01: The Evil Hour

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  • Dedicated to To All The People Born At Midnight.
                                    

Once upon a time, long ago, in a land far far away lived a princess. She grew up in the castle and lived a happy and merry life until just before her 17th birthday. You see there was a great evil power plotting the execution of the royal kingdom, wanting to kill them all. The kingdom had but one weakness, the Queen.

So before the baby was born, one of the dark witches cast a spell on the Queen so that she would die a slow and painful death. The spell had to be cast at midnight. Otherwise known as the Evil Hour. Where Evil is at its strongest. It was romoured that midnight was the time evil was born.

For many years the Queen lived a normal life, unsuspecting the great evil surrounding her. But when the Queen gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, and she was born at exactly 12 o'clock. The unsuspecting King and Queen lived their lives thinking that nothing was wrong. Just before the princesses 17th birthday the spell started to take action.

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.:. Prolouge .:. 

I watched as my mother lay in her bed, her chest barely falling and rising. She had been like this for weeks. The doctor had come and gone like the wind. He had given her medicine, but nothing was working.

I wanted to scream and cry out in frustration. Why was this happening to my mother. She never did anything to anyone! She is the most kind hearted person I had ever met! Yet she was on her death bed.

Father doesn't tell me anything about her illness, all I know is that it is bad. Very bad. Extremely bad. So very very bad that my father doesn't trust me with the information. Some father. My mother is dying, and I don't even know why.

I dip the cloth in the cool water once more and apply it to her forehead. Dabbing ever so softly on her delicate skin. I sigh. Then, as though a miracle has happened, my mother stirs in her sleep.

" Katanya, my sweet girl. I am weak, and dying. And I am so sorry that I will not be around to see your 17th birthday, and watch you get married and see your wonderful children running around the palace. Remember always love, that I love you with all my heart and all my soul, and you are an amazing girl." My mother said, slowly and weakly.

" Oh mother, I love you so very very much, but don't talk like that. You will be on your feet, going about your daily buisness very soon. Please don't talk like that." I pleaded with my mother. I knew it was no use though. I am my mothers daughter, and we are both as stubborn as each other.

" Tell your father that I love him." She continued. Ignoring my outburst. She had given up hope. But more importantly, she was minutes away from death.

With that thought. My mother closed her eyes, beat her last heart beat, said her last word and took her last breath. My mother was dead. I felt the saddness wash over me. I cried. My body shaking with my sobs. Not only for my mother, but for the kingdom that has just lost it's Queen.

My crying was interupting by the sound of a bell chiming.

One ring. Two rings. Three rings. Oh god. Please not another ring. Please, please, please. Four rings. And then silence. We were under attack. This could not be happening. My mother dies, and the kingdom falls under attack. This was definatly not a coincidence.

I got up and planted a kiss on my mother's forehead. I ran out of the room. I ran though the maze of corridors in the palace. I passed the bridge though the two parts of the castle, giving me perfect view of all the castle grounds and the kingdom. There were thousands of men already through the gates, and more coming every second.

We stood no chance. My father would be fighting down there. This was not good. They would breach the palace walls any minute now. I looked around once more. I spotted my father. He seemed to be facing the leader of the army. And he was losing.

I watched in horror as the man dissarmed my father. Leaving him defencless he spoke a few words to him. And then he swiftly brought the blade down, and pierced it though my fathers heart. That was when I knew all was lost.

I gave up right there and then. I had lost both my mother and my father, my friends and subjects in one night. No one could save us now. As if that wasn't enough, all of a sudden witches came though, crashing through the walls with some sort of spell.

Fantastic. Just fantastic. Then the witches were airborn. They all cast a magic spell and started flying. One of them looked up from the battle and spotted me. She shouted something to the others, and they all looked at me.

Not good. Really not good.

They came straight at me. I did the cowardly thing. I the Princess of the realms had become a coward. Instead of doing my duty I dived out of the way, and the witches slammed into the supporting framwork of the castle walls. I found a secret escape exit. I quickly crawled into it.

I dived through the small cramped tunnel, breathing heavily as I did so, only thinking of my escape. I  started to hear running water, after travelling for miles and hours. I came out into an open clearing. There was a small stream, I had been here before. This is the place that had given me life. Well not literally.

I had been born here, this is my birthplace. I hadn't been here for many years, and I don't think that my parents had either. My parents. A sob broke loose from me as I grieved the loss of my beloved parents. I started to think about the other people in the Kingdom. Was I the only person to escape. I might have been the only person to escape, but I was also a coward and a wimp.

As I was lost deep in my thoughts, I didn't hear the crunching of leaves signalling the footsteps of a stranger approaching. I only noticed the arrival of another when a knife was at the base of my throat. I gasped in surprise when I felt the cold blade press against my warm skin.

Behind me I heard a deep male voice say, " Don't scream, or you die. Don't run, or you die. Answer when I ask you questions and don't talk when not spoken too. You got that?" I nodded my head. For some reason, maybe it was just an inner gut feeling, this man seemed just as scared as I was.

He was going to ask me who I was I knew it. What should I do? Should I lie. And then without further ado he asked the god forbidden question, " What is your name, and who are you?"

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A/N: So this is my new story! Please let me know what you think!!! I would really mean a lot to me!!! Thanks so much!!! Remember to Vote, Comment & Love! ~ Owlet.

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