Untitled - Part 1

The kingdom of Winsor stood like a majestic mountain outside the dense forest which rested at the perimeter of its capital. A grand marketplace inhabited the heavily populated capital, which in turn attracted many merchants and consumers alike. The people who lived there were of noble descent, blessed with a full purse of coin and high status. The noble men and women of Winsor were good people. They bowed to their great leader the King and his adoring family. The monarch had a wife and three lovely children; two sons and a single daughter.

The eldest of the three is Azriel Winsor. The prince stood tall, full of confidence and bore a fair complexion. A young man of 18 with a full head of mahogany hair set in a low tail and a striking set of chocolate eyes. If he were to let his hair fall freely it would gracefully land upon his shoulders. Azriel is well known for his prominent glance, both in battle and in social gatherings. His glance could be as dangerous as the stone gaze of Medusa yet soft enough to woo any young maiden that crossed his path. The prince was eager to learn and, with a strong head between his shoulders, prepared himself to handle the duties that would undoubtedly fall to him as the next one in line for the throne. The second eldest is Zachariah Winsor. 17 years of age and much like his brother in appearance with the exception of hair length. The young prince had a short cut of hair and kept his spirits high and had a pair of honey-brown eyes. The boy had a smile that never failed to cheer up his youngest sibling. Zachariah was a happy fellow, always keeping a close kinship with his sister. They were nearly inseparable. Both princes donned similar sets of metallic and leather based armor, representing their family crest at their chest. Lastly, there is the only daughter and youngest of the three, Sinarra Winsor. She is a small girl of nine years and a child in every sense of the word. With long brown hair and radiant green eyes, she was the very image of her mother. She and her brother always looked out for each other. While Azriel was busy preparing for his days as king, Zachariah kept a good eye on Sinarra and always welcomed her company. There was something special about this child, though. When this child was born she had an affinity with magic. A series of four spots shaped as a diamond marked her as such. Over the years she has learned to manipulate the elements, as well as those of darkness and light, but by no means has she mastered such things. The one thing she never understood was the simple fact that she could do such things – but her brothers could not.

The reason for that is because the child is cursed. Being born with the affinity for magic is not a blessing within the royal family but the people of Winsor don’t know of the dark secret that befalls their highly praised monarchy. The curse began long ago when ancient kings ruled the land of Winsor. There was one man in the royal bloodline that took the throne and threw it into corruption, making him an oppressive tyrant towards the people. The historical scrolls tell of the king envisioning the Guardians of the Four – Honor, Faith, Courage, Hope – in a dream, pleading him to stop his tyrannical rule and obsession with greed. Every night for a fortnight they warned him of his ways, but the martinet disregarded the visions. He put himself above the Four, claiming to be a God himself. When the Guardians saw his actions, they became infuriated and cursed the man and his future generations. Since then, any child born with the mark upon their neck is to be sacrificed before their 10th birthday or the demons of the underworld will walk the earth and take it as their own, as well as their human sacrifice.

Upon the day of Sinarra’s birth, the king and queen were shocked to find the mark on their daughter’s neck. Yet instead of putting her to death as a sacrifice they kept their darling daughter and decided to raise her just as they did their sons. The morn of which Sinarra was brought to this earth was the day the king and queen began to find a way to stop the wretched curse. As much as they feared the day of the rising underworld, they are willing to put themselves in the place of their child. The time of darkness is nigh. Sinarra’s 10th birthday is but three days away. The king and queen are ready to make their sacrifice.