Heartstone

Heartstone

Friday, November 9, 2018
2:44 PM

Prologue

Once upon a time there was a girl named Vesper, Me, and we lived in the kingdom
of Cormania. I also had a sister, who was Ethrea and another sister who was
Contessa. Ethrea showed no care in being one and she was nothing like one. We
clashed every single time we ran into each other and we are always meant to be
apart. My mother and father think it is because of our heart stones because she
hers was Dark Magic. The leader of the darkest heartstones of the lands and I am
the Eagles Wing, the purest leader of the heartstones of the pure of the land of
Cormania with white with gold blotched all over it. . Hers was black with purple
blotched all over it. The crow`s wing.
Our parents feared that if we kept on clashing, it would interfere with the future of
the kingdom and of course they did not want that so they locked her up and made
sure nobody spoke of her and that she was cleared from history books until I
became Queen of Cormania, which was in 10 years. We feared that if she would
get out that she would bring terror all over the kingdom, for I had read her
journals and this was what she had planned to do. I had told my mother and
father and they told Ethrea and Ethrea had found out I had told mother and father
and she put a temporary curse on me that was wherever I went I would unleash a
terror wherever it was and whatever was in it when I had felt any negative
emotion.
We had found a way to undo it in one of Ethrea`s books and it didn`t cost too
much, just a little life from my heartstone, for your life is contained inside your
heartstone but we still do have a heart it is just contained mostly in our
heartstone. And if you would crack it, it would take a handful of your life away
and it was mostly unlikely for you to live through the trauma but apparently some
people in our line of royalty had.
But deep down I never truly thought it was a true cleansing and I still don`t.

Chapter 1

“Okay Contessa I am gonna tell you a story about me and the battle of your
sister, her enemy, and me.” “It`s kinda long so get comfortable.” I had told my
little sister who showed a lot of care in being a sister herself. She looked up to me
and I planned to make a wonderful role model for her and so she would be a good
queen.

“It`s six months until coronation Vesper are you ready?” said James, my butler
and closest friend that was my age. “James, I know but I just don`t think I am
ready for becoming queen at 17!” “Vesper, you know the sickness of your mother
will take over her and she will not win, this is our only hope, you are our only
hope!” “Oh please James, don`t pull out that “It`s hopeless without you stuff” on
me it`s not going to work.” He pulled away. “The only reason I’m not ready is
because of Ethrea.” “I am just not ready for her and war and terror to rule across
the lands you know?” “I mean she...she…she`s Dark Magic James, Dark Magic
and you guys expect me to kill a Dark Magic?!” “We’re not even done with
training yet!” “Not even! So n​ o​ James, no I am not ​ready​!”
“Vesper you need to calm down!” “You will have more leverage when you are 18
and you know that.” “You know what James? We’re done here. This meeting is
done. “Thank you for your time.” “Vesper you are letting your true potential
through you know and if you don’t then the kingdom and the lands will be ruled
by terror and then you won’t be able to stop it.”
“Well than James, if you are so intent on making sure it does not then do it
yourself.” Then I yelled “Knet thoon Fran!” and I knocked him up against the
parlor wall and then ran out. I heard him screaming my name and then screaming
for the guards and then he stopped. I screamed back at him “You are just jealous
to be a butler and me to be a royal!” he screamed back a spell at me and it
knocked me out cold.” I woke up in a room with belts and stuff on me. I tried to
get out but nothing was working. I went through the timeline of my day. That`s
what James taught me to do in those kinds of situations. Then all of a sudden a
hall of lights turned down and I was unbuckled.
I immediately got out. I thought to myself “this must be a trick or a test.” But I
knew inside that something was wrong and that something would be sacrificed if
I made a mistake. I had to be in stealth mode. Contessa had gasped and chuckled
to herself and then said “stealth mode” and jumped on me. I pretended to die and
then picked her up spun her around and then threw her on the bed. She was
giggling hysterically now. I asked her “Back to the story now?” and she said
“Yeah!” I said “Okay ​okay.​ ” It was back to dark and so I used a luminescence
spell with my heartstone. Everything lit up like fire and then went down a bit so I
would be able to see. I was furious at what I saw.
I saw so many James`s crowding the hall. They were everywhere. On top of me,
on the bottom, the sides, behind and in front of me. I took out my sword. I was
ready to slaughter them all on the spot. Then a human James came out of the
crowd or the real James I thought. I at least thought that they were all human.
James gave me a look that made me mad and uncomfortable. I used a lifting spell
and then slashed him with my sword after I plunged down at him. I had noticed

what I had done and then dropped the sword and all my spells had left me. I
dropped down with James realizing what I had done. I started to cry and then
sobbing and then screaming. I had killed somebody out of anger. Is this what it
meant to be a murderer? I told myself “Yes Vesper it is.” Then out of the blue a
new James came through. I looked at the one I had killed. “No Vesper you are not
a murderer this is a mission and you have to compete it.”
“I ran at the 2nd James slashing him through the heart all the way through the
side. His top part fell off. I did that to every single one of them. At the end of it
blood was all over my sword, my hands, and the ground, practically everywhere. I
chuckled to myself with the glory of success. I bathed in it until I heard the real
James.”
“Well done Vesper I am proud of what you have done.” “I felt something bubble
inside of me.” “It felt black and dark.” “I let whatever it was out and I aimed it at
James.” “The pain was excruciating.” “He was shot down to the ground.” “Then I
was calm and then passed out where I was perched up on. My dark pedestal. I
don`t know when or how I made it but that`s the last thing I saw and the last thing
I heard was James`s screaming.”
“That`s it for tonight Contessa. It`s practically one in the morning.” “Goodnight
Contessa.” “Goodnight Vessy.” I gave her a hug and then left. James was waiting
at the door for me. “Hey Vessy.” In my story I lied to Contessa a little. James
hadn`t walked out in the middle he walked out of an HQ higher than me and I
didn`t hate him, he was my boyfriend now. “Contessa ​doesn`t​ know about us and
I don`t like it.” I said. “Vesper she will know about us ​sooner​ or later and I am
gonna be king and live with the most beautiful woman of my life.” He said with a
smile that dripped of love. “​James​ I have some places to go okay? So um yeah
bye. I love you.” “Vesper-” “No no James it`s not you I just need some space
right now okay? Goodnight.”
I could see it in his eyes. He had heard what I had told Contessa and he was
worried and he tried to hide it from me. If he kept on asking me question I would
play him. I didn`t want my heart to get broken again.
Once I had reached my chambers something stopped me. Ethrea`s room. It had
some kind of tugging feeling at me. I opened her door and it was still the same.
Nothing changed ever since the day she left. Her books were still on her shelf and
her bed still made and her closet all nice and organized but something was off
when I walked over to her bed. It was somehow uneven. I went to the middle of
the room and crouched down hoping nobody would come and see me in that
stance and thank goodness nobody did but it was uneven. It was the left side. I
went to the left side and lifted it up. There was another book.

It had circles and heartstones on it. It was thick and heavy. It took me some
muscle to get it out.
Once I did I set it in the middle of the room and opened it up to the middle of the
book. There were diagrams with arms and hearts in a circle around the arms. I
blew it off to get a better look at it. It said things in our native language.
Cormanian so it was obviously it was from Cormania. I flipped to the next page.
There was a gold heart and a black heart next to each other. There were white and
purple streaks and strands in between connecting them.
I wondered if Ethrea had gold and white strands in hers. I turned the page and it
lit up. I touched the middle of it. There was a heartstone in the middle. All of the
colors of heartstone and then gold and purple in a swirl in the middle that visible.
I gasped. It was beautiful. What it real? I asked myself out loud quietly though. I
touched it and it lit up again. I put my whole hand in it and something unlocked
and something came up through it. I backed away. Something stopped in the air.
It looked like a smaller book. A notebook. I got up and grabbed it immediately
thinking that it would disappear if I didn`t. When I took it, it did. I looked at the
cover of the notebook. It was red and had one black line smack dab in the middle.
I opened it. I read the first page.
I have plans for Cormania. Plans to make sure it is mine or it goes down in
flames. I should be ruling not Vesper but it is fine. I will destroy it soon. I will soon
take my plan into action and wreak havoc and death and pain all over Cormania.
As long as Vesper and Contessa don`t get in my way my plan will win and I will
prevail and control everything in Cormania.
Oh no.

*******
I woke up in the morning with a pulse on my chest. I could feel it. I picked up my
heartstone and the purple and black streak was pulsing again. It was like a jump
rope being pulled on both ends till it couldn`t be pulled again over and over
again.
It had been doing this ever since Ethrea had left. She had no idea how to stop it.
One day a random man came to the kingdom`s entrance doors and offered help
for the heartstone problem. I declined. Nobody was supposed to know about it
and if they did they were to be executed. I told the guards to take him to the
dungeons at once but do not kill him. They did as told as I walked back to my
chambers feeling the pulsing over and over and over again.
I had Mace down and unconscious and was one-on-one with Mella. I couldn`t kill
her. We were best friends! “What!” I screamed. “Why did you do this?” "For what

purpose?” I screamed at Mella. “Because we wanted power but we couldn't get it
so we lied and took it instead!” Mella said. “But now it's gone and our plan for us
has devoured and the Dark Four are going to take over and you can't do anything
about it!” then she laughed .I said “Yes! Yes you could have!” I loved you Mella!”
“You were the closest I had to a real sister and now you turn to the same road
she did but I`m not going to let you. This ​needs​ to be done!” Mella told me “This
is your choice Vesper. If you do this then you lose everything. Family, friends,
home, money, and your power.” Something snapped in me when she said
“Power.” I stabbed her in her stomach and slashed her throat a little and the
grabbed her and threw her against a tree. I was amazed I could do that and I knew
just what it was. Me and Ethrea shared it. The Dark Mass. It could only be
unlocked by feelings. What if this was a trap? I looked at Mace he was waking up.
I looked at Mella. She was obviously dead and something deep down. Care. I
cared about her being dead.
I started crying. I fell and dropped my sword. Mace looked at Mella and growled
and then grabbed his dagger from his sheath and started running at me and then
he towered over me and then was about to stab me but he didn’t. He looked down
at me and my sorry self and sat down with me and then wrapped his arms around
me and said sorry and he loves me and then kissed me and then he got up and
walked off. I wiped my tears from my eyes and then got up and ripped the
necklace from her neck and put it on. It was two heartstones in one heart. Mine
and hers. Now I wondered why she even wore it.
A gift from me when we were 7. I took some more stuff from her to. I found a card
just like a did in Maces pockets. A card, but hers had five. His had 4. I put hers in
my satchel along with Mace`s and got on my horse and started on the road again.
I would defeat whatever and whoever the Dark Four were and wipe them from
existence no matter what got in my way. Not even love.
I woke up in a cave. I looked around and there was nothing there. I got up and
walked out. Then I heard something behind me. I turned around. Mace. I still had
my satchel. Thank goodness. I pulled out the cards. "Mace what are these and
why do you have them?" I demanded. He looked at me with a cold stone look. I
started getting dizzy. I fell and saw Mace over me. He kneeled down. "This is for
Mella and ruining my life." He said. Then I was out.

"Wake up a Vesper P​ oo!​ " I heard someone shout in an absolutely trying to wake
you up voice. I opened my eyes and saw the light. It hurt so bad. I slammed my
eyes back shut. "Wake up." the person said in a serious normal voice tone. I
opened my eyes. I had to withstand the pain. I sat up. I looked around. I was in a

bed by a fire and it was a big room. It was an expensive room like a palace room. I
growled inside my head. I saw Mace and this other man and somehow Mella.
She was glaring at me with an ice cold look. She looked really well even though I
almost killed her. She was wearing a red velvet long dress with a black belt and a
neck brace thing like a vampire uses but it was also just red. I looked to mace. He
had a red suit on and black shoes and a black tie with 5 metal rods on the end of
it. He was looking at me with a serious look. Then there was this other girl who I
had no idea who she was. She had long blonde hair with red at the ends and
black eyes and had a short and tight red dress on and black laced up heels. She
was slightly leaning over me. Her hair covered the sides of her face and she
smelled like roses and fire.
I got up fast and looked around. My satchel was gone and so was everything else.
Including my heartstone. I still had my clothes. I had different clothes on now. A
red dress just like the blonde girl and some black fishnet tights on and my hair
was down. It was weird having my hair down since I always have it up in a bun. I
looked around at everybody else casually but also fiercely. They exchanged looks
at each other that I comprehended as a cue to close in on me and have Mace
leave the room. He did. I backed up to the bed and stood up. Mella and the blonde
girl closed in on the bed but didn`t get on it. I looked at them frantically and to see
if there was anything I could use to fight them off. I touched my necklace. It was
still there. I knew what it could do.
They did to. The blond girl`s expression changed from looking at like I was some
outcast to someone that was a threat. I smiled in my head. "What do you want
with me?" I demanded. They looked at each other, The blonde girl spoke. "It`s not
us Vesper who wants you it`s your sister." She smiled. So did Mella. "Why?" I
demanded again. The blonde girl took another step forward. I touched my
heartstone. It was pulsing but it wasn`t gold and white anymore it was gold and
purple and black. It wasn`t possible.
Ethrea couldn`t be alive. She was banished when I was 10 and she was 15 at that
time. It`s been 10 years that she was banished to the dead wastelands. How did
she get out? How did she ​live?​ My head was going a million miles a minute.
Everything had to be impossible. I heard heels coming down the hall. I looked at
the door in fear. I was panicking. The blonde girl picked up a pair of laced up
shoes that looked just like hers from the side of the bed and gestured them to me.
"You`re going to need these Vesper." She said. I looked at her. I was going to die.
I took them. I hopped off the bed and put them on. Right after I laced them both
up the door opened.
I saw black glistening heels first then black tights then a huge black and purple
dress and then black long hair and then her face. Ethrea. I almost fell but the

blondie caught me. I looked at her. "What`s your name?" I asked her. She looked
at me coolly for . "Lorde." She said and looked at Ethrea and Mella laughed and
Ethrea smiled. Lorde looked at Mella with a ferocious look. Mella stopped
laughing. "What is my sister wearing Lorde?" Ethrea asked. I stepped towards
Ethrea. She took a step towards to me to. I glared at her and she just stood there
with her chin up a little like she was a queen. That`s what she wanted the whole
time. To be queen. That`s why I was here.
She wanted me gone so she could be the real queen. Mace came through the
door with his hands behind his back like a servant. I smiled at the look. Ethrea
lowered her face to my level. "I want to be in the room alone with her now thank
you." She said and turned her face away from me and at them. I expected better
than that. They left in a line and shut the door. "Vesper my dear sister welcome to
my humble adobe." She gestured to the room like she was singing opera. I had to
take this like I knew she wanted me here and that she was alive.
I glared at her and went to sit in a chair by the fire. She came and sat in the chair
across from me. "How has the kingdom been darling? I heard that you rule now."
I looked at her calmly not letting her know my feelings at all. "​How​ do you know
that?" So good for playing coy. She looked at me like I was stupid. "Vesper my
dear I have spies in case you didn`t know." She said. She then grabbed a bell on a
table next to her chair and rung it. 30 seconds later a servant came in with two
glasses of golden wine. I couldn`t remember the name but when he set it down it
smelled like vanilla and soda. I grab it calmly and smell it. It fizzed and witch
cauldron stuff came out of it cause I don`t know what else to call it. I look at her
and she looks up from her wine.
It looked like the same thing. She put her head up. "Vesper I didn`t poison it
you`re safe." She says. How could I believe her? She tried to kill our whole
population 10 years ago. What the heck. The blonde girl then came in. For some
reason I trusted her. She didn`t come in fully she just stuck her head through the
door. She nodded at my wine and gave a thumbs up. It wasn`t poisoned she
meant. I sigh. I wasn`t getting out of here probably either. I grab the wine and
bring it to my mouth and pause. I look at Ethrea and then Lorde. She smiles a
nice smile. I drank it.
Nothing happens accept for myself falling in love with it. It tasted like heaven and
gold and pureness. It tasted like the feeling of my heart stone. My original one. I
stop drinking it and put it down. I stood up and turned my back to Ethrea. I heard
her put her glass down and chuckle a heavy chuckle and Lorde get smothered on
her face with a wave of guilt. Why is she laughing? Why does Lorde look so
guilty? I think and think until I finally understand what had just happened.
"Ethrea why would you do that to me?" I asked her. I heard her sigh. She got up

and walked over to me. "Because, my ​darling​ sister, without it you are n​ othing
and you can`t do anything to stop me and it was full of good and only good." I
raise my voice. I was getting angry with her. Frustrated.
She laughs. I growl. "T​ hat​ is why I got rid of it my peach." She said and puts her
arm around my shoulder. I push it off and walk to the door. "Why is ​this​ one black
and purple?" I ask her while picking it up with the coldest and hottest look in my
eyes I could muster. I wait but she doesn`t answer. I walk out the door. Nobody
stops me. I look back and Ethrea is in the doorway looking at me with a cold look.
The doors shut hard making a deep thudding sound.
I turn back and take a left and fell right into a trap. Somebody bags my head and
picks me up and ties my feet and arms and clamps a hand over my mouth. I try
screaming for help but I have a bag and a hand over my mouth. I still try. "Will
you be quiet?" A man says. He sounded about 18 and had a strong voice and
obviously a built figure. "Will you be quiet?" asks again more firmly.
"Mmm-hmm" I respond. He lets his hand slide off my mouth but he still holds me
from getting away and kept the bag on. I exhale a long breath.
"Who are you?" I demand in a firm, but quiet, demanding voice. "It doesn`t matter
right now Vesper what matters right now is getting you away from your sister."
The man says with a firm voice and throws me over his shoulder and starts
running but with such swiftness I couldn`t hear it. Maybe it was cause of the bag
but I doubted it. "Well since we are traveling right now we might as well talk or
you could let me out of this bag and we could run together." I offer.
Hoping he was stupid enough to do it because obviously he was stupid enough
to try to get me out of here. "Do you think I am stupid?" I obviously thought he
was. "Kind of yeah." I answer. He grunted lowly but quietly and then took a sharp
turn. It swerved me to the side a little and then I jerked back. Then I felt myself
going backwards like I was floating on air. "Oh my god what is happening?!" I say
frantically. "Calm down we are only going up the moat." The man answers with a
nice calm voice that sounded like he was kind of on the brink of giggling. "Are
you laughing at me?' I demanded. He scoffs lightly. "Absolutely not! Why would I
be laughing at you?" he asks me with the same voice when he was trying to calm
me down. "Whatever." I grumble. I let myself fall to whatever the support he has
for me and let myself fall asleep. Maybe just maybe I was going to be okay.

I wake up to the man taking me off of his shoulder and throwing me slightly to the
ground. "Ow! What the heck was that for?" I ask slightly in pain. I still had a dress
on and it was flat ground. You have no idea how heavy maiden dresses can be. I
heard him come over and finally I could see again. He took the bag off. It was

bright and we were in green plains that stretched for miles except about 10 miles
away there seemed to be a little house but I doubted it.
"I am done carrying you. We are going to walk to that house over there." He said
with a nod pointing towards the medium sized speck in the distance. I look at
him. He was looking at me with intent eyes that told me to get up. I sighed and got
up. He picked up some clothes off the floor and gave them to me.
"Put them on." He said and turns around and walks the other way. I didn`t have
any trees or bushes and I was not going to walk in heels and a dress for 10 miles
so I change.
The outfit was nice. I had black leather pants and a white blouse that had laces in
the middle going all the way down to the bottom of my bosom and a corset to go
under it. I did not tie it tight though. I put on the boots. They also look swell and
also felt swell. They were knee high flat boots but black leather with a big metal
buckle on both sides. There was also a belt and a sheath for my waist. This outfit
was a strong woman`s paradise.
I examine myself one more time and then called the dude over. I planned on
asking him many questions. Who was he" How old was he? Where was he from?
Were his parents dead? Does he care for our kingdom? Is he a rogue? As I said
so many questions.
Finally he reached me and I picked my clothes and put them in the bag and slung
it over my shoulder. We started off without any words.
After a mile the bag started hurting so I tied it around my waist and we continued.
My clothes were very comfortable and just right for the terrain we were on and
was very light which was even better. "What`s your name…um ​sir?​ " I asked I did
not want to call him a boy and I did not want to call him a man. They would take
wrong turns and they just didn`t sound right with my question. We walked for a
minute in silence and he finally answered.
"R​ yder​." he answered. "Ryder ​White.​ " And he looked at me with a look that said
nothing.
"I like that name. Ryder White." I said. And I did like the name I might even name
my child that if I have one.
"I know your name so you don`t have to introduce yourself but that`s all I know."
"So could you tell me more about you?" He asked in a nice voice. I sighed. He
was saving me from my sister but he just popped out of the blue like they had
both planned it but he was leading me away but I actually don`t know where I am.
Decisions decisions. "I am to trust no one since everything is gone now. I am the
last true heir to our throne and I will not let that perish." I said in a strong
confident voice with my chin up a little. He laughed. "Okay." He said. Hmm. Easier

than I thought. Most would say they are not trying to lead you off. I made a good
decision I believe.
"How do you know my name." I asked. He looked at me. "I overheard Ethrea and
Mace talking about taking you here and breaking up your heartstone so you
couldn`t stop them from doing what they wanted." he explained. He looked away
like he was hiding something. "Ryder what are you not telling me?" I asked in a
calm voice but we kept walking but slowly. He sighed. "I am not to tell you this yet
but.. She still has her heartstone. You are the one who has to stop her from
getting what she wants. She has your heartstone. She used a different stone for
your drink. She tricked you." he admits. Oh no! Oh no oh no oh no! "Ryder this is
bad! Actually bad!" I say really loud .
"I know and we are going to help you but you have to sort this calmly." he said in
a reassuring voice. It calmed me down a bit. "Who is ​we​?" I asked concerned. He
sighs. "You know you ask a lot of questions?" he says with a smile. "You`ll see
soon." He gestured forward and I look. There was the cabin just a half a mile
away. I jump and squeal. If this man was to betray me I would not know how to
recover other than killing him. I look at him. It was the first time I actually looked
at him with intent and curiosity.
Red hair, not ginger hair, a built figure blue eyes and almost thick lips. He had no
mustache or hair on his face and his skin obviously had a sun tan but he wasn`t
too dark. He looked nice to my observations. Especially in his leather outfit. It fit
him just right. What was I thinking! Stop thinking that! I shook the mind yelling
away when Ryder made a gesture to me.
We finally reached the cabin and I look at it in surprise. It was a lot more bigger
than I thought it was. I mean everybody knows that from a far away place things
are small but I didn`t think it was going to be this big and this nice looking. It was
a dark walnut with two windows on the sides and was as long as about 50 feet
and the width looked about 60 feet when I circled the cabin. It had a slanted top
that looked like it has wearing a sharp hat and both ends came up like a point and
the other side slanted over a little too. They were uneven but not to uneven at all.
It was very pretty. Ryder opened the door and I went in first and then he did and
shut the door behind him. I looked around at the entrance. I had the width very
wrong. I had no idea what the width was any more but I didn`t care. The inside
was even prettier than the outside. It reminded me of home.
I took the bag off my waist and put it on the wall rack next to the door. There was
a fireplace to my far right with a brown bear carpet with claws and 2 luscious
armchairs on each side of the fireplace. The fire was burning at a blaze I could
even feel from here. The house was very toasty. It kind of got hot in the leather
but not too hot. "Can I take me shoes off in here?" I ask eagerly. I had heard of

rumors about princesses actually taking their shoes off in another place other
than the bathroom before. I had always wanted to do it but I never had the chance
to. He looks at me and laughs. "Of course you can." he says and comes over and
helps me hold myself up while I take my shoes off. I didn`t need his help with
balance but it felt nice to have caring hands for me again. "Thank you." I say as I
picked myself up but with his help.
He let his hands slide off of me and then I put my boots and the low rack by the
door where a whole bunch of other shoes were. It amazed me. These people were
something. I started walking around looking at everything. The kitchen, upstairs,
downstairs, the backyard ,which was a lot more boring than everything else
considering it was just plains and plains forever, the bathrooms and the dining
room. There were so many rooms upstairs and a beautiful black carpet that went
all the way through the hall. There were torches in the middle of every two door
spaces. He showed me my room. It was the fourth door down. I was so excited.
What was it going to be?! I open the door and my excitement blew up. It was
beautiful but also cozy and compact. I loved it! My bed had many ​many​ blankets
and pillows and I had an areal view of the north side of the house. I had a
fireplace and a bathroom, but it was small but good enough, and a carpet in the
middle of the room that was blue and a closet and a wardrobe and a dresser. I
had a nightstand next to the bed and a bookshelf next to the window along with a
chair and a lamp and mini table next to the chair. And finally to top it off a nice
medium chandelier right in the middle of the room. The room was painted a nice
shade of blue also. It was like an aqua teal. "I actually love it! I never want to leave
this place!" I said as I walked over to the bed and fell into it. I was like water and
honey wrapping around my body.
It was heaven. I turned to look at Ryder by the door but he was already beside me
sitting on the bed. How did I not feel that? I smiled at him. "Where and how did
you get all this stuff? And why is this place just in the middle of an actual
nowhere?" I ask eager to know but not really. He laughs. "Luck and money I
suppose." he says with a smile. I smiled back. "Are there others that are here?" I
ask curiously. He says we when were talking to each other before we got here so
there had to be other people here. "Yes but they are out and about right now
doing things that need to be done." he answered looking at me with eyes that
said that he did not want tot answer any more questions.
I sigh and climbed all the way up the bed. My back was hurting from only having
half of my body on the bed. I rolled on the bed back and forth once and then
landed in the middle. My c​ hosen​ spot. "Well I will be downstairs if you need me.
You have a wardrobe as you can see. Get some pajama`s on and hop in bed." he
says. "You have training tomorrow." he says with a sly smile that said I had a lot

of work cut out for me. Great. I groaned. He laughed and left. I got up off the bed
and went to the wardrobe. I put on a shirt and some blue pajama pants that were
as soft as the bed. I let my hair down and then went to the bathroom. I took a
toothbrush from my room and grabbed the toothpaste that was in the cup next to
the sink and brushed for 5 minutes. Then I washed my mouth with water and spit
it out.
I know I know. I am not the typical princess but not the non-typical princess
either. I know when to be proper and true and I know when I can just be the me
that I was before I was a princess. A normal teenage girl. I walked out of the
bathroom wiping my mouth with my arm and then walking downstairs. My feet did
not feel cold at all on the floor a single bit. "Hey Ryder?" I called. "Yeah? Over
here Vesper." he calls back. I walk over to him. He was sitting in one of the
armchairs next to the fire. I take a seat in the other one. I crossed my legs like
properness. He laughed. "I have questions for you Ryder that I truly expect you to
answer." I said looking at him intently.
He looked at me with cold eyes. "Fine." he said. "What were those cards that
Mace and Mella had with them?" I asked. He looks at me again. "That was their
group sign. They have red and black cards. The less the number they have on
their card, the higher status they have." He announces. Oh. Great. "How long
have they been in the business?" I asked. "Mace and Mella?" I look at him. "Yes
Mace and Mella." I said. He sighs and looked at me. Ever since Ethrea started
turning to evil with her heartsone." he says. Oh my god. That was about ten years
ago. He must have seen my facial expression cause he got up and came in front
of me and takes my hand.
"Look I know that your life has fallen or falling apart but you are going to come
out strong and maybe even get your kingdom back in shape and order and you
will rule and you will rule wonderfully ok?" He doesn`t wait for an answer. "Okay."
he lets go of my hand and got up and walked to the kitchen and opened a cabinet
and pulled out a bowl and then went over to the stove and poured something that
I figured was soup and poured it into the bowl and then opened a drawer and
pulled out a spoon and walked over to me and handed me the bowl. I took it and
tried it. It tastes good but had nothing in it.
In figured it was broth. I ate the rest of it in peace. He sits in his chair watching
the fire and me while I did. Once I finished it I walked over to the sink and rinsed
the bowl out and dried it and put it back in the cabinet I watched him take it out
of. I walked over and sat down in the chair again. "Ryder, will there be an actual
war coming if we can`t stop her?" I ask. Deep down I knew it would lead to war
but I wanted to know if it was true. He closes his eyes. "Vesper the war has
already started." he says and looks at me and then the fire.

His words echoed in my head. "The war has already started Vesper." It was
confirmed and I was going to be the one who ended it.

Chapter 2
I got up from the chair and Ryder did to. I walk to my room and he did to. I sit on
the bed and he went to the bookshelf and got a book and brought it to the bed. I
sigh. "So we are going to start training tomorrow?" I ask. "Yep. Early in the
morning." he says. "Ok". He opened the book to the middle. He scoots closer to
me and started showing me the diagrams in the books. There were animals and
humans mixed with animals and fairies and elves and mermaids and flying
people. It was amazing. "Are these real?" I ask him excitedly. "Yes."
"Woah." I say. I take the book from him. He laughs. "Do you know any of them?" I
ask.
"Yeah." He says. I smiled. This was so cool. I shut the book and put it back on the
shelf. "Goodnight Ryder." I say and got on the bed and tucked myself in and laid
down thinking about everything. "Goodnight Vesper." he says. "Ryder! Wait." I
finish quietly. He turns around and comes back. I take his hand. He doesn`t pull
away. I immediately think of what he did for me. He saved me from Ethrea, he`ll
train me for the war, he gave me clothes, a home, and food and water. He gave me
love. Something people in this world don`t show much of anymore.
I get off my bed and back him up a bit so I can stand close in front of him. I put
my hands around his neck and get on my tiptoes and he slowly skies his hands
around my waist. He bends his head down and I kiss him. Calm and light. He
kisses me back. He pulls me closer and I pull him closer. I kiss him again with a
faster pace and he picks me up and sets both of us on the bed even though it`s
practically right behind us. He traces his hand up and down my back and I trace
his chest. We`re still kissing each other calmly but heavily. It`s comforting.
He then slightly pulls back but doesn`t pull back all the way. He slides his hand
up though my hair and then to my face and slightly lifts my chin up. He holds my
chin and looks in my eyes. I look in his eyes. We are both searching but I don`t
know what. He then kisses me one more time and gets up. I get up and wrap my
arms around his neck and kiss him hard. He stands there with his hands on my
waist and I pull back. There is a second of silence but good silence.
" Goodnight Ryder." I say quietly with a loving voice and climb in my bed. He
stands there for a bit and I look at him. He was soft but blank faced.