Princess Duckling

She sighed as Elleria's twin suns slowly crested the horizons, bathing her world in varying orange gold hues. Soon the dazzle bugs would come out in search of their mates and once the raucous sound of the feasting was over then she could be herself,  Princess Lyssana, child of the night. She grinned, her ten moons had taught her much. Although she was the youngest daughter born to King Lysander and the beautiful Queen Magdallena, she was unfortunate enough to favor neither of them. Her five older sisters each resembled their mother in varying degrees of style and grace, all five had their mother's porcelain skin, her petite frame and her vapid airs. Mirena, her fourth oldest sister was the very image of their sire, which made her, their sire's favorite.  She alone bore no resemblance,  no slight inkling to recommend her to either parent which suited her just fine. At ten moons she had taught herself Latin, Elvish and could predict the weather by reading the twin suns and the clouds above. Her tutors had taught her all they knew and she absorbed the information. Her only source of joy was Allana, the palace cook. " Come little princess, why so glum today?" She swiped angrily at her wet cheeks and pointed to her tangle of coppery curls. " Magda says I am a Duckling Princess, stolen from my true mother's nest and dropped in theirs by mistake." Alana bristled, at sixteen moons, Princess Magda should know not to torment her baby sister so, she thought angrily. " Nonsense,  you are as much Princess as she, little love." " Am I, Lanie? All of my sisters save for Mirena have long, soflt golden hair, my hair is a wild coppery disaster. Mirena has father's midnight hair so she still fits, I do not." Alana dried her hands as she pulled the little Princess into her arms. " Hush now, one day you will find yer purpose if the gods will it, until then ye must be strong. " Lyssana wiped her cheek dry, vowing never to cry because of another's words ever again.  Now, she sat watching as dusk fell in Elleria and smiled. She listened as the guards changed, their frightened chatter spurring her to seek the solace of the dark forest. " I tell ye, they are wolves, wolves that turn back into men at dawn." " Get on with ye, Raddick, too much ale for that one," his fellow guard teased. Wolves? She had to find out for herself.  The family ate in the great hall and nobody missed her save for Alana. Lysanna moved with Elvish stealth as she made her way to the kingdom beyond the forbidden forest of Blackveil. Her thirst for adventure was a hard task master, never yielding until she did as bidden. She watched the palace with something akin to awe. She could almost feel the pull of it, calling to her, the rightness and sense of homecoming a buzzing in her head. " What do we have here, my brothers?" She was so surprised that someone had snuck up on her that she lost her balance and toppled out of the tree. The boys below watched awestruck as the girl spun in mid air to land in a crouch beneath the tree, emerald eyes blazing. " That was bloody amazing." In her best imitation of Alana's voice she shocked him again.  " Don't swear, its unbecoming. " She watched as the boy who was a towering giant to her too tall frame, clutching his heart. She was frozen, not in fear but in fascinated wonder as his eyes started to change, his pupils elongated like an animal's.  He raised his head to sniff the air, his now luminous eyes searching deep inside her for what she couldn't know. " Talon! What's the matter?" One of the three boys called to him but he didn't answer, couldn't for fear of losing eye contact with her. The other boys voices broke the spell and suddenly there was a dark chill skating up her spine. Run! Run now! Lyssana didn't stop to question the voice in her head that sounded like pure evil, she simply obeyed. She leapt back into the tree before launching herself into another, then another until she was running like the hounds of hell gave chase. " No! Wait!" For the briefest of seconds,  she stopped, the boy sounded like he was in pain and she could almost feel his pain. Her eyes, green as the knolls in Blackveil forest, filled with tears as she continued to run home. As usual,  Alana pinched her ears for making her worry as she untangled Lyssana's unruly mane. " I'm sorry, Lanie..." " That's what ye say all the time but ye never mean it." Chagrined beyond her years, she took Alana's hands. " I mean it this time, I didn't mean to worry you and I'll try really hard not to do it..often?" Alana pulled her to her and just held her while she stored the memory of the boy she saw today. Telling Alana she went into the forbidden forest was not an option so she held her tongue and closed her eyes. She'd long forgotten her sister's cruel words but wondered if Magda knew more than she let on. In a family of swans, she was indeed the ugly, gangly duckling but she was smart and savvy and that was more impressive to her than pretty slippers and pointless balls. When she got older, her father would appreciate her mind in a way he had no use for right now. Lysanna smiled, she could wait and wait she would until it was time to show father her talents.