Lucy was standing on the balcony of her room, staring down at the palace garden below. It felt so odd for her to be back in the palace, gazing out across the rooftops of Windia as she had done many years ago. She leaned lightly onto the balcony's rail, folding her arms as she stared out at the world stretched out below her.

"You look just like you did when you were younger."

Startled by the voice behind her, Lucy stood up, turning and looking curiously at the older woman who had just entered her room. The serving maid was busy carrying in a set of sheets for the bed when she had spotted Lucy. With a sigh she set the sheets down and stepped up to Lucy, studying her with her eyes.

"You used to stand there for hours and just watch the sky."

"Ana?" Lucy recognized the face of her old serving maid that used to help her when she was younger.

Ana smiled at Lucy. "Miss Nina... or would you rather I call you Lucy now?"

"Lucy... please, call me Lucy."

Ana nodded and smiled again. "You have grown so well since I had last seen you." With a sigh, the maid circled around Lucy, still studying her. "The palace seemed less cheerful when you left it."

Lucy shrugged and turned back to the balcony. "It feels odd to be back. It's like I'm walking around in some sort of dream."

Ana nodded again. "It must be hard, living for so long as you have been and suddenly being transported back to a life like this.

Lucy didn't answer right away. "It's like some sort of fairy tale or something... living a normal life and then one day I'm suddenly a princess and reliving some forgotten past..." Lucy sighed. "I don't know if it's a nightmare or a dream."

Ana joined her on the balcony, glancing down at the garden. "I remember when you were little, and you used to stand out here and stare down at the garden. I'd ask you what you were doing, and you'd always tell me that you were waiting for a boy. What was his name?"

"Ray."

Ana nodded. "That's it. You'd tell me you were waiting for Ray. I wonder what's become of him now?" She headed over to the bed, spreading out the sheets that she had brought in for it and glanced back over at Lucy. Lucy had gone back to resting her arms against the balcony, the very same spot she had been in before Ana had entered the room. With another nostalgic sigh, the serving maid slipped out the door and left the windian standing alone with her thoughts.

* * *

The little girl was sitting happily on the bench in the garden, talking quietly to a little blue bird that had perched next to her. She did not notice the little boy that had snuck up behind her until he said something.

"Hi!"

With a startled gasp, the girl turned to see the blue-haired boy standing just behind her. "How did you get in here?"

The boy motioned. "There's a hole under the fence back there that no one seems to have noticed. I came through there."

"Why are you here?"

The boy shrugged. "I just wanted to see what it was like over here. I heard someone talking so I wanted to go see who it was and I found you here. Who are you?"

"My name is Nina." The girl stated simply and hopped up from her spot, curtsying to the boy. "Who are you?"

"I'm Ray." The little dragon introduced himself. "How old are you?"

"Seven."

Ray nodded. "I'm almost eight. Do you go to school here?"

Nina shook her head. "I'm going to start going soon though. Why? Do you?"

"Nah, I live out of town." Ray walked over and sat down on the bench next to her. "So, you're really a Princess here?"

Nina nodded. "Princess Nina. Say, you're a dragon aren't you? I can tell because you look like one." She pointed at his blue hair.

"Yea, why?"

"I'm looking for a dragon named Ryu." The little girl stated simply.

"Why?"

"Because it's what every Nina does." She turned, looking at the boy in astonishment. "Don't you know? Every Nina grows up and meets a dragon named Ryu. And they go on adventures together. So, I'm looking for a dragon named Ryu."

Ray thought for a moment. "Well, Ray sounds kind of like Ryu."

Nina shrugged. "I guess it does."

"So, I could be your Ryu."

Nina studied the dragon for a moment. "I guess you could."

Ray smiled. "Great! What do I have to do?"

"Well..." Nina began pacing back and forth, thinking. "You're supposed to be looking for a big demon, and you come by the castle. And then we meet each other and we go off on a big adventure together." She smiled as she turned back towards the boy.

Ray scratched his head. "Well, I've already come by the castle, and I've already met you, but I'm not looking for any demon..."

Nina tsked. "What kind of Ryu are you? All Ryu's have some sort of demon to fight."

Ray shrugged. "I'm new to this."

Nina began pacing back and forth again, thinking. "Well, I suppose we could just skip the demon part and go find an adventure anyway."

Ray nodded. "Okay, what do we do?"

Nina giggled mischievously at him. "Show me how you got in here. We can sneak out and go find an adventure in the town!"

The two children ran off, sneaking out of the garden and spending the day running about the town of Windia, fighting invisible foes and going on daring adventures. At the end of the day Nina turned to Ray.

"Now you have to take me home. Ryu always follows Nina around to make sure she gets to where she has to go safely."

With a shrug, the young dragon escorted her back to the hole in the palace wall and they snuck back into the garden. Nina turned and smiled happily.

"That was a fun day! Will you come and see me again tomorrow?"

"What kind of Ryu would I be if I just left my Nina alone and when on adventures all by myself?" Ray asked innocently. Nina giggled again.

"I have to go inside now, or else the maids will start looking for me, and they shouldn't catch you here since you're not supposed to be here." She began to wave him off. "Come back tomorrow at the same time and I'll be at the wall waiting for you!"

Ray nodded as he rushed off. He had almost made his way out of the garden when Nina's calling voice stopped him. He turned and looked at her.

"Oh! One more thing!" Nina ran up to him. "I forgot to tell you. If you're my Ryu, then there's one more thing you're going to have to do."

"What's that?"

"You're going to have to fall in love with me. It happens with all the Nina and Ryu's, okay? Well, I gotta go now! See you tomorrow!" With a quick wave, Nina turned and rushed back to the castle. Ray just stood there, watching her curiously. With a quick shrug, he made his way through the hole under the wall and headed towards home.

Lucy sighed as she stared down at the garden. The memories seemed like a dream to her. Children are so foolish, she thought. With a quick wave of her hand, she brushed away the fading memories and turned from the balcony, walking back into her room. She sat on the edge of her bed and started to think about what the Queen had told her yesterday.

"If it is true then..." she spoke quietly to herself. "If I am supposed to be in some sort of destiny, I wonder if Ray is too..." She folded her hands carefully in her lap and sighed. I've got to find out for myself... I've got to go to the shrine and see, and I need to get Ray down there too... I have to see if this is really some destiny that I am supposed to play out, or just some weird dream that has taken over my life.

Lucy stood up from her bed and headed to the door that would lead her out into the hallway. As she placed her hand on the doorknob, she stopped and thought again. But if I do go out, the King will make Brandon follow me again. I don't want him to be following me around... maybe I don't even want the King or Queen to know that I have left... Lucy removed her hand from the doorknob and took a step back. "But how can I leave the castle without someone knowing?" She began to pace lightly around the room, trying to think of some way she could leave.

It feels like I'm trapped in here, like some sort of caged bird. A thought suddenly struck her mind, catching her off guard. She turned and looked at the balcony again. "The garden, that's it..." she muttered quietly. The hole in the wall might be big enough for her to fit through, if it hadn't been found and filled. But the gardener never looks over there. No one but Ray and I ever knew about that hole... Lucy glanced out over the balcony again. Now the only thing she had to figure out was how to get down to the garden without anyone noticing.

Dusk was falling over Windia. Most of the castle's maids were busy in the kitchen with dinner. No one would be around to notice her if she tried to climb down somehow into the garden. But that would mean that no one would be around to help if I fell either. Lucy sighed. The idea of getting out of the castle secretly was beginning to fade away as the scene looked even more hopeless. Suddenly, an odd thought struck her.

What if you just jump? The thought entered her mind as, if it had been suggested by another person, someone standing in the room with her who had been hearing her thoughts the whole time. She tried to shake the idea away. It would be insane to jump from a height like this. But the thought kept coming back. It began to look like jumping from the balcony might be the only hope she had of getting from the castle alone, and reluctantly, she gave into the idea. Carefully, she climbed up onto and stood upon the rail of the balcony. Down below her, a good two stories away, stretched the garden.

"This is insane," she muttered quietly. "There's no way I could jump from here and make it." She turned to climb back down off the rail.

Suddenly, a great wind picked up, as if the element itself were determined to get her out of the castle. With a start, Lucy stood up quickly, a little too quickly, and tumbled backwards off the rail, falling to the garden below.

In an instant reaction her wings snapped out, twirling her around quickly catching the wind harshly in their feathers. Lucy let out a loud gasp as the alien sensation of flight flooded through her body, and she watched the garden below as it seemed to speed away under her. With another rush of wind, she was lifted gracefully above the top of the castle wall, and suddenly rational thinking took its place in Lucy's mind again.

This isn't right. I can't be flying. Windians haven't flown for generations. The thoughts alone seemed to cause an instant reaction in her body and in the air around her, as the wind began to fade, dropping her lightly to the ground. Just a few feet about the ground and her wings snapping shut again, laying themselves tightly against her back and leaving her to free fall the rest of the way to the ground. Lucy landed roughly on her hands and knees, letting out a loud moan as she felt the palm of her hand slam into a sharp rock, the pain causing her elbows to buckle and she crumpled to the ground. For a few moments she did nothing but lay there, listening to her quick breathing and feeling the pain from her hand and the scratches she had received in landing. With a quiet groan, she forced herself into a standing position, brushing herself off and examining her hand carefully. Then she turned, staring at the castle wall behind her. I made it... the thought began to sink in. She was out of the castle, out of the place that seemed to be the key to her past. On the outside of its walls, she was just plain Lucy again. Student to Windian High, and member of the WINGS group. Or that's what she wanted to think. But now there's something else I have to do. Lucy sighed as she stared up at the darkening sky. Some how she'd have to get to the Shrine of the Heroes, and somehow she'd have to get Ray down there too. I'm not sure though, if I really want to know what I'll learn when I get to the shrine.

Lucy glanced one more time at the castle behind her, and then made her way out into the streets of Windia.