Kingdom of Lothoria - Book 1

Chapter Four

The sun was warm on her face, waking her. Rayn sat up slowly, looking around the peaceful meadow she'd stopped in for the night. Flowers were scattered in blooming clumps around her and she and Bella were nestled against a huge, sheltering oak tree. She felt an intense sense of calm, it was an emotion she wasn't used to feeling, but she welcomed it happily.

It had been three days since she'd fled her home and last night had been the first that they'd been able to shake the men her father sent to hunt her down and drag her back to the castle. When they found this meadow it seemed like the perfect place to rest. Despite her current situation, last night was the best she'd slept in a very long time and Bella was an extremely comfy pillow.

She couldn't express how happy she was to be away from the castle, and away from her father. The man could be used as the definition of cruel. It wasn't hard to hear the screams of those being burned at the stake, it was a reality of living with her father. It gave her chills thinking about it.

Her mother had been kind, caring, but she'd died when Rayn was young. After her mother's death her father changed, growing more distant and she became a prisoner in her own home. The man wouldn't even acknowledge her when they passed in the hallways. The only thing she received from him were highly trained guards posted outside her door or trailing her every step. She was his heir, all he had and he wasn't going to allow her to perish. She snorted. If she'd been born a generation earlier she wouldn't have to worry about wearing the stupid crown, when her father was young a female could never rule, not on her own, it would be her husband that ruled. The law only changed after she was born, her father had seen to it. Though she was certain he would have liked to have a male heir, her mother had a difficult pregnancy and the doctor warned her she may not survive another pregnancy. She sighed, not that it mattered much since her mother had died anyway. Taken from them by some mysterious sickness.

Bella nuzzled her cheek and she reached out to stroke the unicorn's soft mane. Thoughts of her mother crept it, suppressing any joy she felt at being free of her father. Thinking of her mom was always depressing. It brought back too many memories, memories of better times. Times before the argument her parents had that night when she was twelve, times before her mother died, and she was left with a man she didn't know ruling her life.

Beside her Bella's ears twitched and the unicorn's head came up. Warily, she glanced around, knowing whatever her friend was hearing could be close or a long ways off. A unicorn's hearing was far better than a human's could ever be. The sound of footsteps reached her ears. It was followed by the distinct sound of the clanging of metal and male voices.

She stood quickly, grabbed Bella's reins, and pulled her behind the large oak tree out of sight. The voices came closer and she peered carefully around the tree, spying on the men who had entered the clearing. Two men stood across the clearing before a tree, both wore uniforms that indicated they belonged to the Royal Guard. They were nailing up a poster on the tree. Once they completed their task, they left the clearing, rolls of more posters tucked beneath the arm of one of the men.

She crept out from behind the tree once they were out of sight and made her way over to read the poster. Her eyes widened in horror as she read the words printed on the parchment.

WANTED

DEAD OR ALIVE

Rayn Auro

1,000,000 gold coins

Her father had gone several steps too far this time. She couldn't believe he'd issued a wanted poster for her as if she were some common criminal.