Chapter One
The stool teetered precariously as she reached towards the wooden basket situated on the highest shelf. Her tiny arms stretched high above her head, desperately trying lengthen her body by rising up onto her toes. Her fingers brushed it several times but she could never get a hold of it- her fingers grasping nothing but air. Finally, after stretching her body almost painfully, the basket was finally within reach. She tried to grasp it but, suddenly, felt her foot slip out from under her and she felt her body lurch backwards, her arms flailing desperately

A pair of strong arms caught her, ending the fall in a much gentler way than what she’d expected. She looked up through a veil of blood bangs and found herself gazing into the pale eyes of her elder brother, Aaron.

“What do you think you are doing, Arayll?” he scolded, promptly setting her down.

She sighed, motioning impatiently to the basket. His eyes followed her finger and a smirk spread across his face.

“If you wanted something, you should have let someone know.” He stepped up on the ladder and easily plucked the basket off the shelf, reaching down and handing it to her.

She smiled, clutching the basket to her chest, and then turned and started to walk out of the kitchen. Aaron quickly jumped down from the ladder and grabbed her elbow.

“Arayll, I’m serious. Next time, come get on of us.” He brushed a loose strand of her from her face and sighed. “In your condition, if you got hurt…” His voice trailed off.

Arayll sympathetically wrapped her arms around her brothers neck. She wanted to tell him how much she loved him but because of her illness that was not possible.

He chuckled, slowly untangling her arms from his neck. “Okay, okay. Off with you now. I have to get back to the fields.”

She smiled again and, turning once more, ran out of the kitchen door. Aaron looked after her for a brief second before turning and leaving through the front entrance.

Arayll walked out of the house, her arms clasped around her and her head tilted slightly. It had been five years….five years since she’d last spoken.

Sighing heavily, she returned her attention to the chore at hand. Her mother had told her to gather some apples from the grove; enough for about three apple pies. Her father, the chief of the village was hosting a dinner in honor of her seventeenth birthday…the day that marked her as officially being a woman.

“Arayll! Wait up!” Arayll turned her head at the sound of her name. Walking towards her was Torun, the son of the village’s Head of the Guard. Arayll’s top lip curled in distaste and she briefly entertained the thought of pretending not to have heard him but that notion was quickly put to rest as he stepped around her, standing in her path.

She glared at him fiercely, hoping he’d get the picture and leave…which he didn’t. He only smiled and eyed her the way he usually did. God, it irritated her to no end how arrogant he could be. Just because of who his father was…well, it did not give him the right to act better than everyone.

“Where are you off to?” His eyes settled on the basket. “Going to pick some apples from the grove?”

Arayll nodded impatiently and tried to move around him but he stopped her. “What’s the rush?” His hand came up and tried to stroke her cheek but she slapped it away.

He sighed. “Honestly, why do you resist me, Arayll?” he smiled broadly. “We both know you want me…so, why don’t you just stop pretending?” His hand gripped her shoulder roughly, causing her to wince in pain. “Oh, am I hurting you?” His grip tightened. “You will not resist me any further and you will become my wife.”

Anger coursed through her and her face reddened. She longed to tell him off but she settled on kicking him harshly in the ankle. He hollered in pain, his grip on her loosening, and she took this opportunity to turn and sprint towards the protection of Derwood Grove. She knew that he hated the forest so he would not chase her; at least, for the time being.

“You can run but you can’t hide!” He screamed after her. “I will have you!”

After running for a few more minutes, she stopped and leaned against one of the apple trees, tears streaming down her face. Now that she was seventeen, she was of marrying age. According to the tradition’s of her village, once a girl reaches that age, she is no longer a girl but a woman and is therefore eligible for marriage. Luckily for her, however, she could not be forced into a marriage; she had to consent to it or there would be no ceremony. This bit of information did little to raise her spirits. Her mother had a way of…well, convincing people to do as she asked. If push came to shove, Arayll knew that, eventually, her mother would persuade her into marriage.

Composing herself, she stood up and wiped her face with the sleeve of her dress. She had to be strong- she had no choice. Straightening her dress, she walked towards one of the shorter trees and began plucking the ripe apples. Now that she thought of it, it probably would have been wise to bring a ladder but she’d been in such a rush to leave that she had completely forgotten.

Running her fingers though her thick hair, she set the basket down under the tree and sat down beside it. In truth, she didn’t feel like picking apples today. She’d just wanted to get out of the house for a bit…Father and Mother were always pressuring her into finding a husband. She knew that it was because she couldn’t speak.
It’s every man’s dream come true…a woman who, even if she wanted to, is unable to speak her mind or contradict anything he might say. She thought bitterly to herself.

She felt the familiar prickling of tears and quickly brushed them away, angry with herself with being so emotional. Her mother had often criticized her about it, saying that is was one of her weaknesses and that she would never find a husband if she did not find a way to not be so emotional all the time.

Suddenly, she found herself exhausted as she leaned against the rough bark of the tree; Her head lolled to the side and her eyelids became heavy. She crept slowly along the border of sleep and consciousness when she heard a twig snap, causing her head to jerk up quickly, her eyes cautiously examining the surrounding trees.

When she saw nothing, she shook her head and stood up, dismissing the sound as a figment of her childish imagination. Picking up her basket, she turned slowly and found herself staring into the yellow eyes of a wolf, which was bent nearly to the ground, its fur standing on end.

Her eyes widened in fear as she stumbled backwards, tripping on a tree root and falling to the ground. The wolf growled menacingly and stepped towards her, baring its teeth.

“Fang!” A male voice cried out from somewhere behind the wolf, causing its ears to prick up in attention. “Did my wolf frighten you?” Arayll gasped as a man appeared suddenly behind the wolf, his hand reaching down and patting it on the head. The man sported a goofy grin and played with the frayed edges of his navy blue shirt. As she studied him closer, she could not help but notice that, although his shirt and black pants were obviously of rich material, they were both extremely frayed and…dirty.

Her eyes drifted back to his face and she saw that he was watching her with mutual interest, a dark eyebrow raised in unmasked curiosity. Shaking her head quickly, she quickly made an attempt to scramble to her feet but, in her rush, only succeeded in falling down again. The man, chuckling softly, walked over to her and held out his hand to her in a friendly gesture. Infuriated with herself for being such a klutz, she slapped it away and got to her feet all on her own. The man appeared offended for a moment before his features softened.

“I’m Vale.” He said, tossing his black hair quickly. “Do you live around here?” He eyed her carefully, almost as if he were trying to peer into her very soul.

She opened her mouth to respond and then quickly shut it again, remembering her condition. How could she communicate with him without speaking. Sighing, she motioned her hand towards her throat and shrugged helplessly.

Vale looked confused for a moment before realization sparkled in his eyes. “Y-you can’t speak, can you?” Arayll shook her head, pointing her hand towards the way she’d come.

His eyes followed in the direction she pointed. “You live in Crystal Keep?”

Her eyes shot up in surprise. Not many people were aware of her village. Vale laughed at her expression.

“I’ve heard many a rumor about your village. You see, that’s why I’m here.” His hand rose to a purple gem that hung around the collar of his shirt. “Do you know what this is?”

Curiosity getting the best of her, Arayll stepped forward and lightly ran her fingers over the gem. As she did, the gem started glowing and became extremely hot to the touch causing her to burn her fingers. She quickly jerked her fingers away, now looking at him distrustfully.

Vale seemed to be equally confused, his gaze now focused more intently on her, as he tucked the crystal back into his shirt. “It’s called a Crystal Shard. It originated from this village.” He stepped closer to her. “I wish you could tell me your name.”

“Arayll!” A voice rung out from behind them.

“Arayll…” Vale echoed. “That’s a very pretty name.”

Turning from him to hide her the red that had risen to her face, she saw her mother walking towards them, her face slightly pinched. Arayll almost laughed at the expression because it looked as if her mother had just bitten into a lemon; the urge to laugh, however, quickly dissipated when she reached them, her eyes settling on Vale with a mix of suspicion and disapproval.

“Arayll, who is your friend?” She asked, her head held high in a manner of superiority.

“My name is Vale. I’ve come to see the Village Chief.” He announced, stepping quickly towards Arayll’s mother, which surprised her. Most people tended to feel fear around her mother because of her strong disposition.

“Oh? And what business do you have with my husband?”

“This.” He produced the crystal from beneath his shirt and, as Arayll watched, her mother’s face turned bright red.

“I..I see.” She finally replied after a few moments, her voice notable about an octave higher than usual. “Follow me, please.” She motioned in the direction of the village.

Arayll was unsure of whether to follow so she turned to walk back to the grove but her mother’s hand on her shoulder stopped her.

“Come along, Arayll. You wouldn’t want to be late for your own birthday celebration.” She said, her voice dropping back down.

“It’s her birthday? How old is she?” Vale asked quietly.

She eyed him more suspiciously than before. “Today is her seventeenth birthday. Why do you ask?”

Vale shrugged. “No reason. I was only curious.”

Arayll fell in obediently behind her mother and Vale as they walked towards the village. Vale’s wolf, Fang, seemed content to stay in the grove as he curled beneath one of the trees. Her mind was spinning as she recalled the feel of electricity that had coursed through her hand when she’d touched the crystal.

“Aryall! Keep up, please!” She looked up, only to see that she was quite a distance from her mother and Vale. She started jogging a bit to try and catch up when, suddenly, the ground beneath her gave way and she felt herself falling.

She must have passed out because the next thing she knew, she was opening her eyes to complete darkness. She was lying her stomach; dirt clocked her nose and she felt as if she were slowly being suffocated. Her mouth tasted of blood, metallic and very unappealing. The worst thing of all was that she could not move her legs. Every time she tried nothing happened.

She was starting to panic when she felt a soft nudge at her shoulder. She couldn’t see what it was but she heard a low whimpering and her thoughts immediately turn to Vale’s pet wolf, Fang. The wolf nudged her again, this time harder. Arayll took the hint and, painfully, tried to turn onto her back. She was halfway there when Fang nudged her once more, causing her body to shift. She was not on her back, peering into a pair of glowing yellow eyes.

She smiled. Never in her life did she ever thing she’d be this happy to be face to face with a wolf. As if sensing her pleasure, she felt the rough scrape of his tongue against the left side of her face, which seemed to burn intensely as he did.

Then, he was gone. Panic rose in her again. She wondered where he went…if maybe he had gone to get help. Suddenly, she felt something pulling her. She wanted to see but the cavern was pitch black as an unknown force slowly dragged her across the rough dirt. She heard a muffled whimper and it dawned on her that Fang was helping her-possibly dragging her to safety.

Minutes passed…maybe even hours. Arayll was not sure of the time that passed. When she saw stars and felt the familiar breeze of cool air, however, she knew that Fang had succeeded in freeing her from the cave.

She felt him drag her up a semi-steep grassy hill and then the wolf seemed to collapse above her, laying it’s furry muzzle on her shoulder.

And now we wait. Arayll thought, suddenly very tired. She closed her eyes and succumbed to sleep.