The Attack

There was a loud knock on my door and in rushed the Shaman. He had animal fur draped over his shoulder like a cape, he wore moccasins and traditional men's clothing. His eyes seemed to carry a frightened expression.

"My lady, you must go. The castle is being attacked." His voice quivered with fright as I frantically threw off my covers.

"How?" was all I could manage to ask as I hurried across my room to my wooden wardrobe. I ducked under a curtain and changed into appropriate clothing.

"One of the guards was killed just outside the gates and his companion managed to blow the horn whilst a hoard of cloaked men climbed the walls." The Shaman said quietly, looking over his shoulder.

The shaman possessed a great connection with the spirits of Azaleas. He was the messenger between the two worlds, the last I ever knew of.

I was now dressed in breeches and a tunic.

"It wasn't Samuel?" My heart raced violently in my chest as I looked at the shaman.

 "No, my lady, Samuel was positioned in the east wing." I wanted to let out a sigh of relief but there was no relief to be felt if the castle was under attack.

"Here is your cloak." The shaman handed me a green velvet cloak embroidered with golden lace at the trim. I grabbed it from his hands and threw it on. I reached for my belt and slung it on tightly then I put the dagger in one of the slots. I grabbed my bow n' arrows and followed the Shaman out the door and down a passage of stairs.

My breath felt caught in my throat. The smoke from the fire filled my throat, and I began to choke. My choking was a soft and muffled sound compared to the corruption that was happening outside the halls. I felt the blazing heat of fire, as though it was burning on the tip of my neck, making me hurry myself down the stairwell.

As we stepped outside, there were knights and soldiers dressed in a salient red running across the courts. Commands were being shouted and in the background, I could hear screams of fright from the citizens of the kingdom, which made me want to stop in my tracks. But I pushed myself on my feet as I continued to follow the shaman cross the gardens in swift movement. I felt as though I was blind and followed wherever the sounds led me, I wanted to ask where the shaman was taking me, but the words were stuck at the back of my mind. Unable to ask, my question was answered when he brought me to the back court, where Samuel stood with his hand on a horse.

I stopped at the sight of him in my tracks at the sight of him. A wave of relief washed through me as Samuel stood in front of me safely. But at the same time, I felt angry. Why was Samuel standing there with a horse?

"You're not letting me perish? Are-" I looked at the Shaman with a piercing look. His eyes were now filled with a deep sadness. When he didn't answer, I turned to Samuel.

"I can stay and fight," I said in a stern voice. I tightened my grip on my bow, I couldnt let myself get angry. Not now.

"You are not permitted to stay my lady, you must flee." Samuel said as he helped me onto the horse, ignoring what I just said. I frowned at him underneath my hood.

"I was trained by the spirits. I am highly skilled." I agrued.

"That you are my lady, but," The shaman spoke in a low voice. He stopped for a moment, and gave me a look of sadness. I could feel my heart drop, smashing into shreds. I thought he believed in me, I wanted him to believe in me. I looked at him for a second, then I looked away.

"There will be a day when you can fight. Your future is filled with trouble, you must flee for that reason. If this kingdom seizes to exist, you are the last hope to reunite what was." The shaman finished his sentence, although his face was sad, his eyes carried a spark of hope.

I stared at the shaman in disbelief.

"What are you talking about?" I said in confusion to the shaman.

"There is no time for an explanation. You will understand one day my warrior." and with that last farewell, the shaman left the way we came from his fur swinging in a small manner.

I looked at Samuel whose hair was messy and his blue eyes glinted in the darkness of the night. In the background, there was faint noises of glass window being smashed. I turned to look and saw a cloaked man climbing the walls of the castle, I grit my teeth and my hands flew to my back where a sac of arrows lay. In under a minute, an arrow was loaded in my bow and I aimed for the back of the mans head. I pulled back the strings and without hesitating  the arrow flew silently in the air and struck him exactly in the spot I aimed.

The cloaked man fell to the ground, landing on his back. The pressure from the ground made the arrow crack through his skull, making the point of the arrow stick out in his forehead. I shook my head at the man who lay dead and motionless on the ground and looked away. I felt no sympathy for the man, only I felt a moment, Samuel stood there in awe.

"Take this," Samuel hands me his sword. His eyes were now concentrating on me, rather then the man on the ground. I looked at his hands and shook my head.

"I cant, that is yours," I spluttered. He stretched out his hand and placed his sword in my hand. He pryed my fingers open and placed them tightly on the handle of the sword.

"I will find you Elysia." He says in a smooth tone. He smiles at me, not the usual smile he gives me in the halls but a noble one. I straightened my back, and nodded my head in a slight manner. Than, tension filled the air. I could smell the smoke from the burning fires, and I could hear screams that I couldn't bare to hear.

I watch as Samuel leaves, my heart feeling heavy. I watched as the one person I knew my whole life, goes to defend and fight for our kingdom. I felt ashamed for I could not following his footsteps. I couldn't help but remember the first day I had met him, I was the age of 10 and he was 11, his father was titled as a lord of a foreign place, and Samuel came to train with the Guards, "To serve and defend the righteous kingdom of Azaleas".

I happened to be sitting with Lady Elena, who was of royal blood and I was not. I was taken in by the king who found me half frozen at the side of the road. He was kind enough to take me in and although he has had no children of his own, he took me in as if I was.

Samuel befriended me later that night at dinner, when he was granted the permission to train when he hit the age 13. Unfortunately, the next morning he had to leave with his father back to his home. I looked to the day of his returning in 2 years, but his father had gotten sick and his mother sent him back to the castle to train earlier. He didn't live with us in the castle, but instead in a manor just two miles away.

When Samuel was done training at the age of 16, the king let him live within the castle and had him as his right hand man in meetings and trips.

He was my best friend and I wished him a silent farewell as I grabbed the bridle and raced into the forest ahead of me. Leaving the no longer welcoming home of my kingdom.

I didn't know where I was going, or what I was going to do. But I had one thought in mind, to pay a visit to an old friend.

Authors Note/// 

I have posted the exact same story on FictionPress.com and I was asked to publish it on here from (correct me if I'm wrong) a staff member of this site. They said they were looking for some authors to post on here..So here I am! ;D Next chapter will be posted soon. Thanks for reading.