THE YEAR OF MAGIC

This story starts out a little confusing because it jumps all over the place; but if I want you to understand it (which I do) you've got to know everything that happens up until  "The year of magic".

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                "HOW DARE YOU!!!!" A voice boomed through the hall. "YOU DARE TELL ME HOW TO COMMAND MY KINGDOM!!!!" The young boy took a step back but the tall man next to him didn't flinch. His left hand remained on the hilt of his sword as if to threaten the king not to overstep his bounds. "No, Johnathan. I was simply stating that if your kingdom wishes to survive, you will turn it over to me." His voice was low and steady, but it reminded everyone in the great hall of a snake. King Johnathan was calmer now, but he wasn't about to turn his kingdom, his life, over to a scalawag like King Bartholomew. "Get out of here now." Johnathan's voice was low but lethal. Bartholomew's son, Pepin, feared that if they refused to leave, they would be killed. He whispered his fears to his father who just gave him a cold glare. A boy of six should not have been involved in this, but his father thought it good for his son to learn at a young age what it was like to be a king. "If you do not surrender your kingdom to me now, there will be a great war and Lionantha will be destroyed." Bartholomew hissed. Both kings' knew that Vendalun had a much larger and experienced army. Johnathan growled, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Lionantha and Vendalun were the two largest kingdoms in the entire realm and were in a constant feud for power. King Johnathan was a good man who only wanted the best for his people. King Bartholomew was an evil soul who only wanted the best for himself.

                "Perhaps I could be could be of some assistance my lords." A strong, but somehow gentle voice broke through the tension. All eyes suddenly focused on a tall, thin figure. A hooded cloak covered his features, but a long silver beard and some strands of hair fell out of the confines of the hood. "What could you possibly do, old man?" Bartholomew asked with venom in his tone. "That's very simple your majesty. I have a prophesy for you." This perked the attention of the entire room. "In three years a child will be born. A girl of purity, love, and magic." The strange man stopped. "What does this mean?" Queen Emerald asked in confusion. "The girl will be a sorceress at birth. She will realize her powers at a young age and she is the key to victory." Bartholomew growled. "What do you mean?" His eyes flashed. "Who ever controls the sorceress at the dawn of the year of magic will control the world." The old man continued. "How will I know this girl?" Bartholomew was obviously interested. "Her lavender hair and deep crimson eyes shall speak of her identity."

                "Of what birth will she be." Johnathan's daughter Karen asked. "Common birth." Came the reply. "Than what use shall she be? If she is no princess then she is worthless." Karen's voice showed signs of distain. "Oh she shall be a princess. The princess of nature, every animal shall be her friend." Johnathan shook his head. "How do we know this prophesy to be true?" The man removed the hood of his cloak. His blue eyes shown gently on the king. "Because Merlin has proclaimed it." An evil laugh erupted through the hall. "This girl shall be mine!" With that, Bartholomew stormed out of the castle. "Oh Johnathan." Queen Emerald looked quickly to her husband. "The year of magic is in twenty years. A seventeen year old girl will hold the fate of our kingdom in her hands."

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                                                                              3 years later

                "Pepin!! Where is that little fool?!" Bartholomew's voice echoed through the castle. "I'm here father." Pepin's brown eyes and blond hair could not hide his fear. Pepin had a perfect right to be afraid of his father, Bartholomew was the strongest man he knew and none surpassed his fighting skills. "You called father?" The nine year old's voice faltered slightly but his father was too busy fuming to notice. "It's been three years boy. The search for the sorceress begins today." Bartholomew looked at his son. His black eyes flashed, he'd been waiting for this day for three years. Nothing, not even King Johnathan and all of Lionantha could stop him from finding that girl.

                                                                           **Meanwhile**

                "She's beautiful my love." A small baby slept peacefully in her cradle. Small sprouts of lavender hair could be seen on her tiny head. Her eyelids concealed her deep crimson eyes. Her parents smiled down at her. They weren't a rich family in fact they never seemed to have much money at all. They're small farm was located on the border of Lionantha and Vendalun. The forests nearby gave them some cover so that they didn't have to pledge allegiance to either kingdom. "What should we name her." Shion asked his wife. Allaina smiled. "Miyako Yolei Inoue." Shion nodded. "A beautiful name." He hugged his wife close. Outside, a young male timber wolf looked in. He may have been an animal, but he knew that finally his princess was born.

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                                                                                   10 years later

                Ten-year-old Yolei Inoue stood outside her parents farmhouse. She didn't have many friends, but the ones she did have called her Yolei instead of Miyako. She always thought that Miyako was prettier than Yolei but she didn't mind being called by her middle name. She looked quickly toward the forest, her long lavender hair swishing around her shoulders. She brushed some dirt off of her long dress. Some bushes rustled and her crimson eyes shown with delight. "Come on out, Forest Prowler, I know your there." She called. Slowly, a large male timber wolf stepped into the clearing. My lady, your senses are becoming more and more acute with each passing day. She heard Prowler's voice in her mind. He walked up to her and she stroked his course fur. "Something bad is going to happen today, Prowler. I can feel it." Prowler looked at Yolei, his large gray eyes showed concern. It's all right, my lady. Whatever happens, I will protect you. Yolei nodded. "I know you'd do anything to protect me, but..." She sighed. "Whatever it is that I'm sensing, I don't think you will be able to protect me from it." She sat down on the soft grass. Prowler curled up next to her, he layed his head on her lap in an attempt to comfort her. Yolei stroked his fur while her eyes searched the forest.

                Suddenly, Prowler's ears perked up. He raised his head swiftly and sniffed the air. "What's wrong?" Yolei asked quickly. Someone's coming. There is a group of men; I don't recognize the scent of any of them. Yolei stood as fast as she could. "Prowler hide. You know that most people hunt wolves. Go!" Prowler nodded reluctantly, but turned and ran toward the concealment of the forest. My lady, if anything should happen... I'll be right here. Yolei smiled and nodded. "Thank you my friend." Prowler turned and ran into the forest.  A few moments later, a group of man dressed in dark green colors of Vendalun, burst from the forest's main path. They were lead by a young man with brown eyes and blond hair who was probably about nineteen or twenty years old. He wore the crest of Vendalun's royal family on his chest. Yolei's breath caught in her throat. He was probably the prince and wanted her family to swear to serve his kingdom. But something about the way his eyes widened when he saw her frightened her more than anything else ever had.

                He rode up until he was right beside her. "What can I do for you sir?" She asked. "My parents aren't home sir, they're still in town." She hoped that maybe if she told him that he'd leave. He didn't, he just continued to stare at her. I don't believe it! It can't be her! But she's got the lavender hair and the crimson eyes. She looks to be about the right age. My father will be pleased! "How old are you young lady?" He asked. "I'm ten." A smiled crawled across Pepin's lips. It is her! The right age and everything! He chuckled slightly. "Grab her!!" He yelled to one of his men. A tall, gnarled man jumped off his horse. Yolei screamed and ran toward the woods. No matter how fast she ran the scared knight would catch her. She was only about 10 feet from the edge of the forest when he grabbed her. "PROWLER! HELP ME!" She screamed. In a flash, the sleek timber wolf rushed out of the woods and streaked toward the man. The man saw this, and let go of Yolei.

                Prowler let out a menacing growl. His fur stood up, ears were plastered to his head, teeth and fangs bared, body crouched ready to pounce. Yolei scrambled behind Prowler. "Now girl. Call off your dog." The warrior said calmly. "He's not a dog, he's a wolf and he is not going anywhere!!" Yolei yelled at the man. Princess of nature, every animal is her friend. It's got to be her. Pepin's mind was reeling. "Archer! Aim at the wolf." Another young man, with a large tuft brown hair stepped down from his horse. His friend, Dustin, patted him on the shoulder. "You can do it Tai." He whispered. Tai took aim and was about to fire when, "Don't fire archer." Pepin commanded. The fourteen year old held his position. "GIRL!! MY ARCHER HAS TARGETED YOUR WOLF!! IF YOU WISH IT TO SURVIVE YOU WILL COME WILLINGLY!!!" Pepin shouted over to the young girl. Yolei turned her head toward the sound. She saw, to her utter horror, that an arrow was aimed straight at Prowler. She walked up to him and hugged him. "Thank you for trying my friend." She whispered. She stood and walked toward the blond man. When she reached his horse he shouted, "Archer shoot the wolf!" Yolei's eyes went wide. "NO!!" She screamed, but it was too late. Tai had released the string. She raised her hands quickly, a soft aura of purple glowed around them and a bubble of the same color appeared around Prowler. The arrow bounced off the shield and fell to the ground harmlessly. Yolei dropped her hands and yelled, "RUN, PROWLER! WHILE YOU STILL CAN!!" The wolf looked to her, nodded, then dashed toward the woods. She sighed slightly when he was out of sight but Pepin cursed. His father was going to be angry, and then he remembered the girl.

                He smiled and evil smile. There's no doubt no that she's the sorceress. My father will be pleased. He grabbed Yolei roughly and lay her across the back of his horse. "You two stay here." He pointed to the gnarled man and another man with one eye. "When her parents return... kill them." Yolei gasped. "No please! Leave them alone! I'll go just..." She never finished her sentence. Pepin had spun around and hit her in the back of the head with the hilt of a small knife. She lay there unconscious He grinned then rode off to the castle with the sorceress.

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                                                                                 7 years later

                Yolei sat in her large and beautiful room. Her soft bed felt good under her but she wasn't happy. It had been seven years since she had been kidnapped and her parents murdered. The only friends she had were Prowler, who would sneak into the castle's garden to see her, Tai the young archer, who felt bad about almost killing Prowler, and Kari. Kari was Tai's younger sister who worked in the castle as a maid. Tai had introduced her to Yolei when she was first kidnapped. They were the same age and became good friends. Tears began to well up in Yolei's eyes as she watched birds flying cheerfully outside her window. She felt so trapped; she hadn't left the castle in seven years and sometimes she wished that some other girl were the sorceress instead of her. The seventeen year old sighed as she remembered what it was like living on the farm with her family. Yolei knew that she had to escape soon because the year of magic was only a month away. Suddenly there was a knock at the door. "Come in." She said as she wiped away the tears. Kari entered the room and sat down next to Yolei. "Are you alright?" She asked. Yolei shook her head. "I want to escape Kari." Kari nodded. "I can imagine." Yolei couldn't keep the tears in anymore and they ran down her face. Kari pulled Yolei to her and hugged her. "It's going to be alright Yolei. I know it." She whispered gently. Suddenly, an idea popped into Yolei's head. She pulled away from Kari. "Do you think you could get Tai to come visit me?" She asked. Kari nodded. "Good. I have a plan but I need both of your help." Kari smiled. "I'll be back in about an hour." She got up and left.

                An hour later, there was another knock at the door. "Who's there?" Yolei asked. "It's me and Tai." Kari whispered from the other side. Yolei unlocked the door and let her friends in. "Kari tells me your going to escape." Tai said, keeping his voice low. "I have a plan, but I need your help." Tai and Kari looked at each other then back at Yolei and nodded. "Tomorrow, when Bartholomew lets me out into the garden, I'm going to make a break for it. There is an archer on duty overlooking the garden; he'll shoot me if I run. Tai, I need you to take his place and deliberately miss me ok?" Tai nodded. "Also there is always a maid following me around, keeping tabs on me. She'll alert the guards and it'll be all over. Kari, I want you to take her place, pretend I knocked you out and stay quiet." Kari smiled and nodded. "I'll take care of the rest." The three nodded. Kari and Tai got up and were about to leave when, "Guys?" They turned. "Thank you." They nodded and left the room.

***** Then next morning

                Tai walked up to the tall, black haired, young archer who was positioned at the wall of the castle. "Hey, Dustin." Dustin turned and smiled. "Hey Tai what's up?" Tai returned the smile. "Prince Pepin ordered me to relieve you." Dustin sighed. "Thank god." He shook Tai's hand then left. That was really easy. Tai thought.

                Kari strode up to the short chubby old lady who had been watching Yolei. "Ms. Carmen." She gave Kari a side-ways glance. "What do you want girl?" She asked Kari with venom in her voice. " Madame Triste told me to take your place so that you could rest." The old lady mumbled something about not needing rest, but stomped off and into the castle.

                Yolei looked up and saw Tai. She looked behind her and saw Kari. She gave Kari a nod and Kari fell to the ground. Yolei took a deep breath, it was time. She bolted toward the wall. What the heck is she doing? Tai thought. Yolei reached the wall and placed her right hand on it. It felt cool to the touch. She began to concentrate and the wall rippled like water under her hand. She stepped through it and onto the ground on the other side. Yolei ran as fast as she could toward the woods surrounding the castle. Arrows whistled around her but none of them came close to her. Thank you Tai. Suddenly there was a whistle and the main gate was raised. A small troop of guards ran out after her. Yolei made it to the edge of the forest and kept running. She wondered where Prowler was, because he was nowhere in sight. Yolei ran until she felt as if her lungs were going to burst. She looked back and saw that the guards were still following her. Because she had looked back, she didn't see the large tree root. She tripped over it and fell to the ground. When she tried to stand up, a sharp pain ran from her right ankle and up her leg. She screamed and fell back to the ground. The guards were on her in an instant.

*****

                He'd been walking through the woods for two days. Prince Ken Ichijoiji was so fed up with his life. Everyone in the kingdom Dentra were always either trying to get in his good graces or marry their daughter of to him. He was seventeen and he already hated his life; he couldn't think of one person who actually loved him. Ken brushed his black hair away from his eyes. They all thought he was a great catch because of his good looks and the fact that he was a genius. He was wondering through the woods, lost in his thoughts when he heard a rustling behind him. He turned and saw a long, sleek, and hungry looking timber wolf behind him. It snarled at him and began to stalk toward him. "Oh great, this is all I need." He whispered. "Take it easy boy." The wolf was having none of that. He charged; Ken turned and ran. Ken ran for about an hour but the wolf wouldn't give up. It finally got to the point where Ken thought it was herding him somewhere. Suddenly, Ken heard a scream and sounds of a struggle. He stopped dead in his tracks; looking behind him he saw that the wolf was gone. "LET ME GO!!!" That screamed belonged to a girl. Ken slowly peeked through the bushes, trying to find the source of the sound.

                 He was looking onto a small clearing; a campfire had been built and it threw light on the clearing's occupants. Ken's blue eyes fell on a young girl, who had to be the same age as him, tied hand and foot on the ground. Her long lavender hair and crimson eyes entranced Ken. She was surrounded by a group of three men wearing the colors of Vendalun. "Be quite girl. We're going back to the castle at first light." The oldest man yelled at her. The girl continued to struggle but when she moved her right ankle, she winced. I've got to help her. Ken thought to himself. Ken slowly pulled his sword from it's sheath. He stepped out into the clearing. "It's obvious that this young lady wants nothing to do with you gentlemen. So why don't you just let her go." Ken said calmly. It was more of a command than a question. The men looked stunned; then they started to laugh. "You actually think that you can take on all three of us?" The oldest man, the leader asked. Suddenly, there was a growl behind the guards. They turned and saw the timber wolf ready to pounce. "Who said I was alone?" Ken smiled and charged the man nearest to him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the wolf pounce on the leader.

                Ken's opponent swung his blade hard at Ken but he easily blocked it. He knocked the blade away and swung upward; Ken sliced the man chest open and blood began to pour out. The man grabbed his chest and backed away. Ken looked around slowly; the leaders arm had been torn open and the third man lay on the ground with a strange purple glow surrounding him. "Retreat!" The leader yelled. He and Ken's opponent grabbed the third man and took off. The wolf was nowhere in sight. Ken walked over the girl and reached for her ropes. She flinched away from him and he could see she was shaking. "It's alright." He said gently and smiling. "My name is Ken Ichijouji. What's yours?" Yolei didn't know what it was, but she felt like she could trust him. "Miyako Yolei Inoue. You can call me Yolei." Ken cut her ropes. "That's a very pretty name. Now let's get out of here shall we?" Ken helped Yolei up and they were about to leave when, "Oh wait! Prowler come on out. I know your there." The timber wolf exited the woods and bowed slightly to her. You called, my lady. Yolei smiled. "You're coming with us aren't you?" She asked. Only if you wish me to. "Of course I want you to come old friend." She reached down and petted his neck. Then I will join you. Yolei smiled. "Good then let's go." Ken looked confused. "I'll explain later." She said. Ken looked at her crimson eyes and realized he didn't care; he was going to protect her with his life.

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So what do you guys think? Please review and tell me if you think there should be more chapters. ;) Thanx!