In the Arn Desert, Lady Larel is of House of Hunu royalty. A Princess of Darkness. A great-great-great-great niece of Bishal, the Peril. But ever since House of Hunu fell, most of her family have been prisoners to the House of Sfin. But everything suddenly changed moons ago. The day before the moon bled, a letter came. It read that she was chosen. Chosen to be the future Queen of the Desert. Now here she was in the Coral Bastion leaving the room of her future king and groom to be, Prince Jaho.

  As she made her way downstairs, she bumped into Princess Jannar.

  “Princess.” She gasped with a smile.

  When Jannar looked up, Larel noticed that the princess' eyes were red and puffy. Jannar quickly fixed her face and returned her smile.

  “Lady Larel.” Jannar enunciated slowly. “What brings you? Have you seen my brother?”

  Larel nodded.

  “I guess I should say my goodbye.” Jannar responded. “Since we are to be separated.”

  Larel’s jaw dropped. “Beg your pardon?”

  “My father is sending me to the mountains…” Jannar answered. “He's giving me away.”

  Larel’s face softened.

  “Apparently….” Jannar cleared her throat. “Apparently, Mesy has a cousin.”

  Larel scrunched her face.

  “A betrothal?” She asked. “Are you to be wed?”

  Jannar shrugged her shoulders. “I’m afraid I don’t know my father anymore.”

  Larel reached out a hand and intertwined hers with Jannar. Unlike the Prince, Jannar and Larel were fond of each other. In the mornings, they prayed together. Drank tea together. For Larel, Jannar was an ally. Her only ally in the pace.

  “I feel your pain.” Larel said finally. “I know what it’s like to be sent off to marry a man who you don’t feel anything for…..”

  Larel lowered her head.

  “….and against your will.” She added quietly.

  Jannar then let go of Larel’s hand.

  Larel slowly raised her head.

  “But unlike me, you’ll become queen.” Jannar said coldly. “You’ll stay here and they’ll remember you.”

  Larel frowned. “You’re afraid.”

  “Should I be?”

  Larel didn’t respond immediately. She took a moment to gather her thoughts.

  “Of the Mountains? Yes.” She responded finally.

  Jannar raised her eyebrows.

  “Why?” Jannar asked, voice shaky.

  Larel looked around to see if anyone was watching. Once she saw they were alone, she grabbed Jannar’s hand and pulled her in the direction of a door that led them outside.

  Together, hand in hand, they walked to a sand dune.

  Larel let go of Jannar's hand and turned to face her.

  “You don’t know the stories? Do you?” Larel asked

  “Stories?”

  Larel nodded. “Of the Chaos that lives underneath?”

  Jannar bit her lip. “What do you mean?”

  Larel took a deep breath then told the tale she was told by her own mother.

  “Underneath the Mountains, chaos lives there. A living entity. Straight from the God of Chaos himself. When you draw blood and pce your hand at the foot of the mountain, it touches your soul. It binds you to it. And the longer you live there, the harder it gets to leave. The madness leeches onto you…the chaos creeps in slowly…..takes your soul…and remakes you into what it needs you to be. You will lose yourself. You will lose your purpose. The Desert Princess will no longer exist. Instead, an instrument of chaos in her pce. The Mountains will become your Master…and Mesy will become your God.”

  A shiver went down Jannar’s spine.

  “You don’t believe them, do you?” Jannar asked.

  Larel nodded. “You must be careful and choose wisely. It is not the darkness in the Desert that corrupts and impnts sin, it is chaos of the mountains”

  Larel suddenly barked out a ugh.

  “You are from the House of Hunu. If it’s anything that corrupts, it is your family. What do you know about the mountains?”

  Larel smirked.

  “You know you’re not the first royal to be betrothed to the mountains.” Larel answered. “Here, you are Princess Jannar. The First Princess. But if you are to be wed to a mountain man, you will just be Jannar. All the power and privilege you've known will fade away.”

  Jannar took a step back.

  “But…..” Larel added.

  “But what?”

  “There are ways to get power and privilege.” She responded smugly.

  Jannar aggressively shook her head. “I don’t want to fight for power.”

  “Luckily, Mesy is not a fighter.” Larel responded quickly.

  Jannar folded her arms across her chest. “And what do you know about Mesy?”

  Larel winked.

  Before Jannar could command Larel to expin, a masculine voice yelled

  “Jan!”

  When both women turned towards where the voice was coming from, they saw it was Prince Jaho…..and he was crying.