This story is called 'Harold didn't want any more Rises'

By fffffplayer1, 24-09-2016

The heavy thumping of the man's boots was echoed inside the bare hall, as he approached the thoughtful King. The latter was emerged out of the whirlwind of his thoughtd by the sound of them and his eyes, losing their vagueness, turned towards the military man. Being too much immersed in his distress, the royal man could not discern the soldier's rank and not being very familiar with his person, he could not remember it. At least, he knew he was of some importance, not just a simple footman.

“Tell me your report”, Matthias said sighing apprehensively.

The man looked at his King fearfully, wishing it had not fallen on his shoulders to deliver such news to him.

“Evereed has fallen, Your Majesty! It was taken by the Metal Men!”.

Matthias was very disturbed by those news. Evereed was a very important stronghold and supply centre. Knowing that the enemy forces had taken it, he felt despair. He barely managed not to put his head in his hands, for he knew he must not show such feelings in front of his subjects. Instead, he spoke.

“Is there anything else?”.

The officer informed the King on the latest moves of the *Men from the Skies Above* and of the increasing movement of villagers from the country towards Orlan. He asked Matthias what he wished to be done on some matters and the man gave the best answers he could give, wishing he had some good advisor like the old times. That brought bad memories in his mind, though. Meanwhile, he realised that he had begun giving his officers freedom to do as they thought best more and more often ever since the Metal Men had fallen from the sky. He did not like that, but he did not know what else to do.

All the while, neither of the men realised that a teenage girl was hiding behind one of the doors leading to the Throne Room listening to the whole conversation. She had long russet brown hair and dark green eyes. She was wearing a white dress with blue frills. Her name was Jonna and she happened to be the daughter of the man sitting on the throne on the other side of the door; and that made her the Princess.

She began walking away as the conversation began getting uninteresting and for fear of getting caught. There was an expression of sadness mixed with annoyance on her face. She could understand that there were bad things going on, but with no one caring to explain to her what exactly those were, Jonna was unable to understand the pain of others. And suppressing the little shame she felt for not thinking about the people she was supposed to serve one day, she only thought of her own troubles. She didn't what exactly was going on, but she knew things were bad enough for her father to lock her inside their castle again and not let her have any of the things she enjoyed in her life.

That was so unfair! How could this be happening? Vladek was supposed to have been defeated for good two years ago and her father had promised not to restrict her like he had then again. But she knew her father and such a bad war, was enough for him to forget that promise. And if Jonna mentioned it, he would just say that when he made it, he didn't expect a new war coming in only two years. Truth be told though, no one did. Everyone believed Morcia achieved peace that would not be distrubed for many years to come. And now it was as if new enemies had fallen from the sky.

When Jonna was in a safe distance, she raised the hem of her dress a tad and then started running. None of the grown people of the castles she lived in (there was the Royal Palace some distance away from the capital and the Citadel of Orlan, both of which were places of her residence during the year) approved of her running through corridors, especially now she was older. Footmen and handmaids found it funny or cute, but they never encouraged her (how could they since they rarely talked to her?) and they tried to remain serious. Her father did not mind so much, when she was younger, but now he thought she should act more lady-like. However, it was her governess, Madame Gussel, that was the strictest about it and had scolded her many a time for this very reason (though it was not the only one). However, this had never stopped her and it wouldn't now.

She reached her quarters, where she quickly undressed and changed to her riding outfit. She always thought wearing trousers was way easier than the fancy dresses her governess and her father always insisted she should wear and .

Once she was ready, she started running again, this time towards an exit of Orlan's citadel. Not the main exit, but one of the smaller ones that were less likely to have someone guarding them at the moment. Despite her father's not having told her she was not to leave the castle anymore, she was not sure the castle guards would care. Fortunately, she did not meet anyone on her way to the mostly forgotten exit; ever since the war had begun, the castle personnel had diminished both for financial reasons and because many of the manservants had been enlisted for the army.

Once she was out in the open, she headed for the royal stables, which weren't far, but which she still thought her father wouldn't let her visit soon. How she longed to be able to just take Hwin and ride in a grassy plain, as fast her dear horse could trot. But that was one of the first of the freedoms that was taken away from her ever since the Metal Men arrived. Now, she wouldn't be allowed to ride even within the limits of the city and Jonna wished to ride Hwin one last time, before she had to say goodbye.

She entered the stables, where she was met by the gaze of the idle stableboy. She walked with confidence, perhaps even haughtily, towards the white horse she owned ever since she was a little girl trying to give the boy the idea she had every right to be there, afraid that any hesitant (and hence suspicious) behaviour might cause him to giver her in. The stableboy wasn't sure if she should be there, but no one had told him she shouldn't and he wasn't the most knowledgeable in the King's fancies at any moment, so he didn't stop the girl. Besides, if the princess wanted to ride in the time of war, who was he to stop her?

As Jonna reached the mare, who was named Hwin, she put her arms around her neck in a hug and said “Oh Hwin! Who knows when we will see each other again?”.

“Hi to you, too, little foal!” the horse replied, as we all know that talking horses are a very normal thing, “What bothers you so?”.

“We are at war, you see! And it's so bad, my dad won't be letting me come and ride you. I don't know when I'll be able to come and see you again, but this is probably the last one for a long time”.

“Does that mean no one will come to feed me?”.

“No, silly! There are people responsible for that kind of stuff, who will be making sure you are fed as well as possible!”.

The stableboy was watching curiously for some time, then his eyes went vague. He was used to the way the Princess interacted with her horse. Despite her whispering, he could tell she was talking to her horse and more than usual and with strange pauses. After some time of thinking he had deduced that the Princess was somewhere between oversentimental with her horse and nutty. But why should he mind? Those royals were different from common men and they could afford being eccentric.

“Speaking of which”, the horse said, “Have you brought anything for me?”.

As if expecting it, Jonna conjured an apple for the horse.

“Is that it? Nothing more?” Hwin asked, when she was finished.

“I'm sorry, Hwin! But I didn't have much time. What do you say? You're up for a ride? I think if we continue talking like this the stableboy will think I'm crazy!”.

“Perhaps, you are crazy!”.

Jonna tried to ignore the thought, but it wasn't something she hadn't thought herself and it would often creep in her mind to mar her happiness in good things.

“Let's go, shall we?”.

She started to get the horse out of the stables. Now, the stableboy looked more uncertain of himself. However big his ignorance was, he knew it wasn't a very good idea to let the princess ride about and he could get in trouble for letting her, but could he stop her?

However, he was saved by the arrival of a castle guard.

“Your highness, there you are! His Majesty, King Matthias wishes to see you”, the man spoke, “Immediately”, he added looking at the white mare.

*Brick!* she thought.

Her father had probably sent a soldier instead of a servant, thinking it'd be easier for him to get her to come. Jonna had often in the past managed to ignore the servants when they wanted her to do something she did not like.

“Very well. I will visit him, you can go now!”.

“I have been instructed to accompany you personally” the guard replied emphatically.

*Brick! I can't get away.*

The guard led her to the Throne Room and then was dismissed. There, her father was waiting, sitting on his throne with a thoughtful expression. Seeing her father in this state made her forget her own problems. How awful it must have been to have to go through everything her father did. She often got mad at her father for he wished to oppress her and didn't let her be who she wanted to be, but the truth was that she adored him. He had raised her with love and had protected her from all dangers, even if he had overdone it on that matter. He was one of the few people she had in the world and she couldn't stand seeing him like that.

“Dad, is it really that bad like they're saying?”. she asked.

“Do not trouble yourself with these things, dear. I don't wish my own concerns to weigh you down as well”

And so he began being frustrating again.

“What did you want me for?” she said with her voice a bit on edge.

“You see, my dear Jonna, due to recent events, it has gotten very dangerous for a person like you to be out of the castle with no supervision or even with supervision. That's why I am afraid I can't let you get out of it from now on, without my leave and without being accompanied by a guard”.

*A person like you?*  she thought *What does that mean? Does he think I'm weak? And what of this nonsense of leaves? He's never going to give me one! This is so unfair!*

“But, dad, what about your promise?”.

“I think you will agree that in light of recent events we should oversee that promise. It was made in consequences that- You surely can see...” his last words she could not discern.

“But, dad, I can't be stuck in the castle! You can't keep me locked in it!”.

“Do you have any better suggestions?”.

“I could learn how to swordfight!”.

“Any serious suggestions, Jonna!”.

“But if I learn how to use the sword, I'll be able to defend myself, don't you think?”.

“I will not discuss this!”.

“Why not? It's a really good idea!”.

“It's not fitting for a lady to use a sword. Be pleased that I allowed you to learn some archery”.

“What's fitting doesn't matter, dad! Think of what's practical, what's really best!”.

“You think I don't think this way. I do. I know you, Jonna, and if you learn how to fight, the first thing you'll do is enter the battle. And I can't have you in the battle, where I can't protect you! Women that meddle with the things of men don't end well, remember that Jonna!” he spoke and his expression was so sour as he spoke the last sentence that Jonna wondered what he had in mind.

Jonna did not know how to strike back. She wanted to say that that's not what she'd do -not only as an argument, but because no one likes being told they are so predictable-, but she couldn't. For what she really longed for was to get in the fight. Perhaps, she wanted it even more than her freedom. She wished to be part of the action for once, to not be the defended, but the defender; she wished to help with the only way she knew.

Matthias took her silence as a sign that the conversation was over and said “That's settled then. You may return to your quarters. I love you”.

Jonna, knowing that there was no way of persuading her father now, grumbled an answer and made her way to her quarters.

~~~\*\*\*---\*\*\*~~~

An arrow shot through the air and hit the target very near the bull's eye.

“Nice shot!” Jonna said to her friend.

Next to the young princess, an almost equally young red-haired girl was standing with bow in the hand and quiver on the back. Her name was Lady Ruby Blacksun and she was Jonna's best friend. Jonna, herself with a bow and a quiver, put an arrow between her two fingers and placed it on the bow's string, which she then proceeded to pull. She aimed for a little and imagining the target was the person waging war to them, she released the arrow. It flew straight into the bull's eye.

“Perfect!” Ruby exclaimed.

Jonna was by no means the perfect archer. However, putting all of her suppressed energy into the training of this art, she had become pretty good.

It was one day after Jonna had been announced that she was not to leave the castle and the only reason she was able to train right now was that they were in in the Citadel's interior courtyard. Jonna had shared all her complaints about what had happened immediately after they met.

“Speaking of the war, have you understood whom we're fighting?” Ruby had asked.

“I'm not sure. At first, I thought it was Vladek again, but they never mention him. They keep talking about those Metal Men from the Skies Above”, Jonna had answered.

Jonna, now, made way for Ruby to shoot her next arrow.

“It'd be better if I could be as good at using the sword!” she complained, “At least, you've got your brother, who's teaching you swordfighting!”.

“Not anymore” ,Ruby said with some disappointment, “Robert was called to lead a unit in the battle three days ago. He left yesterday”.

“It must be great to be him. He gets to really fight and defend the kingdom!” Jonna said with mixed admiration and jealousy for Ruby's older brother.

She'd met the eldest of the Blacksun family and she knew he was a strong, valiant and skilled young man, ready to make Morcia proud. Both girls felt they wanted to be more like him.

“Yeah, he's very brave and I'm sure he will do a great job in the war. John, though, doesn't like the idea of war. He's scared. He doesn't want to go. He's been afraid ever since they told him he was in the Reserve. He says they could call him any minute now and shivers!” Ruby sighed.

“I can't understand it. How can he be given such a great opportunity and not want to take it?” Jonna had much less respect for the second-born son of the Blacksuns.

“The idea of war doesn't appeal to everyone, I suppose. It is true that it's very dangerous”, Ruby tried to excuse her brother.

“That's what makes-”, Jonna spoke, but was cut off.

“There you are!” a cross voice was heard from behind them.

It was Madame Gussel, Jonna's governess.

“Will you stop wasting your time in silly manly things?” she spoke crossly, “Oh! And look at how you are?! You're full of mud!” Madame Gussel was now shocked, “Young princess, you are coming with me, now!”

Jonna groaned. She had tried avoiding to do as Madame Gussel requested before, but she usually failed. Madame Gussel had her ways of forcing her into compliance. She said goodbye to her friend and then with heavy steps followed her governess.

~~~\*\*\*---\*\*\*~~~

Jonna was playing the piano; horribly, but stil she was playing it. She never was good at the particular instrument, but her frustration at the current situation -being forced to practice the piano when there is actually war raging in your land, let alone if you're not particularly good at it can be quite frustrating- made her so especially bad that even her incredibly stubborn governess was starting to doubt whether she should exercise the aforementioned art.

A servant entered the room and whispered something to Madame Gussel. The governess had ordered a long time ago that whenever there was any announcement to be made during the Princess's lessons, it would have to pass through her first and she would decide if it was worth interrupting her lesson.

“Okay, your Highness”, Madame Gussel said stopping the girl “This was a very... special performance. Why don't you take a break? It would seem that Lady Ruby has come to visit you”.

Jonna was happy, but bamboozled. Madame Gussel would usually rather have visitors wait than interrupt her lessons. On the other hand, Ruby knew when Jonna had lessons and avoided visiting at these times. Nevertheless, she virtually hopped her way towards the small drawing room, where Ruby had probably been led to.

Ruby was indeed waiting for her there. She seemed very excited by something. She stood up as soon as Jonna entered the room. The princess motioned with her head that Ruby could sit. It was something very simple. Part of her daily life. Jonna, as a royal, was above everyone else, and formalities had to be observed even with Jonna's cordial friends.

“Jonna, excuse me for the hour, but I was just really eager to see you”, the noble girl spoke as they sat down “We got a letter from Robert and I thought you'd like to read it with me!”.

“Sure!” Jonna joined in her enthusiasm.

Ruby removed a piece of parchment out of an envelope and Jonna sat next to her to read it with her. The letter wrote:

*Dear father, mother, John and Ruby,*

*I am sorry for not writing to you earlier, but I have been very busy. During the first day, we received a final training, but after that we hastily marched across Morcia to reach the battlefield. The enemies have advanced much, but it was still a big distance. We didn't see any invaders until the third day. Hitherto we only saw the refugees heading for Orlan.*

*I have been set in charge of twenty five men. I tried to connect with them, for we're going to need this through the hardships our future holds for us. They all seem like great people. I pain to think that the odds are some of them will never return from this war.*

*On the third day, we finally met some of the Men from the Skies Above. They must have been scouts or members of a disorganised unit for they were few and scarce. Turns out the Metal Men are no Metal Men at all. The metal's only the exterior and they have humans inside. They were armour like us, yet is very odd armour.*

*However, it wasn't until four days had passed from my departure that we really fought a battle. We have been ordered to station in the moors in the shadow of Mt. Scary -have you heard that it has no more smoke? There we and two more units are to ambush any incoming enemies -Paradox I've heard some people call them. I do not like this way of fighting, but as soon as the aforementioned battle occurred, I realised why it was necessary. Above, I mentioned I suspected some of my men would be smashed. The truth is we already lost six of them; the other units lost even more. The Above-Men wield strange powers and harness mystical powers that we do not understand. And it is very easy for them to smash us, while it's hard for us to return the favour. Truth be told, I can't understand how their weapons function. Has the Enchantment stopped working? Has the Sorcerer of Old, if he's still alive, forsaken us? What changed? It is not noble of these men to fight us with such advantage; I wish they had never gotten it, but hopefully we'll manage to get through it.*

*We've fought more battles ever since. When the enemy units are small, we have no problem, because we smash the Paradox before there's any casualties. But if they are bigger and they recover through the original surprise, we lose many good men to their vicious weapons. We have to keep moving camp, so that they don't learn our location and avoid us. Still, I'm afraid -from what I hear- that the enemy is getting through. Our front still holds on -new units are sent all the time to replace the lost men-, but I've heard they passed through the Calibus Woods. If they manage to get past the Westside Hills, their next destination will be Orlan. I believe, though, we have the power to hold them there. Morcia cannot fall so easily. It's not the first time we fight on a disadvantage. But we always get through. If Arstus I defeated the Morgai, as the legends tell, we can defeat these Above-Men.*

*I was injured on the leg at the last battle. But mother, please, do not hurry to worry once you read this. It is only a minor thing and it doesn't even hinder me in fighting. Father, you don't need to worry about maintaining the family's honour, for I am not wanting in that respect. John, please have courage; if you are called to the battle as I am, remember we all have a duty to Morcia. Ruby, I hope you take care and that you don't miss me too badly. I hope to see you all soon, after we return victorious to Orlan. I will write to you again as soon as I can.*

*Lots of love,*

*Robert*

~~~\*\*\*---\*\*\*~~~

As time went on, more and more panicked, hunted villagers arrived in Orlan and sought refuge in it. With them, many rumours and news about the war came. People spoke of these Metal Men, who wielded the long-forgotten, banished of old technology. Everyone knew they should not be able to use it, yet it happened. So, they asked each other the question and no one could answer it, yet they still persisted to ask: why was the Enchantment failing?

With news of the war -which were becoming increasingly worse as the so-called Paradox came ever nearer to Orlan- came a rumour about the Quieting of Mount Scary. For as long as even the most elderly of the Morcians could remember, Mt. Thunderclap would perpetually spew smoke and tremble, causing minor quakes. And those elderly of theirs could say with certainty that their own grandparents always told them stories of the angry Mt. Scary from their childhood. So, to hear now that the smoke had stopped and the Mount had gone quiet was alarming rather than reassuring. Besides, the volcano had not erupted in more than a hundred years. Its irascible character was more like a part of Morcia than a reason to be afraid of a cataclysmic event. And there were many people who connected its Quieting with the failing of the Enchantment.

And as the war went on and the Metal Men advanced and reached the Westside Hills, Orlan was filled with more people than it had in the last hundred years -the country was now desolate. And the latest people that arrived talked of one last rumour. And that rumour was only one word; or rather it was a name. For these final refugees hinted their unusual knowledge of what was unknown to all others and then refused to speak of it until their friends' pleading would finally half-persuade them and they would speak it fearfully in a whisper. They would say: “thedude”.

No home could really be peaceful as war raged on so near their city -there had been news that the enemy army was now marching for Orlan- and what a war it was! This, of course, was applied even to the nobles' homes. However, whatever peace they might have had in the Blacksun Manor, it was lost when the second-born son of the family was called to the war. There were many preparations to be made in the short time of three days, at the end of which John would have to present himself to the army. Yet, the main problem was in John himself. It was always obvious that John was a weak boy, almost useless with a sword and generally not very talented in the affairs of war; more than that, he was terrified of the idea of war. In short, he was nothing like his older brother and nothing like what his father would have wanted him to be. Everyone in the house knew he was not fit for war. His father feared he would dishonour the Blacksuns, while everyone feared he would get smashed.

Ruby was sick with worry about her brother. However, when a messenger pigeon brought a letter the next day, she put her worries aside. Hearing news from Robert would cheer her up a bit. However, when she looked at the letter she realised it was addressed to her father and signed by some Commander Dux. What did this mean? She brought the letter to her father, who broken the seal and read it. It didn't seem to be long from the time it took him to read it, but Ruby could discern the changes of her father's moods as he read it on his face. First, he was serious, yet curious about the letter, then surprised and finally shocked. His hands, holding the letter, lowered and let the piece of parchment fall from them. All of this, almost confirmed Ruby's supicion and she was very much afraid to look at the letter. However, she had to know; was it true? Could it really be true? She picked up the letter and read it. It said:

*Lord Blacksun,*

*I am in the unpleasant position to inform you of your son's, Robert Blacksun, smashing. His unit found itself under sudden attack by an enemy unit of a greater number. Almost no one survived. Let me offer my condolenses and that little consolation that you might get by knowing that your son was smashed a hero, defending Morcia and saving soldiers of his unit. Again, my condolenses.*

*Sincerely yours,*

*Commander Dux*

~~~\*\*\*---\*\*\*~~~

Matthias saw the man who had informed him of the fall of Evereed entering the Throne Room again. He had seen him a lot ever since then and had learnt that his name was Seargeant Centurio. As the Sergeant walked towards him, Matthias knew what he was going to tell him; he'd been expecting the news to come any time now.

“Your Majesty, the enemy forces have captured our forts in the Westside Hills. They are marching towards Orlan as we speak. They can even be seen from the outer wall. The Thunderclap Moors were lost, too. Commander Dux is hastily retreating to our direction with the first and second Battalions of the North”.

There it was. The news he'd expected. Their last fortification before the Men from the Skies Above reached Orlan had fallen. Now, the last battle would have to be given there. Orlan was the last hope of Morcia. For a moment, he thought he could ask help from other lands. But that couldn't be done. Britay and Aquila would only use that as a chance to get a hand on Morcia's politics, while Elepharia was too far South to be any help. Perhaps, if he had asked their help earlier... But it was no good thinking this way.

“Is that all?”.

“Well, not exactly! There is something more...”, Centurio was hesitating; he obviously did not like being the one telling these news to the King.

“Well, what is it? Speak!”.

“You see, Your Majesty, some of your commanders seem to have fled in fear of the Metal Men”.

The King was devastated. How was he to fight these alien invaders if he didn't even have his commanders.

“How many of them?”.

“ Maybe two or three!”.

“Maybe?! Are they three or are they not?”.

“Well, they could be up to five or six”.

“Could be?”.

“Alright! It's most of them!”.

This was terrible news. He needed help from somewhere, but where would he find it? And he needed to understand these Paradox better. He dismissed Centurio and sat on his throne to think. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he didn't realise that Jonna had entered the hall until she spoke.

“Dad?” she asked.

His head suddenly shot up and he looked at his daughter. She was wearing a white dress, one with blue frills. She didn't like dresses very much, but when she had to wear them, this is how she preferred them. Matthias thought it was suspicious. Why did Jonna wear it if no one forced her?

“What is it my dear?”.

“Well, you see, I haven't heard or seen of Ruby in five days”, she'd only heard about Robert's smashing, “And you said that I could get out of the castle if I had your permission. So, I was thinking. Could you, perhaps, let me visit her?”.

Matthias considered refusing her for a moment, but then he thought that due to the enemy's approaching he'd probably have her guarded twenty four hours a day now and she seemed to really want it. So, the King decided to give her one last freedom, before she was completely shut in.

“Sure, my dear. Just let me get a guard for you, so that he may accompany you there”.

Jonna arrived at the Blacksun Manor half an hour later. It was not too far away, but she had had to wait for the guard. The soldier said he would wait outside the house and Jonna entered, a footman closing the door behind her. Jonna was led to a drawing room where Ruby's mother was waiting for her.

“Your Highness! It is always a pleasure to see you!” the older woman said, standing up.

“Is Ruby not here?” Jonna was perplexed at the girl's absence, while she motioned for the woman to sit.

“I am afraid not. She would have let you know, but it all happened in a great hurry. You see, we sent her to our cousins in the Silverstine Keep, for better protection. Distantly related though we might be, the Silverstines are still happy to take any member of our family in their home. She just left yesterday. So did our poor John. He was called for the war”.

Jonna talked with Ruby's mother for a while, but then she excused herself and left. This news meant she was alone, now. She had no friends with her. Both Ruby and Hwin had been taken from her. What would she do now? How cruel the world was on her! Oh, how she hated this war!

However, before she could get out of the Manor House, a handmaid approached her.

“Your Highness, Lady Ruby asked me to deliver you this”, the young woman spoke and handed her a letter.

Jonna opened it immediately. So, it spoke:

*Jonna,*

*I did not leave for Silverstine Keep. I did not have much time to explain to you, so I wrote this letter. You see, John was very much afraid of the war and truth be told we were afraid about him, too. So, we made an agreement, I took his place as a soldier. I will fight for him and he will hide. I persuaded my parents to send me to the Silverstine Keep, but that was only, so that they wouldn't supsect anything and stop me. I know you are capable of running away from home and I will not try to get the idea out of your head, because I did the same, too. I know you've been thinking of it all this time. It's just how your brain works. So, if you ever wish to find me, John is going to hide in the Lost Plain. He'll probably know where I am at the current moment, for I intend to keep in touch with him. Do not let my parents know. Be brave and good luck.*

*Ruby*

Jonna took her eyes from the hastily written letter. It was the truth that she was thinking of running away. She had done it before. And there was a part inside her who really wished to be free again. But now she wasn't sure if she should. It would hurt her father very much to do so. And on the other hand, she wasn't sure if she could.

When she finally got out of the house and met the guard, she was so tense from all those feelings that she said to him “Let's go quickly back. I want to do some archery”.

“I am afraid that won't be possible, Your Highness”, the guard replied “The King has requested that you return to your quarters immediately after this visit, where you shall be guarded heavily. It is for your own protection, Your Highness”.

In one moment, everything changed. This had been the last straw. Jonna, suddenly, became so angry even she could not have foreseen it. Her father was even taking from her what little freedom she didn't realise she hitherto had. She would not tolerate this. This time, she would do as *she* wanted.

The guard and she looked at each other's eyes for a second and then Jonna began running. The guard was bigger and wore armour, so he was a lot slower than Jonna was.

The princess quickly reached the stables, where the stableboy was half-asleep. However, once she barged in, he shot up and looked at her, who heeded him no attention, as she ran for her horse. The stableboy was panicked. He was supposed to stop her, but he didn't know how. He ran towards Jonna, but she only got Hwin out of the place where she'd been sleeping until then.

“Come on, Hwin! We need to ride now. Fast, very fast!” Jonna said to the horse, who sleepily compained about her rude way of waking her up and Jonna mounted on the mare.

The guard just then appeared in the entrance of the stables, panting, only to be jumped over by Hwin. Jonna urged her horse to run as quickly as was possible and they were out of the citadel in no time. More guards were after her now, but they had no horses. The streets were packed with people, who got out of her way to avoid being trampled by a horse. However, the guards were much more hindered by the crowd and it was very hard for them to reach her.

Jonna reached the outer wall. The gates were open, because even then, refugees continued to arrive. The girl had to ride through a thick crowd of people with sad and frightened faces. However, Jonna did not slow down and was quickly out of the city's walls. She took a moment to turn Hwin towards the right direction and then had her gallop in the valley that surrounded Orlan. Her destination? The Lost Plain. . .

The End, or rather the Beginning

>>Next Suggested Story>> Rise of the Gemini