Chapter 1
Ten Years Later...
The sunlight shined through the curtains hitting the woman’s closed eyes; she groaned as she pulled the blue comforter with lotus flower stitchings over her face. She sat up once she knew that sleep would evade her; she stretched her arms over her head and yawned. The young woman looked at her curtains as the sun hit her eyes. “Good morning.” She told the sun, she threw off her covers and put her feet on the plush carpet. She smiled as she wiggled her toes, feeling the softness of the carpet against her feet. She stood up and walked over to her vanity, scratching the top of her head as she went. She stopped and looked at her reflection. Her sapphire blue eyes still as bright as they were when she was a kid, her snow white hair had grown longer and now rested at the middle of her back. She grabbed her brush and yanked the bristles through her curls, cringing as it connected with the knots in her hair. She sighed as the brush went through her hair softly, happy that she finally could tame her hair without Adelina’s help. She sighed sadly from the realization she was on her own.
Adelina had gotten married to the tailor that had made all of her clothes and still did. He was the only man in town that Adelina admired more than her brother and deceased father. The young women smiled at the memory of Adelina in her dress that the tailor had made for her, the way the sleeves had billowed around her wrists made the woman sigh in jealousy. She shook her head and whispered to herself. “You’re eighteen now and you could marry if you understood the concept of it that is.” She stood up and went to her door, still in her nightgown, she opened the door slightly and saw Marquis through the crack. She admired how he’d only gotten more handsome. She felt her face growing hot as she looked at him in admiration. His once short black hair had grown to cover the top of his ears, he always cut it to keep it short but she liked the way it looked long. She gasped when Marquis caught her looking at him, he smiled and bowed his head.
“Good Morning Lady Gracelia.” She looked away from him, hiding her face behind the door.
“G... Good morning Marquis.” She told him in a soft tone she only used for him.
“Good morning my Lady!” Gracelia looked back and saw Alexander standing in front of Marquis with a giant smile on his face. He had grown his hair out as he aged, what was once cropped and well kept was now shaggy and long.
“Good Morning to you too Alexander.” She told him in a monotone type voice. The knight put his hand on the door and made a pouting face. Even though he was older than her, he still acted like a child.
“My lady that’s not fair! You’re always mean,” He looked at Marquis for help. “Marquis help me!” Marquis laughed as he put his hand on the young knight’s shoulder.
“Leave it be Alex.” He told Alexander with a smile. “Get back to your position.”
“But...” Marquis looked at him with annoyance.
“What did I say?” Alexander looked at Marquis like he’d just gotten slapped.
“Yes, sir.” Gracelia watched in amazement at the confrontation that had just occurred in front of her. Marquis watched Alexander step away from the door and back to his position, he looked at Gracelia.
“Please get dressed my lady. It’s time for breakfast.” Marquis told her as he put his hand on the doorknob and closed it, shutting her in her room. Gracelia looked at the door in annoyance and huffed at it.
“I’m not a kid anymore Marquis.” She whispered as she turned around and walked to her wardrobe. She put her hand on the thick wood and smiled as she remembered her fifteenth birthday. Her father had the wardrobe made for her and carved with snowflakes falling on a lotus pond. She’d fallen in love with the Empress’ royal garden that had a lotus pond in it when she had visited the royal family during the new year’s ball during that year. She pulled it open and ran her finger across all the gowns, loving the texture of the: silk, cotton and velvet fabrics against her skin. She stopped at a dark blue dress and pulled it out, she placed it on her bed and examined it. The dress had ivy vines stitched into the skirt and stopped at the waist of the dress. She smiled at the craftsmen ship of Adelina’s husband.
She laughed at the memory of Adelina yelling at her husband to make it correctly. She pulled her nightgown over her head and threw it on the ground, she softly grabbed the dress from her bed and pulled it over her head sighing as the soft material rubbed against her bare skin. Gracelia walked over to her vanity and tied the leather cords on the top of the dress. She admired herself in the mirror but frowned when she looked at her chest, Adelina had told her it well endowed her to have a big chest and men liked that about a woman. Gracelia walked over to her door and opened it, stepping out she smiled at Marquis. “I want to challenge you!” She told the knight in front of her, pointing at him.
“What’s the challenge, my lady?” Marquis smirked.
“Let’s see who makes it to the dining-room door first.” Gracelia told him wondering if he will take the challenge or back down.
“Ok, we’ll see who’s faster.” Marquis looked at Alexander. “Count us down.” Alexander shook his head as Gracelia and Marquis stood side by side.
“Three... two... one... GO!” Alexander yelled, Gracelia took off down the hallway with Marquis close behind her. She smiled at him as she sat on the banister and slide down it, landing softly on the carpet. The young woman looked up at the top of the stairs to see Marquis staring at her in disbelief.
“What?” She asked him, hands on her hips.
“That’s not fair, lady Gracelia.” He told her in frustration, Gracelia laughed at his comment.
“Last I remembered is you’re the one who told me to use everything around me to my advantage.” She told him as she winked and stuck her tongue out at the knight. She turned away from him and slowly made her way to the dinning room door. “Hurry because the last one there is horse manure!” She yelled at him, Marquis ran down the stairs carefully trying not to land on his face. Gracelia looked back and gasped in surprise as Marquis headed towards her. She turned and ran towards the door with Marquis only two steps behind, she put out her hand as the door came closer. She lightly tapped the door a second before Marquis, she turned towards him with a smile and stuck out her tongue. “I win!” Marquis looked at her with a smile.
“You won, my lady. Even though you used my advice against me.” Gracelia giggled and slowly opened the door.
“Go eat, I’ll see you later.” She told him as she closed the door, shutting him in the main hall. Marquis smiled at the door and sighed while heading to the kitchen.
~~~~~~~~
The maids already set the dinning table with two plates before Gracelia entered the room, Gracelia’s father sat at the table with a book in his hand as he slowly stirred his fork in the fruit bowl in front of him. He looked up as the door closed and he smiled, the wrinkles around his eyes becoming prominent, in the sunlight his hair showed the grays peeking through his brown hair. “Good morning my little snowflake.” He told his daughter while putting a strawberry in his mouth.
“Good morning papa.” The woman said, white hair shinning in the sunlight. “Please stop calling me that, I’m not a little kid anymore.” Hugh laughed at her as she came closer to the table.
“You’ll always be my little girl though Gracelia.” He told her as she sat down and picked up her fork. He looked at the dress and smiled sadly, realizing that she was wearing a traveling dress instead of training gear. “Are you ready for your first assignment?” He asked her, placing the book on the table. Gracelia looked at her father with a smile that made her eyes twinkle in the light from the window.
“Yes! I am really excited. Although it’s only a patrol mission on the northern border but I’m still excited to see the place that always snows. Everyone calls it the frigid north for a reason and I would love to see why.” She told Hugh excitedly, biting into an apple slice. He watched her eat in silence, recalling the times she had just sat there and watched him eat now it was the other way around. He hated how she was finally going on missions, Aland had told Hugh that he would only try to give her the easy missions until he was sure she could handle the bandits that seemed to have popped up around the small towns in the heavily forested areas of the kingdom.
“Gracelia...” His daughter looked up at him, ham still in her mouth. She quickly chewed and swallowed the piece of meat.
“Yes, papa?” She asked him placing her fork in front of her. Hugh opened his mouth and closed it again, not sure of what to say. “I’ll be ok papa. You don’t have to worry, I’m going with Marquis, Tomas and Alexander along with two knights from the second squadron that Sir Francis has trained. I’ll be fine, so don’t worry.” She told him, placing her hand on his that was lying on the book. Hugh looked at her hand on his realizing how small her hand was to his, he sighed and grabbed her hand. Turning her hand over he ran his finger along the rough patches on her skin from where a sword had roughened it. He smiled up at her sadly, his eyes shinning with unshed tears.
“I trust Marquis, Tomas and Alexander but the other two I’ve never met. I’m worried they will look down on you for being a female and want to challenge you to the role of commander. If that happens I want you to show them you can hold your own against men. Make sure to always keep that dagger on you and keep your longbow and arrows on your back at all times while you’re out there on your mission.” He told her, worry dripping from every word he spoke. Gracelia smiled sadly at her father and put her other hand on his that held her left hand.
“Papa, I’ll always be careful. I’ll show them just because I am a woman doesn’t mean that I won’t beat them into the dirt they walk on. You know I go nowhere without the dagger,” She patted her thigh where the dagger was strapped. “I’m proficient at archery, along with the use of two weapons. I promise I will always keep the katana that Aunt Mazelina had given me for my sixteenth birthday. She told me it was the finest metal that could be found in the southern region, saying it’d been in the royal family for generations. She did it for a reason just like you did the dagger. I swear on the Goddess of winter I will send letters when we stop and rest in towns. You said so yourself that the mission can last up to two weeks depending on the weather. Believe in me papa, in the way you taught me how to wield the sword and fight in battle. You even taught me hand to hand combat should I ever get disarmed in a fight, so just keep me in your heart and in your prayers to the goddess and I will return home safely.” She told him pulling her hand out of his, she stood up and looked at her father. “Trust me.” Hugh sighed as she walked behind him and put her arms around his shoulders, he laid his hands on her arms.
“I trust you my little snowflake, I know you’re strong and hardheaded,” Hugh felt Gracelia’s chest vibrate against his back as she laughed at being called hardheaded. “The bandits seem to have gotten worse that even Sir Lee was sent to patrol the southern border. I worry they may be in your path. If you find them while away take them out silently and swiftly, remain safe at all cause.” Gracelia sighed, tickling her father’s neck.
“I will, now I must go before everyone else wonders where I am.” She stood up and walked towards the door feeling her father’s gaze on her back, she turned towards Hugh. “I love you papa. I’l return as soon as I can. Don’t get to old while I’m away.” She told him with a smile that hid the worry gnawing at her heart. She opened the door and closed it, shutting Hugh in the room alone. He looked at the door and put his hands together feeling his daughter’s warmth on his palms.
“Be safe my little one. You can never lie, I know you’re worried I could see it in your eyes...”
(I hope you like this chapter! It’s the first chapter of the second book! If you enjoyed reading this please vote! If there is something that confuses you or you wish to tell me something please comment! I look forward to knowing what you all think! Blessed be!)
