Disclaimer: I own nothing written by Gail Carson Levine

A/N: The fist thing was the prologue. Sorry I forgot to put that in there. Please review so I can see what all of you thought about it. This is my first story so, I hope it's good. This chapter is just an intro to all the Hyurle royals. Right now the story is PG, or even G….but later on that will change. Not too drastically, but well, you know what I mean…with the action and possible romance and that kinda stuff. Well enjoy………

CHAPTER 1: HYURLE CASTLE

" Beautiful day is it not dear?" Queen Venora of Hyurle said as she opened the curtains to her eldest daughter's room.

"Mother must you always open the blinds like that?" Princess Zelda asked her mother getting out of bed.

"Yes, now, get dressed and young master Froderic wishes to see you" Queen Venora left the room.

"Oh, great my stalker is here." Princess Zelda said getting dressed.

(A/N: sorry if my descriptions kinda suck) Princess Zelda did not like her ladies' maids dressing her. Princess Zelda has beautiful red straight hair. She has beautiful green eyes, and a soft face. Princess Zelda has special jewelry such as crystals and elf made accessories. Many men fancied Zelda but she fancied none. She is 17years of age. Zelda is a Princess that does not live by the rules. She loves to fight, and fights hard and good. She always wears an elfin made necklace that was given to her the day she was born. It is what seems to be a flower twirled onto a rose colored crystal on a golden chain. Zelda has a gift, which was given to her by an elf when she was born. This gift is not like her siblings' gift; it is more like a power. Her fighting skills were given to her by an elf for a reason. Zelda put on her green colored gown with golden laces, and light green shoes. She brushed her hair and put on a headdress and walked out of her room to her 16 year old sister's room.

She knocked on the door. " Claire? Can I come in?"

" Sure, the door is open," responded Claire.

Claire was doing her hair.

" Tell me, how do you manage to…..uh….well, to live in this…..this…jungle?" Zelda asked.

" Well, I guess you just have to love nature and animals, and the scent of plants and flowers, what's there to hate?" responded Claire.

Princess Claire was very beautiful. She has lightly wavy, shoulder length, brownish reddish hair. Claire has deep hazel eyes and a wonderful smile. Claire loves nature and animals. Her room has a lot of plants and smells like flowers, and she has carved animals in her room to add to the jungle feeling. Claire's gift was to be able to understand what animals are saying. She got this gift from the faeries. Her necklace was a fairy around a green diamond on a silver chain. She was wearing her favorite light green gown with dark green laces. Her shoes were brown. Claire always wore her flower head dress she made herself with a little help from her fairy powers. Though no one new she had this power, not even herself.

"Well if you were waiting for me, then we can leave now because I am all set," Claire said putting on her necklace.

"Well I did come to wait for you, but I mainly came to talk to you about something." Zelda sat on Claire's bed.

"What seems to be your dilemma dear sister?" Claire sat next to her.

" Claire stop with the formal nonsense. Mum said that Froderic was here to see me."

" Well then go to him, and tell him to bug off. It worked with Will." Claire got up and went to her closet.

" Claire, Will is your brother, of course it's easy. Froderic has been stalking me for two years now, I'm getting disturbed."

"Then tell father to exile him. Tell him to send him of to Kyrria or to Laster."

"Claire! I can't do that he didn't kill anybody. No, I'll just face him and tell him to be off."

A maid came in, "Your majesties," she curtsied and looked at Zelda. "Princess, your mother wishes you to go to the ball room, you have a guest."

" Wish me luck Claire," Zelda hugged her sister.

"Good luck. It'll be fine." Claire also walked out of her room and left for her little twin brother and sister's room.

Claire walked into the 10 year olds' room and found them fighting on the floor.

" Sirius! Is this a way to treat a lady? And Mia is this a way a lady should act?" Claire separated her siblings.

" Well, a lady should not play with her brothers' wooden swords." Will snatched his wooden swords from the ground.

" Some girls like to fight, Zelda does, and Ruby does too. And Guinevere. I think she's the best one. Yes, she's my favorite." Mia grabbed her flower.

"Mia, now we both know that Guinevere is only a myth, she doesn't really exist."

"How do you know that? Ruby believes she does." Mia asked her sister.

" You know how Sirius looks up to Daniel? Well, that's how Ruby feels about Guinevere, but we all know that she is a mythical hero." Claire responded.

" Fine, I'll go to the garden and practice with Sirius. Come on chap." Mia walked out of the room and Sirius and Claire followed.

Claire left for the kitchens to have breakfast, and in hope she will find her twin brother Will there. And indeed she did.

" Will! I thought I might find you here. You, Zelda, Daniel, and me all have a meeting with mum and dad in about thirty minutes. So hurry up and eat so we can go."

"Geez Claire, calm down. You barely got here and already you're talking too fast and too much." Will sat and continued to eat his breakfast. Will was a handsome you man; he is Claire's twin. Will and Claire get along very well. Will has dark curls, the length is not long, but appropriate for a man. Will new how to fight, but he chose not to. He turned down the offer to be a knight simply because hi sister, Zelda, could not be one. Will was the comedian of the family. The gnomes gave his necklace to him. The necklace is simply a rock shaped brown crystal on a golden chain. Will was very skilled at archery. He looked after his little brother Sirius.

Claire sat down and ate her breakfast and then the two of them headed to their father's study.

Zelda was coming down the stairs and saw a man. Without thinking, she told him to go away.

"Froderic, I don't mean to be rude, but please get out of my sight. I never want to see you again."

" Is that any way to speak to me? Is that man bothering you? Because if he is, I shall make sure he doesn't," a familiar voice replied.

" Who….?" The man turned around and Zelda gasped.

"James!" She ran into the arms of her love.

"I thought you had left forever, I thought you died, or you hated me and left. I'm so happy to see you." Zelda hugged him tight.

"Yes well, I had to leave straight away on an important matter, but it is all taken care of, and now I'm here with you. And that's all that matters." With that said, he kissed her passionately on the lips.

"I have come to ask you a question." He let go of her.

" Yes?" Claire looked at James with worry, but at the same time with delight.

" Well, I know it's been a while, but I just want to make sure before I loose you," he kneeled and took Zelda's hands, " I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Princess Zelda of Hyurle, will you marry me?"

Zelda smiled. "Of course I will," she hugged him and then let go after a while. "Listen, James, my brothers and sisters are supposed to meet with my parents so I have to go. Help yourself around, I'll be with you in a moment." Zelda hurried to her father's study.

" You're two minutes late darling." King Andrew informed his daughter.

" I'm sorry. Mother, did you know that it was James?" Claire asked her mother

"Yes I did. Did you say yes?"

"Yes, of course I did. But, how did you know?"

" It's quite obvious dear"

"You're getting married?!" exclaimed Claire

Andrew cleared his throat.

"Yes, well now that I have your attention. I have gathered all of you, my eldest children, here today at this moment in time, to tell you something."

"Father just tell us what is going on." Daniel commanded his father.

"Yes well, as you all know, Daniel, has a gift from the wizards. Zelda has a gift from the elves. Will has a gift from the gnomes. And Claire has a gift from the faeries. And-" Andrew told his children.

"Yes father we know," Will interrupted.

"I will hold no interruptions. You do not know that Mia has a gift from the sorceresses and Sirius the sorcerers. And Ruby has a gift from the warriors." He saw the look of shock on his children's face. " Yes, I know, your mother has just told Ruby, the enemy shall be looking for her. We must not make her powers all that obvious. Now, you all have special talents, you must keep them at a low rate. I have spoken with Kind Charmont of Kyrria, and King Gorlin of Laster, and have agreed to fight for us if it comes to war. It's not because of you, my children; war will be upon us very soon. And I need all of you to promise me that you will try not to use your magic."

All of them promised and they walked out, worried.

"Andrew, did you see their faces? They are frightened to death." Venora sat next to her husband.

"Yes, dear, I saw. We have to protect them, especially Ruby. The elf Queen predicted this about thirteen years ago. We better hope we can get the greatest fighter on our side. War, is not that far away from us."

A/N: I now, quite long. The chapters will be about this long. Well, not all of them, but some of them. Well hope you enjoyed and the next chapter will be up soon and last but not least, I ask you to please review…..Thanks, I really hope you enjoyed, take care!