With a swift flick of her wrist, Calista finished her signature on the Oath, a document all Asaretan queens must write when they are growing old and expecting to soon pass on to their ancestors. Calista read aloud, "As Queen and Creator of Asaret, I solemnly declare that the day I am no longer heir to the throne, one of my darling sisters is to become the new queen. When that is to occur, she shall take my place and reign my land that I've so carefully woven with my own two hands. I have wisely chosen my sister Fera to be the next in line, though she is the youngest, I trust her with all my heart that she will be responsible enough to care for my kingdom and home."
Feeling content with herself with the way she'd written her Oath, she was ready to break the exciting news to her sisters.
"Messenger," She called. The short man ran to Calista's throne, seeming to be sweating nervously, but all the same wearing a proud smile on his face, prepared to serve his queen.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" The messenger bowed. "Send Fera and Xeri to me. I have made my decision on who I choose to be the next queen." Calista replied coolly. The messenger nodded solemnly before dashing off to fetch the queen's younger sisters.
When he returned, Fera and Xeri, both mere princesses, stood anxiously before their eldest sister. "I hope you're both eager to find out who the next queen will be!" Calista remarked cheerfully. "Yes, yes! Come on, spit it out, Cali!" Xeri barked. "That's Queen Calista to you." Calista teased. "Yes, Queen Calista." Fera said jokingly.
"Alright then, I suppose I shall tell you two now."
A long, nerve-racking silence fell between the three.
"Fera. I have chosen you to be the next heir to the throne. Though you are the youngest, you have proven to me that you are the most responsible and the most courageous out of the two of you. I trust to put my kingdom in your hands when my time is through."

A beaming smile stretched across Fera's face. "R-Really? Me?" She stammered excitedly. "Oh, thank you, Calista!"
When Calista looked over to Xeri, she looked as if she were trying to cover up an angry scowl with a smile. Calista ignored her sister's hidden increasing bitterness and continued, "It's getting quite dark out there. Now that you know who's next in line, you don't have to be so anxious over it any longer. It's time for bed, you two. I shall see you at dawn. Remember, the Sun Festival is tomorrow!"

As Xeri and Fera walked through the long corridor of the palace that led to their bedrooms, Xeri muttered something under her breath that Fera couldn't hear. She was too busy thinking about what it would be like to be the future queen of Asaret to listen to Xeri whining about not being chosen.
"What did you say?" Fera finally asked.
"Some lucky duck you are, huh?" Xeri repeated sarcastically.

"Hey, it wasn't my choice to be picked as the next heir. Besides, you'll still get a turn," Fera tried to reason. "I'll be sure of it."
"Yeah, in another thousand years." Xeri replied bitterly. "I thought I'd be the next queen! I am the eldest, afterall."
"Second eldest," Fera corrected her sister. "And could you have even been so sure in the first place? All you do is play stupid pranks. I'd hate to see Asaret fall into your immature hands."
"It's not my fault people want a fun queen!"
Fera ignored her sister's argument and continued, "If you say you want to be a future queen of Asaret, it's time you grow up. Honestly, sometimes you act more like a squealing pig escaping from its pen than any form of royalty!"
"Ha! Do you realize how much you sound like Calista?" Xeri scoffed. "Both of you are soooo uptight. Lighten up a little! You're younger than me, so what authority do you have over me?"
"The fact that I've been chosen as the next queen!

Unlike you, I actually care about what happens to this kingdom!" Fera snapped. Xeri laughed scornfully. "I'll get the throne, just you watch you swine!" she spat as she stormed to her room, slamming the heavy wooden door behind her, creating a deafening echo throughout the long, empty corridor.

The next morning, Fera was woken up by the tooting of a trumpet outside her window. "The Sun Festival!" She remembered. The Sun Festival was a grand annual Asaretan festival that marked the beginning of another year. Fera loved the Sun Festival. The carriage ride, the townspeople, the food... especially the food. She could just taste the dulcet flavor of the nougat the shoemaker's wife made every year. She loved to sit with the village children and sip tea as she told tales of dragon slayers.
She sprang out of bed and raced as fast as lightning to the front gates of the palace. They were wide open, filling the foyer with the sound of music and the chill of the breeze outside.

She peered out over the drawbridge, and awaiting her was the carriage, with Xeri and Calista inside it. "Hurry up, molasses-foot!" Xeri called to her impatiently over the noise. Fera, who was still in her nightgown, quickly raced back to her room and slipped on the nearest gown she could get her hands on; a gorgeous forest-green and white ballgown with a frilly petticoat underneath. She tied an emerald-encrusted sash around her waist and slid on a pair of brown slippers as she ran back out to the front, dashing over the creaky drawbridge and into the comfortable cushioned carriage seat. The coachman began taking off, coaching two magnificent white horses splotched with gray. The townspeople around them cheered as they each got a glimpse of the queen and princesses that ruled their land.
The carriage was beginning to cross over a slender bridge, barely wide enough to hold the width of the horse-driven carriage.

Without warning, Xeri pushed Calista sideways into the deep river water below.
"CALISTA!" Fera cried desperately, tears welling up in her eyes. Then she quickly turned her gaze to her sister, whose face turned into a wicked smirk. "HOW COULD YOU!?" Fera screamed angrily and hysterically. "SHE'S DROWNING!"
"I'm only getting what I want how I want it," Xeri scoffed. "And what I want is the throne." Noticing Calista had left her crown on the seat next to her, Xeri placed it upon her head and laughed wickedly. Appalled at what her sister had just done, Fera unforgivingly tackled her sister. But a bright, blinding light burst from the crown, smashing the carriage to pieces. When Fera looked up again, she was on the cool dirt ground at Xeri's feet. "Fera, my darling sister," Xeri began. "You thought you could get your hands on the throne that easily? Nonsense!"
"What have you done!?" Fera screamed.
"Silence, fool!" Xeri bellowed.

"This kingdom is all mine now. Asaret is ALL MINE! You shall be banished from this dimension, and you will NEVER come back again!"
With a quick snap of Xeri's fingers, Fera's ears were ringing with a pain like no other. When she looked up again, she was surrounded by a strange circle of trees, their branches intertwining in a tangle. Fera clasped her hands together as if she were begging.
"Oh, spirits of our ancient ancestors," She prayed. "Those who have walked among my sister, please save my kingdom, and myself. I'm counting on you!"