Chapter 1
Princess Ana awoke in darkness. She groaned from the pounding headache inside her head. She looked around feeling in the darkness. Where was she? She remembered her mother giving her some juice and then everything was hazy. She tried to stand up and bumped her head on something hard. She couldn't stand up! She moved back to her knees and began to crawl and feel around in front of her. As she rounded a bend she saw light in the distance. She crawled towards it. Finally Princess Ana made it outside. As she stretched her legs, she looked down below her. What she saw was not what she was expecting. Where the capital of the Crystal Kingdom once stood, now lay in ruins. She was the fifth child of King Claran William Carandol Malethar and Queen Savia Katherine Malethar. They ruled the Crystal Kingdom in the East with a good hand. The people loved their king and queen for they were kind, just, fair, caring, and good at heart.
Princess Ana looked out beyond the city. Enemy camps' fires could be seen. The sky had turned gray along with the city and everything around it. This scared Princess Ana. She crept down the mountain side carefully. She wondered where her older siblings were. Peter was nineteen, James was eighteen, Sophia was seventeen, and Henry sixteen. Ana found the empty tree trunk hideaway she used to play in with her siblings when she was younger. She crawled in and curled up. She sat and listened. She began to think of her family. She remembered how happy they were only a few days before. Then out of nowhere the shadow creatures, vampires, imps, demons, trolls, and dark Fae attacked. Her father and older brother Peter, had ridden out to war with the army, while the rest of the family waited. James soon joined them. Not long after she was given the juice. She heard someone moving and watched from a small peep hole. It was an imp! She held her breath and hoped it would pass soon. Finally it was gone. She decided to leave. She crawled out of the tree and began to run through the forest. Someone grabbed her from behind and she gasped. "Shhhh Ana!"Henry said. Ana turned around and hugged her brother. He beckoned for her to follow him. They walked through the forest till they reach a hidden grove. There in the shade of a willow tree lay their father with Jessie, Peter, and James gathered around them.
Ana ran towards her family. "Papa!"She cried. "Ana! My little bird."King Claran said softly. Ana smiled and hugged her father. Her father opened his eyes and reached up to touch Ana's cheek. He smiled softly. "You look so much like your mother little bird. I love you little one. Your mother did too. Alas she has left us for another world little bird. I will be joining her soon."King Claran said. "No! No! Papa! Don't leave me please."Ana cried hugging her father. "Ana child, keep this with you always and never let anyone see it ever. This will protect you."King Claran said handing his youngest child a pure white crystal pendant on a soft brown leather cord. Ana put it on immediately. "Peter, James, I expect you to tell her what I told you before this final battle. Take good care of them. I love you all. Goodbye little bird."King William said taking his last breath. He was gone. Ana cried and sobs racked her body. Finally she stopped and Sophia hugged her little sister. They buried their father in a cave and then Peter motioned for his siblings to follow him. Sophia scooped up her little sister in her arms and followed. Finally Ana was fine and began to walk too. They trudged silently towards the woods.
Once deep in the woods, Peter stopped and gasped in pain as he fell to the ground. "Peter!"Sophia cried rushing towards their brother. James helped his brother stand up. James settled Peter down against a tree. "I was injured by a sword that was poisoned. I do not expect to live long. It is already making me weak and tired."Peter explained. Then he turned to his brother, James. "James take them to mountains. There you will find an abandoned hut. This was father's secret resting spot when he used to hunt. You should rest there but not stay for more than a few days. The enemy will be looking for us. Change into the peasant clothes there. Drop your fancy clothes off a cliff or into a river. Make it believable that you have died. Sophia and Ana must keep their pendants hidden under the peasant clothes. They will come in handy when the time comes. "Peter said. "Then where after that?"James asked. "Then travel through the forest towards the north. There you will enter the Goblin Kingdom. Seek out a dwarf named Hoggle. Give him this blue stone. He will know what it means. He will guide you to the edge of the kingdom and leave you at the border of the Light Fae Kingdom. There you will travel on the road and not stop till you reach the capital city of Cirmontia. There find jobs and support yourselves. You will be discovered eventually and be brought to the palace. There you will be treated kindly and the rulers will help you regain the kingdom. But this will take many years. I am fading."Peter said. Then his eyes just shut and his hand went limp in Sophia's hand. Now only four siblings left, James, Sophia, Henry, and Ana buried their brother. Then they moved on. They reached the hut after four days of non stop traveling. There they rested for two days and changed their clothes. Then James took their fancy clothes and dropped them in the deep fast rushing river with deadly rapids. When he returned they packed up and got ready to move on in the morning. The siblings began to travel again. That night camping in the woods, Sophia went out to collect firewood. She never returned. After hours of waiting, James, Ana, and Henry became worried. They lit a torch and began to search for their sister. They couldn't find her.
To be continued...