New story. Sorry I've been gone so long, I moved and things have just been really stressful.
I'm really excited about this story and hope you all enjoy it, it should be a long one. Sorry about the names though, I really just couldn't get behind a prince (Brick, for example) in the medieval ages being named after a piece of building structure that hadn't even been invented yet. (._.)
Name changes in this chapter:
Brutis: Butch
Baefire: Brick
Boumar: Boomer
Briar: Blossom
Once, there was a land of unspeakable power. It was said to be the grandest of all places, filled with riches and gold and reigned by magic. The Leaders of the realm were mighty and proud, a family made of stone and fire. Each one possessed a special magic, so powerful that it was said that just a single member of the family could topple the greatest of mortal armies. Champions from many different countries were sent to the land in challenges. None ever returned and with each new victory the land basked in its perfection.
But as with all great things there must come a cost. The gods from the North Mountains would look down on the lavish, warm lands and seethe with jealousy. They shouted down from their cold home to the leaders, demanding an increase of the tribute each country that the mountains touched had to pay. The leaders, who had learned to conquer the very air and winds, flew to the top icy peaks were the gods hid and spat fire in their faces. Enraged, the gods placed a curse upon the land, splitting it up into pieces. Then, while the people scurried and floundered in their panic, the Northern gods created a herd of beasts so retched and vile they froze dead the very grounds they walked upon. The terrible beasts slithered down the mountains to the great land and desecrated each town until they reached the castles of the Great Leaders….
The little princes groaned in unison as the woman closed the book. They reached forward from their seats on the floor to tug at her skirts, insisting she finish the story.
"It was just getting good!" the second born prince exclaimed. The prince drew forth a wooden sword from his side and swung it round in a great show. It smacked the curly gold head of his younger brother who began to wail loudly. The eldest of nine years, with hair like the burning sun and eyes of umber brown, wrapped his arms about his dark-haired brother's neck in a choke hold.
"Enough," the palace maid rasped, exhausted from a day of minding the princes. The charming little terrors were aging her by the day. She had only come three years past her second decade of living (nine, nearly ten of which had been dedicated to the" sweet little dears" ) and a good portion of the rich, chestnut locks she'd prized so much had already withered into gray strands. She could easily cover it, but had a tendency to purposely let it show when the king was about. The guilty look he gave each time he saw the proof of his children's taxing nature would always be accompanied by a handful of extra coins added to her pay.
Gerdie sighed heavily, gathering up the crying, deceivingly-cherub-like 5 year old with one arm while the other snatched away the middle son's wooden weapon. The eldest snickered then moved to run past her. She caught the neck of his tunic with the toy at the last second, the sword stuck down between the cloth and his back.
"To bed now, your majesties. It's far past your-"
"No!" cried the second son, stomping his foot.
Gerdie sighed again. She hated this child sometimes (all the time).
"Brutis, please," she pleaded, shifting her hip to better balance the littlest prince; Boumar, who had stopped crying in favor of pulling at the bodice of her dress, whining to be let down. "It's time for sleep. You all need to be in bed before your father returns."
Brutis got a pinched look on his face, the same look he got whenever he was about to throw a tantrum. Gerdie readied herself for his screams but was pleasantly surprised when the elder red head, Prince Baefire, smacked the back of his brother's head and gave him a look that immediately shut him up.
"Of course, Gerdie. Please, lead the way."
Ten minutes after the old maid had tucked them in and left their room, Baefire arouse. He glanced over to his younger brothers' bed (both of which had sworn up and down that they were staying up to see Father too) only to find them sound asleep. He sighed and shook his head. 'Babies'
He threw off his blankets and furs and sped over to the window. Pushing it open, he sat on the cushioned perch and waited. Hours later (it was really only about thirty minutes, but to the young lad it'd been an Eternity), when Baefire's dark eyes were starting to droop closed, he heard shouts. Shaking himself awake, he leaned out the window and narrowed his eyes at the snow covered lands before him. A moment later, a herd of large, black reindeer appeared out of the night's horizon. Each was ridden by men in heavy armor, bearing the purple and brass Daken Wolf crest. Baefire waited until he saw the only white stag in the herd before running out of his room and sprinting down the halls and winding stairs.
"Did you see it?"
"Of course I saw it, you idiot! Everybody saw it!"
"Gypsy magic-"
"She was bare on the ground, burning the snow-"
"Bewitched-"
"Shut up, Henry!"
The heavy palace doors blew open from the flurried wind and the hall was silent. The knights already in the palace bowed as their king made his way inside, surrounded by the remaining knights and guards.
A rustle went through the crowd as the first prince pushed his way through. "Father!" he called, beaming with joy. The child halted when he came within a few feet of his father, noticing the large bundle in the man's arms, wrapped in his father's violet cloak. A cloaked figure was trailing behind him.
"Father?"
"Baefire, come here," the King said softly, kneeling to the floor. Baefire slowly approached and when he was but a few feet away, his father uncovered the precious bundle.
It was…. "A girl?" Baefire groaned in disgust, leaning away from the repulsive creature. The men around the King and Prince began to laugh, and the King rolled his eyes. He grabbed his son by the arm and pulled him closer.
"We found her in the snow. Her caretaker was curled around her, near frozen to death, but this little creature was warm to the touch. Isn't she lovely, my son?"
Baefire was about to respond with a rather proud "No!", but when he saw the enamored look on his father's face, he took a second look at the girl.
She was definitely younger then him, somewhere between Brutis's and Boumar's age. Her skin was smooth and the color of crushed pearls. She had red hair like him, but while his was light and the color of tangerines and sunsets, hers was heavy with curls the color of blood and fire. Her features were soft and inviting and a small amber stone was nestled into the skin between her brows. Baefire reached to stroke hard surface of the gem in amazement.
The Prince's little heart gave a strange little jump when he saw the girl's eyes flutter open. Her sleepy eyes glittered, the same shade as the stone in her skin. "F-father!"
"Where…where are we? Nana?" the little girl trilled softly, looking frantically around the sea of faces peering down at her. The cloaked figure behind the King came forward, placing a gentle, weathered hand on the girl's face. "I'm here child."
The Prince stepped back as his father set the girl on her feet, making sure his cloak was wrapped around her tiny frame securely.
"How are you feeling, little one?"
The girl quivered under the gaze of the King. She didn't know where she was, didn't know any of these scary looking men. She bit her lip, holding back tears.
She flinched when she felt a hand graze her shoulder and spun around to see who'd touched her. Her quivering stopped when she saw the Prince staring at her curiously.
"You're really warm. Why are you so warm? Weren't you in the snow? Do you have a fever?"
"Baefire."
"The stone in your forehead is pretty. You're pretty. Why do you have a stone in your skin? Can I touch it?"
"Baefire."
"Please?" Baefire didn't see the look his father was giving him, nor the ones everyone else was sending his way. His attention was solely focused on the girl in front of him.
The girl blinked, staring back at the boy quietly. Slowly, she lifted her hand up, revealing more, smaller stones similar to the one on her face glimmering on the tops of her knuckles. Baefire immediately grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him to observe the curious stones.
A cough came from behind the two children. Baefire's face alighted with color and he dropped the girl's hand, turning away from the bemused look on his father's face. The girl stayed quiet but turned to face the man, no longer afraid.
The King turned to look up at the old crone in the cloak. "What did you say you were doing on my lands again?"
The old woman looked down at the King, her face shadowed by the cloak. "We're wanders. We were looking for a place to stay when we were caught in a bad storm."
"Were you headed any place in particular? Where are her parents?" the questions came from the man standing to the King's left side. Taller than the other men and with a black scar on one side of his face leading from the corner of his mouth to his ear, he was the King's top guard, Newt.
The woman shrugged her knobby shoulders. "Some place warm. Dead."
The King nodded, his attention turning back to the girl. He smiled softly. "What is your name, little princess?"
The child lifted her chin. "My name is Briar. What's yours?"
The King's smile widened. "I am Mjorian, King of the Eastern Mountains. Tell me… would you like a place to stay?"
A murmur spilled over the surrounding crowd but with one dark look from Newt the whispers were silenced. The crone stiffened but remained silent, her eyes locked on her ward.
Little Briar stared into the face of the King, pondering over his offer. Her gaze shifted to her Nana for a moment before she turned her head to look at the boy behind her (who was still refusing to look at anyone but was secretly listening quite intently).
Turning back, Briar looked into the twinkling dark eyes of the Mountain King and smiled.
"Do I get to wear a crown?"
Review plz! Let me know what you think and if I made any mistakes please!