A Queen's Destiny

Chapter 1

Clara ran through the village of Grossmar toward the well in the center of the town. By the time she had gotten to the well, she was breathing very hard. She was running to get away from the soldiers just arriving at the edge of the town. She had come to see a man who lived in the village. Her father had told her to never leave home unless it was absolutely necessary. Clara realized that she had been sitting at the foot of the well for too long, and pulled her wollen hood over her head so the it would cover her sharp cheekbones and piercing blue eyes. She willed her tired muscles to gather enough strength to begin running again. She ripped through the forrest, tripping over rocks and roots. As she made her way to a clearing only a mile from her home, she stopped in the shadows to see if it was safe for her to pass through the large clearing. When she stopped, she stood a moment longer to regain her breath. Once her breathing was normal again, she slowly walked out into the center of the clearing. When she was just about to reach the other side, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She froze. Slowly, she moved her hand to her sword at her side and wrapped her fingers silently around the hilt. In one swift motion, she unsheathed the sword and whirled on her opponent, only to see the terrified dark brown eyes of a young man, Tyran of Grossmar.
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"Ty!", Clara scream-whispered to the young man, "What are you doing here? I thought you were back in Grossmar?" Clara dropped her sword to the ground and ran into the open arms of the young man. She laid her head on his shoulder and began to sob.
"Why does it have to be this way? I want to be able to see you freely, not like this-so - so secretly!" Clara felt Tyran's strong arms wrap tighter around her waist as he answered in his soft but deep voice, "Clara, listen to me. You don't have to keep risking your life to come see me. We will never be able to be together by choice." Clara pulled away slightly so that she could see Tyran's face. " I will not give up on us! We will be together and happy, even if that means I have to leave my home in the cover of night. I will not let you go!" Clara choked out the last sentence as she again buried her face into the comfort of her lover's shoulder once again. He smelled of pine sap and fresh bread, but the thought of leaving him made the tears return to her eyes as he pulled her away to gaze into her beautiful blue eyes. "Clara, I love you." Clara wiped the tears from Tyran's cheeks before he leaned in to give her a kiss. When they pulled apart, Clara rested her forehead on Tyran's and whispered, " I love you too."