《Misplaced Heroes》 The Girl Named Hawk Hawk breezed over the well-tread path through the forest to the castle¡¯s kitchen door, hardly stopping to check for roots on the path she knew it so well. The little chimney on top of the small offshoot of the castle was puffing up white smoke almost happily, as if welcoming her home. She rounded a few trees and came to the wooden door at the back of the castle. Hawk dropped the basket and pulled the latch on the door. Inside were some of her favorite people, the cook, the two kitchen hands, and her friend, June. June was a boy her age and a page to one of the kingdom¡¯s only knights, Sir Gillard. The boy caught a glimpse of her and smiled mischievously, swinging his legs as he sat on top of the kitchen table. ¡°Look what the mountain lion dragged in!¡± June crowed from his perch. ¡°Ha ha, very funny, June. I know what I look like.¡± Hawk snipped back. The hemlines of her dress were not only constantly dirty from all of the outdoor adventures, but something was definitely different about her state of cleanliness. The children in the hamlet below had thrown some moldy root vegetables at her on her way out of the farmer¡¯s market. ¡°Ugly birdy¡± is what they liked to call her, because compared to her older sister Raven, Hawk wasn¡¯t a pretty picture. Hawk picked up the basket and carried it inside handing it to the cook. ¡°Thank you, as always, Hawk. It¡¯s nice that you help, what with my bad knee and all.¡± He chuckled and patted his metal hinged knee and attached prosthetic. As he teetered with the basket precariously all the way to the cutting board, Hawk turned to June. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the family meeting today, can we spar instead?¡± She poked June in the arm persistently. ¡°Hey! Quit!¡± June shook her off and hopped down off the table, ¡°I can¡¯t. Sir Gillard says I can¡¯t hit girls anymore.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± Hawk crossed her arms and huffed. ¡°Because you¡¯re weaker than boys are-- Hey! Ow!¡± Hawk hit him square in the chin. ¡°You just won¡¯t fight me because you know I¡¯ll win!¡± June jumped on her, and like two cats kicking and growling and hissing, they had to be pulled apart by the two kitchen hands just as the kitchen door opened and the queen stepped through. ¡°Hawk Montheard, what is it you are doing?¡± She asked, looking down on the two twelve year olds who were starting to show signs of bruising. ¡°Is¡­ is that a trick question? Because, you, you know what we were just doing. You saw.¡± Hawk sassed from the headlock she was currently in. ¡°Young lady, I expect you to go to your room, take a bath, and get dressed for dinner. We have guests.¡± Hawk¡¯s mother sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to stay the beginnings of a headache. ¡°Do I have to wear slippers?¡± Hawk asked, already dreading the answer. ¡°Hawk!¡± ¡°Sorry! Just asking.¡± Hawk defended, already mourning the loss of wearing her comfortable mountain boots. The kitchen hand holding Hawk let her go and she dropped to the ground. The queen began walking out the door, but turned back, ¡°Come, Hawk.¡± Hawk sighed and picked herself up from the floor and begrudgingly followed her mother up the stairs and past the few guards in the dining hall, up more stairs through a side door and into the children¡¯s wing. ¡°I will see you an hour before sundown, Raven can help you get ready if you need it.¡± Hawk rolled her eyes, ¡°I know how to bathe and dress, Mother.¡± The queen nodded and left Hawk at the entrance to attend to her other duties. Hawk scuffed a foot on the bare stone hallway and waited till her mother passed from sight to walk briskly back to the room she shared with her older sister Raven. Predictably, her sister was not inside their small bedroom. She was probably going over the diplomatic records or the book of Avion¡¯s history of relations with other countries, or something. Trying to prepare for their foreign royal guests no doubt. Hawk had no interest in books at the moment, and could only think of how she could possibly keep her boots on with a dress on. Grumbling, she pulled her boots off, shucked away her socks and pants, threw off her shirt, and stomped into the bathroom. She filled the wooden tub with the bucket and pitcher of water left out and miserably sat down in the lukewarm water. She grabbed the soap made from the local coastal roots and began rubbing the dirt and rotten pulp off of her face and arms. After her bath, she shook the water off and tromped into the bedchamber to dig through Raven¡¯s dresses. Hawk had a brilliant idea to wear one of Raven¡¯s dresses, as her sister was a few inches taller than her, so she could hide her boots under the the hem that dragged along the floor. She dug through her sister¡¯s trunk and pulled a brown dress out. Hawk threw it over her head after picking out some sturdy undergarments and wriggled until her head popped out the collar. The dress had green dyed ribbons lacing the front and back and sleeves that came to her elbows with matching bows tying around her bicep. The sleeves were a little tight, so Hawk experimentally flexed her arms and panicked when she felt a seam bust. Hawk didn¡¯t dare look, so she shook off the shock and sat down at the vanity to quickly rebraid her hair and set her silver circlet on top of it. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As she looked herself in the polished silver mirror she still didn¡¯t see a princess, she saw an awkward bird of a girl in a dress, everyone knew her nose was way too big for her face, she hated it. She pinched her face up and scowled at her reflection. She supposed her looks didn¡¯t matter much anyway, since she wasn¡¯t the crown princess like Raven. Hawk pushed herself off the chair and exited the room, stopping quickly as her two younger brother¡¯s ran by playing a haphazard game of tag. One was missing his pants and shoes, and as he ran by Hawk considered maybe catching him and helping him get dressed for dinner, but she decided to let chaos take its course and carried on to the dining hall. The room was filled with torch light, now that the sun was setting. The room also had a blazing fireplace and a massive window that was at least four times her height, as well as the long redwood dining table that the family dined at every night. Hawk turned when she heard the door to the kitchen stairs open and she saw the severs struggling to carry stacks of silver plates. They saw her and begged for her help, which she provided by fetching the table candles and napkins to place on the table. When she had finished lighting the candles on the table, one of the servers ushered her to the door to the throne room. ¡°Highness, the Namarian royal family is here! Come join your family, quick!¡± Hawk walked to the open doorway and snuck in to stand behind her sister. ¡°Where were you, buttface?¡± Her seven year old brother whispered. ¡°Helping out, you moldy sack of potatoes.¡± She hissed back through clenched teeth. Her five year old brother found this moment an opportune time to rid himself of his pants again. The castle¡¯s front doors opened and in strode well-dressed three royals followed by an assortment of servants and what looked to be two four-legged animals. Hawk couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away from the furry, excited animals as introductions between the two royal families rolled out. Once the introductions ceased, the families moved into the dining hall, with Hawk trailing behind to continue staring puzzledly at the big eyed, floppy eared beasts who had walked through their door. The prince, a handsome, dark-haired boy about Hawk¡¯s age, softly commented, ¡°I noticed you looking at them. They¡¯re our hounds. They¡¯re friendly, see?¡± He held a hand down and one of the animals came up and licked it. Hawk looked to him, startled that he would even speak to her. ¡°Uh¡­ they¡¯re funny looking?¡± She hoped he would take it as a compliment, because she had no idea how these would look compared to others of their kind. Fortunately, he laughed and petted the top of the nearest one¡¯s head. ¡°They are, indeed ¡®funny looking¡¯, as well are loyal and endearing. They are good for hunting, too.¡± Hawk looked suspiciously at the greyhounds and wondered how they would be more effective than her arrows. ¡°My name is Hayden.¡± The prince introduced himself with a slight bow, as one might bow to an equal member of royalty. ¡°Hawk,¡± She replied, giving a bow in turn. Hayden raised an eyebrow at her bow, as it was not a customary ladies curtsy. ¡°We are trailing behind.¡± The prince commented, taking note of their families migration to the dining hall. ¡°Shall we?¡± He gestured to the doorway and gave her a pleasant smile. Hawk had never met a boy so courteous, she wondered if the fairies had just gone overboard with the niceness by accident and just let him be born anyway. ¡°Uh, yeah. Sure. Let¡¯s do that.¡± She said and skirted around him and entered the hall, taking her seat in between her brothers and her sister. The conversation at dinner was mostly boring trade affairs and negotiations, like the silver that Avion was famous for, or their falconing expertise. Silver was used for mirrors and other vanity items, like plates, cutlery, bottles, chalices, and hairbrush handles. The kingdom of Avion could profit greatly if they just had more ships to carry their goods overseas to where the market for silver was. Hawk continued tuning them out and sneakily scratching the hounds behind their ears under the table, and feeding them roast foul until the king of Namiria, Hayden¡¯s father, said; ¡°I would like to propose a deal, King Falcon.¡± Hawk¡¯s father adjusted in his seat with a surprised look. ¡°Fifty of my countries fastest trade ships so that you may bring silver to our country across the sea, where I know there is a market for it.¡± Raven, ever the astute one, asked, ¡°What could Avion possibly offer in return?¡± ¡°Why, my dear, you, of course.¡± The king said with a smile that churned Hawk¡¯s stomach. As much as she¡¯d like to get rid of her sister, she was frightened to what might happen if this king might-- ¡°Your hand in marriage to my son,¡± The king finished, taking a drink from his goblet. Raven¡¯s eyebrows raised, Hawk¡¯s father continued to look shocked, Hawk gawked, and Hayden¡¯s face seemed locked in a grim look, as if he knew this was coming. King Falcon cleared his throat, adjusted his doublet, and said, ¡°If you take Raven as a daughter in law, you will rule our kingdom by proxy, she is our crown princess.¡± Hawk looked at Hayden and felt her heart skip a beat, ¡°Um, what about me?¡± She spoke up. All eyes at the table turned to her as she hesitantly continued speaking, ¡°I¡¯m not the crown princess, but I¡¯m still a princess of Avion.¡± She threw a shy smile at Hayden who smiled back, but still looked apprehensive. ¡°Hmm, no. That will not do.¡± The foreign king said, and turned back to King Falcon. ¡°Your eldest daughter, who will no longer by the crown princess of your country, for fifty ships and selling access to our grandest markets.¡± King Falcon frowned, ¡°I love my children, and will not use them as pawns in some--¡± ¡°Done,¡± Said Raven, who had her steely gaze on the king. ¡°We shall draw up the contract immediately.¡± Her parents sputtered and begged her to reconsider, but Raven had her heart set on this business arrangement. ¡°It is most advantageous for our country.¡± She said, signaling for paper and ink to be fetched by the servants. As the contract was being drawn up, Hawk wandered over to the great window at sat on the stone ledge to mope. Hawk had no desire to be a crown princess, it would mean book learning and map memorizing and tighter dresses and being nice. She hadn¡¯t wanted to take Raven¡¯s place, she just wished she was a little more pretty. If she were prettier, maybe Hayden wouldn¡¯t have looked to sorry about the possibility of marrying her. All of a sudden, the sound of glass crashing and the pain of several cuts across her face broke her train of thought. In the window where the glass was, an enormous gold dragon perched in the frame as it scoured the room with its fiery gaze. ¡°WHICH ONE OF YOU IS THE SECOND PRINCESS OF AVION?¡± A deep voice boomed from the dragon. Hawk looked in a panic to her parents and they shook their head at her, as if telling her to stay quiet. ¡°FOR YOUR SILENCE, I WILL--¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Hawk cried, ¡°Why are you asking for her in the first place?¡± She stood still, bracing herself as the giant head came forward and the sulfurous air exhaled from the dragon¡¯s nostrils onto her face and hair. ¡°You are brave, little one.¡± The dragon¡¯s voice lowered to a hum in her ear. ¡°Unlike the rest of the flock here who bide in silence. Tell me, do you see yourself as a hero?¡± Hawk thought for a moment, ¡°I¡¯d like to be.¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t.¡± The dragon replied, and in one motion snagged her in his tail and whirled around. He flew with her still in his grasp out the window and into the night air. And that was it. No matter how much she struggled and beat the gold scales that bound her, she found herself losing more and more hope as her castle, her home became further and further away, until it was nothing but a blip on the horizon. The Valley of Questers They soared through the air at such speed that Hawk¡¯s face had gone numb in the first ten minutes. They flew high above the sea that separated Avion from the mainland and after a dozen hours of being shaken around by the dragon¡¯s tail, she finally began to see land again through her spinning vision. Hawk had passed out a couple times from the fact that it was past the normal time for her to sleep, the effort it took her to keep her neck from bending at an unnatural angle, and partly from lack of air. On one such occasion, she woke to the sudden plumet of the dragon carrying her into some dense fog. She screamed and braced for impact, but before they hit any sort of ground, the dragon swept back up and landed on the ground safely. Hawk had a quiet moment of thanks before she was thrown out of the dragon¡¯s curled tail and onto the ground, which no doubt bruised her ribs. ¡°Where did you take me?¡± She groaned, trying to get her bearings as best she could, but her vision still spun. ¡°To a place you will never leave and never be harmed.¡± The dragon said with a puff of smoke from his nostrils. ¡°Go meet your new village, and forget your old home. It is for the best.¡± Hawk shouted at him to explain, but was promptly knocked back on her behind as he beat his wings once more and rose back into the air, leaving her alone in the lush field of grass. Scowling, she picked herself back up again, and looked for the village that the dragon had mentioned before. She noticed it right away, as it was only just over the next low, grassy hill. She walked towards the little stone houses with flower-boxes in the windows, and her feet found a well-paved road made with the smoothest cobbling she had ever seen. Everything was quaint, clean, and fairly quiet. Some children played in the field beyond with a large herd of sheep, teasing them and pulling on their wool to startle them. Hawk felt a prickling at the back of her neck; she didn¡¯t like this place. It was too quaint, too clean, too quiet. ¡°Never seen you around here before.¡± A woman¡¯s voice startled Hawk out of her thoughts. She jumped up and yelped, spinning around as quickly as she could. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to startle you, dear.¡± A friendly-looking woman in her mid-forties wearing a prettily embroidered apron gave her a gap-toothed smile. ¡°You must be very out of sorts, most questers are when they get brought here.¡± ¡°¡®Quester¡¯,¡± Hawk repeated, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The woman looked surprised, then her expression warmed again, ¡°Your name was spoken in a prophecy, dear, you were to go on a quest.¡± She clicked her tongue and shook her head, ¡°The path of a quester is dangerous, you could have died young.¡± She held her hand out for me to take, and hesitantly, I did. ¡°But now, you¡¯re here with us. We only die of old age here, after living full, happy lives! Oh, you¡¯ll love it here!¡± She lead her to one of the sweet little houses that lined the village¡¯s main road and took a freshly baked loaf of bread from the windowsill and wrapped it in an embroidered cheesecloth she pulled out of her pressed apron pocket. She passed it to Hawk and said, ¡°I¡¯m Tilly, young lady. And you are?¡± ¡°Hawk.¡± She replied with a nod. ¡°Hawk,¡± Tilly sighed happily and patted Hawk¡¯s hands that were now wrapped around the loaf of bread. ¡°Be a dear and take this to the shepherds on the hill to the east, just over there. They haven¡¯t had lunch yet, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been a long journey for you too. Go and join them, and get to know each other. Welcome to Valiville.¡± Hawk nodded, feeling awkward at the mix of kindness after sudden abduction. ¡°I¡¯ll go do that. Thanks, Tilly.¡± The woman smiled and waved her off as Hawk trotted to the eastern hill to find the shepherds. ¡­ Hawk found the two shepherds sitting at the edge of a small copse of trees on a log, looking out over the flock feasting on the grass just a few yards away. ¡°Uh,¡± Hawk called out to them, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Hawk, a¡­ ¡®quester¡¯?¡± She ended the last part as a question, because she wasn¡¯t too sure about how to use that term yet. They looked to her in sudden interest and beckoned her to come sit with them. She passed the bread out in torn chunks and they all began to eat greedily. ¡°My name is Norn,¡± The young man said with a smile that took over his whole sun-kissed face, ¡°Welcome to Valiville!¡± ¡°Thanks?¡± ¡°And my name is Piper!¡± The blond girl added. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°You sound uncertain about what you¡¯re doing here.¡± Norn guessed. Hawk nodded while looking at him and tore off another piece of bread with her teeth. ¡°You were meant to go on a quest, you see. A prophecy must have named you, so the dragon Neutrum took you away to spare you a horrible fate¡­ or so they say.¡± Norn said with a dubious snap at the end. Hawk got the feeling that he didn¡¯t believe why he was here in the first place. ¡°Piper and I are the descendants of the questing people, many of us have never left this valley and seen the world beyond. There hasn¡¯t been a new quester in¡­ how long, Piper?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even have the foggiest idea, maybe about¡­ five years before I was born?¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± asked Hawk. ¡°Fourteen, and Norn is fifteen.¡± She said, jerking a thumb over in Norn¡¯s direction. ¡°Fifteen years, and I¡¯ve never seen the outside of this valley. I¡¯ve always wanted to see other lands.¡± Norn sighed, then looked up with the sparkle of curiosity in his eye, ¡°Can you tell us about the world outside?¡± He leaned close to Hawk until she fell off the log to avoid his face pressing too close to hers. In embarrassment, Hawk settled herself to sit in the grass and looked away from Norn¡¯s imploring gaze. She fished a stick out of the grass that had broken off of a nearby fallen tree. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the world: until now, I¡¯d never been out of my country, either.¡± Hawk said sadly, picking at the ground with her new stick. ¡°Oh,¡± Norn scooted back to his original seat, sounding dejected. Hawk attempted to salvage his mood by supplying what she knew about geography from her studies, ¡°Well, I¡¯m from Avion. That¡¯s across the sea and surrounded on one side by the ocean, and the other, by a mountain range.¡± Norn seemed to perk up a bit at her information, green eyes lifting to look at her again with curiosity. ¡°Namira, Rodania, and Badrin are all across the sea, near where we are, I think.¡± Hawk remembered crossing the sea in the tail of the dragon the day before and seeing land stretch out for a while before landing here in the valley. Norn looked excited again, ¡°Can you draw it out?¡± ¡°What?¡± Hawk asked. Norn tumped his hand against the log he sat on impatiently, ¡°A map of the world, of course! With your stick!¡± Hawk regarded the grass and began ripping chunks of it out to create a little patch of bare earth to draw in. Shakily, she attempted to draw the continents from memory, and labeled the countries one by one, starting with her home. ¡°This is the best I can do.¡± Norn didn¡¯t seem to care much about how good it was, he drank it all in. Piper peeked curiously over at the dirt-map and Hawk felt equal parts pride and discomfort with her level of education. She felt like mediocre might be a good way to describe her attention to schooling. They nodded in thoughtfulness at her drawing, then Norn stood up with his hands on his hips. ¡°Well, we should move the sheep to the river to drink. You should go back into the village and meet all of the neighbors and find someone to live with.¡± He said, already walking down into the frey of sheep and whistling for their attention. Hawk did not like the idea of living with strangers. She had lived in the same place all her life, with the same family, the same staff, since forever. ¡°Can I sleep outside?¡± She blurted out the question before she had intended to ask it. Only Piper seemed to hear her, and she shrugged at my question, as if to say, ¡®do what you want, no one will stop you.¡¯ Hawk gave her an awkward smile and wave before walking back to the village from where she had originally come. The idyllic town nestled in the valley below was almost too cute. The brick houses with puffing chimneys and flower boxes began to irritate Hawk as she tromped down the hill. She had to get out of here, to get back...somehow. But she felt her body tiring. She had been gripping the dragon¡¯s tail so tight the whole way, by her reckoning about a day of flight, and the sun was setting over the mountains. Her stomach rumbled again. She had split the loaf with Norn and Piper, and it seemingly wasn¡¯t enough. So, she found herself back in front of Tilly¡¯s door, hesitating to knock. Before she could move, however, the door opened, and Tilly¡¯s kind face appeared. ¡°Thought you¡¯d be back. You can stay if you¡¯d like, have some supper, and sleep here tonight.¡± Hawk meekly thanked her and went inside. There was a family seated at the table in the front room, a father and three little boys all happily digging into some mutton and fresh-baked rolls. Tilly guided her to her seat, and she pulled up another white-painted chair for herself. They tucked thier chairs in and ¡°What are you wearing?¡± One of the boys tugged at her puffed shoulder sleeves. ¡°This is a gown, why?¡± ¡°Remember the old lady down the street? She was a duchess. She came here with a similar gown.¡± Tilly prompted her family. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Tilly¡¯s husband exclaimed, ¡°Beauty, her name was.¡± ¡°Are you a duck-ess?¡± Asked the boy to her left. Hawk shook her head, ¡°No, I¡¯m a princess.¡± The room went quiet for a moment, the clinking of cutlery on plates stopped, then resumed. ¡°Here you are, dear.¡± Tilly said, smile returned to her face as she served Hawk some of the mutton and placed a roll on her plate. ¡°What is your name?¡± Tilly¡¯s husband asked with a good-natured lookin his eyes and a smile behind his thick mustache. ¡°Hawk.¡± She said through a mouthful of roll. It was so good she missed the next question. ¡°Sorry?¡± She snapped back to the present and scanned the table for the person who had asked the question. ¡°I thought princesses were supposed to have good manners! Are you sure you are a princess?¡± The third boy asked, leaning over the table to scrutinize Hawk with a wrinkled nose. ¡°I am!¡± Hawk cried defensively. ¡°Pardon, Hawk, dear,¡± said Tilly, ¡°We have not titles here in Valiville, so no one will be calling you by your title here.¡± Hawk laughed, ¡°No one at home does either.¡± Tilly and her husband relaxed into their chairs and the meal continued with only a little pestering from the boys. That night, Hawk settled down onto the rug, piled high with spare pillows and blankets. ¡°You comfortable?¡± Tilly asked, holding one more quilt. Hawk nodded from the nest, ¡°Fine, thank you.¡± ¡°Tomorrow you ought to go speak with Baz, he¡¯s the newest of us.¡± ¡°The newest?¡± ¡°A Quester, not the descendant of one, just like you.¡± Hawk snuggled into the blankets and ¡®hmm¡¯ed, falling very quickly to sleep. A Girl Named Hawk Chapter One: The Girl Named Hawk Hawk breezed over the well-tread path through the forest to the castle¡¯s kitchen door, hardly stopping to check for roots on the path she knew it so well. The little chimney on top of the small offshoot of the castle was puffing up white smoke almost happily, as if welcoming her home. She rounded a few trees and came to the wooden door at the back of the castle. Hawk dropped the basket and pulled the latch on the door. Inside were some of her favorite people, the cook, the two kitchen hands, and her friend, June. June was a boy her age and a page to one of the kingdom¡¯s only knights, Sir Gillard. The boy caught a glimpse of her and smiled mischievously, swinging his legs as he sat on top of the kitchen table. ¡°Look what the mountain lion dragged in!¡± June crowed from his perch. ¡°Ha ha, very funny, June. I know what I look like.¡± Hawk snipped back. The hemlines of her dress were not only constantly dirty from all of the outdoor adventures, but something was definitely different about her state of cleanliness. The children in the hamlet below had thrown some moldy root vegetables at her on her way out of the farmer¡¯s market. ¡°Ugly birdy¡± is what they liked to call her, because compared to her older sister Raven, Hawk wasn¡¯t a pretty picture. Hawk picked up the basket and carried it inside handing it to the cook. ¡°Thank you, as always, Hawk. It¡¯s nice that you help, what with my bad knee and all.¡± He chuckled and patted his metal hinged knee and attached prosthetic. As he teetered with the basket precariously all the way to the cutting board, Hawk turned to June. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go to the family meeting today, can we spar instead?¡± She poked June in the arm persistently. ¡°Hey! Quit!¡± June shook her off and hopped down off the table, ¡°I can¡¯t. Sir Gillard says I can¡¯t hit girls anymore.¡± ¡°And why not?¡± Hawk crossed her arms and huffed. ¡°Because you¡¯re weaker than boys are-- Hey! Ow!¡± Hawk hit him square in the chin. ¡°You just won¡¯t fight me because you know I¡¯ll win!¡± June jumped on her, and like two cats kicking and growling and hissing, they had to be pulled apart by the two kitchen hands just as the kitchen door opened and the queen stepped through. ¡°Hawk Montheard, what is it you are doing?¡± She asked, looking down on the two twelve year olds who were starting to show signs of bruising. ¡°Is¡­ is that a trick question? Because, you, you know what we were just doing. You saw.¡± Hawk sassed from the headlock she was currently in. ¡°Young lady, I expect you to go to your room, take a bath, and get dressed for dinner. We have guests.¡± Hawk¡¯s mother sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to stay the beginnings of a headache. ¡°Do I have to wear slippers?¡± Hawk asked, already dreading the answer. ¡°Hawk!¡± ¡°Sorry! Just asking.¡± Hawk defended, already mourning the loss of wearing her comfortable mountain boots. The kitchen hand holding Hawk let her go and she dropped to the ground. The queen began walking out the door, but turned back, ¡°Come, Hawk.¡± Hawk sighed and picked herself up from the floor and begrudgingly followed her mother up the stairs and past the few guards in the dining hall, up more stairs through a side door and into the children¡¯s wing. ¡°I will see you an hour before sundown, Raven can help you get ready if you need it.¡± Hawk rolled her eyes, ¡°I know how to bathe and dress, Mother.¡± The queen nodded and left Hawk at the entrance to attend to her other duties. Hawk scuffed a foot on the bare stone hallway and waited till her mother passed from sight to walk briskly back to the room she shared with her older sister Raven. Predictably, her sister was not inside their small bedroom. She was probably going over the diplomatic records or the book of Avion¡¯s history of relations with other countries, or something. Trying to prepare for their foreign royal guests no doubt. Hawk had no interest in books at the moment, and could only think of how she could possibly keep her boots on with a dress on. Grumbling, she pulled her boots off, shucked away her socks and pants, threw off her shirt, and stomped into the bathroom. She filled the wooden tub with the bucket and pitcher of water left out and miserably sat down in the lukewarm water. She grabbed the soap made from the local coastal roots and began rubbing the dirt and rotten pulp off of her face and arms. After her bath, she shook the water off and tromped into the bedchamber to dig through Raven¡¯s dresses. Hawk had a brilliant idea to wear one of Raven¡¯s dresses, as her sister was a few inches taller than her, so she could hide her boots under the the hem that dragged along the floor. She dug through her sister¡¯s trunk and pulled a brown dress out. Hawk threw it over her head after picking out some sturdy undergarments and wriggled until her head popped out the collar. The dress had green dyed ribbons lacing the front and back and sleeves that came to her elbows with matching bows tying around her bicep. The sleeves were a little tight, so Hawk experimentally flexed her arms and panicked when she felt a seam bust. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Hawk didn¡¯t dare look, so she shook off the shock and sat down at the vanity to quickly rebraid her hair and set her silver circlet on top of it. As she looked herself in the polished silver mirror she still didn¡¯t see a princess, she saw an awkward bird of a girl in a dress, everyone knew her nose was way too big for her face, she hated it. She pinched her face up and scowled at her reflection. She supposed her looks didn¡¯t matter much anyway, since she wasn¡¯t the crown princess like Raven. Hawk pushed herself off the chair and exited the room, stopping quickly as her two younger brother¡¯s ran by playing a haphazard game of tag. One was missing his pants and shoes, and as he ran by Hawk considered maybe catching him and helping him get dressed for dinner, but she decided to let chaos take its course and carried on to the dining hall. The room was filled with torch light, now that the sun was setting. The room also had a blazing fireplace and a massive window that was at least four times her height, as well as the long redwood dining table that the family dined at every night. Hawk turned when she heard the door to the kitchen stairs open and she saw the severs struggling to carry stacks of silver plates. They saw her and begged for her help, which she provided by fetching the table candles and napkins to place on the table. When she had finished lighting the candles on the table, one of the servers ushered her to the door to the throne room. ¡°Highness, the Namarian royal family is here! Come join your family, quick!¡± Hawk walked to the open doorway and snuck in to stand behind her sister. ¡°Where were you, buttface?¡± Her seven year old brother whispered. ¡°Helping out, you moldy sack of potatoes.¡± She hissed back through clenched teeth. Her five year old brother found this moment an opportune time to rid himself of his pants again. The castle¡¯s front doors opened and in strode well-dressed three royals followed by an assortment of servants and what looked to be two four-legged animals. Hawk couldn¡¯t tear her eyes away from the furry, excited animals as introductions between the two royal families rolled out. Once the introductions ceased, the families moved into the dining hall, with Hawk trailing behind to continue staring puzzledly at the big eyed, floppy eared beasts who had walked through their door. The prince, a handsome, dark-haired boy about Hawk¡¯s age, softly commented, ¡°I noticed you looking at them. They¡¯re our hounds. They¡¯re friendly, see?¡± He held a hand down and one of the animals came up and licked it. Hawk looked to him, startled that he would even speak to her. ¡°Uh¡­ they¡¯re funny looking?¡± She hoped he would take it as a compliment, because she had no idea how these would look compared to others of their kind. Fortunately, he laughed and petted the top of the nearest one¡¯s head. ¡°They are, indeed ¡®funny looking¡¯, as well are loyal and endearing. They are good for hunting, too.¡± Hawk looked suspiciously at the greyhounds and wondered how they would be more effective than her arrows. ¡°My name is Hayden.¡± The prince introduced himself with a slight bow, as one might bow to an equal member of royalty. ¡°Hawk,¡± She replied, giving a bow in turn. Hayden raised an eyebrow at her bow, as it was not a customary ladies curtsy. ¡°We are trailing behind.¡± The prince commented, taking note of their families migration to the dining hall. ¡°Shall we?¡± He gestured to the doorway and gave her a pleasant smile. Hawk had never met a boy so courteous, she wondered if the fairies had just gone overboard with the niceness by accident and just let him be born anyway. ¡°Uh, yeah. Sure. Let¡¯s do that.¡± She said and skirted around him and entered the hall, taking her seat in between her brothers and her sister. The conversation at dinner was mostly boring trade affairs and negotiations, like the silver that Avion was famous for, or their falconing expertise. Silver was used for mirrors and other vanity items, like plates, cutlery, bottles, chalices, and hairbrush handles. The kingdom of Avion could profit greatly if they just had more ships to carry their goods overseas to where the market for silver was. Hawk continued tuning them out and sneakily scratching the hounds behind their ears under the table, and feeding them roast foul until the king of Namiria, Hayden¡¯s father, said; ¡°I would like to propose a deal, King Falcon.¡± Hawk¡¯s father adjusted in his seat with a surprised look. ¡°Fifty of my countries fastest trade ships so that you may bring silver to our country across the sea, where I know there is a market for it.¡± Raven, ever the astute one, asked, ¡°What could Avion possibly offer in return?¡± ¡°Why, my dear, you, of course.¡± The king said with a smile that churned Hawk¡¯s stomach. As much as she¡¯d like to get rid of her sister, she was frightened to what might happen if this king might-- ¡°Your hand in marriage to my son,¡± The king finished, taking a drink from his goblet. Raven¡¯s eyebrows raised, Hawk¡¯s father continued to look shocked, Hawk gawked, and Hayden¡¯s face seemed locked in a grim look, as if he knew this was coming. King Falcon cleared his throat, adjusted his doublet, and said, ¡°If you take Raven as a daughter in law, you will rule our kingdom by proxy, she is our crown princess.¡± Hawk looked at Hayden and felt her heart skip a beat, ¡°Um, what about me?¡± She spoke up. All eyes at the table turned to her as she hesitantly continued speaking, ¡°I¡¯m not the crown princess, but I¡¯m still a princess of Avion.¡± She threw a shy smile at Hayden who smiled back, but still looked apprehensive. ¡°Hmm, no. That will not do.¡± The foreign king said, and turned back to King Falcon. ¡°Your eldest daughter, who will no longer by the crown princess of your country, for fifty ships and selling access to our grandest markets.¡± King Falcon frowned, ¡°I love my children, and will not use them as pawns in some--¡± ¡°Done,¡± Said Raven, who had her steely gaze on the king. ¡°We shall draw up the contract immediately.¡± Her parents sputtered and begged her to reconsider, but Raven had her heart set on this business arrangement. ¡°It is most advantageous for our country.¡± She said, signaling for paper and ink to be fetched by the servants. As the contract was being drawn up, Hawk wandered over to the great window at sat on the stone ledge to mope. Hawk had no desire to be a crown princess, it would mean book learning and map memorizing and tighter dresses and being nice. She hadn¡¯t wanted to take Raven¡¯s place, she just wished she was a little more pretty. If she were prettier, maybe Hayden wouldn¡¯t have looked to sorry about the possibility of marrying her. All of a sudden, the sound of glass crashing and the pain of several cuts across her face broke her train of thought. In the window where the glass was, an enormous gold dragon perched in the frame as it scoured the room with its fiery gaze. ¡°WHICH ONE OF YOU IS THE SECOND PRINCESS OF AVION?¡± A deep voice boomed from the dragon. Hawk looked in a panic to her parents and they shook their head at her, as if telling her to stay quiet. ¡°FOR YOUR SILENCE, I WILL--¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Hawk cried, ¡°Why are you asking for her in the first place?¡± She stood still, bracing herself as the giant head came forward and the sulfurous air exhaled from the dragon¡¯s nostrils onto her face and hair. ¡°You are brave, little one.¡± The dragon¡¯s voice lowered to a hum in her ear. ¡°Unlike the rest of the flock here who bide in silence. Tell me, do you see yourself as a hero?¡± Hawk thought for a moment, ¡°I¡¯d like to be.¡± ¡°No you don¡¯t.¡± The dragon replied, and in one motion snagged her in his tail and whirled around. He flew with her still in his grasp out the window and into the night air. And that was it. No matter how much she struggled and beat the gold scales that bound her, she found herself losing more and more hope as her castle, her home became further and further away, until it was nothing but a blip on the horizon. The Valley of Questers Chapter Two: The Valley of Questers They soared through the air at such speed that Hawk¡¯s face had gone numb in the first ten minutes. They flew high above the sea that separated Avion from the mainland and after a dozen hours of being shaken around by the dragon¡¯s tail, she finally began to see land again through her spinning vision. Hawk had passed out a couple times from the fact that it was past the normal time for her to sleep, the effort it took her to keep her neck from bending at an unnatural angle, and partly from lack of air. On one such occasion, she woke to the sudden plumet of the dragon carrying her into some dense fog. She screamed and braced for impact, but before they hit any sort of ground, the dragon swept back up and landed on the ground safely. Hawk had a quiet moment of thanks before she was thrown out of the dragon¡¯s curled tail and onto the ground, which no doubt bruised her ribs. ¡°Where did you take me?¡± She groaned, trying to get her bearings as best she could, but her vision still spun. ¡°To a place you will never leave and never be harmed.¡± The dragon said with a puff of smoke from his nostrils. ¡°Go meet your new village, and forget your old home. It is for the best.¡± Hawk shouted at him to explain, but was promptly knocked back on her behind as he beat his wings once more and rose back into the air, leaving her alone in the lush field of grass. Scowling, she picked herself back up again, and looked for the village that the dragon had mentioned before. She noticed it right away, as it was only just over the next low, grassy hill. She walked towards the little stone houses with flower-boxes in the windows, and her feet found a well-paved road made with the smoothest cobbling she had ever seen. Everything was quaint, clean, and fairly quiet. Some children played in the field beyond with a large herd of sheep, teasing them and pulling on their wool to startle them. Hawk felt a prickling at the back of her neck; she didn¡¯t like this place. It was too quaint, too clean, too quiet. ¡°Never seen you around here before.¡± A woman¡¯s voice startled Hawk out of her thoughts. She jumped up and yelped, spinning around as quickly as she could. ¡°Didn¡¯t mean to startle you, dear.¡± A friendly-looking woman in her mid-forties wearing a prettily embroidered apron gave her a gap-toothed smile. ¡°You must be very out of sorts, most questers are when they get brought here.¡± ¡°¡®Quester¡¯,¡± Hawk repeated, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± The woman looked surprised, then her expression warmed again, ¡°Your name was spoken in a prophecy, dear, you were to go on a quest.¡± She clicked her tongue and shook her head, ¡°The path of a quester is dangerous, you could have died young.¡± She held her hand out for me to take, and hesitantly, I did. ¡°But now, you¡¯re here with us. We only die of old age here, after living full, happy lives! Oh, you¡¯ll love it here!¡± She lead her to one of the sweet little houses that lined the village¡¯s main road and took a freshly baked loaf of bread from the windowsill and wrapped it in an embroidered cheesecloth she pulled out of her pressed apron pocket. She passed it to Hawk and said, ¡°I¡¯m Tilly, young lady. And you are?¡± ¡°Hawk.¡± She replied with a nod. ¡°Hawk,¡± Tilly sighed happily and patted Hawk¡¯s hands that were now wrapped around the loaf of bread. ¡°Be a dear and take this to the shepherds on the hill to the east, just over there. They haven¡¯t had lunch yet, and I¡¯m sure it¡¯s been a long journey for you too. Go and join them, and get to know each other. Welcome to Valiville.¡± Hawk nodded, feeling awkward at the mix of kindness after sudden abduction. ¡°I¡¯ll go do that. Thanks, Tilly.¡± The woman smiled and waved her off as Hawk trotted to the eastern hill to find the shepherds. ¡­ Hawk found the two shepherds sitting at the edge of a small copse of trees on a log, looking out over the flock feasting on the grass just a few yards away. ¡°Uh,¡± Hawk called out to them, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Hawk, a¡­ ¡®quester¡¯?¡± She ended the last part as a question, because she wasn¡¯t too sure about how to use that term yet. They looked to her in sudden interest and beckoned her to come sit with them. She passed the bread out in torn chunks and they all began to eat greedily. ¡°My name is Norn,¡± The young man said with a smile that took over his whole sun-kissed face, ¡°Welcome to Valiville!¡± ¡°Thanks?¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. ¡°And my name is Piper!¡± The blond girl added. ¡°You sound uncertain about what you¡¯re doing here.¡± Norn guessed. Hawk nodded while looking at him and tore off another piece of bread with her teeth. ¡°You were meant to go on a quest, you see. A prophecy must have named you, so the dragon Neutrum took you away to spare you a horrible fate¡­ or so they say.¡± Norn said with a dubious snap at the end. Hawk got the feeling that he didn¡¯t believe why he was here in the first place. ¡°Piper and I are the descendants of the questing people, many of us have never left this valley and seen the world beyond. There hasn¡¯t been a new quester in¡­ how long, Piper?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even have the foggiest idea, maybe about¡­ five years before I was born?¡± ¡°How old are you?¡± asked Hawk. ¡°Fourteen, and Norn is fifteen.¡± She said, jerking a thumb over in Norn¡¯s direction. ¡°Fifteen years, and I¡¯ve never seen the outside of this valley. I¡¯ve always wanted to see other lands.¡± Norn sighed, then looked up with the sparkle of curiosity in his eye, ¡°Can you tell us about the world outside?¡± He leaned close to Hawk until she fell off the log to avoid his face pressing too close to hers. In embarrassment, Hawk settled herself to sit in the grass and looked away from Norn¡¯s imploring gaze. She fished a stick out of the grass that had broken off of a nearby fallen tree. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about the world: until now, I¡¯d never been out of my country, either.¡± Hawk said sadly, picking at the ground with her new stick. ¡°Oh,¡± Norn scooted back to his original seat, sounding dejected. Hawk attempted to salvage his mood by supplying what she knew about geography from her studies, ¡°Well, I¡¯m from Avion. That¡¯s across the sea and surrounded on one side by the ocean, and the other, by a mountain range.¡± Norn seemed to perk up a bit at her information, green eyes lifting to look at her again with curiosity. ¡°Namira, Rodania, and Badrin are all across the sea, near where we are, I think.¡± Hawk remembered crossing the sea in the tail of the dragon the day before and seeing land stretch out for a while before landing here in the valley. Norn looked excited again, ¡°Can you draw it out?¡± ¡°What?¡± Hawk asked. Norn tumped his hand against the log he sat on impatiently, ¡°A map of the world, of course! With your stick!¡± Hawk regarded the grass and began ripping chunks of it out to create a little patch of bare earth to draw in. Shakily, she attempted to draw the continents from memory, and labeled the countries one by one, starting with her home. ¡°This is the best I can do.¡± Norn didn¡¯t seem to care much about how good it was, he drank it all in. Piper peeked curiously over at the dirt-map and Hawk felt equal parts pride and discomfort with her level of education. She felt like mediocre might be a good way to describe her attention to schooling. They nodded in thoughtfulness at her drawing, then Norn stood up with his hands on his hips. ¡°Well, we should move the sheep to the river to drink. You should go back into the village and meet all of the neighbors and find someone to live with.¡± He said, already walking down into the frey of sheep and whistling for their attention. Hawk did not like the idea of living with strangers. She had lived in the same place all her life, with the same family, the same staff, since forever. ¡°Can I sleep outside?¡± She blurted out the question before she had intended to ask it. Only Piper seemed to hear her, and she shrugged at my question, as if to say, ¡®do what you want, no one will stop you.¡¯ Hawk gave her an awkward smile and wave before walking back to the village from where she had originally come. The idyllic town nestled in the valley below was almost too cute. The brick houses with puffing chimneys and flower boxes began to irritate Hawk as she tromped down the hill. She had to get out of here, to get back...somehow. But she felt her body tiring. She had been gripping the dragon¡¯s tail so tight the whole way, by her reckoning about a day of flight, and the sun was setting over the mountains. Her stomach rumbled again. She had split the loaf with Norn and Piper, and it seemingly wasn¡¯t enough. So, she found herself back in front of Tilly¡¯s door, hesitating to knock. Before she could move, however, the door opened, and Tilly¡¯s kind face appeared. ¡°Thought you¡¯d be back. You can stay if you¡¯d like, have some supper, and sleep here tonight.¡± Hawk meekly thanked her and went inside. There was a family seated at the table in the front room, a father and three little boys all happily digging into some mutton and fresh-baked rolls. Tilly guided her to her seat, and she pulled up another white-painted chair for herself. They tucked thier chairs in and ¡°What are you wearing?¡± One of the boys tugged at her puffed shoulder sleeves. ¡°This is a gown, why?¡± ¡°Remember the old lady down the street? She was a duchess. She came here with a similar gown.¡± Tilly prompted her family. ¡°Ah, yes!¡± Tilly¡¯s husband exclaimed, ¡°Beauty, her name was.¡± ¡°Are you a duck-ess?¡± Asked the boy to her left. Hawk shook her head, ¡°No, I¡¯m a princess.¡± The room went quiet for a moment, the clinking of cutlery on plates stopped, then resumed. ¡°Here you are, dear.¡± Tilly said, smile returned to her face as she served Hawk some of the mutton and placed a roll on her plate. ¡°What is your name?¡± Tilly¡¯s husband asked with a good-natured lookin his eyes and a smile behind his thick mustache. ¡°Hawk.¡± She said through a mouthful of roll. It was so good she missed the next question. ¡°Sorry?¡± She snapped back to the present and scanned the table for the person who had asked the question. ¡°I thought princesses were supposed to have good manners! Are you sure you are a princess?¡± The third boy asked, leaning over the table to scrutinize Hawk with a wrinkled nose. ¡°I am!¡± Hawk cried defensively. ¡°Pardon, Hawk, dear,¡± said Tilly, ¡°We have not titles here in Valiville, so no one will be calling you by your title here.¡± Hawk laughed, ¡°No one at home does either.¡± Tilly and her husband relaxed into their chairs and the meal continued with only a little pestering from the boys. That night, Hawk settled down onto the rug, piled high with spare pillows and blankets. ¡°You comfortable?¡± Tilly asked, holding one more quilt. Hawk nodded from the nest, ¡°Fine, thank you.¡± ¡°Tomorrow you ought to go speak with Baz, he¡¯s the newest of us.¡± ¡°The newest?¡± ¡°A Quester, not the descendant of one, just like you.¡± Hawk snuggled into the blankets and ¡®hmm¡¯ed, falling very quickly to sleep.