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DARCIE STRUGGLED TO SLEEP THAT NIGHT.
The room she had been shown to had too many rooms to simply be a bedroom. First, there had been the actual bedroom that contained a bed as large as Darcie's room at home, and then, secondly a private bathroom that was attached. There was also a room that was fit for a princess, full of multiple dresses, tiaras, and shoes. Finally, there was a living space that looked out on a balcony.
That morning, though, Darcie remains in her bed. Her eyes are sore and red, along with her heart heavy as it longs to be home again. Today, Darcie's knows that she's due for a tour around the Seelie Court before she starts her training. It seems the kingdom is eager to welcome a princess home, but Darcie doesn't feel like she's the princess they're looking for.
Already, everyone — including the dead — looks at Darcie as if she's going to solve everything. But all Darcie wants is to be able to control her powers enough before she ends up hurting someone and to understand who she is. A princess or a faerie seems too far-fetched for Darcie to feel like that's who she is, yet here she is about to try finding that very person inside herself.
There's a knock on the white door as Darcie tenses. While she's sulking in her bed, the smooth silk of the bedding is far more comfortable than her bed at home.
"Darcie?" Tamara's voice appears. "Can I come in? It's just me."
"Yeah, sure," Darcie answers.
The door opens as the Queen appears, looking just as glorious as she did the day before. She wears an emerald, green dress with her gold crown still in place, along with delicate looking golden roses braided throughout her wavy hair. A sweet smile rests upon her face as her eyes find Darcie.
"Good morning," says Tamara. "Did you sleep well?"
"The bed is very comfy," Darcie admits. "But..."
"You miss home," Tamara finishes, closing the door behind her. "It's okay to admit that, Darcie. I understand this is a massive change for you and we're placing an unimaginable amount of pressure on you. If it's too much, then please just say. We won't be offended, nor will we continue."
"It is too much," Darcie agrees. "For months, I couldn't understand why my own home had started to hate me and then my own sister... it broke my heart to have Rochelle hate me. I was so afraid that everyone would leave me after and... almost everyone did. And then I found out that I'm not even human — that my family aren't biologically my family."
"I'm truly sorry you had to go through that, Darcie," Tamara apologises, sitting on the edge of the bed as Darcie sits up, pulling the covers up to her chest. "I don't know what it's like to go through what you've been through, but I can relate. My own sister banished me, turning on me and our own kingdom, but I still love her. I know what it feels like to be alone."
Darcie looks down at the covers. "I pushed everyone I loved away after finding out," says Darcie. "I-I thought that maybe the Quileute tribe was right to banish me."
