Chapter One:

The skies overhead were cloudy and weary. The golden rays from the sun touched the earth no more. A metal railway stretched across the green landscape. It was quiet for quite some time until the faint "whirr" of a vehicle zoomed past it. A sleek black metal vehicle cruised along the electrified railway system. On the inside, a female wearing a white cloak sat with her head low. Guards sat on either side of her. One of them had their hand clasped tightly around her elbow.

"His lordship will be very happy to know that we've captured a Jones." spoke one of the guards. They had an icy, almost sneering tone in their voice. "we have searched the land for you. Now we can bring a traitor like you to justice."

The female said nothing. Her dry tongue kept her from spewing out a snarky remark. She had let herself be captured as to keep her friends from being discovered. She was going to let them enjoy their victory for now.

They continued driving along the monorail system that connected them from London, where she had been captured back to Wales, where she was now going to face trial. She shifted her hands around nervously. I must not be afraid. She told herself. I must not be afraid. Your death would not have been in vain. You managed to save your friends. They're back at the camp: safe and sound. She dared herself to look out the window in front of her.

The green landscape seemed barren. Most of the forest had been stripped away from it. The broken trunks stood out like jagged teeth in the fog. A river stretched underneath the monorail. The surface of it flickered in the ambient light. She wanted nothing more than to flee. To return to the mountains and disappear like her dad once had. Her parents. The mere thought of them set off a flurry of emotions within her chest. The chains around her wrists suddenly weren't there anymore. She looked down. Disappointment hit her like a ton of bricks. The damned things were still keeping her wrists weighed down into her lap.

The walls of the city came within view. Newtown became the empire's capital. Goat Head banners hung from the outside walls toting red and black. A large metal gate loomed over the monorail. The metal coated in dew from the fog. The vehicle slowed to a crawl next to the platform. The guard working the checkpoint went up to the vehicle. They peered in through the glass window that was behind the female and the other guards. The driver spoke to the guard. "we have a Jones in the back. His lordship requests that we bring her here to face trial." The guard nodded. He waved them on through the gate.

A deep pit formed in her stomach. Never had she been this close to vomiting. The color drained from her face a bit. She clenched her hands up into small fists. She rested her arms against her sides as best as the chains could get it. The towering walls of the gate blocked out the light from the outside for a little bit. Had the inside gotten any darker, she would have had a chance to place her wrists around the neck of the guard sitting next to her. She would have broken his windpipe before the others had a chance to move.

The vehicle slid past the gate. The outside world came into view again. The fog covered the tops of the walls surrounding the city. The female could make out the shadows of houses and towers in the fog. The towers were industrial sized buildings with window panes transparent enough to see within them. People wearing dark grey suits walked up and down the hallways. The suits even had the goat head symbol plastered on the chest part of them. It made her sick to see just how much the population had changed since the Dictator rose to power. She turned her attention away from the window not wanting to see any more of the outside world. Newtown used to make her feel so safe so did PontyPandy. She swallowed back the lump in her throat. Do not fret. Once you are free again, you and the others will take out the terrible Tyrant once and for all.

The vehicle slowed to a stop in front of another set of gates. The gates towered over the monorail blocking out the view of the Crystal Tower. The doors behind the vehicle opened. The guards stood up single file. One of them yanked the female to her feet. "come on. It's time to see his Lordship." They herded her out of the vehicle. Her feet felt like lead and brick. She found herself being dragged around more than walked. They took her in through a set of doors next to the gate. The inside of the halls had red wallpaper on them. A purple carpet stretched out onto the ground. The hallway covered around to another set of doors. The guards at the door opened them to reveal grey ambient light. "how come you guys aren't just driving me there?" she asked. The guard holding her looked at her. "because it's only a bridge walk across from where you need to be. The monorail stops outside this gate." he replies. The guard holding her had golden hair. He also had glowing green eyes. His skin was a light shade of tan. He sported grey armor which shimmered in the light. He had on a long dark red cloak behind him. A sword with a goat head on it sat on his belt. He kept his other hand clasped firmly around it.

The female smiled. "my, my aren't we nervous?" The guard scoffed. "now when we get inside, I don't want you talking nonsense to his Lordship. You shall have manners once you are inside."

The female rolled her eyes. "if you expect me to kiss up to the murderer of orphans and families, then you have another thing coming."

He spun around to face her. "watch that tongue of yours or else I'll be half-tempted to kill you where you stand myself!"

The female looked away. She still had a smirk on her face. "why are you bringing me here? Why not just murder me?"

"because His Lordship has a special request for you. Don't act like that thoughts never crossed my mind," he replied.

The guards took the female across the bridge. She looked up from her hands. A towering building showed itself through the fog. Rows upon rows of it had been made up of glass. The pit slowly turned into a queasy feeling. A building made up of a material that gave you the illusion that you were falling was enough to make anyone nervous. The gates to the tower opened. The guard shoved her between them as they walked on inside.

The inside of the tower was transparent. She could see the floors and rooms through the glass above her. There was a set of stairs leading off in separate directions. A golden door with the Goat Head symbol plastered on them sat between the stairs. The guards protecting the door slowly opened them. Her breathing got caught in her chest. Her knees wobbled. She was inches away from death or perhaps being tortured for the rest of her life. The guards stopped. They kept formation around her. The guard that held her forced her forward. He held her elbow tightly.

A man with dark blonde hair and green eyes stared at her from his throne. He had a black tunic and black pants. A silver crown laced around the top of his head. A sword totting the kingdom's seal sat on his belt. "Captain Grimwood, I see you have brought our interesting prisoner." His voice sounded like broken ice chips that were being rubbed against each other. The female kept her gaze low. "let me say, you've really given me a run for my money." A wicked smile formed on his lips. "welcome home Eira Jones. I have been expecting you."

Eira bit her lip. She stayed quiet. The man leaned forward on his throne. "what? Nothing to say?" Eira glared at him. Her gaze was cold. "out with it." she ordered. He laughs. "I don't think your in any position to order me to do anything." He flicks his wrist to the rest of the guards. "leave us." They all pile out of the room apart from Captain Grimwood. "dearest Eira, I am so glad I have this wonderful opportunity to talk to you. Perhaps you and I could be of some use to each other?" Eira's eyes narrowed. "why would I serve a murderous traitor like you Lord Douglas." she spat his name out. Garen kept his gaze calm. "because I have something you want." He gets up from this throne. "you see a tournament is held each year in PontyPandy. Do you want to know why?"

Eira keeps silent. She already knew the answer but wasn't going to give him that satisfaction.

"it's to keep traitors like you off the streets. To give the citizens of Wales a reason to fear me. Not like they didn't have one already when I took out your father."

Eira growls softly. "I want you to serve under my banner in this year's tournament. If you should win, I will grant you the freedom you so crave. Perhaps I might even give a royal pardon to those half-bloods you keep running within the woods." offers Lord Garen. "lose, and I get the satisfaction of putting an end to your pathetic family line."

Eira watches as he walks around her. He was a fool for leaving himself wide open. "what say you?" he asks. Eira looks to Captain Grimwood before looking back at Lord Garen. Her mind zoned out for only a moment.

Freedom.

Her vision changed to that of the woods near where her camp was. Her friends were the descendants of the great firefighters. Each one of them came from varying backgrounds. Her father had taught the group how to survive on their own. Once he was killed, Eira served as the Queen of the camp. They spent their lives trying to put an end to the Douglas name. If she could win back her freedom, she could find her way back to them.

She stayed in that state for several moments before speaking again. "fine, I accept your offer." Garen smiles. "good. You will be transported back to PontyPandy in the morning." He looks to Captain Grimwood. "keep an eye on her, send her off to the quarters to get cleaned up." He then recoiled his lips in disgust. "perhaps find something decent for her to wear as well."

Captain Grimwood takes Eira down another hallway. Her feet still felt like lead. She stayed quiet. "so what's the king to you?" she asks after a few moments of silence. Grimwood doesn't answer her question. The hallway had a red carpet in the middle of it. There were red robes hanging down from the archways. He opened a set of wooden doors. On the inside, a queen sized bed occupied the center of the room. It also had red silk sheets on it. Captain Grimwood let go of her elbow. "I'll be out front. Try not to destroy anything." He growls. He slams the doors shut in front of her.

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I hope you guys enjoy this new story

-Whisper