This fanfic takes place about seventeen years before the main series starts, I just fancied writing a story about how Karina and Mikkel met and fell in love (and of couse, Thorn will make an appearance too).

(Wrote this whilst listening to Jazz so if some of the writing is a bit weird...that's why XD )

Karina tilted back her head and closed her eyes inhaling deeply, taking in a massive lungful of the fresh sea air. She smiled, immersing herself for a moment in the scent and sound of the seashore in early morning. Then, with a slight sigh she exhaled and re-opened her eyes and looked around.

It was early morning, very few people were up. Just the farmers and a few early risers in the main village in Seacliff Fief, therefore the beach was deserted. It was Karina's favourite place, it reminded her of her parents who had died when she was a mere ten years of age. She missed them often and coming here reminded her of better times, times when they were together.

The young woman was silent for a few moments, gazing out to sea with unseeing eyes. She remained in that way for a few moments then blinked and mentally shook herself. It wasn't a morning she should waste brooding, she only had a few hours of relative freedom and it was wise to make the most of them.

The sun was rising over the horizon, illuminating the ocean before her with subtle reds, oranges and pinks. The waves crashed onto the sandy shore, slowly beginning to retreat as the tide went out, leaving behind a trove of seashells and, less pleasant, seaweed. A single robin was singing from a nearby gorse bush which had somehow managed to find a hold in the rocky Cliffside. Karina glanced at it for a few long moments, impressed at the volume the small, red-chested bird could muster, then, she shifted her gaze back to the ocean.

Something about it always held her spellbound, even when she was little. Maybe it was the longing to see more of the world, the desire to be free of this miserable life.

Karina stood there for a few moments longer, greeting the sun with a smile; then, tugged on her shoes which she had taken off earlier, part of the whole experience was walking along the sandy beach barefoot. With a heavy heart and backward glances she slowly moved away and headed across the sandy beach for a small cliff path which wound a little way up the small cliff before her.

Karina barely needed to look at where she was going, having walked along this path so many times in the past few years; she was pretty sure that she could walk it blindfold if she wanted.

Karina was quite a pretty young woman, however she was never going to be a great beauty but her character made her seem more beautiful than she actually was. She had a mind of her own and a strong will and personality formed from much grief and pain, it had made her strong inside and given her great determination.

As she walked over the brow of the hill she paused. Before her lay the main village in Seacliff Fief, where she had lived all her life. Towering over the village, like a protector, stood the castle. It was her home but never really felt like much of one. True the staff were friendly, some of them anyway, but it had never felt right.

She sighed heavily. Then she frowned, irritated with herself. She had never liked wallowing in self-pity, in her mind it just prevented you from accomplishing things and getting on with life.

So, she decisively gathered up her skirts from around her ankles, and, in a very un-ladylike and unfashionable manner, ran down to hill to the castle to begin yet another day of work.

Josephine, the lady in charge of the various female servants in SeacliffCastle, looked up from her crocheting as Karina burst into the servant's room. Her hair was tousled from the wind and her cheeks flushed bright red, Josephine eyed the girl's rumpled skirts with an expression of some distaste.

'Thank you for showing up,' commented the starchy old woman flatly.

'My apologies Ms. Josephine,' replied Karina with a curtsy, she kept her eyes lowered trying not to let it show how irritated the older lady made her.

Ms. Josephine made a harrumphing sound which Karina found not too dissimilar to a horse, 'Make sure it doesn't happen again,' she paused for a brief moment then added with an edge to her voice, 'though I have a feeling it will.'

Karina bit back a sarcastic reply, as she often had to do, 'My apologies,' she repeated, wishing she could think of something else to say that wasn't offensive.

Josephine narrowed her eyes slightly, 'Well, now you are here,' she continued, 'maybe you would like to get on with your chores, I believe there are a few extra today.'

It wasn't a suggestion.

Karina tired not to roll her eyes, there were always extra chores for her, 'Yes ma'am,' she replied with another slight, and awkward curtsy. With a flourish she turned and walked out the room with a light step, belaying her dark thoughts.

Once outside the room Karina sighed and let her shoulders sag, sometimes she just hated her life, it was like this every day; Josephine was such an old stick. She scowled and viciously rolled up her sleeves muttering a few unladylike words under her breath.

'My, my, someone isn't happy today.'

Karina raised her eyes to heaven at the all to familiar voice behind her; smooth, confident, suave even, 'Hello Rolf,' she said dryly, turning around and putting as much boredom into the two words as possible.

Rolf smiled at Karina, he was a tall young man and quite handsome, and the worst thing was that he knew it.

The man leaned with one hand against the stone wall, smiling down at the girl, 'Well Karina, you look wonderful today.'

Karina snorted and marched past him with a slight toss of her head, 'Go find some other girl to terrorize Rolf,' she said flatly, 'I'm not interested.'

Rolf smiled and strolled up to her, 'Oh Karina,' he said gently, 'I don't want to find another girl.'

'Not interested,' repeated Karina through gritted teeth, on some days she quite enjoyed exchange verbal thrusts and parries with Rolf, but today was not one of them.

She turned into another room, there was a mop, bucket and brush in there. She grabbed all three and awkwardly shoved the former and latter under her arm then snatched up the bucket before marching out of the room. The tip of the mop caught Rolf in the chest ad he'd been standing outside the room, he let out an oof which brought a slight smirk to Karina's lips.

As she marched along the corridors with Rolf in hot pursuit she briefly wondered at why he was interested in her.
Rolf was a trainee knight in the battleschool and son of the current battlemaster, he had pretty much all the girls in Seacliff eating out of his hand, well, almost all of them, apart from her.
Karina had never really liked him, true he was handsome, but his character wasn't. He was far to self-assured and confident in his charms; also, he thought he was God's gift to womankind. She just wished he would take a hint and leave her along before she had to resort to more drastic measures.

'So then Karina,' said Rolf, interrupting her musings, 'are you sure you don't want to accompany me to the festival.'

'Oh yes,' she responded grimly.

Rolf didn't seem to be to put off, 'Oh, come on Karina, I know you want to go.'

Karina sighed deeply, 'Shouldn't you be trying to knock the head off a dummy with a stick or something?'

The battleschool trainee smiled at her, 'Sure, why don't you come down to see me?'

The young woman stopped walking and turned to Rolf with a sickly sweet smile on her face, 'That sounds fantastic,' she said softly, 'but really I'd prefer to stay here and mop the floors than spend hours watching you hack at a piece of wood with another piece of wood.'

Rolf's smiled vanished and he looked irritated for a few moments, 'Fine,' he growled, 'stay here and scrub away at floors,' he turned and marched off.

Karina let out a sigh of relief, 'Thank goodness.'

'If you're not interested just tell him straight, anyone would think you're trying to encourage him.'

Karina jumped and turned around to see her friend and fellow maid servant, Poppy, standing just outside a nearby doorway, she had a bucket full of water in one hand and a rough scrubbing brush in the other.

'I try but he doesn't listen,' came the exasperated reply.

'Then throw a bucket of dish water over his head of something like that,' replied Poppy with a grin walking over to Karina, 'he might get the hint that way.'

'I'm seriously considering it.'

The two friends walked together for a few moments in silence.

'So,' said Karina eventually, 'where were you yesterday?'

The previous day had been their day off, all castle staff were obliged to have at least one day of the week free.

Poppy flushed red, 'Oh,' she said sounding casual, a little too casual in fact, thought Karina, 'I was just out walking.'

'By yourself?'

Karina's friend went even redder, 'Well no...not exactly.'

'Hah!' exclaimed Karina giving her friend a little nudge, 'I knew it! You were out walking with Peter!'

Poppy gave an embarrassed giggle, 'Yes, I was, I admit it.'

Karina eyed her friend with a raised eyebrow, at eighteen they were the same age, but whilst Karina wasn't considered to be incredibly beautiful her friend certainly was; she had bright blue eyes, a thick mane of blonde hair and an elegantly sculpted face, all this was coupled with a sunny personality and a sensible mind.
Poppy also happened to be good friends with a certain young man named Peter who owned a small, yet popular pub in the "nice end" of town.

'So, has he proposed yet?' asked Karina poking her friend in the ribs.

Poppy giggled and blushed an even deeper shade of red not replying to the question thrown at her.

Karina gave her friend a puzzled look and tilted her head to one side quizzically, 'Poppy?'

The young girl smiled at Karina, her blue eyes glinting with delight, they spoke more than any words that could be said.

'Good grief,' Karina said in a hushed voice, looking at Poppy with an expression of incredulity on her face, 'you're not serious? Peter asked you to marry him?'

Her friend smiled, it lit up her face and looked radiant, 'Yes, he did.'

'And you said yes?' Karina didn't really need to ask, she already knew what the reply would be.

'Of course, he's the most wonderful man I know, how could I refuse!'

'But you do love him?'

'Yes, I do.'

Karina stared at her friends for a few moments in silence, they had both stopped walking and were standing in the hallway facing one another; Karina was feeling a little bewildered, she hadn't expected things to move so fast. Of course, she had been expecting Poppy to move on and get married some time but the fact that it had happened...

'Will you still work here?'

Poppy nodded, still smiling to herself, 'For a while, then I am going to help Peter down in the pub, I enjoy cooking and will be my own master more or less, no grumpy old ladies to answer to...' her smile wavered for a moments and she glanced up at Karina cautiously, 'How do you feel about all this? You're standing there looking at me like I've murdered someone.'

Karina had to smile a little at that, she embraced her friend warmly, 'No, I am so very happy for you Poppy, it's just that...' she hesitated.

Poppy stood there quietly, aware that her friend would continue if she was silent.

'...it's just that...' Karina still hesitated, in truth the idea that Poppy was going to move on and effectivly leave her was a massive blow, life at the castle wouldn't be the same without her best friend, true they could still visit one another but Karina was under no illusions that things would continue on the same between them, Poppy would be a married woman, with a husband and pub to run, and no doubt children to take care of in time, no, things would never be the same.

Karina forced a smile onto her face and looked across at Poppy, 'It's just that I'll miss you,' she said quietly, not voicing all of her thoughts.

Poppy smiled, her eyes shinning, she reached across and pulled Karina into another hug, 'And I'll miss you.'

They stood there for a few moments before pulling apart, Poppy clasped Karina's hands in hers and looked seriously into her friend's eyes, 'Karina, don't worry, you won't be here forever, your time will come to.'

Karina grinned, 'Oh don't worry about that,' she said sounding amused, effectively disguising her darker thoughts, 'I'll cope, besides, if all else fails, I'll just get married to Rolf.'

Poppy pulled a face, 'Oh horror,' she said with a grin, 'I pity the poor lad.'

Karina gave her best friend a look of mock outrage and pretended to cuff her over the head. For a moment the two stood there giggling like two small children before Poppy bent down and scooped up her cleaning items, 'Ah well,' she sighed, 'I suppose we had better get on with our chores, they won't do themselves.'

'More's the pity,' sighed Karina picking up her mop, brush and bucket.

The two friends wandered down the hallway, Poppy eagerly talking about her wedding and husband-to-be whilst Karina listened, only half paying attention, mainly just wrapped up in her own thoughts, wondering if she would ever find a way out of this monotonous job and get a better life.

She wasn't to know that soon she would indeed get out of her job but not quite in the way she envisioned.

Not very exciting I know, but I just wanted to start off with a few "calm" chapters so I could get used to the new characters

There will be an appearance from Mikkel and Thorn in the next update (whenever that will surface) so watch out for it!

Oh yes, please review! (I have keyboard cookies...)