Prologue

Some friends of mine thought I should add a prologue, so here it is! I hope this clarifies a few things about the story...

A young girl, 7 years of age, is running around a large field. Her straight, waist-long, black hair whips behind her like a cloak. Her dark purple eyes glitter with excitement as she throws back her head and laughs. A boy, only a year older, is chasing her. His eyes are as bright as the Spring grass they are running in. His short, curly blonde hair hangs loose in his eyes. The twin suns, Sol-Ra and Solis, are nearly in line with each other, indicating that noon is nearly upon them.

 

“Kyrin!” The girl calls out in a young and innocent voice. She’s stopped running and is standing in the middle of the field, the Kryton mountain-castle looming behind her. Her dark purple dress swishes around her knees, revealing the black pants of the guard uniform underneath.

 

“Ryku! Where did you get guard uniform pants?” The boy, Kyrin, laughs. He runs up to the girl and stops a foot away, panting heavily.

 

“Nevermind that! I’m the Princess! I can have anything I want!” She waves her arms in a wide circle around her after smoothing down her dress, dropping it to her ankles. “And that is why I’m going to do this!” Ryku laughs vaguely.

 

“Ryku?” Suspicion drips from Kyrin’s voice as he says her name. “What are you going to do?”

 

“Oh, don’t worry so much, Ky! This will be fun! Twill be even better than this boring, empty field!” She laughs as Kyrin shifts on his feet nervously.

 

            Ryku closes her eyes, the wind blowing her black hair in her face, and concentrates. After a few seconds she spreads her arms wide, drops them, and brings them up in front of her. She flicks her wrists, facing her hands towards the sky, and the ground beneath the children begins to rumble. All around them, the ground sinks into gooey bogs and dark wooded trees sprout from tiny islands of muck. Vines hang down, into the murky waters, and mosquitoes buzz lazily around them. The small island they stand on is the only color in the swamp. Even Ryku’s and Kyrin’s clothes have changed.

 

“Ryku! What… How?” Kyrin sputters, looking at himself in a small pool of clear water. His helmet is gone and his Elite Guard uniform has been replaced by dark purple silk. A simple cap covers the most of his bright gold hair but his fair skin stands out from his new outfit.

 

“Ryku! We’re going to get in trouble for this!” Kyrin spins around but Ryku is gone.

 

“Come on, Ky! Twill be fun! We’ve always wanted to play Hunt in a swamp! Well, here is our chance! Come find me!” Ryku teases in a sing-song voice, the sound echoing through the darkness of the swamp.

 

“Alright, alright. Ready or not, here I come!” He laughs and jumps at the nearest vine, swinging over a bog. He climbs up the vine and gasps when he reaches the top of the trees.

 

            The swamp stretches for about 50 feet in every direction. Only a small break in the cluster of trees indicates where their starting island is. He spots a little figure move in the trees about 20 feet away. He crouches down, hiding among the leaves. Ryku is dressed in the same clothes as he and her long black hair is drawn back in a braid, tied with a purple silk ribbon, which is looped and hangs between her shoulders. Two long strands are curled on the side of her face and her purple eyes gleam in the sunlight like a cat’s.

 

She looks around before ducking back under the canopy. Kyrin jumps down, grabbing hold of the vine, and swings from vines and branches, making his way to where he last saw Ryku. He pauses on a branch just above her. She’s sitting on a small island, crouching over a clear-water puddle. She smiles, grabs a little bit of mud, and starts to rub it on her tanned hands. She’s dark enough that her skin doesn’t stand out in the shadows of the swamp but she feels the need to disguise herself better anyway. She stands up, opens a Portal, and jumps in. She lands out of sight of Kyrin, about 40 feet the opposite direction. As she jumps out of the Portal, she loses her balance and falls into the bog.

 

She gives a small screech that sends chills down Kyrin’s spine. He races towards the heart-wrenching sound and jumps down, next to the muddy pool where Ryku is slowly sinking beneath the surface. A small piece of a loose vine has tangled around her mouth so she can’t do anything more than whimper, her hands held at her sides by the muck. She’s up to her chest by now and tears stream down her muddy face.

 

“Ryku! Ryku, are you okay? Just hang in there, I’ll find something to get you out!” Kyrin’s voice makes Ryku look up and her eyes betray her fear.

 

They lock gazes, but only for a moment, before Kyrin runs around, tugging on vines. All of them break from where they hang. Kyrin curses, apologizes to Ryku, and keeps pulling at vines. He finally finds one that holds and ties it around his waist. He jumps in only inches from Ryku, who is now up to her chin in mud. She whimpers as the bog pulls against them, threatening to keep them in, while Kyrin pulls against the vine with one hand. Ryku’s hands finally come free and she loops them around Kyrin’s neck. He releases his hand from around her waist to pull them out with both hands. Finally, they crawl out and onto the center island where Ryku first made the bog.

 

“Ryku? Ryku, please say something. Please say you’re okay!” Kyrin worries, his hands shaking nervously as he pulls the vine from around Ryku’s mouth.

 

“Yes, I’m okay. Oh, my gods! I’m so glad you found me Kyrin!” she throws her arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

 

“I am too. I saw you Portal away, you cheater!” Kyrin laughs gently, pulling Ryku closer and onto his lap.

 

“I fell out of the Portal into that bog! Oh, Ky! I thought I was going to die!” she simply hugs him tighter and rests her muddy and tear-stained face in his shoulder.

 

“No, no! I would never let that happen! It’s my job! I’m your best friend and I will never let you get hurt!”

 

“Ky?” Ryku asks quietly and Kyrin grunts in acknowledgement. “I think you win. You’re the best Hunter ever!” she laughs quietly, half in nervousness and half in slight amusement. Kyring simply laughs with her.

 

            Later that day, after Queen Sintara used Lite Magyk to return the swamp to the grassy field it was, Ryku had to stand trial in the Cryunsel for Creating a Place of Death and Decay. She was found innocent because she was only a little girl who wanted to play, not fully realizing the severity of her actions. She was punished enough with nearly dying and Kyrin was awarded the job of being her Elite Guard. He was to train as an Apprentice, learning the ways of the Elite Guard, until he turned 17. Then he would be a full Elite Guardsman. However, the time for his ceremony would never come as Ryku would be in more trouble than anyone could imagine just 9 years later, and he would follow her anywhere.