Prologue

This is the opening.

“Hush my child!” a mother’s breathless voice cried as she tried to soothe the wailing bundle of baby in her arms. Her dark brown hair whipped around her as she ran. Every tree seemed to reach out to her, sheltering her in their shadows. She heard hoof beats behind her. Stopping, she looked around wildly searching…there! She keeled at the roots of a tree. Pushing away undergrowth, she found a nook carved by her own hands and placed the bundle in it.

            Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Hush my child,” her voice cracked on the last word. The child, now quieted down, raised her hands in one final grasp for her mother’s arms.

            “Sleep,” her mother sobbed. “I love you!” She picked up her baby and hugged it to her chest. With one last choking sob she set the baby back down and covered up the hiding place once more. Now the hoof beats were almost upon her she fled for her life. Let someone find her! She prayed. Let my baby live!

            She dared to look back and that was her mistake. Her foot caught in a root and with a sickening crack she collapsed on the forest floor. Pain shot like an arrow through her right leg. Biting her lip so hard she could taste blood, she raised herself up on one leg and stood to face her enemy.

            “You’re under arrest!” a soldier of the castle rode up drawing his sword.

            “But I did nothing wrong!” she spat anger at the tip of her voice.

“You broke the law-“

             “I fell in love!” she interrupted him.

“No,” he said trying to keep his voice from rising. “You broke the law and the penalty for that… is death.”