Chapter 1

"Come on Autumn show me what you got!" Ashlyn cried as Autumn came at her with her sword and the two began to spar. It had been almost eight years since Ashlyn had come to the village of Greenwood and had come to live with Autumn and her mother, Nova, in their home. Over the years, Ashlyn had grown to love the village of Greenwood and all its residents- well, almost all of them. Cyrus was still untrusting of Ashlyn even though she had proven her loyalty to the people of Greenwood time and time again. It made Ashlyn angry at the thought that everything she had done since she had come here was never enough to earn Cyrus's trust. To make matters worse, Cyrus also was head of the guard academy that she and Autumn had been attending since they were both thirteen years old, and would always criticize Ashlyn's technique harshly. Ashlyn wanted nothing more than to snap at him, but as head of the guard academy she had to be respectful to him, so she had learned to hold her tongue so she wouldn't get into trouble. Ashlyn and Autumn's swords met with a clash blocking each other's intended blow. Autumn pulled away when Ashlyn wasn't looking and tried to attack her from behind, but Ashlyn dodged the attack well before Autumn could go through with it. Then, before Autumn could come up with another strategy, Ashlyn took her chance and came at Autumn with her sword, stopping just before it reached her heart, meeting her purple eyes.

"Alright, you win again," Autumn said, trying to catch her breath. Ashlyn pulled her sword back and put it back in its sheath. As she looked at Autumn, she saw discouragement in her eyes.

"Hey don't give up!" Ashlyn encouraged. "You're getting good! I almost couldn't beat you that time around." Autumn gave a small smile.

"Really?" Autumn asked. Ashlyn nodded.

"You'll probably beat me in the next fight, why don't we go again and you'll see what I mean," Ashlyn suggested, but Autumn shook her head.

"We've been sparring all morning," Autumn pointed out. "Why don't we do something else?

"We could," Ashlyn agreed. "But then how will you become the best guard you can be?" Ashlyn must have said the wrong thing because Autumn's gaze turned to one of anger.

"Is that all you care about?" she snapped. "Ever since you started guard training it feels like that's your only focus.

"I have.." Ashlyn began, but Autumn continued to rant.

"I know that you worry about being a good guard to prove yourself to Cyrus, but that does not mean you have to take your training so seriously." At this point, Autumn's purple eyes were glowing like they always did whenever she got emotional ever since she was fourteen. Ashlyn had always wondered why they did that, but they had not been able to find an explanation yet in the books and scrolls she had read. She took a moment and thought about what Autumn had just said. Maybe she has a point, Ashlyn thought. I used to spend a lot more time with Autumn when we were younger; I didn't need to prove myself then. Ashlyn met Autumn's gaze and took a deep breath.

"Okay Autumn you're right," Ashlyn replied attempting to calm her down. "I have been only focused on training and I know that you get frustrated with that because I'm not around as much as I used to be." Autumn's eyes slowly began to revert to normal, indicating that she was calming down.

"I just don't want to lose my sister," Autumn admitted. Ashlyn brought her friend in for a hug.

"You're not going to lose me, Autumn," she promised. "I'll always be here for you and mom." Autumn pulled away from the hug and gave Ashlyn a warm smile.

"Now how about we go take a walk through the forest and see if Specter and Echo are around," Ashlyn suggested. Autumn nodded her head eagerly.

"Yeah, I haven't seen Specter in while, let's go!" Moments later, the two began to head out of Greenwood and toward the oak forest on the village's outskirts.

...

The Oak forest was so peaceful to Ashlyn and was one of her favorite places in all of the Sylvanian region. She never understood why, but she seemed to be drawn to the forest as if she was connected to it somehow. She loved to breathe in the fresh air and take in the smells of lavender and the other plants that grew there.

This place is so calming, she thought, taking in a deep breath of the forest air. Suddenly she heard Autumn's voice break her peaceful thoughts, a tone of excitement in her voice.

"These will be perfect!" she cried as Ashlyn came over to where she was inspecting some purple flowers. Autumn loved to take the plants and flowers of the forest and make them into things she could wear, like crowns and bracelets. Another use for the plants she collected would be to crush them into a pulp that would temporarily dye her hair, which she had done many times before to give her hair a blue-tipped look. Ashlyn was amazed by her friend's resourcefulness and creativity, but she didn't find the joy in it that Autumn did. She watched in amusement as Autumn excitedly picked flowers and put them into a bag she always carried when they went out. When Autumn had finished picking flowers she joined Ashlyn who had been waiting for her by the edge of the flower patch. Ashlyn noticed that Autumn had been staring at her intently as if she was studying her and fascinated by what she saw

"What is it, Autumn?" she asked causing Autumn's look of awe to disappear.

"Nothing," Autumn replied. "It's just that sunlight makes you look really pretty." Ashlyn's blood rushed to her cheeks causing her to blush. She had been told before that when she stood in a ray of sunlight her brown hair appeared gold and it made her forest green eyes glow like two emeralds, but she never paid much attention to these compliments since most came from her male classmates at the guard academy.

"Thanks, Autumn," Ashlyn replied, "but you don't need to say that."

"Yes, I do!" Autumn insisted. "You're a beautiful girl, Ashlyn, and sometimes it hurts that you hide it. At least let me touch up the purple tips I gave you a few months back!" Ashlyn grabbed a lock of her brown hair and inspected the area where Autumn's purple dye had colored it and was starting to fade.

"No thanks, Autumn," Ashlyn said, trying to refuse her friend's request as politely as she could. She was not concerned with how she looked unlike the rest of the girls her age in Greenwood Village so that the boys would notice them. It wasn't that she didn't have any interest in them at all, but she was putting all her focus into guard training and did not want any distractions.

"Alright, Ash, have it your way," Autumn teased as they approached a wolf's den.

"Echo," Ashlyn whispered. "You here girl?" Seconds later, a white wolf with grey markings appeared at the entrance of the den and jumped on top of her, covering Ashlyn with licks and wagging its fluffy tail.

"Okay, Echo," she laughed as the wolf continued to lick her. "I'm glad to see you too." She pushed the wolf off of her and stood up. Echo turned her attention back to the entrance of her den where a white female wolf was emerging.

"Specter!" Autumn cried as the wolf ran up to her and stood on its hind legs, placing its front paws on Autumn's shoulders and beginning to lick her face.

Specter and Echo had been two motherless sister wolf pups that Ashlyn and Autumn had found while roaming the forest one day. The girls had decided to help them and built them a den in the forest since wolves were not allowed to be kept as pets in the village.

"Did you guys miss us?" Ashlyn asked in a playful voice as she stroked Echo's soft fur. Echo howled with joy which was echoed by Spectre a moment later.

"It's a good thing they have each other," Autumn pointed out. "Wolves aren't meant to be alone."

"Yeah it's always nice to have someone around," Ashlyn murmured.

She always hated the idea of being alone, having no one to look out for you or care for you, which made her thankful to have someone like Autumn in her life. She was always so caring, understanding, and knew exactly what to say to cheer Ashlyn up when she was feeling down.

Even though we are not related by blood, I could not have asked for a better sister, Ashlyn thought happily to herself as she watched Autumn play with Spectre.

Suddenly Spectre began to dash toward a nearby lake. The girls and Echo followed her to its shore.

"Specter, what are you doing girl?" Autumn laughed as the wolf jumped into the lake, making a loud playful splash. Echo joined Specter and the two wolves began chasing each other through the shallow water.

Ashlyn and Autumn looked at each other with looks of amusement on their faces.

"Want to join them?" Autumn asked. "It's been a while since we took a nice swim."

"I don't know Autumn we really should be….." Before she could finish answering, Autumn took her hand and pulled her into a run towards the lake and jumped in, taking Ashlyn with her. The two girls landed in the water with a loud splash soaking their hair and clothes.

"Autumn what was that…" before she could finish scolding, Autumn splashed her face with water. Ashlyn wiped the water from her face and splashed Autumn back and they splashed each other back and forth laughing. Ashlyn couldn't remember the last time she had enjoyed herself this much.

"You're smiling," Autumn commented in a teasing tone.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ashlyn asked, a little annoyed. "I smile all the time."

"Come on Ash, admit it. You're happy to be relaxing and having fun for a change." Autumn pointed out. "It's okay to fool around every now and then, you know."

"I know," Ashlyn answered, "I just…." Ashlyn grew silent as she looked at a deep and jagged scar that ran across her right shoulder. Autumn's expression turned serious as she met Ashlyn's gaze.

"I almost forgot you had that," Autumn commented as she studied it. "You didn't deserve to get that," she finished with a hint of guilt in her voice. Ashlyn put a hand on Autumn's shoulder.

"I have no regrets. I got it for a good cause," Ashlyn assured her. There was a moment of silence between the girls as they thought about this horrible memory.

"We better be heading home," she said, quickly changing the subject to break the silence "Nova will get worried if we aren't home by sundown."

Ashlyn made her way to the shore of the lake, followed by Autumn and the wolves, who shook themselves dry.

"Specter!" Autumn cried as Specter shook out her fur. "I'm already soaked."

"Nice one, Specter!" Ashlyn laughed. "We'll see you guys again soon," she promised as she gave Echo a farewell pat on the head. As the girls turned around to begin the walk home, they heard Spectre and Echo begin to whimper. Ashlyn's heart twisted with sadness.

"I wish we could take them with us," Autumn said, almost as if she knew what Ashlyn was thinking.

"So do I," Ashlyn replied. "But Cyrus says, it is a disregard of the rules to allow such dangerous creatures within the village walls," she finished imitating Cyrus's voice. Autumn tried to hold back a laugh, but it was no use.

"That was good, Ash," she managed to say through laughs. "You would be in so much trouble if Cyrus had heard that."

They continued their way home, laughing and joking under the silver light of the moon until a voice interrupted them at the village gates.

"Hey ladies," said a tall, red-haired, handsome boy about Ashlyn's age.

"Hi Kalahad," Autumn said, greeting him. "Hey Autumn," he replied, not meeting her gaze, but Ashlyn's.

"Hey Ash, what's up?" he greeted with a wink.

"What do you want, Kalahad?" Ashlyn asked, trying to hide her annoyance.

"Can't a guy just say hi to a pretty girl while he is on patrol?" he asked innocently. "But since I ran into you, did you maybe want to hit the tavern later?"

"Kalahad how many times do I need to tell you, I am not interested," she said, no longer hiding the annoyance from her voice.

Kalahad shrugged.

"You're just stubborn. But don't worry, I like that," he said. "Sooner or later you will realize we are meant for each other."

Kalahad left them and returned to his patrol. Ashlyn was relieved he was gone, his constant attempts to flirt with her got annoying and he would never give up trying to win her affections.

"You know," Autumn began as they made their way through the village. "Maybe you shouldn't be so hard on Kalahad, he seems to really like you." Ashlyn was shocked at her words.

"Who's side are you on, Autumn?" she asked. "Kalahad is a conceited, egotistical boy who thinks he can have whoever he wants if he uses his charm and wit, not to mention he is Cyrus's son," she finished, not hiding the disgust from her tone.

"Okay so maybe not Kalahad," Autumn agreed. "But I do think it is time that you found someone special Ash. You're almost eighteen." Ashlyn always got uncomfortable when the topic of her getting a boyfriend was brought up. She didn't dislike the idea, but she wanted it to be the right person, not just someone to be used to fill a void that she didn't even have. Ashlyn reached into the pocket of her pants as she continued to walk and pulled out a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it to reveal a picture of her and a black-haired boy with deep blue eyes.

If things had been different would I be with you? She wondered. The boy in the photo had been her best friend when she was a little girl, but she had never had any type of feelings for him, or at least she thought she didn't. Ashlyn and Autumn walked the rest of the way to their home in silence, matching each other's pace.

"Hey," Ashlyn said, attempting to break the silence. "Today was really nice, being able to have fun the way we used to."

Autumn smiled. "Yeah, it was," she agreed. "It was nice to act like kids again."

They soon approached the small home where Ashlyn lived with Autumn and her mother, Nova. Ashlyn opened the door and held it for Autumn and then let herself inside and closed the door behind her.

"Girls, you're home!" came Nova's voice from inside the house's small kitchen. They entered the room to find Autumn's mother busy making hot chocolate and cookies.

"Hi girls!" Nova greeted them with a warm smile.

"Hey, mom, what are you making cookies for?" Autumn asked.

"Just thought you girls might like some," She answered simply. "I also made hot chocolate for you to warm up with."

"Thanks, Nova," Ashlyn said, grabbing a mug for her and Autumn.

"You're very welcome, Ashlyn dear," she replied. "By the way, something came for you today while you were out." Ashlyn suddenly became confused.

"What was it?" she asked hesitantly. Nova went into another room and moments later reappeared with a small brown paper package with Ashlyn's name written on it. Ashlyn took it in her hands and studied it, curious about who could have sent it to her. She tore open the package and uncovered a black jewelry box with a note taped to it that read,

Happy 18th Birthday Ashlyn, Handle this gift and the power it will give you with great care.

Ashlyn was puzzled even more now. How does this person know when my birthday is and what power are they talking about? She wondered. She looked for a signature as she studied the box, but could not find one; whoever had sent this to her didn't want her to know who they were. Ashlyn opened the box and found that it held a silver chain necklace with an amber pendant carved into the shape of a sun.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed as she studied the gift. She had never had anything this nice.

"It is," Autumn agreed. "But there is still one thing we have not addressed."

"And that would be?" Ashlyn asked with an amused smile, already knowing where Autumn was taking the conversation.

"Uh, your birthday," Autumn said.

"Oh yeah," Ashlyn said, making it seem like she forgot. "It's tomorrow."

"Why didn't you say anything all these years?" Autumn asked, sounding a little hurt.

"It's nothing personal," Ashlyn said trying not to offend Autumn or Nova. "The day just isn't a big deal to me," she explained. Ashlyn felt bad for lying, but couldn't risk anyone knowing the truth about where she was from and who she really was. I don't want to be sent back, she thought. I can't go back. She met Autumn and Nova's gaze. Finally, Nova broke the uncomfortable silence.

"Ashlyn, it's okay if you want to keep your past in the past," she said gently. "We care about who you are, not who you were"

"Thanks, Nova that means a lot," Ashlyn replied with a small, forced smile. She then turned her attention back to the amber sun necklace.

"Who could have sent this?" she asked herself out loud. It had to be someone from the village where she was from; she had never told anyone in Greenwood when her birthday was.

Someone knows I am here, she thought, horrified. I knew I couldn't hide forever, but I thought I would have more time.

"Ash, are you okay?" Autumn asked. "You look pale!"Ashlyn had to admit that the thought of someone knowing where she was after thinking she was safe all this time made her a little light-headed.

"I'm okay," she assured Autumn. "I'm just going to turn in for the night."

"Alright," Autumn replied hugging Ashlyn. "I'll see you in the morning." Ashlyn left the kitchen and walked down the hallway that had two bedrooms at the end of it. Ashlyn turned the knob of the door to her right and stepped into the room that she shared with Autumn since the house only had two bedrooms. The room was small but big enough for the girls to have their own beds and to leave a walkway in between them. She went over to her bed and sat down and unfolded the photo of her and the boy once more. Ashlyn didn't know why, but the sight of the photo began to make her tear up, and moments later tears were streaming down her face and it turned into sobbing as she curled up on the bed clutching the precious picture to her chest. I am so sorry I had to leave you, She thought. She eventually fell asleep, but it was troubled and left her tossing and turning all through the night, thinking about the mysterious necklace and who had sent it. Who has been watching me?