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A/N: I believe this is my first chapter over 1,500 words :O My new story, I hope you like it. Updates to this, and my other stories, may be slow, as I have exams starting on the 24th. And a university interview next week. Wish me luck x.x; Rayne Logan.
Natural Magic and Artificial Disorder
Chapter One
THE SUN WAS SETTING.
It seemed to dissolve into the horizon, subtly spraying colours of rose, gold, lilac and pearl. These colours spread out into the sky, as if covering a blank canvas, to create a work of art. As even more of the sun disappeared, these colours seemed to fade, and then darken, as they got ready for the mysterious air of night. Twilight was upon the Kingdom of Aria, and one member of its audience stood at the window of one of the many towers covering the kingdom. This tower, however, was higher than most – a sure sign of status amongst the audience.
And status was one thing she definitely had. Princess Graceanne Mina Sky Aria was well known throughout the Kingdom – but not for her ‘endless beauty’ or her ‘’flowing hair’, as she would want to be known. Grace was infamous for her rebellious nature, the numerous times she had been chastised by the castle staff and the many bumps and bruises she’d received from her tomboy nature. Grace was in fact a pretty girl, as her father reminded her daily, but her features were usually covered in dirt, grass stains and very loose clothing – the best for climbing trees, as Grace often told people.
As Grace swept her eyes over the fabulous work of art before her, there was a click from the door at the other end of the room. At this very slight sound, Grace’s eyes widened to such an extent that it appeared painful, before she ran over to her bed and literally leapt into it, throwing the covers over her head and trying to steady her breathing. Just as she had settled down underneath the blankets, she caught the sound of the door creaking open and silently calmed herself down, forcing her chest to rise and fall rhythmically, closing her eyes and gently breathing through her nose.
It was difficult to guess who had entered her room to make sure she was asleep, and Grace couldn’t tell whether the intruder had been fooled by her pretence – they could have easily seen or heard her rushing into bed, and guess that that she had still been awake. Grace considered herself a ‘lady’ at fifteen years old (though many a person had laughed when she’d protested this), and it was known throughout the castle that she believed her early bedtime to be unjust. Some of the guards even considered it to be a game, trying to catch her awake when she should be asleep.
Graceanne felt her body tense as she heard shuffling in the room – though she couldn’t help smiling from her position under the blankets. That faint shuffling narrowed down the list of suspects considerably. It couldn’t be one of the guards… unless they’d taken to wearing long night gowns to protect the castle when it was dark – Grace’s smile grew. It was one of the maids. And furthermore, it was more than likely to be Clara – the head maid and one of Grace’s guardians… and her best friend. She’d grown up under the rule of Clara after her mother had died.
“Graceanne Mina Sky. I know you’re awake and you know you should be asleep!” Carla’s voice reverberated around the room and caused Grace to lower the blankets to her chin and attempt to give the maid a charming smile. Grace knew her surrogate mother well enough to realise that she wasn’t angry – more a mix of amusement and exasperation. There was a shine to Carla’s eyes that told Grace she wasn’t going to be harsh on the young girl. “Your father would be mighty displeased with you.”
“Carla!” Grace exclaimed, feigning a shocked expression. She dropped the blankets. “You’re not going to tell him are you?” Carla’s smile made her relax – the maid had a soft heart beneath her rigid exterior. She could be stern, but she was fair. Anything detrimental to Grace would be reported to her father straight away, but Clara decidedly turned a blind eye to many of Grace’s childish antics. These included the many dresses that Grace had ruined over the years – Clara had only recently decided to give up on chastising Grace for this little hobby of hers. Even when inside, Grace managed to tear something or get it dirty. Thankfully, Grace’s father loved to spoil his only daughter and often bought her the latest fashions in the Kingdom. A girl could never have enough dresses, as he frequently remarked.
“Look Gracie… you’ll soon be a woman, and then you will realise that you do actually need sleep. And when you’re married, you’ll want to do nothing but sleep. I think you should start practising for that part of your life now.” Clara explained, sitting on the end of Grace’s bed. Grace leaned forward slightly, looking curiously at the maid.
“But Clara, I’m fifteen years old… many of the children in the city are considered adults at fourteen. I’m already a woman!” Her words brought forth a laugh from Clara, who shook her head with a twinkle in her eyes.
“It isn’t age that decides whether or not you’re a woman, Grace. You’ll only be a woman when you can wear a dress for an entire day without ruining it.” At this, Grace folded her arms and pouted, only confirming that she wasn’t yet grown up. With a gentle smile on her face, Clara leant over and kissed Grace’s forehead. At the familiar smell of fresh bread and soap, Grace relaxed and snuggled down into the blankets. As Clara left her to sleep, Grace’s eyes wandered over to her window, where the stars could now be seen, littering the sky. As she involuntarily began to drift off, Grace’s thoughts were of her womanhood – her older brother was heir to the throne, so surely there was no rush to grow up? Why did she want to become a woman anyway? It sounded a little too dull for her.
Why couldn’t she remain a girl for a little longer?
Rogan glanced up as the girl stepped into his room. He’d been sat here for the last hour, polishing his sword and trying to figure out what he was going to say to his childhood friend. He’d received the news yesterday and had known the most difficult person to tell would be the princess. She wasn’t used to things changing and she was definitely not used to things not going her way. Rogan could only sigh and place his sword to one side. Grace was quickly becoming a woman… physically, anyway. Her face was smoothing out – she was loosing her dimples and ‘cute’ appearance, quickly thinning out in the body, though becoming more round in other places. She was growing quite tall, to fit with her thin waist, and her hair had now reached the middle of her back – Rogan himself had been quite surprised at the princess a few years ago when she’d cut off the majority of her hair. The one thing that hadn’t changed, however, was that playful glint in her eyes – that was one thing Rogan would never forget.
“What’s wrong Rogan?” She asked with a surprised look about her features. “I thought we were going to go pester the Master Magician today. He promised to show us something cool, remember?” Grace lifted the skirts of her elegant red dress and stepped over to sit beside Rogan. Perhaps this was one dress she wouldn’t ruin today, after she heard Rogan’s news. The young man sat beside her couldn’t help but notice that even her voice was loosing its childlike quality. Did she even notice how much she was changing? Well she’d soon find out that change wasn’t evident in just her life.
“Yesterday, Swords Master Craw came to my house. He gave me my very own sword and armour and then asked if I’d join his group of soldiers.” Rogan was surprised when Grace almost jumped at him and threw her arms around him, laughing cheerfully.
“Rogan, that’s great! Craw only chooses his best men for his soldiers… I knew he’d choose you!” She exclaimed. Rogan lowered his head to her shoulder and breathed in deeply. There it was – the familiar smell of roses and lavender. He wrapped his arms around Grace’s waist and tried to be as happy as she was. How long would that happiness last? “Rogan?” Now Grace sounded worried.
He pulled away from her and quickly avoided her gaze. “There’s a reason he asked me. Craw recruited quite a lot of new soldiers last night – there’s conflict between Ostmere and Vankeep and Ostmere have asked for our help to settle the peace. The new recruits are leaving today for a quick training camp, and then we’re gonna join the war. Vankeep won’t let us join without a fight.”
Grace was silent and Rogan dared a swift glance at her. She was gazing down at her hands, looking rather sullen. However, after a moment, she looked up and beamed at her friend. “I’ll talk to Craw! I’ll ask him to make sure you don’t go! Then you can stay here with me!” Rogan’s heart dropped – he hadn’t been expecting that. With a look filled with sorrow, he took her hands in his and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“It’s time for me to grow up, Grace. We’re not children anymore, and no matter how much we want to stop it, we have to settle into our places in the world. My place is as a soldier, fighting for the Kingdom of Aria, for peace and justice. If I don’t leave now, I may never get the chance to find my place. I want to grow up, and I want to be worthy of you. One day, Graceanne, I’m gonna come back and I’m gonna prove myself worthy of marrying you.”
A look of surprise crossed Grace’s features but it was soon replaced with more sadness. “But you might not come back. You could get hurt… and…” At the first sign of tears forming, Rogan leant forward and gently kissed her cheek.
“I promise I’ll come back. The war could be short; I may not even have to fight.”
Grace shook her head and forced herself to smile, despite her lips trembling from the weight of unshed tears. “Congratulations on becoming a soldier – I’m sure you’ll do us all proud, Rogan.” And with that, she stood, gave a rather rigid curtsey, and rushed out of the room, nearly tripping over her dress as she did so. Rogan could only watch as she practically stormed out of the bedroom. He heard his front door slam shut. Grace’s name would not pass his lips, however, no matter how much he wanted to call her back – he couldn’t bear the fact that he was the reason the playful glint had disappeared from her hazel eyes. He wanted dearly to say goodbye to her.
The young man sighed gently and picked up his sword, swearing that he could keep his promise to Graceanne. He would come back to her some day.
Men. Who needed them? – Graceanne Mina Sky Aria definitely did not need men. She would do fine without a man by her side.