The Medicine Lark

Chapter 1

Due to exclusive rights, this book is now only available on Amazon. Thanks for the likes and reads, and support me by buying this book on Amazon. But here is the first chapter, enjoy!

Alana had always wanted to be a princess. Ever since she was a little girl, she was always daydreaming about becoming one. She was not exactly sure why it was not like she wanted to be rich, she had all she needed. Perhaps it was wanting to live in a palace or wanting to be waited on hand and foot, or perhaps she wanted to marry a prince and live happily ever after, like the fairy tales she liked to read. But she knew it was just a dream. Her mother who raised her, was not her real mother because Alana had been left on her doorstep, abandoned by her real parents, so Alana was raised along with her supposed brother. The two of them did not look a bit related, but then again, technically he was not her real brother. He was tall, blonde and blue-eyed, and she was petite with black hair and green eyes. Alana's adoptive mother would just tell everyone that Alana looked like her father, which she wondered, did she really? But she supposed she would never know.

So Alana grew up, helping out her mother and brother with their little farm. They lived in the outer area of the Kingdom of Emillion. The people who lived in the outer areas were considered poor, and unlucky, so, therefore, they were never invited to attend anything that happened in the Kingdom, unless it was something very important, like a wedding, or the Fall Festival. Even then, the people were looked down upon, because they did not have finery to dress in or riches to flaunt. The finer folk stayed away from them and looked upon them in disdain. But Thomas and Alana did not care what others thought of them. They had their family; they had food on the table and clothes on their backs, and that was all that mattered.

But one day, something happened that would change Alana's life, and that is where this story begins.

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A knock sounded on their door. Alana answered it and a royal guard was standing there. She wondered if they had done something wrong, but all he did was hand her an envelope, then after nodding at her, he walked to the next house. Curious, Alana opened the envelope. She was sure her mother wouldn't mind if she read what was inside. Her mother had taught her to read, it came in handy when working with the herbs her and her mother used when helping to cure some ailment. Her mother had several books on about every herb there was and was known around the village as the Healer. Everyone was always coming to her mother if they were sick, and Alana hoped that one day she would be like her mother and be able to help others.

Alana pulled out an embossed card. It was an invitation. There was going to be a great celebration because the King was getting remarried. The Queen had died a few years back, and he had mourned greatly. Rumor had it that the only reason why the woman was marrying the King was, so she would be well off, even if it was the King's son Dallin who would take the throne after the King died. At the time, his son was only fifteen, and so was not even in the market for a wife, but everyone knew he had to be wed by twenty-one in order to take the throne. Alana knew that the prince was very handsome, she had seen him riding through their village on occasion when he was off on some hunt, or if he was going to another kingdom nearby, but he would always ignore the villagers as he raced through on his horse, his guards following him.

The day of the King's wedding dawned, and Thomas, Alana and their mother Carmen, walked to the palace gates, dressed in their finest clothes. Carmen had made Alana a deep blue dress that was long sleeve, which she was grateful for, then no one would see the scar on her wrist that she always tried to hide. She was not sure how she had received it, her mother said she had it on her wrist when she had found her on the doorstep. It looked like a circle with a capital C in the middle. It was odd, that was for sure.

Thomas was also wearing his best suit, and their mother was wearing her best dress. They looked nice, but nothing compared to the finery that the rich wore. But Alana did not care; she actually had a chance to go to the palace. She would be let into the gates and be able to witness the King getting married. She was so incredibly excited. But there was another reason why she wanted to go. She knew that the prince would be there. Not that he would even glance her way, she thought herself to be rather plain looking, and she wasn't of high society, but if she could just get a glimpse of him.

As the family headed through the huge gates, the guards nodded at them. They breathed a sigh of relief since the guards did not stop them as they passed through into the sprawling city that was built on a hill. The castle stood at the top of the hill, looking down upon the city, a guardian to everyone.

The three of them were jostled and pushed as the huge crowd made their way to the castle. The wedding would be held outside in the great park that sat in the middle of the castle grounds. Children were not invited to the wedding, so Alana was lucky that she had just hit the age where she was not considered a child anymore. As a matter of fact, in three years she would be eligible to be wed. But who would want to marry her? She did not have a dowry at all. There was Stephan, but she considered him just a friend. That and she was only twelve. Why would she even be thinking about being wed at that age? And would she want to marry a blacksmith? Not that that was a bad thing. It was a good profession, but she did not love him. Not yet anyway. She just hoped she would be able to choose her spouse, and that one would not be chosen for her as so many of her older friends had happened to them. Their parents wanted them to marry so they would be well off, not because the girls loved the men.

The crowd pushed and shoved the three of them along, and soon they were all inside the castle walls and walking down a great hall, they soon found themselves outside in the outdoor park.

Alana gasped at the beauty of it. She had always wanted to see the park but was never allowed in because of her family's status. She looked all around her, taking in the beauty. Trees grew against the walls of the castle, and grass grew under her feet. Flowers were in bloom everywhere. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the smell of it all. "It is nice, is it not?" she heard from beside her.

She turned and saw Stephan. "Yes, it is," she agreed.

"Come on, we can stand up front. I know a spot we can be so we can see the ceremony. You cannot see anything from back here, especially at your height," he teased her.

She smacked his arm. "I am not that short."

"Compared to me, yes you are," he grinned, and grabbing her hand, he pulled her through the crowd, and up to the front. He pushed his way through, getting dirty looks from people, but finally, they were standing in the front and off to the side in a small alcove, under a large tree. They had a perfect view of the arch where the King would be standing with his bride.

"I told you I had a spot," Stephan whispered to her.

"Thanks, Stephan," she smiled up at his towering figure. She had to admit he was a handsome young man. He was tall, with dark blonde hair and dark blue eyes. Almost everyone in the kingdom had light hair, so for her to have such dark hair was quite unusual. People stared at her, wondering about her dark hair because it was such a rarity, but she ignored them and concentrated on what would be a very memorable day for her. A day she would never forget.