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Prologue

It was late evening and the temperature began to drop steadily. A dark nimble figure climbed high into one of the tall oak trees and sniffed the air. The smell of a storm wafted across it's face as it kneeled in the tree, it's long silver hair tied in braid cascaded down it's back, and it's keen pale green fox eyes stared into the sunset. The slender figure clothed in a black petticoat and long jnco pants was accented by two very unusual characteristics: a long silver fox tail and wide ears. It was focused and ready for the task that lay at hand, and it could already smell the stench of blood. She gagged at the thought and waited the sundown, knowing that this would be one of the longest nights of the year.
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Sorah stared through the open gates of his hometown for he knew it might be the last time he would ever see it. As he began to walk he reached up and pinched his cat ears, which was his way to calm himself. His short brown hair moved slightly in the passing wind as his bicolored eyes of red and yellow glared in the moonlight, he pulled his hood over his head and trudged forward, one hand gripping the white robe and the other tightly clenching the dagger at his side. He breached the entrance of the Agra Forest and entered.
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Night came along with the heart thumping feeling that what she was doing was wrong. Shaking it off, she scaled the castle wall and entered the grounds, slicing stealthily through each guard she encountered and then when she reached the large double doors, she jumped on the edge and hopped from one window to another until she was at the one that held her target. Landing down quietly on the rug she crept up to the bed and unsheathed her large dagger, eyes gleaming in the blade she leaned in over the small figure and slammed in into the tiny body of the young boy. She ripped it out and watched the blood drip of the end, not noticing the tear streaming down her cheek. She then jumped down from the bedroom window and headed into the forest.
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A few miles inward he softened his grip on the dagger. After a few steps he heard a shaking of the branches from above. Crouching down into and fighting position, as she was taught,he unsheathed his dagger scanned the area for the unseen enemy. Perpiration formed on his brow as he shifted his eyes toward the shadow in the trees.
"Who’s there?!’’ he asked as he readied for battle.
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Chapter 1
She Found herself in the midst of a deep forest, all around her the smell of wet dirt and decaying compost. Yet through the thickness, the smell of bllod continued to fill her nostrils. She scaled one of the tallest trees and tried to shake the feeling that she had commited a haneous crime, but she was only doing what she was trained to do. She gagged and continued to leap from tree to tree, as a squirrel might do, trying so hard to rid herself of the terrible feeling. Suddenly, down below her, she heard a loud rustling noise followed by a few grunts. She stalled and looked down. Beneath her was a young boy, roughly around the age of sixteen, she guessed, and not very tall. He also bore the same strange ears as she, ony his were slightly different. She noted that he moved awkwardly, as if he had just learned to walk. She gave a short snigger and leapt gracefully from the tree’s welcoming branches. Standing tall and erect directly in front of him, she could sense the blood coursing through his body. ‘Amateur’ she thought to herself as she looked him up and down. He was quite handsome when you looked at him close up, but awkward non-the less, and she knew that somehow, he could help her escape. Knowing that by now as the sun crept over the horizon they would have found the body of the young prince. ‘He would make a great scapegoat’ she thought as she looked back at him.
“I dunno, it depends whose asking.” She retorted at his earlier question and gave a smirk.
"Ah!…er…’’ He stood confused and afraid as his hands began to shake. He steadied his hands and stood in a defensive stance.
"Well…if you wont tell me, ill just have to cut it out of you!’’ And he lunged at her with murderous intent, but tripped over his foot and stumbled to the ground.
"aaaahg!…I um…let me try that again heh!…’’
She burst out laughing as he fell to the dirt below. Something about him made her want to reach out and help him, because when he looked at her with dirt covering his face, she glimpsed a deep hurting and a small, wavering hope. He looked away with embarrassment. She wanted to reach out and hold him and tell him that everything would be all right, but again shook the feeling. She needed him, to use him to…use him. At that very thought something deep inside her sliced open like a fresh wound, and the feeling of the long night began to swell inside her almost ready to burst. Again shaking the feelings off trying hard not to let them take control, she stared at him.
“That wasn’t funny!” he spat as she offered her hand to help him up. He looked at her with confused eyes and accepted.
“Well, you could be useful to me anyways.” She said and then turned to face the now rising sun.
“Or maybe you would help me, I should say?” she asked and smiled sweetly. Again he looked at her confused and then nodded.
“But you still haven’t answered my ques—“
“Arroe. Arroe Kitsune. And you are?” Silence once again
"Uh...sure…ill help you…uh…Arroe…nice to meet you…im Sorah.’’ He stammered as he blushed slightly, sheathing his dagger and raising his eyebrow.
"So uh….what did you want help with again?…’’ He said as he brushed the dirt from his white robe bottom.
"Or are you just psyching me out before you kill me?’’ He barked as he took a step back as he glaring.
"So…. WHAT IS IT!’’ he clenched his dagger again.
‘‘You know…I have absolutely NO combat experience and NO fighting talent…. the only thing im mastered in is the art of healing…. so you wont gain much from killing me…Hey! Are you even LISTENING to me?’’ He yelled in a frustrated tone.
The woman Arroe was just standing there facing the sunrise as if she had not heard a word he said.
“Hey!!! I’m talking!!” he shouted and she jumped at the sound of his voice, which pulled her back to reality. What was wrong with her, why was she so worried about the little boy she had only moments before, slaughtered, and why was it that she felt drawn to this boy that she had only just met? What was it about him? She grunted and apologized, then turned back to face him as if she had heard what he was saying.
“I’m running from the castle down the road. They were holding me as a slave for the duke who asked me do…certain things. I refused and he… he…” she tried to conjure up fake tears, which consequently was no problem for her seeing as how she was already having mixed emotions welling within her. Gasping, she began to cry.
“Oh…. I’m.. I’m sorry.” He walked behind her and gently touched her shoulders, aghast, trying to comfort her. She knew this was awkward for him because he probably thought of her as the cold and distant type of person. Which, normally, she would have jumped at the chance to take advantage of someone, but she was hurting in spite of herself, what was wrong with her? She held his hand and he mumbled something.
“Here, I know a path that can get you away from here. Actually, I was heading that way myself, so I don’t mind. Ok, follow me.” He lead her to some underbrush about half a mile down the road and then he spread it open to reveal a small path connecting the brush and a deeper part of the forest.
‘‘Ah…here we go! Now we’re in business!’’ Sorah brushed passed the bushes and turned.
‘‘Hey…its this way!’’ calling her to join him.
A ways down the path they came to a break in the trees that lead to an open field.
‘’This is the Osyka Fields…it leads to the village of Adylla on the north eastern part of the country in Marleida…you know this at least right? We will pas Osyca and stop and take rest in Adylla, sound ok to you?’’ He stopped at the edge of the Agra Forest and explained the details to Arroe once more, her expression the same stony appearance as before. IN fact, you couldn’t even tell that she had broken down crying only moments before. He wasn’t sure if he could trust her or not, but he decided to chance it, for he knew nobody outside of his village Kaiga anyhow, and besides, he liked to have company around.
They walked along the field as night began to fall and the wind beginning to grow colder. If they didn’t reach Adylla by midnight they would have to stop and make camp there, for the dangers of the fields were unknown to Sorah but he knew he was ready for whatever came his way, or so he thought.
‘’Ah…it looks like we will have to make camp here…there’s no way we will reach Adylla in this dark. Are you ok with this descision miss Arroe?’’ Sorah sat down to rest his legs awaiting Arroe’s reply.

Arroe glided along the ground, then sat on one of the logs Sorah had found and stared at the glowing sky. Darkness shrouded them but the light from the stars and bright full moon gave them enough light to see each other. They sat in silence for quite sometime until finally he spoke, being careful in choosing his words.
“I… want to thank you.”
“For what?” he said staring up at the sky.
“Honestly I never would have thought that I would help someone like you.” She chuckled and mumbled to herself ‘me too.’
“It must have been hard for you.”
“Yeh…ahem… so, where were you headed anyways. I mean you don’t seem like the type who gets out much.”
“And you don’t seem like the type to break down and cry in front of a complete stranger, eh?”
“Heh, yeh.” Silence once again filled the night air until it was Sorah this time who spoke.
“It’s a long story.”
“…I’ve got time.” And then he took a deep breath and began his story.
‘‘It started when I was about 9 years old…. my parents learned combat arts so they could defend the village…my mother chose thief arts…and my father chose the healing arts… and after training for about a year they were sent to the front lines of a battle defending our village. Afterward, everyone paraded the streets as the warriors returned… but my parents weren’t among them, and no one among the combatants nor the villagers would speak of it-especially to me. So about a month ago the village leader summoned me and told me that my parents were still alive…but if I didn’t set out to find and rescue them they would die a cruel and mysterious death and that nobody would ever find their bodies…so then I trained for a few months and set out because I didn’t feel I had the time to just be sitting around training while my parents are out there somewhere…but I…’’ He paused for a second and whipped the tears from his eyes.
‘’…But I found out before I left that it was too late, that they had already been executed. However, two of my old friends that I thought had died, were also captured and were still alive…so I set out anyway to find and save them. I mean, I might not be the best fighter there ever was but I do have a little skill… very little… and so I decided to leave, and shortly after, I met you. So you see, you were right about one thing, I haven’t been outside of my village long. I mean, this is really my first time outside my village and my first time to see true combat…so I only ask you be patient with me. I will learn to control my skills and I’m sorry that I was so hesitant and ignorant the first time we met…. so…what’s your story Arroe?" Sorah stopped talking and moved his eyes from the night sky to her…she had such stunning beauty.
‘’I mean… why does such a beautiful girl like you seem so cold and distant? Not to come off as rude or anything but, I really wouldn’t expect a girl like you to have such fighting experience… you know what I mean Arroe?’’ Sorah tossed her his water pouch and waited to hear her tale.

She was silent for some time and the sound of her breathing accentuated by the soft moaning of the crickets and nighttime creatures filled his ears as she sat pondering all that he had told her, and she knew that somehow she had to tell him the truth. But something inside her kept her from saying all that she wanted. It was so odd the connection she felt with this young boy whom she had only known for less than a day.
“Arroe..?” His voice woke her from her thoughts as she looked up at him.
“Well… I..” she heaved a sigh and spoke slow and monotonous.
“I was five when my mother found me. She told me that the only thing that was left with me was an old basket and a tag that just said my name: Arroe. After that she raised me as her own. But a few years ago, when the war started, she was busy bringing food to my best friend Clausse’s family, after finding out that he had been killed in battle. I couldn’t bear to face them, so I decided to stay home. See, we lived in a small cottage a couple of miles outside the village that was very well hidden by woods. Anyways, the enemy attacked the village and killed everyone….I was oblivious of what happened. But when my mother didn’t return home I began to get worried. So I went to town to look for her and what I found…” Her throat began to tighten just a little. She hadn’t ever talked with anyone about this before and it felt somewhat liberating and horrifying at the same time. She gripped her fists but said nothing. Sorah just sat there and listened to the silent whispers of the night accented by her soft breathing. After some time, He spoke strong and compassionately.
“It’s okay… you can finish later. It’s getting late anyhow.” She nodded in agreement and they both lay down without another word. She lay there and didn’t sleep for some time until finally she succumbed to slumber’s call, her dreams falling back on the memories of her past that had haunted her for so long.


It was dawn when she awoke to the smell of roasted deer and eggs. It had been a long time since she had either and her stomach grumbled with anticipation and hunger. She sat up and stretched and shook her fox-like ears, and her long braid draped over her shoulder.
“Mmmm…that smells delicious.”
“Oh, your finally up.” She smiled and gave a long yawn while he pulled of a piece of meat and handed it to her.
“Ya hungry?” She nodded and snatched the meat from his hand and began to eat.
“Mih dihdn’t knhow yhoo chould chook.” She said through a mouthful of meat.
“Yeh. Knowing how to cook is part of the healer’s trade. It has to do with the whole alchemy and medicines and stuff. So naturally, Healers are good cooks.” She gave a hard swallow and nodded. Now that she could see him in full light, she noticed his different eye color, which made him look quite handsome, or what most girls call anyway. She smiled and gave a soft giggle.
“What?” he said cocking an eyebrow.
“Nothing.”
“No, c’mon, what is it?” she sat for a moment contemplating if whether or not she should tell him, but shrugged and then got up and stretched.
“We should hurry and get ready to leave, because they would have already started looking for me and—“ a loud thundering noise cut her off. Far off in the distance she could see a cloud of dust heading their way, and the thundering noise continued to grow louder. Immediately Arroe’s heart began to race as she quickly slipped the dagger, which had been hidden in her sleeve and was wrapped in cloth and covered in dried blood, into Sorah’s back pocket, unknowingly. The cloud was nearly on top of them now.
“What is that?” He asked turning back to look at her. He blinked several times before realizing what had happened. Arroe was gone. She was gone, disappeared. His heart began sunk and then began to drum in his chest as the dust cloud thinned and pulled to a halt, surrounding him. Several men dressed in blue and black suites dismounted their ebony horses and drew their swords from their sheathes causing a loud, simultaneous ‘SHINK!’ Each of them looked identical, all with strait hair that was slicked back and their suites were accented by black cloaks that hung around their necks attached by a blue and black brooch shaped like an ‘x’. With nearly a dozen swords pointed at his chest, Sorah just stood there, gawking, at a loss for words. Suddenly, the circle parted but the guards still held their swords at fighting stance, keeping a wary eye on him. A larger, burly man strode into the semi-circle on a glorious white horse, right up to sorah. He was wearing almost the same exact outfit as the other men around him except he wore golden gauntlets and his outfit was trimmed in gold, and his horse’s reigns were made of gold as well. ‘Clearly he is a royal.’ Thought sorah as the man dismounted and, still holding on to his horse’s reigns, stood in front of him, his eyes burying into his. Sorah noted that even they were golden as well, which only confirmed his prediction.
“All hail Prince Sephir!” shouted one of the guards whom sorah noted to be a general of some sort due to his many badges. And following his words, a simultaneous blast of
“All hail Prince Sephir!” echoed through the stale air. The burly man, who clearly was the one they were addressing, nodded and then turned his attention back to Sorah.
There was silence for a moment and then he spoke, his voice deep and commanding.
“Your name, worm.” Sorah only stood there, mouth gaping, dumbstruck.
“I said your name!” he bellowed and, Sorah jumping at his voice stammered his name.
“S-Sorah, sir.” He looked rather small against the towering beast of a man as he spoke.
“Yes… Sorah.” The man cocked his eye and had to bend down low just to look straight at him.
“Your eyes are… quite interesting, master sorah. I’m afraid I’ve never seen anyone with that breed of eye assortment anywhere in Marleida. So I am to assume that you are not from here, correct?” he was wrong of course, but the man’s voice began to contract a sort of menacing tone to it anyhow. He gave a slight nod to the man who wore all the badges. Approaching Sorah from behind he began to pat his arms up and down his body, stopping when he reached a bulge in one of Sorah’s back pockets and pulled out a heavy item that was wrapped in cloth. Right away Sorah recognized it and so did the rest as they examined the now unwrapped dagger covered in desiccated blood. All of their faces turned sour and the prince only frowned at him.
“This is the notorious assassin whom has slain our beloved King to be?” he scoffed. “Hah! Preposterous! He can barley stand on his own to feet, let alone kill twenty of my men without being seen or heard, not to mention climb twenty stories and then execute the young prince without even so much as a hair to trace him?”
“Sir?” the man with the badges asked, confused. For him, the dagger was proof enough, and he had enough experience in combat to know never underestimate the most unlikely warrior.
“Yes, general. He does possess the instrument of cruelty, no doubt. But there is something that does not sit right with me, something doesn’t fit…” The prince was no fool, to be sure, but somehow he knew this wasn’t their man. But it didn’t matter to him now because the young prince was gone, and he was now the future successor of the throne. He stood there momentarily staring off into the long field searching for the real killer. He knew he was out there, and knew that they knew his secret. No matter, he would have to thank them before taking their pathetic life. Before speaking, he drew in a deep breath and sneered.
“Anyhow, he has completed the task and that is all that matters now. Take him the dungeon, we’ll schedule his execution at another time.”
“Ah!! Wait I never—“
“SILENCE!” The man known as the general slapped Sorah with the back of his hand, nearly knocking him to the ground.
“You will NEVER address his majesty without permission, you Slime!!” A little disoriented, Sorah struggled to regain his balance as three guards bound and gagged him and then dragged him off behind one of the horses, tying him to it.

Not too far off, hidden in the tall grasses of the field lingered Arroe, her tall ears perked up just enough for her to have heard everything that had taken place. Inside, her stomach churned at the thought of those men touching Sorah at the least but let alone killing him. However, at the same time her brain told her not to worry, that she was fine, and that she did what she had to do to survive, right? ‘I mean, that’s what it’s all about is survival, right?’ She began to feel light headed and when the coast was clear, she stood up and vomited.
“Get a Grip Arroe! You can’t go after them because he’ll know it was you who did it. He’ll know it was you! You have to leave, you have to go...you’re free! Don’t worry about him, he probably would have died out here anyways.” she swung her long silver braid in front of her face and began to chew on it, her way of calming herself. She didn’t feel free at all, she felt scared for him and wanted to just walk up to those guards and give them a good old-fashioned whooping. But she had gotten him into this predicament in the first place. Feeling queasy again at the thought of what they would do to him, she bent over and held her stomach. The battle between her head and her heart was taking a toll on her severely, and so she lay down in the tall grasses, clutching her abdomen. Why was she so worried In the first place? This was her original plan if they were caught, wasn’t it?
“Ooooh…” she moaned as her stomach continued to do flips, then pain began shooting through like her sharp needles. She let out a soft whimper and knew that something was very wrong, and she didn’t think it was the thought of Sorah being tortured by those men, although that only enhanced it. She was sick, and as her vision began to haze over from the tears in her eyes and the sudden lethargy, she noted a figure standing over her, leering, then all went black.


CHAPTER 2




In a large room at the end of one of the palace corridors stood an ominous figure. His tall, burley silhouette etched against one of the walls was nothing compared to the beast that invisibly affixed himself to Prince Sephir. It’s large, leathery wings draped behind it like a cape, and it’s gargoyle-like face drooling maliciously, controlling the puppet beneath him.
“Sir…”
“Yes, captain?”
“What about the boy?”
“… We’ll deal with him later. For now, just carry out the orders I have given you.”
“Sir, yes sir.” The captain exited the room, followed by two more unseen gargoyle-like creatures. The prince stood there leering at the documents in his hands and then threw them into the fireplace, laughing. Suddenly, something caught the corner of his eye and he turned to see a young girl standing in the corner of the room.
“Alice! How did you get in here?” he stated, his voice filled with agitation. She shrugged her tiny shoulders at him and smiled sweetly.
“What are you doing, Lucius?” she asked and hoped up on to one of the large table chairs
embroidered with brass.
“I thought I told you never to call me by that name. It’s prince Sephir!” he snapped, but again she shrugged and gave a light giggle.
“I know, I know. I just like to see you when your get mad because you get this funny little—“
“Enough! What do you want?” He roared and turned his back towards her. Even though she was his younger sister, he hated her more than anyone in the palace or, for that matter, the whole kingdom.
‘When I become king…’ he thought, ‘she’ll be the first to go.’ There was just something about her that made his skin crawl and blood boil. Maybe it was her disgustingly sweet smile, or maybe it was the way her blonde curls bounced when she walked, or maybe it was the way she seemed to get everything she wanted, including the next line of heir for the throne, even though HE was the oldest. Whatever the reason, he hated her, and would give nearly anything to watch her suffer.
“Oh nothing really. I was just thinking about that cute little boy you brought in from your hunt. Everyone is saying that he is the killer… Is this true, hmm?” The prince shook his head and heaved another sigh of annoyance mixed with a many other pool of emotions.
“Yes! Why do you care?”
“Well because…because he was my brother too. And I want to look upon the eyes of the
man who slaughtered our brother before I witness his untimely execution. So, I was wondering if you would grant me access to the dungeon so that I too, may speak with him, to find some closure on dear Henry’s death.”
Lucius was silent for a moment then grinned malevolently at her, as a horrible thought began to form in his mind.
“Yes…I suppose you may. Go and retrieve Captain Marnim and tell him to see me before he escorts you down there, alright.” She gracefully got down from her chair and smiled.
“Alright. Thank you prince Sephir, thank you.” Then she was gone. Turning to face a large mirror hanging on the wall of the left side of the room, the prince and the gargoyle-like creature stared into its depths. Then when the door behind them opened and the captain along with the other two creatures entered, the prince and the large creature spoke simultaneously.
“I have another very important mission for you.”
“Sir?” they all retorted and then came closer to their leaders at their command. The two then began to whisper into the captain’s ears.



Arroe awoke, her vision impaired and her hearing distorted. The last thing she could remember was Sorah and the horsemen and what she had done to him. Gasping, she shot up from her bed and began to cry. From somewhere in the distance she could hear
The muffled utterances of someone and then she felt strong and comforting hands touch her shoulders, beckoning her to lie back down. Not having much strength to argue, she complied and then fell back into a deep sleep.
The next time she awoke, her vision was clearer and her hearing sharper than ever before. Something was wrapped around her waist as she pulled up the sheets to see bandages wound about her, and then she noted the terrible pain in her abdomen.
“Ooooh…” she moaned and lay back down.
“OH! Careful child. Your wounds aren’t healed fully.” The same voice from before was clearer now and much more comforting than she could remember. Standing over her was the colossal form of a man. He reminded her of a gallant prince somewhat like the one in the fairly tales her mother used to tell her about, except his face was very kind and wrought with what seemed to her, a incalculable amount of wisdom. He spoke again and this time she thought she could almost hear the sound of the morning lark ringing from his voice, meshed with the roar of the fiercest lion. Taken aback, she gasped and stopped breathing only just so she could listen to him speak.
“It is alright.” He said and smiled tenderly.
“I will not hurt you. My name is Joshua, and these are my woods… I have been tending to your wounds for nearly and week now.” He said all this while checking her bandages around her waist and head. A week. Could it really have been that long?
“A week, you say?” And he nodded.
“I found you deep in he middle of the woods, not too far from here. You had been beaten and robbed, all your garments stripped and taken and weapons as well. Fortunately, I found the man who had done this to you, and well… let us just say that he won’t be doing anything for quite some time.” Suddenly, her memory came flooding back. The man in the black mask, the icy touch of his perverted hands, the sting of his repulsive blade, and the malice in his eyes. She shivered.
“You…saved me?”
“Yes.” He said casually. Inside, she felt the walls of her heart crumble and fall. And the ball of emotions that had been welling up inside her exploded and she fell on her sheets and wept. Gently, he placed his massive hand on her shoulder and just held it there, not saying a word. She had felt so vulnerable. How could she let her guard down, and how was it that she was the one who needed rescuing. The keen warrior she had once been and trained to be was gone, and was replaced by this little girl who felt lost and alone and so very vulnerable. She knew she was unraveling right before this complete stranger's eyes, and yet… she didn’t care.



The pain in Sorah’s arms spread from his fingertips down to the middle of his armpits,
then to his shoulders and finally his torso. Heaving a sigh of frustration mixed with pain, he began to go over the series of events that had taken place in the last seven days.
“Let’s see.” He said aloud.
“Leaving the village to find two friends who may not even be alive is one. Meeting that treacherous snake of woman is two. Getting framed and arrested for murder that I didn’t even commit is three. Being dragged over endless upon endless harsh terrain getting battered and bruised is four. Getting locked in a dark dungeon and having my hands and feet shackled to a wall where I can’t move is five. All and all I’d say I’ve had a pretty busy week, wouldn’t you agree?” he flopped his head to one side and looked over
at the skeletal remains of an old prisoner giving it a sardonic smile.
“So… how’s prison life treatin ya?” he mocked and then looked up at the dark, moldy ceiling and heaved another desperate sigh. As he was just about to drift into sleep, a loud scraping noise followed by the jingling of keys reverberated throughout the dungeon.
He sucked air in sharply and gave a loud moan. “Hey guard! Guard!…what can I do to get some food he—ere?” Coming down the stairs was the last thing Sorah had expected
To see, however. A small girl clothed in a simple yet elegant blue gown descended down into the dank dungeon and straight towards him.
“Calm yourself, boy. You will receive when they bring it to you.” Sorah scoffed. ‘Well that’s a relief.’ He thought.
“Who are you?” he snapped now staring into the face of a young girl with golden eyes that accented her hair, she wore blue linen robes with a light purple sash tied around her waist.