Skyler's Story

As princess there were certain things that were expected. Your dress, your
manner when in the presence of others, even the way in which you speak and
the words that are chosen. Having the title means a lot more than just
sitting back and being pampered. When you were the daughter of the faerie
King, however, there were more rules than one would expect.


The one that Skyler hated the most was being forbidden from areas of the
forest that she saw as her own. Threats had been made from the less
civilized, as her father called them, and with their powers he did not want
to risk his daughter being harmed on one of her outings.


Like she didn't have a mind of her own, and the age under her belt to
signify her independance in the colony.


She was 14 years old, and a very well taught child when she was younger.
She had her mother's quick mind, and sharp tongue, but also her father's
knowing of exactly what words to say at the right moment. She could
convince any single person of anything she wished.


Her beauty had a bit to do with that, she confessed to herself. She knew
that she had an attractiveness to her that awed all that saw her. It was no
wonder, with her golden blonde hair, thick and bright, falling almost to
her knees. Her eyes were as blue as the ocean, with a small pixie nose and
full mouth that won every heart when it smiled. She was slender, but by no
means small. They had no wings, as legends often said, but their skin
sparkled as their wings would have. Her hand at the archery range proved
her strength, and her speed to learn had proven her ability to absorb
knowledge.


Skyler stood at the balcony of her room, looking out upon the forest. She
wished that she could go out and talk with the animals. To run with the
deer and sit while the bluebirds sang her a song. With a sigh, she turned
away. Her spot, her haven from all of the duties of being the king's
daughter, was in the area that was forbidden from her.


Her people spoke of the others as if they were savage beasts that deserved
nothing more than to be slaughtered. Skyler had seen these people before.
From a distance, but she had still seen. They lived in small houses, hunted
for food, ate and chanted in the night. It was a strange world, but an
intriguing one. She wanted to know what the words meant that they spoke
before every meal, and know what their powers were. Did all of them have
the same one, or were they different?


Her father would say that was the curse of her mind taking hold. He said
that her mind wanted to know the details of everything that came into her
path. Sure, it was true, but she had enough respect to not sit and ogle
them as if they were the pack of wolves that she loved to watch on the
coldest of nights.


It would surely do no harm to go for one quick visit. There had never been
another at her spot before. She would take her bow and quiver full of
arrows for protection, of course, but she knew that there was nothing that
would harm her out there. All that was there was nature. The trees, the
animals, the wind and the rain and the earth.


As many times as she had snuck down the trellis outside of her room, Skyler
had no trouble climbing down quickly before being seen. As she casually
walked from the corner of the palace to the rear, then down a heavily
wooded path, she noticed that the sun was making it's first appearance of
the day. Her people were already awake and moving about.


Her father was most likely speaking with his businessmen of the days
agenda, and her mother to the maids and cooks about the same. It took them
well over an hour's time to finish up there. They usually didn't come
seeking her until it was well past breakfast.


Her thoughts wandered to the other clan of people as she tok a turn onto a
wider, clearer trail. Did they call themselves a clan? Or a colony like her
own? If she ran into one, what would she do? What would they do? She hoped
that no harm would come to her. She has done nothing to them in the past to
initiate that kind of reaction to her presence. Still, her hand rested on
her bow.


Skyler saw the clearing in the distance. She could hear the birds singing
in the morning light, hear the waterfall and pictured the otters that
sometimes got lost on their journey home. She always pointed them in the
right direction, though. Her heart sang at the joy of being back, and she
could hear the thoughts of the deer that stood on the other side of the
river. The same that always arrived in the early morning, but there was one
more, one that she didn't recognize.


Frowning to herself, Skyler decided that it must be a new addition to the
herd that she hadn't known about. When she walked through the opening of
the trees, it was like returning home after a long trip. Everything was so
familiar, so welcoming.


The birds flew down from their trees when she called, when she sang to
them. They swirled around her hair as she walked towards the large rock
that sat on the edge of the river. Beautiful fish of all colors and shapes
danced and jumped from the water at the sight of her arrival. If her father
had his people, these were hers.


The birds settled on the rocks and grass around her as the deer cautiously
walked her way. They would forever be fearful of everything, she thought
with a grin. In the back of her mind, behind the songs that filled her
head, she heard that voice. As warily as the deer, she glanced around,
looking for any signs of a stranger.


From the other side of the river, Skyler saw her. About her age, if not
younger, wearing a cloak as black as her hair that curled in masses arond
her face, which looked as wary as she felt. Through the opening she could
see the bright red of her dress, simple looking, but the right shape for
her figure. Even from this distance she could still see the bright green
eyes staring at her. Skyler could feel no fear or anger coming from this
girl.


She noticed that the animals quit singing. The fish hidden beneath rocks,
the deer staring as wide-eyed as herself, birds ready to fly away at the
first sign of trouble. She quietly told them that she would let no harm
come to them.


She stood now, back straight as an arrow, chin slightly elevated, her
stance for when she must take her place as royalty. Her hand rested on the
tip of her bow, ready for trouble, though she didn't think that there would
be any.


The other girl stopped too far away to make quiet conversation, too close
to just leave, so Skyler studied her a moment more. One of them had to say
something eventually.