Ria

Chapter 1 - Silver Star

"Ria, wake up."

A pair of light grey eyes met hers when she opened her eyes. Ria blinked her drowsiness away, immediately recognizing her friend Griffin.

Griffin's auburn hair was a mess, and his signature red scarf was clearly in a dire need of a wash. She noticed that his face, usually kind was pulled towards a more stern and worrying expression. With a sigh, Ria sat up from her resting spot. Which was just a blanket on top of dirt underneath an old oak tree.

"They're catching up to us." He softly said. Griffin settled down next to her and crossed his arms, leaning against the trunk of the tree. She noticed that his eyes glowed a slight blue as he surveyed their surroundings, and then settled down to their normal grey.  They have known each other since they were children, but ever since then Ria could still not get used to how his eyes glowed.

"Where are the others?" Ria asked as she patted her hair down. After weeks of running from their supposed future King, all she wanted was a break. A break from assassins, a break from prophecies, a break from war.. death. She wanted to return to their old home in the woods, where there was nothing but peace.. and food. 

Before he could answer, there was a yell as two figures fell in front of them, covered in twigs and leaves. Ria suppressed a giggle as her two friends Fallen and Wolfe tumbled with each other, yelling all sorts of obscenities at each other. It was a flurry of red and silver. They were a bit younger than her, and although they were well beyond the age of play fighting they still displayed those child like qualities. 

"Cut it out!" Ria's closest friend Fleur walked over and lightly tugged on Fallen's ears, pulling him back and ignoring his protests. Her brunette hair was styled into one braid, resting on top of her right shoulder, complimented with a silver star pin. "Can't you see we are still in hiding? This is not our woods." 

Wolfe stood up and shook the twigs from his grey-ish silver hair. Ria noticed how long it was, barely resting on his shoulders. Wolfe gave Fleur a smirk as he kneeled down and lightly poked the ground. "Well luck for you, I am an exceptional tracker. And I can certainly sense when-," He paused, looking to the side and raising a hand. 

Ria held her breath, brushing a strand of her red hair behind her ear, resting her left hand on the poorly sewn in pocket of her cloak. She barely managed to raise a finger before she heard the familiar dark sounds of a horn. She quickly stood up, yelling at Fallen to take them away to somewhere safe when Griffin spun her around.

"Wake up!" He yelled. 

Ria jolted awake. 

She wasn't there. It wasn't real. They weren't back. 

Ria took a moment to compose herself and look at her surroundings. She was in a run down room next to the village's local Tavern.  She could hear the faint sound of laughter and the sound of drunks singing tunes from the bard. Cursing lightly, she stood up and yawned, pulling her hair away from her face to look at the dirty cracked mirror above the 'complimentary sink', as the so called tavern owner said. 

She couldn't even recognize herself anymore. Her brown eyes looked lifeless, her hair looked dirty and her clothes were basically rags. She used whatever coin she had left to procure this silly excuse of a room, which in all honestly, looks like a storage room. At least it was much better than sleeping in a cave and risking the slight possibility of stumbling upon a dragon.

"Enchanted misery, O weary all!"  The drunks voice carried through the walls. Ria laughed a little, looking at herself now it's hard to believe that she was once in those songs too. 

Her laughter died away as her hand rested on the silver star shaped pin on her shirt. It was the only thing she refused to sell, for it was the last thing that reminded her that they were real. Her friends, Griffin, Wolfe, Fallen, Fleur... Leander..

They have to be alive. They have to be.

Suddenly she heard the familiar sound of hoofs and metal chain outside. Quickly, Ria grabbed her makeshift pack and pulled out her cloak. She carefully set the hood around her hair, making sure to cover it all before pulling going to her door and carefully opening it just a crack. She peered through it, noticing the familiar looking knights walking into the tavern next door. Ria took note of the black capes they had hooked to their armor, their chest plate engraved with the symbol of a black crown. 

"Xander.." She whispered to herself. Even after 2 years, the King of Celthric still refuses to let her go. 

How does he even know I'm alive?  Ria thought to herself. After the battle of Eilk, the battle where her friends disappeared.. 

Regardless, her hair makes it difficult for her to disappear. Red hair isn't common in the kingdom of Celthric. 

Ria waited until the knights entered the tavern before she stepped out and walked down the opposite way, down a dirt path. She swiped an apple from the nearby fruit stand, the merchant busy scolding a young boy to take notice. 

Xander..