Happiness was in the air., as the New Moon came into Light.Rosedrop world was getting ready for the Second Winterball of the 3 Seasons’ Balls: the Snowdrop Ball. It was to be held at the weekend coming. The dressmakers were busy. The chefs were planning. It was to be a Silver Bells Snowdrop Ball. The decorators were having a blast getting the village barn all decked out.

The ice rinks and toboggan runs were filled with skaters and sliders. School was out at the end of the week and Winter fun had just begun.

Ellarya and Yra were in their elements. Elle let Yra have artistic freedom and direction. Yra was thrilled. Creating and being an Artist, like Aryc, was her thing. She was expecting and she was enthralled with work, in Light. How did this happen?

Elle was heavily pregnant and getting very excited about the arrival of Starprime Sapphra. She had a lot of time to just sit. She looked into the Celestial waters at the Dragon’s Nest Cave. Mymsha and Shyvra had directed her. They slipped her into the waters and a trance. There is dreamscape , Ellarya entered into the ” Seeing Realm” , where the future is possible and altering the past is dangerous and a rarity. Elle saw that Giovanni’s heart had broken with the loss of their Son. She saw that his little glimmer, was still there ,that stupid “Cockroach” Crush , he had on Aryc ( neither a he or a she , Giovanni , was crushed, but always saw her, as he saw “her” I mean the first time he saw her as a he, Tristan and Parian, just thought they would pass out from laughing the absolute ” just THAT “look” on his face, it was priceless, NOT that way inclined himself, he , however, didn’t actually care , love was love at the end of the day).

Yra was her identical mirror and was not attached. Ellarya saw , Giovanni’s reaction to Yra and his plans with her. Giovanni had wanted to hurt and punish her for a great variety of reasons over the years, most of them over “loving Steve”, for having Jade. She thought the best way around that when she saw it was to hand her to him and did just that. Elle saw that Yra was lonely and sad . Loneliness bleeds into the dark and expands its power. Elle thought let them be together. She was falling more and more for Parian and was happy about their child. She had a wonderful feeling about him. He was Tristan’s lifeforce. In dreamscape the drakes , took Ellarya back to her childhood and the promise she made to herself about marrying Tristan and his response , in twirling her hair. She saw this and held her breathe. She looked at his smile and remembered just how he struck and hit and strummed her heart strings.

Aryc was strong , beautiful and emerged from THRC to join Yra with the plans for the Ball. She had missed the first one. She decided , she was young and strong again and needed to be on the scene ,as part of the hierarchy of the Rosedrop World. Araswati Dowager Prime, still retained her Starpower, it was in suspension. Araswati was more than just being a Prime , when she was Prime. She was a Drakyn Dark Wiccan Warrior. She had knowledge of DARK “”MAHAGIQUE” , a shapeshifter. She could travel in light and dark auras. She could enter into the flutter lanes and cross the seas. She spoke a multitude of languages and had considerable knowledge to all the ancient ways.

Few rivalled her knowledge , NANA, Parian’s Grandma ,being one of them. Aryc was made of stern and brave stuff. Aryc was not really of white light at all. This was something that PRIME ELLARYA NICCODEMUS would come to learn, much later in her life. Aryc was brought up , in a dark wiccan sect many moons ago. “They” had been enslaved and ‘broke free’.

Aryc’s aura surrounded and wrapped around Stefano’s -he would come to truly despise this- completely fall for another, who would eventually, leave him, feeling sad and alone , once more: the way ” they” always left him. No wonder : SAVI , was always , so worried about him! Left him with Ellarya, the one being , she would ” love” him , blindly always ,or would she ?

Aryc had been one of the carriers of the “PAIN” of the Wiccan World, “they” had betrayed their post, position/ OUR WORLDs. They held all the memories of the tortures and inquisitions that had taken place throughout the realms in space and time. Prime Niccodemus now held it , passed to her with her position: PAIN. Pain changes you. It can make you dark and Aryc had the power of dark magicka.

She was bonded, or so, she claimed, to Lord Admiral Stefano Beaumont. Stefano had other ideas, he lied to her, cheated on her and was never faithful to her in anyway. He had no regard , or care for her, just used her for her” abilities ” . Ha ha and sometimes , and that was a ” joke “between them both too! Ha ha ha.

Admiral Beaumont ,if you recall from our beginning chapters , is an Umbral Lord, a master of dark and light within himself. Lord Admiral Beaumont , master of the Sea, had the ability to casts :Umbras. Umbras are dark regions where there was almost no light. Penumbral areas sometimes , had some light, sunshine. Steve was master at casting both and with them , he caught Aryc; he only wanted from her , what she could do for him with his CAREER , in the realm of the Other WORLD. He was the one , who came and broke her free from her darkened and imprisoned wiccan sect- that is another tale , altogether, which , will be told , in time, our ” RUNAWAY” story!

Aryc decided they were going to cast some dark magicka through the glitter balls that made the room seem to dance with Snowflakes. They were going to take that PRIMAL position back. They could do that if Ellarya Niccodemus became completely incapacitated. Aryc would have to return to being Araswati and choose to have her bounds- regenerated with Stefano( them having BROKE ,when Lord Lucuman showed up claiming his partner). Aryc would have to then CHOOSE STEFANO , over and above :Lord Lucuman ( he was so delightfully, handsome and brave ). Araswati could claim her spot back, find away to “DUMP” Stefano,( truth is – was actual PAYBACK, for all the times : he actually cheated on her, lied to her in the OTHER Realm) and keep her truly and only beloved, Lord Lucuman Zohan. The only problem was getting past Parian., and giving up her Lord Lucuman , whom “”they” treasured , close to worship. wasn’t really an option. PARIAN, as , a life FORCE was formidable. He was CAPTAIN OF THE GUARD and Companion Consort in waiting to the now PRIME, Starchild, CHERISHED CHILD, with Moonlight essence and abilities of all the elements above land, and claimed from the air, water and of course, FIRE: Ellarya. PARIAN had POWER. HE had GIFTS , HE had it ALL, actually. HE was going to be a problem, OF COURSE HE WAS. She would, JUST HAVE TO figure something out.

She decided on a single poison dart, to put Parian to sleep, would be ideal. Aryc decided that they were going to shoot him, right in the throat and break that BIG TALK of his. YAP , YAP ,YAP about Ellarya, WTF, she didn’t care about her or any of them anymore. She didn’t care about herself. She didn’t care for her animals , hardly, that remained the last element… Elle was pissed off at her over – feeding the defenseless KATs, making them wobble and FAT. She more or less “killed” tuffles with treats. Ellarya thought she was a real BITCH for mistreating her animals in that way! Stuff , stuff , stuff herself and them!

Aryc went about making good, or pretending to do so. ALWAYS a liar, a cheat ; always disappointing those that decided to trust and believe in her. Araswati helped Yra deck the halls and everyone sang along. The barn looked like a delightful Winter Wonderland. Snow Bells, Silver Bells and pretty snowflakes , sparkled the walls. The long tables were set with Sterling Silver and it had both entities catered for Butterflairies and their humanoid forms. The Head Table chairs were made of Obsidian and reflected a deep purple and blue. They were softened with cushions and drapings with silver laminae within the threads , that gave glitter of snowflake appearances in multi-layered fabrics.

The glitterball had been designed by Yra . Elle marvelled at how similar their styles of YRA were to those of Aryc. Aryc felt Yra’s pregnancy and the dark seed and laughed a great laugh when she felt that Giovanni had sired them. How wickedly delicious, she laughed heartily ,out loud. She had missed the fact that Ellarya , had planned it all to help heal Giovanni’s broken heart. Aryc did not realize , how much she missed out. Ellarya would be faithful and despite Aryc’s feelings and attitude towards her remained true and tried to support the Dowager , thus keeping her word to the Lord Beaumont and the Moms. Ellarya stood up and sound against all the negative energy from Aryc. She tried to bring rays of sunlight and hope with every visit, only to be lied to and deceived further and further. Aryc mistreated Ellarya in the worst way.She was a “friend “, who betrayed Ellarya’s trust. Aryc was the worst”” best friend” ever. She lied and mistreated everyone , she came across, that is why Lord Beaumont, kept reaching for someone else, sheer abuse from that “temper”! He was very , very unhappy , alot of the time. Elle understood this about him and loved him blindly, as best she could. He loved her equally, the best he could and told her so, many , many times. He called her ” out ” to him, and she always found him. In time, there would be another , that could reach her like that and the colour and feel of that call to come, was ” aquamarine” !

This is a time of a New Moon , and with this particular New Moon, disillusions from the past can be washed away. The New Moon Shine brings with it a particular beauty with hidden passion and secrets. However, some of the planetary movements within the Diablo heavens were slow moving . The slow planetary movements cast upon the New Moonshine Light which made straight forward light and happiness , complicated and chaotic. This was the perfect time for Arythenia to inflict her “charms” onto the Silver Bells Snowdrop Ball.

Parian, found Ellarya in the Dragon’s Cave. He came and pulled her out of dreamscape. He cuddled and kissed her and brought her back to their reality. He looked over at the single glowing pink Dragon Egg and smiled. He held Elllarya in his arms and asked her to marry him at the Winter Ball. He said he wanted to marry her in Light , would she?

Ellarya wept and said she would. The moment she accepted she felt them. Giovanni reared up his image looking up at her from the depths of the Celestial Pool. Lord Beaumont sent out a call that only Ellarya could hear. She had been summoned by the Admiral Umbral Lord Beaumont to his deck quarters on his ship.

Ellarya and Parian made their way back to his Barracks, after checking on the children and the little drakes with their Nannies and the elder Drakes.

Elle did not sleep, although it seemed as if she was sound asleep in Parian’s arms. She had been called out. Lord Admiral Stefano Beaumont used his shading umbral abilities and brought Ellarya Prime, his ” cherished child” , to him.

The Snow Blizzard was well on its way, and it was all going to hit and bring with it snow and ice and blistering ,ice rain and wind , the night of the Silver Bell Snowflake Ball.

The darkness was sliding along , humming its merry tune. The Umbral regions remained hidden. The Chessterfields, both dark and light , started to move. The Forest Trees talked , as Rosedrop World entered this New Moon phase.

Stephanu was waiting for Ellarya to arrive, with his, OPEN ARMS. Giovanni reared up and grabbed her to him first. Music played and it started to Snow. Parian stirred and Giovanni, held onto Ellarya with a vice tight grip and said : in dark you are mine – don’t ever forget. He let her go, Stefano grabbed her before she fell into and under the Great Wheel. Parian was kept in his trance. Steve’s music started to play and Ellarya was nestled in his arms once again. Stefano was not going to let her fall.

Aryc was “”cracked” with fury. Giovanni, saw red and the Dark Red Mist within him rose.

A Snow Blizzard was coming.