• Princess Alirrè gazed absent mindedly out through her castle tower window and into the much needed rain as it formed miniature water droplets on the window pane. Then something caught her eye, her reflection. Alirrè was wearing a lavender gown with pale grey and black swirls down the front. In addition to the dress she also had a finely crafted circlet with black jewels, diamonds, and a silver frame.

    As she looked out the window a voice broke the serene silence.
    “P- princess,” whispered a voice from the other end of her room “we h- have a pro- problem.”

    “What is the matter?” asked the princess as she let her dress flow freely around her.
    The shadow stepped out of the darkness, into the box of light that was formed from the light outside the window, and revealed a sixteen year old girl. Her name is Yuki Utsurra, the Royal Mage.

    Yuki is almost seventeen. She has deep violet eyes and silver hair that is tied up in a ponytail that nearly reaches the floor. Adding to her natural beauty she wears a magnificent midnight black cloak with the royal crest, a Pegasus, printed on the back. Accompanying the cloak is a form-fitting silvery grey top and a black skirt fastened with a silver buckle. She shimmers like the moon’s reflection on water. Although she has an acute stuttering problem it seems to go away when reciting incantations.

    “Well M- M’lady, it’s the n- neighboring kingdom, the N- Nagara people, they are starting to s- spread into our territory. They are f- fighting with the villagers there and a- are headed to- toward the Grand Palace.” Yuki stumbled through her words.
    “That isn’t very good timing considering the royal guards have the day off.” Princess Alirrè said concerned.

    “Act- Actually the leader of the royal guard told m- me.” Yuki said looking to her left at the door, “He could never leave the palace knowing something could h-happen to y- you.”

    Alirrè smiled gently. “He can’t take a day off can he?”

    “No M- M’lady, he can’t.” said Yuki as she fiddled with her hair.

    The Royal Mage let down her ponytail and her hair fell freely over her shoulders and down to the floor. Then she tied up her hair again.

    “Where is Arron Kirrukamè now?” asked the princess.

    The door swung open. Arron, the leader of the Royal Knights, ran in with Koga Setzuga, the Royal Blade Master, not far behind.

    Arron Kirrukamè is a bit of a perfectionist. He believes in doing things right the first time. He is adorned by a red cape with the royal crest on the back, fiery red and gold armor, chest plate, and brown leather boots. With dark blue hair and grey eyes, he sticks out in a crowd.

    Koga Setzuga is five foot four inches tall at the age of twenty two. He wears a brown under shirt with a forest green leather vest. His shorts are also brown with a belt that holds a variety of knives. Koga’s brown hair is also tied up in a ponytail, like Yuki, but his has spikes that branch out and only reaches down to his back.

    “Princess, they are inside the palace walls!”

    They heard the horrid screams of murder and suffering. Voices came from the hallway.

    “We have to go now!” Arron yelled.

    “Come on princess.” Yuki said coaxing her toward the secret passageway.

    “We can’t just leave everyone to… to die” Alirrè tried to reason.

    “If we stay here, we will die” Koga said, stacking furniture against the door!

    “Please princess…” Yuki said in a low, pleading tone. “Please!”

    “Alright, let’s go.” said the princess as she picked up her dress and headed to the secret door under the oversized black rug in the middle of the floor.

    Yuki threw back the rug revealing the trap door. “Koga, you don’t need to block the door” Yuki teased as she began to recite, in an ancient language, a sealing spell. “Ankura, Narakigu, Ichino, Garakazèku!” And with that the room was covered in a box of light.

    “Sure, now you tell me!” Koga said, exhausted.

    “Come on you two!” they heard Arron’s voice coming from the passage.

    “Right” said Yuki, “we b- better go.”

    They both ran into the darkness, feeling along the walls where age old hieroglyphs were carved, trying to catch up with Princess Alirrè and Arron. When they finally did manage to find them, they were standing directly in the center of a monumental alter of some sort. Giant carvings the size of the Grand Palace gate were etched into the floor.

    “Yuki, some light?” Arron asked.

    “Y- Yes sir” Yuki replied. She began to say a fire summon, “Ingtarr, Ignatè, Fior, Elight!” An enchanting fireball appeared in Yuki’s palm.

    Yuki handed the fireball to the princess. “D- don’t worry, it can’t burn you!”

    “Thank you Yuki.” the princess said gratefully.

    The light from the fire illuminated the magnificent room. Before them they saw many elaborate engravings on the wall, floor, and ceiling.

    “Yuki, can you understand these symbols?” Koga asked.

    “No, s-sorry I ha- have no idea what th- these are.” Yuki answered honestly.

    As they explored the room further they found an enormous fountain with flowing water.

    “Captain, I can see a light. It’s just around this corner!” they heard a voice in the distance exclaim.

    The Captain replied, “Alright, send a message to the King. We have found the princess!”

    “How could they break through the– wait, I know that voice.” Arron said stepping closer to the princess. “That’s Neku Nagara, the prince of the Nagara people!”

    The prince, although handsome, does not have a personality to match. He is rude, selfish, ostentatious, and quick tempered. His flashy clothes include a skin- tight white shirt, matching pants, a blue cape with a gold lion on the back, and bleach white leather boots. People always try to please him as his sword strikes as fast as his temper.

    “Yuki, put out the fire!” urged Koga.

    The princess handed the ball of flame back to Yuki. Yuki forced her hands together and the flame went out. Now there was only darkness, the sound of the fountain, and the paced sound of soldier’s shoes on the stone floor. In fact, the footsteps grew so loud that Yuki thought if she reached out she could touch one of the soldiers.

    Then suddenly the footsteps ceased. They all held their breath of ancient, dusty air as a pair of leather boots headed their way. The boots stopped at Yuki’s position.

    The prince, in one move, thrust his hand forward onto Yuki’s throat, squeezing and lifting her off the stone floor. She struggled for breath.

    “Found you.” the prince said in his cocky voice. He threw Yuki onto the floor and commanded his three best swordsmen to execute the royal three.

    Arron Kirrukamè, Yuki Utsurra, and Koga Setzuga were all pierced through the heart on his command.

    All Princess Alirrè could see was the faint outline of her friend’s bodies as they hit the floor with an echoing thump.

    The troops ignited their torches. The pops and snaps of the torches rang in Alirrè’s ear.

    “Any last requests princess, before we smite you and take your kingdom?” Neku asked proudly.

    “All I wish is to look at my locket one last time.” Alirrè said pulling out her locket.

    The torch light danced around the locket, and now the princess could clearly see the bodies of her protectors lying on the floor in a pool of crimson blood.

    “Simple enough.” Neku said.

    Alirrè opened up her locket to look at the picture of her mother. To her surprise, when she opened the locket, a light bright enough to illuminate the entire stone room was released!

    “Hey, what sort of magic is this?” the prince asked loudly.

    “I have no idea!” the princess said amazed.

    The light began to split up and shoot into many of the soldiers, killing them on the spot. After all the soldiers were dead, the light particles gathered together and shot though the prince, obliterating him completely. Then the light split and went into the Royal three reviving them.

    Gasps for air echoed throughout the room and they all sat up wondering where they were.

    “Princess!” they all yelled.

    “Where is the prince?” Yuki asked feeling her throat.

    “Dead,” Princess Alirrè replied, “they’re all dead.”

    “Serves him right!” Koga said rubbing where the sword had pierced his skin. The mark was gone; along with the blood.

    “I failed to protect you princess” Arron said, ashamed. “I am not fit to protect you.”

    “You were outnumbered one thousand to four. We never stood a chance” Alirrè said putting his head on her lap.

    “Then how are we-?” Arron started.

    “I’ll tell you about it after we get back.” Alirrè said standing up. “Agreed?”

    “Agreed!” they all replied.

    “You don’t need to get up.” Yuki said as she tied her hair back into a ponytail. She then recited a teleportation spell.

    They all disappeared from the mysterious stone room, and appeared in the princess’ quarters.

    Thanks to the princess’ unknown powers, the kingdom was saved. And the kingdom’s treasure, the princess, lived many long years in the kingdom with her protectors… no, her friends.