Audris' Adventure

The Story

He was running. Not for enjoyment but for the fear of his life, he ran through the tall, widely-spaced trees. With each step, his feet stirred last autumn's withered leaves which were blanketing the forest floor. His heart was pounding furiously, and he didn't have time to think about where he was running, only away from the beast that was pursuing him. He had been sprinting for a while now, and although fueled by adrenaline, he was getting weaker. He kept pushing forward with all his strength until he tripped over a stray branch. The world went blank.

"Let me in! I need to see the Council!" Audris had become desperate enough to attempt to see the Council, even though she knew it wouldn't work.

"No, you should know how it works. If you wish to speak to the King's Council you must first go through the customs."

"But that could take months and this is important! Please just let me in!"

"We do not just let any little girl who claims she must speak to the Council into the Palace. Leave now before I force you to."

The member of the Royal Guard standing outside the Palace gate placed his hand on the hilt of his sword as a warning. Angrily, Audris walked away. Her long brown hair flew in her face with the wind as she thought of what to do next. She couldn't just give up, no that was never an option. Out of sight of the guard, she circled the huge stone Palace located in the center of the city in which she had lived her whole life.

She came upon a small round door that was almost hidden and decided she needed to go in. Although she was unfamiliar with the interior of the Palace, she was sure that she could find her way to the Council. After all, her brother's life depended on it.

Audris opened the door to reveal a hallway, dimly lit by torches on the walls. She walked carefully and on the lookout. After a few minutes of navigating the corridors, relying on her instincts, and sneakily following a few people, she found what she was certain to be the doors to the King's Council. Made up of the King and 20 appointed members, the Council met every day and discussed a wide variety of important issues that go along with ruling a kingdom. City dwellers could speak to the Council and bring forth an issue they would like discussed, but the process for that was very lengthy, and there was no guarantee that they would even be admitted.

Trying not to think about the millions of ways it could possibly go wrong and instead focusing on why she came, Audris stepped into the room. It was a very lavish room with a high ceiling and many gold decorations. All eyes were immediately on her. It only took half a second for cries of anger and confusion to come out of every mouth. The King stood up from his seat at the head of the large table, and everyone was silent.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I must speak with the Council concerning an issue of critical importance," Audris spoke up, trying be both as confident and humble as she could manage.

"Who let you in here?" The King sat down and beckoned to Audris to come closer.

"No one, Your Highness." She thought it would be best to just be honest.

"You realize entering the Council can be a capital offense. Tell us your issue of critical importance then and we'll decide what to do. Quickly now, we have other matters to attend to and do not have time to waste."

"My brother is missing," Audris began, there were a few scoffs from the Council, but she ignored them. "He went to the North Forest two days ago to hunt. He said he'd be back before the sunset of yesterday, but he never came home. I went to look for him, and I found his campout. It looked like he left in a hurry, it's not like him to-"

"Enough!" interrupted a member to the right of the King. "So a little girl misses her brother, this is no concern of the Council! Who do you think you are that you can just walk in the Palace and interrupt a private meeting? This is madness! Out with you!"