Princess of Earth

For twelve-year-old me. Look what you did! Pronunciation Guide Kira – Key-rah Maeteo – Mah-tay-oh Eyvlin – Eye-vel-lin Aepein – Ay-pee-in Eoghan – Oh-wen Saorise – Ser-sha 1 Before They came on the eve of my fourth birthday. My hand was clasped tightly in Emily’s as she pulled me through the dimly lit hallways of the castle. The sounds of people screaming had woken me from my sleep minutes ago, only seconds before my bedroom door had been thrown open and Emily had taken me, barely awake, from my bed. I tripped over my feet as I tried to keep up with her brisk pace, eventually she had to pick me up and carry me towards my mother and father’s bed chamber. Through the darkened windows I could see the orange glow of fire over the castle walls. Soldiers running along the battlements, shooting arrows down into the blazing fires. Candlelight licked the stone walls of the halls as we entered my parent’s chambers. I had never been allowed into them before, and my eyes widened as I took in the sheer size of the room. The bed stood in the centre of the room, quilts and pillows thrown around in disarray, as if my parents had jumped from their bed as quickly as I had been taken from mine. My mother stood, fully dressed, in front of the roaring fireplace. It taller than she was and alive with flames. Strangely, she was talking to it. And there, talking back to her, was a man made entirely of fire, but I could not make out what either of them were saying. Emily cleared her throat as she placed me on my feet again, and my mother turned quickly, the man of fire disappearing completely. Her eyes took me in, four-years-old, still rubbing sleep from my eyes and wearing my pink nightgown, and her face softened. The hard mask she was wearing as she spoke to the man in the fire disappearing and being replaced with the face I knew – soft, caring, a woman I could go to with all my four-year-old problems. Without speaking, my mother knelt in front of me, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “What’s going on?” I asked, rubbing my eyes again as my mother pulled away, noticing the tears that started to brim around her eyes – my eyes, just with a few more lines around the edges. “Aunt Emily is going to take you somewhere safe.” Mother said softly, smoothing her hand over my hair and looking towards Emily, who just nodded. She was chewing her bottom lip, worried. “Remember, Kira. You are so loved. Your father and I love you so much. You are our gift from the Heavens. Will you remember that darling?” I did not have a chance to reply before a sound erupted through the room, the glass of the chamber windows shattering around us. My mother flung herself over me, sheltering me from the glass scattering, and the screaming from outside got louder. “Go, Emily, you must go now. Keep her safe.” My mother said, lifting me from the floor and placing a final kiss to my head as she passed me to Emily’s waiting arms. “I promise, Kira, we will see each other again.” Tears fell from my eyes, and I called out to my mother as Emily ran as quickly as she could out of the room and down the hallway we had been in minutes ago. I watched as my mother stood inside the door, her eyes still on mine and tears streaming down her face. My eyebrows furrowed as Emily turned down a passageway I had never seen before — my mother disappearing — and from that point, I did not recognise the hallways she took. They were smaller, darker, and quieter than the main hallways had been, but she knew them like the back of her hand as she ran through them, holding me to her tightly. The sounds of explosions, swords clashing and people shouting had faded to the point the loudest noise now was my sniffling, Emily rubbed her hand on my back as reassuringly as she could. We did not speak as Emily weaved her way through the halls and down several staircases until we emerged into the castle kitchens. They were buzzing with life as people flitted back and forth, carrying bags of food and supplies, and jumping out of the way of passing soldiers. Emily chewed her bottom lip as she stood on the tips of her toes and looked around the mass of people. “Leo!” She called, relief in her voice when she spotted the tall, sharp jawed male. His head spun, a look of panic on his face as Emily surged forward, pushing through people, and crossing the kitchen. “Emily! What are you doing here?!” Leo’s voice was thick with concern, his eyes flitting from Emily to where I sat on her hip, my own eyes wide as I took in his tall frame, his ice blue eyes, his slightly pointed ears. He was Fae. I had met a few of the Fae women who worked as my mother’s aids, but I had never really seen any more around the castle — I was always told they were all incredibly busy out in the wilds of the Kingdom, keeping crops growing, medicine ready and easily accessible… “I need to speak with your father,” Emily was breathless, moving me on her hip so she could hold me more securely. “We have to get Kira somewhere safe.” Leo eyed Emily for a second, before he nodded tightly. He dropped the bag of flour that he was carrying onto the nearest table and wrapped his arm around Emily’s shoulders. His arms were long enough that he managed to wrap me up in the movement also, his large hand falling protectively onto the back of my arm. He steered us through the kitchen, past the line of soldiers who were