The Fragile Forest

Chapter One

The perfectly orange and red sunrise was merely a shade of pale purple that morning, stained with the marvelous hues of the old queen's robes. This dawn would be the beginning of an era of suffering and death, but the people were not hopeless. The invasion of the White Castle was only the start of the extensive war, only a battle. It was true, their queen, best knight, and princess were all forced to go to a distant land and forget their memory of the kingdom of Gonala, but these people, the Gonalians, were people of great hope and faith. They believed that their rightful leaders would return and save them from this evil conqueror. For years, the Gonalians were imprisoned in the White Castle, now turned into the cold Black Castle, like the clear glass trees it was built from were dying because their true rulers were gone. The stunning glass trees slowly gained black veins and, eventually, became completely black. The Gonalians wept in their cells, hoping for a savior.

August Hunter lounged upon the dark throne with a smirk plastered on his face by a sense of victory. He had crushed his sisters and their best knight in this battle to take back what was rightfully his by birthright. The crown belonged to him, and his stupid mother and father decided to give the crown to his younger sister, because they thought she would rule more "gracefully".

Look, mother and father, how gracefully I beat her to a pulp.

August scoffed to himself and rubbed the several jeweled rings on his fingers, his pale, freckled face rosy with gladness, and brown hair shining with a shade of vivacious blonde. The only thing he wanted to know or think about was the fact that he won, this kept him from seeing the obvious. That this battle continued on for ages, in that time there were many opportunities for a Gonalian to slide out of the fortress disregarded, and that was a possibility that August should have at least acknowledged, because Gonalians are extremely smart beings (exception; August) and as soon as they could they would start trying to bring their true leaders back. And unfortunately for August, a group of Gonalian children escaped the siege.

The last free Gonalians.

"Calla!" little Elliot yelled to his older sister, blue eyes sparkling with innocence.

Calla stretched out her arm and Elliot clasped onto it, along with his brothers, Miro and Asa, for safety. Calla observed the courtyard filled with August's sentries, waiting for a chance to bolt to the exit. Bris skid over to their diminutive hiding spot with weapons and supplies stacked up to her chin. Calla tore her eyes from the courtyard to glance at her younger sister.

"Any clear exits?" Calla questioned, gathering the supplies from Bris and filling their bottomless handbags with them.

"Not by the armory, no," Bris answered, helping Asa fasten a dagger to his belt.

"The kitchen?" Calla requested as Miro picked a blade from the now lesser pile of weapons.

"Surrounded by guards," Bris stated as she attached a sword to her own belt. Calla desperately sighed. Miro scanned Bris after flourishing his sword.

"Why do you have a sword?" Miro asked, "You're a girl." Bris ignored him and presented one of the bottomless bags to Elliot. Miro's other sister answered for her.

"We're in the middle of an invasion, gender is the least important thing at the moment," said Calla, swinging a quiver full of purple feathered, poison tipped arrows over her shoulder. "Bris, I need you to create a ball of energy over there to distract the guards, Miro, Asa, sneak attack if needed. Elliot, stay close," Calla ordered.

"But what about Melody and River? We can't just leave without them," said Elliot, staring into his older sister's serious, black-brown eyes.

"We must. We have a chance to get out of here now, we have to take it. Now, Bris!" Calla's siblings looked at her with desperate eyes and trembling lips.

"But they're our cousins, they're our only other living family members and you want to..." Bris was interrupted by Calla's determined voice.

"Do it. Now, Bris," Calla ordered with a threatening glare.

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A/N: 2/19/2014

Hey I just wanted to say thank you so much to the people who are taking the time to read this! Tell me what you think is going to happen or what you think should happen, any ideas that you want me to include in this story I'd be glad to put them under consideration. Thanks again so much and I'll be back soon to continue!