There standing outside of the big wooden doors of the Great castle, she stood. Her long blonde hair flying through the air. Rippling in sync with the wind. Her face was smeared with dirt. Her arms and legs coated in mud. And her hair was a tangled mess from having no brush.

She looked up but all she could make out was the large towers. The door was a dark almost blackish color. The stone around it looked old and crumbly. The stones were gray for the most part but covering it there was white splotches. There was also a tree to the right of it. The leaves a beautiful green hue that stood out among the dark door and the darker walls.

She raised her shaking hand, balling it into a fist bringing it down on the door three times. One minute went by than two but before the third there were the faint sound of footsteps. They grew louder, even from behind the large thick door, making it easy to hear someone was coming.

The steps soon stopped and the door began to open. Her heart beat faster and her mind warned her to run and hid, but she shoved it down and told herself to stand her ground and take whatever came. She could not run, not after this long journey. She took a deep breath and looked up at the door watching it swing open, revealing a boy. A young boy that had to be just a year or two older than she was. He was taller than her though and well built.

He stood there looking down at her as she stood there like an idiot. She was shocked at how young he was. She couldn’t help but feel helf thinking about anything else that what she was supposed to be doing. Her mind wandering to her kingdom and if there was anyone like him there.

A gruff, grumpy voice pulled her out of her thoughts as she looked back to the young man. “Who are you? And what are you going here?” She realized that she was standing there doing nothing as this man looked at her. She left like an idiot and knew she probably looked like on too.

“My name is Era, Era Symbola.”

“And?” he spoke. She looked at him trying to figure out what he had asked, “Why are you here?”

“Right. I have come to speak with the King Odien.”

“Do you have a letter?” he asked holding his hand out.

“A letter? A letter about what?” confusion present on her face as she thought long and hard if she had been given a letter, “I was not given a letter. I was sent by my king.”

“If you don’t have a letter you have no permission to be let in.”

“No! Please I must speak to the King Odien!” she shouted feeling completely weak, and pathetic. How had this happened. She came all this way just to be turned away.

“I cannot do anything for you if you have no letter. Go back home and gain a letter than you may return and come in, until then have a good day My Lady.”

She watched as he turned walking into the palace slamming the door behind him.

She felt her knees give way as she feel to the ground. She didn’t understand how this had happened. She had traveled all this way to come here and she was turned away. She was turned away because she had no letter saying that she was allowed into the palace. Somewhere in her mind she knew that the prince knew this when he sent her. He knew that she wouldn’t be allowed in and sent her anyways. He wants her to die. He wanted her to either die doing her job or to die when she came back because he had given her no letter.

She felt angry rising for her Prince. She was angry with him for his thought that it was somehow her fault the king and queen were killed. She was angry that he sent her to do this job rather than one of the fully trained knights. She was angry that he sent her to her death.

Why was she doing all this work for a man who wants her dead?

She looked around seeing the tree once again. This time it was a dull green as if it had lost all its color. She pushed herself up and off the ground walking over to the tree. If she was sent here to find those responsible she was going to do it and prove to the prince that he was wrong for all that he had done to her, she was going to finish her job. She sat down under the tree, laying on the ground staring up at the sky.

The sun had made its way down. Falling slowly into the abyss of the sky. It only left the a canopy of luminous stars. They were dull, flickering in and out of view. But they also shimmered illuminating the dark, moonless night. The faint wind brushed against her face as she sat there staring at the wonderful sky.

The sky was so bright even without the light of a moon. The moon had taken its shelter behind a set of clouds. It’s light not coming through the clouds but you knew that it was there.

She felt herself slowly fall into an almost endless sleep. Her eyes closing as the light from the sky was cut out like a window had been shut. And then like she was never awake, there was only darkness in her vision.

Through this darkness she felt scared. She had forgotten how being in complete darkness felt. She feared it even though there was nothing to fear. It brought her back to that night where the blood stained sword rested against her neck. She could feel it there again. The cold metal against her neck, the blood dripping off the sword and falling upon her clothes. She even felt the breath of the man holding onto her. It terrified her, but she was unable to escape the terror of it, being pulled in farther into her dreams and nightmares.

          The sun peaked out from the confinement of the night sky. Sending the light all across the land. Not being confined from anything. There were no clouds to cover the light it cast. Nothing. It had the whole sky to shine in and to be free. The light fell coving the ground and thel young woman who slept on the ground. It warmed her face, as he began to stir awake.

She sat up rubbing her eyes trying to wake herself. She opened her eyes. The sky blue, and gold speckled eyes. She looked around looking at her surroundings. The previous day she didn’t care enough to look at where she was. Her only job was to find the man. Not to sightsee.

The land around her was covered in grass. There was the road, each side home to vibreat green grass and large trees casting shadows upon the ground. There weren’t very many trees but there were enough to cast huge dark shadows on the ground. They created homes for the animals that needed a cool break from this deadly heat, and those who came to visit like she had.

Enjoying the heat and light of the sun, for a few more minutes, she sat there. Than she stood up and stretched out. The long branched of the tree tickling her arms. She looked up at the tree she slept under and saw the it was a large, beautiful willow tree. She had seen them before but never this big and healthy. She moved under the tree and leaned against the trunk of the tree.

She closed her eyes taking in a deep breath just letting the wind blow over her. She had never felt so peaceful before. This place she was at just seemed so much more like a home to her than the one she was at. Even if she had been denied inside she was certain it was even more beautiful than out here.

She opened her eyes again grabbing her bag and brining it up to her. She opened the bag and checked to make sure she still had everything that she needed in there. She found two books, some apples and other food, a pouch of water (which she had to make sure she conserved in cause is they had no intention to let her in), and some small sharpening tools. Once she was certain that she still had everything she pulled out a book and an apple. She opened to book to the page she had left off at and began reading while eating the apple.

The day went on very slowly. It seemed as if the day was not moving at all. Nothing seemed to change other than the slow dimming of the sky.

The young woman had finished the first book, and her second one before she started sharpening her weapons. She hoped the sun would go faster for she was running out of things to do. As if answering her prayers the sun finally found its home behind the land.

The sun hid from their views changing the sky to a deep pick and purple, than to a dark blue and black full of bright stars. She felt herself staring at the changing sky fascinated with its beauty. She had always loved watching the sky change for the colors and wonders of it were just so beautiful that it was hard for her not to watch. She loved how the sky set changing the sky into all the different colors that no one could hope that capture in a painting for they wouldn’t have the right colors.

When the sun was completely out of sight she found herself still staring at the sky and all the stars littered around it.

When she did tear her eyes away she placed her sword away and her tools back into the bag. She placed her bag onto the ground and laid down on it using it as a pillow. It was not very comfy but if would have to do for now. She closed her eyes as she was pulled into darkness, until the morning when the sun rose.