I Am Here

Prologue

Queen Mira Davis paced endlessly in her room at the foot of her bed, her creamy brown hair loose behind her. Her normally bright green eyes were shimmering with anxious tears, and her clothes were hardly that of a queen. She wore a simple shirt and rough pants as though she was one of the poorer, lower Elves of her kingdom. Her hands were clasped together tightly behind her back, her fingers curled around each other as if she was holding on for dear life. 

Where was he? 

A knock at the door startled Mira into a sidestep that sent her crashing onto the plush blankets of her bed. As her heart did a skippy dance in her chest, she untangled herself from the sheets relentlessly, almost throwing them off the bed. She leaped to her feet eagerly, rushing for the door. But as soon as she swung it open, her hopes were crushed. It was simply a maid with a tray of food, standing shyly in front of her. 

Why wasn't he here yet? 

Mira, taking a deep breath to compose herself, gratefully took the tray delicately with a nod of her head. The maid bowed her head and turned away, walking down the hall to continue the rest of her duties. 

How long had he been gone now? 

The food was tastless on the queen's tongue, but she forced herself to eat it anyway. Her head was beginning to pound and her hands were shaking, but she continued to eat. As she ate, a feeling that she hadn't felt since she was sixteen rushed back to her. 

When was the last time she'd seen him? 

This constricting feeling in her chest brought back many memories of when she'd first met the king. He hadn't been the royalty of the kingdom, and Mira had had no other siblings. It was her duty to marry a man into the family, but she wasn't in favor of finding simply the richest man. She wanted to marry a man she loved. She wanted to marry a man that gave her this feeling when she missed him. 

Was he feeling this feeling too, wherever he was? 

The sound of the door opening again behind her sent flurries of fright and hope shooting through her heart. She stopped herself just before she flung herself off the bed. Taking a deep breath through her nose, she turned her head toward the door and looked up, expecting to see someone taller than her. 

How long had it been since she fallen into his broad chest? 

Instead, she found her six year old daughter standing at the foot of the bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Her curly, dark brown hair was in a disarray, tangled all the way down to her hips. In her right hand was a stuffed kitten, its beady eyes staring up at Mira. 

Which birthday was it that he bought that little toy for his only child?

"Mommy," Reyna murmured groggily, letting her left hand drop and tugging the corner of her nightshirt with it. "When is Daddy coming to give me a goodnight kiss?" Her brown eyes locked with Mira's, and the queen's eyes filled again with anxious tears. 

When was he coming to give them both a loving, caring goodnight kiss? 

Mira sighed shakily and knelt down beside her daughter, brushing the tangled hair away from her cheek. "Daddy isn't home yet, honey." The constricting feeling inside her chest returned, stronger than before.

Why wasn't he home yet? 

"Why?" Reyna asked, echoing her mother's thoughts. 

When was he going to return? 

"I don't know, sweetie," Mira said, her voice almost a whisper. 

Was he hurt?

Reyna remained silent for a moment, then her small hand rested on Mira's forearm with a soothing touch. "He'll be home, Mommy."

Will he?

Mira felt a smile crawl onto her lips as she looked down at her daughter. She decided not to say "I hope you're right." and scooped her daughter up instead. She cradled Reyna in her arms for a while, then returned her to her bed. 

Wasn't that her husband's job? 

"Your Majesty," a voice to Mira's left said, and she turned to find a young male walking beside her. But he wasn't of the kingdoms. He was a foreigner, a man who lived in the towns that were scattered over Avalon. He was a Cat Owl, large animal-like people with fur and feathery wings. Instead of a nose, they had a thin, sharp beak. Their ears were large and sitting on the tops of their heads. 

How many times the king ranted about how much he enjoyed studying these creatures?

"I am a messenger from the town of Kira," said the Cat Owl, dipping his head respectfully but not fully bowing. His large pawlike hands were placed behind his back formally. Mira didn't like the grim look that he wore, as if he was about to deliver news that would take the whole kingdom down. 

Had it been only once that her outgoing husband wore a look like that, or not at all?

"Your Majesty..." the man said slowly, avoiding her eyes suddenly. "I was sent here to tell you that your husband was found a mile and a half from our borders." 

Why was he there? 

Mira blinked uncomprehendingly at the Owl for a moment until his words sunk in. Her husband was far away from here, near a town.  

Why was her husband that far? 

The town of Kira was placed in between the North and South, not the North and the East, where the king had gone to visit for the week. He was supposed to have returned by now. He was supposed to have opened her door and ran to her, letting Mira sink into his warmth. He was supposed to have chuckled wholeheartedly when she scolded him for being late. He was supposed to give her and their daughter a goodnight kiss. He was supposed to be home. 

Why was he all the way over there, near Kira? 

Mira realized that the Owl had stopped talking and was staring at her with a sympathetic and crestfallen expression. "What?" she said a little more harshly than she'd meant to. "Is there anything else you would like to tell me?" 

"Ma'am..." He hesitated, the dropped his gaze. "He's dead."

~ 

HEWWO!! 

Thank you so so much for checking out this book! 

I really hope you enjoy it! Honestly, I don't know how my mind came up with it and let me dream about it, but I'm glad it did XD. I woke up and was like "WHOA, BRO I GOTTA WRITE THIS DOWN BEFORE I FORGET IT! And now I've drawn some of the characters probably fifty times XD. 

Well, thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy it! 

Until the next ... first... chapter! 

Peace!!~~