Ternia

Evander

 The food here was nothing like back at home. Everything had a fruit in it, and they didn't believe in eating meat. For breakfast, they gave us banana muffins, for lunch they gave us a fruit salad cup, and for dinner we were served chicken and pineapple kabobs.

I felt full after I ate, but it only lasted a few hours into training before I felt hungry again.

We spent the morning punching dummy bags, Theodora gave her rounds and said a few things to some of us before moving on. The weather here is almost always sunny, and if it isn't then it's cloudy.

...

It wasn't very breezy around here, occasionally we would get a blow of air and it was great when we did.

...

I got a knock on my door in the middle of the night, I was writing in my journal. I laid in the center of my old and creaky bed, staying as silent as I possibly could and hoped the person passed.

But they never did.

"I know you're in there." The voice said.

I could hear the sound of faint breathing behind the door. "Evander, just open the door. I want to talk to you." I recognized the voice as a man. And I'd name him, K.

And K didn't leave me alone. He came back for six nights before disappearing.

...

My creaky old room was at the top of the castle with the other military workers. The royals chose it cause it would force us to work out as we came up and down the stairs.

It wasn't much fun for us, but it was fun for them watching us suffer as we came and went.

...

We were assigned jobs, my job was to sharpen and polish the swords that we worked with. It was my responsibility to ensure that it was possible to kill somebody with them.

And when I went to work, people stared at me. Little boys would come up to me, making me promise these insane things like, "I promise you'll get a father," "I promise you'll have a healthy sister."

Each promise creating a new tattoo that inked my skin.

My grandfather was cursed by the king of Chrystalanthia, causing every son to be marked from words. Things we agreed to, that may not be true. My mother compared me to King Atlantis Royce, he received tattoos when he made a deal. But I get them when I make promises.

Theodora and Orion will see my curse when they make me put my faith on Thalassia. And I'd be lying if I said I cared about this kingdom made of chess and fruit pies. I'm only here for one person, Starleen.

...

Coligny striked again in the middle of the night while we slept. She set fire to the trees, burning up the oxygen and replacing it with co2.

A few of the villages were burned to ashes, the people began to be dispersed throughout the remaining homes across the land, and those that didn't have room were sent to Solandra.

But none were sent to Ebonwilde.

The home of their killer sister.

...

There was to be a ball in celebration of Seraphina's engagement to Walter Williamson of the Upreties Territories.

The soon to be bride was as beautiful as her mother, gorgeous long brown hair with a skinny figure and tight curves. Her smile was brightening, it made her feature overall beautiful.

And of course, I was supposed to be the first to dance with her.