Lyra's life is turned upside down when bandits invade her town of New Bark. She's taken in as a slave, but is quickly sold to a noble family. It isn't long before Lyra finds herself in the service of the young and obedient Prince Lance. Will love blossom?

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Prologue

An oppressive hot wind blew in from the south western borders, carrying with it the putrefying stench of the dead. Outside the village wooden gates, there was a large raiding party of around thirty men thirsting for blood. They were led by the strong hand of the bandit leader Archer, a cruel twisted man, whose only ambition was to send more souls to the depths of hell.

Lyra cowered under the table, her body pressed up against the trembling figure of her mother. Her mother leaned over and placed a kiss on her daughter's head, whispering words of comfort. But the comfort was just false hope, Lyra knew. Nothing would save them. Nothing could save them. Their God, Arceus, had abandoned them to a grisly and bloody fate.

"Ssshh… don't cry… it will all be over soon…" her mother said, voice trembling as she spoke.

Tears slid down Lyra's pallid cheeks, landing on the dirt stained floor. If running was an option, they would take it, but their village was built beside the eastern ocean. Trees grew on the northern and southern sides of the village blocking potential escape. One could have to risk navigating their way through the forest if they wanted freedom, but dangerous animals prowled at night and feasted on daring adventurers that dared to brave the woods. The only escape route was through the west and that path led directly into the bandit camp. Death was their only option.

She had always known this day would come. The village elder, Elm, had predicted it would end this way. But she had not expected it to come so soon. She had wished to live past twenty three at least, and hoped to have a family of her own by that age. "Mama," Lyra whispered, grasping onto her mother's thin, ragged cloth, "don't be afraid. We will meet father soon."

Her father had died a few months earlier, trying to lead off a group of daring bandits away from the village. He had succeeded in giving his family a few extra months to live, but he had paid the ultimate price with his life. Her mother kissed her forehead again, then pressed her own against Lyra's, sobbing. Lyra held her mother close, trying to keep her sobs as quiet as possible as if it would keep them safe, but their luck had run out.

"There's a couple of live ones in here!" a voice yelled from behind the door.

Lyra's mother ceased her sobs and immediately crawled out from beneath the table. She glanced down at her daughter through teary eyes and spoke, "Stay back!" She grabbed the nearest object – a thick stick – and pointed it forward at the door. "Close your eyes."

The door burst open. Two men dressed in chainmail from head to toe, stepped inside the tiny building. Both their faces were concealed by the heavy horned helm on their heads, but Lyra knew they were not friendly. Broadswords hung at their sides, the steel covered in fresh blood. Lyra brought a hand over her mouth to stop herself from vomiting.

"Commander Petrel insists we take as many able bodies as we can, how about we take the young bitch here?" the soldier on the right said, his helm directed in Lyra's direction. "I think she'd fetch us a good price."

His companion tilted his head. "She's too scrawny. The bitch looks like she hasn't eaten properly in weeks. She won't last one day." He advanced towards Lyra, and kneeled down in front of her. He brought his head close. Lyra spat. The man swore, and aimed a punch directly at Lyra's right cheek. She fell backwards, her head smacking against the floor. "Fucking bitch!"

The first speaker laughed. "I think you might be wrong about her. She's a feisty one. All she needs is a good rest, some fine food, and she'll be back to normal. You could even have her for yourself once she's back in prime condition. Wouldn't you like that? Your own pet?" he taunted.

"What do we do about the other one then?" his companion said, glancing in the direction of Lyra's mother, his eyes looking her up and down.

"She's past her prime. Petrel only wants the young ones. You know rich families will pay good coin for young maidens. Kill the mother."

"With pleasure." The man nearest to Lyra, stood up and walked over to her mother. Lyra's mother's face paled yet the woman still threw herself at the larger man. She swung her stick as best as she could, but it did no harm against the sturdy metal place. With a strong push, the woman was thrown aside. She stumbled into the bookcase and fell over onto her back.

"Stop playing around, and kill the wench before she screams. I hate it when a woman screams," the first soldier said.

The other man nodded, and withdrew his blade. He made a laughing noise then slammed into the woman, pressing her body against the bookcase. Before the woman could even open her mouth, the soldier pulled his sword back and plunged it into her stomach. Lyra screamed. It was as if it had happened in slow motion. Her mother's eyes looked down at the blade embedded in her body, a look of shock and pain on her face.

Then she dropped to her knees, gasping. The soldier pulled out his sword roughly, and stepped back as the woman fell face first onto the ground. "Lyra…" she gasped, stretching out her arm towards her daughter. Lyra wanted to take her hand, to touch her mother one last time, but the soldiers would not allow her to. The man who had stabbed her mother stabbed her again, this time driving the blade through the back of her neck.

Lyra covered her eyes, tears streaming down her swollen cheeks. The soldier grabbed her arms and dragged her frail body across the bloody floor, pulling her towards the entrance. She tried to fight back, but she was too weak. Weak from a lack of good food. Weak from almost sleepless nights. She soon found herself outside in the scorching heat.

"Tie a cloth around her mouth so we don't have to listen to her scream."

Before Lyra could object, a dirty piece of cloth was tied around her jaw covering her mouth. "Come on let's head back to the main group. Petrel will want to know who we have kept alive."

Lyra wept.

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So this is actually a brand new story and not just a re-upload. I have the next few chapters all done, but I'll update when I've made further progress. If you do like what you are reading, then do leave a review.