Chapter 1

Princess Linden the Ever Lovely, Radiant Flower of Calvar, was terrified. The lovely little three summers old Child's enormous brown eyes were wide with fear and glistened with tears. Even through the thick Castle walls she could hear the unbelieving fearful protests of her beloved Unicorns and the defiant war crys of Calvar's valiant warriors as they bravely met their deaths. The memory of these dreadful sounds would go with her to her grave!

Her adored Father, King Amadar, was leading a last ditch defence of their Castle in the horror-filled night outside. Her Mother, the young and beautiful Queen Margo clutched the frightened Princess closely to her and tried to be brave, though the young Family's very world was dying horribly around them.

The huge Castle doors swept open and several trusted warriors of the elite King's Guard carried King Amadar in. The burly young King was covered from head to foot with the odorous gore of the many Monsters he had slain. His victories had not been without tragic loss. His Royal life's blood was spurting from the ragged bloody stump of one of his own legs.

Margo rushed to her Husband's side. She sat Linden on the table and bent to hold Amadar's head as the warriors laid down his bloody form and one of the warriors bound the leg in a futile attempt to stem the flow. Despite her fears, little Linden reached out to gently pat her dying Father's anguished face.

King Amadar returned his Child Bride's frantic kiss, and then he took his Daughter's tiny hand in his bloody gauntleted one and looked into her eyes. "Always remember, my Linden, I will love you until the end of time!"

He looked back to his Queen. "Margo, flee with her to Zuldar. Good Kinsman Wildar will protect you both as his own. Always remember I love..." The King's eyes rolled back in his head and he eerily moaned as the last breath of life escaped his lips.

Little Linden's grief overcame her as her Mother frantically picked her up. The Queen kissed Linden fervently then she urgently wrapped the Child in a favorite cloak of hers, which was near to hand.

She turned to look at Sir Klaron, a handsome young officer of the elite King's Guard, who had helped to carry in the dying King. He also was covered with the Monster's blood and his normally bright eyes were dull from having looked too closely and too long into the Face of Death. The look in his eyes alone was ample evidence he'd been in the thick of the savage and desperate fighting for their lives that had been going on for days.

Sir Klaron was the Son of Margo's closest Friend. He was one of the Kingdom's strongest and most heroic youths. Though still a youth he had already been knighted and otherwise decorated for inventing and mastering a deadly new form of fighting with two swords.

As the Queen thrust her precious burden at Sir Klaron she spoke, "You're the only one who could possibly penetrate through their lines to safety. I want you to carry her to King Wildar." She beseeched him.

The jaded warrior's head throbbed as his emotions twisted inside of him. He had been trained for instant obedience, but his adored Queen was asking the impossible of him. She wanted him to abandon her to certain death. "I cannot leave without you, your Majesty, King Amadar's last wish was that you flee with her!"

The young Queen stood Regally erect, she put her hands on her shapely hips, and her tears stopped as a look of fierce resolve came over her face. She gestured at King Amadar's mutilated body.

"My Husband is dead. Our evil enemy's horrid Monsters are even now breeching the Castle's last defenses. The murder of a Queen may amuse their foul minds long enough for you to carry our Princess through their lines to safety if you will only follow my wishes! Will you obey me, Klaron?"

Princess Linden realized she was being sent away. She reached for her Mother and cried desperately. "No, Mother, no, I want to stay with you!"

The warrior cradled the crying Child protectively in his arms and bowed deeply. Tears of devotion came into his eyes and his throat tightened as he spoke. "Would that I could stay to die beside you, my Queen. I vow to you your ultimate sacrifice will not be in vain. On my eternal soul I will succeed in carrying your dear Child to safety!"

Queen Margo grasped the young warrior's hand gratefully, her strained voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. "Dear Klaron, she and you are the last hope of Calvar. I want you to live to see her come back to Calvar as its Queen. Go now!"

THE ESCAPE

Sir Klaron carried the tiny Princess from the room as the Queen slowly walked towards the Castle doors and her terrible death. "Please, be still, Your Majesty." His voice was thick with more emotion than he had thought himself still capable of as he begged the crying Child. "You must be brave like your valiant Mother and Father!"

Princess Linden heard and she did her best to quell her bitter tears. She loved Sir Klaron and didn't want to displease him, but her heart ached so for her dear Father and Mother! Now only muffled heart broken sobs came from the thick folds of the cape.

Little Linden understood precisely what her Mother was doing. She had once seen a little dove fluttering at the base of a tree. She'd said, "Oh, look, Mother. The poor bird has broken its wing."

Margo had explained, "No, Dear, the bird is decoying a predator away from its nest." A wild cat had then pounced on the bird from the nearby grass and killed it. Linden had buried her face against her Mother's breasts and cried for the little bird as her Mother told her, "Sometimes in our world we have to make sacrifices for our loved ones. The bird died but because of its sacrifice its mate and their young may survive."

Klaron's sense of duty tore at him. His trained military mind knew he was one of the major reasons the Castle had held until now. If only he could lead a last desperate suicidal charge, perhaps they could regain the offensive and hold the Castle. But he had been ordered to flee and he told himself he had no other choice. Queen Margo was right; this was the only chance the Princess had to survive.

Despite his bone deep weariness, the Knight swiftly climbed a series of stairs to the rear of the Castle. He used the ones furthest from the breeched defenses of the front. He came out on a rampart about ten man-heights above the moat. Sir Klaron shielded the Child's face from the fearsome view of the malformed Ogres and Trolls who watched hungrily below.

The Monsters were massive, misshapen, ugly looking creatures. They had a natural antipathy toward humans that had been aggravated by the enemy Wizard's Powers until they were deadly to all.

A savage roar of triumph came from the front of the Castle; this was followed by the wails of a lost soul in mortal agony. Sir Klaron bowed his head for a moment as bitter tears slid from his face to fall to the dark, cold waters far below.

He'd witnessed the deaths of many others of his brave contingent at the hands of the brutal Monsters. He knew the triumphant cries of the Monsters signaled the hideous dismemberment of his brave Queen. He'd seen that the monster's prefered method of killing was to literally tear their victim limb from limb, flinging the still quivering and bleeding pieces around.

Sir Klaron resolved he would instantly kill the Child himself if they were cornered. A quick twist of her slim neck would spare her the agony her poor martyred Mother had just borne with so much dignity. He sent a silent prayer to the Stars for mercy for his poor tortured soul if he were forced to kill the beautiful Child.

The undisciplined watchers below heard the mad roars and the agonized shrieks of the dying. They looked around at the uneventful ground they occupied then they began to shamble around the moat toward the scene of all the slaughter.

The Knight's heart leaped with a desperate hope for Linden as he watched the Monsters moving away. Perhaps the Queen's awful sacrifice would serve the purpose she had so yearned for. He heard women and children screaming in agony within the Castle. The last defenders at the drawbridge must have lost their will at seeing their Queen's terrible death.

Sir Klaron put Linden down and uncovered her. He pulled his two blood encrusted swords and his dagger from their sheaths and wrapped them with the cape. He quickly tossed them to the ground beyond the moat and picked Linden back up. "Hear me, Your Majesty. I'm going to drop you into the moat, don't worry about swimming; I'll be right behind you. Just take a deep breath and hold it until I find you. I'll get you out."

Linden clenched her teeth and fists to keep from screaming when Klaron lifted her out over the parapet and dropped her. She tried to cling to Klaron but it was too late. Her whole little body tensed, as she seemed to fall endlessly. She hit the cold water and let her body stop sinking before beginning to frantically claw toward air.

Something far more cold than the surrounding water wrapped itself around the Child's thin ankle. Despite the spasm of stark terror that threatened to still her tiny heart she gritted her teeth and refused to panic. She fought on gamely for her life!

Klaron had jumped to one side to avoid striking her. He thought that as light as she was she would surely come up before him but she was nowhere to be seen when he surfaced. He peered intently around, and then he faintly heard bubbles just to the left of him. He frantically dove again.

Little Linden's lungs burned and ached desperately for a breath of air. Her feeble kicking and squirming seemed to have no effect on the cold, cruel Thing that was steadily drawing her to her death. She had to force herself not to use the air she had left in her lungs in screaming.

Something solid struck her arm and then grasped her. Sir Klaron pulled her to him; his frenzied strength proved to be greater than the grip of the Thing that held her. She felt the slimy grip slide from her ankle. Klaron thrust her head to the surface where she eagerly gasped for air.

The Knight floundered through the water to the moat's edge. He shoved Linden onto the bank where the grateful Child pulled herself to solid ground and stood. As he waded ashore she reached out a tiny hand to help him. Their eyes met just as their hands touched. He gave her his most determined and confident look. "I'll get you to safety somehow, Your Highness." He pledged.

The bestial crys and screams from the Castle chilled even the brave young warrior to the marrow as he found his weapons and sheathed them. He wrapped the trembling Child in the dry cape and crept away. They met several more of the shambling Monsters but he easily evaded them. All of the Monster's attentions were riveted to the gruesome slaughter going on in the Castle!

The fugitives ran on for hours. There were times when he let her run along beside him, for he knew he had to ration his strength wisely if it were to last. He also knew he had to assume that there would be a relentless pursuit as soon as any human enemy could gather and sort enough of the grisly remains of the fallen defenders to suspect that Princess Linden had escaped.