This book is dedicated to one of my best friends in the world. The one who when I was in high school, riding back from a ski trip, I told her ideas for my story, and she couldn't believe I made it up on the fly. Adrian, thank you for putting up with my characters and being my ultimate fan when it comes to this story! I couldn't have done it without you buddy!

A young red-headed woman sat on the wooden porch of her home, holding a baby with hair of strawberry-blonde. As the baby slept soundly in her arms, she rocked back and forward in a rocking chair that’s paint was chipping where so many hands and arms had been in the past. As she rocked, her thoughts were all over the place. From how nice the blue sky looked with puffy white clouds flying overhead, right to the road where wagons pulled by horses were going down the dirt street. She waved to the men with their top hats and long jackets which fell over the back of the cart. Shame they had to wear those horrible things in such hot weather. It was almost 70 degrees today and beautiful. Nice enough for her to sit outside with her baby’s carriage right next to her for when the child fell asleep. As the baby snoozed in her arms, she lifted herself up and went around the carriage. It was a pink with lovely lacy designs adorning it. The mobile was the thing that stood out the most with the bright colors and odd abstract shapes that would sing “Rock-a-bye-baby” when the key was turned. She placed the child down, gently tilting its head so that it would land softly against the bottom of the plush bedding. She toyed with the locks of red-blonde hair that covered the baby’s head.

“I wish your father could be here to see how much you’ve grown.” She whispered as a breeze up took her skirt and it flapped against the bed. She sighed and looked back to the road, as if hoping her lover would return. But alas, no such hope. The baby’s father was far away from here. As crazy as it sounds, this man was a prince. A prince that lived in another country and didn’t even know this beautiful baby was his. She hadn’t seen him in over a year and it was hard. She wasn’t prepared, but handled this matter very maturely.

“You know, little one…” she paused and caught the baby opening her eyes. She stirred and then closed her eyes again. “…I wonder what your father would be doing right now…” She closed her eyes and as she looked back to the road, really did wonder what he was doing or where he was at. Smiling, she sat back down in the fading wooden chair and stared into the great blue skies. A wave of silence over took her as she regained her urge to think. To think about the past, and about all the wonderful things she remembered from staying with the young man, his friend, and her sister. 

Alix May pulled up on the hood of her jacket as the rain pelted her head. Her hair began to curl under the moisture in the air and she wasn’t prepared for a thunderstorm.

“Oh no, lets not TAKE the nice warm carriage to the next town.” Ingrid, her young and blonde sister shivered in the cold. With no coverage in her jacket from losing their luggage in Omoida, the sisters were hiking with 2 backpacks to a town 3 miles down the road. Ingrid’s hair was quickly taking to the water covering her body and was now completely frozen. The 3 mile hike seemed more like a 3 day journey at the route they were going, passing nothing but trees and rivers.

“Sorry, Ing.” She said sheepishly, having to yell at bit over the oncoming rain. “We need to save up as much money as we can. Remember that the next town doesn’t have a bank that I can use to get money.” It was true, the next town of Diamond City didn’t have any banks that were useful, or so said a story teller in a pub at Omoida. When the girls entered that pub, they could smell the alcohol off the people in there. It might have been that the man was drunk, but Alix didn’t want to take any chances and decided to skip the 2 minute drive to the next city, and instead decided to hike. It was a nice day when they left, but knowing how the Diamond territory had ever changing weather, it might not have been the best plan after all. The girls both high-tailed it at this point, the heavy backpacks of what little things they had including a copy of the Treaty of the Spades were safe, but the rain was coming down so heavily now, they almost didn’t think the scroll would make it. As they rain, they could see carriages with people safe and warm being held inside while their driver was looking as soaked as they work.

“Feel your pain, buddy.” Alix sighed to herself as she continued her jogging. The rain only seemed to get heavier and heavier as they rain, or maybe it was the weight of their soaking clothes. They could see lights though in the distance. The girls, now 10 pounds heavier, now seemed to be running even faster, knowing their goal was in sight. As they rounded the corner, a guard cut them off at the front gate.

“Where do you think you are going?” He asked, throwing down a diamond shaped mace. The girls looked up, now both shivering as the rain pelted them harder then before.

“Please sir,” Alix cupped her hands over her mouth to enhance her voice. “My name is Alix May, Queen of the Spades Island.” She had to close her eyes to keep the water from getting into her eyes by now.

“Is that so?” He questioned her form of attire and transportation.

“Yes, please let us into the city. I come bearing a peace offering and treaty for the city official to sign. Its needed that I speak with them now, please.” She said, hauling out the treaty from her bag for just a moment. But the guard shook his head.

“’Fraid I can’t do that. Unless you have an identification card bearing the Diamond city seal, or an invitation from the Prince, I cannot let you enter.” He started to sit back down. But, now in a panic, Alix offered the man a deal.

“If I promise to leave in 10 minutes, with word that I got from the Prince, would you please let us in. We are cold and I think my sister is getting really sick.” She winked at her sister who let out a fake whooping cough that was almost too realistic. The man sighed and rolled his eyes.

“With word from the king, I won’t kick you out, but mark my words, if I find you and you are not in the city with a seal from the Prince, I will haul you girls out myself, mark it.” He said. He leaned back and opened the gate and the opened.

Alix and Ingrid both ran inside as the gate shut with a nasty wet ‘clank’ behind them. Mud sprayed the girls, but they didn’t care, they were in and that was all that mattered. They couldn’t see the castle in view, so they ran down the street, hoping to see more bright lights like they could in the distance. Luckily because of the rain, no one was on the streets. They hurried into the first store they saw and were greeted as the passed the threshold.

“Welcome to Diamonds a Dozen.” The store owner greeted cheerfully. He was an older man, balding with little patches of white hair grazing his ears.

“Thank you sir.” Alix said, shivering greatly.

“You girls seem cold. Can I offer you a hot chocolate or a coffee?” He said, but didn’t expect an answer back as he walked over to a coffee machine and hit the big red button on the front. The coffee instantly started pouring, but it was a murky yellow brown. Seemed almost undrinkable. But the girls thanked him.

“We need some help, if you can offer some.” Ingrid walked up to the table and eyed the brown mixture the man was making.

“I’ll do it free of charge.” The man smiled in a joking sort of way.

“Thank you again.” Alix said, also approaching the table and placing a bill on the table for the coffee, even if she didn’t want to drink it, she couldn’t be rude. “We need to know what way to the castle. We need to have a meeting with the Prince.”

“You’ll never see him.” The man said, taking a paper cup and filling it to the brim with the slimey looking drink. “He’s always out in the courtyard of the castle playing Fencing. But maybe you’ll get lucky today because its raining.”

“Where is it?” Ingrid said, taking the cup from the man and taking a small sip. The mixture wasn’t coffee. The flavor wasn’t anyways. It was horrible. But she forced it down and handed it to Alix. Alix placed it on the table as she turned it by the middle paper holder.

“Down the road and when you can’t go any farther, make that left. The castle shouldn’t be too far from there.” He said, eyeing the coffee cup.

The girls bowed to him in praise and thanked the man as they left the store in a quick pace. As the rain was letting up, they could see the outline of the turrets of the Diamond Castle in the distance. But as quickly as it was ending, it began to pick up again. The girls, both shivering again, picked up the pace. Passing by houses and businesses on the muddy streets, they couldn’t see much else. The lights from the stores dimly glowed as the people began to close their blinds, it seemed, as they were running pass them.