Monster Rancher

The Then...

Cassandra Fate Starshield... That's me. Born the youngest daughter of the king's little brother, I had big dreams of becoming a famous adventurer. But I was my father's daughter, and that life would never be for me. One day, I would be nothing more than some noblemen's token bride in a political power play that I would have no say in. Such was the fate of nobility. Especially the daughters of nobility.

But even that hated, but comfortable life had been taken from me. Some say it was planned by an enemy of my fathers, after all, he had many. While most thought it merely a tragic accident. It was a real shame that the little princess had been mauled by a monster on her way home from a tea date with her cousins. So sad.

I had been hurt, bad. Like almost died, barely made it, prepare the little coffin, bad. But, despite the predictions of the healers, I made it though.

The scars across my abdomen were bad enough for a young lady of high society, but I am afraid the goblin's did far worse to me that day than just leave something for a future husband to be shamed of. The healers told my father that I would live, but I would never be able to have children.

And just like that, at nine years old, I had had my first near death experience, as well as my very first horrid turn in life. After all, what good was a fourth born daughter of a Duke who could not even produce an heir for what ever man said Duke found for me. I was now, all but useless, to my family.

I lived as if I were a ghost in my family estate for the next five years. I was hardly spoken to on any given day, especially by my family. And the servants had nothing but pitying looks to shoot my way. I spent the days with my nose in books, soaking in what ever I could learn.

At least I had magic to take my mind off things, though, even in that I was not up to par. But at least I could do something. Magic became my life line in those years, and I absorbed as much knowledge as I could from my family's extensive library.

My only hope was that my father might let me go to the Gallesta Academy of Magic. It was the single greatest school in the nation for those wishing to study the arcane arts. the only way in is to be of high status, or to get in via a scholarship recommended by a person of high status. If only I could go there, then I would at least be out of my families way, and could spend the next few years hidden in books and magic.

But, apparently that had not been in my father's plans. I had under estimated just how much my uselessness had been angering my father. Nor had I know just how much he had been relying on the political connections and alliances he would have made from my future husband.

At fourteen years old, I was about due to make my debut in society. It was about time that my father would be arranging my marriage. But that was useless now. No man wants a wife who can not even produce an heir. And just as bad as all that was that other nobles would know that I was a useless, disappointment of a child, forever destined to be a drain and stain on his image.

I had underestimated all of that.

And so, on a fairly warm, fall afternoon, my father approached me. It had been so long that I was shocked, and even a little excited. Maybe this could be my chance to plea to be sent to the academy. I even planed the whole conversation out in my head.

But it had not been a nice, father daughter chat that he had wanted, on the afternoon walk around the Celestial Lake...

This lake was located on the Gallesta palace grounds, and only nobility or members of the church may approach it. Our home was one of the many mansions located around this lake, near the palace where my uncle, the king, lived.

It was not uncommon to find nobles and royals walking around the place, as it was beautiful. But you had to be warry, because as beautiful as it is, it is also deadly. The water was so spiritually charged that even touching it is exceedingly painful, and potentially deadly.