Tunder

Chapter 1

- Harper -

~⚜~

14 Years Later

FWEEEEEEEEEET!

My head raised from the pillow too quickly, causing the room to spin around me. I tried to blink my tired eyes which were stuck together with sleep.

I'd gone to bed on time that night -something that didn't usually happen- but even then the skin beneath my eyes was the colour of ink.

"Up. And. Adam!" The Matron yelled in a shrill voice, the whistle inches from her lips.

When her orders were met with only a few stretched out groans she pressed the metal to her lips again.

FWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET!

She blew even louder and harder than the first time. "We're up!" I groaned; my head buried face first in my pillow.

I heard the short skidding of the Matron turning on her heel and marching from the room, then the rustling of duvets from the other beds. My groan was one of many as I rolled out of my bed and landed on the floor still wrapped in my thin duvet.

The small gold clasp that'd I'd fallen asleep with in my hand, landed with a metal thunk beside me. I grabbed it slowly, groaning from the effort of moving my tired arm.

The girl in the bed beside me merely glanced in my direction before stepping over my curled body.

Blindly, I raised a hand to my bedside table. My fingers clawed for the handle of the bottom drawer. It gave a single, rusty creak as I sat myself up onto my knees, staring at its contents.

"Better choose your best outfit for today." The girl next to me suggested, sliding a bright yellow dress over her head. The bold yellow did nothing to compliment her olive skin and made her resemble that of a large lemon.

"Why? What's so special 'bout today?" I scratched my scalp and winced when my fingers got tangled in my unbrushed hair.

"It's the King's Festival." Another girl replied, tying her long hair up behind her head. "Come on, Harper. It's all anyone's been talking about."

"Well I don't care for what everyone's been talking about, Vivien." I tugged my hand from my hair as I spoke.

"Well, maybe you should-"

"Do you think Peter will be there?" Poppy, the girl who slept in the bed beside me, asked, twirling in front of the one mirror we all shared.

A few girls' heads snapped in her direction. "Of course he will." A small girl, a faun, with wavy blonde hair, goat legs and two small horns popping out from just behind her hairline, chirped. "Peter's the son of the village lord."

"Wonder if he'll compete in any of the tournaments." Poppy hummed, rummaging through her collection of hair ribbons.

A scoff escaped my mouth before I could do anything to stop it. Everyone's eyes fell on me and I did my best to pretend the scoff was intentional. "All I'm saying is that the guy's probably just another primped up prince who, whenever something goes wrong, goes crying to his rich daddy."

I stood up and fell back on my bed, my hand raised to my forehead as I made an over-the-top sob. "Oh, Daddy! It's so horrible! I was walking down the street, talking to these lovely ladies when... Oh! I scuffed my boot on the sidewalk! It's the end, Daddy. I can feel it!"

My head lolled to one side in a dead-like fashion.

A few girls giggled from the corner, but Poppy flicked her hair indignantly. "He's nothing like that!"

"Course he is." I replied, rolling onto my front and placing the golden clasp on top of the bedside table.

"You haven't even met him!"

"Oh please, I've met his type before." I waved an impassive hand in her direction.

"You're too quick to judge, Harper." Vivien said, pulling on her shiniest shoes. I stared down at my own collection of clothes, none of which were very impressive- not that it bothered me. I reach down and pulled out a long maroon dress.

"You're actually going to consider wearing that, are you?"

"Well, Poppy, if it bothers you so much." I stood up, throwing the dress behind me. "You pick out something." I didn't have to ask her twice. In less than a second she was rummaging through my drawer, tossing all my clothes to the side.

I watched with a jaded expression; my arms crossed in front of me.

"Honestly, I keep believe you've still kept these rags, Harpy."

"Honestly, I don't know if you've realized, but I haven't really got the money to buy anything else."

"Let me check what I have. We're about the same size. Ah, here we go!"

I watched in utter terror as she pulled out the 'devil dress' as I liked to call it. I heard giggles again, but my icy stare was unable to find who they'd come from. The dress was long and white, with large lace trimmings around the long sleeves. The skirt was way too poofy for my taste and I could only dread the thought of the shoes Poppy was going to force on my feet.

"No way." I took a step back. "There is no way I'm going in that. You wouldn't catch me dead in that dress!"

"Oh come on, Harper!" Poppy whined.

"Don't do that!" I ordered, pointing my finger as I backed up even further. The orphan girl's face had changed dramatically. Her eyes were wide, and her bottom lip was popping out. "Puppy faces don't work on me."

That's when I felt a hand land on either of my shoulders, holding me in place. I struggle to get out of Vivien's grip. "Let go, Viv!"

The faun with the long blonde hair trotted over towards me, her hooved feet thumping against the wooden floorboards. "Both of you... Let me go..." I struggled, but with both their hands on me I couldn't break free.

Poppy was creeping towards me, holding out the 'devil dress' wickedly.

"Don't you dare! Get off! No!"

But it was too late. My vision became a horrific shade of white.

»»————-　⚜　————-««

"You look pretty."

"I'm not speaking to you."

"Wish you hadn't brought that old clasp-"

"I'd never part with it."

The white pumps bit down on my feet which felt like they were bleeding. I hated the feeling of lace around my wrists and my hair was pulled back into an extremely tight ponytail.

I walked in between Poppy and Jade, who was elven, with long tipped ears and snow-white skin.

Our shoes made sharp clip-clop noises on the stone path, much like a horse's. I could barely breath through the tight fabric. It turned out Poppy and I weren't the same size after all, and I was convinced that the sun was trying to fry my skin off.

The roads were jam packed with people all pushing past each other and running down the streets like raging bulls.

I jumped as a knee-high goblin, with green, warted skin and twinkling yellow eyes, charged through the crowd. He was so determined to get to the other end of the street that he had actually slid underneath my skirt and came out the other end. Poppy and Jade squealed, while I spun around in disgust.

"Oi!" I shouted, waving an undainty fist in his direction. "Watch it you pervert!"

"Harper." Poppy hissed under her breath, glancing at the people staring at me. I didn't care though, I only gasped when the goblin turned around and raised a single finger in my direction.

"Ugh, goblins. They have no manners." Jade shook her head as Poppy gently pulled me along by my wrist.

I wanted nothing more than to give the goblin a piece of my mind, but something in Poppy's eyes made me stop reluctantly. I followed behind them like an obedient dog as the two girls glided through the throng of creatures.

Stalls had been set up on either side of the wide road. Their owners were holding up their wears, occasionally advertising them to a passer-byers.

I could smell the scent of sweet bread, a Tunder delicacy, wafting through the air. My stomach growled, but I had no interest in buying anything. Jade and Poppy on the other hand huddled closely together in front of a long stall. The table was covered in jewellery, all handmade by the pixie standing behind the table.

"Can I interest you lovely ladies in anything shiny?" He asked in a nasally voice. I narrowed my eyes at the way he rubbed his tiny hands together. The pixie's head only just reached the height of the table. He had to stand up on an old stool to see the girls properly. His dragonfly-like wings fluttered behind his back excitedly.

Jade and Poppy whispered between each other, pointing at an expensive looking bracelet I knew they wouldn't have enough to buy.

"Anything for you miss?"

I knotted my arms in front of my chest impatiently tapping my foot. "Nothing for me. I'm just waiting." A small stone lay near my foot and I kicked it across the dirt, scuffing my shoe. I tried looking over my shoulder to find something to help pass the time. But all I saw were more busy buyers and a large banner hanging from one side of the street to the other.

Welcome to Tunder's 14th Annual King's Festival!

Walls were plastered with posters, all advertising the upcoming tournaments that would be occurring just outside of the village in the empty paddocks nearby.

"Is there nothing that captures your eye?" The pixie interrupted my attempts to distract myself. I raised a firm hand, not wanting to be asked the same question again. Unlike my friends, I actually saved up what little money I had. "No thanks."

"But this would match your eyes." Poppy had grabbed a long silver chain necklace and was holding it up to my golden eyes. I glanced at it. Sure the large chunk of amber was almost the same colour as my eyes but... "No." I placed it back down on the table. "I don't need it."

"It's not about whether or not you need it, Harper. It's about whether you want it."

"Okay, well I don't want it either."

"Come on, treat yourself."

I couldn't see how wasting my hard-earned coins would be considered as treating myself. A treat in my eyes was a chance to be alone and enjoy the quiet of my own free time. But when you live with at least twenty other girls, quiet isn't a luxury you get.

"There's other things more important to save up for."

"Like what?"

That's when it occurred to me that Poppy had no plan. She wasn't preparing or ready for when the day would come when she'd turned eighteen and was no longer the orphanage's problem. She had no idea what was going to happen when she'd be forced to go into the world, alone.

The blaring of a distant trumpet saved me from having to respond and I watched as Poppy's face lit up and her eyes widened. "Oh! The tournament, I almost forgot!" He hands snapped on top of Jade and my wrist, pulling us away from the stall and leaving the pixie dumbfounded.

"Hold your horses, Poppy!" I shouted, wincing. My arm felt like it was being pulled from its socket and Poppy's grip was frighteningly firm.

"We're going to miss him!"

"Uuuuuugh." I didn't bother holding back my groan as I was dragged out of the dusty streets. But before we could leave the last of the buildings behind, I collided with something hard. Poppy lost hold of my wrist and I fell backwards on the hard ground. "Oof! Hey-"

A large shadow was cast down upon me, blocking out the sun. I blinked in the sudden shade.

"My apologies." The huge figure purred, offering his hand down in my direction. I stared at it. It was big, about the size of my face, and was covered in soft, golden fur. Yellow eyes stared down at me from underneath the stranger's hood.

He was about the size of a grown horse and towered above the crowd. As he leaned down, I caught a glimpse of his long face. It was a lion's face.

"Ahem!" Jade was glaring at me, her eyes flicking between the stranger's hand and mine.

I'm not prejudice. I don't care about appearances, but there was something about the stranger that made me feel... weird. Call me crazy, but I felt like I'd seen his broad, hairy figure before. But despite the feeling of uneasy familiarity I took his hand and allowed him to help me up onto my feet.

But then his grip tightened, like a reflex, as he saw my face properly.

His cat-like muzzle opened slightly, displaying long, white canines. His whiskers twitched uncomfortably when he realised he was still holding onto my hand. "S-sorry." I rubbed the palm of my hand that'd been crushed in his iron grip. "Sorry, y-you just remind me of someone..."

"Harper!" Jade called. "Harper come on. We have to go."

I struggled to get around the stranger's wide figure, which blocked up almost the entire street. "Well, have a lovely day." I mumbled politely as we left. But my head turned to look over my shoulder as I walked.

He was still staring at me, ignoring the looks he was getting from passing people, all trying to get around him.

I gasped slightly as my heel caught on something and I stumbled forward.

Damn those shoes!

They continued to nip at my toes as we walked off the beaten track and onto the long, grassy fields surrounding Tunder. The grass glowed luminously in the sun's glare and I was forced to blink continuously at the bright colour.

"Oh, look at my dress!" Poppy whined.

I looked down. Sure enough the white skirt was dusty, and the shoes were scuffed. The only thing that was still in place was my hair which was still tie back in a tight, high ponytail.

"Sorry." I say, not really meaning it.

"Oh! You'll be cleaning that when we get back."

"Can't wait." I say more truthfully.

Jade nudged Poppy and pointed forward. "There's the arena!"

The 'good news' was that the line was short outside the miniature arena, with only the last couple of people scrambling to get inside. From inside the arena I could hear voices, hundreds of them. There was cheering, then a loud, booming voice rung out strongly.

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen. Fauns and fairies. Goblins and golems. Young boys and girls."

"Oh no! We're gonna miss him!"

I raised an eyebrow towards Poppy. "Who? The lord?"

"No! Peter, of course."

My eyes rolled so much that my head did slightly too. "Right. Of course." We picked up our skirts as we ran down the green slope towards the large, wooden structure and making our way inside. Somehow we were able to find seats, but much to Poppy's dismay they were placed towards the back of the arena.

"How is Peter supposed to see me from all the way back here?"

Jade placed an empathetic hand on her arm, while I plonked down into my seat, crossing my arms once more across my chest. That had seemed to have become their usual resting place recently. My face was tight as I was forced to listen to the town lord's speech.

"Welcome to the fourteenth King's Festival."

The village lord muscular and was dressed in a fine cut suit that was not meant for hot weather. He had a strong jaw, a dark complexion and narrow eyes. His lips were puckered so close together that for I second I was convinced he didn't have any. His hair was the deepest black I'd ever seen in my life and was plastered back firmly on his balding scalp.

"Look! There he is." Poppy squealed.

I followed her stare down and past the lord standing in the centre of the arena. Behind him was a young man, who I guessed must have been the famous Peter I'd heard so much about.

The boy shared his father's dark locks which hung just above his shoulders and some of his father's jawline. His skin was dark like his father's, but he was lankier with large blue eyes.

I could understand why girls were falling left and right for him. He wasn't totally unfortunate looking.

But still I gave a disgusted look to the girls below who were waving and blowing kisses in his direction, screaming his name. "Peter! Oh, Peter!"

No wonder he was standing so tensely behind his father. For a second I almost felt sorry for the guy.

Lord Evans cleared his throat and continued speaking, ignoring the countless females trying to grab his son's attention. "In a second we will begin our first tournament..."

I leaned over with a smirk. "I couldn't think of anything more boring than watching men ride horses and hit each other with sticks."

"That's not how jousting works, Harper." Jade replied. "There's more to it than that."

I shuffled uncomfortably in my skirt. The fabric was not made for hot days and I was beginning to sweat. I would've loved someone to come past offering fans, but I wouldn't have taken one. They were just too... dainty.

"Just try to keep an open mind." Poppy prompted upon seeing my far from happy face. "Who knows, you might like it."

"The only time I'd ever enjoy the sport was if the stick was driven straight into the jouster's-"

"Harper!" Her voice was even louder than the shouts of the crowd, but I just laughed quietly in my seat. I didn't listen for a lot of the lord's speech. Occasionally, I would join the crowd in applause, only with a much less enthusiastic attitude.

"May we all wish our King, a long and happy rule. But now... Let the games... Begin!" Lord Evans and his son strutted off and out of view. In a matter of seconds, knights dressed in heavy armour rode out onto the field on top of majestic white unicorns. Each one was holding a large jousting stick.

The tournament was just as boring as I had expected it to be.

"I'm getting something eat." I stood up and prepared to slide past the crowd towards the exit which was supposed to lead to the food stalls. "Unless you're already full on eye-candy." I snicked at Poppy who was staring at Peter, sitting beside his father in the VIP stands.

"Here." Jade passed me a few coins. "Get something for yourself as well."

"Thanks, Jay-Jay."

As I slowly descended through the crowd, men were being struck off their horses and were falling face first in the dirt. I shook my head. The crowd roared once more as another knight fell.

"Wha' cha wan'?" The man behind the food stall asked, too busy counting his coins to look me in the eye.

"Two fairy flosses, please." I passed over Jade's coins. The man took them eagerly then spun around, walking to the back of his stall. I glanced back at the entrance to the arena but all I could see were people trying to see over each other's heads.

"Oi Darv!" The man shouted.

At the back of the tent a beard fairy looked up from his book. "Wha'!" He yelled in a grouchy voice. I couldn't understand why they were yelling; they were right in front of each other. "Two fair' floss for the lady 'ere!"

"Oh, alright!" The fairy jumped to his feet, grabbing two long sticks from a bucket beside the stool he'd been sitting on. I leaned against the table as I waited. The fairy raised his hand and snapped his fingers. From his palm, looking like a pink web, fairy floss spurted out and wrapped around the sticks.

Once I was handed the fairy floss I turned around, excited to each the sugary substance. But then, for the second time that day, I collided with someone.

There was a loud splash of liquid and I was left staring at the massing purple stain on the boy's completely white suit.