Ah Wester, what a beautiful kingdom. Lying flat with few gentle rolling hills, well they were much more like tiny bumps hardly worth calling hills; the land was perfect for farming and raising livestock. Long grasses and low-lying shrubs dominated the landscape between the farms and towns. It was spring and with spring came frequent showers that kept the earth smelling of water and new flowers that sprung up with the grasses but even with this seemingly peaceful atmosphere there was something festering. The quiet of the gentle landscape was almost too quiet; there were no sounds of the birds that lived within the grasses, shrubs and the occasional tree. Even the cattle were quiet.

The towns and the villages that dotted the landscape were silent, none wandered the streets and those that did were bloodied or injured. War was upon the land and it was quickly heading to the last stronghold of Wester—the capital, Naif City. Named for King Naif, well the name that had been given to him by his people; it was in informal name as the King was almost unknown to his people. He was a fair ruler but many felt that he had left them too vulnerable. The peaceful nature of Wester had allowed the King of Nander to build his forces and invade their neighbor to the west. Wandering the vast flatlands between Naif City and the last village to fall, a woman wandered with a wound to her head and dried blood caked to her face. Shallow breathing broke the silence as she stopped to rest in the long grasses. With a day’s march a head of the soldiers, she would be able to make it back to the castle, to the King with a few precious moments to spare.

The walled city laid stretched across the horizon in a light, misty gray color. She was close enough now to nap for a few minutes. Sleep found the exhausted woman easily. She had been running for a while, having been ambushed on her way to the northern border where the King had assigned a few small groups of scouts and archers. She was a Graceling, one to be feared by those of the normal population. Her gift had been foresight, and through her gift she had seen the downfall of each and every one of the scouts and archers and she had been right. There was nothing left of the small outpost. That journey had been two days ago. It took three on horseback to get to Naif City.

She had slept longer than she had thought, by the time she woke the sun was beginning to cast orange and gold across the sky. Her head was throbbing as she sat up quickly, her vision spun with black before things came into focus. Her dreams had been of her brother, Kalon. Both had been born into lower nobility but she had been given to the King when it was learned that her eyes had changed. Like her brother she had slate gray eyes at birth but gradually over the days and weeks one darkened slowly and soon her parents had realized that she was a Graceling. It had been Kalon who had noticed the color change of her right eye. It turned into the color of their mother’s favorite flowers—magenta. Sleep had done her some good; she felt energetic, a feeling that she had been lacking for several days.

Walking towards the walled, light gray city in the distance she paced herself. The army of Nander would not walk at night, no one would. She was safe under the cover of the thick dark blanket that had replaced the gold and orange tones of the setting sky. Wrapping her arms tightly around herself to fend off the cold that blew from the sea, the woman’s torn clothes did little to aid her in keeping warm.

Hours later when the moon was high in the sky she finally reached the gates to the walled city. Guards kept it closed. The entire kingdom knew of the war, they didn’t realize just how close it was coming to their doorsteps. “Halt!” The guards that sat perched on the wall above the massive gate could never be too trusting. One climbed down a simple rope ladder that could be pulled up onto the top of the wall. “Who are you?” his dull green eyes scanned her, “She’s a Graceling!” He spat. Even if she worked for the King they still thought less of her. He brought the torch he had been holding closer to her face to get a better look at the colors of her eyes; Gray and magenta, marking her as the King’s. All Gracelings belonged to the king if they had a use, if they had something useless as a skill then they were sent back home where their families were forced to find work for them. “Name?” he asked none too politely.

“Loria.” There was no need for surnames if you were nothing more than a possession.

They opened the gates enough to allow her to slip inside, one guard climbed down the other side of the wall to escort her to the castle. She did not touch him even though her head was spinning and she needed to grab a hold of something to keep her balance as they made their way through the empty and dimly lit streets. The castle came into view soon enough. Located in the heart of the city it was also walled and kept heavily guarded. Knights guarded the interior and in addition to being soldiers they were key in keeping the peace in the sprawling city. Her brother would be in bed no doubt, as many were. Following the man into the castle she pressed a hand against the wall to steady herself as word was sent for the King. Loria, as she was called, was one that the King kept close to his side. Her ability was priceless even if it was something that she could not control. A short time later a man came running down one of the corridors that led to the private chambers of the royal family. His graying hair was kept short and it was messy from sleep. He was a handsome man, middle aged with eyes full of wisdom. “Your highness,” she bowed when he finally stopped before her. Loria’s vision went dark and she felt herself rushing for the floor.

“KALON!” The King roared for the blond knight had had accompanied him, “Help me carry her.”

Together they carried Loria to the healing wing of the castle that had been set up for the knights. Kalon’s anger flared at seeing the blood on his sister’s face. The knight quietly left his sister in the hands of the healers to follow the King. He had gotten the news that the King had appointed Kalon to keep his daughter safe. The Princess was very dear to the King and he had often given the Princess her way, making her spoiled in the eyes of many. Loria had left without the consent of the King some time ago and this was how she was returned? Bloodied and as if she had seen—

The King paused in mid-step as he glanced back to Kalon. “Do you think?” he asked, unable to ask the rest of his question.

Kalon nodded, “My sister had been attacked. Perhaps they are closer than we think,” he said to the King. None but Loria knew the answer to that question and they would have to wait until she was awake to get that answer.

It was common knowledge that Gracelings were often targeted for acts of violence and sometimes even murder. This did not seem like one of those occasions. Kalon ran a hand through his straw colored hair as he waited for the King to speak once more. “Get some rest, Kalon.” The King said, “Tomorrow you will be guarding my daughter, you’ll need your rest.”

The King bid farewell before heading into one of the many rooms that Kalon knew as one of the meeting rooms. With nothing left to do he headed back to the healing wing where he sat silently as his sister slept.

In the highest tower in the center of the castle, Estelle sat on the balcony as the moon rose into the sky and the star came out to play. Watching the stars was always a pastime of hers, not to mention that up in that tower was the only time and place she ever was allowed to be left alone. Guards would notice anyone attempting to scale the gray stone wall and even the best Graceling archer couldn't manage to hit anything on the balcony. She pulled her cloak close to her before sighing, she would need to get her beauty sleep, knowing well that he handmaidens would noisily enter her chambers at the crack of dawn to draw a bath that was too cold for her. Turning into the tower, she walked through the small room filled with meaningless knick knacks stuffed into books that were hidden away. The useless objects were mainly from Lords and Ladies trying to impress the King. After all, if anything happened to any of them, one of them was in the position of gain.

She stepped out of the room, and spotted the young maid who had followed her to ensure that no one entered the tower. She was a bit useless herself as she stood, leaning against the wall asleep. Estelle snapped her fingers in front of the girl's face, "Marielle."

The brunette jumped at the sound of her voice and looked around, trying to figure out where she was. Estelle rolled her eyes and turned, walking down the vast number of steps and back to the castle below. Marielle followed after her quickly, "Oh, your highness, I'm so sorry. That was terribly rude of me, dozing off like that."

Estelle said nothing and had no intention to say anything to the girl. Had some light foot assassin come up through the stairwell, Marielle would have been absolutely ineffective and Estelle would be absolutely dead. Thus, she was not going to say it was fine that she had drifted off. Yes, it was late but that was hardly as excuse, after Estelle was wide awake. Why did Marielle get to sleep?

She walked out of the tower stair well and the short way to her chambers. She stopped at her door and looked at the guard, one of the many that rotated to ensure her room was always safe, and rose her eyebrow. The man quickly turned and opened the door for her. She rolled her eyes and walked into the large bedroom. It consisted of more than just a bed of course. She walked through the first room that consisted of a couch that sat in front of a fire place. She tossed her cloak onto the couch and walked over to the bookshelf that was tucked neatly in the corner and grabbed something to read before she walked into the adjoining room that held her bed and two doors, one going off to her bathroom and the other going into her closet. She stood and waited, she heard Marielle enter the room and the sounds of her footsteps come to a halt. After a moment, Estelle cleared her throat and Marielle gasped, quickly running forward and undoing the corset of her dress and helping her out of it.

Left in her undergarments, Estelle walked over to her bed and climbed in, opening her book. She waited a few moment before looking at Marielle, "... Leave."

The girl gave her a hasty curtsy before she rushed out of the chambers and into the hall. Estelle sighed and relaxed back in her bed with her book in hopes of sleep coming to her as she read.

Kalon had dozed off during the night for when he woke in the morning his sister was laughing as she pointed out his hair that was partially plastered to his skull. “You seem well,” he commented as he ran a hand through his hair. She did look better; the blood had been cleaned from her face and she was bandaged. Peeking from the top of her tunic he could see white bandages. The knight had wondered what happened to her, “Did the King—“

She stopped him, “Yes, the King asked of my whereabouts and what happened. They are coming, brother, they draw closer each day. I had a head start on them—they will be here soon. Go to the Princess and protect her.” Coming from a family of noble birth her brother had always been taught to serve the royals. But their family was so far removed from the royal line that they were almost peasants, well Loria was no longer thought of as family aside from her brother. They were close, Kalon and Loria, well as close as the two could be anyways. She belonged to the King, she was a Graceling and he was a knight, one that was sworn to protect the royal family and so far he had proven his worth in battle. Kalon by no means was just a simple knight, he served the king on a more personal matter—guarding the meeting chambers for the regular guards were not trusted nor skilled enough. He knew much about the kingdom, perhaps more than he led on. Loria was a possession, as simple as that, she could be replaced…well not her ability. There had been others like her, those gifted or rather cursed with foresight; she could see things moments, months or even years before they would happen and most of the time she was totally powerless to stop them from happening. Needless to say not many with her gifts lasted long. There was always a catch to great power—those gifted the foresight often met young deaths by their own hands. That was the only way to stop the visions, to stop the helpless feeling.

Kalon had promised his sister that he would not allow that to happen to her.

“No you have to stay—“

“I’m not made of glass, brother, I can get up.” Loria hissed as she stood, her brother was too protective over her. It was something that the King had seen as a nuisance and a distraction. If Kalon was worried about Loria’s health how could he do his job properly? “Let us go to the Princess,” she said. Not many servants of the castle seemed to like the Princess, she was nice but beyond that…there was nothing. Loria had insisted that none ever took the time to try to get to know her, well what did she know? Loria had visions in the past of the Princess; she had predicted her birth as well.

Kalon was one of the many who seemed to notice that the Princess was spoiled, and that for the most part she was one that he would not want to know…unless she gave him reasons otherwise. He didn’t like to rush into knowing people like his sister did. Unlike her, Kalon was not so trusting. He gave into his sister eventually, but first they needed to see the King.

“Your majesty,” they said together as they bowed deeply. Loria’s head spun and Kalon had to grab her but they presented themselves as best as they could in front of the King. The King…he was different, that was safe to say. The relationship that he had with the Graceling was one that had many people wondering if she was being used as his personal whore. Loria always declined to answer those questions, it was not her place. The King would need to be addressed, and then they would understand. Kalon looked at the King with wary gray eyes. “My sister desires to aid me in protecting your daughter.” He announced.
Loria looked at her brother but nodded, knowing that his was a way to ensure that not only would his job be done but he could protect one so dear to him…and possibly help him endure the Princess. “Loria’s gift if valuable—the others took their lives too young, long before they could have been of use but she…she has not even tried, your majesty. Think of it. I will have help in defending your daughter and heir to the throne but that somebody could foresee if your daughter were to be attacked.”

Kalon stood straighter as the King gave his decision. “I will allow Loria to accompany you but she is to report to me every day.” He said. Kalon nodded and thanked the King before turning away.

“Kalon…”The King said suddenly, “The war is upon us…my daughter may not be safe here…but we…my counsel and I,” he avoided looking at Loria, “have decided that once the army is seen on the horizon or the city is attacked she is to be sent away…somewhere safe.”

“Understood, sir.”

Kalon and his sister quickly walked from the throne room where the King had been awaiting his advisors. They headed to the chambers of the Princess.

“Your highness,” Kalon bowed, “We have orders from your father to guard you.”

One could tell that they were related; their hair color was shared between them although Kalon’s was a bit darker and the shapes of their eyes were similar, and of course their coloring would be different.

Loria hung back behind her brother, unsure if the Princess was willing to have a Graceling in her presence. Though her father didn’t seem to mind much.

Estelle woke the next morning slowly. She lay in bed awake for sometime, wishing to go back to sleep. It had been late when she finally managed to coax herself to sleep but she had woken early the next morning. She lay there for sometime before she rolled over and pulled the little string by her bed that would bring Marielle to her room. The woman came into her room in a hurry and curtsied before she rushed into her bathroom. She emerged shortly after, "Your bath is ready, M'lady."

Estelle nodded and walked into the bathroom, she stopped and waited as Marielle quickly undressed her. Once nude, she climbed into the bath and sat there. Marielle set to work, cleaning her body and hair thoroughly. It was a Princess's job to always be pristine in hygiene and fashion. So after she was washed and dried. They walked into her closet. Estelle chose a stunning red dress for that day. It seemed to darken her hair and lighten her skin, making her appear almost like a porcelain doll. She smiled to Marielle and walked out of her closet, "Go get some breakfast from the kitchen for me. I fancy eating in my rooms today."

Marielle nodded and curtsied before rushing out of the room. Estelle sighed as she walked into the living portion of her chambers. Marielle was a strange girl and didn't always do her job well, however, the girl was graced. Her eyes a noticeable green and brown. Her talents weren't exactly too intriguing to the king. To Estelle though, they were exactly what she wanted. Marielle was gifted with speed. She had been the daughter of a maid in the castle and Estelle quickly swept her up before her father sent her off to be a messenger. Of course, since she wanted it, her father gave it to her and she had the fastest servant in the entire kingdom.

She grabbed a book of one of the shelves in her room and sat daintily on her couch as she began to leaf through. She looked up when she heard someone enter the room, having thought it was Marielle. Once she noticed it was not her maid but a man and a different graceling, she looked away and back to her book. The man spoke as she was reading about her father having sent the two of them to come and protect her from whatever it was trying to attack them this time. She nodded her head, "Fine."

She was used to being watched and under the constant eye of someone. Her guards came and went but she was only happy when they went. She understood the reasoning of the guards but it got annoying and bothersome having someone follow you around all day. That was why she enjoyed her tower, the only place no one would bother her. Marielle rushed in not long after. Estelle had not said another word to them, she didn't exactly need to. The girl placed a tray down in front of Estelle and curtsied yet again before rushing over to the corner. She held her hands quietly in front of her, waiting if the Princess needed anything more. Estelle plucked a berry off the tray and nibbled at it while she ate. After sometime, she closed her book and looked to Kalon and his sister. She looked at the two of them for sometime before she turned back around and stood, "I would like to go for a walk around the castle."

Kalon and Loria looked at each other before nodding. They would allow the Princess to lead a semi-normal life but war did not discriminate and at the earliest signs that the invading army was drawing near, they would leave. For now the gardens were a safe place. Loria’s eyes focused on the Graceling made and she smiled, bowing ever so slightly. She had never spoken to the maid but she often asked of her, hardly anyone knew anything about the maid graced with speed. Perhaps later Loria and Kalon could talk with the maid, if she was indeed graced with speed then she would be more than able to help protect the Princess. “Alright Princess,” Kalon said they had stayed close to the doors. Kalon removed his hand from his sword, as it had become a habit over the years, before turning on his heel and leaving the room with his sister following behind.

“Have you had any visions today?” He asked her, she would need to report to the King soon enough but Kalon would have liked to been informed of any visions. Loria shook her head, “Sorry brother but it doesn’t work like that.”

He would never understand that she could not call a vision nor could she control when they came. They were unpredictable and showed many different things. Last week she had seen a marriage proposal for one of the Princes of Lenid, the island kingdom to the west. The week before that she had witnessed a soon to be born baby that would grow sick within its first month of life. Her visions did not stop at the borders of Wester. In every kingdom there were things and she could see them. Loria was the first to not be driven insane by the visions. Others like her, graced with the same gift, had a horrible knack for getting visions of death almost every day and those were the ones that had taken their own lives. She knew that eventually she could meet the same fate as they did, it never left her mind.

It had been a long road to where they were now. Kalon’s training had been started when he was a young boy, barely eight years old. His sister had been under the care of the king since she was but a baby, so the two never grew up with each other as their childhoods were almost non-existent but that didn’t stop them from getting to know each other. Now as adults they were as close as they could be which in all honesty wasn’t that much. They did talk frequently and they would often make time just for talking to one another but they did not talk of their childhoods nor did they talk about their dreams for the future. Knights could have wives and children but it was frowned upon because they were often out at war. Gracelings were another game entirely, they were feared and hated.

They walked behind the Princess quietly. Kalon kept an eye out for any signs of things that would go wrong and his sister hummed lightly to herself.

(My next post will be longer)

Estelle walked out of the room when the two nodded, granting her the permission to go to the gardens. She found it insane that she had to be granted to anything by a knight and graceling. She had her interests in gracelings... She was not as rude as many were. Maybe, it was due to the fact that she grew up around them, unlike many commonfolk. Her own maid was even a graceling. She looked over her shoulder to see Marielle following behind. Good, she wouldn't have to send off either of the 'guards' to fetch her something. She held her book tightly to herself. She often carried something to read with her where ever she went. She knew that she was lucky, privileged even with the opportunity to read and learn. It was not something she took for granted. She looked ahead again as the two siblings began to speak in hushed voices. She lowered her head slightly, she wondered what they were talking about. People always seemed to speak in hushed voices around her. Especially when she had been young. Possibly, that was the true reason she ensured that she had a book with her always. Life was not an on going ball where suitors wanted to court the Princess. When people spoke to her in lively voices and happy tones. This was a normal day, at a normal castle, with normal servants speaking quietly.

She rose her head high as she continued to walk. A Princess always held her head high, she was proud and elegant and there was nothing for her to ever be ashamed of. She snapped as the neared the doors to the garden and two guards rushed to opened the door before she reached it. She smiled, people listened when she spoke, they heard ever word and ensured to bring to her whatever it was that she demanded. She was important. What did it matter what people spoke of in whispers, they did not matter to her. She started to walk the gardens. She pursed her lips and turned to face the three that followed her, "Marielle. Fetch me the berries from my room. I'm peckish."

Marielle nodded quickly before she turn and ran from the gardens to retrieve that food as soon as possible for the Princess. Estelle smiled, see, people wished to please her. She faced forward again and continued her walk when she saw a few gardeners rush away, to avoid getting in her way. It was pleasing, however, it made her realize something. Despite the amount of people within the castle walls, it always felt empty to her...

The two siblings stood quietly against the wall as the Princess walked around the gardens. Loria suddenly fell to the ground; her brother hadn't reacted fast enough. She was lying still on the ground, her chest made no movements of rising and falling. It scared her brother, who had never truly seen her like this. "Loria!" he yelled, crouching down next to her, he opened one of her eyes by tugging down her lower eye lid, the magenta color of her iris greeted him but it was glassy like a doll's eye. Approaching the walls of the castle are men disguised as famers who have fled the country side. They are drawing near. Kalon had left his sister on the ground to go to the Princess. There was no telling what was going on, perhaps she was having a vision of some sort? He grabbed her arm and tugged her along. "Come with me Princess, it is not safe here." Kalon found his sister in the same position that he pulled her into, she wasn't waking. "Wake up!" he demanded, panic filling his eyes but not his voice.

They are on the walls! Run!

Loria was a prisoner in her own mind and body; she was forced to watch everything play out in the vision. Her brother had grabbed the Princess by the arm but before they could run to safety within the walls of the castle, or to call for more guards her brother had been cut down by a sword to the back. The Princess followed, her blood mixing with Kalon's on the stone walk way. Rarely were her visions wrong. They were going to die and she could do nothing to warn them...what was that? Metal on metal! Kalon had heard approaching feet, feet that were far too fast to belong to the gardeners. Whirling around to face the threat, Kalon pushed the Princess behind him, close to Loria, as he drew his sword and met the men head on.

As she began to wake a throbbing pain made her close her eyes tightly but she could hear a fight happening around her. Once her eyes were opened to the world she could see that her brother was not in the place that her vision had said he was in, he must have moved enough to avoid the fate that she had seen. Breathing rapidly, she sat up and grabbed her head. Her brother was fighting the men, soldiers of the invading army. They had been dressed as simple farmers of Wester. "Princess," she called quietly. "Come with me." Her head was aching and she wanted to cry out for the violence to stop. Loria seen far more violence than many thought, thanks to her visions. The garden was secluded from the rest of the castle and it often went unpatrolled. "We need to hide!" Loria whispered to the Princess.

Kalon struck one of the men in the abdomen with his sword. The man's blood soaked his clothes as he fell to the walk way and soon his blood pooled below him and in the cracks between the stones. Loria grabbed the Princess and pulled her along behind her. One of the invaders had caught sight of them and left the three-on-one match. His sword was gripped tightly in his hand as he walked quickly with the determination to kill the two women.

It was no longer safe in the castle. If her brother made it, they would be leaving with the Princess soon. Loria ran into one of the gardening sheds that were kept along one side of the wall, out of the way and out of sight. She closed the door and looked around for something to use. A rake caught her eye, "Find something, anything and if he comes in here you start swinging." she ordered the Princess. She could hear the man drawing near, his feet crunched on the loose stones just outside of the door.

Kalon was a bloodied mess by the time that he had dispatched of the men. Common soldiers were no match for the knight. Most of the blood that stained his clothes and skin belonged to the other men some belonged to Kalon as well. He may have been far more skilled with a sword but that did not mean he was immune to their attacks. His head whipped from side to side has he looked for the Princess and his sister. Both were gone and he could hear screaming--Loria's screaming--he followed the sound and found that one of the men in the group of five was hacking at the door to one of the garden sheds, it was being held closed from the inside by someone. Kalon's face darkened and he held his sword in both hands as he ran behind the man. This man was much more different than the others. He was skilled. He was a knight.

What was a knight doing here, he should have been with the rest of the invading army...

Kalon's eyes widened in realization, the army was closer now. That meant that the war was just over the horizon.

Estelle ignored the thumping sound of the girl hitting the ground. Her father had had vision seers before. Collapsing due to visions was not always uncommon. What was, was when the man, the knight, Kalon?, grabbed her arm and pulled her over to the girl, Loria. She looked at him blankly when he said it was not safe. All because she collapsed, had he gone mad? She crossed her arms, besides, they were at war was any place really safe? She impatiently awaited the girl to wake up and the knight to realize he had been quite wrong and allow her to continue wandering. Of course, that was when she heard the clashing and footfalls. She felt as though her heart stopped beating in her chest as Kalon pushed her behind him and closer to Loria. She looked down at the unconscious girl and whispered, "Please wake up," fear filled her tone as she did not know what to do. Surely running off would only cause more problems for herself as her one and only protector stood in front of her.

She heard a whisper to look down and see the graceling had awoke and was speaking to her. When she instructed her that they needed to hide, she was unsure. She could not protect herself and this girl had just woken from some kind of state, could she really protect them? She didn't get much of a say in it though as Loria grabbed her in a similar fashion to her brother and pulled her away. With her free hand, she pulled up her skirts to allow herself to run faster next to the girl. Her heart pounded in her chest and ears. If she had any worries about it stopping, it was being more than clear that in this moment, she was still alive.

Estelle followed the girl into the gardening shed and turned to look at her as she shut the door behind them, leaning against it to prevent anyone else from entering. She told her to grab something, something that if necessary, she could use as a weapon. She grabbed a gardening hoe and held it tightly in her hand as she looked at the girl who held the door close with all her might as an attacker tried to enter. Would she be able to do any damage with this pathetic tool? Would she even be strong enough to do anything with it beside giving him a nasty bump? Did she even want to? The sight of blood out in the garden had almost caused her to freeze. Thinking back it caused her stomach to churn. Her hands began to shake, these men were after her. Her mother was already dead, her father rarely came to the garden... But she was his pride and joy. His everything. And he was her's. Were they going to hurt him? Had they all ready? Was her father safe? Question ran through her mind as she stared at Loria as she struggled to keep the door shut, screaming. Estelle realized she hadn't screamed or really reacted to the attack, like it was something she had been expecting. They were losing the war, she knew that. She could tell by the amount of guards that just happened to be in places she was. Then with the arrival of Kalon and Loria, her own personal guards, her father's worries were clear.

She closed her eyes tightly, if her father was dead... Maybe she wouldn't mind dying as well...

Although the two were knights they had very different fighting styles. The knights of Wester were trained in the old ways of fighting, a style that one would only find in that particular Kingdom that held so close to the traditions of the old. It was an elegant and refined style, one that almost could be called dancing. The other knight had a style much like that of barbarians with short blows pushed by sheer force. It was typical of the style taught in Nander. It was sloppy and it left Kalon more than enough room to land hits of his own. Of course the knight of Wester was not immune, no one was, even the best of knights would always get hurt. His injuries were not like the other man's. The man was bleeding heavily from his side and unprotected leg. Unlike Kalon the other man fought with a large axe when his sword was knocked from his hands.

Kalon was pushed back and stumbled, falling onto his back. The other man brought his axe down with such a force that Kalon, who had rolled out of the way, felt a rush of wind. He had no doubt that the stone would bear marks of the man's blow. When he had fallen Kalon's sword had clattered to the loose stone. It was a risk, trying to get to it, that cost Kalon greatly. The other knight had brought down his axe once more, clipping Kalon's fingers. The severed digits were left on the ground as he gripped his sword with his non-dominant hand. It was awkward as he fought against the other man. Kalon's blood was warm and slick as it trickled down his remaining fingers.

A loud yell caught his attention and that of the other knight. Loria was rushing at them foolishly with the rake she carried held high above her head. They were bewildered for a few moments until she brought the rake harshly across the abdomen of the axe wielding knight. The man grunted but the blow did little but anger him. Loria yelped as the man hit the rake out of her hands and advanced on her. His blue-gray eyes were narrowed and he grinned with wicked intent. "What is a pretty...Your a Graceling!" he spat, finally catching the coloring of her eyes. Loria's eyes went to her brother. Kalon clutched his injured hand close to his body as he unsteadily gripped his sword. "Do you know what we do to Gracelings?" he asked, getting closer with his axe held tightly by his side.

She shook her head. Loria had left the Princess within the confines of the small gardening shed and she prayed to the gods that she would be safe there. It was only a matter of time before someone would come and help them. The man laughed. "If they're women we fuc--" his words were cut short by a sword to the back. Blood bubbled from his mouth as he tried to speak. Loria had seen many die in her visions but to see someone die in front of her was something else entirely. She doubled over once her brother withdrew the sword from the man's back. Loria lost what food she held in her stomach.

"The Princess...where is she?" Kalon asked, knowing that his sister was going to be fine.

With a shaky hand she pointed to the open gardening shed. The door was damaged from the man's attempts to enter. Kalon nodded and called out to the Princess. "It is safe, come out now."

"You're hurt, brother." Loria said as she looked at his hand with horror. "We need to get you to a healer right away!" They would not be able to reattach his fingers, there simply was no way to do that and even the graced healers would not even attempt such a thing.

"Let us get the Princess before heading to the healer--the King needs to be warned that they are closer than we thought." Kalon looked at his sister; she was pale and it looked as if she were going to cry. "He needs to know...and your vision...what was it?"

"You were going to die."

Kalon stiffened but he said nothing.

Estelle looked at Loria with wide eyes when the girl told her to stay put. The banging on the door stopped, which led her to believe that the knight had met her knight. However, the girl did not seem content on leaving the trained professional to fight alone. No, she wished to leave the Princess to fend for herself. Estelle tucked herself into the corner when Loria slipped out and closed the door behind her. She gripped at her makeshift weapon, the hoe, and stared at the door in fear. What if they both got killed. It was highly unlikely that the garden tool was going to do her any good. How would she even use it? Smash it into their skull? Would she even be strong enough to do that? Could she handle the aftermath of doing that? If they were killed, would she manage to get back to the castle, what if there were more?
She didn’t get any answers before she heard Kalon yell to her that everything was safe. She let out a small sigh of relief and threw the tool to the ground. Lifting her skirts, she stepped over it and walked out of the shed. She did a quick look to ensure that no one else was around waiting to pounce. She looked then at Kalon and Loria, who both seemed rather undone. She nodded to them, “We… should head back into the castle.”

She didn’t say more. She didn’t know what to say. She pushed open the doors of the garden and found Marielle laying on the ground a short ways away. Her skirt was hiked up and she sat in a pool of blood, Estelle’s fruit was in a mess all over the floor. Estelle gasped as she quickly moved to the dead girl. Her mouth hung open and her eyes were wide. She wondered if they had raped her before or after they killed her. Either or, it made her feel sick to her stomach. She grabbed the girl’s skirt to make her decent and closed her mouth before doing the same to her eyes. If it weren’t for the fact that her clothes were covered in her own blood, Estelle might have thought she was sleeping. She pondered the thought that she might have survived if she had not sent her away. She would have hid in the shed with them… She wouldn’t have been hurt. She probably had had some heroic reasoning for not running away as fast as her feet would carry her, which was quite fast. She whispered to her, “I’m sorry…”

Not a moment later, she stood as though nothing had happened and walked around the dead body. She looked at Kalon and Loria, “Come. We have better things to be doing than standing here.”

“I will call for guards to take her for a proper burial, and to dispose of the bodies of the other men.” Loria informed her brother; he leaned heavily on her as they walked. His hand was now wrapped in a scrap of her shirt and his blood decorated her clothing like it appeared on his clothing. Halfway into the castle she yelled for help, the guards swarmed them quickly. Kalon was taken away from her and whisked into the healing wing. She refused to let them take the Princess away though; Loria needed the girl to see her father for it might have been her last chance. Gripping the girl’s hand in hers, Loria walked at a quick pace down the long corridor and through several more to reach the chambers of the King.

“Your grace,” she bowed as she let go of Estelle’s hand. “I have troubling news. We were attacked in the gardens, Kalon lost a finger and a half and the servant girl of your daughter was killed.”

The King looked from the Graceling to his daughter before looking back to the Graceling again. “What else?”

“It came to me in a vision, that Kalon was to be killed today, that there would be men invading your gardens.” Loria said, going into detail about her visions. It became clear to the king that perhaps the army hadn’t stopped at night, or that Loria had been wrong about their distance. He knew that his meant saying goodbye to his daughter, his precious daughter. Loria stepped out of the room to give them a moment to say goodbye.
She ventured off in search of the room her brother was in.

--

Kalon had been given a foul smelling and bitter purple liquid to numb his pain. It made his legs feel like jelly and it made his head spin as they worked on his hand. His ring finger had been cut off just before the largest knuckle and his pinky had been severed right down to the hand. Well there had been a little stump that they had removed. Kalon was given a large, thick strip of leather to bite as they burned his wounds closed. The healers quickly applied a thick, waxy ointment onto his hand and wrapped it in cloth bandages.

(Sorry that this one is so short.)

Estelle was slightly surprised when the Graceling would not allow her to go with any of the guards, who were probably more qualified in protecting her. Especially after what had just happened in the gardens. She was even more surprised by the fact that the girl held her hand. Just this morning, the girl seemed completely unwilling to even meet her eyes was now dragging her through the halls. When they reached her father's chambers, her heart jumped into her throat and she prayed quiet that he was alright. Entering the room, her father looked to them. She let out a sigh of relief to see him alive and well.

She stood quietly behind Loria as she explained to the King her vision and what had happened in the gardens. When she finished, she left the rooms. Estelle looked at her father, she knew they were being left alone because this was to be their goodbyes. The strong face she had kept during the attack crumbled and broke as she burst into tears. She wrapped her arms around her father as he pulled her close. She buried her face in his chest and for some time, the two of them said nothing. They just stood there quietly holding each other. The King broke the silence finally after he kissed her head, "I'm sorry, Estelle..."

Estelle sobbed, clinging to him, "I don't want to go, father... I want to stay here with you. I won't go to the gardens anymore, I promise... Just let me stay."

The King shook his head, "The castle is no longer, Stelle, not just the gardens. If anything happens to me, you are Wester's hope if anything goes wrong... if anything at all happens."

"No... I don't want you do die," She cried, causing him to chuckle and rub her hair, "Everyone must die, my dear... At some point... It is a fact of life that even Kings cannot escape. Kalon and Loria will keep you safe for me... I won't be able to write you... As someone might follow any messenger to find you," He kissed the top of her head, "The army will not be far from the castle. Go to your room and gather your plainest dresses. Then the three of you will leave."

Estelle hugged her father tightly. This was one of the few times she did not get what she wanted.