Evelin awoke, the soft grass beneath her. The sweet air tried to hurry her along, making her want to jump up and ignore her headache, but she refused to get up. She was exhausted. Besides, she could lay there for a while longer, she wouldn’t get hurt at all.
She heard a horse sniff her, and felt a bit of warm breath. She instinctively scrunched her face up. “When will she ever wake up!” The voice was young, definitely a child.
She heard a sigh. “Be patient. She’ll wake up soon.” The soft crunch of grass being stepped on came closer to her.
She imagined the voice frown. “Yes momma.” Then she heard the noise of something running. Were they hooves?
Curiosity overrode her grogginess. Her blue eyes shot open as she looked around her. Above her a silver unicorn with blue eyes looked down at her.
Unicorns? Why were there unicorns? It was probably some sort of dream.
The unicorn nudged her with her muzzle. “I’m glad you woke up, human. We need you to help us.”
“Us?”
Her eyes gleamed with motherly love. “Yes, the inhabitants of Silverhawk.” She brought her head up, her grey mane flying back. “I’m Liria, one of the oldest unicorns here. And right now you’re in Silver Glade, the home of Sliverhawk’s unicorns.” With her horn, she motioned to the green grass with hills and a few lakes.
Evelin sat up and couldn’t repress a breath of awe as she observed at the landscape. She looked at the silver unicorn standing beside her. “And how am I supposed to help you?”
The unicorn nickered slightly. “Why, fight the soldiers of Bronzeflacon, of course! And by extension, protect us from their evil grasp!”
“What?”
She nodded. “Right now you are wearing our emblem. It marks you as an enemy of Bronzeflacon.”
She looked over herself to find the ‘emblem’. The necklace! Was it the thing that was marking her and placing her life in danger? She tried to remove the blasted thing, but couldn’t.
Liria noticed her struggling and frowned. “You didn’t know that that was our emblem, did you?” She shook her head. “You can’t remove it now.”
Her eyes filled with fear. She couldn’t remove it? She couldn’t keep the thing around her neck, especially when she was being hunted because of it. She shook her head. “There has to be some sort of mistake, there has to be.”
Liria’s blue eyes filled with sympathy. “You were never given the full details, were you?”
Evelin shook her head in response. She could hardly wrap her head around what was happening at this point.
Liria sighed. “I’m sorry that you were dragged into this. That was never any of our attention.” She narrowed her eyes. “Well, most of us. I’ll have to talk to someone later about this.”
Liria started forward. “I’ll let you calm down and adjust to your surroundings. This is a lot to go through in just a few seconds. Tomorrow, you’ll start training.”
Great. She was stuck here, in this place. A place called Silverhawk apparently. And they were enemies with a neighboring country called Bronzefaclon. This was something that sounded like it came out of some sort of fantasy book. A bad one at that.
Evelin stood up and walked around the glade, stepping on the wildflowers and the lush green grass that was shortened due to the unicorns eating it and having to adjust her stride due to the slightly hilly landscape. A few weeping willows were spread around the glade, providing some shade that some unicorns took advantage of. Apparently, this whole place was surrounded by a forest. That didn’t make Evelin feel any better. She crossed her arms as she continued to walk around. She was comforted slightly by her self-hug.
She watched as the unicorns galloped, nipped at each other, and played. Some were drinking the water from the crystal blue pond, the small trickle of the stream audible if you were close enough. Normally she would laugh at the beautiful creatures playing, but she didn’t. No, she was hunted and was expected to fight some sort of enemy that wanted her dead.
A young silver and white foal trotted up to her. “Hey! You’re the one who agreed to help us!” he said with enthusiasm. He pranced around her. She recognized his voice as the one that wanted her to wake up.
Evelin couldn’t resist a smile at the foal. He seemed so excited that she couldn't resist a smile, nor could she tell him that she didn’t want to be there. He was just so innocent looking! She chuckled. “Yeah, that’s me.”
He gave a whinny and trotted around her again, playfully bucking now and again. She rolled her eyes as her smile grew. He gave her a reason to fight for this place that kidnapped her. He reminded her of a small child, one that needed to be protected. She sighed. Well, not like she had anything better to do now that she was stuck there.
Evelin sat down, her knees next to her chest, and watched the foal, acting like a fool. Her mouth twitched as she resisted a laugh at her own joke. Laughing for no reason in public was always awkward.
The foal pricked his ears as he listened to his friends whinny, calling him back to play. “I have to go now. My friends want me to go play with them some more.” His white streaked muzzle nuzzled her as his eyes shone. “Bye!” He nodded his twice as he pranced back to his friends, his legs rising up high.
Evelin’s smile faded as she thought about what could happen if she didn’t help the foal. If she just decided that all of this was none of her business, which it was. She was going to refuse to go along with all of this, but that was impossible now. Not when she thought about the foal.
She stood up again and went to look for Lyria. She decided that it was better if she just went ahead and started her training. Besides, from what she gathered, she had to stop whatever danger that plagued Silverhawk before she could go back home.
She grew misty eyed as she thought about her home. She was so stressed about being transported here that she almost forgot about her enthusiastic mother, her ambitious father, and talented brother. She missed all three, even Jack, despite her jealousy of him. She crossed her arms and gave herself a tight self-hug as she fought against tears that threatened to pour from her eyes and turn her face red.
She never missed someone so much before. Maybe the thought of her not coming back was much more dangerous to her mind than she thought. She shook her head as she tried to shake the thoughts out of her head.
As Evelin was fighting back her tears, Lyria lifted her head and calmly walked over to Evelin. “What’s wrong?”
Evelin shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
Lyria snorted as she nodded, not forcing any answers. Evelin decided that it was probably better to start the next day, not that day. She needed the time to cope with what happened to her.
She heard a horse sniff her, and felt a bit of warm breath. She instinctively scrunched her face up. “When will she ever wake up!” The voice was young, definitely a child.
She heard a sigh. “Be patient. She’ll wake up soon.” The soft crunch of grass being stepped on came closer to her.
She imagined the voice frown. “Yes momma.” Then she heard the noise of something running. Were they hooves?
Curiosity overrode her grogginess. Her blue eyes shot open as she looked around her. Above her a silver unicorn with blue eyes looked down at her.
Unicorns? Why were there unicorns? It was probably some sort of dream.
The unicorn nudged her with her muzzle. “I’m glad you woke up, human. We need you to help us.”
“Us?”
Her eyes gleamed with motherly love. “Yes, the inhabitants of Silverhawk.” She brought her head up, her grey mane flying back. “I’m Liria, one of the oldest unicorns here. And right now you’re in Silver Glade, the home of Sliverhawk’s unicorns.” With her horn, she motioned to the green grass with hills and a few lakes.
Evelin sat up and couldn’t repress a breath of awe as she observed at the landscape. She looked at the silver unicorn standing beside her. “And how am I supposed to help you?”
The unicorn nickered slightly. “Why, fight the soldiers of Bronzeflacon, of course! And by extension, protect us from their evil grasp!”
“What?”
She nodded. “Right now you are wearing our emblem. It marks you as an enemy of Bronzeflacon.”
She looked over herself to find the ‘emblem’. The necklace! Was it the thing that was marking her and placing her life in danger? She tried to remove the blasted thing, but couldn’t.
Liria noticed her struggling and frowned. “You didn’t know that that was our emblem, did you?” She shook her head. “You can’t remove it now.”
Her eyes filled with fear. She couldn’t remove it? She couldn’t keep the thing around her neck, especially when she was being hunted because of it. She shook her head. “There has to be some sort of mistake, there has to be.”
Liria’s blue eyes filled with sympathy. “You were never given the full details, were you?”
Evelin shook her head in response. She could hardly wrap her head around what was happening at this point.
Liria sighed. “I’m sorry that you were dragged into this. That was never any of our attention.” She narrowed her eyes. “Well, most of us. I’ll have to talk to someone later about this.”
Liria started forward. “I’ll let you calm down and adjust to your surroundings. This is a lot to go through in just a few seconds. Tomorrow, you’ll start training.”
Great. She was stuck here, in this place. A place called Silverhawk apparently. And they were enemies with a neighboring country called Bronzefaclon. This was something that sounded like it came out of some sort of fantasy book. A bad one at that.
Evelin stood up and walked around the glade, stepping on the wildflowers and the lush green grass that was shortened due to the unicorns eating it and having to adjust her stride due to the slightly hilly landscape. A few weeping willows were spread around the glade, providing some shade that some unicorns took advantage of. Apparently, this whole place was surrounded by a forest. That didn’t make Evelin feel any better. She crossed her arms as she continued to walk around. She was comforted slightly by her self-hug.
She watched as the unicorns galloped, nipped at each other, and played. Some were drinking the water from the crystal blue pond, the small trickle of the stream audible if you were close enough. Normally she would laugh at the beautiful creatures playing, but she didn’t. No, she was hunted and was expected to fight some sort of enemy that wanted her dead.
A young silver and white foal trotted up to her. “Hey! You’re the one who agreed to help us!” he said with enthusiasm. He pranced around her. She recognized his voice as the one that wanted her to wake up.
Evelin couldn’t resist a smile at the foal. He seemed so excited that she couldn't resist a smile, nor could she tell him that she didn’t want to be there. He was just so innocent looking! She chuckled. “Yeah, that’s me.”
He gave a whinny and trotted around her again, playfully bucking now and again. She rolled her eyes as her smile grew. He gave her a reason to fight for this place that kidnapped her. He reminded her of a small child, one that needed to be protected. She sighed. Well, not like she had anything better to do now that she was stuck there.
Evelin sat down, her knees next to her chest, and watched the foal, acting like a fool. Her mouth twitched as she resisted a laugh at her own joke. Laughing for no reason in public was always awkward.
The foal pricked his ears as he listened to his friends whinny, calling him back to play. “I have to go now. My friends want me to go play with them some more.” His white streaked muzzle nuzzled her as his eyes shone. “Bye!” He nodded his twice as he pranced back to his friends, his legs rising up high.
Evelin’s smile faded as she thought about what could happen if she didn’t help the foal. If she just decided that all of this was none of her business, which it was. She was going to refuse to go along with all of this, but that was impossible now. Not when she thought about the foal.
She stood up again and went to look for Lyria. She decided that it was better if she just went ahead and started her training. Besides, from what she gathered, she had to stop whatever danger that plagued Silverhawk before she could go back home.
She grew misty eyed as she thought about her home. She was so stressed about being transported here that she almost forgot about her enthusiastic mother, her ambitious father, and talented brother. She missed all three, even Jack, despite her jealousy of him. She crossed her arms and gave herself a tight self-hug as she fought against tears that threatened to pour from her eyes and turn her face red.
She never missed someone so much before. Maybe the thought of her not coming back was much more dangerous to her mind than she thought. She shook her head as she tried to shake the thoughts out of her head.
As Evelin was fighting back her tears, Lyria lifted her head and calmly walked over to Evelin. “What’s wrong?”
Evelin shook her head. “It’s nothing.”
Lyria snorted as she nodded, not forcing any answers. Evelin decided that it was probably better to start the next day, not that day. She needed the time to cope with what happened to her.
