The moon reflected off of the shimmering water as it hung from the sky’s dark form. As she gazed down at the small shallow tributary that encompassed the castle, she felt calm and complete. This youthful girl had lived as the beloved princess all her life. Born in to royalty and living the dream! However, it was only in places like these she felt like herself.
Many times when she remained in her own little world, full of crickets and fire-flies, she would often think of life outside the palace walls. The number of times he had ventured out could be counted on her small fingers. However, she was sure that someday she would know of the reality she had never known.
“Aggie will come with me,” she told herself, “and she and I will have so much fun!” Aggie had lived out there before; she had told Elyse about it so many times. Being her best friend, though only an apprentice in the kitchens, she had told Elyse many times about the dangers and worries of the village and beyond. These were always the things that went in one ear and out the other.
The young princess, under her parent’s careful protection was always blissfully unaware of any pain. She knew nothing of real life. Her days were full of art, language, and music. She knew none of the real history, and if she were told she dismissed them as stories meant to scare her.
Though she was a kind-hearted person and not spoiled in many ways, she was completely and utterly sheltered. This is what made her spirit want to soar out of her body! This also was something, as she would soon learn, that was a blessing and a curse. When Elyse heard the oncoming sound of the thunder clouds and pitter-patter of rain falling, like mice’s feet on the cold floor of the castle, she turned to head inside.
She rushed to the wall that encircled the palace and crawled through the crack caused by erosion. It was just big enough for her, but too small for many others. Elyse reached the hidden passageway door on the bastions side just as the rain began to beat down on the surface even more rapidly.
As she sunk into the dark narrow corridor, she squeezed the rain out of her hair and it dripped onto the floor. She sighed as she twisted her golden mane and flipped it to her back in an attempt to keep it out of her face. She listened to her footsteps, even her bare feet making squishing noises on the cold flooring.
She entered the actual castle’s hallways and peered out. The eerie nighttime glow that used to frighten her now seemed familiar. Elyse parted through it, seeking her bedroom, easily. Her door opened with a quiet creek that made her almost jump. She pulled her nightgown down and tried to straighten her tangles out of her locks of hair. When she was satisfied, the little girl lay down in bed.
The sheets welcomed her as always, and she realized how tired she really was. She put one arm under her pillow and closed her eyes. Her only company was her own breathing, the music that lulled her to sleep every night. It was comforting and something she was accustomed to hearing as she dreamed.

It was as if in her dreams later that she heard shouting over a hour later. However, when she opened her eyes during what only seemed seconds later . . . she had awoken into a nightmare. When she heard the distant soundings of horns, blaring into the night, she kicked her sheets off her feet instantly. “Oh no!” She exclaimed under her breath.
Elyse, alarmed at the wonder of what was happening, fled into the hallway. There had never been an attack on her home before, but that was apparently the circumstance. As the eight-year-old girl ran down the halls in search of her parents, the guards and knights were running the other directions. They were shouting commands and orders without even seeing the distressed girl at their feet.
She pressed herself against the wall, already breathing heavily, to let them pass with their armor and weapons. Tears were threatening to fall as she began to feel helplessly lost. When they had gone by, Elyse continued to venture through the antechambers until she heard another voice directed at her. She tripped over her feet as she skidded to a halt and looked into the dark.