Silo: Chapter One

Chapter One

         The sounds of footsteps echoed through the long hallway. The walls like the rest of the massive castle, were damp carried a mildew scent. The young girl followed at her father's side, staying between him and her older brother. Her eyes scanned the walls with their huge stoned statues of bizarre creatures looking down with unseeing, dead gazes. She stared at one in particular that sent a chill down her spine with its icy gaze. She looked away, up the long hall and then at her father. "Why must you go, Father?"
         The well-built man looked down at his young daughter that was no older then the age of ten. "There is war waging, Silo, my dear. You must understand that I am sworn to protect our King."
         She nodded slowly, looking down sadly, "I understand, Father." She sighed; they had just arrived less then a week ago. And now, here was her father and brother, her only living relatives, being called forth to the King once again. She understood he was the General of a massive army and that he had taken an oath to protect the King and his Kingdom, but she rarely was able to see him now. Especially with the war that the Kingdom was waging on one of the Lower Kingdoms in the South.
         She looked up at her brother who looked just as tense as her father. He was no older then 16; his ice blue eyes were focusing on the large doors ahead that were guarded by soldiers on either side. They stopped a few feet away from the doors and the two Guards opened the heavy doors, allowing them to move into the throne room. She looked from her brother to the three large seats. The King sat tall in the middle seat. It was wide, large and the backboard was tall with elaborate carvings.
         Her brother and father bowed lowly in deep respect. She looked up at the King and then to the Queen and the young Prince who sat at his side. She didn't move, but did give a simple nod to acknowledge them. Her father straightened and glanced at her and then back to the Royal family. The Prince stared at Silo, giving her a nasty look and then smirked. "She should bow down to us, Father! She is just the General's daughter, nothing more! Make her bow down!"
         The King raised a hand to silence his son and then looked to Silo and then at her father. "Maximus, my old friend, your daughter needs to learn her place."
         "I apologize for my daughter's behavior, my lord. She is- upset about the Kingdom's problems."
         The King rubbed his short white beard for a moment and then nodded with a slight smile, "Very well." He looked down at the young girl who stood still with her head held high, not the slightest fear showing in her light red tinted eyes. "She will become one of the few to lead an army... Or even have the privilege of fighting in one."
         A flicker of a grin appeared on Silo's face. "No doubt about that? I belong with the heat of battle!" She looked at the Prince who was no more then a year or two older than her. She didn't shift under his icy glare. She smirked at him, they had never gotten along very well, and with her growing strength that many claimed she gained from her father, he was jealous. She knew that, many in the large Kingdom knew it. That's why he had wanted her to bow down, to remind her that she was a girl, nothing but a girl and that he, he was the future King with an unlimited power.
         But that wasn't so true. Though she may have just been the General's daughter at the moment, and along with her strength, she was stubborn to a fault and had always refused to bow down to anyone, no matter what their ranking was. She had been beat a few times for her lack of showing respect, but they had never been able to teach her a lesson.
         She snapped out of her deep trance of thought when her father bowed again and her brother stepped forward and knelt down to one knee. She watched him, surprised. He bowed his head down as the King spoke to him and stood. "What's going on? He hasn't done anything wrong!" she was lost, unable to figure out what was happening until the King smiled and had a long rapier brought to him. "He's being knighted! That's what this is about!" She looked up at her father who was watching with a proud look in his eyes and his head held high.
* * *
         The heavy smell of sweat, alcohol, vomit, and smoke was suffocating. How Silo had managed to be a servant to half the army, she had no clue what so ever. Of course she was proud of her brother and she was happy for him too, but this was ridiculous. She already had a bruise on her shoulder from one man who was on the verge of intoxication. Another the man patted her on the same shoulder. She bit her tongue and glared at him, walking on and finally reaching the counter. She slid the tray onto the counter and then climbed over it.
         She sat down in a chair in the back, taking a break from serving the men. She felt a pair of eyes on her and turned to find her father standing behind her. She sighed quietly as he looked at her. He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, immediately removing the sleeve that covered the bruise. It was already showing, dark blue and purple. "Who did this to you, Silo?" he asked quietly.
         She looked at him and shrugged before answering quietly, "Just some new recruit." She scanned over the groups of soldiers, eventually spotting the one who had bruised her arm. He was now drunk and the group he was with were just as intoxicated.
         Maximus followed her gaze to the group, "Which one Silo?" She pointed the man out after a moment, and looked up at her father. He patted her gently on the other shoulder and jumped over the counter, heading towards the group.
         She shook her head, knowing that the group was headed for some bigger bruising. "There goes a few new recruits..." a deep voice said from behind her. She tensed and glanced back, relaxing quickly as she recognized her brother.
         Silo nodded in silence as her brother took her father's spot. She looked at him for a moment as he watched their father lead the group out. "What is the war about this time, Cernd?"
         Cernd looked down at his young sister and couldn't help but smile. Her blood red eyes looked up at him with respect yet a stubbornness that would not allow her to bow down to his upper ranking. She was small yet strong with a knowledge that most girls and women did not have. He looked back out into the rest of the tavern. "The Lower Kingdoms, like Father said, are waging war against us. They want the land for a bigger Kingdom."
         She nodded, looking down, "Another war over land that neither side can officially own."
         He chuckled quietly, already knowing her point of view. "No, I guess your right. There's no proof on someone owning land."
         "Even if it's written on paper," she added.
         He nodded, "Even if it's written on paper, because the paper can be destroyed and then you're back to zero."
         She smiled, how her brother could always understand her. They continued to talk quietly, waiting for their father to return. When he finally did, it was he alone with a few cuts, and an angry look. Maximus slid over the counter and picked up his daughter, "The party is over, let's go home."
         Cernd nodded, following them out the door and down the street without looking back because he already knew what was just around the corner from the tavern. What he did not know or notice was the figure lurking overhead, watching them with night eyes of a predator. It followed them to Maximus's great mansion but did not follow them in the door into the lit house.
         Maximus carried his sleepy daughter to her room, setting her in the bed and smiled, looking down at her as she finished dozing off into a deep sleep. He brushed the hair out of her face and walked out of the room.
         The same figure made its way gracefully to the roof, peering in the windows at the tired family. Secretly grinning as it looked into Silo's room, "The child is perfect... How much honor she would bring to us beings of the night."
* * *
         The next morning was a hassle with so many good-byes and waking up the entire army before assembling it. Silo stood with a maid as she watched her father give orders before leaving. He turned around after finishing them and walked to her, kneeling down and giving her a hug. "I'll return, and this is to remind you of my return," he said while withdrawing and pulling out a medallion from around his neck.
         Made of fine silver a gold-trimmed rim, red rubies dotting it along with the shape of a pentacle in the middle. She looked at it carefully before he placed it around her neck and gave her one last hug before standing and walking to his horse that her brother held. She watched them go with a will to run after them but never did for the maid's hand was on her shoulder.
____________________________________________________
____________________________________________________
Note: This story is based on one of my roleplaying characters, a vampiress. I'm still working on it so wait! Tell me what ya think about it, thanx! Laterz pplz! ^^