A/N: Completely edited the story, so if you've already read the first few chapters the first time I wrote it, I suggest you read them again as it may lead to confusion in later chapters. Enjoy!

:Chapter 1: Bad News:

"Come on, Jayden, it's getting late. You know about how Mother feels about us staying out too long." My older brother, Shane, tugged at my sleeve as I carefully reached for the reddest ripest apples I could find.

"Alright, just let me pay for this," I replied as the shopkeeper added up the cost of the food.

After paying for the fruit and loading them safely in my woven basket, we headed away from the fruit stand.

The sky was turning into a shade of orangeish-red, indicating that the sun would be setting in a few hours.

We shoved through the throngs of people crowding the streets, mostly women and children. Shane reached for an apple from the basket I was holding, rubbing it with his slightly tattered shirt before biting into the red skin.

Suddenly, there was the sound of hoof beats. The crowd of people rushing around slowed down to see what all the commotion was about. The horses came to a stop, and the townsfolk stopped what they were doing and crowded around them.

"What's going on?" I whispered to Shane as I stopped and stared at the armed knights on the three white horses. Then I noticed that all of them were bearing the royal crest, and I knew. There were only two times when people who worked for the royal family came to the village in such a manner: to announce the birth or death of a royal family member, or to inform of the declaration of a war.

The people whispered anxiously amongst themselves. One women burst into tears even before any of the knights informed us of the news.

The knight with the long, curly red hair cleared his throat. "Beloved people of Kyrria," he began in a powerful voice. "After several generations of growing tension with Fairburn, our neighboring kingdom. . ." he paused for a second. "has declared war on Kyrria."

Fairburn was a kingdom on the other side of the elve's forest. I remember Father telling me and Shane about how Fairburn and Kyrria were once a joined nation many years ago, but split up after a massive power struggle following the death of the former ruler. The struggle was between King Otis, an ancestor of our current King Charmont, who was the heir to the throne, and Lord Fairburn, another powerful man at the time. Eventually they came upon an agreement that Kyrria would be split, and that they could rule their land as they wish.

The men in the crowd stood tall, intently waiting to hear about the role they must play.

"All men from ages thirteen through sixty are required to meet at the royal courtyard by sundown. The royal troops have prepared weapons and armor."

My heart sank. The words of the red-haired knight echoed in my head. 'All men from ages thirteen through sixty. . .'

The basket dropped from my hand, its contents spilling all over the road. I reached over and clutched Shane's arm.

"You can't," I said in a shaky voice, as I looked up at him. "Y-You can't go. . ."

He didn't reply or even look at me, for that matter. A look of fear, excitement, and pride was plastered on his face.

"Remember, men must be at the palace grounds by sunset this evening. I'll see you men in a few hours. Remember, it is our duty to do all we can to keep our kingdom safe." He gave the two other horsemen a nod, and the horses started to trot away. "Stay safe."

As soon as they left the crowd erupted in commotion. "There's going to be a war!" one woman cried. More women started to weep.

"Come on, let's get out of here," Shane said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of the crowd, neither of us bothering to pick up the basket I dropped. He tossed his half eaten apple aside.

I swung open the wooden door of our home, with Shane walking in right behind me. I spotted Mother sitting silently at the table, weeping.

Shane walked over to her and embraced her. "Mother, it'll be okay."

"N-NO. . . not m-my baby. . ." she sobbed, clutching him tightly. "First your father and that awful fever. . . I-I can't lose you too. . ."

It was the first time Mother had mentioned Father since his death. I was about ten years ago, I was just five when he got the fever and he passed away in a matter of weeks.

"Listen to her, Shane, please," I said, tears streaming down my cheeks. "Don't go. . . you're only seventeen. . . y-you can't die. . ."

Shane stared at me in disbelief, and Mother bawled at the mention of my last word. "Who says I was going to die?"

I felt my body trembling. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out.

"I'm starving," Shane said, quickly changing the subject. "Let's eat supper."

Since I had dropped the food we purchased today, we dined on slightly stale bread leftover from the day before, and some soup Mother scraped up from anything we had.

And before I knew it, he was gone. Right before he left I made him promise that he'd come back alive. He chuckled and replied, "I promise."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please remember to leave me a review! Thanks!