Chapter 1 - Hoping

I must admit, I do still love these characters. You can see a LOT of "The Beginning" in some of their personalities.

Chapter one

 

Hoping

 

 

At Seaspray castle-

 

            A gentle summer breeze blew over Seaspray, tossing the manes of the horses on the beach and making the flags snap on their poles. Dolphins splashed in the water, their sleek bodies arching gracefully above the waves. Megan wished for the thousandth time that the scene was not framed by her window. If only she had their freedom, if only she could jump and soar above the water as they did! But until the Crystal was retrieved, she was confined to the castle. Her father had even ordered the guards to make sure she didn’t leave.

                    Princess Megan Treelay of Seaspray was actually not the eldest, but her father had always shown his dislike of her brother, John, and shown it openly. He planned to marry John off and escort him to an extra piece of land with some commoners to start his own kingdom with. Of course, all this suited John perfectly (except the marriage part). He had always been a rebel, paying no attention to his father and pretty much doing whatever he wanted to. John, unlike Megan, was not afraid of the king. She loved John dearly, including all his quirks. He had been her mentor and companion for as long as she could remember.

                    But John, who always had an answer to every problem, couldn’t think of one now. They had been unprepared for the attack, believing that Lord Aton had perished and would plague them no longer. They were wrong. Lord Aton was alive and well, and the attack had hit hard. The Crystal was now at Crypton, in the hands of Lord Aton, and the gods only knew what he would do with such power…

                    Five sharp knocks sent her rushing to the door, tripping over her chair in the process, to let the in tall youth who was waiting patiently for her.

                    Jacob was black-haired and green-eyed with the kind of patient manner that was almost irritating. As her best friend he tried to keep her informed on what was happening in Huriu, since she was no longer allowed in the city. Five knocks was their secret signal so she would know that it was him.

                    Jacob was a commoner, which her father didn’t approve of. He was constantly telling her to find a noble to be her friend, instead of some commoner, and that if she wasn’t careful she would end up just like John. That was not threatening in any way though, since she admired John so much. Anyway, Jacob was her friend, and she would not simply drop him just because her father told her to “get a new friend”. It was one of the few things she dared disagree with her father on.

                    Jacob had fixed the chair in his quiet way and was now sitting cross-legged on her bed.

“So?’ she said excitedly.” Any news?”

Jacob shook his head. “Not really. Unless you count the rumors that Haldon’s been seen again. Maybe he’s come to sweep you away to his castle.”

Megan glared at him. Haldon Gorlows was the high prince of Furthermore, an isolated kingdom to the west. Megan had been going to marry him (or rather, was going to be forced to marry him), until he disappeared. Someone was always seeing him somewhere.

“That’s it? Nothing of the Crystal?”

“Nothing ‘cept the usual stuff. You know, that the creatures of hell are going to rise up out of the earth and junk. Nothing worth listenin’ to.” 

Megan sank into her chair. “But someone must be after it. Right?”

Jacob didn’t say anything.

“I don’t understand it!” Megan jumped out of her chair and began to pace the room, pounding out her frustration with her steps. “If someone doesn’t do something soon, then the creatures of hell really will come up to get us! Because Lord Aton will summon them! He has the Crystal! He can do anything! Doesn’t anyone understand that?”

“Look Megan, let’s just play some chess or something, okay? Someone will do something, I know they will.”

Megan looked out her window at the dolphins. “Yeah, okay.”

 

                                        *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

 

                    One hour and four chess games later Megan stared at the little knight she was holding in her hand. Hopefully a real knight was marching to Crypton right now. Then she sighed. She was tired of hoping. She wanted to know.

                    Jacob’s family owned a horse business, and he had gone home to help feed them. The theft of the Crystal had resulted in many nobles staying safe in their homes, which meant less people to buy horses. Though Jacob denied any trouble, she had noticed that he had gotten thinner lately. Jacob’s family never had much money anyway, and the lack of business wasn’t helping. Megan had offered him money, but Jacob had refused.

                    With the chess pieces back in place, Megan was bored. She usually spent her afternoons in Huriu, but she knew the guards were watching her. Maybe she would visit John. Maybe he had heard something Jacob had missed. John was still allowed in the city, if only because the king was smart enough to know he wouldn’t listen anyway.

                   

 

The hallway was empty as she walked the short way to John’s bedroom.” John,” she called and knocked on the door,” it’s me.”

“Come in, Megan!”

Megan walked in to find John sitting on the floor feeding a small gray kitten a bottle full of milk. John waved frantically for her to close the door.

“Isn’t it cute?” he asked as she sat down beside him. John might as well not have any furniture in his room, because he always sat on the floor.

“Where’d you get it?”

John shrugged. “Found it in an alleyway. Probably a stray.” His velvety brown eyes sparkled with delight at his new pet.

                    John was very handsome. He was tall, with brown hair that matched his eyes perfectly       and elegant features. Girls tended to coo and giggle around him in great flocks, which annoyed John deeply, since he didn’t want to have anything to with marriage or anything like it.

                    The kitten finished the last of the milk and curled up in a ball on John’s lap. Megan petted it’s little head.” Did you hear anything of the Crystal when you were there?”

“No.” he said, and set the bottle down beside him.” But supposedly your boyfriend’s back in town, Meggie.”

Megan flushed. “He was not my boyfriend and my name is Megan!”

“Alright Meggie.”

“John!”

John was laughing.” You didn’t mind it when we were younger.”

“We were just kids then, John.”

“Oh, I see, you’re to old for it now.”

Megan chose to ignore him. “You haven’t heard anything about the Crystal?”

“Oh I’ve heard plenty of things, just nothing informative.”

John looked at her face and sighed. “Megan, I know it’s hard for you, being cooped up in here like this, but you’ve got to keep your hopes up. There’s probably some knight no one’s ever heard of riding off to Crypton as we speak.”

 

 

 

Somewhere in Sunbeam Forest-

 

“Well, girl, I think we’ve finally done it. We’ve finally found something to do. Something that will bring us honor, and fame. I’m thinking it’s rather a quest. That’s it! A quest, Marian! A real quest!”

Marian snorted.

“I knew you’d understand!” The tall man patted his horse affectionately and ducked under a low hanging branch.

                    Gordon Hallows knew that the road would be tough. Crypton was surrounded by a huge swamp and a forest that was simply called “Death”. But Gordon wanted the honor of bringing home the legendary Amethyst Crystal. And he was bored. After two weeks Sunbeam Forest was starting to get really old.

                    Gordon’s hair brushed his shoulders and his face had a determined set to it, the face of someone who didn’t give up easily. The big mare he rode suited his long legs perfectly and his hands were strong and callused from being on the road. His eyes were an odd color; sort of amber with flecks of green in them.

He and his dapple-gray mare made an odd couple.

                    The two had left their home in Furthermore six months ago. To go on this quest would bring honor to his father, not that he needed any more of it.

                    Gordon didn’t know how he would get the Crystal out of Crypton. All he knew was that he was going to try. That’s all anyone could do at the moment, was try.

Gordon had decided that Sunbeam Forest was a very interesting

place. Having grown up in the west, next to Glitter Forest, he was not accustomed to these lush, green trees. He personally thought that these trees were more beautiful.

Gordon Hallows was a newly decided traveler, and he was enjoying

the solitude of it. He had never been alone for so long in his life. He had

run away from home six months ago, after hearing he was to be married

to a girl that he was not fond of at all. But now that girl was getting

married to another man, and he would return home baring the Crystal.

                    He had to admit that he was getting tired of trees, but he also knew that he would miss this place. He knew now that it’s shape was not the only reason for it’s name: the canopy was so thick that half of the time the only light was the sunbeams shining through the leaves. Yes, he would miss it, but he would return. He hoped.

 

At Seaspray castle-

                             

She was sitting at her dresser, brushing her hair. As she looked into her mirror her image began to sway, and shimmer. Instead she was looking at a ballroom. And she was dancing. Dancing with a tall man dressed in white…

                   

                    Megan awoke to find her maid, Martha, shaking her gently.

“Milady, it’s time to get up now Milady.”

                    Megan blinked several times and tried to remember the dream she had been having. It had been so strange---something to do with dancing…but as dreams often do, it slipped from her mind like water through her fingers.

“I have your dress here, Milady. It’s very pretty, your favorite shade of lavender. You’ll look stunning at the ball. Day after tomorrow, you know.”

                    Megan slid out of her bed and went over to see it. It really was beautiful, with a full circle skirt and short cut sleeves in a lavender silk. Rhinestones lined the collar and sleeves.

“It’s gorgeous!” she breathed.

                    Martha beamed. “I knew you’d like it! Now hurry and get dressed. You’re do at the table for breakfast.”

                    Megan hugged her and stepped into her dressing room to change into one of the pretty sundresses she wore during the day.

                    Martha was smoothing the wrinkles out of the dress as Megan sat down at her dresser. Her reflection was that of a sixteen-year-old girl with long blond hair which she was pulling into a horse tail. Blue eyes accented a small nose and full lips. Megan put in the little silver sphere earrings that had been John’s last birthday present to her.

                    Megan slipped into her shoes and opened the door. ”See you later, Martha.”

“See you later, Dear.”

John was waiting outside for her. “It takes forever for a girl to put some clothes on, doesn’t it?” Megan laughed.

“What?” West, one of the castle nights who they were good friends with, had walked up behind them.

“John was just complaining because girls take so long to get dressed.”

West grinned. “Well, it’s true. Am I late?”

John smiled. “Don’t worry. If you are so are we.” He began to walk down the hall.

                    They were late, if only by a couple minutes. It was still enough for Megan to smile apologetically at the hungry people around her.

                    The king said the Morning Prayer to the gods and then the din of silverware against platters filled the room. Megan swallowed a bite of bread and turned to West. “Do you know if any one is going after the Crystal?”

John, who was on her other side, stared at her. “You are obsessed with this, aren’t you?” Megan glared fiercely at him

West swallowed the bit of bacon he had been chewing. “No, not yet. They’re thinking of sending the whole army there next month. I’m pretty sure they will in the end. The only reason they’re hesitating is because your father’s advisor keeps telling them not to. I’m starting to think he’s working for Lord Aton.” And then, under his breath, “Or maybe that damn rock…”

“What?”

“Nothing, forget I said it.”

Megan pushed her food around on her plate. Then she

remembered that West was part of that army.

“Are you scared?”

West shook his head. “No, not really. I’m getting kind of tired of this castle. And besides, this is what knights are trained for.”

                                   

 

 

 

At the Graytop Inn-

 

                    Maylee dipped her finger into the lake and watched the ripples fan out from her touch. She was lying on her stomach beside the water’s edge. Her Arabian, Flight, was grazing behind her, blindingly white against the green grass.

“It’s strange, don’t you think? Them all disappearing like that?”

                    She was talking about the frogs. Yesterday there had been hundreds of them hopping around the pond. Now it was as if they had never been there.

                    Maylee was a sorceress, or, rather, a sorceress-to-be. At the end of a student’s training they were sent out on their own to prove themselves in the “real world”. This is what she was doing now. Before a student set off they spent a night in the Oracle Temple. There they received one gift from the Elders. 

Her gift was talking to frogs.

                    It was actually not just frogs. They were the main one, but she could also talk to and understand toads, salamanders, and some fish; she liked frogs the best though.

          So three weeks ago she had set off from Gea, the Kingdom that bordered Phantalla’s South West side, on a quest to prove herself.

So far she had been unsuccessful. Unless, of course, the Elders

thought that surviving in the junkiest inn she had ever set foot in proving

herself in the “real world” 

                    Maylee sighed and pulled herself away from the water’s edge. She missed the frogs. They had been the only civilized people in Greytop inn, other than Flight. She couldn’t help but think that something was wrong. She could feel it in her bones, in the very pit of her soul. Something had gone horribly wrong. All she could do was wait, and hope that it turned out all right.

                                        

At Seaspray castle-

 

                    Megan was lying on the floor in her room. She was bored, she was lonely, and she was more frustrated than she had ever been in her life. As sure as she knew that the sun rose in the East, she knew that something had to be done about the Crystal. They couldn’t just leave it there. An army would travel too slowly. They didn’t the have time…

“I brought you something.”

“John, don’t you know how to knock?”

John ignored her. “Don’t you want to know what I’ve brought you?”

“What?”

“Some very good advice.”

Megan sighed.” John…”

“Stop listening to him.”

Megan turned her head to stare at him.

“To who?”

“Our father.”

“What?”

“If you want to go to Huriu then go to Huriu.”

“But John…”

“Listen, if you don’t think for yourself when you’re queen then this whole kingdom will fall to pieces. I’m going. If you want to come with me then change into something not so…um…princess-like. If you want to stay here then, well, fine. But I have to go now, so make up your mind quick.”

                    There were a few seconds of doubt that hung in the air like a feather on a windy day, waiting to be blown from one place to the next. But something inside her was urging her to go, so she went.

                    Megan changed into a crimson skirt and blouse, then found a hooded cloak to hide her face. The hallways were bright and teaming with life as Megan wove her way through the crowd. John was waiting for her.

“I still don’t understand why we have to go out your window. It’s higher than mine,”

John put his foot on the windowsill. “It’s not that high. Besides, they’ll expect you to come out of your window. Come on.”

John dropped to the ground and encouraged Megan as she worked up the nerve to drop down beside him.

          They snuck along in the shadow of the castle walls, stopping every so often to listen for approaching guards. When they finally got to the gates, John waited until someone opened them (for a knight back from the city) and then took her hand and tugged her into Huriu.

 

 

 

   

                   

 

Reviews

[Leah Elisabeth]

This seems pretty interesting so far, and if you wrote it in Grade 6 I am even more impressed. THe only thing is that you have a lot of characters being introduced already. It is going to be difficult later on to develop them with any sort of consistency. Also, you are getting started on the action really quickly. It might be helpful to drag things out a little more.