Chapter 1: Taken

"Quick get in the closet! Now don't come out no matter what you hear", the woman said quickly closing the door behind her two children. The little boy and girl held each other closely. In the shadows of the tiny closet, the little girl whispered,

"I'm afraid Sebastian".

The little boy took his sister's hand and squeezed it tightly.

"It's all going to be okay".

Suddenly the children heard their mother scream. They both clung to each other trembling. They heard their father's voice below from below. The sound of clashing metal rang through the house. Then they heard their father groan. There was a great thud and their mother began to sob. Footsteps ran up the stairs. Their mother's voice came from behind. The steps came closer and closer. Finally, they could hear their mother shouting.

The closet doors swung open. Two soldiers with the imperial sigil swept down and grabbed the two children. Each soldier taking one child descended back down the stairs and out of the house. Their mother came racing behind, lunging at the soldiers for her children. With one great swipe of his hand, the soldier struck her down with the hilt of his sword. She felt crashing to the ground, blood pooling by her head.

"Mother! Mother!" Both children cried.

Struggling to her knees, she begged the soldier to spare her children. As the soldiers mounted their horses with the children, she reached out to them.

"Not my children", She gasped for air, "please, I'll give you anything!"

But her words fell on deaf ears. As the soldier began to gallop away, the children exchanged their final glance with their mother. As they rode through the chaos of the burning village and more children were taken from their homes, they saw the silver flash of an arrow across the sky. Then their mother was gone.

The two children were thrown into a cell with more than a dozen other whimpering children. Huddled together on the cold bare ground, the two siblings fell into a restless sleep. The sound of crying continued all night.

By dawn, both siblings were up, sitting together in silence, they held each other's hand. Finally, the soldiers came and began dividing the children into groups.

"Take all the girls up to the northern border", the general commander.

The two children looked up at the stern eyes of the general pleading not to be separated.

"Sebastian, NO!" Cried the girl.

The soldier entered the cell and pried her away from her brother. As Sebastian struggled to grab onto his sister, they kicked him to the ground.

"Sebastian!" The girl screamed again. With her hands stretched out towards her brother, she desperately tried to reach for him.

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Lily awoke with her hands stretched out in front of her. Looking up at the ceiling of her room, she took a breath in and slowly rose from her bed. It had been 10 years since that day but she had dreamt of it ever since. Each time, she would awake with a cold sweat and a feeling of sadness that never left her.

A maid entered the room and began to dress Lilly. She wore her finest embroidered and sequined dress. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail with a silk ribbon. Lily set her golden eyes on the mirror. She could hardly recognise the person she had become. It was like seeing a stranger and she hated it.

After she had been brought to the capital along with thousands of other children, she had been one of the lucky ones. Adopted by a Duke, she had been raised as a child of the Empire. However, she knew well enough the incentive for her adoption.

Though a Duke, his duchy had been in steady decline for over a decade due to a gambling problem. The Duke Henriqueson had accepted the empire's coin for what he considered to be easy work: Take in one of the wretched war urchins, then marry off at the first chance he got. Easy money.

However, the girl had been a better investment than he had anticipated. She excelled in her studies. She performed better than his own children. She showed an aptitude for magic that was rare in the Empire. Suddenly, he had a thought. Why trade her off for a pittance when he could potentially pull in an even greater fish.

Thus began Lily's formal education. To the dismay of his wife and three other children, the Duke decided to make a further investment in Lily's education. He would send her off to the Royal academy. The empire had a scholarship scheme in place. It was the perfect way to reel in a wealthy husband.

Lily descended the stairs to the parlour. Her stepmother's angry glare followed her down the steps. How could this little rat get to go to the same school as her eldest son? The idea enraged her. As the butler took Lily's belongings to the carriage, she made one last scathing remark. She grabbed Lilly by the arm.

" Listen to me, you spoilt brat", she hissed, " Stay away from my son when you get there. I don't want him to be brought down by association with you".

Lily's eyes remained steadily focused ahead.

"Yes, Mother", Lily answered in a flat voice.

Her stepmother repulsed to hear the words 'mother' on that expressionless child's lips, stepping quickly out of the parlour.

Stepping into the warm spring air, Lily took one more glance behind. The great white walls of the manor seemed just as dazzling as the first day she had seen them. Her childhood had been a painful one. The beatings and constant isolation seemed like a nightmare she was just waking from. She had pushed through all the pain and loneliness, waiting for this moment. Finally, she could get what she prayed for all these years...

...The chance to get revenge.

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The royal academy was a huge campus with scattered buildings. Grand fountains and elegant gardens decorated the grounds. The great white, marble pillars housed the wealthiest youngsters of the nation. It was a microcosm of social life. Names and families could be made or broken by what happened within the walls of the academy.

The imperial princes and princess' attended the royal academy. A benefit which most families saw as their best chance to make a connection to the royal family. Hordes of students would swarm the gate just to catch a glimpse of royalty entering the school.

The favourite, of course, was the crown prince. Although he was a second son by birth, he had excelled in every regard. From sports to academics he seemed to be a born leader. Together, with the members of the school council, they were seen as untouchable.

This was all information Lily had acquired before entering the royal academy. Getting into the council would be the easiest way to gain access to the Crown Prince. That was her first mission.

On her first day, the teacher introduced Lily to the class. As she stood facing the class, a wave of whispers spread around the room.

"Black hair? Doesn't that mean she's one of those..."

The teacher clapped his hands together loudly.

"Lily, take a seat", he said gesturing to the back of the classroom. As she sat down in her chair staring blankly ahead, all eyes shifted back to her.

Most of the students had never seen a person born outside the empire. But more than that, they couldn't help but stare. She had crystal clear, golden eyes that seemed to glimmer in the sunlight. A pale, porcelain complexion like a child's doll. The men thought she was beautiful and the girls envied her. However, in contrast to rapturing features was her cold and aloof demeanour. Even, the teacher was quite surprised at how still and unwavering her presence was.

Darelle was sitting behind Lily. Although he had been initially fascinated with her curious hair and looks, soon another feeling took over. She made no effort to introduce herself. Did she know who he was? Perhaps she was afraid to introduce herself to a person from such a great family.

He would have to educate this country hick. Once the teacher had left for the break between classes, he walked in front of her desk.

"So I heard you were adopted. Is it true? You're one of those naturalised citizens from the colonies?" Darelle demanded.

"Yes", said Lily without looking up from her desk. She continued scribbling away on her notebook.

"You must be grateful to the empire for saving you from those backwater hicks?"

Lily stopped writing. The idea of gratitude towards the empire made her physically sick.

After a lull in the conversation, Darelle began to feel embarrassed and annoyed.

"Don't they teach respect in your country? I'm talking to you", Darelle began in a loud voice to get the attention of the class. This was the usual tactic in the academy. If you can get other's on your side, you usually win.

Lily said nothing. He moved in aggressively this time, kicking her desk so that her pencil went flying from her hand. She stood up from her seat and bent down to pick up her pencil. Darelle instantly put his foot down on the pencil. Lilly paused.

"I'm talking to you. I said, didn't your backwards parents teach you anything?"Darelle sniggered.

Lily rose to her feet.

"You mean my father the Duke.." She replied coolly.

"You know that's not what I mean ", Darelle interjected again.

Lily tilted her head as if the question was confusing.

"Then, I'm afraid I don't know what you mean", she said returning to her seat.

"Do you know who you're talking to right now? ", said Darelle, growing red in the face. He slammed a fist onto her desk. Lily sat motionlessly.

A student who had been quietly watching with the rest of the class suddenly rose to his feet. Steeping in between Lily and Darelle, he put a hand in front of Darelle.

"Enough. Can't you see you're making a fool of yourself?", he said. His manner was refined yet assertive. He pushed his glasses up slightly and eyed Darelle. His height overpowered Darelle's boyish frame. Darelle quivered with rage. He knew he couldn't speak back to the finance minister's son, Julian, so easily. As Darelle retreated back to his desk angrily, Julian turned to Lily. Lily smiled sweetly with an expression of warmth that didn't quite reach her eyes. They exchange glances for a quiet moment.

"Thank you", Lily said finally.

Julian said nothing and went back to his desk. As he eyed Lily returning back to her notes, he felt a creeping sense that all was not as it seemed.

Lily sat back satisfied in her chair. Who would have guessed an opportunity like this would come so quickly? Of course, she already knew she would be in class with the Finance minister's son. She had been trying to devise a way to get into the student council and now she had a way. The finance minister has a vested interest in funding for scholarships like hers. No doubt, his son knew this and was equally interested in the new student. All she had to do was figure out to approach Julian. As a member of the student council, he would be her first step towards the crown prince.