The Princess of Blue Star Castle

Chapter 1

The halls of the castle were quiet on the night of the anniversary celebration. No lantern or chandelier was lit as the servants and guards slept, having been worn out from the work they had to do. A dark figure stealthily runs down the hallway, down the flight of stairs, out of the doorway to the castle grounds. Princess Ivy ran to the stables where a dark steed awaited, already saddled. She quickly mounted her horse, clutching an object hidden within her cloak. Her sword hung at the side and brushed the horse, startling the creature. Ivy pat Midnight Flower to settle her then quietly rode out of the stables. It was all too easy, a perfect evening for her to run away; the festivities of the kingdom's anniversary festivities left everyone tired or drunk, sleeping off their tired bodies from staying up late or the toxins of the wine or beer.

Ivy reached the bridge expecting to see sleeping soldiers but instead found the post empty. "If father knew of this he would be furious," Ivy thought to herself aloud, keeping her voice at a whisper. The portcullis, she found, was closed to her escape, making it difficult to open the main gates. Quickly dismounting Ivy climbed the ladder next to the gate wall. Ivy found the guard post there, again, empty. It would seem even the guards had their share of the festivities. The windlass sat, free for anyone to use. If an enemy knew how easy it would be to get in this night, the castle could have been taken over. Regardless, her father had already surrendered to an enemy. Ivy had seen the windlass worked before, all she had to do was turn the wheel to open the portcullis. It was heavier than she expected, but with a little effort she managed to turn it. Although Ivy tried her best to quietly open the gate, there was enough noise from the rope on the portcullis to be noticeable, she then heard a cry of surprise. Looking up, out an open window, Ivy saw a torch, carried by the knight who was to be on duty, rushing towards her.

Needing only room enough to allow herself and Midnight Flower to pass through, Ivy tied the windlass in place. She quickly climbed back down, pushed open the gates and remounted Midnight Flower, kicking her into a gallop. To her surprise, the draw bridge was still down, she had thought it would have been raised, but it seemed that even the simplest tasks were forgotten during the castle festival. Despite the cries from the guard, she wouldn't stop until she was inside the dark forest, referred to by some as 'The Forbidden Forest'. Unsure of where she could run to, she felt anywhere would suffice. Her running away was a serious crime that would never be forgiven her, regardless of being the princess, or anyone else who stole the prized star of the castle. A blue stone that had a magnificent glow, almost like that of her sapphire hair clip. She sped through the streets of the city, just outside the castle walls, towards the forest.

The guard, who could do nothing but watch as the princess galloped away, rounded up the other soldiers, waking them from their slumber. Since most were drunk, he had to leave them be. Though he knew better than to wake the captain, he also knew the captain would be angry if he hadn't. The captain, after hearing what the guard had witnessed, rose and armed himself. A band of fifteen soldiers was all that could go with him, they mounted their horses with their captain and rode after the princess. Should they fail in bringing her back the king would certainly be furious if they let anything happen to her. Knowing she had taken the blue star, they would keep that detail from the king for as long as possible. Their main concern was to make sure the princess returned to the castle safely.

The forest was full of bandits, fierce and un-human creatures of all kinds and several other dangers. Captain Leynard had forgotten that Ivy learned to fight, hide, cover her tracks, and so on, lessons he taught her and now regretted. She could handle herself better than any soldier he had trained, having been eager and willing to learn far better than any green recruit. Even when he yelled at her she kept going in her training. Perhaps the loss of her friend, the stable boy, had been her motivation. Whatever it was, she was now highly skilled and quite capable of running away. If they didn't catch up to her now, she could be gone for a good long while. Or worse, if she is caught by the bandits... No! He would not allow anything to happen to her. Should she join the bandits, he would bring her home and try his best to keep her from being a law breaker, remind her she was a princess. However, should she be defiled by them, he would take her life and his own to prevent any from knowing such shame came upon the royal family.