Magaia: The Sisters [BOOK 1 of The Magaia Series]

Chapter 1: The Beginning of Everything

When the rattling of the carriage windows and the familiar clobbering of horse hooves on cobblestone reached her ears, some of the weight on Princess Helena's shoulders seemed to lift—she was home. She could almost smell the mildewy, musty summer air of the city laced with a fragrance of flowers as she reached towards the window hatch to snap it open. A few raindrops fell on her dress as a cool breeze caressed her face, carrying with it a whiff of smoke, rum, and rotting trash instead.

Sighing, she leaned back on her comfy velvet seats. There's still a lot to be done.

Peeking out of the window, Helena hoped to see some change—maybe hints of new, bright-colored clothing here and there, or some re-painted buildings that stood out against the dreariness of the sky. Maybe there would be less people hunched on the ground, or, by some miracle, someone would betray a hint of a smile.

All she saw was a palette of dull, murky colors, blurred by the heavy rain. Helena could almost see a few of her people teetering to their feet, attempting deep bows in regards to their princess's return. But every look out the window gave her the same sense of disappointment.

I will fix this. Her fist clenched tightly around the fabric of her deep red dress.

Minutes later, the carriage came to a halt. Another glance out the window told Helena that they'd entered the outer gatehouse and had stopped right outside the entrance to the courtyard. Smoothing out her traveling dress with slender hands, she rose to her feet, crouching to avoid bumping her head on the ceiling just as the carriage door clicked open.

"Your Highness." It was usually her young footman who greeted her at times like this. But this time, it was a tall, burly old man, dressed in a suit that matched the colors of the carriage's cushions, who held out a laced umbrella with one hand while holding out his other for her to take.

"Lord Cason?" Her advisor, mentor, and friend. What's he doing here? Despite her confusion, Helena took his hand and allowed herself to be led down the carriage. Her boots made squelched on the muddy ground.

"What's going on?" Whatever reason Lord Cason came out to greet her for, it had to be something serious.

"It's Narrissa." As always, he was straight to the point. "We put her under house arrest as you asked, but it seems like she's been engaging in strange activities again."

"Again...?" Helena muttered, keeping her voice low in an attempt to hide her frustration. "Why didn't you try to stop her?"

"She locked herself in that room." Lord Cason sighed, his eyes weary and tired. "Your orders specifically said to not use violence, and there wasn't much we could do about it. I'm sorry about this, Helena."

"I'll confront her about it," Helena said. "It's time I had a talk with her anyway..." She wondered if Cason could hear the quivering of her voice.

"Are you sure?" Lord Cason's grip on the umbrella tightened. "The last time you tried to talk with her, it didn't end so well."

"This time will be different. For sure." Keep telling yourself that, a jeering voice said in her head.

Lord Cason sighed again. "Helena..."

"It's like I said, Cason. It will be different this time." She will never accept you, the voice said.

Helena ignored it. "You won't try to stop me, right?"

For the briefest moment, sadness flickered in Cason's eyes. Maybe he was recalling the past, back when life was full of innocence... and happiness.

"This way." Holding the umbrella above her head, Cason led her pass the saluting gatekeepers and through the open gates without another word. The gates shut behind them as they stepped onto the gray pavement of the castle courtyard.

Helena stopped for a moment, ushering Cason to stop as she took a deep breath of the chilly air and inhaled the smell of damp grass. The rain continued to platter on the cobblestone pavements of Castle Leevre as it loomed across the courtyard stretched before her, casting faint shadows over everything it towered over.