A/N: Sorry everyone I spent 2 months catching up on Game of Thrones! :) and now that summer is over and my kids are in school now; I officially have more time to write. Thank you all for reading, probably a few more chapters and it will be over. I feel slightly sad that this story is going to be coming to an end soon. After it's complete I may go back to the older chapters and clean them up so it will be officially complete after that. Now on to the story...

Waking up that morning was so hard to do on my own, I felt... alone. I wake up every morning alone in the palace, you'd think I would be used to it. I didn't do much most of the day, I didn't feel like exploring without Gabe; it just didn't feel right. I just sat around thinking, and over thinking. I don't know why even after all of this, that I wonder if Gabe and I will last, I mean to be completely honest its only been a few days. What if we go back to the palace and everything changes... I know not everything can have a happy ending, and maybe this is it... maybe I ran out. Escaping the amulet was a feat in itself, but to find true love... I don't know.

I heard a knock on the door allowing me a moment to escape my thoughts; I tightened my robe and head down the stairs toward the door. When I opened it I wasn't sure who to expect, but it was General Sasha, I recognized her immediately her black curls bouncing as she bowed. "Lady Francesca has requested your presence" she leaned up and realized my lack of clothes and blushed slightly, "whenever your decent... I will wait here until your ready, to escort you" I nod and say "I'm sorry just give me a few minutes and I'll be right out." I shoot upstairs and literally hopped in the shower and hopped out running behind the divider and thought of a nice red and white sundress with some red flats, I quickly braid my hair; and head out the door.

I was smoothing out my dress as I faced Sasha "I'm sorry to keep you waiting, I hope I didn't take long." She started walking and I sped up to walk beside her as she shook her head "no problem at all" now that we were walking, it just struck me "why does she wish to see me?" She shrugged "I was told to retrieve you" I nodded, I decided to make some small talk. With Gabe being gone I've been very lonely in a foreign place. "How many balls have you been to?" She continue looking straight ahead "I've worked at every ball since I was 18" her face serious. "Was it fun?" She said "I was working" she said curtly, "So you've never brought a date?" She shook her head no, almost looked like she was embarrassed. "Oh" I said, when I noticed we were passing the black doors of the west wing, as soon as the thought passed my mind she asked "Have you tried them yet?" Obviously trying to change the subject from her. I tried to hide my blush and shook my head "no". She glanced over at me, "It's not for everyone... maybe next time" I look over at her and ask "next time?" We turned a corner and it was almost hard for me to keep up with her fast turns. "Well since the attendees are chosen with a lottery, its possible your name could be chosen again." A man was walking toward us and he looked familiar, she saw my eyes look ahead and she followed my gaze "He's Francesca's husband, Ramon." He smiles brightly at us, his smile was bright like he knew he could melt anyone woman's heart, his hair looked disheveled compared to a few days ago, when he had it slicked back. Most likely why I didn't recognize him, his eyes travel to Sasha and she looks down blushing "Hello Sasha" he says smirking at her. She squares her shoulders and looks up at him with a stone face demeanor, "Yes" he places a hand on his chin thinking for a moment. "After you bring Elena to Francesca, can you help me with something in my office?" the corner of her mouth curved to a bit of a smile, as she nodded. She grabs my arm lightly and tugs me in the direction of Francesca room.

Before I could formulate a sentence she turns the next corner quickly and opens a set of doors. Revealing Francesca standing in front of a full length mirror surrounded by different color gowns, with a woman standing off to the side holding what I assume is the next one she's to try on. I walk in and Sasha closed the door behind me, Francesca saw me walk in, through the mirror and smiles exclaiming "Elena! Thank you for coming" she hops off the pedestal and walks over to me pulling her me in for a kiss on the cheek. "It's not a problem, I was glad to be invited" she smiles warmly and turns to the woman in the room and nods towards the door. Francesca walks back over to the pedestal as the woman places down the dress and walks out the door.

Once the door was shut Francesca asked "Do you like my dress?" I looked at it closely, it was a traditional gown it had skinny straps and the back dipped as far as it could without showing too much. Pearly white, with gold specks scarce at the top, the bottom looks like it was just dipped in gold. "Its beautiful" I say smiling at her, she turns to her side her back to me trying to see it from a different angle. "I'm glad you think so..." She grabbed the straps and glided them down until it pooled around her feet, I look down to avoid looking in the mirror since she's nude.

I can feel myself blushing, I hear her step down and walk over to me. I look up, she has her hand out holding the gown "here try it on" I was flabbergasted on multiple levels. I immediately say "No I couldn't possibly" I see her shake it in front of me, "Put it on" I see her face is stern this time, I nod not wanting to upset her. I take it from her and turn looking around the room and notice, theres no divider. I look back at her and she motions to the pedestal. I walk over to it and step up, I look at myself in the mirror and take a deep breath. I place my hand on my strap and hesitate, just do it quick. I look in the mirror and noticed she walked over to her armoire and was searching. I quickly lower my dress letting it pool at my feet while I get in the gown she gave me to try on. I pull it up and slide my arms through and it felt like it clung to me perfectly. I turned to look in the mirror, and my mind just went blank I stared at myself it was beautiful. I turn to her as she is tying her robe and immediately say "I can't possibly" I know whats next, I step down from the pedestal. "Francesca I don't know what I've done to earn your kindness but really I can't" she waved her hand away, "I would like for you to wear it. Really." She takes a deep breath and walks says "I remember when I was young and in love." She sits at her vanity and begins brushing her hair, she looks almost like she's looking into a far off place, "I don't understand" She takes a deep breath "my parents arranged for Ramon and I to be wed... I couldn't go against them." She stopped brushing and our eyes met in the mirror "Elena, I was very good friends with your mother..." I feel my eyebrows raise in shock, "Oh?" She lowers her gaze to her "Please take the gift, it's the least I can do to honor your mother." I look down at the dress smoothing it against my skin, "Why now?" She reaches in front of her and grabs her wine bottle and pours two glasses while she takes a deep breath obviously trying to find words. She turned handing me a glass, and I reached out, and took a sip "My life became very complicated, and I was carried across the seas promised to be married... I was just a child... I was only 8." She finally says her hands lingering on her glass lost in thought, "Your mother was at our castle to discuss an alliance with my mother and father, but instead she watched them carry me off while I kicked and screamed that I didn't want to leave my home." She took a big sip of her wine, "But your mother tried to reason with them, saying she could never ship off her children." She sits on the bed and looks at me "Family stays together, she told them..." She shook her head, "But they didn't care, they put me in a ship and said it was my duty to my kingdom..." She waved her hand in the air as if replaying the moment in real time. We sipped together quietly for a moment, "Your mother knew which kingdom they sent me to and wrote to me quite often... my parents... never wrote." She placed her glass on a stand next to the bed and she continued "As I grew older eventually our kingdoms became trade partners, in an attempt for me to send for your mother so I can see her again and thank her in person for helping me through a very dark time in my life." She stood and begin walking over to me as I finished off my glass as well, "But before we could Shuriki invaded and I never got my chance to thank her." She stops directly in front of me and touches the dress "It's the least I could do" She takes my glass from me and says smiling I stumble a little realizing my vision is going blurry, I widen my eyes trying to get them readjust but I suddenly start to feel weak I open my mouth to speak and nothing comes out, "well the ball should be starting soon!" She claps her hands together as if she doesn't notice anything is wrong with me, I'm on my knees my eyes closing. The last thing I see is her smiling saying "you better get ready"

I awake, I can feel a cold floor beneath me, I lift my head and see I'm lying down in the middle of a room it's pitch black. I prop myself up on my elbow still feeling sluggish, I look down at myself and see I'm wearing the dress Francesca gave me. I look around the room and all I see is a pedestal similar to the one in Francesca room. "Hello?" I yell but hear nothing but my own echo. I try to stand which takes me a few minutes; I had to make sure I wouldn't topple over. I walk over cautiously to the pedestal, I reach it and lift my dress as I step up. The pedestal started to glow and when I looked up I see a mirror glow but I can't see myself I see- "Gabe!" He looks like he's at the ball already, scanning the room. My heart skips a beat just seeing him, he's wearing a white and blue suit and his hair is slightly disheveled from his normal look, but he looks so good. He didn't respond "he can't hear me" I say disappointedly to myself, another mirror lights up beside it and shows me - "Gabe?" It's him at a different ball, it looks similar to the other mirror but he's wearing black and blue and his hair is parted, and my stomach flutters but my mind feels like its scrambling. "What's happening?" Another mirror appears showing a Gabe standing on a balcony, this Gabe looks sad with a red and white suit as he sips his champagne letting out a deep sigh looking inside at the ball. I see him finish his glass and say "Where are you Elena?" I step down from the pedestal and don't know what to do. I stare between all the mirrors, unsure of what was I to do. They all look like him, how am I supposed to know which one to choose.

Above the mirrors it says:
"You are free to choose... But you are not free from the consequence of your choice."

I walk over to the far left one and reach out to touch his face on the mirror; but my hand went through. Before I knew it I was falling through, I had to catch my balance but failed at it, I ended up wrapped in someones arms before I went tumbling. His scent invaded my senses and made my legs feel like jelly, "Elena?" He said breathlessly said into my ear, I look up at him and his smile is beaming. I smile as he guides me to stand up straight, "Where have you been? I didn't think you were coming for a second there..." He says rubbing the back of his neck while I smoothed out my dress turning behind me and see a mirror similar to the ones I had seen. I stand straighter now and turn back to face him "I was just getting ready" I say with a smile I follow his gaze as he looks at me from top to bottom biting on his bottom lip for a moment then says. "Wow...If I wasn't already in love with you, I would've realized it right now." My eyes widen, that was very forward. "Well...Thank you Gabe..." He continued staring at me not saying a word, almost like he was trying to memorize everything about me in this moment. I clear my throat "Shall we?" I say motioning to the doors toward the ball. He snapped out of it and extended his arm which I gladly took, and we headed into the ball.

A/N: I'm working on finishing this story and another before I do a GOT fanfic :) Anyway I know it was long awaited and hope that it makes you wonder... what happens next. Until next ...