A/N = authors note
Are prefaced by this A/N, and are always in bold.
Y/N = your name.
L/N = last name.
Y/F/C = your favorite color.
E/C = your eye color.
H/C = your hair color.
H/L = your hair length.
If it is in italic, it means that it is a thought, a memory, or occasionally a dream. Use context and common sense to figure out which it is.
"Spoken words."
Important words.
"Projected words."
"YELLED WORDS."
I shall write in anything else you need to know, as it comes along.
Until next time I'll see you on the other side
~J. C. Coltt.~
. . .
Once upon a time, in the tiny mountainous kingdom of Vascini there lived a beautiful maiden by the name of Y/N. It was not just her physical beauty that set her apart from the rest, but those who knew her came to realize that she had a heart of gold. Over time it would become the greatest ambition of the most powerful man in the country to possess her heart of gold as his own, but this story began before he even knew that she existed.
On a warm day in late spring on which this story began, Y/N could be found chopping wood outside, in the overgrown backyard of her family's neglected manor house. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead as she finished chopping the last of the wood.
The H/C girl scooped the firewood into the apron she had tied over her shabby beige dress and carried it back into the kitchen with her. With its windows that overlooked the back garden and the henhouse behind the manor, and the cheerful fireplace the kitchen was easily the most inviting room to Y/N.
As Y/N set to work preparing lunch for the other members of her family, she couldn't help but think about the time when she was treated like family by someone. Her mother had died in childbirth, and her father never showed a hint of affection for his daughter.
The only person who showed Y/N any love was her grandmother. The kind old lady had protected Y/N form the wrath of her father, and taught Y/N to be a kind and generous person, saying that those virtues would reap their own rewards.
Y/N had been broken by grief when her grandmother died, after that, there was no one there to protect her from her cruel family. The last words her grandmother spoke to her were simple, "no matter what, don't lose your kindness Y/N, rocky soil yields the most beautiful and resilient flowers after all."
The old woman gave her granddaughter a dainty bracelet with a single butterfly on it made of pure gold. "I want you to keep this bracelet Y/N. It is thanks to it that I found true love, take good care of it and I am sure that it will bring you true love as well."
Y/N felt so alone after her grandmother died, even though the manor was full of other members of the family. Y/N's father had remarried shortly after the death of his Y/N's mother. His new wife was a wealthy widow by the name of Lorona who had two daughters around Y/N's age named Clorinda and Tisba.
At first, Y/N was excited to have a new mother and stepsisters, hoping that the presence of the new ladies would make her father treat her better, but the opposite happened. Soon after the wedding, Y/N's father became even crueler to her than before, and both her new stepmother and her stepsisters did nothing to prevent the mistreatment of Y/N.
The H/C girl was eventually forced to become a servant to the rest of the family and spent her days trying to take care of the decaying manor all by herself. Her father had fired first all of the male staff immediately after the wedding and shortly after that all of the female staff as well. Leaving poor Y/N to try and maintain the manor house all alone.
Y/N couldn't help but sigh sadly as she finished preparing lunch for the rest of the family. She plated it and brought it out to the parlor, before continuing to do her chores for the rest of the day.
. . .
Y/N awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of someone pounding on the front door of the house. She sat up from the small pile of blankets next to the hearth that she slept in and got to her feet.
The stone floor of the kitchen felt cold against her bare feet as she moved around the kitchen. Once she had a matchbox in hand she lit a small candle and the room was suddenly filled with warm, flickering light.
She jumped as the deep, dong of the giant clock that stood in the square across from the castle on the other side of the city struck midnight. As soon as the old clocktower fell silent the knocking on the front door continued.
Y/N felt fear rise in her throat at the thought of who could possibly be knocking on the door at such a late hour. She wanted nothing more than to curl up and go back to sleep, but she knew her father would severely punish her if he was awoken by the person knocking.
Without any other choices, Y/N tightened her grip on the lit candle and walked through the door that led from the kitchen into the main house.
The rain was lashing against tall windows as Y/N walked through the darkened rooms of the house.
The wind was howling like a pack of hungry wolves as she reached the entrance hall. It was by far the darkest room that she had walked through, with only the two slim windows on either side of the menacing front door letting in thin strips of light.
The banging continued and Y/N gathered up all of her courage and reached out to unlatch the doors. They swung inward with a deep grown, revealing the figure of a man in a traveling cloak standing on the front step, his hand that had been using the door knocker still raised.
Y/N said with a boldness that she did not actually possess, "What are you doing banging on this door in the middle of the night sir? You will raise the dead from there graves, and more importantly, you will wake my master, and he would have both our heads if his sleep was to be disturbed."
The rain-soaked man let out a merry laugh that did not seem to fit his intimidating appearance at all. He turned to face Y/N, and even though she could not see his features because of his hood, she could feel that he was smiling.
"Forgive me, fair lady," the man said, bowing his head. "I am sorry for waking you at such a late hour, but my carriage broke down on the road, and this manor house is the only building around. I was wondering if I could trouble you for shelter for the night? I promise that as soon as this storm clears I will be able to fix my carriage and be in my way."
Y/N considered it for a moment before she stepped aside, allowing the stranger to come inside. "You will have to stay in the servants quarters and be quiet as you go, the master of the house does not like visitors of any sort."
"Thank you," the man said as he followed Y/N through the house, leaving a small trail of dripping water from his cloak that Y/N would need to mop up before the other members of the family noticed.
Once the pair reached the kitchen Y/N bent down and started a small fire in the fireplace. Taking the kettle from where it hung from a hook on the ceiling, she placed it on a rack above the fire to begin making tea for the stranger.
She turned around to see that the man had discarded his water-logged cloak and hung it over a chair in the kitchen to dry. For the first time, Y/N got a good look at his face, and he was handsome that was sure.
Now that his shoulders were no longer stooped against the storm outside, he was clearly much talker than Y/N. His hair was long, dark brown with a slight curl to it. It was tied back in loosely with a blue ribbon, and it complemented his golden tanned skin. He was wearing a simple white tunic, tucked into a pair of brown trousers, and a tweed waistcoat, but he carried himself with such poise that he seemed to belong to a higher station than his clothing would suggest. But the thing that took Y/N most by surprise was his eyes, they were a striking shade of indigo that she had never seen before. And even though, they looked like they had once known mirth, now all his eyes seemed to hold was a deep sadness.
"I-I am terribly sorry," Y/N began nervously, taking the kettle from the fire and pouring the man a cup of tea. "But I am afraid that you will have to sleep on the floor. It is uncomfortable I know, but..."
The man cut her off gently, and even though he wasn't smiling, she could feel the kindness in his words. "Please, do not worry your pretty head over it. This is not my first time sleeping on the floor and I am sure that it will be far from the last."
Y/N couldn't help but giggle at the man's positive words as he folded his long legs under him, and settled onto the stone floor, with the teacup in his hands. She handed him one of the blankets she had been curled up in earlier, and as he took it from her gratefully, Y/N couldn't help but feel curious about the stranger.
Tilting her head to the side, she asked him timidly, "what is your name? My name is Y/N."
The man seemed rather uncomfortable about the question, and his eyes darted around the kitchen. As his gaze landed back on Y/N he locked eyes with her and said, "my name is Ilidoro."
A/N
The first couple of chapters are always a bit slow, but considering how my last book ended, I think this is a welcomed change for all of us.
I hope you are enjoying it, and don't worry if somethings about the world still don't make sense they will be explained soon.
Until next time I'll see you on the other side
~J. C. Coltt.~