Chapter 1 : the beginning

(POV: Kit)

'Run, run,' Julius shouted, 'run, little rabbit I will catch you!'

'Oh, you will never catch me,' I replied loudly, ' you are much too slow, and I'm too fast for you.' The woods were vast and Julius knew them a lot better than I did, yet I still knew where the major way points are. Julius on the other hand, could run through the woods blind and deaf and still know exactly where he was, even without significant landmarks. The two of us were giggling, with the happiest smiles on our faces.

'Ow!' I shouted, I had fallen over a tree root and as soon as I had lifted my head Julius had caught me. He helped me sit up against the tree of which root I fell over.

'I won.' Julius had won fair and square yet still, I could see I felt a little guilty that I had fallen over. 'Your hair though, it's a masterpiece. I thought for a moment that it held a whole tree.' I hated this remark, so I scowled at him but then he gave a little smile back trying not to laugh, I burst out laughing and Julius joined me.

'Julius,' i asked, 'will you miss me?'

'No, not at all' Julius said jokingly, 'you'll only be gone a week, Kit'

'But it might be longer.' I was worried, today I had to prove herself in front of the king.

The island, which I live on,has been selecting its monarchy not from a royal bloodline but from everyone on it. Every year the girls who have turned sixteen got to the palace a week before the winter solstice. You have no option but to go, no matter if you're ill, or born into a low class, every girl who turned sixteen within that year must attend.

'Kit? Kit?' Someone was calling me but I hadn't figured out who yet. My name is being repeated but becoming more distressed every time.

'Kit!!' A different voice called, this voice I knew was my cousins, Eric. He was the eldest boy of our family and had no patience at all plus he had the loudest voice in my village, some would even say he had the loudest voice on the island (which was probably true).

This was a very big day for the village as I'm the only girl in the village who has survived infancy in the last 50 years, all the women here come from surrounding villages or are brought back from the city.

My mother, who I quickly found out was the person who was calling for me, grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. She pushed me down onto a chair and sighed.

'Your hair is a mess, your face covered in mud and you are still wearing trousers. Young lady we have less than four hours till sunset and you still have to travel there.' Complained my mother. 'Mrs Donnel has finished your gowns, and Mr Goader has finished with your shoes they are both in the cupboard. Your jewellery is yet to be picked up from Ms Ponds' workshop. I will send Eric to fetch them.' Everyone has been helping me prepare to go to the palace. They hope for me to become, at the very least,one of the three in the princess' court. That would be enough to give good fortune to the village. I hope.