents... it was unbelievable. After everything, her parents had done for them. Her parents had helped Lord Richard from bankruptcy and gave him a title. And had given Eliza a home when her parents had died. Her parents had always treated them like family. Not to mention the age gap between them was at least 20 years. Arista was horrified and in her moment of weakness, made a slight noise.

Engrossed in conversation, the adults kept talking but the boy noticed. They met their eyes for a second before the boy turned his head away. Pretending he did not see. He took a pendant out of his father's pocket, turned his back, and started to run in the opposite direction Arista was in. The adults noticed and looked his way. As they were distracted in finding him, Arista took the opportunity to get out of her bush and run away.

And so she ran until her little legs could no longer continue.