Raven looked out of her window at the townspeople below. There were artisans selling breads, wenches advertising their business, children chasing after multi colored fowls, musicians playing for tips, and farmers pulling carts of crops. Her brown eyes scanned every space between the houses and booths for one particular person. Recently she had seen a dark figure moving around the area near her tower of the castle. Whenever he showed up, this person would look up at her while she was looking out her window. After several minutes had passed, Raven sighed in disappointment. Her mystery person hadn't shown up. Around this time, every day for nearly a month, a man wearing all black would stand on the border of the castle's moat, and look up at the tower in which Raven resided.
"Lady Raven! It's suppertime!" Linda said from outside the room.
"Okay Linda! I'll be right out!" Raven said. She gloomily opened her door and stepped out into the hall.
"So, are you going to ask him tonight?" Linda asked.
"Yes…I'm finally prepared." Raven said.
"Awesome. Remember, even if he says no, we'll find a way. We always will." Linda said.
Linda beamed at her pupil brightly and led the way with a candlestick as they descended down a long spiral staircase. They walked through several dim hallways decorated with statues and coats of armor until stopping in front of two large oak doors. Linda pushed them open, revealing the castle's dining room. Torches were lined up on the wall, illuminating the room. Red and white curtains and banners decorated the walls and ceiling of the room. In the center of the room, there was a giant marble table on top of a red carpet for guests. At the end, there was a wide staircase ascending to another, shorter marble table for the royal family. At that table sat a thin, red headed woman wearing a yellow velvet dress. Next to her sat a well-fed man wearing elegant red and gold robes with a shining gold crown perched on his head. Raven quickly made her way up the steps and took a seat next to the woman.
"Hello Queen Rena, how's it going?" Raven asked.
"Oh, you know! Just doing as dandy as a dandelion!" Queen Rena said.
"Raven! How nice of you to join us! How about a hug for your old pop?" Said the King. Raven forced herself a smile as she got up and hugged the King.
"That's my little girl! So, what have you been doing all day? Linda! Go get them to bring out our supper! Where are those two lunk–head sons of mine?" The King said. He looked over to two empty seats on his left. Linda scurried off like a frightened mouse to the refuge of the kitchen. As soon as she left the dining hall, two adolescent boys burst through the doors, laughing their heads off. Raven was glad for the sudden distraction her two stepbrothers provided her, since she hated constantly making up lies about what she was doing instead of summoning lessons.
"Milo! Tren! Where have you two been?" The King asked.
"Aw, dad! You missed it!" Tren trotted up excitedly to the table.
"Yeah! We by the stables playing a game! I kicked one of those imported sports balls, it hit one of the Chocobo's butts, and it freaked out!" Milo piped in.
"It broke the rope it was tied to, and the stable boy had to chase him around 'till he could grab the rope!" Tren said. He burst out laughing along with Milo and the King. Queen Rena smiled like she was taught to do and Raven just played with her spoon. Tren and Milo sat down as several servants in white robes wheeled out carts with silver dishes on them. Linda crept out of the kitchen and positioned herself behind a large red curtain near the bottom of the steps.
"Dad? There's something that I want to ask you." Raven said. She leaned forward so she could see the King's face.
"What is it sweetie?" The King asked. He put his napkin on his lap and took a sip of wine.
"Well…" Raven started as the servants laid down individual dishes in front of each person.
"Dad, I've been doing a lot of research in what I want to do with my life. I think it's time that I go out to be a summoner." Raven said. At that moment, everyone stopped moving. All eyes were either on Raven or the King. Raven caught a brief glimpse of Linda, who was now standing behind a few servants and giving her the "thumbs up" sign. The King's face started to turn slightly red.
"No." He said sternly. Raven's jaw dropped in disbelief. What was his problem? Why give her such a short answer? Didn't he even consider it?
"Why?" Raven asked. She tried to speak with as much self-control as possible.
"Don't you take that tone with me young lady! I'm your father, and you will not question me!" The King said. Queen Rena looked helplessly down at her plate. All of the servants retreated to the kitchen, except for Linda, who hid herself behind the curtain again.
"Who told you about that summoning crap anyway?" The King asked. Raven's stomach suddenly felt heavy. Since Linda was the one who introduced her to summoning despite the King's orders, she would surely be punished if the he were to find out. Raven wouldn't know what to do if Linda were to be thrown in the dungeons, so she decided to avoid giving the King the real answer.
"What does that matter? Why can't I go? I'm sixteen years old! You know where I found out about it? In the library! I found all of those books and scrolls you hid! I've even been going to the church in the South part of the castle that you had closed off! Why can't you understand that if you just gave me a chance, I could do this!" Raven said, anger driving her mind. The King glared at Raven with the utmost disgust.
"How dare you disobey my orders?" The King asked.
Raven got up from her chair and stared at the King straight in the eye.
"You know why? It's because I have a dream. I'm going to be a summoner whether you like it or not." Raven said.
"I'm not letting you go! Who would protect you from the dangers of the outside world?" The King said.
"That's what guardians are for! They protect the summoner! Just let me find one before I start! You know what? Never mind! If you can't support me, then I'll do this on my own!" Raven shouted. The King crossed his arms and remained silent. Raven stood up, turned on her heel and stormed down the steps. The King got up and followed her, raising his hand and aiming it at her head.
"NO!" Queen Rena stood up and screamed.
"Raven! Look out!" Milo and Tren shouted in unison.
The King paid no attention to his wife and his sons. He brought his hand swiftly to the side of Raven's head. Raven's world became a blur as she took the blow and fell forward and tumbled down the steps until she hit the soft red carpet. Linda rushed from behind the curtain to Raven, who was moaning in pain on the floor.
"Milady! Are you alright?" Linda said. She knelt down beside Raven and tried to help her up. Showing no emotion, the King turned around started to walk back up the steps.
"Never even dream of becoming a summoner. As long as you're under my rule, you will obey and respect me. Guard! Take Raven to her tower and lock her in until she gets these silly ideas out of her head." The King said. He sat down in his throne, and resumed eating. Queen Rena, Milo, and Tren looked at him with disbelief.
"Ouch…" Raven said. She slowly sat up with the aid of Linda. There was blood leaking from the inside of her mouth down her neck. A burly guard walked up to them and picked Raven up from the floor. Raven felt extremely dizzy as the guard threw her over his shoulder. The last thing she saw was Linda kneeling on the floor. There was blood on her hands and clothes, and a tear trickling down her face.
A few hours later, the sun had set, leaving the kingdom in darkness. The moon illuminated the inside of the castle through the windows. Raven slowly woke up on her own bed, her head still throbbing.
"That's it, I'm getting out of here." Raven said to herself. She rose from the silky sheets and picked up a traveling pack from the corner of her room. She opened it and went around her room, filling it with a silver box, a sewing kit, clothing, pouch of Gil, toiletries, and a hunting knife. After she finished and closed up her pack, Raven tried to open her locked door, but had no success.
"Oh great…Who am I kidding? I'm not going anywhere any time soon." Raven said. She dropped her pack next to her bed, and sullenly walked over to her window. Instead of staring at the town, she stared at the night sky. The moon was full and bright, shining like a pearl. Hundreds of shining stars were visible, sprinkled all over the sky. She noticed that there was some sort of flying creature, but didn't get too exited.
"Probably just some bird…" Raven said. She continued watching the foreign object with interest. It took her a few seconds to realize that something wasn't right about this. She squinted her eyes and noticed that this flying creature was shining in the moonlight.
"Birds don't shine like that…and they aren't that big." Raven said. She wasn't sure if she should be scared or exited. Another thing that she noticed was that it was getting closer to her tower.
"Oh dear…This can't be good!" Raven said. She backed away from the window, realizing what was going on. The flying object was a dragon, and it was going to collide with her tower. Raven fled to the door and tried to open it again, but it was still locked.
"Oh great!" Raven said. She grabbed her pack and dove under her bed right as the dragon smashed through the window, demolishing it as well as a portion of the wall.
"Sanga, I told you to be careful!" A male voice said. Raven heard someone dismount the dragon and start walking around.
"Well, I heard there was a princess here, but I sure don't see one." An innocent sounding voice said. Upon hearing this, Raven drew in a sharp breath. She started to wonder if this person and this dragon were here to kidnap her, hold her for ransom, or maybe even assassinate her.
"Maybe I can get rid of these guys myself. They're bound to find me any second if I don't." Raven thought. She quietly opened her pack and rummaged around. There was a piece of taffy in there that Linda had given her earlier. She pulled that out along with her knife. She rolled the piece of taffy across the floor in front of Sanga.
"Hey! Candy!" Sanga said. The taffy continued to roll until it fell out of the hole that Sanga had made in the wall.
"Be right back buddy!" Sanga said. Raven could see him leap out of the window and spread his wings, pursuing the taffy. The rider of the dragon sighed heavily and continued to walk around, looking for the girl. She moved silently out from under her bed and raised the knife above her head. While the intruder was preoccupied with looking through her closet, she stepped behind him. Right before she was about to bring the knife to his neck, the stranger whipped around, hit the knife out of her hand, and stuck the barrel of a gun to her stomach.
"Thought you could sneak up on me, lady?" The stranger asked. Raven stood motionless and speechless, afraid of what the intruder was going to do with her. The man used the gun to push her into the area of the room exposed by moonlight. All of his features suddenly came into view. He looked about as tall as Raven was. There was a silver ring in his lip, and he was wearing a hat over his jet-black hair, and violet shades over his eyes. His body was covered in a black trench coat decorated with a symbol on the back, and chains on the sleeves.
"You…You're that man that looks up here nearly every day before supper!" Raven said.
"Yeah, and you're that chick that I have to find. You got a name, lady?" The man said.
"It's Raven, not 'lady.' Who the heck are you, mister?" Raven said.
"Maven, and don't call me 'mister,' got it?" Maven said. Sanga flew back inside, chewing on the piece of taffy.
"You found her Maven?" Sanga said. He swallowed the candy and smiled at them.
"Wait, why are you here?" Raven asked. She picked up her knife from the floor and stuck it back into her pack.
"Well, it's a long story, but we have to get out of here before the guards get here." Maven said.
"Wait, why? Where are you taking me? Won't you even let me say goodbye to my friend?" Raven asked. Maven mounted Sanga's back and looked down at the girl.
"Sorry, but we have to go right now." Maven said. Outside of the door, the clattering of armor from the guards could be heard along with the bellowing of the king, and the chattering of Linda.
"Now!" Maven shouted. He forcefully pulled Raven up in front of him on Sanga's back. Raven tried to squirm out of Maven's grip, but it was no use. Just as the guards burst through the door, Sanga leapt out of the window.
"Jerk! Turn around! Go back! Go back!" Raven said. She turned around as far as she could and saw Linda through the hole in the wall.
"Good bye Raven! Good luck sweetie!" Linda shouted as she frantically waved goodbye to Raven.
"Linda!" Raven shouted. The castle and the town slowly disappeared out of view as Sanga flew further and further away.