Chap 1 There's no way… Is there?
The Royal Palace in Cria, Capital City of Galla had many wonders but none ever compared to the Great Hall. It, like the entire palace, was made of white marble and was unbelievably huge. At over one thousand metres in length and at least seven hundred in breadth any other Ballroom in the Eastern Lands could fit into a corner.
Massive carved pillars (Six grown men with arms outstretched could only just encircle them) reached up to the impossibly high ceiling and met in arches. There was only one entrance and one exit (or so it seemed at first impression) and they were great Oak doors carved with the crown seal and plated with gold. The entire scene was flooded with golden light. It was dusk and the immense arched windows that lined the hall on both sides created a haunting glow.
Commoners and Kings alike had stood and marvelled at the mastery of this creation, but the boy who now ran through the Hall was totally oblivious to both the beauty and wonder of his surrounds.
"Luke!" Yelled a frantic servant. She knew that if he reached the other end of the Hall that she would never catch him. "Master Luke! Your father will be beside himself-" She was cut off as the doors at the other end of the hall slammed shut.
"Damn that Prince." She muttered under her breath. "He may be heir but by the Goddess… One more stunt like this and King Cole will have his head!"
In the meantime, the subject of her stressing snuck out of the palace through a tiny side gate and ran down the sloping hill that led to the City. It was starting to get dark, and Cria was lighting up. This was always the prince's favourite time of night.
At age nine, the young royal was already beginning to grow rapidly. As he ran, the air blew his mop of blond hair into his blue-green eyes. Blue- green eyes that sparkled with joy, if only for a while. His frame showed promising signs of height and strength and anyone watching him fly down that hill would have no doubt about his speed either.
As he strolled through the narrow cobblestone streets, peering into shop windows and at merchandise in stalls, he was so lost in the new sounds and smells of the city he did not notice the three men standing on a corner casting greedy glances at him. It was only when one raised his voice a little too much above hushed that he became aware.
"Ooh, aye! That'un looks right promising!" He was silenced by a hefty kick in the leg by another of the men but too late- Luke's head snapped up and he started backing away. The men took steps towards him. One bared a toothy grin. Luke turned and bolted down an alleyway.
"Catch him!" One man cried, and all three gave chase.
Luke skidded left down another street and then wove his way through a hefty assortment of carts carrying produce to run down a dark alleyway. The men were hot on his heels.
Luke chanced a look behind him and saw them turn into the street, closing in on him. He looked ahead of him again and came face to face with a brick wall. Scanning the wall with his fingers he found no footholds. He was trapped.
Turning to face his pursuers he swallowed hard, sweating. Trapped. Suddenly a little voice came from a stack of old wine barrels to his left.
"Pssssst! C'mere!" He saw someone crouched in the shadows there, and knew it was his only chance. He slipped behind them and crouched next to the person -it was a kid- he realised, who was now opening a trapdoor in the side of the building.
"Go! Quickly!" Luke dived in, closely followed by his rescuer and slid down a shoot into a dark wooden tunnel. The only sound was Luke's panting. Matchlight sprang up to illuminate them both and Luke got a start to see that the person staring back at him in the gloom was indeed a grimy young girl.
She looked around his age and flashed him white teeth in a reckless grin.
"Close one huh? Sorry, I'm being rude." She stuck out a hand in a commoner greeting. "Anise. You are?"
"Um, Luke." He took her proffered hand. "Thankyou, but where are we? And who were they?" Anise's grey eyes had not left him once, and it made him squirm.
"This is just an tunnel under the terrace buildings. It ends up near my home. I think I'm the only one who knows about it. They-" She spat the word. "Were most probably slave merchants."
"What? Slavery is illegal in Galla!" Luke exclaimed, and Anise snorted.
"Sure it's illegal, but do'ya think that'll stop em?" She replied. Luke frowned with confusion.
"You're not from around here are you?" She asked curiously.
"No, no I am. Just not this part of the city." Anise narrowed her eyes and for the first time took notice of his good quality clothes- even if they were smeared with dirt.
"What are you, some kind of noble?" She smirked and stopped when he nodded. "What?" She cried. A sparkle of red caught her eye, and she saw on his finger, the royal signet ring, recognised throughout the land as worn by the Crown Prince.
"No way." She whispered, and scrabbled backwards. "There's no way." Luke couldn't help but find it amusing.
"Erm, Sorry?" He said with a sheepish grin. Anise however, was ogling at him like he'd just sprouted wings. She recovered fairly quickly though.
"What are you doing here?" She wondered incredulously. The boy who crouched in the gloom before her would one day be king. Would one day be her king?
"I snuck out of the palace. It's fairly easy you know… And it's not the first time I've done it." He laughed and shook his head, and she smiled slowly at this unlikely acquaintance. The pair was drawn to each other.
"So…"Anise asked with a glint in her eye. "I guess you'll need a guide around the city if you don't know where to go. May I?"
"Would you? I bet you know all the best spots. We'll have to be careful Anise. My father will have the Guard out looking." At the mention of the king's special forces Luke's jaw gritted hard. "I'll be in it tomorrow morning."
"Forget about tomorrow morning, your most high majesty." He punched her lightly and playfully.
"I loathe that Anise," He said, and she cackled gleefully. "C'mon Luke, places to see people to meet… Who knows? I might even take you to 'the spot'. If you're good." She was off down the tunnel, Luke's endless questions echoing around them.
They emerged minutes later from another trapdoor that led to the streets outside. As they dusted off, for the first time Luke got a good look at Anise. She was small for her age, and if the grime was washed off her skin he could see she would have a working tan. Someone had tried to keep her dark brown hair tidy by braiding it and obviously it was failing. As he soon found out, she was as quiet as a mouse and just as quick.
"First." She said. "You hungry?"
"Yes… I suppose."
"Say no more my friend. We are going to the world famous Cria Midnight Markets. Hold on to your breeches, your in for a wild ride!" Luke ran laughing after a grinning Anise.
The Royal Palace in Cria, Capital City of Galla had many wonders but none ever compared to the Great Hall. It, like the entire palace, was made of white marble and was unbelievably huge. At over one thousand metres in length and at least seven hundred in breadth any other Ballroom in the Eastern Lands could fit into a corner.
Massive carved pillars (Six grown men with arms outstretched could only just encircle them) reached up to the impossibly high ceiling and met in arches. There was only one entrance and one exit (or so it seemed at first impression) and they were great Oak doors carved with the crown seal and plated with gold. The entire scene was flooded with golden light. It was dusk and the immense arched windows that lined the hall on both sides created a haunting glow.
Commoners and Kings alike had stood and marvelled at the mastery of this creation, but the boy who now ran through the Hall was totally oblivious to both the beauty and wonder of his surrounds.
"Luke!" Yelled a frantic servant. She knew that if he reached the other end of the Hall that she would never catch him. "Master Luke! Your father will be beside himself-" She was cut off as the doors at the other end of the hall slammed shut.
"Damn that Prince." She muttered under her breath. "He may be heir but by the Goddess… One more stunt like this and King Cole will have his head!"
In the meantime, the subject of her stressing snuck out of the palace through a tiny side gate and ran down the sloping hill that led to the City. It was starting to get dark, and Cria was lighting up. This was always the prince's favourite time of night.
At age nine, the young royal was already beginning to grow rapidly. As he ran, the air blew his mop of blond hair into his blue-green eyes. Blue- green eyes that sparkled with joy, if only for a while. His frame showed promising signs of height and strength and anyone watching him fly down that hill would have no doubt about his speed either.
As he strolled through the narrow cobblestone streets, peering into shop windows and at merchandise in stalls, he was so lost in the new sounds and smells of the city he did not notice the three men standing on a corner casting greedy glances at him. It was only when one raised his voice a little too much above hushed that he became aware.
"Ooh, aye! That'un looks right promising!" He was silenced by a hefty kick in the leg by another of the men but too late- Luke's head snapped up and he started backing away. The men took steps towards him. One bared a toothy grin. Luke turned and bolted down an alleyway.
"Catch him!" One man cried, and all three gave chase.
Luke skidded left down another street and then wove his way through a hefty assortment of carts carrying produce to run down a dark alleyway. The men were hot on his heels.
Luke chanced a look behind him and saw them turn into the street, closing in on him. He looked ahead of him again and came face to face with a brick wall. Scanning the wall with his fingers he found no footholds. He was trapped.
Turning to face his pursuers he swallowed hard, sweating. Trapped. Suddenly a little voice came from a stack of old wine barrels to his left.
"Pssssst! C'mere!" He saw someone crouched in the shadows there, and knew it was his only chance. He slipped behind them and crouched next to the person -it was a kid- he realised, who was now opening a trapdoor in the side of the building.
"Go! Quickly!" Luke dived in, closely followed by his rescuer and slid down a shoot into a dark wooden tunnel. The only sound was Luke's panting. Matchlight sprang up to illuminate them both and Luke got a start to see that the person staring back at him in the gloom was indeed a grimy young girl.
She looked around his age and flashed him white teeth in a reckless grin.
"Close one huh? Sorry, I'm being rude." She stuck out a hand in a commoner greeting. "Anise. You are?"
"Um, Luke." He took her proffered hand. "Thankyou, but where are we? And who were they?" Anise's grey eyes had not left him once, and it made him squirm.
"This is just an tunnel under the terrace buildings. It ends up near my home. I think I'm the only one who knows about it. They-" She spat the word. "Were most probably slave merchants."
"What? Slavery is illegal in Galla!" Luke exclaimed, and Anise snorted.
"Sure it's illegal, but do'ya think that'll stop em?" She replied. Luke frowned with confusion.
"You're not from around here are you?" She asked curiously.
"No, no I am. Just not this part of the city." Anise narrowed her eyes and for the first time took notice of his good quality clothes- even if they were smeared with dirt.
"What are you, some kind of noble?" She smirked and stopped when he nodded. "What?" She cried. A sparkle of red caught her eye, and she saw on his finger, the royal signet ring, recognised throughout the land as worn by the Crown Prince.
"No way." She whispered, and scrabbled backwards. "There's no way." Luke couldn't help but find it amusing.
"Erm, Sorry?" He said with a sheepish grin. Anise however, was ogling at him like he'd just sprouted wings. She recovered fairly quickly though.
"What are you doing here?" She wondered incredulously. The boy who crouched in the gloom before her would one day be king. Would one day be her king?
"I snuck out of the palace. It's fairly easy you know… And it's not the first time I've done it." He laughed and shook his head, and she smiled slowly at this unlikely acquaintance. The pair was drawn to each other.
"So…"Anise asked with a glint in her eye. "I guess you'll need a guide around the city if you don't know where to go. May I?"
"Would you? I bet you know all the best spots. We'll have to be careful Anise. My father will have the Guard out looking." At the mention of the king's special forces Luke's jaw gritted hard. "I'll be in it tomorrow morning."
"Forget about tomorrow morning, your most high majesty." He punched her lightly and playfully.
"I loathe that Anise," He said, and she cackled gleefully. "C'mon Luke, places to see people to meet… Who knows? I might even take you to 'the spot'. If you're good." She was off down the tunnel, Luke's endless questions echoing around them.
They emerged minutes later from another trapdoor that led to the streets outside. As they dusted off, for the first time Luke got a good look at Anise. She was small for her age, and if the grime was washed off her skin he could see she would have a working tan. Someone had tried to keep her dark brown hair tidy by braiding it and obviously it was failing. As he soon found out, she was as quiet as a mouse and just as quick.
"First." She said. "You hungry?"
"Yes… I suppose."
"Say no more my friend. We are going to the world famous Cria Midnight Markets. Hold on to your breeches, your in for a wild ride!" Luke ran laughing after a grinning Anise.