Chapter 1
The girl walked happily across the sunlit garden, pausing for a moment on the path to admire the striking sight of the castle standing tall and proud on the high cliff that overlooked the crashing waves of the sea.
Taking a deep breath of contentment, the girl inhaled the sweet perfume of the roses that occupied the small corner of the garden and smiled, reaching out to deftly pluck an unusually large, bright bloom as an impulsive gift for her brother.
At the sudden call of her name, she turned her head sharply around in startled fright, relaxing immediately and a soft smile curving her lips when she recognized the deep, pleasant voice, and the tall, commanding figure of the man that was striding purposefully towards her.
Glancing quickly around, the girl motioned for the man to follow her, leading him across the garden until they stood in a walled-off section where few, if any, other people came. And, of course, perhaps the one place in the entire kingdom where they would be undisturbed. It was also her favorite place in the kingdom, this small garden filled with brilliant red and white roses, the only flowers that she grew, unlike the main palace gardens, where the delicate scents of the roses there mingled with violets, lilies, and other blooms.
She had had the high stone wall built to create a sense of privacy, her own private world where she could escape the sometimes harsh reality of her everyday life. Though, in truth, the wall only enclosed three sides of the little garden. The eastern side was dominated entirely by part of the majestic cliff that the castle itself stood upon, and had been converted instead into a sort of elaborate, cobblestone balcony complete with a low, ornately carved, limestone handrail. She enjoyed this feature in particular because she could stand there and watch the sea far below, the rhythm of the waves and sight of the mist driven up from the pounding surf against the sharp cliff rocks created a sense of peace that she seldom managed to find elsewhere. It was to this vantage point that she led the man that accompanied her.
Turning to her companion, she noted most of all the fact that his eyes were filled with both love and affection, and a little sorrow, as well. "I didn’t want anyone to see us." She explained, fidgeting slightly with the silky hem of her ice blue dress. The man nodded slowly, absently reaching out with a slender, long-fingered hand and running it through her thick hair.
"Of course." He answered gravely, "If anyone should see us together like this….without one of your chaperones." He broke off, shifting uncomfortably, echoing the girl’s nervous demeanor in a manner that made him seem much younger than he really was, though she knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Especially my brother." She whispered hollowly, filled with the vision of what could happen if her beloved older brother ever learned what existed between his treasured younger sister and his loyal head commander. The resulting scene would not, she knew, be pleasant.
"It’s dangerous for us to be together, isn’t it?" she asked hesitantly, "Even here?" The man nodded silently, not wanting to admit even that simple, but painful truth out loud. "I know it is." She mused softly, "But I can’t help how I feel about you. I don’t care what my brother or anyone else would think, I still love you." She breathed, gazing up sadly into his sharp-featured, but handsome face.
The man smiled, his unusually metallic, pale eyes softening as they met her own in a brief, but infinitely touching, moment of communion. "I love you too, with all my soul." He whispered softly, his normally controlled voice suddenly thick with emotion as he moved to take her into his arms, his head lowering to kiss her gently on the lips.
Filled with a heady sense of peace and love, the girl embraced him back, her pale-skinned arms wrapping around his broad shoulders as she surrendered to the feeling that nothing could ever come between the two of them.
Although she was unsure how her alertness could have been so quickly dissolved, the sudden sound of a harsh gasp caused her to break the kiss. And she turned her head to gaze in utter horror at the sight of her elder brother standing only a few feet away, his handsome young face frozen with shock.
"Sister!" he uttered in a voice that was at first hesitant with surprise, but which filled quickly with cold fury, "What is going on here?" he demanded, although it was not really a question, and both of them knew it.
"My Prince," Her companion began quickly, releasing her from his embrace and stepping cautiously away, "It’s not what it seems. Please, let me explain-"
"Traitor!" the prince all but hissed, "How dare you try to take advantage of your princess! A girl less than half your age, no less! My father and I trusted you! When he hears of this-" Her brother broke off suddenly, his fists clenching in pure anger, "I will have you executed! Do you hear me? Executed! No man makes a fool of my sister and lives!"
"Brother, please! Don’t seek revenge! He’s done nothing wrong!" she pleaded, tears filling her bright eyes and beginning to run down her face, her heart filled with fear and despair. In disbelief, her brother gave a bitter laugh, "Done nothing wrong!" he seemed utterly incredulous, "I see you in the arms of our army’s highest commander, a man old enough to be your father, and you claim that he’s done nothing wrong!"
She shook her head, desperately trying to make him see reason. She loved her brother with all of her heart, but, like their father the king, he was incredibly stubborn and set in his ways, but, then again, she thought fiercely, so was she! "No!" She declared boldly, "You don’t understand! I love him, brother!"
At her words, the fury almost glowed in the prince’s dark blue eyes, "You’re crazy!" he exclaimed. And that single statement pierced her heart more sharply than any arrow or blade ever could, for her brother had never said anything even remotely cruel to her, he had always been her hero, her protector.
"You’re just a girl!" He continued, "That traitor’s been filling your mind with nothing but lies! You’re too young to even know what love is!" At these last words, the princess felt her blood boil hot with rage, and what last vestige of control that she had retained when her brother had charged into her private garden, dissolved in the face of this most cutting insult.
"Need I remind you, Brother," she replied in a voice that was dangerously calm, her eyes narrowing in anger, "That I am only two years your junior, and a woman by our kingdom’s own laws. I am old enough to know my own feelings and who to apply them to! And while I may not be our people’s heir, I am still their warrior, and, let you understand this, my brother, I will not ALLOW him to be harmed!"
Her brother backed away slightly, rocked to the core by his sister’s defiance. But, being the man that he was, he recovered quickly. "He’s a traitor!" The prince snapped, "Our father trusted him to lead our forces and to protect you from harm, and instead he has corrupted you! And for that, he will die! By my hand!" Her brother hissed, in the blink of an eye, it seemed, drawing his sword from his scabbard and preparing to lunge at the older man.
"No! Brother, please!" The princess screamed, throwing herself at him and wrapping her arms around his sword arm, desperate to make him drop the gleaming weapon before it could harm the man that she loved. Glaring at her in blind anger, the prince gave a powerful thrust with his arm, sending her reeling backwards and away from him, her arms flailing as she tried to regain her balance and failed, the last sight she was conscious of seeing the sight of her brother’s face, expression slowly fading from vibrant anger to sudden fear and shock.
After that, she was not truly aware of what had happened, only that she heard the sickening sound of crumbling stone, the voice of her love screaming in pure anguish and horror, and the sound of her own terrified screams as she plummeted helplessly downward into cold oblivion.
Instantly, the vision changed, and she was falling again. Only now she seemed to be encased in a huge cage of dull metal. Her cries emerging in fear-filled shrieks from a throat that was much younger than the one she had been using before. But her terror much the same as her entire body felt more than saw the terrible impact of the cage against the hard ground. And the terrible sound of shattering glass that was followed almost immediately by the sense of flying, after which she landed roughly onto the cold, damp earth, weakly calling for her mother before she collapsed in a boneless, unconscious heap.