Alrina, Princess of Kelin

Alrina surmounted the winding steps of a lonely tower in the center of the luscious gardens just as the sun was setting, its glowing rays casting warm light on the marble that made up most of the buildings in the city. This tower would have the answers to whatever dark magic had caused the thorny wall growing along the edge of the city. It had to. The people were already terrified, and if Alrina admitted that she didn't know what caused it or how to make it go away, they would panic. It didn't help that at midnight for the last three nights, the wall came alive, creeping a few feet closer to the city than it had been before. Some of the elves had tried to go through it. As of yet, none had returned. Alrina scanned the bookshelves, grabbing the first ancient book she saw and frantically flipping through the pages. At midnight, she heard the creaking of the thorns grow closer, wrapping around the tower. Tears dripped down her cheeks as she threw the book at the wall. There was no hope.