Elmira's Princess

Chapter 1

I kicked a rock on the sidewalk, dragging my feet on the short walk to school. It's not that I didn't want to go - I loved school! Rather, I'd barely slept the night before and was struggling to keep my eyes open. I'd had the strangest dream that kept me up the rest of the night. I couldn't quite remember the details, but I remember a beautiful land named Elmira...

It was a kingdom, I think. I remember the vast forests, long winding paths through the palace gardens, large rooms with beautifully crafted furniture, and a knight who lead me through the journey. I could still see the knight very clearly, his messy black hair constantly falling in front of his green eyes. In fact, I could see him so very clearly I could swear he was walking right up to me.

I must be really tired, I mused to myself. I continued walking until the mirage of the knight was so close that if he were real I would walk right into him - and that's precisely what happened. Wait, what? The knight caught me and looked down at me with concern in his eyes.

"Sabrina? Are you alright?" he asked. I must still be dreaming, I reasoned. I smiled and closed my eyes, ignoring the worried voice. "Bri, please wake up, Elmira needs you!" he continued. It's just a dream, I thought. It's okay to sleep now. I let myself fall asleep in the knight's arms, too tired to wonder what was going on.

***

"Sabrina?" My eyes fluttered open at the voice, and I looked around me. Where am I? I was laying down, presumably on the ground, with the knight - what was his name again? - kneeling next to me. There were trees above us and a bright blue sky. Elmira. Am I still dreaming? "Sabrina! You're awake!" he exclaimed, wrapping me in a hug that I barely registered before he let go again. "Elmira is in trouble," he said quietly. I shook my head in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" I asked. This was an odd dream - in most of my dreams, the knight was always happy and smiling. Right now, he was sad and frowning. "What's wrong?"

"Elmira is under attack again," he explained, "Last time you were here we defeated the army, but now Queen Valuren has a new army of... Undead soldiers."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Valuren used the forbidden spells of necromancy to bring her army back to life..." the knight said, "She wants you dead, Sabrina. We need to fight back, we need to save Elmira again!"

"I don't remember that dream..." I muttered to myself.

"What dream?"

"The dream where we destroyed the army," I shrugged. His eyes widened.

"You thought that was a dream?"

"Yes, and so is this," I reasoned. He shook his head.

"No, Bri, this is real! You need to remember! We have to win this battle, if we lose we'll die!"

"It's just a dream," I giggled. "But what's going on?" He sighed.

"Um... I just explained that we are in a war. We need to win, or else a lot of people will die!"

"Why me?"

"Sabrina, you're the princess! You must lead!" the knight said, running a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I'm the princess?" I repeated, questioningly.

"You really don't remember?" he asked, defeated.

"Not really, those dreams were a long time ago."

"They weren't... Oh, nevermind. I am your knight and royal advisor, Sir Killian," he explained. "You are Princess Sabrina of Elmira, and your mother, Queen Valuren, sent you out of Elmira so she wouldn't lose her throne to you when you turn eighteen. You only have two more years, and since you keep coming back, Valuren decided you need to be killed in order for her to keep her throne." I furrowed my eyebrows.