Prologue

A 10-year-old girl ran through the forest, her heart racing. She was breathing heavily, as she kicked up dirt and leaves behind her. The darkness caused by the canopy of branches from the tall oak trees blocked the sun from the forest floor, making it difficult to see what was in front of her, but she continued on. She focused for a minute to listen for anything following her. There was nothing, it was quiet, but she kept running regardless of the silence. I'm not taking any chances, she thought. If they find me they will take me back and force me into something I never chose. She continued to scan her surroundings, hoping for any sign of somewhere that she could take shelter, but the forest seemed to go on forever and a feeling of exhaustion began to come over her.

To her relief, she finally spotted some structures up ahead that she guessed were part of a small village. She continued to follow the path she was on and was eventually led out of the forest and into the sunlight. She paused for a moment and lifted her face to the sun's golden rays and let out a content sigh. It felt good to feel the warm sunshine on her face again. She came to the gate of the village and stopped when she saw that two guards were in front of it. They are not just going to let me in, she realized. I'll have to sneak past them without being noticed. She crept towards the gate, keeping herself hidden in the bushes, trying not to rustle them. She waited in the bush closest to the gate and when she thought it was safe she bolted out of the bush, past the guards and into the village. As she ran past, one of the guards saw her out of the corner of their eye and began to chase her.

"Hey you little brat, come back here!" a man's voice shouted. She turned around to see the guards coming towards her. Uh oh, she thought. Guess I'm running again. She took off through the village, trying to avoid the people in her path as she tried to get away from the guards. As she ran, she spotted a stone path that led back into the forest. Perfect! she thought. I can escape through there and lay low for a bit. Suddenly all the breath was knocked out of her as she felt herself slam into someone and she found herself on the ground. As she got up she found herself staring into the purple eyes of a dirty blonde haired girl that was around her age. A woman rushed over to the girl's side who she guessed was the girl's mother, as she had a similar appearance to the girl.

"Autumn, are you alright?" she asked with worry in her voice.

"I'm fine, momma," the little girl replied. "But look!" Autumn pointed a finger excitedly at the girl she had bumped into. Her mother turned her gaze and saw the frightened girl with messy brown hair and forest green eyes that her daughter was referring to.

"Hello," Autumn's mother said gently. "Who are you?"

"M-My name is Ashlyn," the girl answered with a shaky voice.

"That's a pretty name," Autumn's mother replied. "But I've never seen you around here; are you lost? Where are your parents?" Before Ashlyn could answer, the guards had caught up to her.

"There she is!" a guard said, getting ready to grab Ashlyn. "You're coming with us." As the guard reached out to grab Ashlyn, Autumn's mother took her by the hand and brought her next to her daughter.

"You're not taking her anywhere," Autumn's mother declared.

"Step aside Nova, this is none of your concern," one of the guards said calmly.

"I'm a mother! Anything having to do with a child is my concern, Cyrus!" Nova answered crossly.

"She trespassed into our village and that calls for punishment!" Cyrus demanded.

"She is just a child Cyrus, not to mention she looks in pretty bad shape!" Nova said irritably. "She does not deserve to be locked away like a thief!" Ashlyn turned to glance at Autumn, who had a look on her face that showed she was deep in thought.

I wonder what she is thinking about, Ashlyn thought. Suddenly Autumn came out from behind Nova and spoke.

"Please don't punish her Cyrus," Autumn said, her eyes huge and pleading. "She could live with me and my Mom and she won't be any trouble and she could be like my sister!" Autumn offered. Cyrus looked at the pleading Autumn, back to Ashlyn, and then to Nova and let out a sigh.

"Is that alright with you?" Cyrus asked Autumn's mother. Nova gave a nod and turned to look at Ashlyn. "It's perfectly fine with me," she said, meeting Cyrus's gaze with a smile, but Cyrus still kept a stern look on his face.

"Very well she may stay," he said finally. "But as long as the girl lives here, she will learn to respect the ways of our village and pledge her loyalty to Greenwood." Cyrus declared, looking directly at Ashlyn. "Is that clear?" he asked. Ashlyn met Cyrus's gaze, determination in her eyes.

"Yes," she answered. "I will do my best, sir," She promised. Satisfied with her words, Cyrus left to return to his guard duties. As Ashlyn was watching him leave, Autumn suddenly came up from behind her and gave her a tight hug, making it almost impossible for Ashlyn to breathe.

"I am so glad you get to stay with us, I've always wanted a sister and now I have one!" Autumn cried excitedly. Ashlyn was warmed by Autumn's happiness; it gave her a sense of belonging, something she had not felt for what seemed like a long time. Ashlyn glanced around at the village around her watching the residents go about their daily activities. This is my home now, she thought. And I won't let anything or anyone harm it, she vowed.