Swords Against Swords

Chapter One

My eyes flickered open. The dim, gray lighting settled into my vision and signaled a dreary day. Stirring in my layers of blankets, I slipped off my enormous bed, and groggily sauntered to the window, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

The soft patter of water against the window was slightly audible. "Raining again." I sighed, my voice dry and hoarse. Taking the pitcher from my bedside night stand, I poured a small glass and downed the cool water in measured sips, letting out a content sigh when I finished.

Just then, there was a sharp knock on my chamber doors. I answered, "Enter," and they swung open while several maids rushed in. They bustled about setting out my gown, readying my bath, and offering food selections for breakfast. As soon as the smell of lavender soap and the heat of the steam rising from the tub engulfed me, I shooed all the servants away with hand saying, "I'll dine in the hall when I'm finished...And call for Nancy. I'll be needing her shortly." Stripping my night gown off and slipping my body into the hot water, I soaked in the lavender ridden tub until I felt my skin start to wrinkle.

After bathing, I stepped out of the tub and wrapped myself in the linen towels hanging from the rack. At that moment, my caretaker Nancy entered the room and eased me into the royal blue colored gown that had been laid out for me. She laced up the back skillfully and tied the remaining lace into a neat bow. Then, she sat me in front of my vanity mirror and wrapped my auburn hair into an elegant bun. Upon finishing, she excused herself hurriedly murmuring something about being needed by the weapons master.

I released her and left my bed chamber, making my way down the huge hall. It had been one week since I returned home after completing my studies in the Kingdom of Larrington. They were known to house the finest scholar's in the land, and my parents insisted that I travel there in order to get the best education. So, at the age of seven, I was sent to Larrington and enrolled in courses with other children from notable members of nobility. When I returned earlier this week, I was greeted by a completely renovated castle. It seemed nothing like the place I left ten years ago.

Even now as I walked through the corridors, I marveled at sights unknown to me. The only things that seemed unchanged were the color of the stones that made up the walls. Even the stones themselves were different! Because of my lack of familiarity with this new castle, I enjoyed exploring the hidden places.

There's still quite a while before I have to meet Mother and Father for breakfast, right?

I rounded a few corners and ran my hands along the stone walls while making out the tapestries that lined them. That was one thing that Elasia was quite well known for. The tapestries and clothing produced here were of the most exquisite quality; therefore, they reigned as the top commodity of the Kingdom. Countless travelers and peddlers made it a point to buy their stock from here, claiming that it was the only way their business thrived.

After turning down yet another corridor, I happened upon a few stone steps that led out towards well-kept rose hedges. As the steps ended, the ground was dotted with large cobble stones that created a path through the hedges. I trotted down the steps just as I was engulfed with the sweet perfume of the roses.

The hedges were colorful, filled with a rainbow of roses rather than just the iconic red flowers. I even spotted a purple one and spent a significant amount of time marveling at the naturalness of the flower. It was undoubted that nature worked in mysterious ways. Deciding it would be a pity to pluck the delicate flower, seeing as there were no others in sight, I contended myself to tuck the image of the beautiful plant in my memory and made a mental note to show Mother later.

I followed the cobblestone path for a while and wondered why the road didn't deviate even the tiniest bit. The rose-hedges added a maze like feel to the path since they were significantly taller than me. The smell was beginning to get a bit sickening as well. I had half a mind to turn back around and be on my way when the hedges finally opened up and revealed a large, cultured garden with a magnificent fountain spewing crystal-clear water in the distance.

I walked towards the center of the field while making a full turn to admire all the varieties of plants thriving in full bloom; it was breath-taking. All the varieties of flowers fascinated me since I had always maintained a certain affinity for greenery, but I couldn't identify them all, which was astounding since I spent a vast amount of time in the gardens at Larrington Castle.

The sky was dreary. The air was humid. The ground still damp, but the morning dew made the flowers look all the prettier. As I walked farther and farther away from the castle, running my hands across the various petals, I heard a sharp rustle to my right.

I paused mid-step. "Who's there?" I narrowed my eyes and scoped the area around me.

When nothing came forth, I resumed my stroll. After a while, I forgot about it and moved on. Deciding that I'd spent long enough in the garden, I began to walk back to the castle and made my way into the rose hedges. I was deep in the maze-like structure when I heard another rustle behind me, this time accompanied by footsteps. Before I could turn around to see who it was, I felt a heavy force push me to the ground.

"Wha-"

A hand covered my mouth before I could let out anymore, and the weight of a body was pinning me down. I struggled against my attacker, trying to ram my clenched fist into their face, but my punch was easily averted and clamped to the ground within seconds. Tossing my head side to side, I raged with muffled screams, but just as I met the eyes of my assailant, I froze in place. It was only a man about my age if not older. He had stunning green eyes, and hair that looked like slivers of bronze. The sight of him took my breath away despite the situation. I could notice him taking in the sight of me as well before returning his attention to my face.

Strangely, we gazed at each other, and neither of us said a word. The silence was one of dumbstruck awe, and I simply forgot that I was being held captive. I could feel the hard cobblestones on my back, the damp coldness seeping into the cloth of my dress which was countered by the warmth of the man in front of me.

The man raised an eyebrow seeming to question my lack of resistance but took his hand off of my mouth and smiled. And what a stunning smile it was.

There was a shrill shriek. The man looked up, alarmed, and darted back into the garden. I secretly hoped there was another exit so he could escape, and I laid there, just staring at the space his face had been. In my daze, I vaguely felt Nancy help me up. She took me to my chamber and changed my dress into a bright pink one, for the other one was soiled with dirt and grass. Then she escorted me to the dining room sending panicked glances my way after taking in my collected composure which gave away nothing from my encounter.

I considered keeping quiet about this. Never before had anything so...exhilarating happened to me, and it would be mundane if the man were to be punished simply for beholding me.

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Hello once again friends! This is my newest work! I hope you'll enjoy it. While my other work is on hold indefinitely, I will be posting chapters for this one every few weeks. All of it is written, and I'm just editing it! So no long waits! Yay! It is a short story and the very first short story I have ever attempted, so it'll probably be a little rough in terms of character development, so if there are any questions, please feel free to ask! I love getting comments, and I reply to all of them more often than not!

Tell me what you think about the cover! It's my first time using Photoshop after possibly 4-5 years, so it's definitely not up to par, but I try. Haha.

Please vote and comment as you like! Thank you! :)