Chapter 1
Morrigan inhaled in the morning cold air which filled her lungs at the moment. She opened her eyes and her gaze went straight to the small wooden window that was in the opposite direction of her bed. She took in the appearance of the small wooden window which looked like it was about to fall out if a blizzard was to come. It had scratches and cracks that were coated with a mould coat. She sighed heavily and moved to stand up from her bed and she weared her rob that was a pale brown and filled with patches. She strode across the small room that she was in, moving to the right and rolling her neck that released the tension in the joints. Sounds of joints grinding each other filled the air and she moved straight out of the room and going to the right of a short corridor which revealed a bathroom. She refreshed her self and she moved straight out and finding a space that was the living room. She moved towards the small dining table that was in the center and finding her mother and sister already dining. She said good morning with a bright smile and sat at the chair which was opposite her sister." Morning mother, Magretta." She told them." How was your night Morr?" Magretta asked with a smile. " It was fine thank you. Am just exhausted by the bed's way of greeting." She replied with a shrug. Magretta laughed and continued with her breakfast of dry bread and water. " Morr did you hear about the seasonal war games this season. I was surprised when I heard that the four wings are going to attend the games this year." Morrigan raised her eyebrows with a questioning look. " They are going to participate even when they already did their part long ago. Am jealous they even get to attend when they are in their twenties, let alone they already have participated in the wars beyond the lands." Magretta said with an excited look. " They are only going to participate because they don't have much to do. And am sure you have rather important things to think about except these useless rumors Magret." Morrigan replied." The royals are lazy, sadistic, selfish, heartless people that don't care for others if they want to go up. They will use people like us to go up and they will not even get the time to look back and see what they have left behind." She lifted a brow while replying. " C'mon Morr, you can always give a chance to the four wings especially Adriel of the western wing." Magretta replied with a whine. Morrigan denied while shaking her head." Never." She replied while taking a sip of her water. " At least you love me." Magretta spoke." You love me the whole of you heart." Morrigan replied with a smile and hugged her sister tight." I love you, mother, Matthias with ever inch of my life." Their mother laughed along." C'mon Morr you are gonna be late." She said
Morrigan headed down the hill which their cottage was on top of. She sloped down with her cloak sweeping the ground which was now growing new grass after winter. She had her axe in hand and bow and arrow hidden behind the cloak. Her long brown hair falling back and moving with the tune of the wind. She moved straight to the woods that were down on the hill. She went in the woods with the sound of snapping sticks beneath her shoes. Morrigan always went to the woods every morning to get the wood that they sold in the market village. And also training with her arrow. She always had a cold feeling while aiming the arrows to her target. The words of her father echoing through her mind ' always aim when you know the result, aim for the head, keep your chin up, don't show your opponent fear and shoot when you know it's time to shoot.' Her father was the only person she looked up on. Knowing that the world they lived in was of caos, her father taught her a way to defend her self when a day comes that he was gone. After she was done with chopping the wood. She made a target on a tree that. Giving her self a distance and calming down. She shut her eyes and took in a breath. She concentrated on strength the wind had around her and straightening her spine. Releasing her arrow with her eyes still closed. She smiled widely when she saw that the arrow had hit the small leaf she placed on the tree as a target. She went upto the tree and removed the arrow. She got a feeling like someone was watching and she quickly looked over her shoulder and her heart jackhammered when she saw that a man was sitting on a boulder that was above a raised piece of land. She quickly acted on instinct and aimed her bow at the man. " Who are you and why are you creeping around looking at people?" She asked the man while pulling the arrow even further on the bow spring. The man chuckled darkly and lept from the boulder landing on down with a thud and Morrigan's heart fought to go out of her lungs. She raised her chin in act of showing she was not afraid of the man. He took a few steps closer and Morrigan took a few back and knocking her back on the tree that was behind her. " What the hell do you want!?" Morrigan asked with a cold and furious voice. The man halted and tilted his head on one side like he was trying to figure out what kind of person stood opposite him. " You've got great skills?" The man spoke. His voice deep and domineering. Morrigan frowned upon the question and kept her chin up while asking." I asked you, who are you? And what do you want spying on me?" " I am just hunting." He replied while tapping on his bow that he held in his right hand. Morrigan took in the man's appearance and she swallowed thickly. Afraid of the man's frame that was huge, his muscles surely suffocating in the white long sleeved shirt he was wearing. His cloak a royal blue and had details that screamed expensive. His boots black and stained from the woods dirt. She looked in his eyes that were deep brown and they pulled her to a conclusion of running away. His features were masculine and his height added the feeling of running away from him. His black hair falling to his shoulders and adding on the handsomeness that he already had. " It doesn't mean looking at people while they're not knowing." Morrigan spoke looking in his eyes. The man smirked at her while raising an eyebrow."Am sure the woods don't belong to you." He spoke. "Neither do they belong to you." Morrigan replied while lowering her bow. The man smiled darkly." What if they belong to me?" He asked. She swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to reply bravely." I don't care who they belong to, but i care if someone is snooping around at me." She then looked around finding her chopped wood that was tied together and threw it over her shoulder. " I don't think am done with talking to you, and i think you are trying to run away from me." The man spoke while taking a few steps closer. She instinctively rised her arrow again at him and stepping back slowly. " Don't come closer or I will shoot this arrow straight in your head." She threatened him while pursing her lips. The man barked a laugh and Morrigan flinched while taking more steps back. " You've got balls speaking with me like that little tiger." He said while studying her. She pursed her lips and took off straight out of distance from the man. And she flinched while running as she heard his booming voice from far behind." I will see you soon little tiger!" She increased on her speed and going out of the woods straight to the routes that led to the village market. She fought hard to remove her mind from the handsome scary man that she left behind.
Morrigan reached the village market and she frowned at how many people were in the market today. She made her way through the crowd and she stopped at a small stand that was having some small pieces of wood. She placed her chopped up wood that she had gathered on the stand and sat at the small wooden chair that was there. She sighed deeply and then shreaked when a pair of hands grapped her shoulders. Matthias laughed loudly at her from behind and Morrigan laughed as well when she realized it was her brother. She shoved him off teasingly and narrowed her eyes up at him." Don't do that again, a will get a heart attack." She told him while shoving his shoulder playfully. He raised his hands in defeat and sat next to her in the chair that was on her right. They sat in silence and Matthias broke it with a question." Why are you late?, it's already mid-day and you have just arrived." She exhaled slowly while remembering the reason why she was. She never gets scared of people that easily but something on that man seemed scary even with his handsome face and deep voice. She shoved that thought away and answered to her brother." I ran into a dangerous animal." " What!, did you get hurt?" Matthias asked with his deep brown eyes wide with care. " No, it was just a lucky escape I ran away." She replied cooly. " What animal was-..." The trumpets sounded and Matthias's question was left in the middle. They both looked across then spotted that the announcement platform was having the royal announcer standing on it. They both ran straight to the platform and finding their way closer in the crowd of people that was surrounding it. They halted and waited for the announcer to start. The man standing on the circular platform cleared his throat and unfolded the paper. " From the royal council, his Majesty's seal printed on the rule, states that, from today and onwards the seasonal war games will also be participated by the women. And the age of participating people will begin from 18 and above. Anyone who doesn't comply with the rules will face the crime of treason and their families will pay equally." The crowd started murmuring and some even gasped and breaking into tears. Morrigan's jaw clenched and her heart ached. Pain rushed through her eyes as they started to water. Matthias grabbed her sister's shoulders and directed her from the crowd and he took her to their stand and they sat down. Morrigan rubbed the tears that were forcing their way out of her eyes with the back of her long sleeved pale blue shirt. " Morr am sorry about-" " They are the worst kind of creatures I have ever encountered am having a feeling that dragons are more human than the royals." Morrigan interrupted her brother." I am not going to wither due to their due to their stupid rules, i am gonna ride with their challenge and i will win it, me and you and other poor people that are out there." He nodded his head in acceptance and hugged her tight. " I know you will, you are strong." Matthias spoke to her and she nodded slowly.
The day went on and ended and soon they were going up the hill in the late evening and snuggling up in it's warm embrace. The night seemed long with the new atmosphere when they told their mother and sister about the announcement. They hugged while savouring their last warm days as a family." Don't worry you will be safe if you stick together as a family." Their mother spoke with tears in her eyes. Matthias and Morrigan nodded strongly. Morrigan slept with her heart heavy and her mind foggy. In that moment she swore to her self that she finish the challenge that was laid upon her by the royals.
