The Prince's sister (Jenlisa)

Chapter 1: Departure

Jennie stood on the balcony, looking wistfully on the greenish pond circled by a colorful flowerbed, over the private garden to the great statues of the siblings Amera and Listos two war heroes of her country , there silhouettes casting shadows over the narrow side road. The sun began to slowly set, painting everything in a pinkish ocean.

Jennie could hear shouts of ragged children playing games beyond the walls of the castle. For a moment she wished she could be one of them, a child running barefoot and breathless, only clothed in ribbons, with no worries or future marriage chaining her down.

She wasn't a wild person, quite the opposite actually, but even she saw delight of being free with only the nature as your master.

Somewhere beyond the sunset and the 3 soul mountains, lay her future destiny to be wed to Prince Kai of Tragelli. The son of the person who killed her cousins family. The person she hated more than anything. The Prince, now the late King had led an army under the disguise of treachery against her relatives. One by one they fell. But the first where the worst. The stories of how her fellow cousin Ilauris of 13 years and his family got attacked by night still stuck in her memory. She had been told this story again and again. How they killed every soldier, every maid, everyone who lived under their household.

She could see it play out in her mind.

At last the children, lady and lord were woken by the horrid screams of the servants and soldiers. The parents hurrid outside, the father, her uncle reached for his sword and bravely fought his family into safty oh so he thought. The soldiers already had secured every exit that they knew but they hadn't thought they would also know of the hidden passages under the castle. So when her uncle and his family found soldiers in them they were horrified and surprised.

Her uncle still fought valiant until one soldier slit his throat open and he dropped to the floor, blood gushing out of his wound rapidly. But before he died the soldiers made sure to let him see how they slaughtered his child and wife.

Fortunatly there was one surviver who managed to hide himself under corpses before riding to her parents to warn them. He had turned back for a last glance and watched as the night got as bright as day ,as the fire gnawed it's way through stone and wood until it devoured the whole castle and only ashes remained of the people.

To prevent the same fate to overtake her family, her parents made a deal with the King of Tragelli. She should be wed to his son at the age of 20 and grace him with a heir. They had no other choice than to accept with the Tragelli armies standing before the gate, ready to conquer her country and lay waste to her family.

So they did, and here she was now getting ready to travel to a foreign country to marry.

She shed a last peek at the royal private garden before whirling around and entering her bedchamber.

Two maids already stood waiting, with their heads low and the gown hanging from their hands.

Jennie touched it. The fabric was smooth, nothing like she had ever worn. It was a gift send from the Prince himself. She ran her fingers trough it, it was in the color of innocence, white with a golden chain adoring the mid waist. It was beautiful she must admit.

The sewing was from highest quality, nothing less expected from the richest royal family around the 8 kingdoms.

Since she was five she knew the day would come, you would think over the years she would have gotten used to the thought but no she still felt the same uneasiness and disgust she felt as she first heard the news.

"Your lady, the bath is ready" the right servant girl spoke up meekly. They were two palace maids, another gift to her. The girl must not have been older than 16, the one next to her seemed a little older she was taller as well.