Anonimous swords

Chapter 1

I heard her laugh; I loved that laugh. It made me feel happy, it made me feel like running with the sunset, like galloping through the woods while feeling like nobody can find you, it made me feel like for just one second, I didn't have to worry about the world. "Elana, can you tell me a story?" She pleaded, her voice the sound of a kid with no worries. I smiled. It wouldn't be the first story I told today, and it most likely wouldn't the last. "What would you like the story to be about?" I asked, part of me already knew the answer, but I still wanted to ask.

She grinned, it was the mischievous kind of grin, like when a kid is about to win a game of tag, and the look of someone who is about to ask her friend about her new boyfriend. Not that I'd know what that looked like - father didn't allow me to have boyfriends, or even friends. Theodore was the only exception, but that took a lot of convincing, and I usually never saw him, only on Fridays.

So usually, it would be me and Lily, playing, or me telling her stories. I'm sure she heard most of them a thousand times, but she still enjoys them, and I enjoy telling them. "About Theo obviously!" "I'm not sure if I have any more stories about Theo, but I can tell a story about a knight."

I tried to start, but she interrupted me. "But I like stories about Theo!" I tried to think of one, but I couldn't think of a story she didn't already knew from the top of her head. "I'm sorry, I just don't have any more." She pouted; it was clear she did not like my response.

"How about this, on Friday, we'll go ask him about a story, deal?" her face lit up at my solution, she nodded.

At that moment a young woman walked in, she saw us playing and smiled, I returned her smile. "Hello Alishia, how can we help you?" I greeted her. "Hello, your Highness, your father is asking for you in his office." As I heard her words, my smile disappeared, I didn't like it when my father called me into his office.

Usually, the reason for that was that he thought of another rule to 'protect us. 97 percent of the time it was bad news if I was called into his office, the other 3 percent was when he told me I was able to stay friends with Theodore.

I nodded in response, telling her that she could tell my dad I was on my way. I stood, Lily looked up, I noticed the puzzled look in her eyes. "Father asked for me, I'll be right back, I promise." She nodded, looking at me with slight pity in her eyes.

For an 8-year-old, she was emotionally highly intelligent. I walked out of the door, through the halls. Our castle wasn't big but still, it felt like an eternity before I stood in front of my father's office. I knocked 5 times in our agreed rhythm. Almost immediately I heard his answer.

"Come in Elana." I walked in, I've been here a few times before, but the office still amazes me. The sage green walls with the oak brown details almost made me feel like I was walkingthrough a beautiful fantasy forest. Almost. But there was something about the air, thick withtension, that made it feel like I was suffocating, like I didn't belong there. I stayed still in front of my father's desk. He gestured for me to sit down, I hesitated for a moment, but I sat anyway.

"Elana, I am worried about the way you act with Theodore." He spoke. Of course he'd be worried about that, sometimes we play sword fights, but last week was the first time he noticed. I should've seen this coming.

"I'm sorry father, but I promise it's not dangerous, in fact, he's teaching me how to defend myself. That is a good thing, right? If I ever get attacked, I can defend myself." I tried to save our play fights; it was basically the highlight of my week. I couldn't lose our play fights too.

"You won't have to defend yourself; there are knights all around the castle, and you know u can't leave the castle." I saw a bit of doubt in his eyes when he said the last sentence. Like I could ever leave the castle, I tried a few times before, but I can never even make it to the gates before a knight catches me.