• CHAPTER 1

    The day was nearly as the girl collapsed to the ground. Her body was exhausted. “Now, now we can’t be done already can we Matari?” The girl looked up at the voice; it came from an old man who was teetering on his heels. “Surely I’ve trained you better than this.” He continued to taunt her. The girl got up, her red hair flowing down to her waist and just barely covering her crystal blue eyes. She stood towering over the old man; her fists slowly coming past her waist as the old man quickly kicked before she could block sending her spiraling into the ground.


    Her breathing was heavy, and the old man could clearly hear it, but he continued to taunt her. Mocking her very reason for starting the exercise, Matari slowly rose to her feet, and put her hands up readying for an attack. Just then she saw the old man’s foot in front of her face and she stood there, blinking as she heard someone run up to the side of the arena. “Princess, the Lord wishes to speak with you again.” Suddenly the girl fell backwards creating a small dustcloud as the bottom of her red pants hit against the dirt.


    “Go on now my student, you are needed elsewhere, but first change out of your outfit.” The old man chuckled as he passed by her swinging his legs over the wooden fence that made the arena.


    Matari gave a small nod and rose to her feet. “OK, let’s get back to the castle at least.” Her voice rang out it was soft but with force behind it. Her red training vest and pants hanging loosely from her human flesh as she stood dusting herself off quickly and then following after the guard. She ran quickly after the heavily-suited man, quickly surpassing him until she came upon a castle gate. It was far taller than she was several stories up was the top of the door which was only halfway up the actual gate. On the sides stood towers waving the flag of the kingdom high above so everyone could see. Matari quickly came upon the giant door and pulled on a large cord that dangled from the top of the gate. A booming chime came and was almost immediately followed by the slow opening of the giant wooden door. Matari rushed inside looking more like a red blur than a running person, her feet shuffling through the indentations in the ground where the door had worn in showing its use.

    Matari rushed past people as the scurried about their daily lives. Chickens squawked and their feathers flew as they tried to get out of the way. Matari then slowed down before a much smaller door, slowly opening it and smelling the bread that was baking within. It was clear that it was nearly dinner time and that was probably the reason her father wanted to see her. She then rushed through the heated kitchen room and abruptly turned a corner to head up some stairs. This area, she knew extremely well, for she had been caught here before. She took care now however in order to be not caught by anyone and soon she was in front of her door at the end of a long hallway.


    Slowly opening it, she crept inside. There had been surprises of late in this room, few of which she could explain but she was taking extra care not to be caught by her father. The room was large with an extra big bed adorned with a veil of silk curtains in a light yellow color. Her bedspread was made of the finest linens and shimmered in its sky blue color. However, Matari had no time to appreciate the finer things at the moment and quickly rushed to the left side of her room opening a door that was, roughly, her size.

    She turned the brass knob and went inside. Within the door was a room that was half the size of her bedroom, filled with dresses made of silk, shirts made of leather, and on the right way in the back was a small box. Matari ran over to it, quickly undressed and picked up out a light green tunic. Then she went over to the other side and picked up out a pair of blue jeans. She then grabbed her favorite belt which was gold with several jewels inside of it. The three in front being a sapphire, ruby, and emerald, she then quickly tied her hair up and went back into her room, closing and locking the door to her closet as she did so. Then she headed to her bed and laid herself upon her bed, just as she started to close her eyes her doors burst open.


    “Daughter, where have you been all day? I’ve had guards searching for you, you know. You know that you are the only that can carry out my duties should something happen to me. You can’t just run about like a little hooligan, I won’t tolerate it.” A man walked in with two guards on each side, the golden crown above his square face. He had blue eyes and a white beard that seemed to have been growing for several millennia. Draped about his shoulders was a fine linen cloth with the crest adorning it as it flowed about the man. He seemed to be wearing armor, scale like in appearance.


    Matari simply looked off to the side. “Sorry Father.”


    “Sorry is not going to keep cutting it daughter, you know I am the king and I worry about you for you are the princess. What if you were carried off by bandits? What then? I’ll tell you what. Then they’d send a note telling me to give up a ransom.” Matari tuned her father’s words out she was used to this kind of treatment ever since she started trying to escape from the castle her father seemed up in arms anytime she couldn’t be found. “And furthermore…..” The king looked at her. Then he noticed that she wasn’t paying attention. He walked over and grabbed her by the ear jerking her up onto her feet. “Pay attention daughter, I needn’t repeat myself do I?” Through the pain Matari managed to say a yes and her ear was let go of. “Now then, dinner will be served shortly and I expect you to be at the dining hall when it is served, not when you feel like it.”


    “Yes Father.” Matari said looking down at the floor.


    “Good, then it’s about time you got your act together so I’m leaving you with your tutor again so that you can learn to behave.”


    “But-“


    “No buts Daughter you will act and present yourself as a princess until I am either dead or too sick to take throne.” The king turned with a flourish of his cape as he walked out of Matari’s bedroom, the guards following after him the clanking of their armor echoing down the hallway. Matari sat there as her eyes slowly started to tear up, then thrusted her head into her silken pillow as she began to cry.