Everything is completely and utterly wrong. My father, Lord of the Meadows, is planning a revolt against King Liam. He wants the crown and he wants justice for the conquest one hundred years ago.

The Eiades family has never forgiven the Classan family because of our forced surrender. That resentment has carried throughout the centuries.

One hundred years ago was a period of time known as The Great Unitarion. It's a pretty name for a bloody era. Tomolacos Classan decided he wasn't content ruling one of the five regions as so waged war. Ageis Heartsgrove provided weapons and joined Tomolacos's ranks. A lack of cultural difference and no skill in warfare lead to the defeat of the three remaining regions: Valley, Plains, and Meadow. Eiades was the last House to bend the knee to Tomolacos Classan.

Now Lord Tyler, my father, wants to break into the castle and murder the royal family. My younger brother, Tanner, is happy to go along with him. He'll be Lord, but I'll be forgotten. Actually, I am forgotten. King Liam is awful, but to attempt to usurp the throne will have us all killed. There are smarter ways. It would also be incredibly disloyal and dishonorable.

I look out of the carriage window and watch the many familiar herbs and flowers are left behind. I'll miss playing with medical herbs and flowers. I'll miss studying my neighbors, wondering which of them were spies or spies-in-training. I'll especially miss the secluded woods where I experiment with my powers.

"Cedar," my mother says, timidly, terrified as always. "your hands are sparking."

I look down to realize she's right. Tiny, yellow sparks crackle between my fingers. I will them to stop. I don't want to burn the carriage to the ground.

If only I didn't have fire magic. Then Father and Mother wouldn't be scared of me. Perhaps then I could convince them that this is a foolish plan.

Sadly, I'm forgotten and feared. Nobody could ever listen to me.

*Time Skip*

The royal family was fathered, waiting for us. The children were lined up by age. As the King and my father exchange forces pleasantries, I look at the members of the King's Guard. How many of these men will die tonight? How many innocent men will die to protect the royal family? In particular, I notice a man of twenty years with dark black curls and dark brown eyes. Would he die?

I can't allow this. Tonight when everything happens, I'll save somebody. I trail over all the royal children. I see tiny Princess Aliyah. She doesn't deserve to die tonight. Only King Liam could.

I will save her.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Guard duty gets dull. At least, James is here to make conversation, but it mostly consists of staring at a stone wall.

Behind the door, Princess Aliyah sleeps watched over by her maid. The little Princess had been so speak with me for a moment when entering or exiting her room.

"Looks like it's going to be a dull night," James says to me after three hours of staring at a wall.

"We can only hope," I reply. "Either way, it's only two hours until shift change."

"Huzzah! We can sleep at last!" James says, sarcastically.

I chuckle, "If you call shifting around on straw mattresses for five hours sleeping, that is."

The barracks are crowded with the knights of the King's Guard, but we all get straw mattresses to sleep on. However, the straw is scratchy and the longest time you are able to stay asleep is around six hours. You spend the night shift guarding either the city or the family and toss and turn in the bed for the rest of the time.

Just then, I hear shouts coming from down the hall. James and I both unsheathed our swords. A girl comes rushing in, looking panicked. She's near eighteen years.

"Lady Cedar," I say, not lowering my sword. "What's happening?"

I recognize her from earlier today. Lady Cedar is the eldest of Lord Tyler Eiades's children. Her younger brother, Tanner, will one day rule the Meadows according to James.

James also said there was a rumor that Cedar had been cursed with magic powers and kills anybody who opposes her.

But I didn't know this when I first saw her. I thought she has a unearthly beauty. Her hair is brown like the ground and long and wavey. Her frame is thin and willowy. Her eyes are yellow like the gold back in the Athia Mountains.

"Sers, you have to save Princess Aliyah!" She insists. "There's been a mutiny. Betrayal. You have to get Aliyah out! She'll be killed otherwise."

We hear raised voices from out of sight and the clashing of swords.

"Who's betraying the crown?" Ser James demands.

"My family, Ser," she replies.

"How can we trust you?"

"You simply have to! Please! Just save Princess Aliyah!" She pleads.

"James, I'm going to trust her," I say, deciding. "Guard my back. I'll wake Aliyah."

"If this is a trick?"

"I'll accept full responsibility for the consequences. Now hurry."

James nods and heads to the end of the hall.

"And I, Ser?" Cedar asks, determination in her gaze.

"I'm not a knight, my Lady. Once I have Princess Aliyah, lead us out the safest path. You should know where your father's men are not."

"Will do."

With that, I open Aliyah's door. Her maid stirs, and rises from her pallet near the Princess's bed.

"Ser?" The maid questions. She's young; barely twenty-five years. Her hair is long and braided in the traditional maid's style. Black haired and blue-eyed, and very likely to die tonight.

"The castle has been breeched," I tell her. "You must leave. Go to the safe houses where the others shall be hiding. You have to be quick."

"Her highness," the maid says, stepping toward the sleeping Princess.

"I'll protect her," I tell the maid. "I swear on my sword, I will protect Princess Aliyah until my blood runs cold."

"Yes, Ser," the maid says. "Careful with her Highness. She does not appreciate being awoken. You'll have to find a way to keep her quiet."

"Don't worry," I assure the maid. "You must leave."

"Yes, Ser," the maid scurries away as I told her to.

I sheath my sword, not wishing to scare Princess Aliyah. I then kneel next to her bed and gently shake her. "Your Highness, you must wake up!"

She stirs, but refuses to open her eyes.

I pull back her covers, "Your Highness, it is not safe. You have to wake up."

Once more the little girl stirs. She curls up, her thin nightdress not enough to keep her warm. I'm going to have to be harsher.

I shake her harder. "Princess Aliyah, you have to wake up. There are enemies in the castle."

That wakes her up. Her almond-shaped, blue eyes are wide with terror. She whispers, "Are they going to kill us?"

"No, your father's King's Guard will protect your family, Princess," I tell her. "I'm here to take you someplace safe until the enemies are dead."

The young girl nods. "What m-must I do?"

"You have to stay silent," I tell her. "I'm going to sneak you out of the castle. Nobody can know you are with me."

She nods again, her blonde curls bouncing with her movement.

"I'm going to carry you now, your Highness."

"Okay," she whispers, and raises her arms. I scoop her up and hide her tiny body against my side. I reposition my Cloak to better hide her tiny body.

"Don't be scared, your Highness," I try to reassure her. "Your father will live."

"I am not frightened," she replies. "You are protecting me. But if Father lives, he'll hurt more people...."

"That is a problem for later, Princess. We must hurry now."

We exit the room where Cedar waits uneasily. Ser James is nowhere to be found.

"What happened to Ser James?" I demand.

"He's in the fray. He's trying to buy us more time. We must hurry."

"Lead the way."

Cedar takes off down the opposite direction. Before long she's broken off from the corridor we've been following.

"Where are we going?"

"The stables. Father only left around ten guards there. You and I could take them."

"How? You don't have a sword." I tell her, trying to pretend I never heard the rumor. I'd hate for her to get annoyed with me.

"I don't need a blade."

We reach the stables wth ease. Cedar Eiades has led us through the back half of the castle, where all the other knights would be fighting out front. Ten men in armor, with the sigil of House Eiades on them, are laughing and telling jokes to each other.

They spot Cedar. They chortle before one speaks up, "Cedar, little child. We knew you'd betray your Lord father. Step aside now, child. Don't make me kill you."

Princess Aliyah curls closer to my side. I shift her towards my back. Harder to strike her back there. Cedar stands tall, slightly abashed, but unafraid.

"Ser Aaron, I beg of you," Cedar pleads with the knight who'd spoken. "I do not wish to fight you. Lay down your swords and let us pass."

"Not going to happen, Cedar," the knight draws his sword. "You've made your choice. Take them!"

I draw my sword and move to Cedar's side.

Cedar open her fist and yellow sparks crackle across her hands. I hold my sword in front of me, glaring at the men in front of us.

Cedar strikes first, speeding away from the sword and close to his face. The instant her hand makes contact with his skin he yells out. Where Cedar's hand had been were bright red blisters. Cedar then grabs him around the neck and burns him again.

He collapses to the ground.

Then the guards start swinging at me. I slash and cut at each guard. I send them down one after another, all the while keeping Princess Aliyah behind Cedar and I. So long as nobody reaches my back, nobody can kill her.

Once everyone is either burned or bleeding, I wipe the blade of my sword on the person closest to me. I then sheath the sword and move Aliyah back in front of me. She clings onto me, shaking slightly.

We enter the stables to find Midnight still there. "That stallion's mine. We'll take him out of here."

I hand Aliyah to Cedar and climb on. I then take Princess Aliyah and set her in front of me. Cedar pulls herself up and grabs around my waist to keep from falling. I show Aliyah where to hold in and then we're riding. We're headed for the bridge. Beyond that is undetermined.

What did I get myself into?