"Bruh, this is ain't no ordinary ball! It's THE ball! It's the royal ball!" Fei corrected her best friend and the two girls hug each other.

"Well, well, well. Look who's here!" 

Fei and Alya turned around to look for the owner of that voice.

"Faeya!" Fei exclaimed and jumps to hug her sister.

"Hey, lil sis! I could sense you were coming the moment you walked through that gate! How come you don't visit more often?" Feaya hugs her sister back.

"Well, this lady is busy making money, Ma'am!" answered Fei.

"Oh, Alya! You came alone today!" said Faeya, finally noticing Alya.

"Hi, Faeya! It's been a while! How are you?" 

"Doing great, thank you. Are you going to do some work now?" 

Alya nods as an answer.

"Well, join us at the lake house when you're done. We are going to have some tea and cookies!" said Faeya.

"That will be wonderful. Thank you, Faeya!" 

"No worries! My home is your home too!" said Fei.

"That's right! Feel free to come anytime." Faeya added.

Alya waves goodbye to Fei and Faeya, proceeding to the deep forest to get some woods.

"Oh, Alya! I almost forgot!" Faeya shouted from the distance.

"Yes?" Alya turned around again to see the fairy sisters.

"Don't venture into the Black Cliff today! The wolf clan is doing some sort of ritual tonight!" 

"Okay! Thank you for letting me know!" Alya shouted and waves again.

"See you soon!" Fei and Faeya disappeared. 

With Fei and Faeya out of sight, Alya suddenly feels a sense of loneliness. This is the first time she has ever gone to the enchanted forest without her father. The forest does have some sort of weird aura to it. 

Alya shakes her fear and walks toward the deep forest. The sun barely able to penetrate through the thick leaves covering this area of the forest, making the air damp and humid. She stops walking when she recognizes a black mark left by her father on a big tree. That mark means that the place is where they left the last time.

Alya drops her bag and takes out her axe. She then begins cutting down a medium-sized tree. 

Sweats start dripping down her face. Her brown hair, fixed into a ponytail is now wet with sweats. Her black t-shirt is marked with sweat marks too. Alya stops to catch a breath. 

That is the moment she hears the sound of horse steps. 

"A Horse? In the enchanted forest?" she asked herself in disbelief.

The steps are getting closer and closer. Alya picks up her axe and moves into a fighting stance, ready to fight if the rider of the horse is a burglar or an enemy spy. 

She waits and waits. The few minutes that feel like an eternity. Finally, the horse and its rider appear. The sunlight that is coming from behind the rider causes Alya to not being able to identify him.

"Who is that?" she asked in her most threatening voice she can make.

Her eyes are being squinted, trying to make out the figure of the rider. He steps down from his horse and approaches her.

Alya gets her Axe positioned in front of her.

"I asked you a question!" she yelled at him.

"I am sorry if I scared you, Miss," he said.

As the sun is covered by the cloud and the light disappeared, Alya can finally see the rider. He is clad in shiny attire. From head to toe, he wears extravagant clothes, not fitting for commoners. Even his boots are ten times shinier than hers.

"Are you a nobleman from a neighbouring kingdom?" asked Alya. She has put her axe down and is now curtsying. 

"Well, that was a close guess. I am a courier from the kingdom of Nereya," answered the foreigner.

"Oh, I see. Welcome to the kingdom of Aoira," said Alya. 

"And if I may ask, what is a young lady doing here in the middle of the forest alone?"