Safaya ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Her breath came almost as gasps. It was summer, and the sun shone brightly overhead. Sweat covered the young girl's skin.
The verdant forest that Safaya ran through was thick and full of life. Silver day owls flew in a flock. They were looking for the tiny mice that lived in sweet willow moss that hung from the high tree limbs. Spotted deer looked up in shock as Safaya ran past them. Safaya briefly stopped at the small pond for a drink. Young frogs hopped through the water. Safaya cupped her hands in the water, and raised them to her lips. After she drank her fill, she stood up. Taking a deep breath, Safaya sprinted off.
After a while, the forest thinned. Certain trees had paint and ribbons on their trunks. Loose branches and flat tree stumps showed signs of recent logging. Safaya slowed down to a brisk walk. She stepped over an abandoned saw. It looked broken, which would explain why it was left. She left behind the logging and approached the long expanse of golden swathes of wheat. Green fields of melons, onions, carrots, and other vegetables were in large circles near the town, but the wheat fields covered the land almost as far as the eye could see. They swayed in the wind, making the fields look like lakes of golden water. Dark spots in the field would be people.
In the distance, was Hearthfire, where Safaya lived. The wood and stone of the large mansion was not that impressionable, but what really made it show up in the landscape was the bright yellow, orange and red roof tiles. They gleamed almost like fire. It was just a special type of clay that could be found in the marshes near the coast, a day's ride away. Around Hearthfire, was buildings like the lumber-mill, the guard barracks, and other utility buildings.
Safaya made her way to the dirt roads that went through the wheat fields. It smelled like fresh dirt, and old manure. The dirt roads had mud tracks in them, and Safaya's boots were soon crusted with mud. Going the opposite direction of Safaya, a cow was being led by a farmer. He nodded to Safaya. All of the farmers knew her. Safaya knew most by face, if not by name.
The sky was turning orange and red as the sun was slowly going down. It was almost dinner time. Smoke had started to drift out of the houses in town. No doubt, the tavern would be filling up with farmers looking for a drink after a long day of work.
By comparison, Safaya had been having a nice restful day. She didn't have to go to class, or listen to her mother complain about how boyish the girl acted. Her sister, Hannah, always called Safaya a pig that walked on two feet. Every time she would go out, her clothes would get coated in dirt and the servants never wanted to deal with it. And Safaya ate with less than perfect manners. She liked to use her hands.
Her father was fine with the way she acted. He had no sons, and Safaya was more interested in how to deal with everyday problems in the province. She liked to tally up how many crops had been harvested that day. According to the market, tomatoes, garlic and onions were very profitable. Only nobles ate garlic and onions, despite their bad odor. Fruits were always expensive. Safaya loved to collect wild strawberries. She liked guessing the high and low of how much the crops went for in the various provinces.
The plague that had been affecting the King's Province, Shining Province, and Kor's Anvil Province had affected even Hearth Province. Not a lot of merchants had come by to get their wheat shipments. And Kor's Anvil, where most manufactured and metal goods came from, had not shipped out even a nail or horseshoe. The Hearth Province had not been affected at all by the plague. They were cut off from the rest of the kingdom, separated by marshes and the low Slumbering Hills that went past the Bierf river, which ran from the King's Lake, where the capital Foxmoor sat. It was about two week's travel by caravan to Foxmoor.
Just then, Safaya saw a rider riding up the main road up to her home. She wondered what that was about. She quickened her pace a bit. Not quite a run. She would get there eventually. If her father didn't tell her what was going on, her uncle would. Uncle Jack was not her real uncle, but he was an old friend of her father's. He told her stories of wars in the Shadowed Badlands, a miserable desert with deadly animals, harsh climates, and cannibals. He spoke of how Frost Province was taken in the name of the King after killing off the last of the large brutish ogres.
Safaya's sister didn't like listening to Uncle Jack's stories. Their mother always wanted Safaya to pay attention to more womanly past-times. Like weaving or cooking. Safaya knew how to cook squirrel, but she didn't think that was what their mother had in mind.
As Safaya approached her home, a scent drifted from the kitchens. Safaya smelled stewed cashew carrots, and baking honey bread. She smiled. Cashew carrots were her favorite.
When she came up to her home, she saw the rider's horse. It was being taken care of by a stable boy. When Safaya looked at the saddle, there was the royal crest of the king sewn onto the saddle. A royal courier? Safaya was even more curious.
She went inside through the kitchens, where her mother would not berate her on the state of her clothes. She took a slice of fresh honey bread from one of the servants, and went to her bedroom as fast as possible. Grabbing the first clean clothes she could get, Safaya switched out. She then hurried down to the main entry way. Animal heads were mounted on the walls. Bears, wolves and deers were representatives of her father's hunts.
As Safaya went down the right hall stairway, she stopped. Her father was speaking to the courier. It looked like he had just got back from a hunt. His fox fur mantle was draped over one shoulder, and a quiver of arrows was still sitting on his back.
Safaya backed away, and hid behind a column.
"Prince Torrac is visiting? Well, of course we will prepare for his visit. It's not every day a royal comes by. A grand feast will be made in his honor. Shall I inquire as to the nature of his visit?"
The young courier looked rather nervous. His face was still rather boyish, so Safaya figured that he was newly appointed. This might be his first trip as courier.
"His Majesty is touring all of the districts. He is in need of a queen, and is meeting all eligible women that are qualified."
Safaya's father frowned in confusion. He folded his arms.
"I'm sorry. There are only a few noblewomen here. Two of my sisters are as of yet unmarried and one is recently widowed, but they would be too old for the prince. That only leaves my daughters, and my widowed sister's daughter."
The courier shrugged. "The plague has hit Foxmoor deeply. The Prince is looking for any worthy candidate. He has already rejected the girls most of the Provinces."
Safaya saw her father bewildered. "What about the Serpent's Tail Province? That is where all of the nobles prefer to live. I even have a winter home there."
Safaya knew that. Serpent's Tail was a peninsula down south. It had the most beautiful houses there, and it was always warm. The beaches were brilliant white, while the coast of the Hearth Province was full of marshes, and rather dreary. Safaya loved playing in the ocean down in the Serpent's Tail.
Obviously not expecting so many questions, the courier grew even more nervous.
"Why...He didn't find any of them too impressive," The courier admitted.
Safaya knew of a couple of distant cousins that lived there. They were rather spoiled. One screamed when she saw Safaya playing in the beach sand, saying how filthy it was. The girl figured that any prince would want a spoiled brat. Princes were rather spoiled, weren't they? Safaya looked at her father's reaction. He looked thoughtful.
"Let us hope that he finds a woman he likes. I know I would be miserable if I didn't like my wife."
"Like?"
Safaya, her father, and the courier looked up to the voice. Safaya's mother stood on the left hall stairwell, a hand on her hip. Safaya's father smirked.
"You know what I meant."
He turned to the courier. "Kyle, was it? Go ask a servant to show you to a guest room. Dinner will be soon, and I would be most pleased if you attended. For me, I am about to get a scolding from my wife."
The courier left, as did Safaya. She didn't feel like watching her mother scold her father, and then start kissing. Safaya went to the kitchen, and tried to covince the head chef to give her more honey bread. He told her if she wanted any more, she would have to wait for dinner. But as she left, she managed to steal a piece. And a spoonful of cashew carrots.
3: Chapter 3