A journey of peace - GOU book 1

Chapter 1

Nicole was standing over the stone that marked the place her mother was buried at. She was wearing a long-sleeved cloak over her dress and its hood was dancing in the wind as a black flag but she didn't care. Her genes let her use more heat so she wasn't cold, the cloak was more for disguise than protection from the almost freezing environment.

A tear dropped from her eyes and landed on the ground. After her first tear, more wanted to come, but a sound behind her made her behave herself. She wiped the remains of the salty water from her face before she turned around, to see who was there while testing the air to make sure it wasn't anyone hostile. The scent made her growl even before the figure stepped closer and she saw him.

"Your father is looking for you Princess" Her guard was standing there with understanding eyes. "He is worried you went out to the city."

"I'm coming" Nicole turned back to the tombstone for a second before she went after her guard.

Their trip back was quiet. Nicole wanted more than five uninterrupted minutes with her mother and Jasper had no idea how to help the princess. Her hood now completely off her head, Jasper saw the fox-like ears droop in despair. After the queen's passing Nicole was left as the oldest shapeshifter in her family and though there were others like her, she didn't know any of them enough or they weren't in a position to help her.

When they arrived back, the castle was turned upside down. Seemingly everyone had some important thing to do. Amelia was the only one standing in the doorway as if knowing that her sister will arrive back. Nicole rolled her eyes at the notion, although a tiny bit of her subconscious kept telling her that Amelia did in fact know.

"Father is really worried about you," Amelia said when she spotted Nicole. "You keep disappearing, and you know that everything outside the castle is still a warzone. It is only a matter of time before you run into a dragon. Or worse." They were walking up the stairs toward the throne room.

When her mother died, Nicole was crushed. It wasn't just the fact that she lost her at a young age, but somehow the very atmosphere of the castle changed. She felt drawn to the tombstone and the forest. At first only the gravesite, but the more she gave in to the feeling, the more the dark forest called to her. She felt uneasy. She didn't belong to the castle anymore, and the more people tried to help her, the less she felt at home. Amelia was the only person who felt close to her. Nicole could feel that her sister was different. She couldn't quite place the difference, but she felt it deep in her bones. There was a warmth to her that sparked something in Nicole. The fact that Amelia didn't quite smell like a human also further proved this theory.

They arrived at the throne room, and two guards opened the doors. Nicole went inside along with Amelia. She didn't dare to look at her father, so she looked down at her dirty boots. She didn't change. She always changed before she went to her father after her adventures, but this time she got so caught up in her thoughts that she completely forgot to do so.

"Where were you?" her father had been strict with her since the war started. It was understandable; after all, the fights still haven't stopped, and Nicole was only twelve when they started. "You missed your riding lesson."

"I'm sorry, Father. I just wanted to visit Mother. You don't let me have time to do that anymore, so I snuck out" This wasn't the first time she disappeared. She liked the quiet. She also enjoyed the freedom that came with being outside of the castle.

"Come here," her father told her. Nicole walked up to the throne. Her father stood up and hugged her. The tears that she forced back at the grave broke to the surface. She felt and heard her father's strong heartbeat. She cried like her life was just over. In a sense, it was. Her father held her tight, and when Nicole calmed down a little, he sat down and motioned for her daughter to sit beside him.

"I'm sorry, Nicole," he said, wiping the tears from Nicole's eyes. "I will set time aside for you to go there if that helps you. I just thought maybe not being there would lessen the burden. Now go change and attend your etiquette lesson. You have to keep living so that your mother's sacrifice wasn't in vain." Nicole nodded and stood up.

Amelia was still there waiting for Nicole along with Jasper, Nicole's guard. They both went with her to her room, but Amelia had to leave for her lesson in strategy almost immediately. Jasper waited outside for Nicole to finish changing. As Nicole put on her clean dress, she felt a faint tug on her heart. Almost physically hearing the call of the forest. She looked out her window. She could see the edge of the Mystic forest from there. As the trees bent before the wind, her heart bent with them. A slight knock distracted her. She turned around and went out the door. Before closing it, though, she looked back at her window with longing eyes. Something about the woods called to her, and she was going to answer. She knew she would.

The day went by in a blur after that. She attended every lesson and meeting she was supposed to without really thinking about it. She has been doing this for the past six months, ever since the death of Queen Maya, her mother. She didn't care about anything but the grave and the forest beyond that.

History was next on her list when her brother passed her. Nicole wasn't paying attention, so when a bittersweet scent reached her nostrils, it felt like a slap in the face to her. Without really thinking, her head swung around to look after her brother. Kyle was walking towards the dance room. He didn't seem different, but the smell he gave off jolted Nicole back to reality. She started thinking about it as she continued on her way to her room to attend a history lesson.

The lesson started, but Nicole couldn't concentrate. She was trying to figure out what caused the sour feeling in the smell of her brother. It was weird as the scent itself was bittersweet, but even five minutes after, Nicole could feel a sour taste in her mouth.

"Princess," the teacher spoke up. "Are you still here?"

"I am sorry," Nicole apologized. "I was thinking about something."

"I said we are done for today. Please try to learn what you missed" With that, the teacher left Nicole alone with her thoughts. She was worried about her brother, but as the minutes went by, the calling from the forest started to resurface in her, slowly outweighing the worry she felt.