The skies that loomed over the kingdom of Navaya were dark, and you could see the storm raging in the north-east, where the waters that surrounded Navaya were unstable and dangerous.

Reginald Williams turned to glance at the Royal Castle that stood an hour away from him now. That was where the clouds seemed to be heading.

Standing in the shadow of a broken-down building and covered in a cloak, Reginald couldn't help but utter a bitter laugh at the accuracy of the weather. Darkness sure was headed towards the castle.

I will stop it. Or at least, she will. Reginald thought.

"The skies look dangerous tonight, sir." Jeremy said from behind him, noticing his gaze.

"And yet they are not even close to the danger that threatens the Royal family at the moment." Reginald replied, turning to Jeremy.

Jeremy had something of a mousy appearance, quiet in co-ordinance with his unusual name. He was one of the most trusted guards the Royal family had been served by, and the only one Reginald could trust to accompany him for the task at hand.

"Should we go now, sir?" Jeremy asked him.

Reginald sighed, looking around himself. The neighbourhood was certainly not a very clean one, and most of the houses in sight were in poor condition and needed repair. Three children covered in filth ran past them that instant, one of them stopping to give their fancy cloaks an awed look.

"I believe we should, before it's too late." Reginald nodded, and started walking.

Jeremy followed him close by, his footsteps sounding more like scuttling, telling Reginald the young man was unsure of his surroundings.

"Are we sure she can help us, Chancellor?" Jeremy asked in a low voice as they walked briskly past an old fountain that was covered in mould.

"She is the only hope we have left." Reginald replied, shrugging.

"With all due respect sir," Jeremy said. "I do not think we can trust an outsider with such an important task."

Reginald sped up, fastening his cloak tighter around himself. "She might be an outsider, but she can simply not be killed. I am sure you're aware of that?"

Jeremy nodded, and Reginald remembered the first time he'd heard of Raven.

He had been sitting in his office, a pile of papers on his desk and an ache between his eyes when his assistant, Medarda, had stepped in.

"I'm sorry to disturb you when you're working so late sir, but General Allyss has asked me to give you this." She produced a package from her inside her blue coat, placed it on the table, and left with a swish of her brown curly hair.

Reginald snatched up the package and tore it open. He'd been waiting for it all day, and in an instant he forgot the tiredness of his arms and the stiffness of his shoulders. A stack of papers spilled out, and he almost toppled over his desk while looking for his reading glasses.

Once the glasses were set firmly on his nose, he turned all his attention to the papers and began to read.

Reginald,

You've asked me to look for a solution that can help the princess, and I can say that I have found one. There is a goon that lives in the lesser fancy streets of Navaya. She goes by the name Raven. Before you judge my comprehension of the situation, let me tell you that she fights like she's invincible. Not one but two whole troops were sent to her area last month, and not even a single solder returned. I've done my research on her, and it's said that she can't be killed, at least, not by man. I have not yet seen her fight, Reginald, but trust me, when you do, you shall be awed. If there is anyone in Navaya that protect the princess, it is Raven, even if she's barely 17 years of age. I am attaching further information about her. I have also mentioned her past murders, but these are only the cases that were reported by civilians. Most of them have been frightened into silence.

Sincerely,

Naomi Allyss

Reginald put down the letter and turned to the rest of the contents of the package, his nerves still on end because of the letter.

That was the first time General Allyss had been heard praising someone. And if this Raven could bring such strong words of appreciation out of that woman's mouth, then she was certainly worth Reginald's time.

Coming back to the present, Reginald hurried past more and more houses, getting slightly breathless. Raven's house, according to the map that he'd received from General Naomi, was at the very edge of the sea, and apparently the only house in that region.

Sure enough, as they emerged from the last congested row of poorly maintained houses, the view of the beautiful waters that surrounded the kingdom opened up. It was obstructed by a small house, or perhaps 'hut' would be a more appropriate word.

Jeremy turned to Reginald, who sensed his gaze and nodded, and the two men carefully proceeded in the direction of the hut, completely ignoring the sun which created rays of crimson across the sky and the water, making it looked as if everything had been set ablaze, as if they'd arrived in hell.

As they neared the hut, Reginald felt doubt grow on his chest. Still, thinking back to General Allyss and her fierce personality, he knew if he had any hope, it was Raven.

Sighing, he knocked on the door of the hut, twice.

.

.

.

Raven had had enough of the King's men already.

Just a month ago, they'd sent about 70 armed soldiers to get rid of her and leave no traces, and now they wanted an acquaintance with her, for discussing 'highly confidential matters which concern the entire kingdom' as had been mentioned in a letter from the Chancellor himself.

Raven couldn't care less.

She knew her business, and it had nothing to do with the kingdom. Yet, a part of her was curious to find out the reason behind the Royals' sudden change of mind. There had to be a strong issue for them to pay a visit to her humble home themselves, even if without invitation.

Her house wasn't big and fancy; it only had so much space. There was a shabby kitchen and a living room, a brown wooden door that led to her quarters, and a small window right opposite to the door of the house.

The living room had a table and three chairs. It had been a four chair-set, but Raven had thrown one of the chairs upon someone during a fight that had travelled all the way to her house, and then later used it as firewood. There wasn't a fireplace, just a blackened spot on the bare floor that marked where she burnt firewood every winter. There was a clock as well upon the wall to the east. It wasn't very well furnished, she was aware of that. But this was exactly where she was going to meet with Chancellor, whether he liked it or not.

She figured she'd fix her appearance at the very least, and searched around her house for a mirror until she found one. Hardened blue eyes stared back at her, accompanied by chapped lips on a face and framed by coal black hair.

There was a scar on her right cheek, a horizontal line of light skin caused by a now dead woman's sabre. Another ran from just beneath her jaw and all the way into her shirt, ending at her collarbone. Its maker had made her suffer way more than the others, but at the end of the day it was her that was alive and not him.

She had been told she was beautiful, once. By a pimp at a brothel who had said she looked worth selling. She had never cared about the comment, always finding some humour in it.

Soon enough, a somewhat hesitant knock sounded on her door, and she went to open it. Standing just outside was the King's most trusted man, Chancellor Reginald Williams, and another mousy-haired bloke.

The Chancellor had dark brown hair and eyes the sort that could have been described as kind. He was quite young for a Chancellor, but he was known throughout Navaya and further for his impeccable wisdom, assiduous nature and kind heart.

"Uhm... I presume you are Raven?" The Chancellor asked.

Raven didn't respond; she only opened the door wide enough for them to step in, turning back and walking into the living room. She realised there was just the perfect number of chairs in the room for all of them, though only vaguely.

Majority of her concentration was still trying to figure out why they had come to her house. As they sat down, the Chancellor took his time looking about. He seemed to be looking for something to start a conversation with.

"Simply get to the point." Raven said dully. "Why are you here?"

"Oh, of course." He cleared his throat, and began. "We are here today, representing the Royal family in their time of need. We beg you for a favor. A favor that would mark you as a warrior in the history of Navaya forever. It does, however, come with great peril."