Chapter 1:
It was Grace's only day off and she had to clean her flat ready for the party that night. She had just moved into her new flat about a month ago, after breaking up with Thomas. They had a pretty nasty break up. So, she decided to have a fresh start and move about one mile away from him.
Not too far away she will admit, but enough to have some space. Thankfully after the breakup, she didn't really hear from him. This was a blessing in disguise, as he was a total dick.
For the first time in a long time, Grace was in a good place and everything in her life was looking up. Her mum had visited her in Glasgow about a week ago to help her settle in and like most good parents gave her some amazing hand me downs. One, was her Grandmother's beautiful portrait. Her grandmother was a beautiful and kind human being. She had long dark hair, full lips and blue eyes. Grace looked more like her grandmother than her mum. Something that irritated her mum to no end.
Her mum had given her the portrait as a surprise and knew how important it was to Grace. Grace was very close to her grandmother, as they were two peas in a pod.
Mary was her name and she had sadly passed away a few years back. One of the main reasons Grace move away from her home in England to Scotland. In a way, running away.
The portrait itself was hanging above the fireplace. Grace looked at the fine features of her grandmother once more, before putting her headphones on and listening to "I wanna dance with somebody" by Whitney Houston.
Picking up the long fluffy duster she began singing into it, as if it was a microphone. She looked an idiot dancing around while singing in a ridiculous high-pitched tone. Her vocals were not that great, but no one was around. Grace closed her eyes, whilst imagining singing in the colourful 80s video that Whitney Houston released at the time.
Unbeknownst to Grace, but at that exact time the flat had transformed into the reality of an entirely different world. A world she would not recognise. However, she was too absorbed into the main chorus to even fee or see a change.
Grace was having the time of her life, nothing better than dancing about like a lunatic and singing your heart out. It would only bother her neighbours and they were probably at work.
Her happiness was soon cut short when she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. Her eyes flew open in alarm, as she was supposed to be alone.
To her absolute horror, Grace was not in her flat. She didn't even recognise where she was. She hadn't taken any drugs, drunk too much or asleep. So what the hell was going on!
It was almost too much to register, her surroundings where too grand and surreal. There were strange men gathered around her wearing medieval amour, looking at her in weary curiosity.
Grace pulled her headphones off her head, "where the hell I am? And who the hell are you lot?" she demanded.
They become even more weary when she spoke and proceeded to stand in a more defensive way, with their weapons aimed directly at her. She had to admit that these men were very scary, even though they were extremely good looking.
What is going on?
They began speaking amongst themselves in an unfamiliar language. Not that Grace was any good at languages, but this was a language that she had never even heard before. It sounded even lovelier than the soft notes of the French language and that was voted one of the sexiest languages. Well according to some magazines.
They were all silenced when a booming voice echoed down what Grace presumed was a hallway to a fairy-tale palace. All five of the strange men immediately stood straighter and moved in a synchronised motion to one side. Grace was now able to see who this voice belonged to. At first, all she could see was a tall dark figure.
She could feel fear rising within her again and this was certainly not helped by the way these strange men seem to stiffen at the approach of the dark figure. Once the light of the torches reached the figure, his godly image was finally revealed.
Grace had never seen anyone like him before. Was he even human? He looked more like silver haired god, than a man. He was dressed in strange, yet elegant clothing that gave him a kingly appearance.
Have I died and gone to heaven?
The god like man stopped before the other men and spoke in the same unfamiliar language. His tone was commanding and cold. The men bowed and one stood forward and began looking from Grace to the god like man, as if he was explaining the situation. There was no explanation to this horrific situation that Grace was in and she inadvertently scoffed at the idea.
This small scoff caught the attention of the god like man and he turned his head in her direction. His eyes were cold, and Grace found the scrutiny of his stare completely disturbing, as if he was analysing her very soul with his eyes.
He moved towards her in one swift movement. He just emanated power and authority.
Who was he?
Only when he stood before her did she realise how tall he was. Her mouth went dry and immediately regretted making any noise. His long silvery hair glistened like rays of the moon and his beautiful face was incredibly distracting and nerve wracking.
He bent down to observe her features more closely and spoke in a commanding tone "how has a small human child managed to gain entry into my kingdom?"
Grace looked up at him in total confusion. He had spoken to her in a foreign language, but not the same one as the she had heard from before. It was more guttural and less appealing.
For a mere second, he looked down at her in annoyance, then his impassive gaze returned and he stood up straight. He turned to the other men and ordered something to them. Two of these men moved quickly towards Grace and firmly took hold of her upper arms and quite forcibly started to guide her down the hallway.
The fear within her began to dissipate in this rough treatment and anger began to soar through her body.
I will not go willingly, wherever that might be!
Using her whole body weight, she dug her heels into the stone floor and began violently moving her whole body to wiggle free from her captors. They must have underestimated her strength, as their grip loosened. This was enough for Grace to quickly make her next move. Using the only fighting skills, she had learned from movies, she kicked one man in the sensitive area and headbutted the other. Thankfully, she took them by surprise, and it took a moment for them to recover. Which was enough time for Grace to bolt.
Grace ran at high speed away from the two men and down a different hallway. She looked back at the godlike man and saw a flicker of amusement cross his features.
Don't look back at him!
Looking back ahead of her, she continued to make her escape. She could hear a lot of commotion from behind her, but that was not her concern anymore.
I have no idea where to go!
She ran down many hallways and almost lost hope. It was useless trying to escape a labyrinth of unfamiliar hallways.
At last!
Grace could see a different kind of light at the end of this hallway.
Could this be my escape?
Complete joy filled Grace's heart at the idea of an escape, but her hopes were soon dashed once she reached the source. It was merely an indoor garden with a small pool of water and moonlight that shone through the canopies of trees.
Arggh!
She was tired of all this running and the bench in the corner look rather appealing.
"Sod it! I'm no escape artist," Grace murmured as she walked over to the bench. The coolness of the bench was a relief for her aching bum and legs.
This was a bad idea!
The sound of the running water, the cool breeze, moonlight and the excitement of everything was taking its toll. Her eyes became heavy and it was a losing battle to keep them open.
It was in this vulnerable moment, that an intruder had entered the tranquil garden. The godlike man soundlessly stalked his prey from behind her peripheral vision. He gripped the small dagger he had carried with him and swiftly held the knife directly at her throat.
The feeling of something cold and sharp at her neck made Grace sit up straight in alarm. In doing so, the dagger had nipped her skin and a small trickle of blood began running down her neck.
She new it was him, the godlike creature. She could sense it. He bent down to her ear level and whispered something. Probably along the lines of "you've been caught".
Grace had never felt fear like this, and it had completely taken over her body. She was unable to move and was helpless. The ethereal being moved to stand in front of her and removed the dagger from her throat and kept it pointed at her. It was a sight to behold. A silver haired god threatening her life with a dagger in the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. Suddenly, she felt horrendous pain at the back of her head and that is when everything went black.