This is The Slaves of Zachavi with some changes. The Tarachian Days Book 1: The Slaves of Zachavi
Karik is a dragon and the elves are shapeshifters. I'm going to keep the storyline as close as possible. You might not see many changes at first but please review and tell me what you think.
Chapter 1:
A girl in a red cloak ran swiftly, and through the castle gates in the rain into the royal stables. Somewhere she could actually get some quiet time and not have to think about royal business.
The girl was plain but pretty with her green eyes and reddish brown hair. Her only turn off was her skin which was the color of beige. She was one to be out in the sun a lot. Her name was Ranaya Yarkish, Princess of Lakishea.
She had had enough of obtuse conversations concerning politics, wars, and marriages with her parents and others of high class. Why couldn't she be normal like all the other young ladies of her age? The peasant girls didn't have to go through all the stuff she did! They didn't have to wear awful corsets; they could wear comfortable clothes and not worry about appearances. They could go out in the sun and not have to worry about getting freckles or tanning of the skin. It didn't matter to them. They had house chores instead of political talks.
The stable was the only place where she could escape royal duties where she could get a moment of peace and think upon things.
She was friends with all the stable-hands and sometimes helped with their chores even though they insisted she not get here hands dirty. She would only laugh at them. When she wasn't in the castle she was very un-ladylike. Sometimes she would even wear boy's clothes. She was a fan of riding straddle on a horse instead sidesaddle.
When she reached the stable there was no one in sight. How strange, she thought to herself as she settled onto a hay bale, preparing to stay awhile.
Unfortunately a few minutes later the butler came into the stables to fetch her, saying, "Your Father wants you to meet him in the throne room," he told her, waiting for her to follow him. Oh she could never escape!
It most likely had to do something with suitors. He had been talking an awful lot about getting her married off.
Ranaya grudgingly got up, walking back into the castle with an un-ladylike frown. She frowned even more when she entered the throne room where her Father was a man whose back was to her.
"Ranaya, this is King Karik of Zachavi," Darius her father bowed. Such formality from a parent. She hated it!
The man turned then and her heart plummeted. It was the King of Zachavi. He was the cruelest man alive as she heard from many people. Was this to be her suitor? She couldn't even think of him courting her. He was Zachavian and Zachavians were racists! They were trying to eliminate all the elves in the area. They were filthy murderers! Elves weren't that much different than anybody else. They looked exactly the same as humans except for their pointed ears and well they were always extremely good looking, and they had a little bit of a different culture. The Zachavians thought they used their good looks to lure humans into traps in the forest. But the Lakisheans didn't believe the nonsense. They knew the truth of the matter.
The truth was the matter was all the people that went missing didn't have anything to do with the elves. The Tarachi Forest is a dangerous forest. Many people can get lost easily. It has nothing to do with the Elves or their traps. The traps were for catching animals not humans.
"Hello, Your Majesty," Ranaya curtsied stiffly. What was this man doing here? What was his purpose?
His eyes were black and like ice. There were slight streaks of red in his eyes. It was all Ranaya could do not to take a step away from him. He had inky black hair which was pulled back with a black ribbon. Around in his early 30's maybe. He wore all black and silver. Something about him had a sinister look. She knew he was evil through and through. There was also something unnatural about his appearance that suggested he wasn't what he said he was. He definitely didn't look like someone you would want to make angry.
"I'm here for important business with your father," Karik bowed to her. His voice was like silk. It flowed from his tongue smoothly and almost hypnotically.
"What kind?" Ranaya quirked an eyebrow. Why was she here if this business didn't involve her? This king was making her skin crawl.
Darius cleared his throat, "Well, it will involve you later. I just thought you would like to meet His Majesty since he will be staying with us a while."
Ranaya sighed. She was 18 now and of marrying age. Her father was probably trying to engage her to this King of Zachavi. Well he needn't bother because she wasn't going to marry anyone. Especially the King of the Zachavians. He certainly would be one behind all the racism.
"I see," Ranaya fixed Karik a glare with her green eyes and left the room quickly going right back into the stables again.
Darius wasn't going to be able to persuade his daughter into marrying this King. He had another thing coming if he thought he could just marry her off.
"Of all the nerve!" Ranaya exclaimed irately, kicking a hay bale across the stable hall.
"Your Highness!" Harry, the stable manager scolded. He looked much like a hawk with his pointed nose but otherwise wasn't that bad looking. "That is no way a lady of your class should act," he picked the hay bale Ranaya had just kicked and sat it back to its proper position. Which is utterly ridiculous since it's just hay in a stable where hay is everywhere. King Darius just likes everything just so!
"Harry? Do you realize what my father is doing right now?" she frowned then, looking down at the dirt floor. She didn't like being called Your Highness in the stables but no matter how much she told Harry or the others. They still called her that so it did no could to threaten.
"No, Your Highness. What has happened?" Harry asked, concern sketching his face for his Princess. Her sudden mood change wasn't like her at all.
"My Father or should I say Darius Yarkish, is handing me over to some King of Zachavi. It turns out it has been arranged ever since I was born. My life isn't really my own!" Ranaya scowled, getting up and starting to pace, "A Zachavian! Filthy racists they all are!" Even if that hadn't been said, she just knew it wasn't far from the truth.
Harry stared at her speechless, his face paling to that of a cloud. The princess fortunately didn't notice.
Ranaya finally stopped pacing and looked ready to cry.
Harry changed the subject quickly, "I hired a new stable hand today. A handsome lad he is and not much older than yourself," Harry winked at Ranaya who was wiping her face, feeling humiliated.
Ranaya sighed, "Too bad I can't marry a stable-hand. It would be much better than that man!"
The stable door opened and footsteps sounded behind them. Ranaya turned to see a young man not much older than her walk up. He was strikingly handsome with long blonde hair that was about shoulder length, covering his ears. He had sky blue eyes that looked glassy and was very lean and tall.
Ranaya had to blink as she looked back at Harry with a questioning glance of who this blonde man was.
"Your Highness, meet Lando, our new stable-hand," Harry announced, looking a little embarrassed for not already introducing the young man.
Handsome was an understatement! This Lando was not that ordinary, Ranaya had thought.
"Nice to meet you, Lando," Ranaya curtsied, unsteadily. She was at times not very graceful for the Princess she was.
"My pleasure, Your Highness," Lando bowed with a smile. How graceful he was compared to Ranaya!
Ranaya had to fight an urge to roll her eyes, "Please, call me Ranaya," she told him, trying not to sound bossy.
"Yes, Your—Ranaya," Lando caught himself. He never called a royal by their Christian name. It just wasn't proper, but if she insisted well he better obey.
"So Lando, where do you origin from?" Ranaya decided to give him a little survey. She loved learning things about all the stable-hands.
Lando cleared his throat, "I prefer not to talk of my past," his cheery tone changed to dark and troubled. He looked down at his boots.
Ranaya decided she shouldn't ask him any more questions. She respected people's privacy as much as her own.
"Well, Lando, I think it's time to get to your training," Harry cut in, cocking his head toward the supply room.
"Yes Sir," Lando said respectfully.
"And you, Missy, need to go back to your world and tend to business," Harry shooed Ranaya playfully.
Ranaya sighed but decided she probably was needed in the Throne Room with her parents. She needed to talk to Darius about the whole Karik ordeal and try to talk him out of it….if it was possible.
Harry and Lando walked off into the supply room leaving Ranaya alone.
"Might as well," Ranaya stalked off into the castle ready to give her father a good talk.
As soon as Ranaya went into the hall where the Throne Room was located she could already tell her father and Karik were talking about her.
"Just what I expected. Well I'm going to tell them just what they didn't expect!" Ranaya put on a smug look as she opened the heavy wooden doors, sauntering in most unladylike.
Darius and Karik looked up at the same time like they were surprised to see her.
"Back so soon?" Darius inquired as Ranaya walked up to them.
Ranaya shrugged as she stared at Karik a moment. Uh she just could not stand him. Even the way he looked bothered her.
Karik stared at her and she resisted a shudder. She felt like he was looking into her very soul and it wasn't at all pleasant.
"Father, I need to speak to you," she said slowly, turning to look at her father quickly.
"If you must please go ahead," Darius said, sounding extremely rude.
"Alone," Ranaya hissed, "Not in front of him," she insisted hastily, giving a glare to King Karik.
He gave her a wolfish grin.
Darius cleared his throat, "Excuse me," he took Ranaya's arm and they went out into the hall.
"Now what is it you wanted to speak to me of?" Darius looked a little impatient on his part.
"I am not marrying that—that bigoted King of Zachavi!" Ranaya couldn't hardly get the words out she was so furious with him. She had to fight the urge to end the sentence by stomping her foot like a child. She was dead set against marrying anyone who was prejudice or tortured and murdered for the fun of it.
"You are and you will," Darius demanded, crossing his arms. Darius was a stern, demanding Father but he always good and fair to Ranaya and did what he thought was best for her or thought was good for her.
This definitely isn't good and fair to me! Ranaya thought as she glared at her cocky and stubborn father.
"No I am not! Why don't I get a choice in the matter. He's going to be my husband after all! I don't want to marry a King of people who I despise the most!" Ranaya vented. She always had a short temper that exploded very quickly if she didn't like something.
"Yes you are. I'm only doing what's best for you and that is to marry that King. It's best for all of us. It will give us better peace between Zachavi and Lakishea," Darius sounded hurt that his daughter was so exasperated with him.
"I'm a Peace Treaty? You're going to just trade me off just so there will be peace between our two countries? Don't you even care about me and my happiness?" Ranaya choked on tears threatening to fall from her eyes.
"Ranaya, sometimes being a royal means you have to sacrifice happiness for what's good for your Kingdom. Thing's don't always go our way and we have to face that. I'm sorry but that is what is happening to you," Darius tried to reason with her, trying to be successful, "Besides, that's how I met your Mother. We had an arranged marriage also," he added, giving Ranaya a pleading look.
"Have you even looked at the man—if you can call him that. He's the creepiest man I've ever laid eyes on and have you seen his eyes?"
"Ranaya, there is nothing creepy about this man," King Darius huffed.
Ranaya had had enough of sorrow for the day and was about to dash away when Darius pulled her back, "Don't go yet. Listen to me."
"Maybe I don't want to be a royal. I sometimes wish I was never born," Ranaya sulked. That wasn't no way to be and it didn't change the fact that she was on earth and she was a princess and not a normal peasant girl.
Darius raised his hand as if to slap her in his anger but then lowered it and sighed, "Wishing that you weren't born isn't going to change who you are and your destiny. Face the fact that you are going to marry Karik and stop feeling sorry for yourself," he said in a warning tone.
Wait until Dari here's of this! Ranaya thought furiously. Dari was her older brother who was out surveying the realm the past months. His real name was Darius Yarkish the II.
"Can I go now?" Ranaya whispered, feeling shocked that he had almost hit her. She wanted to go back to the stables and hide in one of the stalls and have a good cry, Stalls were one of the best places in those times when she wanted to hide from the world.
"Go on. I think we've both said enough," Darius waved her hand, looking disgusted and she couldn't help but feel like one of the commoners instead of the daughter of the King.
Ranaya didn't race away like usual. She decided to walk slowly back to the stable. Trudging slowly she was hoping no one would want to talk to her.
She had her face hidden in her cloak as she went into the stable doors. No one was in sight as she headed for the end stall.
She opened the stall door and was greeted by a black mare that seemed to be excited to see her. The horses always seemed to be drawn to her.
"Hello, Ebony," she wiped her eyes as she sat down in the hay beside the horse.
She let herself have a good cry. She didn't like people to know she was weak enough to cry. She knew no one was going to find her in here or so she thought.
About the time she had finished crying someone walked in.
Thinking it was Harry Ranaya yelled," Harry! You know I don't like being disturbed when I-," she broke off in surprise as she realized it wasn't Harry but the new stable-hand. She arose from the hay quickly, and began brushing away straw from her green dress.
"Your Highness!" Lando exclaimed, "I didn't know, I'm sorry. Really," he bowed, trying to be respectful. He had a pitchfork in his hand that he had to juggle to keep from dropping.
"Ranaya," she corrected, "No I should be the one that is sorry. You didn't know I was in here," she laughed at his frozen expression.
"Ranaya," he smiled, getting over his shock, "I was just going to muck out this stall," he looked embarrassed now.
"Here," she took the pitchfork from his hand, "Since I'm already in here. Let me," she said to much of his astonishment, "Just get me the muck cart."
Lando's mouth actually dropped open in surprise," I—I'm not supposed to let you do that. I'll get fired or executed for letting the Princess do manual labor fit for sla-," Ranaya silenced him by putting her hand on his shoulder.
"Lando, everyone knows that I like to work in the stables. You shall not get fired or executed," Ranaya gave him a smile to assure her words.
Lando sighed then went to get the muck cart.
She kind of liked the lad. Maybe they would see each other more; she thought she started mucking as soon as he brought the cart.
"If you would like, you could go ahead and groom Ebony," Ranaya suggested Lando as he stood there looking like he didn't know what to do. That stall must have been his last.
He didn't waste any time getting to it. As soon as she mentioned it he dashed off.
Ranaya had to fight an urge to laugh at his quick action. She almost forgot her talk with Darius and thoughts of marrying Karik.
Maybe she and Lando could be friends.