Chapter One
Archenland
March 19, 1015
The morning air was cold as it hit their skin, but welcomed none the less. The darkened sky did well to hide the two fighters from prying eyes. The clanking of swords was loud, the echo even more so, but the two fighters continued focused only on their task. A grunt would usually escape the mouth of one of the fighters every so often disturbing the morning peace.
"Have you had enough yet?" a voice asked sounding as if the speaker was out of breath.
"Are you surrendering?" a second voice asked also sounding quite ragged.
"No," the first voice said just as the sound of two blades making contact reverberated through the clearing.
"Well, you're not surrendering, and I have yet to make you bleed so the answer should be quite simple."
With those words the blades smashed against each other, acting as both an attack weapon, and a shield. The fighters moved swiftly around each other, looking for a hole in each others defense.
Finally after another few minutes of intense sword play on both fighters' part, a hole was found. The taller of the two slashed his sword across the other's torso, not making contact, but giving him enough time to force the shorter fighter on the ground with a swift kick. The taller fighter stood above the other, the tip of his sword resting on other's neck. He applied a slight bit of pressure until a single drop of blood touched the tip of the sword.
"First blood. I win," he said, still standing over his victim.
"Rayna, are you here?" A third voice said, coming into the clearing. The newcomer froze as he looked at the scene before him.
The young girl on the ground looked at him and groaned. With the assistance of her sparing partner, she was up off the ground in no time. She ran a finger over her neck, and glared at the man who caused the stickiness under her fingers.
"What is it, Rayden?" she said, turning to the newcomer.
He didn't look very pleased with the situation, his hand resting on the hilt of his own sword as he looked at the girl. "Father asked me to find you, and bring you to breakfast," the boy said, running his fingers through his short black hair. It was something of a habit.
"How does he know that I'm not in bed?" Rayna asked, her voice becoming slightly panicked. Her sparing partner too looked a bit uncomfortable at the thought.
"It seems like someone isn't very good at keeping her secret activities a secret," Rayden answered with a grin, looking between the two figures in front of him. "You know I wouldn't do that to you," he said, answering the unspoken question.
Rayna nodded. She knew her brother, her twin brother none the less. He wouldn't let her secret slip, but somebody did. She looked over at her partner, Gunter. His hand was clasping the hilt of his own sword as he looked at her. She knew that he didn't tell either. He had a whole lot more to lose than she did.
Rayna picked up her sword off the ground and joined her brother at the edge of the clearing, letting him lead her out.
"Who told him?" she asked softly, looking down at the dirt path rather than her twins face.
"He's not a fool, Rayna, you know that," Rayden said with a slight chuckle.
"I know," she answered, approaching the rather large stone manor.
"Alright, so meet me back here in thirty minutes," Rayden said, stepping through the front door.
"What for?" Rayna asked, slipping off her mud covered boots by the door, and traded them for clean pair of slippers.
"Oh, did I forget to tell you we were having breakfast up at the castle with King Lune?" Rayden said mischievously as he slipped though another doorway.
Rayna glared at the spot her brother occupied mere seconds before, before she trudged up the stairs to her own private quarters.
The morning sun was higher in the sky, basking the whole room with its warm rays. It was still very early in the spring, so days like this were hard to come by.
Rayna stood in front of her mirror, peering at her reflection. Her long black hair was caked with mud and dirt, her clothing not faring much better. Rayna and Rayden looked extremely similar to each other, both with the same black hair and the darkened complexion. They stood out from most of the others in Archenland. Both had taken to their mother's side of the family in appearance, but they did inherit their light blue eyes from their father.
Rayna sighed at her reflection before walking away towards the bath. She peeled off the dirty tunic and slacks, and then settled into the bath. The clear water turned a murky shade of brown within minutes. She picked up a sponge, and ran it over the cut on her neck. She would get Gunter back for that she thought miserably as she scrubbed it. Rayna ran her fingers through her hair, a trait she shared with her brother, before plunging herself into the water. She came up a few seconds later gasping for breath. She leaned over the side of the tub to grab hold of the fluffy towel one of the maids had set aside for her use.
Within minutes she was dry and pulling a simple blue gown made of velvety material over her head. The gown had full length sleeves that fit snuggly around her arms. It tightened at the waist before falling down to her ankles. Rayna frowned at the reflection the mirror. She would have chosen her tunic and slacks over this any day. Where was she even supposed to put her sword while wearing this?
Her damp hair hung loosely around her face as she searched the room for a pair of shoes that would be more appropriate for this outfit. Her combat boots would certainly not suffice. She was in enough trouble as it was; she didn't need yet another reason for her father to be upset with her.
Rayna closed the door behind her as she made her way back out to the spot she would meet her twin. She hesitated as she walked past her mother's craft room. It looked the same, and why wouldn't it? No one had been in there for almost nine years now. Her father had prevented the maid from clearing it out. Rayna had her suspicions that her father would visit the room every once in a while. Why else would he keep the room around? It only brought back memories of pain. Rayna missed her mother dearly, but it was easier for her not to think about it. She knew it must hurt her father every time he looked at the twins, since they looked so much like her.
"Rayna, hurry up!" Rayden shouted urgently, his voice coming from somewhere near the front door of the manor. With one last glance at the craft room, Rayna ran over to join her brother.
A lot had happened in Anvard recently, keeping King Lune in high spirits. The castle was bustling with workers as Rayna and her brother walked through the front gates. They were greeted by the guard with friendly smiles, who also kindly let them know that breakfast had started ten minutes ago.
Rayna walked behind Rayden as he pushed open the doors of the King's dining hall. There was one long table set up in the center of the room, with mountains of food settled atop. King Lune was sitting in the dead center, facing them.
Rayna noticed her father was sitting across from him, his back to them. There were two empty chairs on either side of him.
"King Lune," Rayna and Rayden said in unison. She watched her brother bow beside her, while she curtsied. She walked over to the empty chair on her father's right. He stood up, helping her to be seated before returning to his own chair.
King Lune was flanked by his own twin son's Cor and Corin. The former was the reason of King Lune's high spirits. It had only been a year since Cor's return to the Kingdom, but it one that was still being celebrated by the people of Archenland. Beside Cor sat Aravis, a young girl from Calormen who had found Cor during his escape. She too was running away at the time. She was also very much part of this family now considering her closeness with the young prince.
The two were currently whispering to each other in harsh tones. They fought like this often, yet they were still inseparable. Aravis looked up and grinned at Rayna before turning back to her breakfast, paying no attention to the fuming prince beside her.
"Prince Cor, Prince Corin, how are you this morn?" Rayna asked amicably as she spread a glob of butter over her toast.
"I'm doing a lot better now that you are here, Lady Rayna," Prince Corin said cheekily. Rayna heard her brother snort from the other side of their father. King Lune looked at his young son with a look of amusement, while his older son continued to glare at his breakfast.
"I think, your time would be better spent pursuing someone who is not five years your senior," King Lune said happily as Rayna and her father chuckled. Prince Corin didn't look the slightest bit deterred, and continued to look at Rayna, a smile on his youthful face.
"I have received word from the Kings and Queens of Narnia," King Lune said, as the seven of them had moved their conversation from the breakfast table to the royal lounge.
Rayna glanced at the Princes who were only present because they were royalty, and therefore had a duty to be present while serious topics were discussed, so that they could learn from them. Aravis, who was sitting slightly father from the group, was there because Cor tended to stick to her like glue. She was practically considered royalty in Anvard anyways, so there was no point in keeping her from the conversation.
Rayna turned her gaze back to her father, the general of the King's Army, who was reading over the letter the foreign monarchs, must have sent. His face was hard and unreadable as he read the letter over. Rayden was looking over their father's shoulder, his face weary.
Rayna sat in her cozy armchair, trying not to tap her foot impatiently. She was dying to see what the letter said, but since she was a lady, andher father felt that it didn't concern her. His feelings on the matter were summed up nicely with the statement 'that a lady had no place in a war.'
"What is your will, my King?" General Joseph Kline asked.
"Half of our army will go, while the other half guard Anvard, incase we also be a target," King Lune said, dropping the parchment on the table.
Rayna picked it up and started to read. The letter explained the situation that was occurring on the other side of the border, in Narnia. Rayna frowned at the numbers she saw, there was no way that Calormen could have gotten those kinds of numbers could they? The Archenland army was quite small, which would mean that only about five hundred soldiers would be sent to Narnia to help on the warfront.
"Rayden, will you go?" her father asked, looking at his only son.
"Of course, father, I would be honored" Rayden said, his voice strong and powerful.
Rayna looked at her twin, he was almost the best soldier that Archenland had to offer, but that could be because he had been training with a sword, under their father, the general, since he was about six years old. Rayna had started her own sword training after her mother had passed nine years ago at the tender age of eleven.
"What about you, father, will you be going too?" Rayna asked curiously.
"I cannot desert my King," he said softly, placing a hand on top of hers.
"And where does that leave me?" she asked.
"Rayna, you are not a child any more, you are a grown woman of twenty. It does not suit you to waste your time playing with sword. You have no place in this war, and I must insist that you stop with these foolish sparring matches with my knights, ones who are better off training new recruits, rather than training you."
She knew that her father would say that. He never did approve of her playing with weapons, but she didn't expect it to pierce through her heart like it did. Sword play was her thing. It was what helped her get through each and every day. She was a better fighter than most, but she was denied her passion, simply because she was a woman.
Her father and the King departed quickly afterwards, Rayden going with them to organize plans for the upcoming war. Price Cor and Aravis left not too long after them, Aravis shooting her a sympathetic smile.
"If it's any consolation, I think you handle a sword quite spectacularly," Prince Corin said from the doorway, "I reckon you're loads better than three quarters of the army, hell I wouldn't even be able to tell that you were a girl if you were suited up in armor."
Rayna watched him leave, feeling a little bit better knowing that someone, even if it was a young fifteen year old boy, had acknowledged the fact that she had some talent.
A slow predatory grin formed on her lips, as her brain came up with what she thought was an ingenious plan.
I love getting reviews, so please let me know what you thought of this chapter!
Thank you to DayDreamerGirl4life, MegElemental, justplaincrazy8 & chocodrizzle for their wonderful reviews for the prologue.