Chapter One

Sunlight started to shine through the window, hitting the young girls closed eyes. She tossed and turned in her bed, grabbing the doll her father had given her for her second birthday. She opened her eyes once she knew she couldn’t go back to sleep. Sitting up her curly white hair fell around her shoulders like a curtain of satin. She lifted her tiny fist to rub her eyes, she opened them and looked out the window. Her sapphire blue eyes reflecting the light making them seem as if they were glowing. She turned when she heard her door open, “Young Mistress! You’re already awake?” The voice came from her nanny, Adelina, her brown hair was pulled into a braid like bun on the top of her head.

“Yes, I’m awake already because the curtains were left open.” She said to Adelina, wondering why her nanny suddenly looked so flustered.

“I closed them last night! I was sure of it!” Adelina said with a huff, trying to rake her brain to remember last night before she left the little girl’s room.

“It’s alright Adelina. It’s fine that it was open, because I get to go wake up mama and papa!” The little girl said with a smile that reached her eyes.

“Well actually young Gracelia, your father is already awake and working in his office seeing as he didn’t sleep with the Duchess but fell asleep on the couch there instead last night.” Gracelia crossed her little arms over her chest and huffed.

“No fair! It’s MY birthday! I wanted to wake them up!” Adelina laughed at how cute the young mistress was and walked over to her bed, sitting beside her she said.

“Well the Duchess is still asleep if you wish to go wake her up.” Adelina winked at Gracelia and patted her head. Hearing that Gracelia instantly brightened like a lotus flower blooming in spring.

“I wanna go wake up mama Ade!” Gracelia put out her arms to Adelina with a smile. “Carry me?” Adelina got up off the bed and picked up the young mistress cradling Gracelia in her arms forgetting how light she was for a six year old.

“Shall we, my lady?” Adelina asked her young mistress.

“Let’s!” Gracelia said with a smile and pointed towards the door. “Let’s go!” With that Adelina carried the young girl out of the room and down the hall, they passed maids who bowed to Gracelia, she waved while smiling at each and every one of them. “Good morning!” She said to every maid they passed. Gracelia was different then most noble children, she cared about the people that worked under her father and mother. She wasn’t spoiled because her mother came from a family that had fallen out of the emperors’ graces when they didn’t send her eldest sister to become his concubine. However when Gracelia’s father had met her mother, he fell in love with her at first sight and his family, the De Mornica’s, were the right hands of the Emperor. They controlled one of the kingdom’s largest armies according to her father that is.

They came to a stop in front of a big oak door with two knights standing guard. They bowed to Gracelia as Adelina put her down. “She’s come to wake the Duchess.” Adelina told the knights in a hushed tone. The knights looked at each other trying to hold a giggle in as to not wake the Duchess before Gracelia could. They opened the door just enough for the tiny mistress to slip through. Gracelia slowly made her way over to her mother’s bed, trying to step as lightly as possible on the old wood floors that were worn down by feet. Soon she came to a stop on her father’s side of the bed and slowly climbed up, she lifted her self up onto the bed and crawled slowly over to her mother. When she was sure she was asleep and not faking it she jumped into action.

Jumping on her mom she yelled, “ Time to wake up! Daddy’s little princess said so!”

“Ugh… What time is it?” Her mother asked, slightly annoyed but happy at the same time.

“I don’t know mommy but GET UP! It’s my birthday!” Gracelia said, poking Juliana’s cheek. She sat up and looked at the young white haired blue eyed child in her lap.

“You know, I think you’ve gained some weight my darling.” Her mother said trying to suppress her laughter at her daughter’s face of shock.

“MAMA! Have I really?” Gracelia asked while checking her arms, wrists, legs, tummy and cheeks. When she suddenly noticed her mom smiling, she poked her mom’s chest and crossed her arms. “Not funny!”

“It’s a little funny to see my child’s little face get so shocked at what her mother tells her.” The Duchess started to laugh as she pulled Gracelia to her chest. “You’re just to cute my little one.” Gracelia put her arms around the Duchess’ neck and put her head on her chest. She could hear the soft heartbeat of her mother’s heart under her ear. She was so use to the sound by now that Juliana once told her it was because she carried her in her belly for nine months and that’s all she heard.

“Mommy!” Gracelia yelled as she picked up her head. “I’m Seven today!” The Duchess laughed.

“You were actually born when the moon was at its highest peak while the first snow fell. So i’m pretty sure you aren’t seven till then.” She poked Gracelia’s nose with a smile, She huffed at her mother.

“NO! I’m seven!” The Duchess laughed at her child’s puffed up face as if she was actually fooling anyway to make them think she was actually mad.

“Where’s Adelina?” Gracelia’s face brightened at the mention of her nanny’s name.

“She’s waiting outside mommy.” She pointed her tiny finger towards the door.

“Adelina! Please come in!” The door opened and Adelina walked over to the bed and bowed to the Duchess.

“Good morning Duchess Juliana. What can I do for you today?” Adelina asked, in a soft voice she only ever uses with nobles.

“Can you please have one of the knights outside tell my husband to join us for breakfast this morning and please take Gracelia back to her room to get dressed. Also, since she is seven she can walk on her own now.” Adelina bowed again.

“Yes my lady. Right away.” Adelina turned and went over to the half open door and poked her head out to tell the knight to deliver the Duchess’ words to the Duke. Adelina came back to the bed and looked at Gracelia. “Now young mistress we should go so your mother can get dressed hmm? Would you like to wear that pretty blue dress that your father ordered for you from the tailor yesterday?” Gracelia looked at her mother and was about to open her mouth to say something when she was cut off by Juliana.

“Go get dressed so we can eat yummy food hmm?” Juliana said as she kissed her daughter’s forehead. Gracelia smiled and nodded, she got off the bed and followed Adelina out as maids came in to tend to the Duchess, get her dressed and ready for the day. Gracelia watched as the door shut behind them.

“Tell the chief to prepare breakfast for the morning and make sure he doesn’t put to much sugar in the young mistress’ tea or she’ll be bouncing off the walls after.” Adelina said to a maid that was walking past, the maid turned and was about to leave but saw Gracelia and bowed. Gracelia smiled at the maid as she disappeared down the hall. She held Adelina’s hand as they walked down the hall, when they passed an open window. Gracelia stopped, pulling her hand away from Adelina, she walked over to the window and looked out. There was smoke billowing out from the baker’s shop as people’s day began. The sun was high in the sky and a breeze was rustling the trees foretelling of the coming winter as it had a bite to it. The clouds passed by as if saying good morning to all the towns people. In the square of the mansion she saw the knights of the first squadron shooting arrows at targets and sparing with each other. Gracelia always dreamed of being a knight but she knew that was unbecoming to a lady but she had decided that for her seventh birthday she would ask her father to teach her swordsmanship and archery. The breeze stopped for a minute and she could hear the bubbling of the brook outside the mansion’s walls and the voices of the townspeople below in the valley haggling their wares and the laughter of young woman sitting in the shade on the street. “Are you alright mistress?” Adelina asked Gracelia, following her gaze to the knights. “Is their a knight you suddenly fancy?” Gracelia coughed at the thought.

“Nope! I wanna be like them one day!” Adelina gasped with surprise but quickly knelt down to look at Gracelia.

“You can be whatever you want to be Gracelia. A lady should know how to protect herself should the need arise,” Gracelia looked at Adelina with admiration. She had never told anyone about her dream because she was afraid to be scolded. So hearing those words from Adelina filled her with hope. “Let’s keep walking and I’ll tell you a story from my childhood.” Gracelia grabbed Adelina’s hand and kept walking. “When I was a young girl, living in the town below us, my father owned the blacksmith forge which my brother know runs. You see, my father was a jolly man but he thought that girls can’t always be protected by their fathers or brothers. So one day he forged me a small iron dagger to keep on my waist, in case of danger. He told me how to wield it and where to strike at a person if they tried to harm me. What I’m trying to say is, don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t be something just because your a girl young mistress. You never know, maybe you’ll be better than those knights down there.” Gracelia looked at the tapestries on the wall as they passed, telling stories from the De Mornica line and how there weren’t any female knights on them. She thought maybe one day she’ll be on one of those tapestries in shining armor surrounded by knights that followed her and how she’d be the one to protect those she loves.