The Beginning

Two Girls, One King

By: Alaina Fulkerson

Book

 

 



Rushi Prologue:

   I hear them coming. I hear the roars of them. I hear Leck, spreading his lies. I know they are coming for me, to use my Grace. I will never let them though. I cry warnings to my people though I know it will do nothing to sway their minds. Unable to grab supplies due to my limited time I rush through the crumbles of the old gladiator theatre. I take my knife out from underneath a fallen pillar and with one last glance at my kingcess I flee into the forest filled with darkness, and unforgiving trees that mock me. Once I am hidden by the bushes I turn invisible with my Grace and find my way deeper into the cold.

Madi Part 1:

The traitor that calls himself my father just killed Ashen. My faithful butler for all these years was killed ruthlessly by that monster, King Leck. Seirra warned me earlier to leave, and that’s what I am doing now. I can’t stand to look at my kingly as I pack supplies for my long journey in the forest. I make sure to have food and my bow along with a few arrows in case one of Leck’s men find me, or worse my own father, King Leck himself finds me. Unable to take a last look at me childhood kingly I climb down the tower, memories flooding me. Suddenly a memory of the young  me and Ashen having a tea party invades my thoughts. My mind reeling of thoughts of my butler I jump off the ladder and take off running. Willing myself to run faster I scramble over the once magnificent now crumbles of the  old Colosseum.  Leck must not be far behind I think as I flee into the woods. I hear a snap and am certain one of Leck’s men has found me. Looking around I see no one but still proceed cautiously. A few seconds later I sit down on a fallen decayed tree, mourning Ashen and his death. In a moment a tall girl with raven black hair appears and approaches me. Alarmed, I stand up. “Who are you?”

    The girl walks closer to me, “I am Rushi Alachaser, a-and you are?” I am in shock. A girl that must have come from this kingdom doesn’t even recognize that I am royalty. “I’m Madi, but most people know me as King Leck’s daughter. You know, THE princess. I am running from him, and don’t ask why. I know you people, you question me. Why would I run from such a nice man? Right? NO, I am running from an evil monster that has brainwashed everyone into believing he is the nicest in all  the land.”

With unreadable emotions flashing across her face Rushi steps backwards. “You are h-his d-d-d-daughter?” I nod and wait for my words to sink in, you know, that I am RUNNING FROM THE NICEST MAN IN ALL THE LAND.

“Wait I’m r-running from him t-too.” I wonder why she’s stuttering, probably she’s nervous about being chased.

Then I look up into Rushi’s eyes. Her eyes, one is peircing green and the other is shimmering silver. “You’re a Graceling!” I turn around and run as fast as I can to get away from her. I thought she was a normal person, and a nice one too. But I guess I was wrong. I can’t believe she was a Graceling. No wonder Leck is chasing her. Pumping my legs faster I steer clear of a gigantic sequoia.

“W-W-wait!” I skid to a halt as Rushi appears in front of me. Suddenly Rushi disappears, leaving me in wonder. Is THAT her Grace? Invisibility? Speed? Camouflage? Maybe a combination of two Graces?!?

“Show yourself!” I yell as if I have any authority anymore. Now I realize that I am no longer royalty. After running, after making the decision to run, I was stripped from my title of the princess.

Rushi comes back into view. “Please don’t l-leave.” I glance around for any possible escape routes in case this goes the wrong way.

Slowly I step forward “There are a lot of Gracelings in this kingcess, why would the King chose you?”

Rushi takes a deep breath as if preparing herself for something painful. “You don’t k-know do you?About h-h-his Grace?”

I shake my head. How could Leck have a Grace? How could I not know? And now it hits me, his eye was always covered by an eyepatch. He probably cut out his Graceling eye so no one would know he was a Graceling. “What is his Grace, Rushi?” I force myself to look in her eyes so as not to seem rude.

“Lies, b-believable lies. All he has to say is, ‘D-d-don’t worry, you won’t die. You won’t b-be hurt,’ but they will. It’s one of the m-most powerful Graces. And I’m the only one th-that knows about it.” Rushi turns around, as if to give me privacy as I learn just how much of a monster my father is.

But now I realize I might not be  princess. Leck might not be born into the royalty line. My mother might not have died from the Plague, she might have died from HIM. I start to feel dizzy as I think of all the things that might not be real. The things my father did to all the people. The things that he did to everyone who saw. At least an hour passes by before I start to calm down. After I do Rushi and I spend the night telling each other stories. Funny childhood memories and depressing realizations about our family’s deaths. My mother, her father, brother, and mother, all presumably killed by the horror of a father that I called Dad all these years. As the darkness descends down on our makeshift camp Rushi and I settle down in the pile of leaves we call a bed.

Once the light shines down through gaps between trees we scavenge for food. At the end we have a reasonable amount of feast food from my supplies and quite a few handfuls of nuts and berries. Then I section it off to last. Two meals a day it will be until we get to Po’s palace for help overthrowing Leck for the safety of my kingdom. After eating a small handful of  blueberries and half a roll each we set off into our journey.

Rushi Part Two:

For the few days that I have been with Madi it’s been different than my last life. The one where I was always fighting for food, staying in the darkness so no one could see me, hiding my eye. Never using my Grace. All of that is gone now. And Madi, she’s not all stuck up like I thought princesses were. Madi is the golden girl. She is sweet and gentle. Kind and lovely. We are heading to King Po’s castle for help overthrowing Leck. It’s not that far of a journey for me but with Leck behind us and winter quickly catching up it’s a hard journey to make. I am nervous now, for I am alone. Madi is gathering herbs to season our food and some to heal wounds and prevent them from becoming infected.

I see a deer wandering around. I intently watch it for the deer is my Secalla (like a spirit animal). And then it hits me! Using my Grace I could turn into the deer and carry Madi to Po’s palace. We would get there at least a week sooner than normally walking. I hear a branch snap and whirl around to face Madi with her woven basket filled to the top with herbs. Ecstatic with my new idea I ramble on telling Madi every little detail of the plan. The ex-princess doesn’t respond and I look into her eyes.

Madi’s face is filled with pain, tears brimming her eyes. “RUN!” she shouts. I realize what is wrong now. I feel like a fool not to have gone with her. I knew Leck was on our tail and he would do anything to get his daughter, even killing her would be worth it to know she wasn’t in my hands.

“Madi, get on my b-back!” I don’t have time to turn into my Secalla so instead I throw her over my shoulder and turn invisible.

Running faster and faster every second I hear one of the men shout. “Over here! Look at the footprints.”

I scramble up a burly oak, being careful to make sure Madi doesn’t fall. “Madi, it’s a-alright,” I whisper to my friend as she falls into a deep sleep.

Madi Part Three:

I’m gathering herbs before we set get too far. Soon the food will taste bland so sage and rosemary will hopefully and some flavor. I don’t know what Rushi is doing, but I just want to get back to her. I’m starting to regret going alone in these woods. I think I hear leaves crunch behind me, but I’m sure I’m just paranoid. I am going on picking some oregano when I see a flash of color. Then a hand on my shoulder twirls me around to meet a silver knife pressed against my throat.

“Show me where your little friend is, darling.” My captor drawls. Definitely Leck, I know his voice anywhere,

Then the knife is removed from my throat and finds a new place to rest on my back. I feel a small trickle of blood run down my back as I lead my father to Rushi. I hear her before I see her. Rushi is humming to an unfamiliar song. She’s burning brush, as if to beckon our enemies closer. I snap a twig that I see on the ground to signal Rushi. As she turns around Rushi starts going on and on about an idea. My body filled with pain and fear I do not listen, nor respond. Then, I hear the sound of an arrow being notched. “RUN!” I shriek as the arrow takes off flying. Rushi pulls me onto her back and starts sprinting away. My vision comes in and out of focus. The last thing I hear is “Madi, it’s a-alright,” before I pass out.

When I wake up it’s nighttime and for a few seconds I lay there and then I gaze up into the stars. For an amount of time that I am unable to track but I know is most of the night I look into the beauty of the skies.

Rushi Part Four:

After our encounter with Leck I am unsure what to say to Madi anymore. Most of these last few days she has spent sleeping, recovering from her wounds, both mentally and physical.  I give her most of the food and the healing herbs she picked but it seems each day she grows weaker. Now, because of this dilemma I do not know how to treat her. I may have to move on without Madi to go to King Po’s kingly. Staying here any longer would mean certain death. If only Madi’s friend from her kingly, Seirra were here to watch over Madi while I got help. The next day I realize, I could train her to fight and Madi could do the same for me, but using the knowledge that she got from growing up in a kingly.

Days pass by as the two girls train. Madi seems to recover after her first fighting lesson. Rushi learns how to use her Grace when fighting and spots that a knife could get under armour. Madi learned how to fight with fists, how to cover her footprints, and most of important  in a kingcess, how to blend in. As the girls train they move closer and closer to Po’s kingly. Cold days pass by when their joints are stiff and ache but Rushi and Madi won’t give up hope. Because their kingdom relies on them, even if the kingee’s don’t know it.

 

I finally see it with my own eyes. The kingly that is always described in stories as the most beautiful place in the world. Madi and I try and blend in as we sneak into the kingly. As I walk into the throne room I can’t help looking around in wonder at the high ceilings that have crystals hanging from them. I look at the heavy gold door with decorative handles. I brush my hand across the brilliant walls and wish that I had time to stay here. “Come on Madi. H-h-hopefully Po is here and not one of his s-s-stupid a-advisors.” Madi nods and we proceed into the throne room,

“My advisors are stupid, I agree with that. But why do you exactly need my help?” I whirl around and see with my own Graceling eyes, King Po. He looks amused, but at the same time concerned.

“We need help. King Leck is dangerous, he has a Grace, and it’s terrible. He has already killed many kingee’s and he is on his way to kill more.” I rush out. King Po looks as though he has already heard this before.

He waves his hand dismissively, “I’ve already heard it. We have set a trap.”

I am worried, but this is King Po, he probably already has it taken care of though. And besides, it is King Po, it’s not like he would lie to us, right?

The next day King Leck was found in the trap that Po had set up. In the end neither Madi or Rushi used the skills they had trained hard to get but both were happy that they didn’t. And at the end of the story the people in all land learned a new word, HERO. The two girls were most famous in the world now, and Leck was recognized for what he really was, a villain.

Glossary:

Kingly: a castle in which royalty lives

Kingcess: a town or large neighborhood

Grace: a skill that someone is especially good at

Graceling: someone who is very talented in one thing and has one normal eye and one unusually colored eye

Kingee: a person that lives in a kingcess

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 04.05.2016

Alle Rechte vorbehalten

Widmung:
To my ELA teachers, Ms. Barnes, and Dr. Falke