Prologue

Charles looked up from the sweet face of his daughter when the screaming began. They were heart-wrenching screams of those who needed help but would never get it. His heart tore at the fact he was powerless to save his people. It was the first time in his one-hundred-and-fifty-year reign that he felt such a way. He knew his and Anne's time on this plane was about to be up. The man moved from his place next to his wife and newborn daughter to recommence pacing. He watched as she cuddled and cooed the little girl in her arms as tears slipped down her cheeks. The warm smile that was on her lips, the light in her eyes, and the soft glow of her face reminded him why he fell in love with her. The vision in front of him was quickly overshadowed by the fact that his brother Lucas was almost there. Time was running out and Charles knew it. He quickly walked to the window and stared out over the snow-covered courtyard. It glistened in the moonlight like millions of little diamonds. Winter had always been his favorite time of year.

The sight beyond the castle walls though was another story. The homes and shops were burning quickly, and the dying screams of his people drifted toward the castle. Taking a deep breath, Charles knew that his time was about up. As was his beautiful Anne's. The child though, no, she would not suffer their fate. They would sacrifice themselves, so she may return one day, reclaim the throne, and take her rightful place as queen. The battle would be bloody, but it would now be her destiny. The pounding on the drawbridge distracted him from his thoughts. He turned his attention to the front of the courtyard and watched in horror as the bridge was wrenched free of his holding and fell uncontrollably. A group of men rushed through straight for the castle doors. Lucas was already here. Charles began to panic. He thought he'd have more time.

"Anne, it has to be now. He's coming down the hallway. We need to let Sarah take her," the king pleaded with his queen.

"I know, Charles. Just give me a moment with her. I've been waiting so long to see her beautiful face," Anne said as she held the small infant close to her, more tears sliding down her delicate pink cheeks. The baby opened her bright blue eyes and gazed at her parents. She would be too young to remember anything.

"She's going to be fine, Anne. I promise. Once she's older she will return and regain her rightful place as queen," the king began to pace the room again, "but for now we need to get her to safety, otherwise..." He let his voice trail off, not wanting to think about it.

A woman stood, silently, near a bookcase. A hooded cloak pulled over her eyes and a large basket in her hands. She stepped forward, toward the queen and princess.

"Alright Sarah, I'm ready. Please be sure to keep her covered. It's cold outside and I do not want her to get sick," Queen Anne said as she tucked the small child into the basket.

"Yes ma'am," Sarah replied pulling the hood up and hugging her beloved queen.

"I want to thank you for your loyalty to us. It has meant more than you can imagine. Once you leave, do not return. Run as far from here as you can go," Anne said, her eyes red and glassy from the many tears she had shed that dreadful day.

Anne unclasped a silver necklace from about her neck. The intertwined strands of silver enclosed a luminescent pearl. She pushed it into Sarah's hands. Sarah choked back tears as well. She slipped into the small passage hidden behind the bookcase cradling the small basket that carried the only hope for Coresova. The king and queen stood there, holding onto each other and weeping silently. She knew neither she nor their infant daughter would ever see them alive again. Sarah pushed the secret door shut, save for a small sliver of a crack so she could see. She clasped her hand over her mouth when she heard the rough male voice. She knew it was him. He strode into eyesight, approaching King Charles and Queen Anne.

"Lucas."

The other man towered over the king, his broad shoulders bore a cape of black leather and white fur. His black armor shone in the firelight. He pulled off the terrifying helmet and glared at his brother. One of his eyes was glassed over with a scar going across his face.

"Brother."

"What have you done?" Charles asked.

"I'm taking what is mine."

"Nothing here is yours."

"It is all mine! You stole my inheritance!"

Charles stepped forward, putting Anne behind him. "Father told you that you were not going to be king."

"It wasn't his choice. I am the first born."

"You were determined to be a threat to our country. To our people."

"You don't get to have a say!" Lucas screamed.

"You raised sword against your own people. Against your own family."

"I'm not finished."

Sarah heard the sound of a sword pulling from the sheath. She tried not to make a sound. She tried to remain silent, but the sound of metal piercing flesh and the death cries of the queen caused her to sink to the floor. She let out a sob as the king was run through. Things swirled about in her mind as she sat there for a long moment. Until she heard mumbling again and something she did not expect, furniture being thrown around the large room.

Oh god. They're going to find the passage! I have to get the baby away from here! She thought, panicking.

She turned and began to run down the narrow staircase clutching the small basket close. Once she reached the bottom step she stopped and listened. The sound she heard made her stomach lurch. It was stone scraping against stone resounding through the small stairwell. They had found the king and queens secret passageway.

"Search the passage! Those bastards snuck the child out! Find her and kill her!" A voice bounced off the walls and it sounded like death.

"Sarah! Sarah, quickly before they reach you!" someone whispered from the opposite end of the small hall.

She turned, looked and sighed with relief. Sarah scurried to the end of the corridor and pulled at the gate. Her heart sunk. The gate was locked and the armed men were getting closer.

"Take her. Go! Quickly!" She scrunched the basket up and slipped it through a hole in the iron gate being careful not to injure or disturb the baby.

"What about you? They'll kill you!" the man whispered urgently.

Nodding her head with tears streaming down her face she smiled, "I know. It's okay. My loyalties lie with King Charles and Queen Anne; I am prepared to die with them. Now, take the baby and go! She must not die. She is the only hope if our world is to survive."

She ran her hand over the baby's head and leaned down to kiss the tiny hand that was gripping her finger. She slipped the necklace around the baby's neck. The pearl glowed a bright blue once it touched the young girl's skin.

"A true princess of Coresova. Dear little princess, be well. Grow strong. Your kingdom is depending on you."

"There she is!" The men rushed down the hallway toward Sarah.

"Go now!"

The man with the scarred face turned and jumped onto the back of a nearby horse. He paused momentarily and stared into the face of the brave woman who was about to die for her princess. He turned and disappeared into the woods.

"Where is the child?" a large, burly man asked stepping out from the middle of the group.

"She is someplace safe where you can never get her," Sarah replied standing proud.

"Take her to the new king," the guard said with a sneer.

"The new king?" Sarah asked.

The man just snarled at her as the other men led her back to the chamber room she had just left. Taking a deep breath, she was afraid to see the carnage she had just left. Sarah was not prepared for what was beyond the stone wall. Her lower lip trembled, the tears continued streaming down her cheeks and a scream was stuck in her throat. She ran in and dropped to her knees next to the bodies of the king and queen.

"Madam? Sire? Please wake up. Please be okay!" she sobbed as she shook the lifeless bodies next to her.

"Now woman, tell me where that child is or your life will end with your beloved king and queen." A man emerged from the shadows of the room.

"You will never find her! She will not befall the same fate as her parents. She will stop you." Sarah wiped at her eyes, standing up.

"Foolish woman, I will give you one more chance. Tell me where that bloody child is or die."

"You will have to kill me because I will not tell."

The man took a step toward the weeping woman, "Very well then."

He was close enough to her that she felt him breathing on her face.

"Are you sure you are willing to die for a baby? For these abominations?"

"He was your brother! The only one here that is an abomination is you and your men. I am not afraid to die for my king and queen," Sarah whispered into his ear.

She gasped and made a gurgling sound. She looked down and saw that the man who had murdered her beloved rulers had just plunged his dagger into her stomach. Before he retracted the small knife, he twisted it, making her cringe even more. She grabbed at the wound and sunk to her knees. She stayed there for a moment, blood trailing out of the corner of her mouth.

"Long live, Queen Arianna!"

Sarah struggled to breathe, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell over, dead.

"Find that child!" The man shouted as he stormed out of the bedroom chamber leaving the young king, queen, and handmaiden lying there; bleeding onto the stone floor. "I want her dead!"

It was only a few short hours after the death of Premise's King Charles and Queen Anne when the James's heard a knock at their front door. The strange, scarred man knocked started it as a light rasping. Beginning to get impatient he began to pound. He had been watching this family all day and knew someone was inside. He continued pounding until he noticed a light from one of the upstairs bedrooms turn on. He placed the small basket in front of the door and disappeared into the darkness, his black cloak flowing behind him. He had to return to his world before any of the assassins could cross over. He tucked a strip of leather with a glowing pearl into his tunic and turned into the woods.