The Walled City

Chapter 1

My name is Ivy Maria Fowler and here is the story of my life.

Let me start from the beginning. I was born into a loving family on the 26th August AD 953. That's right we were Vikings who had just moved to Scotland. Five years later I had a new baby brother called Ivan, however things weren't always so great. I was now blamed for everything. The only time my father spoke to me was when he shouted at me. Mother tried her best to calm him down but that resulted in him beating the both of us. Luckily I had an escape route. Whenever I went to market I met with Jim, my best and only friend. We talked about our troubles and what our next adventure would be. He cleaned up my cuts and put ice on my bruises. He was the father I never had, just a year older though.

The place we lived in was called the Walled city. Why? Well that's because it had a huge wall around it. No one could see over it, climb over it, dig underneath it or get out of it. None of the town had seen grass, trees or the sea. It was situated in the desert. Guards patrolled day and night. It was awful but I grew to live with it. The King, King Louis made these rules. We were all happy until he and his armada invaded. He has a huge house and he calls it his weekend mansion.

Let me skip forward to the 20th August AD 971. It was 6 days until my 18th birthday. However it was also the 5th anniversary of my mother's death. Their was a war against Cogden and I was on the other side of the village with a knife to my throat. I had been captured, lucky me. I tried to break free but I was weak due to my fathers beatings. I saw my mother stumbling towards me. Fire was everywhere. A big Viking man came behind her, sword raised ready to kill. I screamed to her but it was to late. My mother had been hit. I watched as the fire burned her body and the man just stood there staring at me. He looked no older than I was. He nodded and the man behind released the knife from my throat, just cutting it slightly. I gasped for breath as I ran into the fire. The heat was unbearable and the body was no more. Just a few spots of blood lay there with her necklace given to her from my grandmother. I snatched it and sprinted away. I never knew why he let me go after he killed my mother. Things were never the same after that. My father blamed me again and disowned me. Himself and Ivan lived in our house while I was forced into the attic. Ivan was raised to fear me. Father had told him not to say a word to me and that mum was no longer around due to me. However it was not just Ivan who was told to fear me. The whole village was and they did. I lived in isolation. It looked like there was no hope for me, but there was.

Every 50 years there was a contest. 4 people were given exactly one hour to collect items from trader John's ship. He did come every month but the guard collected them. This was my chance. If I was given the chance to go I would flee far far away from this terrible place and start a new life. My family or the village wouldn't care if I left. There would probably be a celebration organized by my own father. Although there was one drawback. Jim. I couldn't leave him alone, not after all these years and all he has done for me. I guess all I could do was hope he'd understand if I got chosen. The day of choosing finally came. Everyone was anxious. The first person was an 82 year old man. We all knew he would come back. The next was an 13 year old boy, the same age as Ivan. His mother was crying. I heard her tell him over and over to come back. The third was a widow who was expecting her 2nd child in 3 months. She told her sister to look after her little girl. As she lined up the little girl cried for her. It reminded me of my own mother. The last person was called up. "Ivy Fowler." I couldn't believe it, I was going to be free! I ran to Jim immediately. Before I could even get a word he said "Go Ivy. Be free but be safe." He smiled and I hugged and thanked him. I ran to line up. Every one was smiling. The horn sounded and we were off. The other 3 competitors legged it to the ship, grabbed the items and were making their way back before I had even got across the bridge to the main land. As soon as they were all in they shut the gate after 20 minutes. It was clear I was not wanted. I saw Jim's face in the crowd of blurred people celebrating. SLAM! That was it, no turning back. I sat on the grass at the waters edge. It was so soft and the ocean was so refreshingly cool. "Hey kid," I turned to see trader John at the stern of his ship. "I will give you a ride to the first land i arrive at but you have to promise to stay quiet below deck." I agreed straight away. As I came aboard his crew stared at me. He swiftly took me below deck. I asked why he was helping me and he replied "I could see the look in your eyes. It was the same look I had when I also was abandoned by my family. That has happened to you, am I correct?" I nodded a solemn yes. With that he returned to the main deck. I heard the sails raise and we were off. This was it. Finally a new start in an unfamiliar land. I couldn't contain my excitement. I jumped into the air with joy and relief but yet there was sadness. No matter how much they had ignored me or beat me i missed my father and Ivan. They were my family, so was mother. I wore her necklace every day, I never took it off. I won't ever forget them but I have to move on. I was off into the great beyond!