Chapter 1

*Few weeks earlier*

                     *Eleanor's POV*

    "Eleanor! Eleanor! Eleanor!" I heard my mother's voice yelling my name from the front yard. "Mother, I'm right here," I replied. My mother emerges from the front yard to the back yard where I'm sitting right now.

"Where are you?"

"Up, up here mother." She looks up to find me sitting on a tree in the back of our house.

"Oh dear gods, Eleanor, I've told you times without numbers to never climb a tree, you're a lady."

*Oh god not today*

"Mother come on, you know I really love it," I said with a smile plastered on my face.

"Down." mother warned with her signatory frown on her face.

*Not again*

"Mother," I tried protesting.

"Down!!!" she snapped angrily.

"Fine." I muttered inaudibly, climbing down the tree. *Seriously*

"Here, take these to the market and sell all of them." mother said handing me a basket of what??..... fruits?!!!!*Oh dear gods please let this be a bad dream* "Huh?" I queried.

"You heard me right young lady." mother snickered.

 "Mother?!! you know how much I hate crowds." I whined with eyes wide open. Mother signed and looked at me. "Sorry Elly but you don't have a choice here, if you don't go...." She paused and sighs "Elly you have to, I need to go to the palace, get some few works done. Okay???"

"Sure." I muttered solemnly.

"Come on Elly cheer up."

"Fine." I muttered under my breath and carried the basket of fruits, signed heavily and walked out.

                      *UNKNOWN POV*

"You got all the men ready."

    "Yes my lord."

"Good we hit them at midday."

                         *Eleanor's POV*  

    "Eleanor! Elly! Elly!" I heard a familiar voice yelling my name, I turned and sighted Gwendolyn my best friend running towards me with a sack in her hands.

"Hey!" she gasped breathlessly.

"Hey, what's that?" I asked

"Oh this," she paused, "clothes, my aunt made them, I want to sell them at the market...and what are you.....holding....wait.....are those fruits...." She asked amused her lips stretching into a grin, one chuckle, two, three, four...and....she burst out laughing.

*Seriously*

"What..?!!!....you want to sell....those....at...the...market..." she asked in between laughs, I rolled my eyes and answered "yes".

She started laughing again.

*Seriously she's meant to comfort me not make fun of me* I glared at her.

"Oops, sorry sorry, I just couldn't help it" she said, "well let's keep going.

*

*

"Eleanor." Gwen beamed.

"What is it that you have to say now, huh?" I asked.

"You heard the good news right?" she asked looking at me expectantly.

"What good news?" I questioned and kicked a stone on the way.

"Huh, wait!....you don't know...." she gasped looking at me like I've suddenly grown two heads. "Holy dear gods, where have you been Eleanor?" she drawled looking amused I just shrugged and kept walking "Hmm, I guess climbing trees and reading those boring fairytale book Huh?" she mocked.

"Fine, let me tell you, well the king and queen are having a baby!" she beamed excitedly.

"Huh really!" I exclaimed.

"Yes of course, I also heard they're gonna distribute foods and the price of most goods in the market would dropped."

"Wow, well I guess when I sell this fruits, I'm gonna use the money to buy some foodstuffs."

 "Sure." she replied. "Come on, let's keep going, we don't wanna be late, so we can sell our foodstuffs quickly and head back home."

"Yeah" I replied and we walked faster.

                         *UNKNOWN POV*

"Are the men ready?"

"Yes my Lord, they're well armoured and prepared."

*Signs deeply*

"Now......we strike them now."

"Yes my lord."

                          *Eleanor's POV*

"And here's your change...... thanks ma'am....and....goodbye." I said to the last customer, woah I'm done for today, that was pretty easy "Gwen, are you done?" I yelled with a loud voice, damn this market is so noisy.

"Almost!" Gwen shouted, then a woman stop by to buy the last cloth in her hand, paid and left.

"Done." she said smiling.

"So what's next?" I asked.

"Well we go shopping!" she replied with a smile plastered on her face.

"Yeah, let's go.

*

"So he told me he loves me and he wants to get married to me and I was like, hey I don't love you, talk more of getting married to you and he was like it's not a matter of love, it's just a matter of decision and blah blah blah......well, I couldn't take it anymore, I walk out of him." Gwen narrated, we were currently on our way to buy vegetables and head home..... Gwen was telling me of her encounter with one her numerous admirers named Graham.

"So you disagreed?" I asked.

"Obviously, Elly." She replied. We stopped to buy some vegetables.

"How much are these maam?"

"They are........." She paused when we heared a frightened scream from somebody.

"Run, run, everybody, run!" A man screamed. I wasn't thinking again, I took my heels, then we heard sounds of horses and chariots, arrows were flying in he air and dropping like rain, gods, why now, I could swear my heart was in my throat.

"Elly!" I heard Gwen yelling my name.

"This way." she pointed towards a small pathway leading to the castle. We were about reaching there when an arrow flew into Gwen's leg, she screamed and fell down.

*Oh dear gods* "Gwen!!! oh my god!!"

She groaned in pain, I look around and saw the whole market in commotion, blood splattered everywhere. "Elly, run!, leave me!!, I can't cope with this, I would only slow you down." she groaned while panting heavily.

"No, no, Gwen, I can't." I dropped the basket I was holding, dropped to the ground, examined her leg "Gwen, you have to let me pull out the arrow." I said to her.

"okay! okay!, just do it...." She replied groaning obviously in pain. 

"okay." I took a deep breath and pulled it out, she let out a short scream and panted heavily, "come on Allow me to carry you."

"No elly, you have to run" She insisted

"No way Gwen, there's no way in the name of the gods of Narva that i would leave you here." I vowed, I helped her get up by putting her hands around my neck and we started walking slowly to the castle, as we were about to come out of the lonely way, Gwen whispered "oh no!"

 I looked up and saw that the castle that we were running to for protection was already surrounded by the invaders. I felt fear enveloping me as we were about to turn back, a man on a horse, who was fully armoured and looked like their leader turned back and sighted us. I could swear my heart literally stopped beating. I guess he sensed us, he turned his horse toward us, some of the warriors noticed and turned to look at what and their leader turned around and dear gods......I already felt like we were at their mercy.

    Instinctively, i turned around with Gwen still on my shoulder and started walking away faster, I was already panicking, I could hear the galloping of horses few metres behind us, within the blink of an eye we were surrounded by these invaders on horses, Gwen fell to the ground because of the pain coming from her leg. I dropped to the ground to hold her, I looked up and saw these scary looking men on horses watching us like prey, I couldn't breathe, just sat there and watched like a helpless dog. One of the warriors brought out his sword probably to end us, when the assumed leader said with a deep voice that shook me to the core.

"Wait!!! We might be needing slaves."

*What!! Did I just hear correctly.....slaves???*

"Yes my lord."

"Gather as many as you can....and then...we burn down the castle."

*Wait!!...castle.....oh gods.....mother........* I panicked within me.

Then a huge looking man came to us with a long chain that screams BONDAGE!!! and attached to my hand and gwen's hand.

    Soon, I heard lot and lots of screams, most people were slaughtered and some were brought as slaves and then the castle was set on fire.

*gods...mother...* Tears were already down my face as we were led to a very big ugly looking chariot. I still had to support Gwen and yes with my hands chained.

I look back to see the entire once happy Kingdom of Narva already set ablaze, dear gods what is today again???