Knightress

This is a story I started thinking about doing a while ago. I only have a couple pages done, but over time it will all fan out into the web of Writing.com, the internet, and,  possibly, a book. I hope you all enjoy it. Since I am not a  member yet, I can't put it up here in book form. The chapters will all have headings. If you would like to help me become a paid member, please donate GP's to my account. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Enjoy the story. At the end of each chapter you will find a section for vocabulary, such as another language spoken or words used in the narration.

Knightress: Chapter 1

    "White eyes, look for WHITE EYES!!" Duke Pokohnoa screamed at the searchers. There were many of them, one to search each village, a couple for each town, and ten for the capital. "We only have one year to find her. Less actually, because you didn't know what you were looking for." The searchers all bowed to him, worried looks on their faces. "FIND HER!!" The duke yelled as they scurried out of the room, tripping over one another to get through the door and out of  range of his wrath. Meanwhile, the duke rubbed his eyes, then his temples. He stalked out of the room through a door behind his chair. The darkness of his office  was a relief compared to the brightness of the hall. He sat at his desk and put his head on his hands. The wood of the walls supported numerous bookshelves, as well as soundproofing this room.
    "Hello, Duke Pokohnoa." A females voice entered his mind. She was speaking the Aronyan language.
    "Hello yourself, Sornayha."
    "Have you found her?"
    "Unfortunately, the imbeciles the last knightress gave me for searchers didn't know what they were looking for. So, no, we haven't found her."
    "you must, before next year."
    "I know!" His thoughts took on an angry tone.
    so, do you need help?" she asked.
    "No!" He closed his mind to Sornayha. He stood and paced, knowing the one white eyed girl probably had colored her eyes, or her parents had had them colored as a babe.

~~~~.:`|/|':.~~~~

    "Karnaya! Honey blossom!" Solena called to her sister. "Have you heard?!"
    A somewhat buxom girl of about 15-years looked up from her book. She had a river of chestnut running to her waist, a height that made you notice her, and delicate features that    made her seem delicate"What sole?"
    "They're searching for a girl with white eyes, like yours, to be Knightress!!"
    "So, who would want to be Knightress?"
    "It would be so cool to be Knightress! You'd get to rule a whole kingdom!
    "So? I wouldn't be able to do anything but give orders. I wouldn't be a person anymore, I'd be a thing, pretty to look at, for the kingdom. They wouldn't care about my dreams or my ideas, just how much i ask in taxes or the next scandalous thing i do."
    "well, anyway, have you thought about the Knights of Tranlistan? Are you joining, Karnaya?"
    "Yea, I might, once mom gets me my contacts."
    "Ooh, I wish I was the White-eyed one."
    "Good-bye, Solena." Karnaya said, exasperated. Karnaya wandered around the garden, admiring her surroundings, not letting her heart into her tumultuous thoughts. The crimson red of the fallen knights, The deep periwinkle blue of the skys angels, it calmed her. Tanyao, a griffin with a freezing stare for near everyone except Karnaya, flew to her shoulder, batting her cheek before rushing off again.
    She turned to go to her room, her writers place, to put down her thoughts and feelings on parchment. She carefully opened the ivy-covered door to the high tower, making sure it didn't creak. Her family didn't know about the entrance to the tower, they thought it was just a "decoration" on their estate. Karnaya knew otherwise. She climbed the spiraling staircase and sat in the golden room, watching the sun set. Dinner should be soon. She picked up her quill, a present from Tanyao, and started writing.
    Shall I join the Knights of Tranlistan? I am the white-eyed one, but my logic says I will be only a thing, not a person, yet, my heart wills me to go in the direction that my mind says is not the best.......

~~~~.:`|/|':.~~~~

    The next day, Karnaya awoke to the beginning of a black day. The sheet of her bed felt warmer than the blanket of life surrounding the house. She crawled out of bed, startled to find that her clothing had been replaced during the night. Knight's clothing had replaced her frocks and pinafores, as had dresses of the finest quality. She fingered the cloth of the knights clothin,g pleased at the feeling of it on her skin. On her walls, the violet, so familiar before, faded into a grey cloud of indecisive tears. She thought of her family, so happy to be related to one dubbed by Solkarenya to posess a heart, mind, and soul of knightress quality. Her thoughts moved to her own dreams, dreams of being a knight like Nalana, riding into battle upon the mighty back of a white stallion, rearing and bugling his fury, stalking through the forest, silent as an owl, shooting her bow with a twang, eating with royalty. Her mothers musical voice floating up to her interuppted her daydreams. "Karnaya!" Breakfast!!"
    As a surprise, she put on a white gown, the finest in her new closet, Ironic for the announcement she was about to make. The bodice was velvet, ending at a V in the waist and the sleeves. The skirt was satin and brushed against her legs like a feather. It brushed the floor and rustled down the stairs, trailing her every movement.
    Her wavy brown hair fell halfway to her waist. Her white eyes were determined to get her point across. She quickly braided her cascade of hair and pulled it tight with the ribbon she had selected. Her steps were quiet as a mouse’s might have been. The 10 steps down the stairs seemed more like 50. She then entered the dining hall. Karynaya’s voice was firm. “I will not become knightress. Just because I have white eyes does not mean that I am the best choice. My eyes are not the only part of me!” she then sat down, arranging her skirts around her. The golden pearls on the bodice of the dress set off the white of her eyes and dress, the simple braid down her back was made elegant by the elaborate design of her dress.  “Please, don’t make me do this……” She held her head high, so like her mother’s defiant gaze that she bored holes into the eyes of those listening to her and made them turn their gazes to anything but her.
    “Karn, my strong, sweet, young daughter, what else are we supposed to do?”       
    Karnaya’s mother, Hanarah said.   “The knightress has always been picked by the color of her eyes. Now it is especially important to find you because of our the war with (_need_(_the_)_name_). Have you not noticed the war raging around us for the past 10 years?” Her mother grew silent. “I’ll never force you to do what you don’t want to do daughter, but I do urge you to do this one thing, for the well being of our country.” 
    Karnaya’s footsteps could be heard for a while. She paced about her room, eventually resting on her bed. She grabbed her favorite stuffed animal, a tiny tan bear holding a blanket, called Bearden and spoke to it.
      “Bearden, why am I always the one forced to make the greatest changes? Why am I the one always harassed? Why can I not be left alone?”   She held the bear close to her chest, wondering weather she should run to the forest or face her unchoosen path.


    A light brown bag swinging, brown hair wrapped tight against her neck, plain, undecorated clothes. In this Karnaya walked through the forest behind her family’s expansive estate. She had brought enough money to buy a room for a month or so in the next town and money for eye covers, to get her eyes to appear a different color, without coloring them. She had brought few things other than food and a few plain nondescript dresses. She had brought little. Just her diary, blanket, brush, and Bearden.   “Let them know that I will not let myself be captured into being solely an object in the eyes of everyone. I will escape and become a person, of good repute and standing, independent in my will.”  A single tear fell, sliding down to her chin, a tear for having to do this to her family and friends. She had left a short note on her desk in her room. She would miss her room. She thought of all the details as she walked.

    She imagined herself walking into her room. The golden-yellow door opened to a room painted quiet lavender, white and yellow roses with dark green vines and black thorns rimmed her room, a few scant inches beneath the ceiling, a pale gold. Her small rosewood desk, imported from U(look on map when found for rest of name) with the gold engraved in tight swirls was against a far wall under one of the many bright sunny windows smiling down to her room. Her bed had been large, with golden posts rising from the ground to disappear into the ceiling. The small shelf above her bed, the low rising doorway to her dog, Deerskin’s “room”, none escaped her roving mind.

      She came to the edge of the town near her family’s estate, Grofida. A town of about a thousand people, she could hide, but not be cut off from people. She went to the nearest eye doctor. Keeping her eyes down, she entered the shop. “Sir, could you make me some eye covers? Black if you would.” She said, trying to sound meek.
      “It’ll cost ya.”  The eye person said.
      “How much?”  She asked, still not looking at him.
      “50 for such a pretty girl as your self.”   He said. "Though if you let me gaze upon your eyes, it might be less." He said, his voice sickly sweet.
    " 50 will be fine." she said, keeping her eyes on the floor. She held her bag close to her chest. She counted out 50 coins and held them in her hand. Her other hand reached out for the contacts. When she felt the weight of a small box in the palm she dropped the coins into his waiting hand. "Thank you sir." she said. She left quickly, feeling his eyes on her. She went to an inn, inquireing about a room. When she had settled into her room, she went to the mirror above the chest of drawers. She opened her eyes wide to put in the eye covers.



More Later!