The Winter Queen of Havenshire

Chapter 1: ESCAPE PLAN

The age of kings ended. The final Guardian fell. Havenshire was no more.

War ruled the land. Death came from every hand. Fear and misery spread to all.

It was an era without heroes. It was the time of tyrants. It was the Age of Legends.

Ambrosia exhaled. She looked at her breath. There was an early chill this year. Winter would be cold and long.

She stepped further into the woods distancing herself from her guards. With each step away from the castle, she felt closer and closer to freedom.

True she loved her mother and her father. Even though, most everyone looked at her father Lord Fonce as a tyrant. He was good to her. He had always been good to her, but time changed everything.

She was of age now. Her brothers were all dead, mostly killed by her father in one fashion or another. Now the path to the throne came through her marriage bed.

She had no desire to marry some petty lord. For that matter she had no desire to marry one of her father's ruthless soldiers. Her father felt the same which was why she was still unwed, but for how much longer?

He grew older every day. His enemies looked upon his age as weakness. He would need to make allies, and she was the perfect offering to entice them.

She knew this day would come. Far sooner now than she wanted. So for years now, she planned her escape. The groundwork was laid. Her guards grew more lax with each excursion to the forest. Now they were in the deep woods. Freedom was so close.

Would this be the day of her escape?

She stopped. No. She would want until after Fall Fights. She did enjoy watching the Hammer, her champion, battle.

A small Indigo Bunting flew by her. Its feather so much darker than her ice blue eyes. To get a better look, Ambrosia pulled back her hood letting her long blonde hair fly in the wind.

Snap.

Ambrosia turned to the sound. There was nothing there. She turned toward her guards.

She checked each of her guards dressed in green and black. She counted them. One...Two...Three...Four....

One was missing.

"Guards," she said nervously and almost too quiet for any to hear.

One guard did and motioned for the others to follow as he neared Ambrosia.

Ambrosia calmed her nerves. She needed to be in control if she had any hope of escaping. She knew the forest. The forest was her safe haven.

She turned once more right into something. No someone.

It was odd looking bearded man dressed in furs and smelled of death. His hair was white. His skin was gray as stone. He carried a crude sword. So much like the stories.

She wanted to scream, but decided quickly not to anger the man beast made of stone.

"The Winter Queen wants you," the stone man said.

This was it. Her time was up. She knew she'd never see home again. Not like she was. Not ever again.

The remaining guards rushed toward her to save her.

"Leave one," the stone man said.

More stone men appeared. Each carried a sword.

One guard fell. Then another.