Beginning

My friends let me introduce you to the wonderful world of Amouroth, where brave knights and pretty damsels scurry across the world in their amorous ways, battling whatever evil forces cross their path. But let me give you a warning, dear reader, this land is no fairytale. Armouroth is splattered with war and death that has painted the world red with it's blood. Brave adventurer, first before we delve into the depths of this strange world, steady your heart and clear your mind of all you know that is good. Forget love, peace and serenity. Only then can we begin our story. A story of murder, betrayal and deceit, where two lovers torn apart by the senseless rage of war; where one man, hated by all but one, is finally given peace.
Green trees, autumn leaves and cobble-stoned roads mark the crisp October in the days of Armouroth's Great Western War. The Wall splitting Cheen in half in protection from the eastern savages was strew with blood and mangled corpses from both sides. In amidst the death and destruction stood a graceful figure clad in white, drifted elegantly across the void. She looked sadly down at the soldiers she once knew in life, and the ghostly woman's cape seeped into red at the edges. An unearthly cry begins the sorrowful song of a poor widow as the women stream across the battle field to fetch and bury the dead. Some in grotesque parts, barely recognisable, lost to their loved ones and families. The princess turned and tears fell from her face as the Wind lifted her hair, carrying the sadness of the citizens on its whirling, playful way over The Wall and on and on, eventually coming to the Patreaus Sea. The wind stopped, and the pressure increased, showing a storm surge on the way. The stone walls of Craydle Castle loomed up into the sky as an eagle soared and circled over the tower high above.
The princess hurried at a brisk walk through the main entrance and the guards bowed her on her way through the huge iron gates. A servant messenger scurried forward and bowed at her feet with his head to the floor until she chose to touch his shoulder and let him speak. He jumped up at once,
"Your father wishes to speak to you, my lady." He squeaked. The princess looked at him with her intensely blue gaze and the messenger cowered slightly.
"Let my father know that i am not in the mood to receive him at this present moment in time." She answered scornfully. The messenger bowed again and hurried back to the King's room, his knees shaking in fear, causing him to trip a few times. The princess returned to her own chambers to a rush of questions from her maids. She dismissed them with a brush of the hand and they reluctantly left her alone to tend to the evening dinner. She flung herself onto her bed and let her emotions out in front of no one but herself. The princess cried into her pillow until sleep stroked her cheek and beckoned the darkness to envelope her, torturing her head with gaulish nightmares.
She fell out her sleep to a gentle tap on the window, followed by another. She sat up and frowned, going over to the window, her night dress making her look ghostly. She drew back the huge black velvet curtain and opened the doors to the small balcony on the west side of the palace. She tiptoed fearfully to the edge, hearing the noise of horses far down below. She peered over the edge and saw a solitary figure on horse back, staring back up at her. She leant over the bars to get a better look and her curly brown hair fell over her shoulders and she shivered slightly in the cold night. The man below hollered her,
“Beautiful Princess! I seek your audience! May I speak?” He called up to her humbly. She gaped in surprise and called back,
“Kind Sir, you may speak, but what would one want to talk of this late?”
“My Princess, my name is Conn Verene and I am no knight or prince. Pray, first tell me your name!” He replied humbly.
“Sir, let me tell you first that I do not care for such titles, a man is the same as any other man, and even a pauper can outshine a prince. And sir, my name is Adale Niven.” She called softly down to him, looking around to see if they were alone.
“My lady, such kind words spill from your lips and into my heart. I seek to ask a favour.” He said, seemingly unsure of quite how to say it.
“Sir Verené, speak what you will, I will not judge you for it. What is this deed you ask of me?” She encouraged him gently.
“Princess Adale, it seems presumptuous of me, but I wish for you to come away with me.” He said, his voice getting smaller and smaller as his courage started to fail. Adale was dumbfounded. She stared down at him, ready to call the guards on him if need be.
“Why, Sir Verené, should I do such a thing?!” she hissed forcefully, making him jump.
“My Princess,” he replied even more humbly, “Please let me speak. I have heard of your wish to walk among the common people as if one of them, and I have come to offer my assistance… If you’d let me, I could take you around the town in disguise and show you how the poor live.” Adale was stunned. She was tempted, that much for sure, but she did not know this man, why would she go with him? She narrowed her eyes and stared down at him. Conn smiled up at her.
“Princess, let me show you. I can teach you many things. You may take me for a stranger, but I am not. When we were young I was one of your closest friends. The only thing I didn’t know about you was your name.” Adale gaped at him again, her eyes going through images of her past. She saw a face; a small kindly face, all brown and freckled and smiling. Could this man be he? The little boy from the kitchens that she used to play with. She squinted down into the darkness below and saw the same smile and realised.
“It was you!” she gasped, her politeness lost, “You saved me from the eastern attack when I was only a child. It was you. You fought off the warriors and hid me in one of the bins! It was….you.” she ended in a whisper. He nodded.
“I knew I had to protect you princess, even though I was only a young man, my father had taught me to fight. I would have given my life for you, my princess, and it would have been the greatest honour to die for you.” He said solemnly. He turned his horse around and galloped off a little way as Adale watched him curiously. He trotted forward and the grass came straight up off the ground to form stairs in mid air. Adale almost died of shock as Conn trotted his horse up the floating grass stairs and up in line with her balcony. She gaped up at him as he held out his hand down to her, as if to help her up onto the horse. She took a step backward fearfully, pulling her dressing gown around her and staring at his hand.
“Do you trust me?” he asked. Adale stared up at him, thinking this the most inappropriate question in the world, but it seemed to hit a nerve. Every time she was scared, he always used to say this. She remembered his face looking down at her from outside the bin as she begged him to stay with her. He said it then too.
“Do you trust me?” he asked again. Adale looked at his hand and back at his face. There was only one answer that could be given to that question.

***

I closed the book for a moment and sat back into my pillow.
“I wonder why she trusts him so much… I certainly wouldn’t!” I thought aloud. Then the Doctor scurries in as per usual and I scowl at his presence. Not him again! I think. Why won’t he just leave me alone for once?
“How are WE today then Miya?” Hey says.
“Well we both know that YOU’RE healthy.” I snap back in grumpy teenager mode. But no, he takes it as a joke as usual and laughs.
“Yes I am healthy, Miya!” He chuckles patronisingly. “But I’m asking about you!” he says whilst poking my forehead like some five year old. He must be trying to find the off button, I think to myself. I roll my eyes at the nurse who came in with him and she just shrugs apologetically.
“Just because I have cancer,” I blurt without thinking, “Doesn’t mean I’m brain damaged!” I finish. The Doctor suddenly goes all serious and coughs submissively. My anger eases slightly as I see my words sting.
“Well, Miya,” he says, pronouncing my name like something dirty on the sole of his shoe, “Seems as if your getting weaker again. I’m going to up your antibiotics and you have another scan on Wednesday at three o'clock” he drones, his heart not in it anymore. As per usual, I think. Stronger, weaker, stronger, then weaker again, when will it end? The Doctor sees my deflated face and gives me a sympathetic smile, then goes to have a talk with the nurse. She tries to hide her emotions, but I can see it in her face when she looks at me and my heart sinks into my stomach. When they leave, I stare blankly down at my book, my only personal item, given to me by the nice old man next door who recently passed away. He said he was going to give it to his grand daughter, but knew he wasn’t going to last long. Turns out he kicked the bucket that very night. These things happen I guess… Its nature’s way. I suddenly realise that I’m crying and wipe away my tears roughly. The little girl in the bed next to me says,
“It’s alright Miya!” and smiles at me. This tugs at my already half broken heartstrings. She’s only six years old and she’s going to die in a few weeks they say. At least I’ve had a bit of life, I’m fourteen. She hasn’t even started yet! I smile encouragingly at her and she giggles and goes back to her dot to dot book. I grimace at the cute scene, and wonder when the bed will be empty again. Lots of people have been through here; the old, the young. I call it the death ward. It’s for people who the doctors think haven’t got a chance. It’s kind of insulting really. I’ve been here two and a half years and still going. Always in the death ward… How depressing. I smile at the irony in spite of myself and open my book again. I sink back into the pillows and find the line I was on, trying to fight the sleep that’s scratching at my eyes.

***

“Yes.” She whispered and placed her delicate hand in his. He helped her up onto his black stallion and put his arms around her to expertly grip the reins. She clutches to his chest in fear as they ride away across the lightening skies. She peered down and saw nothing; the horse was galloping off on mid air. She looked up into Conn’s handsome face.
“Dear friend, pray tell. Where are you taking me?” She asks him. He wraps one arm around her protectively so she won’t fall into the almost endless void.
“To a friend, Princess, we need to get you a proper disguise, you can’t go into the city dressed in only a night dress.” He replies with a smile. Adale looked curiously over his right bicep, down at the green valleys and rolling hills dotted with trees with wide sparkling eyes and adventure in her heart. Behind them she saw Craydle Castle far in the distance and thought what her mother would say when she finds her gone from her chambers. The Princess turned and set her eyes on the horizon and the rising sun, wondering what sort of freedom those colours would bring. She felt a bump as they touched down and opened her weary eyes.
“We’re here, Princess.” Conn said into her hair. She jumped, then remembered where she was and blinked her eyes into focus. They were on the outskirts of Craydle City, in the farming district. Here, there were only a few houses with miles of rolling fields in between, a few trees around and lots of bushes for small animals like rabbits and foxes to scurry about in. They were outside an old shack of a farmhouse, with a shabby barn attached, proving the farming industry to be a not very prosperous one. Adale let Conn lift her lightly off the horse and he led her to the front door of the little run down shack. She was surprised as Conn walked past the door and lifted a large flap of the wall up.
“In here.” He said, looking quite normal. Adale gave him a quizzical look, but went over and bent over to look into the darkness under the flap. She looked back to see Conn with a guilty look on his face, and looking over his shoulders suspiciously.
“What wro-” Adale began, before she was cut off as a grimy hand was over her mouth and an arm around her waist and she was pulled roughly into the darkness. She was dragged down, kicking and fighting as hard as she could. A blind fold was put over her eyes, a gag over her mouth and her wrists tied roughly behind her back. She felt herself being lifted and then thrown roughly into some wooden floorboards. She could see light through the blind fold, but was completely disorientated and shaking in fear.
“So this is her?” said a gruff voice to her left.
“You can see that, just give me the money!” a voice snapped. She realised it was Conn and her heart sank into her stomach. She sank to the floor in utter defeat, realising she was betrayed to kidnappers. She heard sniggering at her, showing there was a lot of men in the room and she started to panic. She struggled to her knees and sat with her head down and her hair over the floor, trying not to look as defenceless as she was. She heard the jingle of coins indicating the pay off and someone left with heavy footfalls, letting the door slam behind them. Her ears we alert, the only sense that hadn’t been blocked. She heard heavy footfalls approach her and she tensed in fear. The man tore off her blind fold and pulled her face up roughly by her chin, causing her to grimace in pain. She blinked and squinted in the light, coming face to face with a monster; she tried to scream and instead got a foul taste of the cloth in her mouth and shuddered in disgust. The deformed man glared at her, one eye lost in a blood red tumour covering most of his face and obscuring his nose. She struggled, trying to get away from the decaying smell of rotting flesh. The man sneered and threw her back onto the floor; she landed hard and curled up in a ball, slightly winded. Someone else picked her up by the rope that tied her wrists to her waist and dragged her across the room to a big wooden door. She wriggled and tried to get free. The deformed man bent down and put the blind fold on her again, as she was dragged into another room and the door slammed shut.
“Be very still.” Said a young woman’s voice in her ear, “Don’t be frightened, I won’t hurt you.” Adale struggled to communicate with the girl but the gag stopped her. The girl wouldn’t remove the ropes or blind fold, but she stripped her and pulled an old skirt and corset onto her, all the time reassuring her that she was helping. She lifted Adale and let her walk through the next door, into a blinding light. She was so distracted by the pain in her eyes, that she barely realised the girl was untying her. All Adale could hear was noise; people talking and yelling, the rough sound of carts being pulled, animals barking and squawking in apparent distress, and pungent of all, the smell of dirt was everywhere.
Suddenly the blind fold was ripped off and Adale was blinded once again, she put her hands up to shield her eyes, then realised her wrists were free and her gag was gone. She squinted about her for the girl, but no on was there, she looked behind her and the door was just a blank stone wall. She looked back in front of her and blinked the fuzz out of her vision and her jaw dropped at the sight. She was in a peasant market place, packed with people milling about and stalls selling various pots and cloths and shoes. The noise was just as deafening, the barking from dogs at the chickens in cages, ready for the chop. Carts and wagons were jostling for a place to get round each other in the crowd and Adale had to step backwards and flatten herself against the wall to let a donkey drag a cart of beef past her through the sludge underfoot. Adale flicked her head around, trying to take in everything, then realised her bare feet were slowly sinking in the mud and she struggled out of it in disgust, accidentally walking into a man carrying snakes all over him. She squeaked and backed away from him looking apologetic and bumps against a stall with pig’s ears and trotters for sale. She clapped her hands over her mouth and tried to hold down her gag in disgust and walked quickly away from the stall up the street, occasionally getting stuck in mud. She didn’t have a clue where she was going, but walking calmed her down slightly, until she accidentally started going down a street with beggars all over the place, trying desperately to get money from her by clasping at her knees and she stumbled away in fear. She found a corner that looked about as safe as she could get and sank down onto an overturned barrel and put her face in her hands in despair. A passer by spotted her and made a bee line through the crowd towards her.
“Hey!” said a voice above her and she started and peered up through her hair to see a face smiling at her, "Why the long face little darlin’?” The young man asked. Adale was so elated that someone was being remotely kind to her, that she jumped up and flung her arms around his neck and burst into tears. The boy cried out in surprise,
“Hey, hey! What’s that fuss?!” He asked, trying to keep balance with a taller woman leaning on him. He coughed awkwardly and pushed her gently off him. She stood helplessly, trying to wipe away the tears running down her face. He peered at her curiously,
“Are you…? No way, you couldn’t be… but you look an awful lot like… Ahh never mind.” He waved a hand dismissively. Adale sniffed and tried to compose herself,
“Kind Sir, whom do I look like?” She asked, her princess formality showing through. He gawped at her,
“Sir?!” he said, making a disgusted face, “There ‘ent no Sirs round here, I’m Tyler, and you must be Adale!” he said triumphantly, but still keeping his voice down. Adale jumped and backed away,
“How do you know my name?” She asked, her eyes widening in shock. Tyler stepped towards her, grabbing hold of her wrist,
"Now now," he said in an attempt to be reassuring, but having completely the opposite effect, "Don't make a fuss, just cool it down, 'kay?" Adale cried out and struggled to release herself from his grip and shoved herself past him and back into the bustling street and, in her blinded desperateness, she bumped into a cart holding decaying bodies of those who had been taken by the dreaded, ravaging plague. She screamed and threw her self away from the cart, hitting her head on something hard and wooden sounding and blacked out whilst falling thickly into the mud and sludge and unnamed dirt of the street.

***

I suddenly wake up without the book in my hands and have a complete panic, scrabbling around in the dark for it. My hand hits something hard and I feel it to find the book has been closed with the bookmark and placed neatly on my side table. A breath out in relief; if I lost that I would never have forgiven myself. I let my fingers roam and caress the front of the book, following the embossed letters spelling the words "Armouroth". I think to myself for a moment about the story. A world of savage war and death, kidnapping and betrayal. How could there be any love in this story? Is there any happiness at all? Who was Tyler? How did he know Adele? What could become of them? All these unanswerable questions do nothing but make my brain hurt, so I roll over and stare at the opposite wall, light streaming from a curtain less window and illuminating a square patch on the cold, clean floor. I slip out from under my covers and tiptoe over to the patch of light. I peer down at its bright perfect ness with a curious longing. I sudden realise i still have Armouroth in my hand and I hold it in front of me, the light glinting off the golden swirling letters and the picture of the city seemed to come alive before my eyes with some other hidden meaning. I clutch the book tightly to my chest and stare at the square of light again. It looks so simple and innocent, yet unforgiving and seeming to emit a sense of hopelessness. I never thought a patch of light would have so much meaning.
Everything seems to have more meaning to you when you know you are going to die. I step carefully into the square of light, and stand in the middle. I glance down at my glowing bare feet, and then lift my eyes to look through the window. I have to squint at first, as I am blinded by light, but i blink a few times and my pupils adjust. The bright circle of the moon looms above me like a way out; a release. I whisper to myself quietly, tears creating tracks down my cheeks as I pray to the grey moon shining above me.
"I know I let you down, mother. Wherever you are... If you can even hear me. I pray for you to set me free from this prison of living without life. Even if I have to die... But it's not like that now." I furrow my brow into a small determined frown "This time I’ll never let you go." I close my eyes and let the glowing moon bath me in a warm tender light. Inside I feel my spirit soar. I smile lightly and sink to my knees, dropping the book and hear it slide along the smooth surface. I put my palms flat on the cold concrete floor just feel the harsh realness of it. My brown straggled hair slides past my shoulders and scratches at my face as I feel my own tears drip onto the back of my hands. I suddenly open my eyes, loosing focus. The world spins and a catch a glimpse of the ceiling and the moon in the window before everything falls dark. My last sense is reaching desperately for the book and just being able to grip it tightly before slipping away.

***

Adale opened her eyes to a sudden sting of noise and shut them tightly again. She tried to squint her eyes open and realised that the sting is from the light and the noise is gone. She managed to focus on what’s before her and saw a small brown face with huge staring green eyes. The face smiled and laughed, the sound throbbed through her brain then, quick as a flash, disappeared. She heard a voice beginning loudly then fading further away.
"TYWER" it’s squealed happily "Tywer awake... awake!" In the distance a lower, harsher voice said something inaudible and suddenly her vision was crowded with many small faces all smiling at her. She frowned and blinked confusedly as all the children stared curiously at her.
She groaned and lifted herself slightly. All the small faces ducked in surprise and peeked over the edge of her modest bed in which she had been slumbering. She looked down at all the huge eyes staring back at her in utter confusion. Her eyes lifted to roam around her room and found herself in a wooden shack. The room itself was small but she saw from the view of rolling fields out the big but filthy window, that the house was several floors high and on the outskirts of the city. It was light outside, looking about midday according to how high the sun was in the sky. The window was south facing, ready to catch the evening sun when it started to sink. She looked down to see she was still in her nightdress and lifted the shabby blanket to cover herself from the prying eyes. She blinked and her eyes widen sharply as the memories of the previous day came flooding back and she suddenly felt very ill indeed. She covered her mouth with her hand and threw herself out of her bed, sprinted past the gasping children and the door opened just as she ran to it. She blindly smashed into whoever just opened the door and almost fell but was caught by strong arms. She gasped and looked up, her hair swinging wildly around her to see the young man she met yesterday who called himself Tyler. He frowned down at her, seeing the slight greenish tinge to her face and jumped into action. He pulled her by the arm down a wooden corridor and past a rickety set of stairs and across the landing, flew open a door and grabbed a bowl and put it in front of her just in time for her to wretch up the contents of her stomach. He held her hair back out the way and put his comforting arms around her while she sat shaking uncontrollably. She melted into his arms with mental exhaustion and he carried her back to her bed and sat her upright, propped up with goose feather pillows. She snuggled up to her quilt and peered down at the children. One small brown girl nudged another blonde haired girl with bright blue eyes. The tall blonde girl nudged back. The small girl tugged on her sleeve and looked up at the older girl with a pleading face. The blonde girl started to get annoyed and hissed at her,
"You ask her!" The brown haired one gulped and looked at Adele and said in a very tiny voice,
"W...would you like some… water?" then ducked after showing a huge blush on her cheeks. Adele couldn’t help but smile at the shy girl and nodded to her. The little girl smiled sheepishly and hurried off the fetch it, swinging herself round the door frame before disappearing across the landing. Her loud footsteps could be heard of her hoping happily down the rickety, squeaking stairs. The blonde girl watched her go, then glancing back at Adele, giving her an up and down accusing stare, then followed the small one out the door in a rather more mature manner. Adele counted nine small children all together, the blonde one seemed to be the oldest, and the brown haired the youngest, with seven others merely distinguished as "in between". A small boy with scrappy black hair tangled around his head piped up next, on her left.
"Miss," he said, bobbing up and down excitedly, "Are you going to be our mother?" He smiled up at her with big green eyes. Tyler laughed awkwardly and elbowed the boy away with a slight reddish tinge.
"...Children!" He said, seeming to try and answer for the boy's innocence. The boy stuck out his bottom lip and opened his mouth, ready to argue, when he was stopped by the two girls returning. The younger was carefully carrying a glass of water with her tongue poking out in concentration, as if her life depended on not spilling it. The older girl was carrying a plate of bread with much less enthusiasm, letting the bread slide around the plate and holding it casually in one hand.