• Chapter 1

    Outer parts of the Elven forest
    Kingdom of Mythaline
    Spring, 21st year of Freddie II

    Above her was a thick forest canopy, infact it was so thick that no sunlight reached the forest floor. The trees were up to 10ft tall. In the middle of all this green and brown was a splash of red and purple. The red was actually berries in a bush, and the purple was really a teenage girl.

    The girl had long dark brown hair. Her face could be called beautiful, had it not had dirt caked on it, but she didn’t believe it so. She had dark purple eyes. She wore a purple ball gown that matched her eyes. The gown had been torn to pieces; the only item on her that looked out of place was the black leather belt that held a sword, knife, and her purse. Her circlet barely clung to her hair; it was hanging on to the side of her head. She was bent over the berry bushes wondering if they were edible.

    “Well, this sucks!” she ignored the fact that she was talking to herself, mostly because she was always doing it, “Either I eat these berries and I live, I eat these berries and die, or I don’t eat these berries and I die of starvation. Man I wish I had listened during nature class.”

    She reluctantly picked one of the smaller red berries off the bush and slowly put it in her mouth. She sucked on the berry slowly at first the berry was sweet but as she got to the center it got sour. Once she had finished eating the berry she waited a few minutes to see if anything happened. When nothing happened she pulled a larger one off the bush. It took 15 more berries to fill her. After she was full she had enough energy to think clearly to see if she could find water.

    Five short breaks and about ten small cuts later she found herself on the banks of a small river. She took a small drink of the water and decided to try following the river and see if it lead anywhere. She didn’t get very far before she had to take off her shoes.

    When it got dark she decided to stop for the night. She went over to one of the large trees and sat down at its base shifting the sword to a more comfortable position. Slowly she drifted to sleep.




    When she awoke the next morning she had a renewed strength. It took her two hours of following river to get within site of a small farming village. She stopped to rinse off her feet before her shoes back on.

    She slowly made her way into the village. The first few people that saw her were confused as to what to do. Her clothes, except the sword and knife, and the way she carried herself gave her away as part of the royal family and they didn’t talk to just anyone, but she was in such a state of disarray that she might accept help if they offered it.

    When she made it about halfway through the village before someone came up to her. “Milady, my name Alisa, is there something I may help you with?” she looked to be about 28 and had a small child was attached to the folds of her skirt.

    “Yes, if you could point me in the direction of a place where I can get a bath and some food. I’m willing to pay any price. Oh, and if you know some where I can get fresh clothes that would be really great.”

    “We don’t have any place like that here, but if you would like we have a tub at our house and I am sure I can cook something.” Alisa bowed and walked down the street. The girl smiled and followed her rejoicing at the thought of a bath.

    After she had eaten something and had taken a bath, Alisa gave her some of her clothes. As she finished pinning her circlet back on again, she didn’t bother trying to do anything with her hair, a man walked into the house. Alisa walked over to him and hugged him. She then turned around to face the teen, still holding the man’s hand.

    “This is my husband Alex. And this is…” Alisa gave a confused face, “you never gave me your name.”

    “My forgiveness, my name is Sera. Crown princess Seralinne.” Sera gave a small curtsy. Both Alex and Alisa looked at her in shock. No one higher in then the headman of the village had even set foot in their house and here was the crown princess eating their food and taking a bath in their house. Alex looked her over she had on old peasant clothes and her hair hung lose around her face. He had to look hard to find the gold circlet that had gotten lost in her hair.

    “That explains a little. So what are you doing here in this town? What had brought you to that state?” Alisa asked. She had recovered; Alex had yet to do so.

    “Well to be quite frank, I was being chased. Which is why I will now give you this,” Sera had reached into her belt purse and had pulled out two gold coins. She now had her hand out to the couple. “And I will take my leave. I would appreciate it if I was never here.”

    Alisa curtsied and took the money that Sera offered them. She simply said, “We never saw you.” Sera smiled at Alisa, she was a good sort. Sera gave a small curtsy and left the house. She walked through the town heading the same direction that she had been going originally.




    Now that she had on some old peasant clothes, people didn’t even notice she wasn’t one of them. The few people that did stop to stare at her were staring at the sword and knife at her hip then at her. You just don’t see that many women carrying weapons. It wasn’t and had never been illegal, but it had been socially unacceptable. That is until 3 years ago when her father had decreed it acceptable by the King’s standards, so that Sera could go to court functions armed. It seemed that it was hard to change people’s views after centuries of seeing one way. Sera didn’t care she was armed and that was always made her feel better.

    Sera had made it to the out skirts of town with out being stopped. She had just realized that she had asked for directions so she stopped and looked around she noticed a man approaching her and thought she might be able to ask him for directions.

    “Ma’am, who do you think you are wearing a sword around in broad daylight?” the guy was yelling at her before he even reached her.

    The yelling and the accusations startled her. Before he had started opening his mouth she had thought him nice looking. He had appeared to be a gentle spirit but he had shown her that his mind was older then his body. He kept to the old ways or in plain word he believed women to be inferior to men.

    “I will ask again what are YOU doing carrying a sword in this here town?” apparently she hadn’t answered quickly enough for him.

    “Isn’t this town in Mythaline?” Sera asked she was starting to revert to her diplomatic answer and tone of voice.

    “Yes, it is, but what does that have to do with anything?”

    “Well if this town is in Mythaline that it is perfectly acceptable both politically and socially for me to carry weapons.” Sera was surprised that he didn’t seem to know or that he didn’t seem to want to know that. “or did you miss the King’s decree?”

    “I didn’t miss it, but I think it insanity to allow women access to weapons thus in my town her women are not allowed weapons in broad daylight.”

    “Your king is insane? Do you know what he would do if he heard that?”

    “Yes he is insane, women no right to have weapons. I know better then you do, wench.”

    “And why do you believe that you know him better? Have you ever seen him?” the man shook his head and Sera cut him off before he could counter her. “Have you ever sat in one of his meetings? Heard him decree anything? Have you ever even been to see the palace?” The man just kept shaking his head. Sera finally decided to let the man try to counter but she had a feeling she knew what he was going to counter with.

    “Have you ever done any of that, wench?” It never fails, thought Sera, the rebuttal of those with no imagination.

    “Yes, I have to all, many times over. I also know that even now, when he is dying, he could kick your butt in a game of chess.” Sera had to smile at her last comment. Her dad had taught her to play chess and she had since perfected her skill. She could beat everyone but her father, she had never seen him lose. “I also know that he would have you severally punished for calling him insane and for calling his daughter,” Sera bowed slightly. “a wench. He could even have you punished for treason.”

    “What are you talking about? I have never met the princess. I think I would know if I had met the princess.”

    “I am crown princess Seralinne! I have been since I was born.” Sera curtsied. “I will have to tell my father about this. Now, may I be on my way?”
    “If I let you go will you promise not to tell your father about this?” He started to move out of her way because there wasn’t much he could do to keep her there.

    “No, I will not promise such a thing. But I might forget about this by the time I get home.” Sera finished walking out of the town with a much more commanding force in her stride. Sera started walking in the direction she assumed the castle was in.