CHAPTER 1: HIDDEN MOTIVES
A young, bergundy-haired girl ran, her boots pounding on the dirt path towards the castle at the top of the hill. In her haste she did not see the mud puddle in front of her, and splashed murky water onto her leg. "Ack," she muttered, "I hate rainy Springs." The three armed guards that were after her began to catch up. "Why are they always after me?" she cried, pushing herself faster.
"Don?t let her reach the castle!" one of them shouted as she began to get to far ahead.
The girl ran faster and breathed deeply. "Open the gates!" she screamed.
Another girl rushed up towards the window in her bedroom. "Fira?" she muttered. She noticed the guards behind the other girl. She ran out of her room, down the stairs, and into the courtyard behind the gates. "Open!" she yelled at the guard that was ignoring the girl's cries.
The gates slowly came up as the girl and the guards came closer and closer. The girl ducked under the gates just as a metal arrow flew by her shoulder. The gates slammed down behind her. She practicly collapsed on the stone floor. Her heart pounded in her chest.
"Fira?!", the young, elegant Princess Juniper asked, "Fira, what happened? Are you alright?!"
Fira pulled herself to her feet with the help of the princess. "The guards? from Karsher? chasing? me," she panted.
Juniper looked mildly surprised. "What?? Why?"
Fira shook her head. "I don't know. Everytime I wander anywhere far from the castle they come after me."
"Come on. Let's get you inside your room," Juniper said as she lead Fira towards the stairs. Later Juniper left her room and went to the throneroom. She peeked inside, "Um? daddy?"
The king looked away from the window he was staring out of and turned in her dirrection. "What is it, Juniper?"
Juniper stepped inside. "Well, this morning Fira was chased by some Karshian guards?"
Her father looked back to the window so Juniper would not see the look in his eyes. "So, they know," he muttered in a barely audible voice.
"What was that?" Juniper asked although she had heard what he said.
The king sighed. "Nothing, dear. Tell your friend to keep inside the castle walls. Under no curcumstances shall she leave. The servants will go out and get her anything she needs."
Juniper continued to stand silently. "Why?" she finally asked.
"Just do it."
Juniper tried to think of something to say in protest. She nodded. "Yes, daddy." Then she turned and walked out.
The king waited untill she was out of hearing distance. He said outloud to himself, "Let us just hope she doesn't lead our enemies to the sacred treasures of Elyron. If they get a hold of those, my kingdom is doomed."
Juniper turned and walked down a hall of doors. Light from the early sunrise streamed through the single window. At the hall's end was a door marked "Fira". Juniper knocked lightly on the door. "Fira, are you here?"
"Yeah," Fira's boyish voice answered, "Come on in."
Juniper opened the door the door and stepped in. Fira lay on her back motionless on her bed. The princess took a seat in the chair oppisite of the bed. "Your back hurting again?", she asked sympatheticly.
"Yeah," Fira sighed, "The healing balm has no effect anymore."
Juniper glanced down and waited to tell Fira what her father said. After a few moments of silence she finally spoke, "Daddy said that you have to stay here."
Fira quickly sat up and looked at Juniper with wide eyes. "But.. why?"
"This I do not know," Juniper said, "First he said something to himself like "they know." Then he told me that you were not to leave here, and the servents will get you anything you need from the outside."
Fira took a moment to let it sink in. "Did he tell you how long?"
Juniper shock her head. "However, I am guessing that it will be until the war is over. He had to of meant the rival kingdom when he said "they know.""
Fira sighed. She lay on her back again. "It is too early to debate it. I'll stay here for awhile and then if I am not allowed to leave, I will protest and find a way out of here."
"Uhh.." Fira dropped heavily onto her bed. Sweat soaked into the white sheets her my muscles ached uncontrollably. Fira's breath drew short and steady as she began to recover from the day's workout. She rolled over to the bed?s edge and stood up. Pulling the curtains back and opening the two glass doors, Fira walked slowly onto the bocany and let the cool night air fill her lungs. "Too bad it?s not raining," she thought, "I love rain as long as I don't get wet." The wind blew fire-red bangs on top of her short, burgundy hair and forced her eyes closed.
"Are you alright, Fira?? the female voice she knew well asked.
Fira didn?t bother turning around. She replied, "I'll be okay. This is what makes the entire workout worth it." She smiled slightly to herself.
"What? The freezing wind?" Juniper said sarcasticly. She walked towards her friend. She gripped onto Firs's right arm and pulled her back into my room. She said in her soft voice that made her sound thirteen, "It?ll make you sick." She shut the doors and pulled the curtains back into place. She sat in the chair she always sat in when she was in this room. Juniper?s wavy, baby-pink hair was still neatly in a low ponytail. She was already dressed for bed with a sleeply look in her eyes. "Why do you insist on doing this to yourself?" she asked as she eyed Fira.
"I have to stay in shape. Who knows, maybe someday I can escape from this hell hole," Fira said dryly. She stood and began to change into nightclothes.
Juniper laughed and crossed her arms. "The castle isn't that bad. There are servants, good food, and men. What else could you possibly need?"
Fira lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. She paused. "I want my life back. I miss my friends and my freedom. I feel like such a prisoner."
Juniper sighed. She knew that Fira was depressed; she didn't know what to say. "Maybe when we crush the kingdom of Karsher, you can go free. It's only been a month since you have been kept here. You know that they want you dead or captured for some reason, don't you?"
Fira sat streight up and said, "I can take care of myself, Juni." She glanced at the window . "Leave me now," she said softly.
Juniper stood and walked out. "Night, Fira."
Fira reached over and turned off the light. She woke again at four AM and was unable to go back to sleep. Something had changed in her the last few days. Her kingdom, Elyron, and Karsher had been fighting since was thirteen, right before her mother died two years ago. Only the leaders of both countries knew what the war was about. For the past two years, the citizians had accepted the ignorance that was forced upon them. And Fira stayed in the castle for an entire month without questioning their right to keep her inside the castle walls.
She got up and stumbled to the barred, double windows. "So close to the outside," she thought. Over the castle wall all that could be seen were a few single lights. "I would rather be at either one of those lights than here. This war will never be over," she said out loud, "If I left tonight, I just might make it out. Espescially since Juniper is the only one that knows I wanna get out."
Then it was decided. Fira shot over to her dresser and haistaly stuffed the few precious processions into a dark-red backpack. "Wait, I need a plan," she told myself in a wisper. Fira ran to the window and made a mental note of where the gaurds were. "There is a truck going out soon," she reminded myself as I looked at the nearby clock. She knew this because a few times she helped load the cargo.
She slowly opened the bedroom door. Fira winced at the creaking sound it made. The dark hallway was empty as usual with a row of light bulbs on both sides. She crept as quietly as possible towards the east end. "I'll call you later," she wispered as she passed Juniper's door, although I knew it would not be heard.
At the next window Fira peared out. "This won't be easy," she thought. Fira's eyes, one purple and one grayish-blue, lit up when she saw the army-stlye jeep beneath the ledge outside the window. "Right on time as always," she said in my normal voice. The nearest guard was a deaf guy, luckily for her, he would not hear it if she jump. She breathed in and out deeply to ready herself. The window easily slid open. One leg out, then her tourso, and then the other leg. She paused on the ledge to gather her courage. The almost-morning air was colder than she had ever remembered it to be.
Fira jumped off the ledge. She hit the soft top of the jeep harder than she thought that she would. She groaned in pain and rolled off onto the ground. Fira stood slowly and rubbed her shoulders. "Oh.. oow." She brushed the grass and morning-mist off herself the best she could before climbing into the back of the jeep. "Yuck," she muttered. The tarp in front of her smelled like mildew, and being wet would make the smell worse. "There has to be somewhere else to hide under," she muttered. Before she could debate it any longer she heard the voices. "The drivers," she thought. She hid under the tarp without thinking about the smell. A moment later the jeep jerked into motion.
The heat woke Fira. She slowly peeked outside the tarp. "It's.. noon," she though when she noticed the sun directly above her. Her stomach growled, reminding her to get lunch as soon as she could. She began to move into a more confortable possition, accidently kicking a wooden crate. She cringed and hoped the noise would go unnoticed. The jeep stopped. "O.. oh," she muttered to herself. "Maybe they didn't stop because of me, " she hoped. One of the men in front opened his door. Fira lay under the tarp and tried to stay completely still. "I'm not here," she thought, "Go away." She felt the tarp being pulled off her. She sat up and waved. "Hi, um.. I was looking for my cat. I must have fallen asleep. However, I will be going right about now. Bye," Fira said nervously.
She began to get out, but the driver stepped in front of her. "I know who you are," he said, "The king wants everyone to help keep you inside, child". She was caught.
The iron cell door slammed shut. "I am sorry Fira," the king apologized, "But we have to keep you in the castle anyway we can."
"Why?" Fira asked from behind the bars. The king remained silent and walked away.
Fira paced around the cell most of the day, occasionally doing random exercises. After nightfall her back began to ache again. She slowly slumped into the back right corner. She had been getting these pains since she could remember. The healers could do nothing for her but give her healing balms, but those soon lost their effect.
She had nearly fallen asleep in her corner when the door opened. Juniper stepped inside. "Juni?"
"I'm gonna get you out of here, but only if you take me with you." She walked towards Fira and sat on the hard floor. "I hate this. You are not a prisioner, Fira. Even a princess has no rights."
Fira stared blankly at Juniper. "What do you mean? You can do anything you want."
Juniper laughed lightly. "You would think that, yes. But I, as the future monarch, am put under a lot of pressure. I mean, all Daddy ever talks about is what I have to do. I am to be married in two months to someone I met only twice," she said softly, "I would like to see what it is like to be a normal person and raise a family with a man who that I love."
"Juni.."
Juniper looked at Fira pleadingly. "Please, take me with you. Without my help you will not get out of here at all. It's the whole way or nothing, Fira. Please." Fira, for the first time, noticed the backpack on Juniper's shoulders and the other in her hand. Juniper continued, "I have everything ready."
Fira stood with the support of Juniper's shoulders. "Alright," she sighed.
Juniper grinned. "I knew it. Let's go!"
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