Arabella POV:
I walked into the kitchen and picked up my plate of steamed vegetables and slice of bread, we don't eat a lot of meat because its really expensive. So we usually save all our meat money for the winter because we make stews and soups that last for days at a time, which is nice when its snowing outside. Sitting down at the dining table I begin to eat, its potatoes, peas and carrots today.

"Thank you mother, this food is really nice." I say adding some potato into my bread and taking a bite.

"I'm glad you like it, do you have any plans for the rest of the day?" She asks me eating her own plate of food.

"Yes I have some friends coming over later around sunset, we're going into the forest. We should be back by nightfall, is that ok?" I ask her as I finish my food.

"Yes thats fine, your father won't be home until late as you know so I'll keep some food back for the both of you. Any friends I'd know?" 

"Um no you don't know them, they just moved into the area." I say lying to my mother.

She stands up then walks over to me looking deep into my eyes, she always knows if I'm telling a lie. She has like a sixth sense which tells her when someone is lying, I'm sure she knows I'm lying right now.

"Ok well don't be back too late." I guess not.

I put my plate into the sink and then walk outside deciding to spend some time in the sun, I walk over to the forest and make my way in. There is this one area here thats always drawn me into it, its a wide open area which is then surrounded by trees. looking around to check no one can see me I slip off my shoes and put them into a hollow tree, I never really like to wear shoes because they are too small for me now. I don't tell my mother though because she'll worry about not having enough money to buy me new shoes, as I walk I listen to the sounds of wildlife around me. When I reach the open area which me and some other kids called 'circle spot' when we were little I sit down and look at the clouds. I look over and notice a patch of dead grass which must have been under a log or something, looking at my hand I gulp.

"Maybe it was just a one time thing?" I ask aloud walking over to the dead grass.

Placing my hands onto the grass I focus on healing it, making the grass bright green again. Opening my eyes I notice a pale green glow coming from my hands and making the grass grow and heal, a soft smile then plays on my lips but it soon changes to fear. All children are supposed to go to the school for Mages when they begin showing signs of magic, and all children who are born with magic start showing signs of the internal power at the age of two, they then start school at five and graduate when they are in full control of their magic.

"I thought you said your mother doesn't like Mages?" A hear a voice ask.

Glancing around I notice a mop of brown hair and relax.

"Hello Caspian, I thought you weren't coming to see me until later." I say standing up trying to hide the now green grass.

"We sensed a strange magic in the area so came to investigate, come on out everyone its only Arabella." He said smiling.

Five more people came out from behind the trees, three boys and two girls. One boy had ashy blonde hair and soft brown eyes, he had on a white shirt which was tucked into a pair of brown trousers. Another boy has deep green hair and teal coloured eyes, he's dressed in a green shirt and grey trousers. The last boy looks like Caspian, with brown hair and brown eyes and he's dressed in a blue shirt and black trousers. The boys are all dressed in an identical style with shirts and work trousers, they all also have armor on the chest and arms. I guess this is a requirement for the boys in the Mage school. 

The two girls are dressed in plain dresses which come to their thighs and armor plated breast plates and knee high brown boots. One of the girls has red hair and green eyes with freckles dusting her nose, her dress is cream with a brown belt. And the last girl has blue hair and matching blue eyes, she's dressed in a green dress and I notice she has a birthmark on her shoulder in the shape of a heart.

"She's pretty Caspian, you never said that." The blonde boy says.

"Didn't I? I'm sure I mentioned her beauty at some point. Well let me introduce you to everyone Arabella, the blonde is Ronan. The boy with green hair is Marcel, and the boy with brown hair is my brother Cormac. And then the ginger girl is Melody and the girl with blue hair is Zora, and we are all students at the School for Mages." Caspian says smiling at me. "Now I thought you said you weren't a mage."

I gulp and then look at my hands.

"Well I didn't think I was, this started earlier today when I found this crystal. I found it in the lake when I was fetching water for my mother, it caught my eye and I picked it up. Thats when the magic started." I say putting my hands into my pockets.

"So you say you've never used magic before, but healing that grass was a level four spell. And you didn't say anything too." Zora says folding her arms over her chest.

"I just wanted to heal the grass and when I put my hand over it, it just happened." I say.

"What does this crystal look like?" Cormac asks me.

"I still have it with me." I say pulling the crystal from my pocket.

I hold it in my hand and the sunlight shines on it again causing a rainbow of colours to scatter themselves on the surface of my skin, Melody steps forward looking at it.

"It can't be..." She says looking at it.

"What? Mel whats going on?" Caspian asks as Melody pulls a book from her satchel.

"Give me a minute." She places her hand on the cover of the book and the pages fly open radiating to her touch, it opens to a page covered in different crystals.

"Here, its the crystal from the crest of the king. Its the golden crystal which symbolises the purest magic in all the world, I learnt about it when I was studying crystals with magical properties. Its said the crystal will grant magic to its true owner, which looks to be you Arabella." She says looking over the information on the page.

"True owner? Come on! This is just some simple country girl, not the chosen one." Ronan says looking at me with an evil glare. "Give the crystal to me." He says holding his hand out.

I gulp and then pass him the crystal, it then changes to a deep red colour and burns his hand. He cries out in pain as I reach forward and catch the gem, I look at it confused because it doesn't even feel warm.

"What the hell was that?!" He yells at me.

"I don't know! All I know is I found this crystal and strange things have been happening to me ever since, please just tell me whats going on! My mother hates Mages and if she found out I was one she'd kill me." I yell at them.

The wind begins to swirl around me causing my hair to whip around my face something is going on and its scaring me, the six mages all look at me shocked and then one of them fires a spell at me which knocks me back into a tree. The air vanishes from my lungs and I struggle to take any air in, my back is in agony and my eyes are wide in fright. Caspian walks over and begins to heal my back, I can feel my lungs begin to fill with oxygen again and I take deep breaths.

"Zora, what the hell?" He asks her shocked.

"She's clearly unstable, and you know what we're supposed to do with people who are unstable." She says sadly.

"Wh, what do you do to people who are unstable?" I ask too afraid to hear the answer.

"We are ordered to kill them." Melody says simply.

I stand up and back away from them, how can she say that so easily?!

"Its our duty, as soldiers of the kingdom." Caspian says. "But we don't believe in it so we ran away from the School for Mages, everyone is in control of their magic if they are born with it. They just make us use it constantly to make the magic stronger, so we are then used as assassins or soldiers." 

I feel the tears fill my eyes, this can't be true! The king is kind and would never do this to his people! How could Caspian say this?!

"I don't believe you! Your traitors to the king!" I yell and run off.

I run as fast as my legs can carry me and I hear Caspian calling my name but I still keep running, I keep running until I hear the sound of snapping jaws and snarling. Pausing in my place I turn around slowly and look at whats behind me, with my breath caught in my throat I notice the beast. Its a large grey wolf with deep blood red eyes, it snaps its jaw at me snarls with foam dripping from its mouth. I step back and hold my hands up in defence.

"Damn it." I mutter under my breath.

I steped back and noticed the wolf was still staring at me but its eyes were different, they seam to be staring into my very soul. With a hesitant step forward I reach out my hand, hoping that the wolf wont chop it off and then finish me off. It sniffs the air and then takes a step towards my hand, still weary of me. I notice the others come running towards me so I slowly bring one finger to my lips.

"Stay quiet." I whisper to them.

The wolf then takes another closer to me until my hands reach its fur, when you look at its fur it looks harsh and rough but up close its as soft as cotton. It gives my hand a lick obviously trusting me now and the lies down at my feet like a guard dog, sitting down on the grass I slwoly begin to stroke its fur.

"Can one of you explain why this wolf is now like a big puppy?" I ask while still keeping an eye on the wolf.

"Zora, your magic allows you to speak with animals. Try communicating with it." Caspian says looking at Zora.

She sighs but then walks over to me and the wolf, she looks deep into its crimson eyes and it looks into her blue eyes. She then stands up and has a slightly shocked look on her face turning her back to my she adresses everyone else.

"Apparently the wolf thinks she's its master, and that she is also the chosen one." She says tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"The chosen one? Like in the prophecy we were taught about in school?!" Melody asks taking a good look at me. "But she's a town girl and doesnt know magic, how is she supposed to be the chosen one?" 

"Would someone mind telling me who the chosen one is? And what it has to do with me?" I ask as the wolf licks my hand.

"Its said to be a person who was born with the purest magic in creation, this magic is the essence of life and magic power. And this person is supposed to replenish the magic in the land and rule for 100 years, thats what the legand says anyway." Caspian says looking at me. "Well we'll have to take you to see the king then."

"Wait what?!" I yell and the wold looks around for any danger. "How am I supposed to be thie chosen one! I'm just well me, and how am I supposed to rule for 100 years?!" 

I bury my face in my hands and take deep breaths, I look up and notice Ronan passes me a hankie.

"Your crying." He says bluntly.

I reach up a hand and feel the tears falling from my eyes, using the hankie I wipe my tears. I stand up and the wolf stands up with me, it stands so close to me I could be riding.

"I guess I dont have any choice then, take me to the king and he can have his crystal back. And then I'll go home, this destiny cant be mine. I'm nothing special." I state and begin to head home. "I'll tell my mother about the crystal and how I'm going to see the king, she wont like it but this one here will make her let me go." I say scratching behind the ear of the wolf. "Zora does he have a name?"

Zora looks a little shocked when I ask her but she then nods.

"His name is Lupus, named after the constellation." She says and I smile at Lupus.

"Lets get this over with then, if she wont let me go I'll tell her the whole story. She hates mages so I'm sure I won't be any different, even though I'm her daughter..." I say and they then follow me home.