Proem
Winter of the 25th of November 1785
Once there was a queen. She had a king, if you were wondering. The word we need to focus on is HAD. He is no more. This queen had her king killed for one reason, to have as many men bow before her and become as loyal to her as they could. All she wanted was to have people grovel to her and tell her she was the most beautiful creature to ever walk the face of the world. Well, she got what she wanted.
My family was banished from her kingdom about a week ago, give or take, if you would even call us a family. It is me and my father. My name is Evelyn. My father is getting sicker by each hour and I am only sixteen years of age. Watching him suffer is one of the worst things I have ever seen in my life. And having to deal with the queen's banishment is adding even more misery to my life. But, I try to get over it, live each day as my last. So, living in exile is not something that neither my father nor myself enjoy. We make a living by selling the animals we hunt. I am the hunter, considering my father is growing weak and fragile. Now, you are probably wondering why we were banished. Well, my father and I refused to bow before her as she starved our people into death. Her greediness is something my father and I could not handle. Well, mostly I could not handle it.
I was always the rash one in my family, short-tempered, strong, and courageously independent. I was constantly found wondering through the woods by myself, that was before my father fell ill, of course. I had a mother and four brothers. Two of my brothers died in war and my other one was executed by the queen herself for running away from war. My fourth brother, who was born after me, he is the youngest, is somewhere lost in the wilderness, alone. He survived a battle but was forced to hide in a far away village to escape the enemies. My mother died in labor, giving birth to him. His name is Laurent. It was an old French name from my mother's side of the family. Now we live in England since my father never wanted to see France since my mother died. I was born in France but inherited my father's English accent, unlike my brother's whose is completely and pure French. And then there is my best friend. His name is Luviate. He is from Paris and he and I have been friends for as long as I can remember. Luviate is quite the singer and loves to read and go to operas, like my mother. She and him have a lot in common.
Everyone says that I look like my father but have my mother's independence and eyes. She was always reading anything she could get her hands on and loved watching the old operas and going to the theatres every night that she could when we lived in France. I too enjoyed reading but am now the hunter and caretaker of our little family. Reading is not a priority now, it is a thing I can only do in my spare time, which I need mention, I have no spare time. The only time I do get to read is when my father asks me too. He loves when I sit down and read to him every evening after my long day of hard work. I am always out hunting or being busy with tasks that are required for a man. Seeing that I am the only one who is even well now, it is my time to do the man's work and the man's job around here.
My father never complains when it comes to him being ill but is constantly telling me what a marvelous job I am doing, being both the woman and man of the house, if you could even called our little shack a home. It consists of my father's bedroom, my room, a kitchen with a table and a chair to eat at, I eat on my bedroom floor or outside, and an armory where I also make swords and work as a blacksmith to try and raise some money to support my father. Poverty is something I have gotten use to and now must live through day by day. But I can tell you this, the queen is miserable even with her precious jewels, fancy clothing, and the universe bowing before her, but my father is the happiest person you will ever meet. I do have a small library in my bedroom; it is mainly of old books but some new books.
Well, that was quite an old entry. Here is what my library contains now, just a few of my favourites. The works of Ovid, Shakespeare, Anne Rice's The Vampire Chronicles such as my favourite book, The Vampire Lestat, and other classic works. I am here to tell you the story of my life, nothing more, nothing less.
Now, you are probably wondering how I am still alive, telling this story. Well, we will get to that later. I rush ahead when I mean to take it step by step.
So, shall we begin my tale? The tale of my adventures through life and the reason why I am still alive? Yes, I suppose we shall.