Queen of Summer, King of Winter
Prologue.
Prince Talthal Za, of the summer islands, son of Prince Zaquel Za and Princess Xhata Za, was very afraid.
The rich jungles which he had spent so much of his boyhood running through, that had been such a place of fun and joy, was now a dark and dangerous place where any man with a spear could soon jump out of the thick brush and end his life in a bloody instant.
But if his life did end tonight he would not care. So long as his daughter would get a chance to live.
The new born babe in his arms was whimpering, perhaps attune to her father's anxiousness. It still struck him as odd that he was even a father at all, let alone taking his child on the run while his home, family and everything he had ever known burnt to the ground.
He still wasn't sure how it had happened but it had, he knew that his family had many rivals on the other islands but he always assumed that any trouble would've passed.
But this trouble had not, in matter of weeks his family had lost a great deal of land due to his older brother's foolish investments and gambles, the rival princes and princesses grew stronger and stronger and he watched as everything his family had built crashed down to the ground.
Ordinarily they would've been forced into exile but it seemed that one Prince's hate ran so deep that his family being forced to leave their home with nothing but the clothes on their back wasn't enough, he would settle for nothing but their lives.
He had awoken to the smell of thick, chocking smoke, the feel of an oppressive heat and the sound of screams that pierced the night air.
He still couldn't believe what was happening but there wasn't time to be paralyzed with fear, he had to get his daughter and flee while there was still time.
She may have only been born a few days before, coming out of her mother screaming and stained red, but she already had a tight grip on his heart that had refused to loosen. Her mother was gone, a whore that he had grown fond of and sent on her way as soon as she had recovered when it had become apparent that she had no interest in being there for the child.
He had managed to escape from his burning home, trying to pretend that he couldn't hear his father and brothers and mother crying out in pain and fear, but the Prince's men had seen him and chased him into the jungle but he was fairly sure that he had managed to lose them. But he still wasn't sure how long that would last for.
Talthal allowed himself a small sigh of relief as he realised that he was reaching the edge of the jungle and he could hear the sounds of the sea, the moans of passion in the back alleys and the bells of ships ringing in the far distance. He was almost at the harbour.
He picked up speed and ran for the edge of the jungle, he tightened his hold on the back and ran down to the harbour. His eyes widen as he saw who, and what, he was looking for right in front of him.
"Captain Saras! Captain Saras!" Talthal called as he saw the commander of his father's merchant fleet sitting around a barrel with four other men, drinking and laughing, the shadow of Saras's ship, The Maiden's Treasure, overlooked them. Captain Saras was his father's most loyal friend and oldest friend and even when every single one of his father's merchants had abandoned them he and his crew had stayed on.
The man glanced up at the sound of his name being called and he then rose to his feet as he saw that his prince was the one calling for him. "My prince? I'm sorry, I wasn't expecting you. If I had been informed that you were coming I would've-
"There is no time for that! We must leave now!" Talthal shouted before he glanced back to the edge of the jungle, there was still no sign of the men that had been chasing but eventually they would figure out that he would head to the docks. "My father is dead as our my brothers and mother, our seat is burned to the ground and a Prince's men are after me, I am unsure as to which one."
Saras looked shocked and for some reason small which was hard for Talthal to believe, the man was twice his size and could probably crush his head like a grape. His dark skin seemed to have paled somehow. "Are you certain?" He asked, his throaty voice shaking with a combination of sadness, rage and fear.
"I am, please Captain we must go now!" Talthal urged as he glanced back again, this time he was fairly certain that he heard something coming this way. "Revenge can wait!"
Saras took a deep breath in and nodded, he turned to the men he had been sitting with and began to shout. "Don't just stand their you lazy bastards! Get up and on the boat and raise the anchor! We're leaving!" The men shot to their feet and ran on to the boat with shouting among them.
Saras lead Talthal on the boat and offered him his cabin, once they arrived inside he sat his prince down and told him to wait inside until they had left the dock.
A few moments after Saras left the cabin the ship began to sail away and Talthal sighed as he looked down his daughter and gently rocked her, he still hadn't given her a name. She had been born in a time of turmoil and while his parents and brothers had quickly grown to adore her there hadn't been time to give her a name.
"I shall call you Lara." He said with a sad smile, it had been the name that his mother had hoped to give to his younger sister before she had lost her. "I promise you little love, we shall be safe now. And we shall return and all of this will be yours!"
He bent his head and kissed her forehead gently. "This I swear to you."
End of Prologue
