‹ Prequel: Nature's Law
Status: Not going to be updated very frequently atm I'm afraid guys =)
Life in the Shadows
Chapter One
Lia POV
I sat there, staring.
Just...staring.
My window over looked the path that led down to the old tunnels, Freidhof Passage, as these people called it.
I would never be able to return now.I thought as I stared longingly down at the grey cobbled path. They all thought I was dead...had been dead for 5 years.
This was my life now.
My life in the shadows.
17 years later
Evanna Hartley walked slowly down the long path that led to the lake at the back of the Castle. She often came to this place; this place was somewhere where she found comfort. The only place she found true and utter comfort, if she was honest with herself. Something her mother always told her to be. ‘Be true to your heart, Evanna, no matter what anyone tells you. Be honest with yourself’.
Her mother’s eyes always seemed to gloss over when she told her this. As if she was remembering something from her distant past. Something that she didn’t want Evanna to go through herself. Evanna did know much about her parents past, she had seen newspapers headlines ‘Royal Human? What a JOKE!’ when she had been younger, but wasn't old enough to fully understand or remember them. She wasn't even sure if that had been the correct title of the piece. What she could remember was the title of a book, long since removed from the library at the Castle. ‘Dying Flower’. The young woman on the front of the cover looked no older than 19 or 20 years old. About the time that her mother moved to Schwarzes Lock. Evanna had always known that her mother wasn't from Schwarzes Lock, but she didn’t exactly know where she was from. Someone had once told her that her mother was special in more than one way, and one of those ways was her blood. Evanna couldn’t remember exactly who had told her this, she didn’t remember much from before her 9th birthday if she was honest.
Another difference about her mother, Evanna noted, was that she had blood red hair. Apparently it used to be the colour of a thousand flames, but since she had been brought back, and needed to live on a diet of human blood to sustain her life, it had turned the colour of fresh blood. Evanna thought her mother’s hair was beautiful, although many people did not, her mother for one.
‘It’s horrible. It looks like blood. Shows I’m a monster!’ she had often been heard screaming to Evanna’s father, the High Prince Scotland of Schwarzes Lock.
This thought was often whispered among the staff of the Castle, who seemed angry whenever they saw Evanna’s mother, the High Princess Amalia, bride of the High Prince. Evanna didn’t like her mother’s official title; she felt that it was degrading to her mother, who was such a wonderful woman with a heart of pure gold. Another thing Evanna didn’t like about what people called her mother was ‘Monster’. She was far from a monster. Okay, so she needed human blood, but so did all of the people here, so what was so wrong with her mother having some once a month?
Evanna sighed and closed a dusty book that she had brought out with her. She had opened it, but never looked down at the words. She had been too occupied with her thoughts. Her mother always said that she thought best at night, and it was approaching midnight at that moment.
It wasn't just any midnight either; it was New Years Eve tonight. Everyone in the castle was preparing to welcome in the New Year, everyone except Evanna. It was her 16th birthday tomorrow, which meant only one thing. Finding a husband.
It had been a weird tradition in Schwarzes Lock for centuries now, as soon as a Princess turned sixteen the hunt for a suitor would start. Evanna, however, didn’t like this plan. To be quite honest she absolutely despised it. Did they think that she couldn’t find a suitor by herself?! Evanna was quite certain that she could find her own husband, and she certainly wouldn’t start looking when she was sixteen!
Evanna sighed once more and stood up; deciding that she may as well go and see what developments had arose in the grand ball room, where the party that her grandparents had decided to throw her was taking place. Her parents, on the other hand, were quite happy with just a cake. Shows how much a King will listen to his own son thought Evanna spitefully as she flattened out her dark blue knee length dress and walked into the Castle.
3 hours later and Evanna was officially sixteen years old, and the party was officially over. No thanks to the King and Queen, who insisted another round of music, which was accepted by pretty much everyone.
“Hey, Eva” greeted Aurora as the two Princess’ sat down at the foot of the black iron staircase.
“Hi” she yawned. She was too tired to be talking to her cousin/best friend at the moment.
“Looks like you’re gonna be engaged soon” she chuckled. Aurora alone knew how much Evanna despised this idea. Her mother, Evanna was certain, was also against the idea. She wasn't sure how her father felt about it, he sometimes looked excited about it and other times he looked angry and disappointed with the world.
Evanna didn’t bother to reply to her cousin and eventually Aurora got the message and excused herself. Evanna took this as an opportunity to climb through her window and sit out on the black iron balcony that no one knew she sat on. She wasn't supposed to be sat on the balcony as it was old and unstable, but this fact hadn’t stopped Evanna since she was 10 years old. Ever since then she had been coming out onto the balcony and sitting with her legs hanging through the railings, staring down at the small medieval type village that was about 10 miles away from the gates of the Schwarzes Lock Castle.
The gates that Evanna had always been trapped behind. She had never been told why she wasn't allowed out of the Castle grounds she just knew that it was forbidden of her to exit them. Although, apparently it was okay for Aurora and Jonas and all of her other relatives to come and go as they pleased. Well, except for her mother, but she had always assumed that it had been her choice not to leave the castle.
Evanna stayed out on her balcony for the rest of the night, waiting for the sunrise. She preferred sunset but the sunrise was still beautiful in her opinion.
There was no time to think when the sun was rising; there was just time to look. And thoughts were just a second motion, a motion which you couldn’t exactly comprehend and decipher.
And with that, the sun was here. Welcoming the new day, the new day which caused Evanna to scream out to the heavens, begging for mercy.
Mercy.
I sat there, staring.
Just...staring.
My window over looked the path that led down to the old tunnels, Freidhof Passage, as these people called it.
I would never be able to return now.I thought as I stared longingly down at the grey cobbled path. They all thought I was dead...had been dead for 5 years.
This was my life now.
My life in the shadows.
17 years later
Evanna Hartley walked slowly down the long path that led to the lake at the back of the Castle. She often came to this place; this place was somewhere where she found comfort. The only place she found true and utter comfort, if she was honest with herself. Something her mother always told her to be. ‘Be true to your heart, Evanna, no matter what anyone tells you. Be honest with yourself’.
Her mother’s eyes always seemed to gloss over when she told her this. As if she was remembering something from her distant past. Something that she didn’t want Evanna to go through herself. Evanna did know much about her parents past, she had seen newspapers headlines ‘Royal Human? What a JOKE!’ when she had been younger, but wasn't old enough to fully understand or remember them. She wasn't even sure if that had been the correct title of the piece. What she could remember was the title of a book, long since removed from the library at the Castle. ‘Dying Flower’. The young woman on the front of the cover looked no older than 19 or 20 years old. About the time that her mother moved to Schwarzes Lock. Evanna had always known that her mother wasn't from Schwarzes Lock, but she didn’t exactly know where she was from. Someone had once told her that her mother was special in more than one way, and one of those ways was her blood. Evanna couldn’t remember exactly who had told her this, she didn’t remember much from before her 9th birthday if she was honest.
Another difference about her mother, Evanna noted, was that she had blood red hair. Apparently it used to be the colour of a thousand flames, but since she had been brought back, and needed to live on a diet of human blood to sustain her life, it had turned the colour of fresh blood. Evanna thought her mother’s hair was beautiful, although many people did not, her mother for one.
‘It’s horrible. It looks like blood. Shows I’m a monster!’ she had often been heard screaming to Evanna’s father, the High Prince Scotland of Schwarzes Lock.
This thought was often whispered among the staff of the Castle, who seemed angry whenever they saw Evanna’s mother, the High Princess Amalia, bride of the High Prince. Evanna didn’t like her mother’s official title; she felt that it was degrading to her mother, who was such a wonderful woman with a heart of pure gold. Another thing Evanna didn’t like about what people called her mother was ‘Monster’. She was far from a monster. Okay, so she needed human blood, but so did all of the people here, so what was so wrong with her mother having some once a month?
Evanna sighed and closed a dusty book that she had brought out with her. She had opened it, but never looked down at the words. She had been too occupied with her thoughts. Her mother always said that she thought best at night, and it was approaching midnight at that moment.
It wasn't just any midnight either; it was New Years Eve tonight. Everyone in the castle was preparing to welcome in the New Year, everyone except Evanna. It was her 16th birthday tomorrow, which meant only one thing. Finding a husband.
It had been a weird tradition in Schwarzes Lock for centuries now, as soon as a Princess turned sixteen the hunt for a suitor would start. Evanna, however, didn’t like this plan. To be quite honest she absolutely despised it. Did they think that she couldn’t find a suitor by herself?! Evanna was quite certain that she could find her own husband, and she certainly wouldn’t start looking when she was sixteen!
Evanna sighed once more and stood up; deciding that she may as well go and see what developments had arose in the grand ball room, where the party that her grandparents had decided to throw her was taking place. Her parents, on the other hand, were quite happy with just a cake. Shows how much a King will listen to his own son thought Evanna spitefully as she flattened out her dark blue knee length dress and walked into the Castle.
3 hours later and Evanna was officially sixteen years old, and the party was officially over. No thanks to the King and Queen, who insisted another round of music, which was accepted by pretty much everyone.
“Hey, Eva” greeted Aurora as the two Princess’ sat down at the foot of the black iron staircase.
“Hi” she yawned. She was too tired to be talking to her cousin/best friend at the moment.
“Looks like you’re gonna be engaged soon” she chuckled. Aurora alone knew how much Evanna despised this idea. Her mother, Evanna was certain, was also against the idea. She wasn't sure how her father felt about it, he sometimes looked excited about it and other times he looked angry and disappointed with the world.
Evanna didn’t bother to reply to her cousin and eventually Aurora got the message and excused herself. Evanna took this as an opportunity to climb through her window and sit out on the black iron balcony that no one knew she sat on. She wasn't supposed to be sat on the balcony as it was old and unstable, but this fact hadn’t stopped Evanna since she was 10 years old. Ever since then she had been coming out onto the balcony and sitting with her legs hanging through the railings, staring down at the small medieval type village that was about 10 miles away from the gates of the Schwarzes Lock Castle.
The gates that Evanna had always been trapped behind. She had never been told why she wasn't allowed out of the Castle grounds she just knew that it was forbidden of her to exit them. Although, apparently it was okay for Aurora and Jonas and all of her other relatives to come and go as they pleased. Well, except for her mother, but she had always assumed that it had been her choice not to leave the castle.
Evanna stayed out on her balcony for the rest of the night, waiting for the sunrise. She preferred sunset but the sunrise was still beautiful in her opinion.
There was no time to think when the sun was rising; there was just time to look. And thoughts were just a second motion, a motion which you couldn’t exactly comprehend and decipher.
And with that, the sun was here. Welcoming the new day, the new day which caused Evanna to scream out to the heavens, begging for mercy.
Mercy.
♠ ♠ ♠
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