Torn

Chapter One

'Princess Annaleigha.' Jenny shook me awake. 'I told you it's just Anna.' I told her. 'I know but I would like to keep my head. You know what your mother would do. So just let me do my job.' She said briskly. She sat me up and combed my hair into a nice tight braid. I nodded my head and got up. I changed into some leggings and a tank top and laced up my running shoes. 'Jenny, do you mind telling me what my mother has scheduled today.' I asked her. 'Yes ma'am..' She pulled out a piece of paper from her apron and opened it up. 'Seems like you have tea with the Queen at ten and archery lessons with your father at eleven. Then your mom said she wants you to be fitted for the ball in two days.' she said. 'Why is there a ball this time?' I questioned. 'She didn't say.' I just shrugged my shoulders and got up to leave. 'Thank you Jenny.' I smiled as she nodded and walked out the door headed to the kitchen. I stopped by the bookroom to see if mom was in there. As I walked in I saw her and father talking, so I just quietly walked back out of the room so I wouldn't interrupt. I walked into the kitchen and grabbed an orange off the counter and started pealing it. I walked out the door and jogged to the tree line and started to run. I saw a shadow behind the trees and started to chase after it. I felt my heart leap as I ran into the tree line after the shadow. It got so dark that I tripped over a tree root and fell, as I looked up I saw a pair of piercing blue eyes look at me. As I got up I started to dust myself off and saw a pretty white stone in the dirt. I picked it up and wiped it on my shirt and it started to shimmer. I walked out of the tree line looking at the rock in the moonlight. I looked at my watch, seeing that it was almost nine fifteen, I ran back to the castle, up the stairs and into my room. I put the stone in my dresser and jumped into the shower. I cleaned my body and once I got out to look in the mirror I noticed that my breasts were bruised from my fall, as was my stomach and forearms. I picked out a light long sleeve dress that fell to just below the knee and grabbed my flats and headed out the door to have tea with my mother.

I walked into the great hall to find my mother already there with a giant stack of mail right next to her. I sat down next to her and waited to be served my tea. My mother looked at me long enough to acknowledge that I was seated but then kept looking through the mail. She handed me a letter that she had already opened.

Dearest Annaleigha,

The time has come for you to take your place as ruler. We have decided to throw a ball in your honor in two days time. At this ball will be many suitors that will ask for your hand. If you do not accept one then we will have to move on to the arranged marriage your parents put together before you were born. That being said, that young man will also be at the ball. You will have the honor to decide at the ball. Yours truly, The Grand Council

'Mom, what is the meaning of this?' I asked her as I sat the letter down. 'I told you that it was coming, now the council has decided for you.' I shook my head and ran out of the room. As I walked into my room I saw that Jenny had already laid out shorts and a t-shirt on the bed for my archery lesson. So I changed and fishtailed my hair and ran to the archery range. I saw that my dad wasn't there yet. Which was fine by me. I grabbed a bow and some arrows and started to practice. I just couldn't believe what they were wanting me to do now. After everything that my parents and the council have put on me I wish they would just give me a break. I mean being the first vampire that was ever born means that I have a beating heart and blood running through my veins. But can they just give me away? To someone that I don't even know. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't realize that my dad was standing next to me. "Hey Anna." He said. "Hi dad." "So I'm guessing you heard about the council?" I just nodded my head. "Look, I know your not ready yet, but the council is getting antsy. They like to make sure everyone is under their thumb. They were not to happy with your mother and I when we got pregnant with you, because vampires don't birth kids. So when they found out that your mother was pregnant, they came in and controlled every part of her. They took our experience and tried hard to control it." He sighed. I turned to see him sad. "Dad, I just want to find love. I don't want to be force to love someone I've never met." I sighed and sat down next to him. "I know hun and if it was my choice, that is what you would do. I love you Annaleigha." I hugged him then turned to him with a question. "Hey dad, when your heart was beating did it ever leap?" He turned to me worried laced his eyes but then a smile crept upon his lips. "Hun, the only time my heart leap, was when I first saw your mother. It was an instant connection. Why do you ask?" I looked at him then away not really wanting to tell him about my run today. "Well, because I thought my heart jumped earlier on my run. I was chasing a shadow in the trees but then we stopped and I saw piercing blue eyes and my heart jumped." He looked at me calmly. "Hun, whoever you saw was your true love. That's what it feels like. When you meet him in person then you will feel the sparks and butterflies in your stomach. Go see it he is still out there." He gave me a little push. I ran out to the tree line and walked through it. I started looking around and going further into the forest. Out of no where I was pushed to the ground and was surrounded by two wolves and a man around twenty-five come out from behind a bush in nothing but a pair of shorts. My heart skipped another beat. I looked up as he held out his hand to help me up. I felt the sparks as I took it, I knew that as I looked into his eyes that they were the same blue I saw earlier. "I'm sorry for knocking you over." He said in a deep, husky voice. "It's alright, I should of watched where I was going." I told him as I dusted myself off again. "It's not your fault, I was just in a hurry." "I am so sorry for getting in your way." I told him looking down. "My name is Dean." He looked at me. "Mine Is Annaleigha. You can call me Anna though." I smiled at him. "So what are you doing out here?" He asked me. "Well, I was out running earlier and I found a pretty stone that...." He cut me off. " Was it a small and white?" "Yes it was. I am sorry did I miss something?" I was confused. "I lost my moon stone earlier while running, and now I am out here looking for it. Do you have it with you?" He asked. "No It's in my room." "Can you go and get it?" He asked hurriedly. "Yea, just meet me back here at dawn." I said. I turned around to leave when he grabbed my hand. "I could go with you if you wanted?" He asked quietly. It seemed to me that his eyes were blazing now. "I don't know my parents are a little picky of who comes around." I told him. As I looked up at his face I began to get butterflies in my stomach, and I realized he still had a hold of my arm. "Ok you can come but you should probably put on a shirt and shoes. Because if we do run into anyone I don't want a lot of questions." He nodded and let go of my arm. Dean disappeared behind a bush and came out with a t-shirt and a pair of running shoes. "Okay, follow me." I turned around and headed back toward the tree line. He took my hand right before I stepped out. "What are you doing?" He asked scared. "Going home, to get your stone." " I'm not suppose to leave the tree line. That's where my land ends." He said. " Well, it's where my land begins." I smiled. "But you have a beating heart?" He looked even more confused. "Yes I do. I am the only one that has one on my land, but that comes with the name." He looked at me. "Your the untold princess." He said as he was grasping at a story in his mind. "The what?" I asked now confused. "In my land there is a story of the vampire that had a daughter before she was married and turned." "That sounds like my mothers story but I'm not sure. Are we gonna go get your stone or not?" I asked trying to get the story out of my head. We started through the tree line and it seemed to all happen at once....