Raven

Chapter 3

Nothing I did that morning took my mind off the wings that had grown out of my back overnight. William and I had roamed the castle and talked for hours but no matter what I tried to distract myself with, my wings were always at the back of my mind. I enter my rooms after saying goodbye to William and close the door behind me before heading to my art studio. Art is something I do often, to help me escape from the world. It works every time but even as I take in the sight of the room, the canvases leaning up against the walls, the tins of paint gathered in one corner and the paintbrushes littering the floor, I know this won't won't. But I can try.

I place a blank canvas on the wooden easel in the centre of the room and pour paint onto a pallet. I search the mess on the floor for a few paintbrushes before sitting down on a stool in front of the easel and beginning to paint.

First, I use black to paint the silhouette of the mountains on the horizon. Next, I begin to create the sky at dusk with oranges, pinks, blue and purples to complete the background. My mind drifts off into thought while my hands continue to work on my masterpiece. Before I know it, three hours have passed and I sit back to admire my work. I see a flock of birds flying through the orange sky and in the foreground, a raven perched on the branch of the tree. I realise then that I have unconsciously painted wings because it's the only thing on my mind. In fact, the raven's wings are identical to my own. There is no escaping the truth.

'Beautiful,' a male voice says from behind me.

I spin around and find myself face to face with a complete stranger. For a moment I just stare in shock, how did he get in here? 'Who are you?' I demand once I recover, leaping to my feet.

The young man chuckles, his eyes are dark as is his shoulder length hair. 'Who I am doesn't matter, Princess. Come with me,' he says, taking a step back from me.

I fold my arms, refusing to budge. 'Why should I go anywhere with you?'

'You can come with me willingly or I can force you. I cannot guarantee you won't be harmed if you choose the second option,' is all he says.

He can threaten me all he wants, I decide as I make no move towards him.

'Wrong choice,' he mutters a split second before lunging for me.

I dodge out of the way at the last second but he was expecting it and whirls around mid-leap. I try running out of the room but the door closes before I get there, trapping me in here. I realise I'm not completely trapped, there is a window I can climb out of into the courtyard if I make it there in time. Looking to the man, I see he is coming closer and closer, I must decide now. Taking a chance, I run and dive for the unlocked window before he can catch me.

'I will still get you whether or not you leave this room, Princess.'

I ignore him and push the window up as he walks calmly towards me. After some struggling, I manage to open the window and jump out of it. As I fall through the air I wonder how I am going to survive the fall, my rooms are well above the ground. I begin to panic, I should have remembered and through this through better. Now I am going to die. But as I near the ground my wings open and break my fall. In my desperation to escape the man, I had almost forgotten that they were there. My mind moves on to wonder how I'm using my wings when suddenly I drop down to the ground and find myself in the man's arms.

'I told you I'd get you,' he whispers in my ear.

Letting out a scream, I struggle to get away from him. All of a sudden, I find myself unable to move my limbs at all. My heart races, he has magic! All my life I've grown up with the knowledge that magic is dangerous because Queen Bronwen has it and she uses it to do great evil.

'Release the princess!'

Out the corner of my eye I see that knights have gathered around us, weapons pointing at the man. I know they won't do much against him, the magic which this man possesses could easily be used to defeat them.

I want to tell the knights to run, to leave me but the man's magic still holds me so I am unable to do so. I know the knights would never dare to leave me and they'd have to face my father afterwards anyway. The man puts me down and all I can do is stand there as I watch the knights rush at him. Some are killed by the man while others are just flung aside to be dealt with later. I squeeze my eyes shut, the only thing I am able to do besides breathing. I don't want to see what the man will do to them, I've seen enough for someone twice my age. Since that attack when I was ten I have felt sick at the sight of blood or bodies. That attack...

This man probably worked for Queen Bronwen and was going to take me to her like those other men tried years ago so that she could do who knows what. I wonder if she knew I was going to grow these wings when I was younger. Perhaps that is why she wants me but how could these benefit her?

'Open your eyes, Princess,' the man tells me.

I am so afraid at the moment I obey without thinking. It was a bad idea because I immediately see the bodies of the knights strewn around the courtyard. Some of the bodies are so bloodied the sight makes me feel faint. When I see the bodies which are bent and twisted unnaturally, I throw up my last meal.

'Done yet?' The man asks impatiently.

I wipe my mouth and straighten up. 'Who are you and why do you want me?' I demand to know.

'If you really want to know, my name is Alexander and I was sent to get you.'

'Who sent you?'

'You'll find out when we get there. Is that all?' Alexander ask, folding his arms.

I nod once and he wraps an arm around my waist. I stiffen and suddenly I can see the night sky. I feel like I'm floating and then I'm being spun around and around. As quickly as it vanished, the world materialises again. This time we are in a forest but I don't know which one, there are too many of them in both my kingdom and the others, or at least the others Bronwen hasn't yet conquered. I can feel Alexander letting go of me and I turn to look at him. He looks the same but there is something slightly different about him now. At the moment, he looks drained of energy while before it had radiated off of him.

'Where are we?' I ask.

'Forest,' Alexander replies, sounding breathless.

I frown. Using magic must take it's toll on the wielder, which must be why he doesn't seem the same. He kept me in a room, fought dozens of knights and teleported us here which must have required a lot of energy.

'Follow me,' he says, straightening up once he caught his breath.

I obey. It's not like I have much of a choice, I have no idea where I am and he seems to know. He leads me through the forest to a little clearing and I stay in the trees as he goes to stand in the centre.

'Stand beside me,' he tells me.

I cautiously look around before stepping into the clearing and coming to stand by him. I glance around nervously, waiting for something to happen. Then something does.

The trees start shifting and from them creatures emerge. Some are female while others are male. All of them are tall with long willowy limbs, hair the colour of the autumn leaves, their skin is pale and their eyes are a vibrant green. They are beautiful, flawless even, just like something out of a painting.

A female steps forward and looks at me. 'Princess Raven, I am Queen Alethea of the elves, we have waited many years to finally meet with you.'

Double update today :) Vote and comment if you enjoyed this chapter!