Introduction

A Chapter by Emmanuelchapot

"Come on Nelhino we’re gonna miss the beginning", shouted my little sister

"Coming Leina", I answered stepping out of our miserable house. She immediately grabbed my hand and jerked me off my feet and started dragging me to the town center. After exiting the side streets and the infernal smell we entered the main roads which was surprisingly empty, meaning that there would be no more place for us. My sister was still dragging me along these clean roads and the row of rich houses which I could only dream of. Once we finally stepped out onto the town market, that had been cleared off, we were facing a wall of people patiently waiting for the parade to start. My gaze searched for an opening in the crowd before falling on my sisters face who was glaring at me accusingly. I burst out laughing at her facial expression before grabbing her and pulling her along the row of closed merchant houses, and we climbed up the butchers building, who was busy waiting for the parade to notice us. We then walked along the row of roofs to the most comfortable one and settled down just in time for the parade to start my sister squealed in delight and hugged me before sitting down to watch the parade flow out of the castle.

My father was poised on his golden throne atop of the carriage waiting a bit longer before signaling the beginning, I was sitting on his left and my three brothers on his right. I sighed at there foolish jokes before sitting upright as my father talked to me

"That’s a nice dress Moyra, it reminds me of your mother", he said with a pang of sadness in his voice

"Thank you father" I answered, suddenly feeling sad, father never talked about my deceased mother, he motioned to the horse master and the carriage started rolling out of the castle. As usual my father was cold and expressing no feelings since my mother passed away, my brothers were flirting with the noble girls and I was waiting for this to be over. As the chariot moved on I sighted a young serf on the roof who was surrounded by three rough looking boys older than him. They seemed to be arguing over the younger girl standing frightened behind the boy. The serf motioned to the girl to run, but before he had the time to turn around, the tallest of the three attackers struck him several times in the face. The lone figure crumpled to the ground and was covered with blows by his assaillants. Suddenly one of them fell to the ground, and the serf got up fighting off the two others knocking out a second boy and the third turned around and fled. As he turned around my eyes crossed his which seemed to be burning with rage, seconds later he disappeared behind the building. Suddenly my father pulled me out of my daydreaming by his sudden fit and i called the physician for help.

I caught up with my sister who was running towards the house and grabbed her hand, she screamed frightened and hit my face as hard as possible, thinking I was one of the boys.

"Doesn’t my face look like i had enough of a beating or do i need more?" i asked, smiling with my bloody teeth,

"Sorry" she replied laughing at my statement, I was glad she seemed reassured, at least through my blurry vision. Before I could tell her to not say anything about the fight, my mom opened the door to let us in before I could even knock. She stared at my face for half a second before grabbing me and pulling me roughly inside locking my sister outside and shouted

"Why do you always fight! You think the blacksmith will want you as an apprentice if your always fighting!?" Before i could respond her hand flew to my face and sent me sprawling to the floor. I stood up swaying dangerously and I felt a trickle of blood from the side of my mouth. I stepped out of the main room and went up to my room, which was a pretty big word for the box I slept in, the window was just big enough to let the sun set and the cool air to enter the room, my cot took up half of the room and the other half was empty. Exhausted by the beatings I had taken today I fell in my bed and closed my eyes.

When i opened my eyes I found myself staring at the ceiling, I rolled over in my giant bed and stared across the room into the mirror, my blond curly hair was a mess and would probably need a long time to straighten it, I stood up and pulled the bell to my room twice waiting for the servants to arrive, seconds later I was in my warm bath whilst my maid was straightening my hair and preparing my luxurious clothes for the day ahead. After eating a meagre breakfast, I stepped out into the sunlight and headed towards the girls that were bickering around my three brothers. They were prancing around with their blunt swords training in the courtyard. The noble girls saw me coming forwards and bowed. I hated it when my friends followed all the formalities as they stood up my younger brother turned around from his practice and seeing my unease and bowed sniggering and said:

"Your highness its a pleasure to have you in our presence"

"I can not say the same to you soldier", I replied, my brother’s face reddened. I turned away and asked the girls:

"Who wants to go for a horse ride ?" As my brothers continued there training, the girls and I rode off with four guards looking very bored. As we rode the girls were talking of how handsome, smart and strong my brothers were, qualities which i thought none of them possessed. As we reached the top of the mountain our brave mounts were tired and needed rest and food. We reached the waterfall and continued up the river till we stopped at a man made pond sheltered by the current, further up, a basket was on the side with a few fish inside, on the ground a pole was stuck with a rope that ended in the water. A fisherman that was occupied else where I thought. Suddenly a boy jumped out of the water, in his hand a gleaming trout still alive. He lifted himself out of the water leaving the rope tied around his ankle, he grabbed his knife and ended the fishes suffering. Seeing my cat approach and he tossed the useless bit of fish to her, she pawed at them before eating and approaching the boy, he pet the cat but still didn't look up. The girls were diving into the pond, i stepped to the boy who was skinning the fish

"She seems to be fond of you", I said, he looked up surprised or feigning surprise; and knelt down in a bow.

"Your highness, she seems to be fond of fresh trout", I replied, keeping my head low, out of the corner eye I spotted the white cat over the basket about to take a bite in the batch of fish, I hissed warningly before letting out a high pitched growl, the cat looked up surprised before stepping back from the basket and returning to her master, looking at the princess I realized she was staring at me both surprised and frightened.

"I am sorry I may have frightened her", I said

"It’s ok …"

"Nelhino your highness, now i better hurry up or I will miss the fish, good bye your highness", I said looking at her blue eyes, suddenly I was paralyzed, I couldn't move, I was staring into her blue and, was it a yellow sort of taint around her pupil, yes it was. I was so captivated that I did not hear her reply and I didn't even move when the cat lunged at my fish basket and grabbed one in her mouth before running away, I turned around covered the basket and dived back in the freezing water. When I climbed out an other time I was trembling because of the cold, but I wasn't new to this stage my hands trembling I gutted the fish. As my hand slipped my blood mixed with the dead fish’s blood. I quickly washed my hands in the river and examined the cut that went from in-between the thumb and the index to the bottom left of my hand. It had miraculously missed the muscle but it was still a deep cut, using the knife i cut off several stripes of my tunic and cleaned them in the river water. The nobles had gone since some time and the clearing was deserted, after tying my bandage up I headed to the fisherman's shop clutching my basket in my uninjured hand. I sold half of the ten fish for one silver and two bronze each and brought the rest back to my family for our mid-day meal. As i stepped back into the house i gave the fish to my mother and I put the six silver in the hiding spot behind the fire place. Once we sat at table I could see in my father’s eyes that he had important news, he looked straight at me and said in his deep voice

"Since the blacksmith is in need of apprentices he is willing to take you a few months earlier, you would be paid the same but you're going to have to work much harder, what do you say ?", I looked up stunned before answering

"What time do i have to be there tomorrow ?"

"At dawn, you get the afternoon off today, now go ahead and take profit out of it cause it won't be happening very often" I immediately darted off to have some free time to myself and to heal my hand thanks to the useful plants, but the piece of cloth was still necessary to stem the flow of blood even though my hand seemed to be better. That night when I lay in my cot I didn't feel anxious but those eyes were still obsessing me. That yellow star in the middle of all the blue, how was it possible ? That was my last clear thought before i fell asleep.