Sacred

Chapter 1

The sun was setting like a fiery glow of orange and scarlet in the west, resembling an explosion as the kingdom of Cloiten began to fade into quiet slumber. Only the glow of streetlamps and a few farm houses were left. A lone rider, dressed in a dark cloak with a hood, rode along the street, approaching the gates of the great wall.

Long ago, when monsters had threatened the city, it had been built to keep them out. Now, it stood as a reminder of those terrible years...when the Darklens ruled. Darklens were hideous creatures, made up of horrible dark magic, had nearly ruined the land before the soldiers, the Lights, had vanquished with their immortal flames. This all happened during the time of King Phillip. Now, they were vanquished and King Phillip's fourteenth descendent, King Jacob ruled now, soon to be followed by his daughter Princess Alexandria.

The rider rode up to the gates and slipped the bolts, leading the horse out before pushing the gates closed again. No soldiers saw them take their leave. Along the path, the only thing giving the rider any guiding light was the slight peek of the moon behind foggy clouds.

A flash of lightning lit up the night, shining down on the rider. They gasped and pulled the horse up, looking up through their hood. The first heavy drops of rain came pattering down on the hood, leaking through to soak into the riders hair. They looked to the sky and sighed, moving the horse on faster, but the rain came down relentlessly, soaking the poor rider to the bone. They pressed on regardless, determined to get away from the castle and the city, to find their own home.

Suddenly, an unexpected flash of lightning lit up the sky, shaking the very ground with the following roll of thunder. The rider let out a high pitched shriek, proving that the rider was female, unless there were some man who could scream like that.

She looked around through the rain and saw a light in the distance, standing out like a beacon of safety. She rode towards it, not worrying about who it belonged to or where it would lead, only hoping that it was dry. As she rode into the yard, she could spot a well and a small farmhouse with a lamp tied to the side of the door.

She dismounted the horse and pulled the cloak tighter, hiding her face. She didn't want anyone to see her and recognize her lineage. It wasn't safe for her. As she went up to the door, she saw a lamp inside that gave off a small glow. When she knocked, there was a sudden thunk from inside, followed by a frenzied rush to get to the door. When the door opened, she turned her head to hide it from the sudden rush of light.

"I'm sorry to have troubled you. I need a place to stay for tonight." After she finished, she glanced up a little and caught a glimpse of her host. He was a young man, maybe around nineteen or twenty, standing very tall at over six feet it looked like. His face was worried and...handsome actually, but she knew she couldn't think like that. It was just her young heart getting the best of her. She herself was only sixteen and still too young to decide for herself. At least that's what her father said.

He gulped and scratched his neck, nodding and letting her in. "Uh, of course. Come right in."

She nodded as she went past and she made sure to keep her hood up. He closed the door and picked up a set of matches, carrying them to candles around the room. Once he had finished lighting them, the entire room was suddenly bright and clear.

She looked around and was surprised to see shelves heavily covered with books. She smiled and touched them, getting reminded of her home in Cloiten.

She cocked her head. "You can read? I hear it's not a common skill among the farming folk."

She turned slightly so she could see his face. It looked bashful as he stood their awkwardly, putting his hands in his pockets. It was kind of adorable in a way. To see such a big guy getting bashful in her presence.

He shrugged. "Yeah. My dad could read and so he taught me. Apparently it's been passed down through the generations in our family. I promised him I would teach it to my kids."

He seemed to get even more embarrassed when he mentioned children. Obviously he wasn't known for his personality. She nodded and gave him a smile that she expected him not to see, but he paused as he glanced at her hood. "I didn't expect that to be funny." She gasped. He had seen her smile. What else could he see? He hadn't responded to her eyes yet and so he hadn't recognized her. She shrugged nonchalantly. "I didn't think you'd see my face."

"Do you not want me to? I could keep my eyes away." He said, making his point by looking at his toes.

She shook her head and then looked at the bookshelves. "As long as you promise not to expose who I am."

With that, she pushed her hood back, exposing her golden hair and bright green eyes. Traits belonging only to the royal family.