Young Writers Society

Note to readers: PLEASE read my other chapters FIRST, and IN ORDER. I have made a slight alteration to the second chapter. Thank you!

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“You see,” the lady in pink said as she sat down on the bed. “You are a very special girl.”

I chuckled. The only way I was special was that I could avoid guards better than anyone else.

“Oh, you may not know it yet,” she continued. “But you’re parents gave you a very wonderful thing.”

“Yeah?” I asked as I turned to her, my arm still resting on the windowsill. “And just what is that?”

“Six older sisters,” answered the woman, a smile taking her lips. “And six aunts on your mother’s side, all older than she. You, to put it plainly, are the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter.”

That was when I burst out laughing. Folklore was folklore, no matter how hard you tried to make it come true. If I really was the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter, which was very unlikely, then according to legend I was supposed to have special abilities and powerful magic. Those abilities hadn’t come, and I was pretty sure they never would. And besides, the fable wasn’t real. It was just like saying that there were Griffins under your bed.

“Okay, then I come from a large family,” I said to her, still laughing slightly. “So? That’s just a coincidence. It doesn’t mean anything.”

The woman looked at her hands folded on her lap. I could tell she was hiding something… but who cared? I was hiding quite a few things. Most recently: four silver pieces. When the woman looked up, darkness seemed to fill the air… and then it did for real. The shadows of hideous monsters crept on the walls; Sir Winter, the sprite of the season, came and blew through the room. I felt alone.

“It means everything, girl,” the woman said. Her dress had changed color from pink to black. I gulped and took a step back. “I was just like you; headstrong, witty, and I knew how to bend men to my will. I was the seventh daughter of a seventh daughter. My abilities came slowly, and by the time they did come I had no need for them. There was no war, no fights, and no vigilantes. Nothing.

“I lived my whole life not knowing what to do. I could make your worst fear appear before you at a single word, or have darkness haunt you forever. Yet I couldn’t do anything to help others. Everyone thought I was a witch, ready to curse him or her or harm someone at a moments notice. I was more scared then anyone.

“I don’t want you to feel that,” she said, the shadows dying down and her dress changing color once again. She stood up and looked at me. “No one should have to. You will gain your abilities soon enough. They have already started to show themselves. Master Elwynne has sought you out so that you may help him in the revolt against the king.”

My eyes went wide when she said this. A revolt? That was as good as suicide. The king had fifty thousand troops keeping the non-humans in line. And his most trusted servant, Lord Elwynne, the Marden, was leading the revolt. It was insanity.

“I’m sorry, I thought you just asked me to kill myself,” I said sarcastically to the woman. “I will not be a part of such a grand murder plan.”

“Then I’m afraid I must resort to persuasion,” she said with a sigh. “You have until tomorrow morning. If you do not agree to help us, my master has a decree to kill any half-elf found in the city. Good day, Nova.”

As she left the room, I could hear her bolt the door behind her. I couldn’t stay here, awaiting my death at Lord Elwynne’s hands or a soldier’s. The window was too narrow to escape from. So much information! She had given me everything that I never even knew existed: my parents, my sisters, my past… even my future.

Countless questions ran through my mind, destroying any hopes of sleep that night. How did she know my name? How did she know my family? What else could she tell me about them? Where are they? When was I to get my abilities? How could she be sure I even had abilities? Why in the world would the great Lord Elwynne want me, an orphaned half-elf, whose best skill is outthinking dwarves and stealing food?

I was hopeless, for whichever path I chose I would most surely die. I was scared, because I was merely a pawn in this game, and others would move me and capture me like I was nothing. And I was suspicious about this entire mess, which I hardly knew anything about. Sleep came none to soon. Thankful for the heavy sheets, I finally drifted away in the cold night.

…THE NEXT MORNING…

I awoke to the beautiful sound of mourning doves outside my window and the crickets that were in a small cage on a vanity. The sun shone on my face, warm and gentle. I smiled at the wonder of it all. As I turned to get up out of bed, I saw that a sky blue tunic and pants were hanging beside the vanity. I never heard anyone enter my room… But temptation quickly won over caution. They were so… clean and hole-free. I went over and changed into the clothes, my fingers touching them very gingerly as I slipped on the satin. In one pocket there were sandals of the same color, and I slipped them on as well.

“Well, I see you’ve made yourself right at home,” said the cheery lady from the night before, startling me. She had entered the room so silently and I didn’t even notice. “I'm to escort you to my lord… as soon as you make yourself acceptable.”

I looked at her with questioning eyes; I thought I was already more beautiful then I had ever been before. She laughed when she saw my face and sat me down on a stool. Taking a jade comb she combed my hair and braided delicate gold threads into it. After putting rose-kissed powder on my face and eyeliner around my eyes, she said,

“Now, my dear, you are ready to see my lord.”

We passed countless servants as we trekked down the hallway. Massive statues lined the walls and I nearly ran into a marble water nymph. When we entered what I guessed was the Great Hall, I thought I was dreaming. The walls were lined with Lord Elwynne’s family line, with his mixed-breed parents above him and his grandparents and great grandparents on the walls to his side. A huge red rug covered the floor, and a fireplace the size of a warhorse on the right wall.

Lord Elwynne was in a corner by one of the many bookshelves that reached the ceiling. He looked up from his book and smiled at me, his bright purple eyes shining in the light of the fire. His hair was a dirty blonde, and his ears like mine; somewhere between a human’s and an elf’s. As he smiled he said,

“Ah, this must be our urchin. Welcome. Cassandra I’m sure has told you about yourself?”

“Yes, but she didn’t satisfy the curiosity she set in me,” I replied, a little angry. “Now I have more questions than before and a threat that says if I don’t help you in your insane plans you’ll kill me.”

“You see, my lord--” Cassandra, the lady from the previous night, started.

“No need, Cassandra,” said Lord Elwynne, his dazzling gaze turning to me. “I wish to tell her myself.”

What does he want to tell me? I wondered.

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Elwynne will explin things in the next chapter. As soon as everything has been explained, we'll get some action. Trust me! Thanks for reading!