Storm takes the lead, stepping into the mist where the hole just was. I expect him to fall, but nothing happens. It looks as if he’s still standing on solid ground. Weird. Magic is so weird.

“Watch and learn,” he grins and stamps once with his right foot. Then he sinks into the earth.

It’s like he’s standing on an elevator that’s slowly going down. He stands there patiently, watching my reaction as he descends ever further. When only his head is above ground, he winks. Storm is enjoying this, that much is clear. Am I going to see more of the playful Storm today? I very much hope so. He’s been so serious recently, taking on his old role in the Palace. He deserves to have some fun. Preferably with me on a blanket. Without the unicorn.

“Want to go next?” Crispin asks me and I nod, not sure whether I should look forward to this. It doesn’t seem as much fun as the slides in the Palace towers.

I step into the mist, almost afraid that the hole might have returned, but no, I stand on something hard. Harder than the ground, maybe wood or stone?

Just like Storm, I stamp my right foot – and nothing happens. I look at my Guardians questioningly.

“Maybe try harder?” Frost suggests. “Storm’s a lot heavier than you.”

I stamp again, this time with as much force as I can muster. It works. The ground vibrates, then I’m slowly transported down.

Darkness awaits me. It’s a long shaft that takes me down further and further. Who has ever heard of unicorns living underground? Maybe he’s eccentric even for a unicorn?

It takes several minutes and I’m getting bored. Yes, I definitely prefer the sliding stairs. I’ve tried them all in the past two weeks, discovering that they all have different speeds and curves. It’s my favourite thing about living in my mother’s Palace.

Finally, the platform I’m standing on comes to a halt. I step off it, looking around. It’s dark everywhere with the exception of a dim light in the distance. Carefully, I walk towards it, a bit annoyed that Storm didn’t wait for me. The ground is uneven and I’d really like some lamps. Or a Guardian, either works.

“Storm?” I call out.

“Over here!” he responds. He’s close and I walk into the direction of his voice. It slowly grows a little brighter and my steps become more confident. It’s as if the walls themselves are giving off a faint glow. Bioluminescence? Magic?

“Just around the corner!” he calls. Why is he hiding from me? Couldn’t he just have waited? I grumble to myself as I step around the corner and –

Wow.

Imagine a rainbow trapped into a cave of mirrors, reflecting itself over and over again. Then add a sexy Guardian sitting on the ground with a picnic basket, holding up a bottle of something that looks like my favourite red wine. And to top it all off, there are strawberries in a bowl on the picnic blanket.

Wow. This is the pinnacle of romance. I just want to throw myself at him and… no. Let’s wait for the others.

“Dragon got your tongue?” Storm asks and opens the bottle with a gentle pop.

“Where’s Blaze?” I ask, looking around for the unicorn. If I start getting touchy-feely, I better make sure there are no witnesses.

“He’s gone to get himself some food from the larder. As much as he pretends to love human food, he can’t stomach it.” He beckons me to sit down next to him.

“Are the others coming?” I ask him, finding it a bit strange that they’re not here already.

“Yes, in a moment. I wanted to talk to you for a second, just the two of us.”

I take a seat on the blanket opposite Storm, looking at him curiously. His words are really quite ominous... should I be scared? Is it going to be some kind of bad news?

“Okay... what’s up?” I cross my legs and try to look comfortable despite the tension within me. People saying they want to talk is never a good sign.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around much lately,” he begins and I nod. Yup, he’s right about that. He’s been absent a lot. “I talked to your mother about it.”

“You did what?” I gape at him. Why would he talk to Beira about our private life?

“She’s allowed me to reduce my working hours so I can spend more time with you. Same for the others. But I want to make some rules. We each get to spend some alone time with you. We can be all together in the evenings or for excursions like this one, but I want more of you. I need more of you.”

His gaze grows heated as he looks me straight into my eyes. Wow. Did he just say he needs me?

“I’ve missed you too,” I say softly, not quite sure how to respond. I’m not very experienced with this kind of relationship talk. Usually I’d try and laugh about it and then change the topic. But it’s clear Storm is very serious.

“When you say you need alone time... are you still okay with me being with, you know, all of you?”

I’m a bit scared of his reply. If he says no, I’d have no idea what to do.

“Yes, I am,” he says and I breathe a sigh of relief. “But I do feel jealous sometimes when I know that you’re with the others while I have to work. I don’t want to be the one you’re with the least. I want to be the one you spend the most amount of time with.”

He grins sheepishly.

“Wouldn’t that be unfair towards the others?” I ask and return his smile.

“Yeah, probably. But I’m the leader, so who cares.” With that, he gets up and walks around the picnic basket before kneeling down in front of me.

“We’ve not known each other for very long, but the bond makes it feel as if we have. I get... I don’t know how to say it... strange when I’m not around you.”

“Anxious?” I try but he shakes his head. I think of how I’ve felt recently. “Like something is missing from inside you?”

He looks at me strangely. “Yes. Exactly that. It’s like I’m drawn towards you, no matter where I am. It’s very strange, like I’ve got a compass inside me pointing towards you. It’s very distracting.”

“Tell me about it,” I murmur. “I’ve got four of those compasses.” Now that he’s used that image, I realise how well it fits.

Whenever I’ve been alone, I’ve felt not quite right. And that’s been often recently. We’ve all been busy...

“As cute as you two are, I’m getting hungry,” Blaze suddenly interrupts us from behind. I blush. How much did he hear? I’m not quite sure if I like this flamboyant unicorn. He’s a bit too much.

“Guys, you can come in now!” Storm shouts and the other three Guardians enter the rainbow cave a moment later. Now that everybody is in here, it’s getting a little crammed. Blaze isn’t exactly a small unicorn.

“Strawberries!” Crispin exclaims and pops one into his mouth immediately. I can already see that I need to be fast with eating them. Strawberries are my favourite. And discovering that they exist in the Realm is a welcome surprise. I wonder if they have greenhouses somewhere? Or do they import them from Earth? There’s so much I still need to learn about the workings of this place. So far, I’ve never even thought about where the food we’re served in the Palace is coming from. But there are no fields to grow anything on; the perpetual snow prevents the people here from farming.

Arc sits down next to me and pulls me close until I lean against his shoulder. He’s nice and warm, and despite his hard muscles he’s really quite comfy.

“Do ye like this place?” he asks, grinning as some rainbow light reflects on the glass he’s filling with wine.

“It’s unusual,” I say diplomatically. “It reminds me of my heart cave, where my magic lives.”

“Aye, yer strange magic. Is she getting easier ta deal with?”

I shake my head, not wanting to lie to him. “Not really.”

“I think we need some training lessons,” he says with a smile and a wink. I’m not sure his lessons will be all about my magic. “But first, let’s see what else is in the basket.”

“Let me,” Storm grins and uses his wind magic to float the contents of the basket onto the blanket. I admire his precise control. I would likely have destroyed all the food or crashed it against the crystal ceiling. Yup, training is in my future.

There are several bowls of food, including some of my favourite dishes. Potato salad, fried samosas, little cinnamon cakes with a thick layer of frosting, meatballs, ... I have no idea how all that food fit into the basket. Magic, most likely. And most of the bowls aren’t even covered with a lid. Weird.

A meatball floats towards me. Storm smiles as I open my mouth to let it enter, but it’s too large and it almost falls down. He laughs and so do the others. Storm is in a really good mood suddenly. I like seeing him like this. Maybe it’s being in a rainbow cave, maybe it reminds him of our time on that rainbow... I get all hot and flushed just thinking of that moment when I was with all of them - except for Crispin.

I look at my blond Guardian. He’s reserving the carrot salad for himself, hugging the bowl with a cheeky grin on his face. He likes healthy food for some reason. Yet another thing I don’t understand about Crispin. He’s a mystery, hiding behind his smiles and winks. I had hoped he’d open up a bit more now that we’re out of danger, but no such luck. Storm’s idea of me spending some alone time with all of the guys is likely good for that. I might get a bit closer to Crispin... or at least understand why he keeps pushing me away.

“Who wants sparklies?” Blaze asks and the guys groan in response.

“Sparklies?” I ask, turning around to the unicorn who’s prancing around in excitement.

“Yes, sparklies! Don’t tell me you haven’t heard about Blaze’s famous sparklies?”

“I’m afraid not,” I say, not quite sure how famous these things actually are. Judging from my Guardians’ expressions, Blaze is the only one thinking them to be.

“Touch my horn,” the unicorn says and I stare at it in confusion, ignoring the hidden innuendo in his flirty voice.

“Why?”

“To feel the sparklies, of course!”

I look at Storm who nods at me with a grin.

“Just a little,” he warns Blaze and the unicorn bows his head in response.

I reach out to touch the unicorn’s horn - and the strangest feeling takes hold of me. It’s like bliss, happiness and contentment went out together and produced a child that’s now clinging to my chest. Maybe this is what taking drugs feels like? I moan as my head becomes fuzzy and my breasts tighten. Is this supposed to happen? I don’t care, it’s lovely. Why has nobody given me sparklies before? Why haven’t I met a unicorn before? Why am I not living with it in this beautiful rainbow cave? I should move in. I should love the unicorn like I love my...

Oh.

“I think you gave her a little too much,” Crispin’s stern voice tears through my fog of happiness. “She looks stoned.”

“Not stoned, just happy,” I mumble and snuggle against him as he takes me into his arms. “You’re comfy.”

He laughs. “Glad to hear it.”

“I think I love you. And sparklies. I love sparklies.”

“What did you do to her?” Storm asks, his voice not as funny as I would like it to be. “Did you give her too much?”

“Smile!” I tell him but he ignores me.

“Blaze, undo whatever you did,” he growls, looking at me strangely. I hold out a hand and touch his cheek.

“You’re not as soft as Crispy.”

The Guardian holding me groans. “Did you just call me soft?”

I giggle. “Yes, soft and comfy and pretty. Stormy is harder. He should smile more.”

“Blaze!” Storm snaps, ignoring me. “Stop her.”

“You’re so boring,” the unicorn sighs but then he whinnies and all the happiness drains out of me. The sparkles I saw floating all around me in the air disappear and so does the warm fuzzy feeling in my belly. Reality crashes into me.

Oh.

What did I just say?

What did he do to me?

That unicorn is going to die.

I sit up from my comfy position on Crispin’s lap and look around at my Guardians. None of them are meeting my gaze. Are they embarrassed?

As I said, death to the unicorn.

“Blaze, what was all that?” I ask him, trying to remain calm and measured.

“Was it fun?” he asks excitedly. “There’s more where that came from.”

“Did you know it would affect me like that?”

He blushes (yes, unicorns can blush). “I thought as a goddess you’d need twice the normal dose. I may have been a little wrong about that.”

I give him a piercing look, the one I’ve learned from my mother. “So normally, people don’t act like I just did?”

They look at each other.

“No, this was quite an unusual reaction,” Frost finally says. “Most people just feel a bit happier than they did before, not as out of it as you. And I’m not sure if I liked seeing you like that or not.” Leaving me blushing, he turns to Blaze. “You definitely overstepped the mark. This is the heiress to the Winter Throne and you made her act like a drugged teenager. You’ll be lucky if we don’t tell her Majesty.”

The unicorn pouts. “I thought you’d like it. Not my fault she isn’t used to anything.”

“Wait, you assumed I was used to taking drugs?” I ask incredulously. “What kind of person do you think I am?”

Blaze sighs. “Apparently not the kind I thought you were. But maybe we can forget about this whole incident now and have some food?”

“Don’t think I will forget,” Storm growls. “You owe us, Blaze.”

“How about some ice cream?” The unicorn is trying to change the topic, but flinches when he sees Storm’s piercing eyes. “Okay, okay, I’ll leave you alone for a bit.”

He disappears into a cloud of rainbow mist.

“Is he really gone or still listening in?” I ask cautiously. I’m beginning to think this unicorn is capable of anything naughty by now.

“He won’t be able to listen in,” Storm explains. “He may disappear into that sparkly stuff, but he has to reappear somewhere else pretty quickly after. So he’s definitely not floating around in here.”

I sigh in relief. “Are all unicorns like him?”

Crispin chuckles. “He’s the only one we know, so can’t give you an informed opinion on that. They are solitary creatures and it was only by chance that we got to know Blaze. I think we’re the only Guardians he’s taken into his home. I guess it’s an honour, but then... he’s quite a handful.”

“Tell me about it,” I say, shivering at the memory of me behaving like a stoner. I can’t quite remember what I said but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t what I’d want them to know.

“Anyway, shall we follow his advice and have some food?” Frost asks, already chomping on a chicken drum.

“Aye, good idea,” Arc agrees and pulls the bowl with the fried dough balls closer to himself. Pretty sure I won’t see them again. When Arc chooses food, it’s his food and his alone. He doesn’t take prisoners when it comes to eating. It’s one of the many things I like about him. It’s cute, if annoying at times. Luckily there’s enough other stuff spread out on our picnic blanket. I won’t miss those dough balls - although I use my air magic to float one out of the bowl and into my mouth to make a point.

“Well done,” Storm grins. “That was excellent control.”

Wow. Yes, it was. It was so instinctive that I didn’t even notice how little effort it took. My magic is so strange. One day she does exactly what I want her to, others she resists me with all her might. Or turns my intent into something a lot more destructive. Like the time I wanted to thaw the pond in one of the Palace’s courtyards. I ended up having to call the healer for the burns some of the onlookers suffered. Not doing that again...

“Maybe I won’t need those lessons after all,” I boast, ferrying another dough ball over to me using my magic. Before it can reach my mouth, Crispin snatches it out of the air.

“I think you need some protect-your-dough-ball lessons,” he chuckles as he bites into his stolen food. I elbow him gently - it’s not as if I’m actually that keen on the balls. There are strawberries, after all.

Still, he whines as I hit him. Frost laughs loudly. “You need protect-your-own-balls lessons.”

Crispin snorts. “My balls are well protected, thank you very much. Wyn is the only danger to them. Isn’t that right, Princess?”

“Only if you’re annoying,” I tell him and bite into a juicy strawberry. Arc winces.

“Yer scary like that.”

I look at him in confusion. “Scary? Me?”

“Ye talk aboot his balls and then bite into something just as soft.” He shakes his head. “Nae good.”

I laugh. “Are we really comparing Crispin’s balls to strawberries? Is this the unicorn’s influence?”

“Nope, just us being us,” Frost says with a chuckle. “I’ve missed our banter. There’s always been annoying things like work or demons. We need more time together.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” I nod while trying to hide the strawberry juice that just dripped onto my clothes. Luckily there’s a good magical washing basket at the Palace. You throw your clothes in and they come out perfectly washed and ironed. They even managed to wash out the blood stains I’ve acquired during the few training sessions I’ve had.

I wish I’d known that cleaning clothes spell when I lived back on Earth with my parents. That would have made my chores so much less annoying. I wonder what they’re doing now. Are they missing me? Are they angry at me for destroying their home? Will they forgive me? What if they don’t want to see me again? What if I’ll never get the chance to apologise? I clear my throat as I feel myself choking up.

“Why are you looking so sad suddenly?” Storm asks, a touch of concern in his eyes.

“Thinking of my parents,” I mumble, a bit embarrassed for suddenly turning emotional.

“I’m sure they’re okay,” Crispin says and gently strokes my back. His hands are warm and I lean into his touch. I could do with a hug right now.

“Beira said there was no easy way to contact them. It’s too dangerous to send someone to them at the moment, not after the demons at Calanais. There may be some who’ve returned there, she said, and she can’t risk any of her Guardians being hurt. But I need to know if they’re alright.” The last sentence turns into a whisper. I sound weak and I hate that I do. Now more than ever, I need to portray myself as a Princess, not an emotional young woman.

“I may ken a way,” Arc says quietly. “It’s not strictly speaking legal, though.”

“What is it?” Storm asks, his brow furrowed at the thought of going against the law. He’s one of the Queen’s highest-ranking Guardians, so he’s probably supposed to follow the rules.

“Sure ye want ta ken?”

“Maybe not. Tell Wyn and then she can decide whether to tell me and the others.” Storm grins. “Plausible deniability.”

“You know that my mother is the law and I kind of have to follow it as well?” I remember how my mother had to follow her own rules and send me away to Earth when I was born. There are some laws you have to abide by, even as the Queen. Or her heiress.

“It’s nae that bad, lassie,” Arc chuckles. “Shall I whisper it to ya?”

I nod and leave the warmth of Crispin’s lap to climb over to Arc. He hugs me around the waist and pulls me close until his breath is hot on my ear.

Then he whispers his secret and my eyes widen. This is going to be naughty.

But waiting a week will be agony. Unless I find some distraction.