Chapter 1
The soft crunch of leaves diminish the empty silence of the forest. Breathlessly, I set my sword down next to the pale birch tree, glowing orange with the diminishing sunlight. I collapse to the floor. Dazed, I begin to hum to myself. Wind picks up, inviting the leaves to dance. My ears begin to ring as I lift my head off the foliage. There lays Ciel. His head nestled into my chest with his ears slouched back. Peacefully he begins to fall asleep, comfily wrapped in my distressed cloak, his tail occasionally taps in content. "I'm sorry," I whisper, "I'm sorry I failed you." I rest my hand on Ciel's back. Subdued tears begin to fall, darkening as they collide with my now copper stained blood. Copper in my eyes, copper in my blood. Copper for eternity.
"Hey! Get back here and fight, you promised!" She leapt onto the floor, her smile widened as she saw his face drop. He spun around, backing up on his hands and knees as he shook his head.
"No no no no, that's against the rules," he said with amusement in his voice.
"No fair, you let me use it last time!"
"Well last time I was winning!" He stood up and grabbed the tracker from her. "Keep it up and you'll be better than Kenai," he smiled, leading her away from the courtyard benches. Wild flowers dotted the lawn. The gate was surrounded by shrubs and bushes alike, leaving a faint feeling of isolation. "Lyn," he looked down at his sleeve. Undoing the button and turning it in his fingers. "My father told me something. Last night."
"A new story?" She turned her gaze to the daisies growing near the pond.
"Yeah. A scary one."
"You? You're not supposed to be scared." Her face fell in disinterest.
"I know." He looked at Lyn. Her dress moved in unison with the ripples of the pond, billowed with the blades of grass. It was as if she was part of the earth. He looked back at his sleeve button, poking at the lion standing bravely on its hind legs. He frowned. "It's just that-"
"How do you think the fish feel, seeing flowers and never smelling them?"
"I'm sorry?"
She turned to face him, laughing. "Do you think they sit in their pond, sad that they can never gift flowers to their friends?"
He looked at her, shocked at first. He began to laugh too. "If you wished me to plant an underwater garden, I'd work tirelessly to do so, princess."
She looked at him, her eyes beamed, "Thank you, Orias." Her gaze turned back to the water, she sighed. As she stood up, she took Orias' hand. Guiding him back to the confines of the castle. Aimlessly they wandered the halls, searching for nothing, silent and sweaty. The white floor echoed with each step of their small boots.
"Princess!" A light voice rang through the castle. "Princess Kealyn, we do not have time for these games!" The worried voice came closer. "Oh!" exclaimed the woman. Her troubled eyes closed in relief as she turned the corner, smoothing out her apron. "Princess, your father has been asking to see you all day. Where have you been?"
"In the courtyard with Orias." Lyn crossed her arms.
"I understand you are building bonds with him and your father is pleased that Orias, as your established guard, is spending time with you, but please. You are much too busy for this now."
"Why does father always have to make me busy with stuff I don't want to do?" She stomped her foot. Her gaze turned to the portrait of her, her brother Kenai, and her father.
"Princess, please." The woman nealt down. "Please look at me." Lyn's eyes stayed fixed on the painting. The woman sighed. "Kealyn, I understand your frustration, but your father only cares for you. He keeps you busy because he fears for you."
"My father is never scared."
"He is when it comes to you. He wants you to be happy."
Lyn turned to face the woman. Her face was red. "Then why won't he let me train to be a knight of the Final Legion! That makes me happy." Orias averted his gaze from the scene. The woman looked at him and narrowed her eyes.
"You need to stop filling her head with these ideas Orias. What you learn in your lessons is for a purpose. You must stop treating it like a game. These are very deadly skills, you could get hurt. Or worse, Kealyn might get hurt. You don't have a single bad bone in your body, Orias. I do not want you to be stuck with the burden of hurting the princess, and I know you wouldn't either." She rested her hand on his shoulder. Orias looked up at her, tears welled in his eyes. "I apologize for raising my voice at you, but please," she paused before retreating her hand and regaining her composure, "I hope you've learned your lesson. Now please return back to your father, I need the princess to focus on her studies." Orias walked off, giving a meek smile to Lyn. She waved back. The woman held her by the shoulders, firmly guiding her to the Grande Hall.
The heavy emptiness within the castle was cut by gentle, quick, footsteps tapping along. Moonlight cast the land into a silver dimension of peace. She sighed in relief, finally able to live freely. The darkness was her only escape for her father's expectations. It was her only way to think what she truly felt. Speak what she truly thought. The trees rustled in the wind as if they too were free of their imprisonment. She laid down on the wet grass, staring at the sky. Watching the clouds slowly roll along. She hummed, softly. A song she remembered from far away. That's how her father described it. Her memories from her childhood were from far away. She never understood what he meant. She wasn't even sure how she knew the song. Her father never sang it to her. She didn't even know the words. For all she knew, the words didn't exist and neither did the song. Perhaps it was something she made up on her own.
Her golden collar dug into her neck slightly as she hummed softer and softer. Her vision blurred and warped as her dreams began to form. She could see Orias. His golden hair shone in the light as he smiled, striking at Kenai with a stick. Kenai managed to dodge and retaliate with a quick but rather light attack. Orias was thrown off balance. He landed at Lyn's feet, overreacting with a dramatic voice, "This is it. The end of me. I have been slain by the mighty prince himself. My vision. It's fading. I can see the light!" Lyn laughed.
"Not if I can help it!" She snatched the stick from Orias' grasp and lunged at her brother. He grinned with delight.
"You dare believe you can defeat me?"
"Me?" Lyn asked teasingly. "I could defeat you with my hands behind my back!"
"Aha! Let's see it!" He jabbed at her leg, but it was instead met with the twig. She swatted it away and struck at his hand. Determined now, she pushed forward swiping the stick at his neck. Kenai jumped back, his eyes glancing at Orias who was now standing up, sneaking behind Lyn. Kenai smirked. "Well, I would say you definitely held up well. I can see you're learning from the best."
She smiled, but before she could respond Orias grabbed her from behind. She gasped and began pounding at his arms. "Get her!" Kenai jumped forward and began tickling her. Lyn squealed as Orias joined in. She became breathless between giggles. Soon the boys joined her on the floor, staring idly at the pink and orange clouds. She could lay there for hours with them. They were her best friends and she would do anything for them, as they've done everything for her.
The bird's song brought an air of delight. She rolled over and groaned, resting her face in the ground as an attempt to shield her eyes from the already aggressive sun. Lyn sighed, and pushed herself off the ground. As she attempted to regain her balance she caught a glimpse of something odd. A knight of the Final Legion was walking from the castle. She tiptoed behind the bushes, fearful of being caught outside her bedroom without Orias' watch. However, the knight paid her no mind. As she watched him pass, she noticed something glimmer in his scarf. Lyn tilted her head, attempting to get a better glimpse at the item, but to no avail. The knight gauged his surroundings, glancing at every aspect of the courtyard, and rushed off to the tower.
