It is starting. With my help, the eldest Princess, Illyana has escaped. The True trial has begun. The circumstances of her escape fell into place perfectly, almost as though the gods are looking down on us. However, in order for her to succeed, we must keep working here. We cannot stop this quest.

I am writing this now so that history is correctly recorded. Kings are good at manipulating truths and influencing the writings of Scholars. It is my belief that a few history scripts are not as accurate as we all once believed. I also believe that a lot more knowledge is being kept from us in an act of keeping everyone in the dark that has gone on by our rulers since the time of King Niklaus. The truth about The Gift being one of them.

If the book I found in the king's chambers is what I think it is, then that will provide some well-needed answers. However, I dare not remove it from where I've hidden it. Though he has yet to notice its absence, I don't want to take any chances.

Moving back onto the princess. King Matthias gave a speech today. Telling the people of the Illyana's escape to become the true queen. It was not as bad as I feared. He came across as a worried father. He's always been quite the manipulator. Soon though, he'll work into their minds. He'll say little cryptic messages about the Princess or tell lies about her actions. so that slowly, they turn against her.

For some odd reason though, he wants her back to continue the trial. The best thing to do in his position was to find her and kill her so the Trial could continue without her. That way, she would not be able to cause trouble again and it would scare any more future daughters from doing the same. However, the King is obsessed with his eldest child. He wants her to be the Queen Victorious. He wants her to carry on the Dulavelle name over any of his other daughters. Daughters who are much more obedient. Part of me believes he wants complete control. Princess Illyana is strong and independent. King Matthias doesn't like that. He wants everyone to bow at his feet and kiss his shoes. Though I do not believe that is the true reason. What I do believe is that it has something to do with her eyes and The Gift. He knows something about the Princess we don't. Something that has made him scarred.

It is time I stop with my theorising and try and find as much information as possible. I must finish this book and my book on The Gift before my inevitable "retirement." I doubt I will be in the position for much longer so I must do everything I can do to help Princess Illyana whilst I am.

~The Rising of the True Queen. Chapter One. Written by Master Audwin. The Master Scholar of Vivelle during the reign of King Orion and The King Chosen Matthias.

As we get further up the fjord, the ferry gets busier with people returning from the villages they visited and back to their homes. I tuck my hood up, not wanting many people to see my face. I can't help but look at all the little villages though. Tucked around the waters on large grassy banks. High cliffs of sharp, jagged rock surrounding them. It is so peaceful.

"Enjoy your day, Mrs Danica?" Iwan asks as an older lady steps onto the ferry. Iwan knows everyone who has hopped on and off the ferry at these villages. It makes me smile. I find myself wondering again about a different life. About what it would be like to live in a friendly community like this. Again, I have to scrub the thoughts from my mind.

"Oh, it was wonderful Iwan!" she exclaims happily. "I saw my friends and we sat and had tea in the gardens. Did you know that Iris makes the best strawberry cakes?" she asks with a wide smile. I frown, she looks oddly familiar.

"Yes Mrs Danica, I do," he chuckles and gives me a wink. I find myself smiling again.

"I've got some for you and your family," she says, holding up the basket. Iwan beams.

"Wonderful, we'll enjoy them for pudding tonight," he tells her. She nods her head and sits down. She then pulls up the skirts of her farming dress and yanks off her boots, dipping her feet in the water as we set off again. A sigh escapes her mouth and she turns to me.

"Hello," she says with a warm smile. A few of her teeth are missing, but that does not stop her grin from being any more friendly or joyous.

"Hello," I reply back softly. We are the only ones on the raft now. All the others who got on, got off again in the villages we stopped at after. We are going to the final village now. The most remote one according to Iwan. The woman frowns and looks at Iwan.

"Another runner?" she asks. Iwan nods his head and the woman's face turns sad. "That bastard king," she spits. "It makes me so angry," she continues. I nod my head.

"I can't believe my son works for him," she says as she spits into the water. I look at her closely. Her skin is dark and wrinkled from age. Dark purple material is wrapped around her hair, leaving only a few braided strands falling down the sides. The strands a mixture of black and dark grey.

"Did you know he's trying to introduce a new law?" she snaps angrily. "Already, he has stolen futures from women with his inheritance law. Now he wants to take away their freedom to chose!" she shouts, her voice echoing around the emptiness of the fjord.

"What are you talking about?" Iwan asks softly.

"I received a letter from my son," she says with tears streaming down her face. "The king wants to make it illegal for a woman to chose who she marries. That fathers have to choose for them. If they don't have fathers then brothers. If no brothers, then male guardians and so on..." she sighs. I do know about that. My father's argument being that fathers should be allowed to chose the man their inheritance goes to. That women are too emotional to make logical decisions over such important things like a marriage union.

"Really?" Iwan asks. She nods her head and more tears stream down her face.

"So," she turns to me. "Who was your father making you marry?" she asks.

"A cruel man," I reply as Kristoff's face pops into my mind. I sigh, deciding to pull my hood down. It is getting very warm with it up anyway.

Her eyes widen and she gasps in shock.

"What?" Iwan asks. The old woman doesn't move. She knows who I am. I give her a warning look. Don't give me away. I curse myself for removing my hood also. I should have just put up with the heat. She gulps and looks away.

"Mrs Danica, are you okay?" Iwan asks.

"Yes yes, I'm fine boy," she mutters under her breath. "I was just upset is all," she says. "Just seeing a woman so young having to run from her family upset me," she tells him. Relief fills me.

"I just can't believe my son helps all these new laws get into place," she rants again. I frown confused. The only way her son would be able to help these laws pass is if he is on the High Council... This time I gasp as realisation shoots through me. Iwan gives me a weird look this time.

"You're..." I whisper. I gulp. She's Emlyn's grandmother. Her son is the High Councilman of healing and medicine. Emlyn's father.

"Your grandson helped me escape," I say to her quietly. Her face lights up.

"So I can be proud of at least one member of my family," she smiles, though tears still spread down her face. 

"I just didn't raise my son to support such..." she shakes her head and I gently put my hand on her shoulder. She takes a deep breath and smiles. She changes the sentence and talks about strawberry cakes again.

We round another corner and my eyes again widen. The cliffs still surround us in their spectacular beauty. The water shallows and becomes clear and turquoise as it laps against a rocky shore. Fields of rich green grass rise beyond it. About one hundred small wooden huts sit both on these fields and around the rocks and on the cliff faces. It is beautiful. There is a small stone pier coming from the village and a couple of small fishing boats. We come to the little pier. Trouble stands up and I jump onto the pier. He hops after with ease. I pull out my bag of coins and place five gold ones onto the pier. More than enough. I then pull my hood up and tuck my black hair out of sight.

"Thank you, Iwan," I say and lead Trouble toward the village.

"Ana," Iwan says as he jumps up. "Wait!" he calls, rushing up behind me. Mrs Danica hurries behind us.

"Yes?" I say, turning around.

"Stay with me and my family. For the night at least."

"I can't," I tell him with a smile. He picks up the coins and puts them in his pocket. "I need to get as far away as possible. If I stay, I put all of you in danger," I tell him with a soft smile.

"You need to rest and so does your horse," he tells me. I look around at the beautiful village. No one is really outside at the moment. I should get out of here before more people see me.

"Ana," he sighs. "I've helped hundreds of young girls run. Some even have made themselves a life here. Please. I'm sure my mother would love to meet you," he smiles softly. Mrs Danica smiles at me softly and pats me on the shoulder.

"At least stay the night. It will be days before anyone gets to this village," she says. I look at Trouble. He does look exhausted and I am desperate for a wash and some proper food.

"Fine," I sigh. Iwan beams.

"Follow me," he smiles.

"I will bring you the cake around later, young man," Mrs Danica says as she walks off in another direction. Iwan sighs.

"She's invited herself around for dinner again," he says with a smile whilst he shakes his head.

"Don't be scared of my mother, she's very friendly and not as dangerous as your people make you believe," he tells me. I remember him saying his mother is a Lupine and smile.

"I've met Lupine before," I tell him with a shrug. He looks at me with a confused expression.

"Who are you?" he chuckles. I just smile and continue to lead Trouble after him. We walk around little houses until we reach one near the top. It is surrounded by a large field full of cattle and sheep. A big barn sits in the centre of it.

He takes us there first. It is warm inside and clean. Fresh hay lies across the ground and troughs sit against the wall with either food or water inside.

"Your horse can have this stall," Iwan says. I open the hatch and leave Trouble inside. It is large. Big enough for him to be able to stretch properly or lie down if he needs to.

"This was the stall of our old working horse," he shrugs as he helps me remove the saddle and bags of Trouble. We then work on brushing his fur and getting him a little warmer without doing it too quickly. He did get a little cold from the swim.

"He is a beautiful beast. What's his name?" Iwan asks.

"Trouble," I reply as I stroke him softly.

"Well, Trouble will be safe in here for the night," Iwan says as he pats me on the shoulder. "Bring in what you need and leave the rest in here. Don't worry about any damp or anything. Everything will stay nice and dry. The dogs will also keep people away so don't worry about it being stolen."

I do as he says, packing what I need into one bag before following him into the wooden hut. It is nice. A fairly large front room with a thick fireplace and a wooden bench which sits on a stone floor. On the bench is a few drapes and cushions. The large windows look out over the cliffs and waters and also allow a nice amount of light into the room. One door then leads into a small kitchen with a table sitting down the middle. There are stairs which lead up to a few bedrooms.

"I'm back!" Iwan shouts. There is a thumping sound from upstairs before three sets of feet rush down. The first is a man in his eighties I am guessing. He wears the same simple clothes that Iwan wears. A soft white linen shirt and baggy brown trousers with worn boots. The next person is younger. About the same age as Iwan. Her black hair is cropped short around her scalp and her skin is dark. She is fairly tall, though when she stands next to Iwan, he towers above her. He gives her a kiss on the lips and her brown eyes light up.

"Welcome home," she says. "How were the waters today?" she asks.

"Beautiful, as always," he smiles. "Not as beautiful as you, of course, my dear," he chuckles. The older man looks at me with a warm smile.

"Another runaway?" he asks.

"Hello," I say softly. "I'm Ana," I say. The man walks over to me and wraps me up in a warm hug. I am surprised at first, but I hug him back with a smile.

"Not hugging another woman, are you my love?" A deep, heavily accented voice asks. The man pulls away with a chuckle.

"Now now mama," Iwan chuckles. "You don't want to scare our guest."

"Don't worry," I chuckle, turning to look at the woman. She is tall. Taller than her son. Her skin is a dark, golden olive tone. The skin around her face is slightly wrinkled from age. She must be in her eighties at least.  A thick, dark brown braid hangs down her back with greying strands, decorated with colourful beads. Black is lined around the most spectacular eyes. Like light green and brown mixed together. Sharp are her features and muscular is her tall body. The delicate white farming dress doesn't seem to suit her broad shoulders and the visible tattoos that sit around her arms.

I smile. "It's nice to meet you all," I tell them. "Iwan hardly stopped talking about you for the whole journey," I tell them. The woman laughs.

"Welcome," she says with her thickly accented voice. "We are very proud of our son," she carries on.

"He is a good man," I say, looking to Iwan. His wife snuggles closer to him. "Though I am honoured to be invited to your home, I can't stay long. I am a danger to you all," I tell them. His mother frowns and walks over to me.

"What happened to your eye?" she asks.

"Emmaline," the man scolds. She shrugs and I smile.

"Just a birth defect," I tell them. Not exactly lying. I lift up the eye patch to reveal my eye. I still wear the white eyeglass which is irritating. I can tell my eye is all swollen and watering. It just makes the eye story more convincing. I put the patch down again. 

"Hmm," she frowns and takes a seat on one of the benches which creeks under her weight.

"I know the city folk," she crosses her arms. "They do not like such imperfections. Which makes me wonder why they'd want to marry you off to anyone."

"Emmaline!"

"Mother!"

The two men shout at the same time. She shrugs again.

"Just saying what I remember about those barbaric people," she tells them.

"I'm sorry, Ana," Iwan says and I shrug.

"She's right," I reply. "My people are barbaric and cruel. However, money is money and an eye can be covered," I tell her. "Seeing as my husband to be inherits everything of my fathers when he passes."

"Who is your father?"

"That's enough of the questions. Dinner is ready," the man says just as there is a knock on the door.

"Mrs Danica invite herself round for dinner again?" Emmaline chuckles.

"Aye," Iwan replies, giving me an apologetic look. I shrug it off. Emmaline is right.

She rushes over to the door and opens it, giving Mrs Danica a hug.

"I've brought the cake!" Mrs Danica shouts.

"Good," Emmaline replies. "Let us eat," she smiles and we all head to the table.

On the table are a few bowls of green vegetables though the centrepiece is a large tray of fish. We all help ourselves and chatter is light. Iwan is asked about his day and tells them about everyone he picked up. I also find out that Iwan's father is called Raoul.

"So Ana," Emmaline begins. "Most girls are pretty scared of me when my son brings them in," she says.

"I've met Lupine before," I shrug. "I know their reputations are normally exaggerated," I shrug. She laughs deeply.

"Sometimes," she tells me. "I am surprised though. Normally girls like you only meet Lupine when they are robbing your fancy carriages or homes. If that were the case, you wouldn't be so calm around me now." I frown, not really liking the interrogation.

"Is how I met a few Lupine really important?" I ask. "It was years ago now and they have long returned to their home," I sigh "I just know that not all Lupine live up to the reputation given to them," I snap. My eyes sting with tears as I remember the visit. I remember... him... I clear my throat awkwardly and gulp, shaking my head to try and push the memories aside. Then I sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm just tired," I tell them all.

"Understandable. When did you last sleep properly?" Raoul asks.

"About four days," I tell them. My eyes suddenly feeling heavy.

"Why don't I show you where you can sleep for the night," Iwan tells me.

"That would be wonderful, thank you," I reply. "Thank you for the food," I say to them all as Iwan leads me from the table. We go up the stairs and come to a corridor. At the end is a thin ladder which leads to an attic. It is only small, but there are thick blankets on the floor and it is warm from the rising heat in the house. I put my bags down against the wall.

"You can sleep here tonight," Iwan tells me. "The window looks out over the fjord. The sun will be setting soon. It will be beautiful."

"Thank you," I smile. He nods his head.

"Err, good. Night." He smiles and leaves quickly. I sigh and look out the little window. It really is beautiful. The sky is a mixture of reds and pinks which ripples across the water. I want to watch more but my eyes are dropping and the bed is very inviting. So I get into the bed quickly.

I fall asleep straight away.