A gentle breeze swept through the long strands of grass in the open fields. Chirping birds flew through the sky and alighted on branches of the lush trees in the forest. All was quiet in the valleys, fields, and forests surrounding Malden that morning. Even in the town, all was quiet. Guards were at the towers, as it had been necessary as of late, but everyone else was still asleep. The first rays of the sun gently kissed the horizon.
Suddenly, everything changed. The peaceful silence was broken by a thundering sound. Quickly it came, hoofbeats on the ground, racing to some unknown destination. Through field and forest, until finally coming to a stop at the top of the hill overlooking Malden they rang. Sunlight gleamed off of the white hair of the horse as the breeze picked up and blew the silvery strands of the horse�s mane. The rider�s auburn hair had been pulled back loosely with a clover green ribbon, but the wind tugged at it until the ribbon came loose. Slowly the rider dismounted the horse, lightly leaping to the ground. With no intention of retrieving it, the rider simply watched the ribbon as it danced across the field, finally stopping at the edge of the woods. Tears came then; tears of despair and helplessness. A cry rang out over the land.
| Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three |