Prologue

The town square was lifeless and silent, despite being packed with people. All of the buildings were abandoned because the citizens were forced to watch. Watch what happens to traitors. Nobody dared say anything that would make them traitors. A woman cried silently, tears streaming down her beautiful yet broken face. The two people on either side of me were silent, grim, their faces devoid of any hope whatsoever. And it was all my fault. It was my fault I couldn't do anything. My fault the she died. It was my fault that we were here, waiting to die, waiting to hang. And then he began his speech.

"My loyal citizens of Middleton, it is my great pleasure to announce the traitors have been caught, and will die this very day!"

But I drowned out his other words.

"I let you down," I said, my voice little more than a whisper. "I'm so sorry.

I felt the rope constricting around my neck, and I knew it was the end, for us all.

Four months earlier...

"Happy birthday Sapphira! Happy Birthday Howard!" My brother and I look at our parents. The expression on his face is exactly what mine must be on our fourteenth birthday; a smile.

"Now for the presents and the cake," My mother says, smiling. Howard licks his lips in excitement; he loves food.

"Will there ever be a time when you don't think about food?" I ask him jokingly.

"Only when I'm eating it." He replies.

"Other than that?"

"No."

"Figured as much." My mother brings in the cake and I can't help gasping in surprise. Normally we can't afford the luxury of a real cake, and we substitute with a loaf of bread and some blueberries or cinnamon. but this is a real cake with real icing and those little sugar candies on top.

"H-How?" I stutter.

"We had a little extra money from the quarterly harvest and your father and I thought it might be nice if you had a real cake this year. Besides, it's not everyday you two turn fourteen." She smiles at me. But, the smile seems forced. On a normal quarter, after the king's taxes are paid and we buy new seeds to plant, we may have enough money for new tools if we need them, or supplies to repair the house. On a normal quarter. But this time, there was a drought, so we, like all the other small farms in the Sky Kingdom, had just enough money to buy more seeds. So then, why did my parents, who have barely enough at best, spend extra money on something as irrelevant as cake?

"Mhm, Sapphira, you have to try this cake." I look and see that Howard has nearly finished his cake, and is stuffing his face with more. Tentatively, I take a small bite of my cake. The icing is very rich, too rich for me but the candy melts on my tongue and the cake itself is moist. Before I know it my plate is also cleared.

"Now for presents!" My father smiles, which is a rare occurrence. He is a no-nonsense man who believes the only way to get what you want is by working.

"Who wants to go first?" Presents?! As in more than one?! What is going on? But why not? It can't be that bad, can it? So I say

"I'll go."

"Okay then dear." And my mother hands me my presents. My first present is a small ring that is green and blue in color. I also get a new needle and some thread for sewing.

"Hey Saffi, that ring matches your necklace." Instinctively, my hand goes to my throat, where my necklace is. All it really is is a blue orb attached to a thin strip of worn leather. It was my grandmother's, or so my parents say, but I don't really believe them. Still, I've never taken it off. Howard's gift was a bit of a surprise. My father goes into another room for a few minutes and comes back with a sword and shield. The shield has a wolf crest that I haven't seen before. Well, except for that one time when I was little...

Flashback

"Daddy! Daddy!"

"What is it Sapphira? I'm busy."

"I found a book Daddy. It has a dog on it. It's really big." My father paled and said,

"Sapphira, I think your mother needs help in the kitchen." he pointed towards the doorframe.

"But what about the book Daddy?"

"Listen to me girl. Forget you ever saw that book, got it?"

End Flashback

I never saw the book or the crest on it again, until now. And the night that everything happened, my parents were arguing about something.

"Hey Sapphira! C'mon, lets duel!" Howard is standing up with the sword and shield in his hands, the excitement evident on his face.

"That wouldn't be fair," I laugh. "I don't have a sword or even a shield."

"You could poke me with your needle then tie me with your thread." We both laugh at the thought of something so impossible that it's funny. But the moment is short lived, because when I see the expressions on my parents' faces my laughter stops and my smile fades. It takes a minute for Howard to catch on but when he does, his face shows confusion.

"Sapphira," My mother says slowly, in that voice that means bad news of some kind. I start to panic, wondering what horrid news she is about to share. Will we have to give up the farm? Does Howard have to go to war? Oh Gods forbid; have I been betrothed to the miller's nasty son Doolin? A million thoughts race through my head as I contemplate what my mother will say.

"Please tell me I'm not to marry the miller's son!" I say this loudly and suddenly, my rashness getting the better of me for the umpteenth time.

"Oh heavens no, Sapphira! That is not it at all. Your father and I just wanted to tell you that, well, you're not really our daughter by birth." The first thing I feel is relief. Then the news sinks in.

"W-What? I'm not your real daughter?! Is this what the cake and the presents were for?! To make me feel better when you tell me?! Well, I wish I never was your daughter! I wish you would both just die!" I storm off into my room and just watch the sky through the tiny window in mine and Howard's bedroom. I always thought it was cool how I got the bed by the window. Or was that just another attempt at trying to make up for all the lies? Eventually the sky turns to a pinkish color as the sun sets. Then it turns dark. I see a nightmare scratch at the window, but I do nothing. I have long since known that they will not hurt the villagers unless ordered to by the king. Nightmares come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, with some being as common as mosquitos and others that are said to put you in an eternal nightmare. The one that I just saw is a simple nightmare, whose only danger is giving a brief fainting spell that lasts only minutes. It may seem scary because of its shadowy body and red eyes, but it's really quite harmless. I fell my eyelids start to droop and I fall into a dreamless slumber. When I wake up it is pitch black outside and Howard is in his bed, snoring as loud as ever. After a few minutes of careful thinking, I come to a decision: I will run away.