01 Alina Valenti

Alina brushed her long flowing hair as she watched her reflection in the ornate mirror before her.

The dresser, full to the brim with jewellery and the maids simply brought in more, diamonds emeralds and sapphires glimmered in the crystal lights hanging above her head.

"This is simply too much," Alina said quietly, the head maid only brushed her off with a smile.

"Only the best for the heiress of house Valenti, you don't want to disappoint at your appointment ceremony do you?"

Alina paused brushing her hair and looked down at her lap, she took a deep breath and continued with the preparations for her ceremony.

"True Martha, I must look and feel my absolute best for the goddess to bestow her blessings upon me and house Valenti," Alina looked through the tray of fine jewels and picked up a small golden necklace.

The pendant hung on a rope and the milky lilac gem shimmered with a strange light as she held it up to look at it.

The maid reached for it but Alina pulled her hand away.

"Yes?" The heiress asked in an icy tone.

The maid dropped her hands and bowed.

"Apologies Lady Valenti, that necklace...well we don't know where it came from," she explained. "Who knows if it's a piece of cursed jewellery sent to harm you on this special night,"

Alina's eyes softened on seeing the maid meant no harm, she only wanted to protect her charge and Alina could not fault her for that.

"I understand, but I am the heir to house Valenti, by now you must know detecting curses or malicious runes is something I can do,"

The maid nodded and bowed again, this time lower and with more respect. Alina knew many of the servants in the manor were not gifted with magic so they were unable to take necessary precautions against it.

If the necklace had truly been cursed the first person to bring it into the room would have been struck with some ill spell.

Alina had been aware when one of the younger maids brought it in and she yet remained unharmed.

"Apologies for doubting you,"

"It's no trouble, now then if that's the last of the gifts from the ceremony I would like to have my rest now," Alina said.

The head maid jumped into action, shooing the rest of the women out of the room, the other maids hurriedly hung clothes and arranged the shoes so Alina could inspect them later.

"Have a good evening your ladyship," the three women called out as they left the room one by one.

The double doors shut behind her, allowing Alina to release the breath she was holding.

Now alone, she looked in the mirror at her long platinum blonde hair and striking green eyes. A mark of the Valenti family and rightful heir to the fifth house of the Orlon empire.

Her face was tired, her green eyes darkening with the weight of the bags forming under them.

She would have to use a glamour rune of some sort to hide it, it wouldn't do to see the heir to the fifth house so tired, especially on her appointment day.

It had taken so long to get here. Longer than anyone understood.

"I did it," she whispered to herself, after years of rigorous training and study her crowning as the rightful heiress to the house would be final.

She would have the emperor's ear along side her father and study under him to inherit the fifth seat at the time of his passing.

More than anything this was what she had been training for and she would succeed, it was her purpose, her fate.

Alina stood from the dresser, levitating the chair out of the way, with a wave of her hand, passive home runes sprung to action, sorting the jewellery, clothes and shoes into spaces they would fill.

"That's enough," she said climbing into a canopy bed fit for a princess. She waved her hand again watching the lights overhead wink out and smaller, warmer lights emerge from the side of her bed to give the room a cozy feel.

"I love rune magic," she said falling into her bed with a satisfied sigh before turning on her side and preparing for a good night's rest.

Alina's eyes grew heavy and as she drifted off to sleep she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She sat up with a gasp, forcing the lights on and jumping out of her bed.

She looked around, finding only the numerous gown in the process of sorting into her closet for the next day and subsequent days after that.

"That's odd I know I saw someone," she whispered in fright.

'What if I have to fight them? The fifth house is know for advise not battle magic,' she thought in a panic.

After searching and finding no one she walked hesitantly back towards her bed and laid down.

Alina fell back into the soft mattress and closed her eyes, she slowed her breathing and began drawing in calming breaths as she searched the room for any strange magical presences.

'Nothing, nothing, nothing,' she thought as she scanned, Alina was about to stop when a sudden presence infiltrated her senses.

Alina's eyes snapped open, she rolled out of bed just in time to watch a blade plunge into her mattress.

She screamed, activating the light runs again and bolting towards her dresser.

"What do you want?!" She screamed. The figure in her room was dressed head to toe in black but upon looking closer Alina could see that was not the case.

It was an illusion caused by an obscural rune, she couldn't make out the shape of his face unless she drew a discernment rune just in time.

Something told her this man wouldn't give her that time.

The figure leaped at her, rushing at Alina with his blade drawn and engraved with anti healing runes.

If she got cut by it, not even the house's healers would be able to dicipher the runes in time to prevent her bleeding out.

Alina activated the security, sending word to the guards downstairs that she was in danger. It would take a moment for them to reach her room so for the time being.

This became a fight for her life.