Chapter 2 Who needs stairs?

Chapter 2 Who needs stairs?

Luna looks at me with wide black eyes.

"Are you serious? After I just told you the village is under risk of attack from the Fenrir Warriors, the first thing you say is you want to go down there?"

I run over to my wardrobe and grab some clothes. "That's the reason I'm going. If my home is threatened -"

"You'll do what?" Luna's hisses at me. If you've never heard a barn owl hiss--good, because it sounds like there is a huge snake hidden somewhere inside her tiny beak.

I know she's just looking out for me like she has from the day we met.

She had been a fledgling who had fallen from the nest. I came across her, brought her home, and healed her. Even after she could fly, she stuck around. She had grown fond of me.

"I don't know. But I know I can't stay up here and do nothing," I tell her.

I change into a loose cotton shirt, pants, and throw a silver cloak over my shoulders. I run out the door, and down the spiral staircase of the tower. When I reach the bottom, I feel Luna's talons poke through the fabric of my clothes as she lands on my shoulder.

"You could have just flown out the window and met me outside," I say, glancing around the halls. "If anyone see's you, I'm in trouble. I'm not suppose to bring animals into the castle." I start running down the hall.

"Good. You should get in trouble. This is a horrible idea," she says.

I ignore her.

The only sound is the light echo of my boots hitting the hardwood floors. Bright white light shines through the grand arched windows. On the opposite wall, giant paintings of past kings and queens watch me as I run by. It's not so bad now, but at night, those pictures can be really creepy.

I smell some Wolves coming up the hall, and slowed my run to a walk (they really hated it when you ran inside the castle). Wolves are a little nickname for Sølvefalske Warriors, since some of them (you guessed it) can shift into wolves.

Yes, I said smell. Even as a human, I can access my wolf abilities; hearing, smell, sight, chasing my tail (kidding), and some serious emotion-reading abilities.

As the Wolves walk by, their white armor clicks with every move. They cast curious glances at me and Luna. I'm a little nervous they might say something, but they keep walking. All the Warriors have always been worked overtime with their increased guard shifts.

I sigh in relief, but it's too soon. Right then, I run into Lord Sigurd, top Guard of King Albin's Warriors.

"Princess Ylvana! You actually came out of your room!" he smiles at me. His smile was really bright, especially with his against his dark skin. When his dark brown eyes catch the sunlight, they shimmer slightly gold. He is a shifter like me, but instead of blue, his eyes burn a bright yellow color.

"Yeah, I uh, was hoping to run down and get some breakfast," I say, edging my way around him. Sigurd was very friendly and inviting, but at nearly seven foot tall and built like a viking, he was intimidating. The fact that he can sense my nervousness didn't help either.

"Breakfast is already over." He glances at Luna, suspiciously. "I'd ask what you're up too, but to tell you the truth, I'm just glad to see you out of your room. Getting into trouble is much better than being confined. Especially for folks like us, wouldn't you say?"

I smile awkwardly. I'm not exactly a social person. He walks along side's me down the hall.

"You know, some of the council members are considering whether or not to get you into training," Sigurd says.

"Training? You mean like the other Wolves?" I ask in amazement. I have considered joining the Wolf army, but it wasn't a popular role for girls.

"Not exactly like a Warrior, but you could if you wanted to," Sigurd explains. "But the point of this would be to train you to use your wolf powers better. Your mother tells us you haven't had too much practice with shifting." He stops in front of two wooden door; the War Council room.

"I'd think I'd enjoy that," I smile at him, "when can I start?"

Sigurd sighs. "Well, first it has to be agreed among the council members. Your mother must approve, as well as the King and Queen." He smiles at me. "But I'm sure we'll be able to get you trained in no time!"

I nod. Why did the King get to decide whether or not I could use my powers? It seemed like everyone except me had a say in the matter. Of course, I understood a little about where that came from; magic was a touchy subject here.

Sigurd says goodbye to me, and opens the door. Before he closes them, I hear a brief moment of angry shouting from the council members. Nothing knew; they were always arguing. It seemed like nothing was getting done around here. The door's close, and the hallways go silent.

I walk further down the halls to the landing above the entrance way. The room was grand, with two staircases curving from the double-door entrance up to the a landing where I stood.

Do you ever get the urge to do something incredibly stupid for no reason? That's what came over me. I was excited by the sight of the sunlight shining through the arched windows. Plus, my inner wolf had been continually nagging me all morning. So, without thinking, I hurdled the railing and fell 25 feet to the floor.

Luna shrieks in surprise, and flies off my shoulder. I land easily on my feet. However, I should have looked before I leapt, because I land right in front of my cousin.

Miria's scream echoes off the white bricks. She narrows her green eyes at me as she puts her hand over her rapidly beating heart.

"You know we have stairs, right?" she says, waving an arm towards the staircases I had ignored.

"Where's the fun in that?" I joke.

"So, you finally decide to join the rest of humanity, and you give me a heart attack?"

"I'm sorry Mir." I start walking towards the dinning hall. Luna lands on my shoulder.

"What's he doing here?" Mir says.

I turn around, confused, and see her looking at Luna.

"Luna is a girl!" I frown, stroking her feathers gently.

"Whatever. You know my parent's don't want animals running around here!"

I roll my eyes. "She doesn't run, she flies. By the way, good morning to you, too!"

I don't wait around for her to respond. I make my way through the dinning hall, (which unfortunately did not have any breakfast leftovers), then went down more spiraling stairs to the stables. The light was dim, but I could see perfectly fine with my night vision eyes.

It reminded me of one time I was walking down these stairs with Miria. She wasn't aware my blue eyes glowed in the dark, so when she looked at me, she nearly jumped out of her skin. I explained to her about my eyes being able to see in the dark, but I could tell she still felt uneasy. She had refused to look at me until we came into a lighted room again.

The stables were one of my favorite places in the castle for two reasons: horses, and it was as far as one could get from the uptight Royal lifestyle most of the castle displayed. I'd take the musty smell any day over a dinner party in the dinning hall.

I walk by a row of empty stables; they are where the pegai were kept. But since flying pegai are more favorable than regular horses, they were all being used in the war. I always wanted to ride a Pegasus. Mir promised to teach me once, but since all the flying horses were always gone, I hadn't gotten the chance yet.

Two guards stand in their usual place by the stable doors. I know these two aren't shifters, so I could get passed them if I only act innocent.

"Morning," I say to them.

They nod at me in response. They are a little surprised to see me, and even more surprised to see I had an owl on my shoulder.

"I was wondering if I could go out and sit in the woods for a while?" I ask politely.

They thought a moment, then nod. I can feel them watching me as I walk by.

As I step outside, I realize it's been weeks since I've been outside. The cool air fills my lungs. Across the pasture, I spot a little patch of woods. I can't  see through the tree's, but I know on the very edge is the stone wall that separates the castle grounds from the forest. I break out into a sprint towards it. Luna lifts off my shoulder and flies behind me.

I reach the patch of tree's, and look behind me. The two Warriors are too busy talking to each other to keep an eye on me. Besides, they are more focused on people coming in than people coming out.

I hurry through the trees and reach the stone wall. It is just high enough that my fingers can't reach it. So I back up to give myself a running boost, and run towards the wall.

Just before I collide with the bricks, I leap up and shift in midair.

How does shifting feel? Kind of like that feeling after a deep, refreshing sleep when you wake up in the cheery morning and stretch. Afterwords it's like a bolt of electricity flowing through your veins, making you feel more alive and energized than all the caffeine in the world. In other words; totally amazing.

I land on the other side on four big, white feet. A new sensation hits me, something I had been denied since the first moment I walking into the castle: freedom. But I also feel a twinge of guilt: I wasn't suppose to shift.

I had promised mother I would never shift. I could disobey the King and leave the castle without my conscience bugging me, but I felt terrible going against her. She loved me, and she wanted me to be safe. I was all she had left; she needed me.

I look over my shoulder at the wall. Should I go back?

But then, I hear the whistles of birds in the forest, and the wonderful scents of the woods fill my nose. I take off running. It will be all right; I can get back before she notices I am missing.

When Luna had said the King "increased security" for the village, I expected an army with  rows of fully armed warriors walking along the wooden fence. Instead, King Albin has two guys halfway armored, looking like they're having the time of their life standing completely still outside the village gates.

"I've seen hamster's guard their food better than that," I say.

"Just watch yourself, Ylvana," Luna replies before flying off.

The men aren't  exactly intimidating, but I know they can stop me if they want to, and I did not come all this way to turn around. I take a deep breath, and approach them. They immediately block the path. I am impressed by how fast they could snap from half-way asleep to attention.

They recognize my face, and become confused.

"Princess Ylvana," one says in a surprised voice.

I clench my jaw, and lift my face to theirs. I hate being called the princess. Yes, my father was the king's brother, but he's dead. The king is no kin to me, and I have no responsibility in the castle.

"I've come with special permission to visit the village," I lie.

This is pretty risky. If the two Wolves are shifters like me, they can sniff out that lie easily as perfume. But the confused looks on their faces comforts me.

"The King did not notify us of this. You should be with an escort."

"There was no one available, so he let me go by myself."

They stare at me for a moment, and finally let me pass. I am silently grateful for their ignorance. Once I'm on the other side, Luna lands on my shoulder.

"Honestly" I sneer. "If the village is in need of protection, you'd think they'd do a better job than that."

Three years ago, when mom and I left the village, there was no need for guards standing by the gate. The thought that we actually needed security was alarming. If things were this bad around here, why wasn't Albin doing something serious about it?

"I'm sure the King's trying as best he can. You should cut him some slack," Luna says.

"The day I do that is the day the war ends," I growl, "If King Albin's going to have guards at the village gate, he could at least-"

My words die in my throat at the sight of the village. I guess the guards at the front aren't the worst thing.

My childhood home is vacant.

The dirt roads are devoid of people and horses. No warm lights shine in the dirty windows of the buildings. The smell of fresh bread and sweet fruit from the bakery and market is stale. No music plays, and no voices laugh. This place was always bustling with people and carriages. Now, it is a ghost town.

I sense movement behind me and whirl around. A tall, cloaked figure walks towards me. I sniff the air, and realize who it is.

"Miria!" I scowl, "What are doing out here?"

Miria pulls down her hood. Black, wavy hair falls around her face. Her sharp green eyes jump from Luna to me.

"I'm not dumb, Ylvana. I know suspicious behavior when I see it. For the record, this is a really stupid thing to do," she says.

"Look who's talking," I smirk, "Princess Miria. If your father knew you were out here-"

"We would both be in trouble," she snaps.

"I'm pretty sure you'd be in more trouble than I, being the kings daughter."

Miria scoffs. "Well, what's the point of coming down here anyway? The Spring Equinox celebration is cancelled, there is no one around--"

"This may come as a surprise to you, but I actually had a life before the castle. I'm just going to visit my friends for a couple of hours, and then I'll be back before they notice."

Mir raises an eyebrow at me. "With the ball starting in a couple of hours? Good luck with that."

"It's my problem; not yours. If you're so worried, then go back."

I turn my back on her.

"Ylvana, please, it's dangerous out here! There's no one out here anyway."

"Then there's nothing to worry about," I say.

"You're family to us, you know," she says.

I stop in my tracks. Something inside me snaps--something built from the anger of my home being destroyed, and years of being locked up in a castle. The wolf in me snarls.

"Is that what you think?" I whirl around, and Miria recoils a little. My eyes must have been glowing fiercely. "The Royal's are not my family. You've never acted like it, and you never will be."

Miria's hurt expression quickly turns to anger. "Fine then! Forget about my father trying to protect you. Stay out here, and in fact, don't bother coming back!"

"Gladly," I growl.

We march away in opposite directions. When I cool off, I immediately regret what I said. Miria isn't as bad as the other Royal's, and she doesn't deserve my anger. I remind myself to apologize to her when I got back.