Warrior Princess

Chapter Two

I slowly open my eyes to the sound of whispers. My hands move under the thick blankets I'm under. I glance at the extravagant room I'm in. The yellow wallpaper on the walls gives the room a golden aura. The room is too beautiful to be real.

"It's Kara," I hear a women say, "She has same scar on her palm. Kara got the scar after she slipped in the palace gardens."

"She's waking up," I hear a man with short grey hair say.

"Sweetheart," I hear the woman say again. She has straight brown with grey streaks. She wears a beautiful blue dress, and she stares at me as if she wants a response from me. "It's me."

I stare at her blankly. "Who are you?" I ask.

A tear slips down the woman's cheek. She turns to the man for an explanation. "All those years in the West Forest must have damaged her memory, Your Majesty."

She turns back to face me. "I'm Queen Amara of the Northern Kingdom. And I'm," her voice cracks, "your mother."

She moves her hand to touch my cheek, but I back away. This can't be true. I panic and jump out of the bed. The man tries to stop me, but I'm faster. I scramble out of the room into a long hallway, which is even grander than the bedroom.

Several of the royal guards try to stop me, but I easily navigate through them. It isn't different from running through the forest. I have to jump over tree logs and duck under low branches in order to run away from an unforgiving wolf.

I take a moment to register what's happening. I've probably been kidnapped and placed in an unknown environment. But there had to be a way out! I also realize I'm wearing a bright pink gown, golden wristbands, and white slippers with very high heels. Strange. The kidnappers had tried to make me attractive.

I sprint down a set of stairs with a wooden rail. Several more guards are on my tail, just like a pack of wolves. I glance down the edge of the rail. About 30 feet high. Then, without second thought, I leap from the stairs.

I realize it's a mistake as soon as I jump. I'm not worried about the landing part. I'd done jumps twice as high as this one. The problem, is the heels.

As soon as I hit the floor, I felt my ankle bend. My heels didn't provide any support, so I couldn't land the fall. I sink to the floor, my ankle throbbing with pain.

I see the guards are inching forward and I grit my teeth. Pain was nothing but a pest. And I can't give in now. I can see the exit ahead. I take a deep breath and I limp towards the door.

The doorway was just as expensive as the rest of the building. The door is made entirely of platinum with gold and bronze plating in the shape of the north star. When the sun's ray fall upon it, the metal shines so bright it blinds me. Who ever stayed here had to be very wealthy in order to afford this place.

I slip through the exit and bolt the door close. That should buy me some time. I hurry down another set of stairs and limp through a garden with several exotic plants that I have never seen in the forest. The garden also made many wild flowers, cherry trees, apple trees, and daisies. That was the point of this garden if there was a forest not far here.

Suddenly, dread fell over me. What if the forest wasn't near here? What if I was stranded thousand of miles from my shelter? What if I could never make it back?

Then, without warning, hear the sound of someone drawing a sword. I take a glimpse at the side of my neck and I spot a gleaming steel sword. All it took was one look to quash any thoughts of rebellion inside me. I was definitely doomed.