Skylar sat in her room with an open book in her lap. She was making the motions of reading, turning the pages every so often but not taking in any of the words. Her mind was elsewhere. Thinking back into the days of her childhood where she was free to roam and play where ever she wanted. Of course one summer had changed everything...
It was the summer I turned thirteen. Aora and Tollin had just become allies. My father held a masquerade ball to celebrate. I sat on the side, not bothering to dance seeing as I had nobody to dance with, until a boy I had never seen before came over to me. He was about half a foot taller then me. The mask he wore was a dark green in contrast to his bright green eyes. His chestnut brown hair was messy and cut short, just above the ears. What I could see of his face was covered in a light dusting of freckles. He bowed and extended his arm.
"My name is Aiden, would you like to dance?" he asked and flashed a dazzling smile. I couldn't help but smile back and take his arm. "My name is Skylar, and yes I would." He led me onto the dance floor and we started to dance. We danced spirited waltzes, traditional steps and other lively dances. I tried my hardest to not make any mistakes in the beginning for fear that he would find my dancing so bad he would leave. This was not the case, it was inevitable for me to mess up and when I did he would just laugh it off. As we danced we talked about ourselves. He told me about his home land of Aora and growing up with four sisters. In return I told him about growing up in Tollin with my older brother Justin. When we finally grew weary of dancing we wndered out to the garden, the music still audible in the background. We talked more as we walked and I found myself telling him more and more about things that I normally wouldn't share with someone I had just met. I told him about the pranks I had played on my nurses when I was younger.
"Skylar... what do you want for the future?"
"I don't know... just to be free from my comtroling family"
"Miss, there is something going on at the front gate!" a maid says in a scared tone. "Men are trying to get into the city!"
"Men? What men? Whose banner do they carry?" Skylar snaps immediately out of her daydreaming state and becomes serious in the blink of an eye. She strides purposely across the room to look out the window.
"They carry the banner of the wolf," comes the shaky reply. Skylar curses.
"The Setians!" All of a sudden there is a commotion down on the streets. From her post at the window Skylar can see all that is going on. Two bodies are being pulled out of the war carts on wooden stretchers. A man and a woman, their clothes once fine now ripped and dirty. Skylar's body goes numb as she realizes that the two bodies are those of her beloved parents. The woman's long raven locks of hair and the man's golden blond hair and large build are unmistakable attributes of her mother and father's guises.
A man bursting through the door brings her back into reality. It is Derek, the captain of the guard. "Skylar, you need to get out of here!"
"Derek! What's going on? That's my mother and father!" she exclaims angrily. Derek shakes his head in sorrow.
"There is nothing we can do now, the city is under attack." Skylar has a crushed and desperate look on her face. "Skylar before your father left I promised him that I would keep you safe. I intend to honor his wishes now go to the stables and prepare to leave."
Skylar refuses to let the inevitable tears fall because she knows that once they start they won't be able to stop. She puts on a stern face and nods. "You're right, but where will we go?" They start to walk down to the stables.
Without even a pause Derek replies. "Most of us have family in the country and all of us have friends that do. We'll join them and you will go to Meno Lyria and tell Justin what happened. He will know what to do. He will be king when we defeat the Setians." They enter the stables and Skylar saddles up her horse. She suddenly notices that Derek had not saddled up yet.
"Derek, aren't you coming with me?" He shakes his head.
"No, Skylar, I'm not. I need to get as many people out of the city as I can." Again she felt the tears come to her eyes because somehow she knew she would never see him again. She gives him a tight hug.
"Please stay safe Derek. You've been like a second father to me." She takes a step back.
"And you have been like a daughter to me, you keep yourself safe." Skylar climbs onto her horse, Lady of the Sky, and takes one last look at the man who had been her father's best friend before riding out of the yard.