Chapter one - Where do I begin...

As so many stories, Leonora's tale starts on a vivid, sun drenched day. Leonora was sitting on a timber swing in her little green garden. The large magnolia tree endowed her with some shade. She wore a sapphire summer dress which fitted rather tightly around her waist, but had a wide skirt that reached to her ankles. She felt as the soft wind played with her long, dark locks and smiled in enchantment. She was the kind of girl that treasured being somewhere. Just being. She enjoyed watching people doing their daily routines and was very found of listening to their stories. People told her plenty of things, since she was a gifted listener and people could trust her. They knew she would keep their secrets save for eternity. She would often sit down in her favourite little easy-chair, reading another wonderful book. Her mind was never at ease. She was always thinking or dreaming about the most wondrous and sometimes hilarious things. Therefore, you could say she did lots of things. But the people around her didn't quite share the same opinion. They saw the things she did do, as being merely variations on doing nothing. She was the kind of girl that preferred walking barefoot to wearing the most astonishing shoes. Walking barefoot and feeling the tickling of the green grass between her toes, made her feel liberated. And being free was a blessing she cherished mostly. She adored the medieval times. Those breathtaking stories about beautiful princesses who were saved by the most courageous knights in shining armour, made her heart skip a beat.

That luminous day she was, as always, sitting in her summer dress, thinking. Several thoughts crossed her rapid mind. The magnificent vision of that flowering shrub of roses, that sweet smell of the spring air, that wonderful feeling as the sun kissed her fair skin and the enthralling sound of the floating river. She was pondering about the fact that so far, her fifteen-year-old life had seemed purely a prelude to something much greater and more significant than herself. She had a splendid life, though. She was blessed with a family that loved and treasured her, even though they didn't always understood her. She achieved good grades, had lots of trustworthy friends and was rather nice-looking. Nonetheless, it appeared her life was not complete, as though she was missing something.
If only she knew what it was …

Leonora sighed and got up. She wanted to get a book in which she would be able to get lost for a few hours. Just to clear her mind of thoughts. But out of the blue, she tripped over a root of the magnolia she was sitting under. She was lying unconscious on the soft green grass. Apparently, fate had other plans with her…