The kingdom of Deau had been at civil war for four years. An uproar of nobles against peasants. With both sides having their own advantages it seemed that the feud would carry on until the apocalypse ascended. The heir to the Deau throne, Princess Spera, had recently turned 16 and was to be wedded, but the war had taken her dear Mother the Late Queen Mercury who was not only a beautiful figurehead but also an incredibly wise woman, and her Father King Lune was too tied into war matters to care about love. The Princess was put under special care of watchmen to keep her fate from becoming her mothers. She never spoke directly toward her father anymore and because of her isolated life her personality began to bear the same chilling attitude. Love was no option for her.

Behind his watchmen however the Princess had found love, a young man by the name of Valir who had become a Knight just before the rebellion. They did not meet until two years later where Valir was to escort the Princess to safety during a raid. Though she said not a word he found her enchanting, in turn the Princess thought him to be an arrogant young man. Valir did all he could to win Spera’s affection, she would reply back with snide remarks or ignore him altogether, underestimating his heart deep down inside. But Her icy shell started to melt the more she saw him. They spent a night together and the maiden realized she was in love with this young man. She had planned to tell him in the morning, but alas, Valir had left overnight. Crystal tears wetted her white pillow, she had finally admitted loving him to herself and he was taken away.

The King had sent him to fight the front line, maybe to never return. Princess Spera was devastated thinking her father had found out of her love life without his consent and had sent him to be discretely killed. To get revenge against her father she sent secret messages to Valir in hopes to get a reply, She sent a messenger with a letter to tell her beloved to watch for a lone dove who would be carrying the letters filled of love.

The dove was sent back informing her that he was well and alive, he had not forgotten her. The Princess spent her days writing word after word of her affection and remorse. She named the dove Aurora, who would be marked with a red dot on its chest to distinguish its importance. After the first three letters however Aurora never returned. Spera held on with all of her hope, knowing that Valir had to be alive and she would see him again. Spera forced herself to forget Valir after four months of no Dove. She was satisfied thinking he was long dead. Though she would still cry for him at night, she could not find another suitor she would love nor would her father force her into a relationship. It was as if they had completely forgotten the other existed. The Princess felt her heart crack from the pressure.

The chill of fall had taken over, the number of deaths was rising, and still neither Aurora nor Valir returned home. Spera strolled down an empty corridor in deep thought. She was dead certain that Valir was dead, and that only in death would they live again. She looked at the sky for one last attempt to see the dove; she noticed that storm clouds were gathering. She looked down and her eyes perked up. In an instant a flash of her white dress was running down to the garden.

At the bottom she stood panting and staring at Valir in awe. Calling his name in distress. He turned around slowly, staring at her.

Tears formed in Spera's eyes.

“You never wrote back!” she yelled, “Why didn’t you write back? I thought you were dead!” she screamed at the top of her lungs her weak legs gave in as she lost her strength. “I thought you were dead…” her hands clasped the ground tightly as if still trying to convince herself that this was a nightmare.

“I’m not,” he said in monotone. “However…” he unwrapped a cloth to reveal Aurora, a paper still clenched in its talons. “A peasant shot it down, I never got your words”

Spera’s tears had ceased. If Valir was dead she would have cried uncontrollably, already feeling dead herself. But now the evidence of this deceased bird right before her gaze did not bring tears to her eyes, but an eerie whiteness to her face.

“So why did you come back?” she said through clenched teeth

Valir stared her down for a long minute, a disgusted look in his eyes as he spoke. “I had forgotten about our love, I had lost all hope, I thought I was going to die until I found this damned note” he threw the dove onto the ground; a crack was heard but the scream had long left its beak.

“Then it reminded me of why I was trying to live, but I don’t want to live anymore, I want to die, but I can’t as long as you are still alive”

Spera would not dare speak or look into his once calming eyes, there was nothing left in them. Her breathing seemed to make a vein pop out on his forehead. She closed her eyes tightly, hearing his footsteps come closer, and then thunder.

“I had given up hope, why did you tell me to restore it?” he asked

The Princess would not open her eyes to look at the ghost of her loved one. He Continued, “I loved you the minute I saw you, I knew it in my heart from that moment we were destined to be. But if that is so…”

Spera felt a yanking on her hair, her neck turned upward. Her breathing was uncontrollable in huge sobs.

“WHY WON’T YOU SPEAK PEASANT?” he yelled. The Princess opened her eyes just in time to see Valir's already blank eyes.

“BECAUSE I LOVE YOU!” she screamed wasting her last breath.

Valir stood up, fresh blood covering his clothes, holding the lovely head of the heir in his hand. He smiled for the first time in three months. “I love you too,” he whispered before striking his own heart and falling next to Aurora, its feathers now completely covered in red.