Chapter 1: The Death Wish

Crisp wind blew softly, telling a story of its own. The young woman sat solemnly on the hill side with only the breeze to accompany her. With the fall sun setting, it cast a glowing light upon her smooth face. With a short time, the sun had sunken beneath the hill side, leaving the ember sky to darken. Closing her eyes, the girl lost a tear to the wind as that wonderful breeze snatched it away...

She sat there, on the hillside, and the warm sunset slowly faded into blackness. She sat with her knees pulled up tightly against her chest, rocking slowly back and forth. Cold tears fell from her eyes and softly splashed on her pure, white dress. As night settled it began to get colder. She lay down in the soft, lush grass. The wind continued to blow as a soft breeze. The young woman's golden brown hair fell across her face as she drifted in dreams.

In those comforting dreams, she was able to walk the earth, as if it was a happy place.

When was I happy? she thought to herself with mama and papa? Was I ever happy? Will I ever be happy again?

The dream of happiness filled her vision, whatever happy was. But it was suddenly covered by a mist, making the girl unable to see it or anything at all. Laughter filled the air, sweet and harmonized with other voices.

"Dyazinah! Darling, we're here!" the harmonized voices called through the thickening mist. On and on they called. Dyazinah spun in circles, unable to find the voices in the suffocating fog. Slowing, the voices became louder, more frightening as the fog darkened...

She awoke back in the state of her current life. A life, where she couldn't even remember what happy meant. She looked out to the horizon and watched the sun rise above the dark ocean. She tried to remember the last time she was happy. Was it with mama and papa? Could it have honestly been that long ago? She thought long and hard until finally she remembered something. She could come up with just one memory of when she was happy... just one.

She was 3 years old. Papa lifted her up onto mama's huge throne. She giggled and clapped her hands excitedly. She looked up and smiled at her father then she turned and saw her mother leaning forward to place her crown on top of Dyazinah's head. She was certain that her mother, Sanidari, was the most beautiful person who would ever live. Sanidari was wearing a long silver dress. Her slightly curly, brown hair fell about four inches below her shoulders. She had mysterious green eyes that could seduce men by themselves, but of course she wasn't that kind of woman. Papa took her around the waist as they looked down at Dyazinah. "Look at our daughter. She will be the most beautiful angel to ever rule this kingdom," said her father. Dyazinah felt so special to be on that thrown, wearing the crown that would someday be hers. She had everything she could ever hope for, but most important was two parents who loved her more than life itself.

That's right... back when her parents were alive. Back when she was a princess!

"A princess!” she gasped to herself on the black hill by the ocean in the still night. Not just any princess... princess of a powerful kingdom, a happy kingdom.

Troshia! The most powerful kingdom in the in all the Ruthen Coast... maybe even world. Papa was a fair king, a just king, who was loved by all. All except for the person who Dyazinah truly loved and trusted with all her heart. The person who couldn't have possibly done more to hurt her.

Dyazinah began to tremble as the vivid images and memories reentered her mind. She could still hear the bloodcurdling sound of her mother shrieking. She shook her head, as if in an attempt to shake the remembrance out of her, but it simply became clearer. The haunting sights, sounds, and feelings were suddenly at full force.

She found herself trapped in the horrific memory. She saw what she had seen 10 years ago. She knew exactly what was about to happen and what she was going to see, but no matter how hard she tried she could not come back to reality. She was 7 years old, playing with her dolls inside her bedroom when the echoing sound of her mother's terrified scream rang throughout the palace.

"Mommy?” thought the innocent child. The young Dyazinah ran out of their room and up the spiraled staircase. She reached the fifth floor just in time to her gorgeous mother fall dead from her own bedroom. Dyazinah began to scream, both in memory and reality, as she ran toward her bleeding mother. Inside the bedroom stood her beloved sister with the knife that killed their parents in her right hand and the crowned head of their father in her left. Her long blonde hair was in a mess and blood soaked her brand new pink dress.

"No one is fit to rule this kingdom, no one but me!” screamed the sister, Tanyiasha. Dyazinah stood shaking uncontrollably, drenched in her own tears. Tanyiasha's voice soften as she began to speak to her sister, "Don’t you see, Dyazinah?” she said as she started to walk toward her, "The only way I can rule... is if you die." Dyazinah tried to run away. Tanyiasha dropped their father's head and grabbed her sister's hand. "Can't you understand? It's the only way." Dyazinah was choking on her own fear. She couldn't utter a word. Tears were streaming down her delicate face. At the moment she could see pain swelling in Tanyiasha's hazel eyes. "No, Dyazinah, please don't cry." Her voice trembled as she continued, "Please, you don't know how hard this is. Please... I have to do this. I love you, sister. But you are too young to understand. Please... I have to do this..." Dyazinah tried to hold back her sobs. "Now kneel down," said Tanyiasha. "And face your back to me. It will be fast... you won't feel a thing."

Dyazinah did as she was told. She could feel cold death lingering above her. Tanyiasha bent down and whispered in her ear, "I love you." Dyazinah closed her eyes and she knelt there, waiting for her fate... Time passed and she began to wonder why she wasn't dead yet. At that moment she heard a crack. Frightened, she opening her eyes to see the drapes from parents' bed tied to the banister. She looked over the edge to see her dead sister swinging back and forth. Dyazinah screamed surrounded by her dead family. She turned around and carved into the wall was a loving death wish.

My dead parents, I have done you wrong.

My gracious sister, you will never understand my intense love for you. I hope that you will never understand what caused me to do such horrible things. I pray that you will never understand how much guilt and pain tormented me until I put myself in this state, dead in my best dress. This is not the end... but I must warn you not to fall into the trap. I must warn you not to drink the liquid... I must warn you, not to be persuaded. I must warn you... not to be like me...

A/N: This story was created from my wonderful bestfriend and I. I wanted to try and just write a short story with several people, starting out with the same paragragh to see how it ended up. However, my friend and I seemed to have gotten a tad bit wrapped up within our story. We haven't talked about it to each other out side of the fact that we updated. I have no idea where the story will head! It is a thrill to be surprised what the other person wrote and try to return a twist. My friend certainly got me with the whole sister thing!!! K! Enjoy!