The Guardians Of Serina

Chapter 1 The Beginning

"Grace, psss, Grace. Come on, Grace, I know you're awake." A voice whispered making Grace stir slightly.

"Gracen!" The voice said much more loudly.

"Huh?" Grace bolted up from her bed. Facing her was her ten-year-old brother, Nick.

"Good morning Princess." He said cheerfully.

"Haha," She rolled her eyes. "Didn't I tell you not to call me that?"

"Maybe you did, maybe you didn't." He shrugged. "Come on, get up, I want to show you something."

"Fine, let me get dressed first though."

"Okay, meet me in the gardens then."

Grace dragged herself out of bed just as her brother left the room. She shuffled towards her closet and opened it. Inside there were dresses and gowns of many kinds. Some were made of silk, some of cotton, some were plain, or they were patterned, and they were all colored differently.

Grace grabbed a dark red dress with a white flowered print. She pulled it over her head and put her red flats. She carefully put her necklace that her mother had given her, it was a silver chain with an aqua jewel connected to it. Then she walked down to the gardens were just like he said Nick was there.

"Well look who's out of bed." He smiled.

"Yeah," Grace sighed. "So what did you want to show me?"

"Follow me then," He strode off to the gardens and leaped over some flowers landing lightly in front of the bush

Grace rolled her eyes and walked on the path around the flower bushes. "Really Nick?"

"Yes really. C'mon Grace, you used to love to do that. Did she really change you that much?"

Grace reached her brother. "No, she did not. I just decided to. It's not like I was supposed to be what I want to be." Grace sighed and walked forward on the path.

Grace had always wanted to be like her brother, who will become a knight when he's old enough. Every time they go to the Knight Olympics- which has a sword contest and archery contest. It's kind of how they choose some of their best knights- Nick was fairly drawn to the sword fighting contest (which is usually first of the Olympics, then archery). Grace, even though she isn't supposed to like these type of things- well unless she's saved by a prince, (she completely disagrees with the thought,)- she loves the archery competition. She sees the arrow shot out, it seems like a bird, soaring swiftly through the air trying to hit its prey.

She was Nick's and Grace's Stepmother, Avelina. She was married to their father a year after their mother had died from a very rare and very deadly disease. They both were very young and didn't know their mother so well. The sibling's call their stepmother, She, because it seems like she has eyes and ears all over the place. If they say her name it's as though she magically appears.

"So," Grace said, breaking the silence. "Where is this place you wanted to show me?"

"Right this way please." He stepped on the path in front of his sister. Grace followed him towards the edge and safe part of the forest, but right in front of them, there were huge bushes that were supposed to keep intruders (or Nick, and rarely Grace) out (or the siblings' case, in).  

"Oh no," Grace gasped. "Nick, please don't tell me we're going through the bush."

"Fine, I won't tell you. I'll just show you," He crouches some branches out if his way, and crawled out of sight

"Well played Nicholas," She rolled her eyes. "Well played." She followed the way Nick went through the bush. "Ugh. Nick, you never told me there were thorns." Carefully she pulled it out of her dress and moved her hair, free from the thorns. Eventually, after pulling her dress and hair away from the thorns, she got out the bramble.