《Rough Waters》 Prologue "Father! Father come look!" A young girl around ten skipped into a large study holding a sketchpad. She had shiny black hair and a pretty face that wasn''t afraid to show pride and strength. The room was decked with luxurious linens and tapestries. An enormous fireplace blazed and crackled along the wall sending shivering shadows along the floor from the furniture. At the far end of the room stood a wide desk with hundreds if not thousands of papers neatly stacked and organized. *skratch skratch skratch* Behind the wall of papers sat a middle aged man with a stern looking face and strict aura. He ignored the girl''s outburst and continued working as if she were not there. The girl unfazed by his reaction pranced around the desk and thrust the sketchpad out toward the man, her face was overflowing with pride. "Father! I drew a sail boat look! It''s really good!" Again no response "This time it''s SUPER good, it has sails as white as snow and I even drew the floorboards!" Finally her father reacted and he looked her in the eyes. However these were not eyes of caring or compassion, instead the man''s eyes shown with annoyance and loathing. The girl flinched when she received this glare, but she had not abandoned hope just yet. "Father I made it just for you aren''t you hap-" *Slap* The notebook fell violently to the floor creasing some of the pages within. The girl looked back at her father''s face. The fire reflected back through his irises. His long shadow rose along the wall and shook along with the dancing flames. Her father took the sketchpad in his hands, flung it into the fireplace and strode back to his desk. The girl watched her boat pop and crackle in the inferno. "Why are you still here?" he growled. "Don''t interfere with a man''s work." The girl still stared at the charred remains of her sketch pad. After a bit she turned and quietly walked out the door without looking back. _____________________________________________________________________ Bran looked out over the castle ramparts. The vast blue-green ocean greeted him and the faint cries of gulls could still be heard. It was a sunny day and he couldn''t help but feel in high spirits. There was nothing like good weather to garnish an afternoon of procrastination. A vast city sprawled out from the walls to the ocean which was about a mile or two away from his position. The City''s name was Onus and it was the capital city of the great Alden kingdom. In the past, the continent of Maru was split by separate rulers and war was prevalent for almost a full century. Yet one faction led by the land''s righteous savior King Alden, stormed down its enemies one by one to overall victory. His successful campaign was facilitated by the Alden family''s discovery of magic powder. At that time in history a crude gunpowder- like substance was used to fire cannons at castle walls. With King Alden''s discovery they condensed the magic power into stones of various sizes and shapes. The magic stones were then used to fire projectiles (from large cannons) replacing the iron balls they used before. The only defense from magic was magic itself. When made in the shape of a plate a magic stone depending on the size and purity would produce a shield and dissipate any incoming attacks let alone just magic. The shield was only temporary in oncoming fire, after prolonged abuse it would break and time would be needed for it to charge back up through manual application of magic powder or "lum" as most now called it. People treated King Alden almost like a god. He was the one to unite the continent and bring the first peace in 100 years. No longer would there be tragedy and meaningless death through war. "Praise the true savior of the continent !" was a chant commonly heard at the mention of his name. Bran continued to look out over the ocean. He held a happy grin on his face as he was just appointed to be a captain of a small force consisting of around 30 men. It had been his dream to protect his kingdom and family from danger after the long wars concluded, nah that was a lie. He was just happy to sustain himself and live with a steady income in peace. The King needed new men after the bloodshed as they had suffered heavy losses. During peace time a job in the guard seemed like free income to him. He signed up for training at the barracks in town and unbelievably the officers in charge deemed him worthy of a place in leadership. -jackpot he smirked as he heard the news. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. -this is even better than standing around all day, now I get to order people to stand around all day, and on top of that I get paid for it! hahaha Being only 19 years old he was the youngest captain in the history of the kingdom. However his acceptance was no fluke, while he lacked physically in combat he excelled in battlefield tactics and strategic ability. Yet he had a bored attitude toward most military tasks that had been given to him. The other officers quickly noticed that their new comrade lacked motivation or was even lazy in most cases. He had much to prove to those who doubted him and he wasn''t too concerned to surpass their expectations. A guardsman then strode out of the tower from Bran''s right "Captain Bran, the King''s meeting is about to commence I recommend you head there immediately" "Thanks for the heads up" "Just doing my job sir" Bran casually made his way to the meeting chamber, going down an endless number of stairs from the tower. He avoided the many servants and soldiers bustling through the corridors and halls. While Onus was the capital of the Empire, its location was actually situated off the southern shore of Maru. The city rested on a large island that was only accessible from its northern shoreline. The rest of the island''s perimeter was secured by sheer cliffs. Only a madman would dare approach or climb the treacherous rock faces. Finally Bran reached the meeting chamber, most had already arrived and there was a slight buzz of conversation filling the air. Bran silently moved along the wall and stood waiting for the meeting to begin. -hmm there''s a high turnout today the king must have an important announcement. Often, many lords prepared messengers to attend assemblies such as this one. The time it took to travel from the mainland was the main reason for this, however today many made the trip in person. The chamber itself had 30 seats organized in rows of 10, lower ranked officers such as Bran had to stand along the wall at the back. At the front of the chamber was a throne surrounded by long majestic red banners. In the center of the banner was the symbol of the Alden family, the face of a lion staring out at you with a clear, diamond shaped magic stone, stuck in its jaws. The gem itself was tinted slightly green. -man I hope this doesn''t last too long my legs are going to give out if he has a speech Bran decided to sit with his back to the wall until the meeting started to conserve his energy. His reputation preceded him, many inside the castle walls had already begun to refer to him as ''the lazy officer'' or ''sleepyhead''. His fellow captains and officers saw his sitting figure and shook their heads with disgust. Bran wasn''t even aware of this, he ignored most idle chitchat and kept to himself only keeping record of the important details. This was one of his strengths, being able to keep record of the straight facts and making quick decisions. Yet he hadn''t really joined to for this reason, instead he waltzed around the castle relaxing and enjoying peacetime as a captain keeping his overall thought process to a minimum. At that moment 4 burly looking knights made their way down the main entrance. "All become silent in the presence of your king!" they bellowed The king was loved all around the continent yet he rarely made any public appearances and only those close to him actually knew his true nature. Bran stretched a bit and slowly rose facing the entrance. This was his first time seeing the king and also for the first time that day his face showed slight interest. King Alden took commanding strides across the chamber. He gave a stern look straight ahead and didn''t glance at any of his subordinates. Alden stood at the throne and faced the audience of high-ranking officers that made up the foundation of his kingdom. His face held something like a frown and air around him seemed to grow colder. Next his children entered. The prince Edwin and the princess Grace made their way to the throne where they sat at either side of their father. "Praise the true savior of the continent !" chanted the crowd Bran could have sworn he saw the princess roll her eyes dramatically as the meeting finally went underway.... Next Chapter Chapter 1 : Grace Grace had always been the shame of her father, it wasn''t her fault. King Alden''s only desire was to have male heirs to the kingdom. In his opinion women were just dead weight that couldn''t be useful in any way or form. Grace didn''t take this sitting down, from an early age she would try to impress her father trying to prove her worth. Everything from studying hard and earning the praise of her tutors, or even being involved with the Kingdoms politics, her father still wouldn''t turn to face her. After running out of ideas she would wander the Kingdom in search of things to do. When she was reaching the age of thirteen a ship from one of the Northern provinces arrived at the harbor. It was a large battleship with beautiful deep brown wood with red and gold trim around the edges. There were 40 magical cannons facing her which meant the ship was equipped with 80 total. The sails shown blindingly white and a large flag, deep red with the Alden crest rode the wind at the top of the main mast. Grace always loved the look of the large ships and she made a mental note to try sailing someday. A long line of people streamed out from the harbor. In front was a lord, probably here to discuss governing issues and politics of the sort. He strode confidently through the town toward the castle. Behind him a long train of people were carrying gifts, supplies, and belongings for their visit to the capital. In the front a man next to the lord caught her eye. The man was reaching his older years, maybe late 50''s or early 60''s. A maroon and gold coat covered his shoulders and on his belt he wore 2 thin swords, one longer than the other. He was the only one the lord let walk by his side. The lord and the gentleman wasted no time and walked straight into the king''s study where they exchanged pleasantries and got to work. Grace peeked around the door trying to discern the meaning of their conversation. "-the uprisings have been quelled without a trace. Your skill in battle is quite incredible blade master" at this point Grace had her face right against the keyhole of the door, absorbing every detail. -blade master eh? Father seems to honor him greatly The meeting had slowed and the men prepared to leave. Grace quickly sneaked into the closet across from the study entrance and cracked the door to catch a glimpse of them passing. The lord and the gentleman both made their exit. As the gentleman closed the study door it seemed as if his eyes drifted toward the closet door and if not for a tiny millisecond Grace might have believed that they had made eye contact. Grace made her way back down the hall and ran back to her room. The way her father had addressed the man replayed over and over in her head as she lay fully clothed on her bed. Eventually she fell asleep and when she awoke it was deep into the night. Grace knew what she had to do. She stood with a quiet determination and slowly opened her door making sure not to make it squeak. Tiptoeing down the corridors she made her way to the guest chamber. reaching the doors for each room she looked for the room in which the gentleman was staying. -hmm, this one is usually for the visiting lords so maybe he is in the room next door She opened the door silently and slowly stepped in. Nothing. The bed was still made and there were no signs of occupation. -damn where could he b- A shadow descended upon her and Grace felt a dagger press gently upon her throat. A hand held her mouth as she gave a muffled yelp in surprise. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it"Has the king sent his own children to do his dirty work or do you have some other reason for trespassing upon me at midnight?" His tone was gentle with a hint of naughtiness at the end of his speech Grace furrowed her brows at the old man''s language -of course not you old prune bag let me go! The old man seemed surprised at her struggle "O ho you''ve got some fight in you! well I''ll let your mouth go in three seconds and you will quietly tell me your purpose for being here. No funny business now" After the three seconds he released his hand but kept the dagger in place. Grace composed herself quickly. "I wish to learn the ways of the blade" she pushed away the dagger and looked him straight in the eye "ah, ok I see, then... WHAT!" the old man looked at her in shock almost raising his voice to a dangerous level. Here was the princess of the most powerful kingdom asking for his apprenticeship. "um maybe you should leave the dangerous stuff to your father and brother" "NO!" she said resolutely "shhhh shhhh shhhh!" old man once again held her mouth. If he was caught with the Kings thirteen year old daughter at midnight the only punishment would be death. Unfortunately for him Grace seemed to be aware of this. "lessons now or I''ll scream" he muffled voice sounded through his hand you little demon thought the old man, it was now lessons or his life. In the days that followed Grace and the old man as she now called him practiced fundamentals of swordplay. "Call me master goddamn" he would say "nah, more practice old man!" she would shout. _________________________________________________________________ Master''s (POV) The girl is improving rapidly so quickly in fact its a bit scary. We started with wooden swords and endurance training and she trained herself night and day. There is this look in her eyes as if she has something to prove and she will stop at nothing to reach her goals. After she passed basic training I taught her the different stances and forms. She kept a notebook handy and studied endlessly. Honestly this girl has nothing better to do but train all day. She barely interacts with any members of her family and only does the bare minimum when it comes to social interaction. The real concerning factor is nobody really cares. If she were to disappear today no one would notice until probably the day after. The only time she breaks this behavior is when she comes for the daily lesson. The princess can be seen bounding across the field to the forest where we train in secret. During the lessons the girl has a wide smile on her face and speaks brightly and happily. Though I can''t condone her disrespectful nature. She learns the styles and the moves as if they were second nature to her and her speed is difficult to track when you count her size. I was hesitant and unwilling to take her seriously at first but now I can say I am proud to have such a hard working apprentice at my side. She is well on her way to becoming the worlds strongest swordsman and surpassing even me. Next Chapter Previous Chapter _________________________________________________________________ Chapter 2: Father Six years past since Grace and the blade master began their training. The two became close and the old man turned into the father figure the king never was. He decided to stay in the kingdom to fully commit to her training. Finally due to her rapid learning and perseverance the old man admitted that there was really nothing else to teach. With a little polish and experience she could surmount any opponent she faced. Though experience really was key for all Grace ever did was spar for short periods of time. The old man with peace of mind that he had a successor could finally rest easy. Grace loved the old man. He taught her manners, ethics, and common sense. She talked to him endlessly about life outside the castle on the mainland and listened to his stories of epic adventures. Her father''s affection was no longer a single obsession in her mind. She began to recognize the mistreatment she received from him and even began to grow feelings of dislike in her heart. Her life with the old man kept her happy and she wished that the long afternoons talking about daily life would last forever. She couldn''t have guessed that the meeting soon to be held would change things forever. _______________________________________________ Bran yawned as the king began his announcement. "You all know why I have called this assembly. The letter I sent out should be followed to the word. I am not one to make long speeches, are there any questions?" He spoke gruffly in an annoyed manner as if he would rather be anywhere else in world as long as it wasn''t that chamber. -thank god thought Bran nobody raised their hands "Good, now starting at noon all participants are to send their potential suitors to the square. The contest will be decided by battle. If no one has any inquiries then this meeting is ad-" "Wait! Father, what do you mean by suitors? What''s going on?" The princess interrupted her father with genuine worry in her expression. King Alden gave her a deathly cold stare and said in a low and threatening voice that all could hear, "Girl if you dare interrupt, or shame me again in any way you will end up just as your mother." The princess shrunk back down and ran quickly out of the rear of the chamber. -Poor girl, I should count my blessings that I have a leisurely life without much trouble With the meeting over Bran decided to head into town as that was where the unknown event would be taking place in about an hour''s time. Stands and seating arrangements had been set up in a circle to create a large arena-like space. Guards were everywhere answering questions and laying the finishing touches for the king''s arrival. Bran watched the stands begin to fill with hundreds of curious on-lookers. He took a seat in the front row and pulled out a book. Bran loved to read, when there was nothing to do he always found himself reading his favorite series or a novel of some sort. As a child he was a natural troublemaker, always finding ways to get himself out of work and procrastinate. His family lived down by the harbor as longtime fishmongers and he had experience handling the boats with his father. After he turned sixteen he got a job on a merchant ship as a deck hand. He had to keep close attention to every detail of the ship for the captain didn''t have enough money for a full crew. The work was brutal and after only year and a half he quit and went back home. His family loved him dearly but couldn''t stand his lethargic attitude any longer and they kicked him out at nineteen. Thoroughly entranced in his book Bran completely missed the introduction of the king. He looked up only when Alden began to speak. "Welcome citizens of my great kingdom! Today suitors from all across Maru shall fight for the hand of my daughter Grace!" Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. This was a great surprise to the people of Onus. Such monumental events were rarely seen by their eyes let alone affairs that would shape the future of the Kingdom. The crowd went wild in anticipation and many excited voices electrified the air. "Did you hear that! The hand of the Princess!" "Hell, maybe I should join." "Keep dreaming, I bet the other lords brought some pretty formidable fighters" The chatter continued for a little longer until the Alden continued. "The rules are simple, the contest will be held tournament style with one on one battles until only the strongest is left standing. Those that are brave enough can sign up for the contest over at the stall behind the stands at the entrance to the arena, I cannot guarantee that you will walk away with your life but the risk in this case is well worth the reward is it not? There is only a half an hour available to apply so be quick about it" Bran listened to the speech but it wasn''t quite enough to tear his attention from the book, about halfway in he had gone back to reading. -man this whole thing seems a bit barbaric, if I were his daughter I would be pulling that "run like hell" card right about now. He sighed and closed the book -I have feeling like this isn''t going to end well... _________________________________________________________________________________ King Alden was an impatient man. His only cares were how to gain power and then how to keep it. Everything else was of secondary importance. After he had control of the continent he ordered dozens of noble women to bear him a male heir. When he heard his first child was born he was furious that it had turned out to be a girl.He punished the woman who bore such a disgrace to his name. He then shunned his daughter and immediately began trying again for a son. Finally with the birth of Edwin he calmed down and resumed rule over the kingdom. However the girl Grace was constantly in his way. He found her a constant reminder of his initial failure to create an heir and he despised her for it. When he could take no more Alden sent messengers throughout the continent asking lords for their best suitors for his daughter. He was finally going to rid of that eyesore and he was thankful for it. While he was briefing the lords in the meeting chamber Alden caught sight of one of the lower officers by the wall sitting and stretching in a sleepy daze. His eye twitched violently when the boy took a large yawn. -That boy better watch himself, he doesn''t know who he''s dealing with Then his daughter interrupted him -Damn girl, no matter, you will be far out of the way after today, if you disobey then I will take matters into my own hands... half an hour later while he was making his entrance at the square he noticed the same officer reading a book practically unaware of his presence. He was sitting straight ahead in the first row and couldn''t care less that the most powerful man in the world was in front of him. A fire began to kindle within Alden and he gripped the pedestal hard with his hands. Blood dripped from his fingernails as the wood strained and creaked under his fury. After his speech he motioned to the nearest guard on his right and whispered with a shaking voice. "That officer, sign him up too" Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 3: Red Bran was just getting comfortable in his seat when a couple of guards came up on both sides. "You there, what are you doing here? You should be preparing for the tournament." Before Bran could say no they took him forcefully by the arms and dragged him to the prep area. They pulled him into a large red and gold tent. The tent was filled with swords, spears and bows of many shapes and sizes. Hundreds of throwing knives and daggers of the finest quality adorned the walls. The guards dropped him on a large bench and walked back to the entrance. Bran brushed himself off and immediately made his way to the guards. They blocked his path with their spears and Bran just sighed. "Hey guys this is a nice joke and all but can you let me out? I left my book back at the arena." The guards stood firm with their spears out. They had actually been ordered directly by the king to kill him if he made any attempt to escape. -what in the world did I do to deserve this? He thought -maybe someone thought I had the hots for the princess and decided to help? Naaaa -Maybe this is a test from the higher ups to see if I have the skills to make it on my own... yeah that''s probably it. In that case, o god I''m screwed Bran walked slowly back to the bench with his shoulders slouched, then giving a loud groan he buried his face in his palms. -I knew that test was too easy, now look at the mess I''m in. This is probably going to hurt a lot, if I put up a fight I might die! I don''t care how pretty you are if I can''t appreciate it later! The other contenders looked at their new companion with amusement and pity. "Poor guy he''s going to be slaughtered" "If I get him I''ll play around until he begs" Bran was a puppy thrown into a wolf''s pen. Suddenly two more guards came into the room escorting new contender. Bran looked up surprised, none of the local citizens signed up due to the sheer level of the opposition involved. Yet here was someone new. The guards back in the stands ran up to the king out of breath "sir we have a last minute sign up but the pairings have already been set and the spectators bets were already placed as well!" He looked at them critically "Does he have a chance?" "No sir, if I may, in my honest opinion he seems built like a toothpick compared to the others" Alden chucked grimly "pair him up with that officer from before" Back inside the tent the two new contenders or ''fresh meat'' as many of the others were now calling them sat side by side in the far corner. The guards had come in earlier and announced that Bran was to fight alongside the new challenger until the final round in which they were to face each other for the grand prize if they persevered. -wow they really don''t think we''ll make it, though who am I to doubt them Bran sighed. Bran decided to take a good look at his new partner. In addition to being completely silent he wore a set of dark maroon light armor pieces and a romanesque helmet. A thin piece of cloth was wrapped around their face for easy breathing in the dusty arena. All in all he wasn''t to impressed by his new companion. Their stature and build was dwarfed by their competition. Though there were some interesting points he was keen on finding out. "Hey it''s going to be a rough ride but nice to meet you" He tried to sound as natural as possible His new comrade jumped at his voice as if they were in a different world and gently nodded his way in acknowledgement. -well he''s not a completely unpleasant fellow now is he? Bran tried to be a little bolder. "what''s your name?" Silence "Your favorite book?" Silence "Color?" He was desperate If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. his companion pointed at the tent wall -ah, red, the color of my blood mixed in the arena dirt... Bran wallowed in his failure. The most curious thing about the person next to him was their posture, and second their weapon which was concealed in a long leather bag. Bran decided to give up and focused on his upcoming strategy. It was ominously quiet inside of the tent. There were about fifteen other people besides them scattered around the spacious area. Those who had been mocking openly before had grim countenances, they sharpened their blades and stared at the dirt floor unblinking. Bran observed his opponents and then looked back at his teammate who still sat motionless and silent, he had a plan. __________________________________________________________ The two would go last in the first round and they needed to win four matches in order to face each other. The same two guards from before entered and escorted the first two suitors out of the tent. The sounds of the crowd were terrifying. Clashes of swords could be heard repeatedly over the crowd''s tiding roars. Then it suddenly grew quiet and Bran heard a collective "oooo" from the crowd. A woman in the stands screamed in the middle of the silence and after a second or two the whole arena went nuts. The guards brought back the first victor, and what was left of the other suitor in a large brown sack. -heh, holy S***! The winner had a wild look in his eyes. Blood was splashed in places blood shouldn''t be and his arms were coated in cuts and bruises. -this does not alter my plan I must push through the fear and stay confident Bran looked ahead and cleared his mind The next six matches ended with either fighter severely injured or in a body bag. The medics tended to the contestants wounds as the guards strode to Bran''s corner. It was finally their turn in the arena. Bran and his companion were escorted through the entrance and walked into the blood soaked grounds. His companion whom he decided to just call Red due to his current knowledge was currently looking at the opposite side of the arena where their chosen opponent would soon emerge. As their opponent revealed himself Bran gave a hopeless crazy laugh. -wow, he''s huge...haha The man towered over 7 feet tall, his inhuman muscles rippled under the intense sun. The man''s face was covered in scars from previous battles and a confident smirk revealed his pleasure in seeing the match-up. His weapon was a massive double mace with two deadly spiked balls on chains. The two balls were each the same width as Bran''s torso and the man swung them around as if they were beach balls. Bran then looked at Red who was taking his weapon out of the bag. There was no other way to describe it. The blade was plain beautiful. On the hilt there was a design of pink blossoms on pure white. The blade glowed in the sunlight and emanated pure brilliance. The crowd gave another "ooooo" and the King''s eyes widened in alarm as if the blade itself had pricked his neck. Bran knew of the blade from the books he read. It was the blademaster''s legendary weapon "Albus". Bran pulled Red to the side and held him against the wall out of sight from the crowd. It was easy as they were both pretty light when it came to weight. He pulled the cloth from his face only to find it wasn''t a "him". There was Grace Alden staring him back in the face, her eyes ready for a fight... -ugh. oh god, its going to be a long day Bran moaned as he held back a massive headache. Previous Chapter Next Chapter
Soo sleepy goodnight Chapter 4: Battle Bran still held the princess by the shoulders. His mind raced through every possible situation. He started with what he knew about the princess. The public had as much info on her as they did the king, almost nothing. Thus she was labeled with the generic princess image that many got from fiction and novels. Yet here she was, wielding a legendary sword and dressed in full armor. Bran''s first thought was to stop the fight and inform the king who was just a dozen meters away. That worked for him but not for the princess. He remembered what the king had said earlier in the meeting chamber that morning. ''Girl if you dare interrupt, or shame me again in any way you will end up just as your mother.'' -I have a feeling they didn''t just kiss and make up His lazy afternoons would be soiled by guilt if he sacrificed another for his own well being Considering there was no current Queen of the Alden Kingdom Bran slashed that idea. -Is this still my test? No that can''t be -They wouldn''t let the grand prize risk their life in the tournament. On top of that no one would trust a rookie officer with the princess of the most powerful kingdom. The princess''s only option was to kill or be killed, she had planned it this way, and Bran realized this fact immediately. The next topic of interest was the sword. The Blademaster would never go anywhere without his prized blade, the only way to get it would be either to steal it, defeat him, or.... Bran looked at the young girl curiously "How do you know the Blademaster?" She stared back at him resolutely "I''m his successor" "for how long have you trained?" His voice was now rising slowly in anticipation. "six years" she replied -Jackpot This whole mess is survivable, we even have a small shot at victory! Though it will still only be my victory because the king will still kill her wont he? "you know your father won''t be happy about this." he said hesitantly "Don''t worry, the old man will back me up" She talked as if it were nothing, as if her life wasn''t in danger. -Agh! but you got me in this mess too, what about me! Why would I risk my life for your self-interest! I''m supposed to sit in the battle tent organizing the battles, not participating in them, AGH! "Oh, and could you let go?" she requested Bran was on the verge of tearing his hair out when the gamemaster blew his horn signifying the one minute warning until the match start. He took a deep breath and looked back at the Princess. "Hey listen, this is what we''re going to do." ________________________________________________________________ After the meeting in the chamber, Grace sprinted through the corridors of the castle back to her room. She was tired of her father''s control over her life and was ready to fight back. The day that the Old man had declared her his successor was the happiest she could remember. He passed down his blade "Albus" to her and she gave a great big bear-hug in return. The sword glowed white and Grace caught her self staring. "It''s quite beautiful isn''t it?" he sighed the old man watched her expression with satisfaction "The reason we trained so hard on endurance at the start wasn''t only to prepare you for long battles" Grace snapped out of her trance and gave her attention back to the old man "The blade glows white because it''s steel is fused with the purest lum in the kingdom. Straight from the mine your father found itself. Since the sword is mainly flat the effect is that of a shield-type magical stone. Usually magic stones have to be charged through the powder they''re made from. However the powder in this blade is so pure it actually doesn''t need to be charged. Instead it feeds off the wielder''s energy." Grace''s eyes widened in alarm at these words. "Don''t worry it will only use your energy when you will it too. And what if you run out of energy? Well then you just pass out. Think of it as taking a infinitely long jog until you collapse, mind you aren''t going to feel too good when you wake up hehe." They both shared a small laugh and enjoyed the rest of their afternoon in the woods. Grace pulled the sword out of a concealed hole in the stone wall of her room. She placed the radiant blade in a leather sack and equipped the armor the old man had lent her for training. Then she concealed her identity and made sure she hadn''t missed anything checking her reflection in the large mirror near her bed. Not bad if I do say so myself she thought with a grin on her face Now both physically and mentally prepared Grace rushed back out to the square, this time she would be the one to decide her fate, not her father. She just barely made it to the registration desk and the receptionist looked up at her from under his spectacles with raised eyebrows. "You''re not serious right?" he asked incredulously seeing her appearance. Grace was determined to stay silent, one little peep would mean discovery and she was in no way ready to explain her current appearance to the guards or her father. There was a slight pause as it seemed like the guards were having trouble deciding what to do with her. Finally after some time they escorted her to a large tent and placed her by a boy around her age wearing an officer''s uniform. -ah, it''s ''sleepyhead'' The officer in front of her had messy brown hair and a kind face. There was a drowsy aura around him that made her feel like yawning Everyone had heard of the boy who had become an officer at age nineteen and Grace was no exception. -Huh, wait, does him being here mean he wants to marry me? Heh, while you''re definitely not the worst choice here I''m going to have to reject your offer, you''re just not my type Grace spaced out, absorbed in her fantasies. Then the boy unexpectedly broke the silence The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Hey it''s going to be a rough ride but nice to meet you" She jumped at the sudden speech but quickly brought herself under control. Sleepyhead was looking her way with a nervous smile. She nodded back to him and returned to her thoughts. However he didn''t let up, he asked for her name, book, and favorite color. -Is my cover blown? Is he already trying to hit on me? -It feels kind of nice to have someone interested in you, though now is not the time for such feelings To get him to shut up Grace pointed toward the nearest red patch of wall on the tent. At last it was their turn in the arena and Grace took short confident steps into the center. Then she saw the other contender enter from the opposite side. She looked back at Sleepyhead who seemed like he was about to s*** his pants. Grace took Albus out of the bag, that''s when things started to get weird. -don''t worry leave it to me, the bigger they are, the har- Sleepyhead forced her to the wall He didn''t look mad or angry, instead there was a glint in his eye as he asked her how she knew the Blademaster. When he heard her response the glint remained, no, now it shined brighter than before. She grew wary of his grip and asked for him to release her. -Sleepyhead doesn''t look too sleepy anymore... Now the boy seemed to be dealing with some great internal struggle, then he finally turned to her and said he had a plan. -You are actually quite antsy aren''t you Sleepyhead Grace looked on amused. So David''s taking on Goliath, this is going to be painful to watch ______________________________________________________________________________ The horn blew once again for the start of the match and the crowd roared. The boy walked slowly to the center of the battleground and....sighed? "Hey what does he think he''s doing up there?" "Is this a Joke?" The boy was picking up small rocks and handfuls of sand. The sand went to his right pocket and the rocks went in his left pocket. The massive man on the other side watched in complete confusion. The sun was directly above in the sky and the heat waves bounced off the dry earth. Everyone was quiet, watching the boy pick up dirt. The large man had waited long enough, he decided to finish it right then and there. Swinging his double mace with unbelievable speed he aimed the spikes at the boy. *swish!* *THUD* The steel balls struck the ground with inhuman force. A great cloud of dust and sand rose from where the boy had been standing. Then from out of the cloud the boy ran behind the man and flung a pebble at the back of his mammoth-sized head. The sound of the pebble hitting the ground echoed across the stands as all watched in a stunned silence. The man''s hand touched the spot where the pebble had made impact. He then clenched it into a tight fist and turned. Fury was etched into every wrinkle and line in his face. Again he ran at the boy with amazing speed swinging the mace like a toy. *swish!* The boy made another attempt to dodge, successfully avoiding the first steel ball but failing to do so for the second. It wasn''t a clean hit but the ball grazed his shoulder and he spun to the ground. The man quickly brought the mace down for a crushing final blow. *THUD* Another cloud of dust rose up and once again the boy emerged from behind, throwing an even larger stone this time. Many in the audience began to snicker and laugh with this bizarre scene unfolding before them. "GRAAAAA!!" The man couldn''t take being mocked or made fun of, and by some insolent child no less. In a blind rage he charged the boy. The veins in his head were popped out diverting his sweat in the intense sun. His bloodshot eyes held only one purpose and that was to completely destroy the being in front of him. His intention was to leave nothing behind other than an indistinguishable stump of meat. The Man''s foot work became sloppy and he swung horizontally at the boy''s head slightly losing his balance at the same time. The boy ducked easily avoiding the spikes however instead of running away he ran straight at the giant man wrapping his arms around his torso. The man stumbled backwards already off balance. When he recovered he grabbed the boy by the neck raising him up and stared him in the eyes. Gasping for air the boy writhed and struggled. "That''s what you get for toying with me boy! What? are you trying to say something? I cant hear what you''re saying, HAHAHA-" The man never got to finish. As he laughed the boy reached into his right and left pockets and threw the load of sand and the rest of the rocks into his mouth and eyes. "AAAAAGGGHGHGHG" Now it was the man''s turn to choke and splutter as the rocks stuck in his throat and the sand scraped at his eyes. He dropped the boy who then calmly walked to his opponent rubbing his neck. The boy took off his jacket and tied the sleeves around the mans large legs. Then when the man already blinded, and off balance tried to take a step he found himself falling forward at at rapid rate due to his weight. The boy took a stance and connected his foot with the man''s face in one swift kick, instantly knocking him out. There was a stunned tremble to the air and then the crowd stood on their feet and went insane. Shaking the windows of the surrounding buildings with their cheers. The boy sighed again and sat down using his opponent as a seat, rubbing his sore foot and tender shoulder together. The many looked to see how the king reacted to such a incredible turnabout of events. He wore a forced smile through gritted teeth. -Don''t worry boy I have more planned for you, just you wait... Previous Chapter Next Chapter Chapter 5: Betrayal Bran still sat on the ground using his fallen opponent as a back rest. He didn''t exercise much so the battle had completely drained him. The crowd had now quieted down and excited chatter filled the square. There were many who had lost a lot of money betting against the boy who somehow took down such an impressive adversary. The princess had made her way down to him taking slow steps. She was making strange shapes with her face and it was obvious she was having trouble choosing her words. Taking notice, Bran decided to speak first. "Thanks for your help, I would be a bloody stump with legs if that mace had hit me..." Grace''s face relaxed a bit and she gave him a confident smirk. "I am to be the successor of the blademaster after all, you and your ''plan'' weren''t too bad either Sleepyhead." Bran looked replied to her words with a warm smile that didn''t match his tone "I know introductions are late but the name''s Bran, where I come from it is common practice for people to have a name, how about you princess?" The princess returned his smile with one of her own "People call me princess but I don''t prefer it, call me Grace" "You certainly don''t act like one" Bran mumbled "What was that?" "nuthn..." he looked the sky They shook hands and waited for the guards to arrive. Five minutes had passed, still the guards were yet to be seen. The electric atmosphere of the crowd had completely dissipated at this point. Instead there were murmurs of concern spreading throughout the stands. Many spectators were conversing to each other in low tones and pointing at them, giving critical glares. "What''s this about?" Grace frowned Bran fiddled with stones on the ground and gave a shrug "I dunno, whatever it is, we seem to be the center of it, though if you asked me I think someone may have a problem with that sword being here." He gave a motion to the glowing sword that she had concealed after the battle. "I don''t think that''s the case, I did my best to customize it to my tastes, I changed the hilt to white and added some flowers for a nice touch." Grace obviously seemed proud of her efforts and puffed out her chest Bran still looked unconvinced "Still, the thing glows, I think that''s a pretty big giveaway, I mean someone''s bound to ask questions." Grace understood his reasoning and gave a slow nod with a frown. Then the frown changed to an expression of dread and she began to pale. Bran felt a chill go down his spine. "umm what''s wrong?" Grace looked at her feet in despair. "I expected to get a lot farther than this..." Bran gave a sigh and rolled his eyes -she doesn''t really think these things through does she... He got up and faced her "Well you said that this ''old man'' will back you up so everything will be fine in the end right? Who is he anyway? I thought your old man was the king, wait... no way... are you an illegitimate child?! No wonder you don''t act like a princess, yes this must be it" Grace looked at him and spoke in a mocking tone "You can sure speak a lot when the content is nonsense, wait... don''t tell me this is why you''re always so quiet?!" Grace forgot her worries and prepared for a battle of sarcasm While the two butted heads the guards finally made their entrance, however it wasn''t only the two escorts from before. This time, an entire group of 30 or so came marching into the arena. Leading the group was the king and his personal royal guardsmen. He gave a single motion and the two were seized and shackled. Grace fought and struggled in the chains and Bran just sat casually, waiting to see what happened next. The king gave them a menacing glare and then passed a long sweeping gaze over the audience which now sat silently. After a few more moments he began in a booming voice. "My good citizens! I''m sorry to interrupt your day of joyous entertainment and celebration. However it has come to my great displeasure that a grave crime has been committed within these castle walls. Thankfully due to the quick action and response of the guard, we were able to apprehend these criminals before any further harm could be done. The two you see before me are not worthy suitors looking for my daughter''s hand in marriage, they are in fact dastardly thieves of the worst sort possible! The item they stand accused of stealing is the blademaster''s legendary sword itself!" Gasps resounded across the square and King waited for the whispers to die down before he continued "For such a great offence to our hero and this great nation, it has been decided by me and my advisors that the punishment be nothing less than death!" The two were then quickly dragged out of the arena by the guards who had also gagged their mouths to prevent any outbursts. The crowd jeered and condemned them as they were sent away. Bran couldn¡¯t believe his luck Man¡­. things were just too good to be true....officer to national villain, I have a feeling things are only going to get a lot harder from here on out.... he gave a gut wrenching moan, just thinking of the work he had ahead was too much to bear. ____________________________________________________________ Night had fallen and the two were placed in a cell together. Grace still wore the disguise and for the most part there was no one other than Bran that knew she was the princess. The first couple of hours passed in complete silence. Then when evening had settled in Bran voiced his concern. "Hey it''s been awhile now, are you sure the old-man is coming?" Grace sat staring at the stone wall in the corner, she spoke without shifting her gaze. "I have no doubts, he will be here." Bran looked at his feet "Do you have a plan B in case that doesn''t happen?" Grace turned to him fiercely and snapped "He will be here! Bran nodded and looked out through the bars in the cell. Except for the single torch in the hall there was no other light source. Two guards were stationed in the room across from theirs. Bran could hear them conversing and the faint clinks of silverware could be heard. -ugh, foood. There probably aren''t going to be any leftovers especially for the evil villains we are¡­ *grwwoollllll* A noise resembling a lonely dog resounded from the corner -heh, looks like the princess is missing her meals, I wonder if plan B is looking attractive to her right about now? At that moment the clinking stopped in the room next door. After some sounds of shuffled movement the door swung open. One of the guards was holding a freshly baked bun, he walked to the cell and viewed the prisoners in disgust. "I''ve got sum'' food ere'' for yeh. te problem is, tere''s only enough fur one uv'' yeh." He gave a sinister smirk "how bout'' you two fight for it? It might break sum uv'' this late night boredom?" He rolled the bun through the bars into the middle of the dirty cell. For a second both didn''t react. Then Bran took the roll and tossed it to Grace who looked back at him in surprise. With his head turned from the guard he mouthed "Plan B" Bran began to mock the guard without mercy "I see you get others to do the fighting for you, if you and I were to fight I bet you would go down even faster than that big idiot of man I took down earlier. If boredom is your disease a beating will be your cure" To top it all off he gave the cockiest smirk the world had never seen. Grace just shook her head at the nonsense taking place before her. -this guy is going to get himself killed before the execution... Bran was still going on in the meantime. Making dumb faces through the bars. The guard''s face had now become beet red, the veins in his clenched fist and neck were deeply pronounced. Finally he closed the door so they would be out of sight of his partner and he turned to the cell. Bran mocked him even as he reached for the cell key saying things like "oh is this your first battle" and "maybe you should wear gloves, you wouldn''t want to bruise your soft hands now?" The guard''s hands were shaking violently as he put the key in and turned the lock. Though he never opened the door. At the sound of the lock Bran sent a swift kick in between the legs of the guard through the cell bars. *OOOooooffffffffffuuuuhhhhhh* His face went from red to purple, the pain was so intense the poor guard was unable to even speak as he passed out in agony. "I''ve made up my mind, you''re a horrible person" Grace said while still shaking her head "kill or be killed, my friend. And in this scenario he''s still alive, so all is well!" "that''s some messed up logic" Grace mumbled with raised eyebrows Bran swung the cell door open and stood stretching in the hall. "I say first we get some dinner, and then find the old man." Grace slowly stepped out of the cell, the guard gave a slight moan causing her to jump and impulsively send a brutal kick to his head completely knocking him out. "Some angel you are" Bran chuckled "Let''s just take care of the other one Ok?" Grace sighed Grace easily took down the guard in the next room with the assistance of the sword from his fallen companion. She quickly surprised and overpowered him in one elegant motion. "That was amazing" Bran said "I learned from the best" Grace smiled proudly They quickly located a large platter of chicken legs and ate their fill. Bran packed some away for later in a bag he found on one of the guards. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "Bran this is not the time to be stockpiling food, we have to get moving." "I know I know, just one more........Ok, that should do it" Bran led the way through the prison. The cells where they had been held were located in the basement level. The front door out of the prison was on the first floor just above. The only problem was their way out was blocked by dozens of the kingdom''s finest warriors. "ok, please tell me you have a plan" grace said "What! me? I was actually expecting you this ti- OW! ok ok! I was just kidding!" Grace folded her arms and waited. Bran cracked the door and surveyed their options. The rooms were bustling with activity. Many officers were running in and out, giving orders and managing their squads. Bran closed the door and began to think. -hmm, there is no way those guards won''t recognize us. We need something like a distraction....no...there are still too many, I personally don''t think this old-man is coming. It''s been too long, if he had the power to get us out of this he would have done so already. Damn it! we cant just waltz through the front can we? wait....can we? Bran looked back at Grace and stared, deep in thought, a sly smile appeared at his lips. -no one knows she''s the princess yet. And no one would dare question nobility right? hehe we can just bs any excuse to buy time with her majesty at our side. Grace saw Bran''s stare and felt a chill go down her spine. I have a bad feeling about this... ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ "Hey you! We need those supplies now! I want this place locked down by midnight! You two over there, return to your posts! I won¡¯t have any breakouts on my watch!" A senior officer was barking orders left and right through the bustle at the jail. A great noise was made from the commotion. Armor clanged in huge boxes, and the footsteps and marching of countless squads rang off the stone brick ground. However the chaos was halted in one area where the princess had made a surprise visit. Actually it wasn''t much of a surprise as she was often seen wandering around the castle grounds anyway. She wore some strange makeshift dress that looked ragged and a bit dirty. Again she was always doing something strange so people stared but not for long. At her side was a gangly looking guard. He stood stiffly and moved as if his limbs were made of stone. Many found his presence more puzzling than the princess''s as she usually traveled without an escort. Onlookers also scoffed at the guard''s sloppy attire. His armor was loose in places and some pieces were put on incorrectly. His helmet was way too large and it cast a dark shadow around his face. Still they reasoned that having a guard made sense in light of recent events and it wasn''t their place to criticize the princess''s choice in protection. The visit was brief and the two soon walked out the front door leaving the others back to their work. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ The warning bells sounded in the morning when it was still dark. Grace was by herself in the castle, a look of desperation clouded her face. Immediately after breaking out with Bran she had ran to her room, changed her clothes and searched for the blademaster. Grace, now free was in no danger, Bran however was at the outskirts of the wall hiding by the cliff. Every guard in the kingdom was now searching for him and while he was well hidden it was a matter of time until someone on the island found him. Grace needed to find the old man fast and resolve the issue. Though her main concern was why he didn''t show up and why the sword was reported stolen in the first place. She firmly believed that there was a reason for his absence and shook her head scolding herself for ever doubting her master The old man wasn''t to be found inside the castle. Most of the residents were up and about with the bells ringing all over the island. After searching in vain for an hour, Grace checked the last place she could think of. Running through the grounds she made her way into the wooded end of the island where they had practiced for all those years. At first she thought he wasn''t there. However after a few moments she saw a familiar figure standing against the trunk of a tree. Grace wasted no time, and began speaking at breakneck speed. Old-man! Master! I''ve been looking everywhere! Didn¡¯t you hear of the incident of the square? Ah well no matter, there''s no time to lose. They think an innocent man has stolen your sword! Thankfully he sorted out most of the mess. But I need you to speak to father to correct this before it¡¯s too late!" Grace spoke all in one breath. The blade-master reacted calmly to her explanation. He sat up slowly and put his hands on her shoulders. "Lead me to one who was accused, I will set things straight child. First, calm down and explain" Grace smiled in relief and retold everything that had happened. "Why didn''t you come earlier?" she asked "I was busy at an emergency meeting at the castle, I could not attend the event. It lasted for quite a while as well so there was no way for me to know what had occurred. Let¡¯s get going then it seems like your friend has found himself in quite the dilemma" Grace nodded and the two ran off to the cliff. The blademaster knew a shortcut through the wall and soon they found themselves facing the water. Outside the wall "He should be around here somewhere ....HEY SLEEPYHEAD!" The sound of bushes rustling to their left drew their attention and a young man came out scratching his head while yawning. "you know I hate that name, well is this the oldman?.....ahhhh I see now, you''re the blademaster." He gave a short bow of his head in respect. However that was all, Bran stopped advancing and stayed standing by the bush. "Grace, get away from him right now." "What? No. stop fooling around and get over here we nee-" at that moment Grace heard the familiar sound of a sword being unsheathed. She was able to pinpoint the direction of the sound and dodge just in time. "Wh-wah- what do you think you''re doing old-man?!" grace shouted and turned in alarm "Damn. I just missed. I definitely trained you well." The blademaster''s face was darkened and a he looked at the sword with a sad smile. Grace sat on the ground frozen in shock. The blademaster once again began to advance "The fact that I had a successor was a matter to be kept in complete secrecy. Once you revealed the sword in front of every damn person in the square I knew questions were going to be asked." he pointed the shining blade at her face. "What do you think you''re doing! This is a joke right?" Grace stared into the eyes of the one who had taken care of her the past six years. "I''m sorry my dear, you were an excellent student and indeed it would have been useful to have someone working on the inside for my plan. Alas, it was not to be." "Working on the inside? What do you mean?" "Basically, he''s a spy" Bran said The blademaster chuckled "you catch on quick. Well, I''ve been rambling for a while now. Let¡¯s finish this." He raised the sword and quickly brought it down upon his apprentice. Grace was still sitting in complete shock. She flinched right before the sword came upon her. However the cut never came. Instead there lay Bran with a nasty gash down the side of his abdomen. "gah-haa....haah" Bran clutched at his side in pain. Grace came to her senses and dragged him further away from the blademaster who swiped the blood off his sword with an elegant twirl. The two were now dangerously close to the cliff and strong gusts from the sea roared in their ears. Grace examined Bran''s wound, it was bad. If she couldn''t think of something fast there was no doubt that he wouldn''t make it. "You sure have made a nice friend, such a shame it had to end this way." "Just shut up" Grace said in a small voice. -I won¡¯t let him win, I will catch him off guard right before he attacks. I won¡¯t let Bran die in vain. I won¡¯t let him win¡­ "Your options have run out. Make this easier for both of us by accepting your fate." Again he made the motion to bring down his sword. This time grace was waiting for it. She lunged forward grabbing his sword-hand and brought her knee into his gut. *uuuuuf* The bladmaster stumbled backwards holding his stomach in pain. Grace followed through with a kick. Unfortunately this was not enough. He avoided her kick and pushed her back. It was over in a second. Grace stumbled and tripped across Bran. Then the blademaster thrust out the sword and materialized a pointed shield. He pummeled the shield into the earth and sent it in deep. This loosened the cliff where Grace and Bran lay. Grace could only watch in terror as the ground shook between she and her old master. Then everything beneath her gave way and the two plummeted toward the water. The last thing she remembered seeing was the sun coming up over the endless sea, the light seemed to erupt with a roar of fire. Then just as quickly as they came the flames were extinguished by pitch black. Previous Chapter Next Chapter __________________________________________________________ Sorry about the late chapter, this is about the third time it''s been re-written :) Chapter 6: New Start Darkness, the darkness was overwhelming. Then an overbearing white. -Why, why am I still alive. Grace found herself laying in a large bed. The golden rays of light from the window warmed the sheets and the rays caught bits of floating dust. The room itself was simple but cozy. A small dresser sat by the wall and an impressive painting of a great monument was hung above the bed frame. She slowly sat up. Her head pounded in protest against the sudden movement. - gah, this must be how Bran feels all the time. Grace immediately remembered what had taken place on the cliff and made a clenched fist. Memories of the old-man, his smiling face in the woods, and their lighthearted chats were now replaced by his ugly grin glowing in the bright sunrise, watching her as she had fallen over the edge. Taking care, Grace rose to her feet. The floorboards creaked underneath her weight as she made her way to the one small window at the far wall. "Where am I?" she couldn''t help but speak out loud Outside the window lay a hectic city. The buildings themselves towered dozens of stories and were made entirely out of some kind of blue brick. The shades varied in different types of purple, violet, indigo, and so on. The roads were paved in light blue cobblestone and relatively clean. In the streets below were countless bustling citizens. Many seemed to be chatting, running errands, and loitering as one would see in any regular urban environment. However upon closer inspection Grace realized that the people below had odd features as well. First of all, their skin was deathly pale, almost like snow. Next were their ears, instead of the rounded shape that most people had Grace noticed that all of their ears were long and pointed. -Am I in some fairy tale? I thought elves and the sort were only made up? Even stranger was what laid above. When Grace tried to look up to check the weather she simply couldn''t. There was no sky. Grace rubbed her eyes and looked again. Indeed, the one place where an open sky should have been was instead filled with millions of small bright lights. They sort of resembled stars yet were much brighter and were embedded in a great rocky surface. I must have hit my head somewhere Grace tried to reason with herself. The town''s boundaries were natural rock walls that scaled all the way to the illuminated ceiling. -Even in fairy tales there is no such story of an underground city populated with elves...ugh this is too disorienting...and these aren''t my clothes! She tried to take deep breaths Ok calm down, must stay calm, things will sort themselves out somehow....I hope. Composing herself Grace finally made her way to the door and cracked it open. Peering through she saw what seemed to be a small hallway with two doors further down. In front of her were steps leading downstairs. -seems like your regular family style home a bit relieved that it wasn''t some kind of torture chamber Grace tiptoed into the hall. The other two doors were closed and Grace decided to head downstairs instead of investigating the rooms and risking a confrontation. just as she was taking her first few steps down a sudden outburst stopped her in her tracks. -Was I caught? Don''t tell me they can see through walls too. Grace spun on her heels facing the noise in alarm. Nothing. A muffled yell came from behind one of the doors down the hallway, then following it, a shriek. Grace walked back up the steps and put her ear to the door. "mmhhf -etty murr-ay up" The door was just too thick to hear anything clearly. Succumbing to her curiosity she attempted to crack the door just enough to get a peek as she often had done in the castle. The door was unimaginably heavy though. So heavy in fact that it surprised Grace and she was unable to stop its momentum into the room "GAH!" She fell in face first with a heavy *THUD* Grace recovered and prepared for a fight. There was no need. The scene that she walked in on would haunt her as one of the strangest things she had ever seen. -wuaaaa her mouth was stuck open in absolute confusion The room was a burst of dark pinks and purples. Hundreds of stuffed animals were lined up on shelves across all four walls. There was another small window at the opposite end and just below it was a desk and a great big poster with the words "THE WORLD BELONGS TO ME! WORLD DOMINATION!". Maps were strewn about the desk. Innumerable x''s and circles were plastered in places with small notes on some. To her right a girl that seemed to be around her age stood on a bed. Despite being a picture perfect beauty she had a sinister looking grin on her face that many criminals give when they are thinking out a plan. The biggest feature though was her hair. It was pink! Long bright pink locks rested on her shoulders and almost seemed to glow outwards. -was I drugged? Grace thought "I see I see! you are finally awake, I can definitely have fun with you!" The pink girl laughed heartily. Another girl was below sitting on the floor with her back against the bed . She had beautiful blond hair and her makeup was done perfectly. She looked deep into Grace''s eyes and said... "what''s up princes-uaaaaaah?" the beauty gave a huge manly yawn The voice that had come out of the blond woman belonged to none other than Bran. Grace couldn''t take it anymore. *THUD* ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Again she found herself in the bed of the plain room from before. -Is this some repeating nightmare!? This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.Grace sat up and this time saw Bran sitting in a chair by the door. He was reading a newspaper and looked up when he heard her moving. "Ah, you''re up... uuuuaaaahhh" he gave a massive yawn, stretched, and folded the newspaper away. "um.. sorry I guess that scene was too much for you, we were just playing." he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment and looked at his feet. Grace rolled her eyes in amusement. "It''s fine, though I didn''t know you liked to dress up like a girl. Don''t you even think of taking my stuff though. It''s mine, got it?" The two laughed quietly, remembering each other''s reaction. "oh yeah, who was that with the shocking hair? And where exactly are we anyway?" Bran''s face darkened, he stared at the ground and spoke in a low tone. "First you shouldn''t roll your eyes like that it''s a bad habit you kn- OW! don''t throw things you -dem-GAh! OK! ok roll them all you want..." Bran took a pause and a deep breath." Haaa.... We are inside of an island. Actually it''s a giant cave. From the outside it looks like a giant rock mesa which in my opinion is probably why it has been hidden for all these years. Now, um... this is where we might be in trouble." Bran got up from the chair and walked to the small window. He looked out at the street and gave a sigh. Only for a brief second, Grace saw a different type of fatigue in his face. "In a nutshell the people here dislike foreigners, actually it would probably be more appropriate to say they hate them." "The girl with the pink hair was Aster. Has a personality as wild as her fashion sense. She says she found us hung up by the rocks, snuck us in and took care of our injuries. When I tried to ask more questions she told me that she would will ''spill the beans at breakfast''. Nothing else." Bran turned to Grace, he was holding the bridge of his nose, grimacing from the horrible pun. "haaa-well... I have more questions than answers right now. I guess we''ll see what Aster has in store for us, wont we?" Bran opened the door preparing to leave. He seemed to hesitate for a second but soon continued. "see you downstairs" Grace nodded and the door closed shut, the brief sweeping air from the hall smelled sweet of something baking. She closed her eyes, anger, sadness, and confusion, clouded her mind. The hope, the determination that drove her to be the best, the meaning of all her efforts was lost. She wandered in her emotions, searching, feeling through the brambles, surrounded by thorns with no reprieve, no hope of rescue. why... Grace quickly wiped away what was the beginning of tears and left the room. Standing in the hall with her back to the door she took a deep breath and followed the sweet scent bellow. _______________________________________________________ *hmmm humm himm hummm* Bran and Grace sat at a heavy wood table with dark expressions. Across from them handling a cast iron skillet was some humming pink sun illuminating the room. Bran groaned loudly. "please stop with the bubbly attitude sunshine, I think I''m seeing spots" "I would have to agree with you there Sleepyhead" Grace mumbled The bundle of light turned to face them with a face a mother would give a misbehaving three year old. "is that any way to treat the one who saved and fed you?" "Oh god" Both responded in unison The humming continued "I bet you two have never tried fresh gull eggs before. The yolks are such a brilliant yellow they are sure to brighten your mood!" Bran was softly bumping his head against the table in agony. Grace sat with her face in her palms. "Ah, nice! nice! nice! They are finally done! You two are in for a treat!" Aster gave a blinding smile as she placed four plates of steaming eggs and biscuits on the table. Bran looked to her with a blank expression "Are you expecting one more?" "AH! Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you! My older brother also lives here with me! He works the night patrol for the navy." - I wonder what else you forgot to tell us, where there''s smoke, there''s fire Bran furrowed his brows and looked down at his eggs. He gave a glance over to Grace. She looked terrible. Bags were clearly defined under her eyes, which were red from what he suspected to be crying. The worst part was that he knew there was nothing he could do to help her. Acting as if he knew what she was feeling would only make things worse. Bran could only be there as a partner, as a friend. He committed himself the moment they fell from the cliff, he wouldn''t make decisions for himself. Instead they would make decisions together, as a team. This was his way of helping her. His way of making her feel less alone. *BMM! BMM! BMM!* Three dull knocks resounded from the door in the next room "ASTER I''M BACK" *BMMM* "AH! speak of the devil!" Aster raced to the door and soon returned. Following her was a huge man. He ducked under the doorway and walked into the kitchen. His steps shook the floor and rattled the dishes in the cupboard. Grace and Bran could only watch with their eyes wide like frightened puppies. The beast of a man had a scar down his right eye where he wore an eye patch. He had a long tangled beard and wore a large black, loosely fitting leather jacket. His hair was black, long and wavy. However just like his sister it was bright pink at the ends, this also included his beard. He stared at the two at the table and looked back at Aster "Sis who are these strangers in our house?" Grace''s head flew back into her palms and Bran glared at Aster as if blaming her for every problem that he ever had in life. Aster just laughed nervously at the tense silence and timidly lifted the remaining plate "hehe whoops............gull eggs?"
I was half dead editing this soo....im sorry for any unseen mistakes :P