Steep. Massive. Impenetrable. That’s what the mountains have always been. I’ve always wondered what lies beyond them. What lies beyond my Kingdom of Lux.
My father is King Edward, my mother, Queen Daisy. My three brothers are Prince Kaleb and Prince Jamie, the twins, and my baby brother, prince George. My only sister is Amber, and I, Princess Sapphire, am the oldest daughter of the King. My twin brothers, both at the age of 17, a baby brother only three years of age, and my precious, wild sister who is 12, only four years younger than me.
Tonight we are to travel out of Lux and into the middle of the Five Main Kingdoms. It will be good to finally leave this dreadful place. It has been almost six years since we’ve left Lux and three years since we have been out of the palace. I know my duty, to marry a wealthy prince who will help our kingdom, we are beginning to face a huge threat. Although we do not know the details.
I stand up and look into the mirror, and once again admire my beautiful features. My eyes, as dark blue as the glistening stone carved upon the necklace my mother gave me. A perfect nose, rich dark hair, and flawless skin. I am positive I will win over someone.
I have to. Before my deadline. Before he comes.
The carriage is rickety even though it was made by the best crafter in Lux. The travel to The Center has been tiring so far. I played with my younger sister and my two older brothers told us stories the whole way. My mother had stayed home with my baby brother, thinking he could not make this trip. We have ridden a tiring journey across the mountains, but we have not made it out of Lux yet. The day has left us not too long ago and the sound of crickets chirping resounds through the small cabin. Everyone else has fallen long asleep.
I hear a low muttering sound from outside. And the crunching of footsteps on fresh, wet grass. I can feel my heart pumping as I slide out of bed. I open the door slightly and peer into the darkness. I open the door even wider and step out into the cool night air. I walk around the forest, looking around. I see nothing as the darkness around me thickens. My head starts to feel heavily, and I collapse. Sleep finds me easily.
"Hello, my dear" I wake to a soft whisper.
"Huh?" I mumble groggily. I open my eyes to find myself in an unfamiliar room. He stands looking down at me. I try to back away, but I find myself frozen.
"Welcome, my precious Sapphire," he says
"Where am I?" I barely manage to say. "You… You promised… You said a year, I still have time left."
"Oh, Sapphire. You are with me, in my kingdom." he says with a grin. He sits down next to me, on the bed, and continues, "Besides, who can wait?"
My heart starts pounding like crazy. I feel dread gripping me. "But, you… you… promised..." I stammer, this can’t be happening, this can’t be happening.
"When did I?" he purrs.
I wake up from my dream, breathing hard. I sigh with relief as I realize it was only a dream. I lie still for a moment before rising.
I race farther into the deep, vast forest. I breath in the fresh, crisp air. I look up at the sun, It’s almost dawn, and there’s not a single sound in the forest. But the forest is so green and beautiful, so inviting. I run around trying to get the dream out of my head. What if comes to get me. What if he takes Amber instead?
"Sapphire? Where have you gone?" I hear my sister call out. “Sapphire!”
”"Here!" I yell as I spin in a circle trying to find where I came from. I don't hear a reply. "Amber?" I say cautiously. Still, no reply. Then I hear the trees rustle behind me and I stop breathing.
The hair on the back of my neck stands up. “Amber!” I call out. Using all my strength, I run and run and run, my heart pounding wildly in my chest, using energy I didn’t even know I had. I don’t know where to, but I do know that I have to keep running. Eventually, I collapse from sheer exhaustion. My heart is beating wildly and I struggle to breath. I have to keep running, I think frantically, I have to get to Amber. But slowly my vision blurs and I black out.
I wake up and find myself surrounded in complete darkness. I can’t see anything. The ground feels hard and surprisingly like stone, unlike the grassy, forest floor I was just on. I sit up, using my hands to guide me. The world feels distant, my head starts to spin and I feel nauseous. I hear slow, soft footsteps, coming toward me. Somehow the darkness seems to become darker, and it spreads. The footsteps stop. Slowly, ever so slowly, a dim light, that can barely be called a light appears. It slowly shines brighter and brighter.
I don’t know what to think, but I have a sudden urge to get closer to the light. It’s like it’s pulling me toward it. I resist, I know that I can’t be that foolish. Soon enough, the light grows bright enough for me to see the silhouette of the figure. My body fills with anticipation. Then, I see the person. The tension in my body rushes out immediately, it’s not him. But, my body tenses again as I see I don’t know him. My eyes narrow. He stares at me so coldly, it sends a shiver up my spine.
Finally, he bows, then says “Welcome, Princess Sapphire. To my Kingdom, Noctis.”
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