The Unknown Princess

Note: I'm gonna just put this chapter up for now, then, after seeing if I get any feedback at all, I might post the rest. I have already finished this story and am hoping for constructive criticism to make it better. If there are any questions you're left with after a chapter, PLEASE leave them in your review! Thanks and I hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1 -- The Young Woman

"I'm home!" A young woman called to a predictably empty house as she made her way to her bedroom. "I wonder when dad will get home; must be working overtime again" She said to herself as she began to take off her work clothes and put more comfortable clothes on, "Oh well."

Once dressed, she went back out to the kitchen to find something to munch on until dinner and then plopped herself on the couch to watch the television.

A few minutes after the young woman was able to become comfortable, the phone rang. With a grunt and a couple mumbled curses, she pulled herself up to answer the phone, "Hello?"

"Hi, is Mr. Ailiave there?" A female voice on the other side of the line asked politely.

"No. He's gone at the moment." The young woman responded curtly and hung up before the woman on the other side could respond.

Before the young woman made it back to the couch, the phone rang again. This time she checked the caller ID and knew the person who was calling. "Hey cutie!" She said when she picked up the phone.

"Hey there. How'd you know it was me?" A young man's voice sounded from the phone.

"Caller ID silly." She laughed, "So how have you been today?"

"Same as always. Busy at work, bored here at home." He sighed.

"Then get your ass over here, Jeff. I'm sure I can keep you entertained." The girl said in her best sexy voice, doing her best to give the man naughty thoughts.

"But wouldn't your new boyfriend get jealous that I'm over there?" Jeff playfully sounded like he wanted to take the offer. They both knew he wouldn't, though. Just a year previous, they had tried going out, but for some reason felt like they didn't belong; the break-up bringing them closer as friends.

They spent the next few hours talking over the phone, until the young woman received a call on her cell phone from her mother asking her to pick up her brother and sister from over there and take them back to the house to spend the evening with their father.

"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later, Jeff!" She said with forced enthusiasm, "I have to go pick up my brother and sister from mom's! Woohoo!"

Laughing, Jeff said good-bye and they both hung up.

The young woman then left to pick up her brother and sister from their mom's house. When they got back, she grabbed something to eat and went to bed.

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"Enan! Roloc!" A girl of about ten called to her two older brothers; "There's a girl here!"

"What is it Ari?" Two young men ran up behind they're sister. They followed her finger to a young woman washed up on the bank of the river that ran behind their house.

"Oh my!" Enan and Roloc ran down to where the girl was lying unconscious and pulled her out of the water and out from under the tree line to an open area where the sun could reach them.

"Is she alive?" Ari danced around her brothers as they leaned over the unconscious girl, checking her heartbeat and breathing.

"Yes, she's alive. But only barely." The younger of the two men looked up at the child, "Run back to the house and tell mother what happened and that we're going to bring her up as soon as we can."

"Ok!" Ari ran back to their house to do as she was instructed.

"I wonder where she's from." The older brother observed, "I've never seen a woman with this little on!"

"Maybe from some poor village where that's all she could find to wear?" The younger brother suggested.

"But not in those colors, Roloc. We may be accustomed to wearing black and white all the time, but you'll never find those colors in a poor village." The older brother noted, "It's very expensive to make Black and extremely hard to keep white looking nice, so only rich people will wear white." He pointed to the black pants and the white t-shirt the girl had chosen to wear to bed the night before.

Suddenly the girl began to cough, choking on water that was being forced from her lungs. Enan quickly grabbed her shoulder and turned her on her side so that the water wouldn't harm her as she continued to cough it up.

Once she was finished, she looked up at the two young men hovering over her, confusion and fear written clearly across her face.

"It's alright. We don't want to hurt you." Enan offered a comforting caress on her shoulder, "What's your name?"

"Raleana." The girl struggled to say through her shivering, "Ailiave."

"Here," Enan pulled off the cloak he was wearing for warmth and placed it on top of the shivering Raleana laying in front of him. "Raleana. What a pretty name."

"But it will…get wet." Raleana protested, doing her best to force the shivers and the blush threatening to consume her face away.

"It doesn't matter. Mother would never forgive me if I let you just sit here shivering and then you got sick." Enan smiled warmly. "Now, can you stand up and walk?"

Nodding, Raleana pushed herself up to a sitting position. Readjusting the cloak so as to not drop it as she stood up, she managed to stand up, discovering in the process that her right ankle was sprained.

"Now can you walk?" Roloc had noticed a slight cringe when Raleana had placed any weight on the sprained foot.

"Of course." Raleana managed to stop her shivering, "Why wouldn't I be able to?"

"Then let's go to the house and get you all cleaned up and dressed." Enan motioned for Roloc to start leading the way while he stood by Raleana's side to make sure she was fine.

'I hope that I can hide any limping on this ankle.' Raleana thought to herself as she began walking. But as soon as she put the slightest weight on her right ankle, her leg gave out and she collapsed to the ground.

"Raleana!" Enan caught her before she hit the ground, "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

Before Raleana could respond, Roloc answered for her, "Her ankle is hurt. Either sprained or broken."

"Sprained," Raleana admitted. "I didn't think it would hurt so much. I thought I would be able to walk on it without too many problems."

"Let me guess. You had an older brother or two that always teased you and picked on you if you cried about anything and acted like a girl?" Roloc asked.

"No." Raleana didn't understand why they would think that, "I am the oldest."

"Where are you from?" Enan maneuvered himself into a position where he could pick up Raleana easily, without her being able to fight him off.

"I'm from…Victorville." Raleana said slowly. "Hey! Put me down! I can walk!" She protested when Enan scooped her up into his arms.

"Don't bother struggling." Enan smiled, "I'm not going to put you down. Now can you please wrap your arms around my neck so that I don't have to worry about dropping you on your butt?"

"Just listen to him. He's as stubborn as a lendal.1" Roloc sighed and continued on his way.

"A lendal?" Raleana questioned.

"Yeah, you know those big animals that are great beasts for pulling big wagons or even good for meat." Enan looked around for one roaming around, to no avail, "The one's that are more stubborn than anything."

"Oh." Raleana gave up and wrapped her arms around Enan's neck and let him carry her.

When they reached the house, their mother was standing outside waiting for them with Ari and two of the household maids.

"Mother, did Arianllyn tell you what happened?" Roloc asked once he was close enough.

"Yes, yes. Now where is the girl?" The older woman demanded.

"She's right here." Enan said, "She hurt her ankle and is unable to walk on it."

"I can too walk on it! You just wouldn't let me!" Raleana protested.

"But when you tried, it didn't support you." Enan countered.

"Well, hurry up and get her inside! We have a fire in the guestroom already going and clothes that should fit her laid out." The motherly woman ushered her sons into the large house.

Once they made their way to the most luxurious guestroom in the house, Enan set Raleana down on the bed. Roloc and Enan were then shooed out of the room and the door closed with just the mother, Arianllyn, and the two maids remaining.

"Oh my! How could I have forgotten? You may call me Lira. Arianllyn, Roloc and Enan are the only children I have left here with me." The mother introduced herself, "And what is your name child?"

"Raleana." She answered quietly, looking around the large room.

"Here you go, Raleana." Lira motioned to the clothes that were laying out, "You can change into these. And the changing screen is over here. Would you like any help?"

"Um. I should be fine." She pushed herself up from the bed and hobbled her way behind the changing screen.

"Arianllyn and I will leave so you don't feel intruded upon. Mary, Arianllyn, come with me." Lira waved them towards the door, "Rhun, I want you to stay and help Raleana with anything she may need help with." As she walked out, Lira turned and told the remaining maid, "Bring her to the small tea room when she's ready to come out."

"Yes ma'am." Rhun nodded and bowed before moving over to help Raleana make herself presentable.

As she was dressing with the assistance of the maid, Raleana asked, "What year is it? And where are we?"

"It is the year 743 KE. And we are in the house of the renowned Lord Arnor Saphest." Rhun said with the utmost respect.

"KE?" Raleana probed.

"King Elix." Rhun said, a hint of wonder entering her voice.

The End of Chapter 1

1 Lendal: a creature very similar to an ox; used for the same purposes as an ox. "Stubborn as a lendal" "Stubborn as an ox"