Captive

Chapter One

Authors Note: Hi guys, I'm starting a second story. Please rate and comment.

It's a little short because it is the beginning chapter, the others will be longer though. I promise.

I hope you all like it! Enjoy(:

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"Sage!"

I hurried down the halls silently, trying to get away from the guards.

"Sage Opelle Adair Eris, get back here this moment!" The voice was gruff and I knew it was my father.

Who would have known being a princess would be such a horrible life. I hated it. I hated everything about it. The only thing I liked was going into town to get to know all of the people who lived there. I liked helping them too, but those were the only satisfying things of being a princess.

I had woken up early to go to the arena to fight with the men. It was kind of like a weakness I had. It helped me blow off steam and it also helped me for if I needed to get away from the guards or if I got into a bit of trouble.

I pushed out of a side door from the caste and hurried across the large land that lead towards a fence. I glanced over my shoulder to find no guards following me. I must have lost them, but I didn't know how long that would last. I swallowed and kept running until I hit the brush, moving into it to stay hidden. I moved towards a small opening in the thick fence and slipped out of it, away from the grounds and lines of the city or castle. This was no ones territory, but I'd been in it several times. I had to get away from my parents a lot and I came out here. To me, it was relatively safe. I'd never met trouble here. And the guards would never look for me here, they're all too stupid to think little Princess Sage would ever stray from the grounds.

Idiots.

I took a minute to catch my breath, lifting my arms up to tighten my blonde hair which was held in a high pony tail and kept out of my face. I blinked. I was named after the color of my eyes, which were a sage green color. My mother was fond of it, but it doesn't really make sense to me. I lifted a hand and rubbed behind my left ear, where I was tattooed. Every woman of royalty in Dane is marked with the silver swirled center and stem that ran down it. Every male had the same mark but on the bottom of their right foot. Not many had it. Obviously, since there wasn't really an abundance of royalty.

Everything had started to go down for Dane because of a neighboring country known as Trittan, who apparently thought Dane killed one of their leader’s recently, which is not true. But ever since then they've had a grudge and we've been keeping a close watch on the boundaries of Dane, wanting to keep our people safe. They also believe we invaded their land, which again, is not true, but they won't stand to listen to reasoning.

Trittan is a land where everyone was kept in line by force, unlike Dane where we were much friendlier towards our people and use words. We have meetings and counsels instead of throwing them into the dungeons, which haven’t been used here in years.

I moved forward, moving farther into the forested area where trees were pressed closely together. I was humming lightly to myself, my bare feet stepping carefully into the soft dirt and moss ground. I hadn’t really been equipped to be out in the woods. I was in a pair of dark leather pants and dark hunter green baggy shirt with loose cotton sleeves that ended just past my elbows. I had been in the middle of trying to tug my shoes on when the guards had come, so I had left them and quickly moved forward. I reached down and pressed the material of my pants, feeling my dagger still there. Good. Just in case.

I darted forward into a run, wanting to get farther into the trees and away from the castle. I leapt past tree roots, wincing every so often as I stepped on a twig, but never had a second thought about them. My body shivered when my eyes flicked along a line of shadowed trees where I had thought I’d seen something. I stopped and looked back, but nothing was there. I studied the spot carefully, my eyes narrowing. I could have sworn I had seen something. My mind must just be playing tricks on me.

I took one step forward before my body was flung upwards and I let out a scream before my head ached and everything went black.