The Hidden City

Chapter 1

I woke up the next day feeling refreshed as I had taken a draught before I went to sleep. Someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?"

"Ebony, miss."

"Come in"

I yawned and smiled as my handmaiden came in. She's so beautiful. Her fair skin pulled into a smile as she said good morning and asked if needed anything. I replied no; I was thinking about something else. I watched pain flash across her face as I asked her the question I had wanted to ask her for quite some time now. I cursed myself for being so insensitive. Her family and entire village had died in a fire when she was young. Her aunt and uncle now took care of her.

"Why are you a handmaiden?" It was extremely rare for someone as beautiful as she to be a servant of any kind. She would have been courted immediately and married into a high and noble family. It was also strange because only people with royal blood could be as beautiful as her. To see my childhood best friend and present best friend working so hard and living in conditions that weren't exactly the best hurt my heart.

"I'm sorry, miss. I rather would feel more comfortable if we didn't discuss such personal things." I hated the way she talked to me, so formal. As if I was just another person she had to serve. "Please don't talk to me like that, Ebony. I am you're friend, not another snotty woman. You can speak to me however you would like and call me whatever you want to and if anybody has a problem with it, then they have a problem with me."

She laughed and her curly black hair bounced as her body shook. Her smile seemed to light up the room. She finally stopped laughing and stood straighter. "I suppose I was a bit formal. I know you are my friend and I know you hate it when I speak to you like that. I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"

"Yes; you are very dramatic and it's one of the many reasons you are my best friend." She helped me wash and put on my dress so my day could begin. Today I wore a blue silk dress with lighter blue tracing. Over the chest, wrists, and shoulders there was a gold plating. Over my shoulders was a light blue scarf, and over the sleeves was a sheer gold fabric. It was very beautiful. Ebony sighed. I decided to give her some of my dresses, as she didn't have a lot that were very nice. I would give them to her on her birthday. Another person knocked on the door. "Who is it?" "Aiden." I asked Ebony to get the door. Aiden was my counterbody. A counterbody is someone who has died. They would come back to help guide and provide advice to the new person with the element.

We walked out together and to the dining area. Breakfast was almost done being laid out. Everybody was already sitting at the table. My sisters: Nerus and Irvine. Water. Demi and Dmitri. Earth. Anemone and Aiolus. Air. My name is Serafine. My element is fire. My parents used to have elements but gave them up when they got married. That was a choice that we had. We could give up our elements when we got married to see each other as one or keep them. I don't know why they gave them up.

We sat down and said good morning to everybody. We ate our morning meal and took another draught to give us energy for the day so that we could train at our best. We said goodbye and we walked off to training. Ebony, Aspen, and Aiden usually trained me. Aspen was my best male friend. The four of us did everything together. We saw a few lady knights jogging together and laughing as they ran. Females were everything here. We are the reproducers. Females are highly regarded in society and we are noted for having strength, integrity, and wisdom beyond our years, and men. Men have all of those things as well, but not as much. It is an age old custom. I smiled and took off sprinting towards the closed are meant for me, challenging them to a race. I won. I like winning, I thought.