Capturing the Skye

Branches scratched at my face relentlessly as I ran through the mass of trees; the forest floor was washed with blue lunar light. The only sound heard on such a lonely night was my deep, heavy breathing and the rustle of the trees as they were tousled by the wind. My mind was reeling faster than the tears were streaming. I couldn’t suppress the lump growing in my throat anymore, so, leaning down towards a tree, I vomited in an attempt to get rid of these dark feelings.
Okay, maybe I should explain. I’m kind of a princess; the royalty of Padua, my “dad” is the king, and I have a younger sister; a sister who’s way prettier than me and really talented -in being a woman. I’m the tomboy of the sisters and I’m not very well liked due to my temper. Willa (my sister) is very feminine and beautiful and everything she touches is easily manipulated by her hands –that is, everything except a physical challenge. Her hands are soft and easily bruised, while mine are tough and I can take battle and real work. I don’t work on my appearance much and prefer pants over dresses, for some reason the world prefers a woman with a dress so that excludes me from the circle.
But there’s an unspoken truth about my sister that only I know –she’s a real ****** with a lot of ******* stupid ******* and I ******* hate her. She’s better than me and she knows it, she shoves it in my face every chance she gets. How is everyone blind to how she’s torturing me? Why is it that they don’t realize who she is underneath? Why is it that they don’t realize who I am underneath?
My grip on the sheath of my sword tightened, all sense in my mind vanished. Before I knew it, the forest was running past me in a blur; I didn’t even know how I got here, didn’t know where I was going, all I knew was that I was betrayed by the world. Love is an illusion.
The bubble that wove its way around my mind suddenly burst. My legs stopped pumping and I stood still, shaking all over. I stayed quiet and listened. A smooth sound like honey gently caressed the forest. I recognized the instrument as an ocarina, the sound was soothing yet somehow it seemed to be haunting and full of grief. Never before in my life had I ever heard it being played in such a way.
Instinctively, I crept forward quietly, seeking the origin of the sound. I let the notes pull me in and lead me to its creator. Eventually I came to a clearing. The moon’s glow revealed a figure, outlined in its soft, pale light. Dryads were dancing gracefully around it. I drew in my breath. I recognized the figure to be a young man, an unfamiliar one at that. I half-hid behind a tree, peeking out from behind it. His dark hair shone blue in the light of the moon; his face was composed in a compassionate expression, as if communicating the song’s meaning. His fingers played swiftly across the holes of the instrument, all the while his body slightly drifting back and forth.
I took a step forward. Crack! I gasped as I realized I’d stepped on a fallen stick! Suddenly, wind blasted into my face and through my red hair, I heard hollow flapping noises and a humongous shadow covered my whole body. Two powerful wings beat against the air; I looked up to see what it was and shock took over me. A Silverwing was hovering before me, his large owl eyes seemed to be glaring at me. He looked amazing! The feathers covering his body were silver blended with a royal, silvery purple which came in little strips all over his large body; he was easily bigger than a horse! Who was this guy!? How could he afford to get one of these things?
I took a step back as the Silverwing came closer, menacingly instead of welcoming.
“Hey, Hawkfire, quit it!” shouted ocarina guy. Hawkfire immediately backed down and stopped beating his wings. He walked over to ocarina guy and stood beside him as if protecting him. Ocarina guy looked at me, and something entered his eyes that I can’t name, he came towards me. Somehow, I felt threatened. I reached for my sword and immediately unsheathed it, ready for battle. Ocarina guy stopped in his tracks and stared at the sword in my hands, then a smile slid across his face and he reached behind his back and revealed a foreign sword.
Wordlessly, we jumped at each other; I was a bit too eager and my sword slipped against his, leaving me open. He jumped at the chance but I was too fast. I deflected his attack and swiped for his belly, but he swiftly jumped back. I went for another go, but our swords clashed together and I felt a shiver of the thrill run down my back as I relished the vibrations made by the collision.
This was actually fun.
It was a great way to drain out the frustration.
I kicked out my foot to unbalance him, but he caught on quickly and took a step back. I pushed further into the battle, pressuring him, making him continue to step further and further back. He was more defensive than offensive, and that ticked me off. I intensified my attacks, hoping that he’d eventually go for another swipe at me, but his defense was strong and practiced.
Somehow this wasn’t so much fun anymore.
I could feel the anger and frustration swelling inside of me now. I thoughtlessly thrust my sword in all directions, yelling and hoping it would confuse him, but he easily caught my sword mid-air with his and flicked it upwards, I was so surprised that my grip on the handle loosened, sending it flying upwards.
I was sure I was going to die at this point, so I backed up, only to have my back collide with a tree. I pushed my back into it and screwed my eyes shut, waiting for him to strike. A dull thud filled the open air, but there was no pain.
Is this usually how it works?
I opened my eyes slowly and was immediately immersed in deep, silvery purple eyes, like the Silverwing’s coat, only these were ocarina guy’s eyes. His face was so close I tried to turn away, but as I turned, my nose touched the sword that he’d plunged into the tree -right beside my head. I tried turning the other way, but he thrust his hand forward, trapping me. I faced him, glaring, but he seemed to think of that as amusing and chuckled from deep in his throat. I felt like punching this guy, but there was no elbow-room.
“Why are your eyes red?” We just had a battle and that’s all he can say? I intensified my glare, not daring to speak. “Okay, then. What is a young lady like you doing in the woods this late?’ Still, I stayed quiet; this guy was ticking me off so much it was impossible to talk. I tried to squirm under his arm but his other hand took my shoulder and kept me still. “At least tell me your name.” His closeness was choking me; I just wanted to get out of there.
“My name is Skye Minola,” my voice cracked when I said “Minola”.
Again, something unnamed entered his eyes. “So you’re the princess of Padua, the heiress,” his face was excited. I could see the contours of his face, bathed in the soft blue light of the moon. “I’m looking for a rich wife, you see, and I was wondering if I could have your hand –“I wouldn’t let him finish.
“Like hell I’m gonna marry YOU!” I spat in his face. I couldn’t take this guy anymore! Mustering up all my strength, I kicked up my knee and brought it to his groin. Straight off, he slumped to his knees, groaning in pain. I took this chance and took off as fast as I could. I thought Hawkfire would come after me but instead he ignored me. I grabbed my sword from the ground and bolted for home, almost laughing my head off despite my previous grief.