***
A/N- Ratings are for later chapters. I have been writing and re-writing this story for years, and the beginning has always seemed a little childish for me, but I feel like it gets better, so please, review away!
***
In a time not so long ago, but in a land far away, a King met a beautiful woman whom he made his Queen. Together they had a daughter named Soriel. Soriel grew up to become the strongest and most beautiful maiden in all the land.
At the early age of seven, Soriel was quick of wit, nimble, and strong of body. The king decided to have these traits developed by training her in the art of hand-to-hand combat. He had one of his two best knights brought in to train her. Sir Kristian was a handsome man in his early thirties, and he was also the best hand-to hand combatant on Dertek. During the course of each day she would begin with riding lessons, study her daily lessons during her lunch hour, and work through her hand-to-hand routines in the evening. This rigorous routine left her exhausted, wanting nothing more than the comfort of a warm bath and her comfortable bed. After Soriel learned and perfected the art of weaponless defense and attack, her thirst for knowledge grew.
At the age of eleven, Soriel began begging her father for new knowledge in the art of fighting. Just months before, she had been awarded mastery over hand-to-hand combat, horsemanship, and the basics of reading, writing, arithmetic, and the sciences. Still she yearned for more, and she asked her father to let her have this knowledge. Knowing his daughter had an insatiable appetite for knowledge equal to her mothers', he acquiesced. He brought in the second of his best knights, Sir Rogir, to train Soriel in the arts of swordplay and archery. Soriel's schedule quickly changed. She was up before the dawn, practicing her hand-to-hand routines, studying her daily lessons in the morning, riding her horse at noon, practicing archery in the afternoon, and going through her swordplay in the evening. She crawled into bed each night, tired and sore, but with a smile on her face at the knowledge that she was gaining. As the years flew by, Soriel mastered the art of swordplay and archery. At the age of fifteen, she was awarded mastery of them both. Still, her thirst for knowledge led her back to her father, who, knowing his wife, and in so his daughter, had already arranged for her bright young mind to be fostered by the best of the best in the world.
While she was away, many rumors began as to why she was no longer seen around the palace. Some whispered that she had accidentally been killed while she practiced with the dangerous weapons that her 'foolish' father let her toy with, others that she had been secretly married off, never to be seen from again. The truth of the matter was that she had been away learning about many things, including but not limited to herbalism, armory, tracking, music, and cooking. On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Soriel felt a longing for a knowledge that she had never before felt. It was the knowledge of love.
A/N I had posted this on my AFF account, but chose to post here as well. :)