She pulled herself from the bed and dragged herself to the bathroom, taking a tissue and wiping the tears away. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was just as pretty as Ava! Why hadn't she been chosen as Zan's bride?

She brushed away strands of dark curls from her face and looked around the bathroom in desperation. She had to do something to numb the pain. Finding a razor in the cupboard, she slashed the skin around her wrists roughly. Rusty red blood slipped out of her wrists, smearing onto her hands and dripping onto the floor. The pain was nothing compared to her broken heart.

"I love you, Zan..." she whispered moments before she dropped to the floor, unconscious.

A girl in the mirror with bouncy blonde curls cried out as she saw Amara fall to the ground. "Oh... Amara... don't do this to yourself." She said ferociously before disappearing into the air. ***

Zan watched gravely down the path were Amara had ran, trying to make believe she was still there. This was his wedding day; He was supposed to be happy! But instead, he was miserable.

Suddenly, the room seemed to pause. He looked around, wondering why he was able to move and everyone else wasn't able to.

"Shh." A sweet voice said behind him.

Zan whirled around and looked into the eyes of a petit girl with bouncy blonde hair.

"Hey, Max. Or should I say your highness, Zan." The girl said, her words rich with confidence.

"Who are you and how do you know who I am? Why are you calling me Max?"

"I'm Maria and you'll know me, in your future life." The girl replied. "But there's no time to waste! Liz is lying on the floor bathed in blood."

"Liz?"

"Liz!" Maria sighed, forgetting she was talking to Zan. "Amara! Amara, Zan! She needs your help. Right now. There's no time for this wedding. It needs to be stopped. Doctors need to be called."

Zan's heart raced of the thought of Amara dying. "Okay. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Sweet." Maria smiled. "I'll be seeing you in about a hundred years, Max. If this goes the way I'm planning..." Her face was scrunched up, like she knew something bad was going to happen. "Goodluck!"

And with that, she disappeared in a burst of smoke and glimmering sparkles.

Zan ran out of the hall before anyone could flinch. He raced through the fields and into the castle. He ran up a flight of stairs and down corriders, running to see Amara, hoping to find out that she was perfectly fine.

But he knew she wasn't.

He entered her room only to find it empty. Racing to the bathroom, he gasped at what he saw. Amara, still looking beautiful in her gown, lay on the tile, wet blood gushing from her arms. He screamed out in agony. This was not supposed to happen!

He held Amara's head up, trying to see if she was still consious. Her eyes fluttered a little. "Mara? It's me. Everything's going to be okay..."

"Zan? Zan... No..." Amara's voice came out in a frail whisper.

"Please, Mara. You have to be strong. I'm going to get help."

Her response was a soft grunt, as she layed her head down on the rug. Zan rushed to the telephone and called the castle doctor. He would save Amara no matter what.

***

The doctor shook his head. "She lost a lot of blood."

"But she's okay to be okay, right?"

"Yes, in a few days. You're lucky you caught her when you did. Do you have any idea why she would do this?"

Zan nodded slowly. "She was... really upset."

The doctor put his hand on Zan's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Prince."

The doctor left the room, leaving Zan alone with Amara. He went over and held her lifeless hand in his. "Amara... why would you do this?" He asked. "I would quickly spare my life for yours, in a second! Hurting yourself more isn't going to solve anything..." He buried his head in his arms, feeling tears at his eyes. "If I lost you... I don't know how I would survive."

Just then, he heard a voice. It was Maria, the one who had talked to him earlier. "Don't you understand, Zan? She would rather die that see you marry another. Love this strong deserves to flourish."

"But how will that possible?" Zan asked.

Maria's brow was furrowed. She sighed and replied, "Not in this lifetime..."

"No. I will not have you telling me what to do. I create my own destiny." Zan replied.

"I've heard that before. And how hard it has been! Words are easy to say, Zan, but actually altering your destiny... it's harder than you may think." Maria replied.

"I am the King. I will marry Amara..."

Maria sighed. "I wish you could."

"You know more things about this than me. Tell me a way to make it work, then!"

"I told you." Maria exclaimed. "It's too late. You'll get another chance -- but just not now... I'm sorry."

With that, she disappeared into the air.