I was convinced I was dieing.

It took every once in my body to take one step forward, then to tell myself to take another. My vision had become blury, god I was thirsty. And hungry. I clutched my hands to my chest, as if trying to hold my hurt heart to a soft beating. I had lost track of the sun, couldn't register in my mind if it was day or night. All I knew was step after step after step. I couldn't stop, couldn't falter the pattern that had emerged.

I collapsed, pain striking up my arms, rib cage and head. I was too tired to scream. Too tired to get back up again. I was a total wreak. Tears began rolling down my cheeks to the dirty ground that I lay on. I'm sorry Dad, I'm sorry that I failed to grant you one final wish. I silently pleaded for his forgiveness. The pain was like a stab wound to the chest.

I curled up into a little ball, inviting warmth for my last moments. This was the end, I knew for sure. I knew that, unlike my mother, I would die a worthless and forgettable life and death. So I closed my eyes, and let the darkness take me away.

And I wasn't afraid, I was ashamed.


"I found her in the woods." A distant voice shouted, though as if in the back of my mind. "We need to treat to her now."

"Your human heart is soft. Leave her to die, we all will at some point anyway." The second voice was old and gruff.

"She looks merely sixteen, give her something to live for." The first voice insisted. Silence for a moment, then; "I can teach her how to look after the wyvrens, she can be of use."

Silence for a moment. The second voice said; "Fine. But if anything goes wrong you will find her dead."

I didn't care for who they were, for what they were talking about. I didn't care what they were going to do to me. I just let deaths hand take mine, and pull me to the depths of darkness.


A flash of cold came over me as I sat bolt upright. Water soaked my hair, face and shirt. I breathed heavily, I wasn't dead, but I was. I died…right? "Finally, you're awake." A rough voice come from my left, and I looked over to see a beautiful young woman. She looked around eighteen and was explicitly human. She had golden-tanned skin and short, chestnut brown hair. Her beauty was magnified by her piercing brown eyes and thick lips. "I gave up on slowly walking you, you I thought the whole bucket would wake you much quicker. And it did."

I looked down beside her, where a steel bucket sit empty but wet. I looked back up at her. "Sorry to state the obvious, but I don't know who you are or where I am." She laughed, her arms folded across her close–to–flat chest. Her head was thrown back as she cackled. "I'm glad you find me so amusing." I snapped.

She stopped laughing, a glare now placed on her face. "I don't." She replied. She studied me, and I studied her. Her posture was bad, meaning either injures of lack of confidence, a confidence that miraculously showed in her voice. It was possible she was a slave, or a apprentice. I didn't know, nor did I care. "I am only really here 'cause I have to." She said.

A knock came from the door, and the girl turned around to face it. Without a word, she walked toward it. I tucked my legs to my chest. She opened the door to reveal a young man stand there holding various items in his strong arms. Human, just like the last one. "I'm back." He said. His voice sounded oddly familiar, but I couldn't pin point. He looked over the girls shoulder and locked eyes with me. I froze. His eyes were marvellous, a blue so light it could be white. On the outside, a black ring. "Ahhh, she's awake." He said, looking down at the girl. He was at least two heads taller than she was.

He entered the room, brushing the girl off as if she was no more than a pile of burnt wood. He didn't take is eyes off mine, and I couldn't either. They were beautiful, I had never seen anything, like them. They were mesmerising. He seemed to notice. He gave a lob-sided smile. "Was Rhiannon mean to you?"

He looked me up and down, and I was suddenly aware of how wet I was. "Rhiannon thought it might be funny to throw a big bucket of cold water on my head to wake me up. I wasn't very impressed with the final result." I snapped, gesturing to my wet hair and cloths. He only laughed, then handed me a set of black cloths. Pants, t-shirt and boots. "Thanks." I said.

"You welcome." He smiled. "I'm Griffin." I took in more of his features. He had wavy black hair, with one single streak of light blue through it, blue so light it could be white, like his eyes. It rested on the left side of his beautiful face. His face was clean-shaven and miraculously. He cocked his head to the side.

"Please stop staring at each-other." Rhiannon groaned. "It's going to make me sick." Griffin got off his place beside me and began pushing her out the door. She didn't object, but turned quickly to say to me; "If you two end up falling in love, I'm calling jinx!" Griffin slammed the door.

He turned to me laughing, and I laughed to. It was nice to laugh, to feel my insides flutter. Unlike the past few days, where I have been starving and unable to crack a smile. "So." Griffin came and sat opposite me on the bed. "Would you care to tell me who you are?"

"Would you care to tell me where I am?" I snapped back.

"Ahh." Griffin grinned. "We've got a feisty one." He stared at me. "Seriously though, tell me who you are."

I breathed in. It might be wise to tell him who I am, he might be able to help me find Asterin. But again, it could be the worst possible option for me right now. If I was going to tell him anything, I wasn't going to tell him my name. Truth, or no truth? Both. "I am Elizabeth, and I lived in the woods. Now I am looking for Asterin Blackbeak." Good, enough to help me, not enough to get me killed.

He looked me down for a few seconds. "Nice to meet you Elizabeth." He said. My gut sank. Elizabeth was an old friend of my Father's. She was basically my mother figure. "Now, to answer your question." He stood, holding out his arm for me. I took it hesitantly. He led me to the small window. I looked out.

Towering mountains overlapped each other to the horizon, meeting the sky in a faze of mist. At the bottom, small a small camp with small tents sat. Beside it, stone buildings and cages and stables and too many things to name intimidating the small tents. It was beautiful. Griffin smiled, I could feel it. He gestured out the window to the scenery and said;

"Welcome to Ferian Gap."


Hey guys! Hope you like it! Things are really starting to come together now, so be sure to follow the story to see what happens next. Bye!

As you might have noticed, this is an updated version of chapter four. I had to change it to fix minor mistakes, but also some of Rhiannnon's character description and the place. I hope this doesn't mess up anything though...