PART ONE --- A ROYAL FALL

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Chapter 1 - White City

Nereyda

The plush carpet tickled my bare feet as they pressed into it. The heavy white dress that I wore trailed behind me, my waist length white hair drifting serenely. I was leaving the castle today. My heart rate accelerated at the prospect of my first glimpse of freedom. This was it, my first chance to see the world for what it was.

Palace guards surrounded me on all sides, wearing nothing but a white cloth wrapped around their hips. This could get rather distracting for me as a pubescent seventeen year old but I understood the need for efficiency should they need to phase.

As convention demanded, I kept my eyes focused forward and walked in even, carefully measured steps. When I was exactly ten metres from the towering metal gate I stopped. I sensed a guard come up behind me and he draped a weighty shawl around my shoulders. The wolf fur tickled my face as I brought my hands up to tie the shawl's ribbon around my chest.

The white iron gate screamed as it slowly rose, giving way to the autumn scenery behind it. I was surprised by the noisiness of the gate, someone would be getting hurt for that later. My breath came in fast white puffs in front of my face. More measured steps took me to the carriage. I clenched my stomach muscles as I was lifted on to it, making sure to keep my posture perfect.

Simon jumped up and sat in front of me, taking the reigns of the horses and whipping them into a slow trot. We started away from the ice of the castle and into the blazing colour of the forest; it was breathtaking.

Everywhere I looked were explosions of orange and yellow, browns and greens. Even as we rode, leaves fluttered effervescently through the wind, one getting caught in my hair. My lips twitched with hints of a smile but I easily repressed it, knowing much better than to smile in public. I slowly unwound the brilliant amber leaf from my snow white hair and let it float away on the breeze.

I dared a look over my shoulder but immediately regretted it, for the sight of the five other carriages in royal formation reminded me of my caged life.

"Are you comfortable your highness?" Simon called back to me over the whistling wind. He was breaking the law by speaking to me but Simon had always been one to live on the edge and he knew that I didn't approve of the silence rule.

"Very well, thank you Simon," the quiet response fell off my lips without any thought.

The veins in Simon's muscular back were vivid blue and goosebumps mottled his skin. He was obviously dying to phase into his leopard form but convention was convention and rules were rules. Escorting the Snow Princess was an honour and a placement he had obviously worked hard to attain.

I allowed my head to fall back against the feathered cushion and gazed up at the slate white sky.

The carriage lurched slightly as we hit the cobbled street of the outer city and I raised my head to look around. Houses in great states of disrepair surrounded me, women and children huddled together on the road in torn white robes and pieces of cloth. I could feel my forehead beginning to crease into a frown and I quickly smoothed my expression into one of blankness. Emotions were weakness, I had to keep myself composed.

Looking ahead, I saw many people turn away from the chariot when they saw it, bundling their children inside their peeling white shanty houses. How could anyone live in a place like that?

Soon, however, the scenery started to change and relief washed over me when I saw the series of sparkling monuments that Paladu was famous for. So what I had heard about the grandeur of the city was true.

Statues of leopards were everywhere and white fountains spurted glistening clear water. I didn't know what I'd been expecting but it certainly was not the deathly quiet that was so similar to that of the castle. I was both surprised and disappointed by the lack of people walking the streets. In the same way as the suburbs, when people saw the white chariots, their eyes widened in alarm and what looked like fear before they hurried away.

"Don't worry, your highness," Simon said, "They're all just shy." There was a slight sarcastic edge to his tone that I didn't like at all, I felt almost as if he was laughing at me.

The constant clip-clop on the horses hooves was the only sound to be heard along with the gentle splashing sound of the city's fountains. The city was just like the castle, I didn't know how I could have expected any differently. Everything was white, from the cobbled pavement to the marble statues to the residential houses on the right of us. We gradually made our way deeper into the white city and the sound of chatter and bustle slowly began to take form in my ears.

I wasn't sure why I'd always craved the sound of human interaction or joyous laughter and clinking cups. All I knew was that I hated the deathly silence that always surrounded my life. No one talked in the castle, it was forbidden unless you were in your own quarters or being addressed by someone of higher status than you.

We rounded the corner of an old, slightly slanted building that had obviously been painted white over its original colour and I was delighted to see the many stalls of the infamous Paladu marketplace. From my raised seat in the chariot, I could see that it stretched on for miles down the centre of the High Street. Although the stalls were white, many of the people had different hair colours and I could see that some of the food being sold was coloured more brightly.

My delight faded however because as people spotted us, the chatting gradually tapered off and the street turned silent. I almost wanted to shout in frustration. Why did no one want to talk to us? Was it because of me that they all walked in the opposite direction?

Slowly murmurs traveled through the crowd as people finished up their business as fast as they could, but the volume was only a fraction of what it had been before. I saw some people gaze at my face in awe while some glared with such hatred I felt my hands begin to shake.

Perhaps the reason I had never been allowed to leave the castle was this. The citizens obviously had no respect for the crown.

An old man with grey hair and a few missing teeth hobbled as he approached the carriages. He smiled a toothless grin while glaring at me hard before spitting aggressively at my feet.

A hushed gasp travelled through the crowd who were all desperately trying to get as far away from us as they could. It was almost like we were a contagious disease.

"You're no princess," The man's words were garbled for some reason. I looked closer at his toothless mouth and started. It looked as though he'd had his tongue cut out but I couldn't be sure and I didn't want to believe it.

I allowed no emotion to creep onto my face at his hurtful words although my hands were clasped so tightly in my lap that I was surprised I hadn't pulled my fingers off yet.

Suddenly the crowd fell back as one and before I could comprehend what was happening, Simon reached over me and pulled a string. A piece of cloth to fell from the canopy above me, directly in my line of vision and concealing my view of everything.

The sickening thunk of something hitting flesh reached my ears and there was a muffled cry. They were beating him outside in front of everyone! I didn't know what to do, was this a normal occurrence in Paladu? I had never heard about such things before and I felt so ill equipped to deal with the matter that I found my body frozen in place.

The thunks, cries and gasps continued outside before the cries of pain became a gurgle and then the gurgle silence. The sound of a baby crying reached my ears and I closed my eyes, willing it all to go away. This was not at all how I had envisioned my day.

The horses started trotting again, jolting me out of my state of shock. I noticed that I was breathing quickly and my teeth were digging into my lower lip. I quickly righted my face and tried to even my breathing although my hands stayed clenched tightly in my lap.

The walls of the carriage were closing in on me, I felt very claustrophobic and the need to escape had become the only thing I could think of. I moved the cloth aside to see where we were and was met with the glare of a citizen. I gasped inaudibly but ignored my instinct to retreat, pulling the cloth all the way open so I could see Simon broad back.

"Simon, do you think we could stop for a minute so I can stretch my legs?" I wasn't sure that he'd let me but I had high hopes, Simon was more lenient than other guards when it came to rules.

"If it is a private break you'll be needing then I am sure that will be fine your highness." The corner of his lips twitched in a smile and, although I couldn't return that smile, I did my best to soften my eyes. Simon had a way of turning things around so they sounded like they complied with the rules, even though they really didn't.

He stopped the carriage next to an inn and jumped out easily. He reached into the carriage and placed his hands under my arms so he could lift me out. I sustained my posture while he did this, making sure not to let my head drop as I looked into his brown eyes.

Simon's hair, like all the guards, was buzzed short for convenience. His hair was the golden colour of his leopard and there was no denying he was good looking. He was fairly new to the palace guard, I had only seen him around for a couple of years but that may have been because his previous position was so low that I never came in contact with him. That was actually more likely.

"I'll tell the others where you have gone while you take care of business y'highness," He gestured behind him at the five other carriages of guards who were pulling up behind us.

I nodded my head in acknowledgement although I was inwardly rolling my eyes. I did not need a whole procession of guards to take me to the toilet.

I made my way towards the inn, and once I was nearly at the door I glanced surreptitiously behind me at Simon and the other guards. He had his back to me as he walked towards the other carriages and none of the other guards had left their carriage posts yet. I darted around the side of the inn and made my way into the fiery forest. I was sure Simon knew that I wasn't going to go inside the inn, even though I hadn't explicitly told him this.

The forest floor was sharp under my bare feet. Only working citizens wore shoes, and even then only those involved in manual labour tended to do so. As changelings we found it comforting to have the ground directly beneath our feet.

However, at this moment I was not so thankful for this aspect of convention. The sharp sticks and twigs dug into my heels and small stony pebbles managed to embed themselves in my skin. My eye twitched in pain but I otherwise kept my face clear.

The sounds of horses scuffling and snorting grew more distant as I ventured further into the forest, new sounds making themselves known. A child's melodious laughter echoed through the trees and my even steps accelerated slightly in anticipation.

Suddenly I broke into a clearing and blinked in surprise at what I saw. This was obviously the city children's play area, many makeshift stick dens had been set up around the clearing. An old 'Do not enter' sign which had obviously been part of the city once had been propped up against the most central den. The clearing was predominantly quiet, save for a group of children in the middle.

They all surrounded a man and appeared to be clambouring to get something out of his hands. A couple of them were in their leopard form and were growling adorably up at him although he seemed barely fazed by their tickling claws.

He laughed as he held what I could now see was a ball away from the squealing children. It then became painfully evident that he'd seen, or more likely smelt me lurking in the corner of the clearing. All laughter died on his face and his dark brows came down over his startlingly blue eyes in a frown. He flicked black hair out of his eyes as he turned back to the children.

"Okay guys, playtime is over. You've got to go home and help your mamas now." He handed the ball to one of the tallest children and began to hustle them out of the clearing despite their feverish complaints. If any of them had seen me I couldn't tell, they all seemed to be eager to stay and continue with their game, the exact opposite of all the adults reactions.

I felt my heart sink a little more at the black haired man's actions. Why did people despise me so much? I'd never been out of the castle before today, they had no reason to hate me. I felt my frustration slowly morphing into anger as I turned my gaze back to the black haired man.

All the children had left the clearing now and the only sound left was that of chirping birds. I guessed it was better than silence.

His pink upper lip curled as he looked at me and his eyes seemed to be fixated on the shawl around my shoulders.

"What bitch? Killing wolves isn't enough for you, now you're killing leopard cubs too?" His voice was deep and rumbling, his blue eyes crackling with lightning as he spoke. If Simon was good looking, this man was a god. My heart rate sped up as I took in his perfectly chiseled features and the light coating of stubble on his jaw. I prayed that my admiration did not show on my face.

I blinked at him, finally assimilating his words. He had called me 'bitch'. I had no idea of how to react to such a blatant lack of respect.

"I'm not a bitch, I'm a snow leopard. And I would never kill one of my own." My voice was soft but clear and the rude word tingled on my lips, somehow exciting me. I'd never had a chance to cuss, I'd never even dreamed of it until this moment.

"Yeah a bitch of a snow leopard," he rolled his eyes. "I'm guessing you're the Snow Princess?" He seemed to glare at me harder, "What with your white hair and all."

The royal family were the only snow leopard family left and therefore the only family with the trait of such pure white hair. I was surprised to see that the man in front of me did not wear white but rather a loose grey shirt and brown riding breeches. Not wearing white was against the law for a Paladu citizen. A slip of golden skin was visible where his shirt had fallen open and my eyes hovered there distractedly.

"Are you from here?" I remembered to keep my voice soft, as was customary.

His full pink lips had fallen open slightly as he looked at me and his long sooty eyelashes fluttered over his azure eyes as he blinked a few times.

"No," his rumbling voice was slightly husky. His black hair had fallen into his eyes again and, for some reason, my hand itched to push it back.

"Well it was nice meeting you, not." He smirked sarcastically, "I best be off," He waved a golden hand at me and disappeared into the bushes.

I huffed out a small breath at his abrupt departure and rudeness. There was nothing for me to do now besides returning home. Well, I could always follow the mysterious man into the bushes... My mind immediately dismissed the thought, even as my brain formed it.

I slowly made my way back to the carriage and allowed Simon to lift me into it. My head fell against the cushion with fatigue. I didn't think I could've made my own way into the carriage, even if I had wanted to. Today had been utterly exhausting. 

--- A/N ---

You've stumbled across my book, and apparently finished the first chapter. This fact gives me good vibes, I'm hoping this means you enjoyed reading? If so then I sincerely hope you can join me on this journey through Nereyda's life. She does have a rather interesting one ;). It means so much to me that you've given my story your attention and I would absolutely love to see/hear from you soon! - Zoe :)