The Darkness

She could hear her feet running through the forest. The forest was dark, thick, and dense; nothing like the forest in Andula. She had no idea where she was, but all she knew was that if she didn't keep running, the bundle in her arms would leave this world before she even had a chance to know the world. Her feet kept moving, even though she felt the old woman's heart start to fail. The sounds of screams had faded, but not the footfalls of her pursuers. They were close and she had to find a way to save the precious bundle in her arms. The pursuers were right behind her; what could she do? Her heart was about to explode- she knew she was too old to survive this flight, but the child.... Sienna woke with a start. Her hair was plastered to her head, making the humid day even more apparent as she took deep breaths to steady her heart. At least this time she woke before the pursuers reached her. Sienna had been having the dream since she was a child and while it didn't really bother her mentally, her body always felt hot and steamy each time she was startled awake. And not in a good way either. While she was technically a virgin, she wasn't ignorant of what went on between men and women. The Andula way of life was not one for the faint of heart. The realm was the most mysterious of the six known worlds, and the odd one out. This had to do with the fact that Andula was located deep in the heart of a crater, where her forefathers had carved out a kingdom of obsidian stone that had blasted into the world long ago. With its black steeples, towers, and forbidding black mountains surrounding the gigantic crater, it seemed more legend than reality. But what really set the people of Andula apart was their predilection to embrace the night as the time to come alive, while the daytime was for sleep and slaves. The people of Andula had learned long ago that the endless desert that surrounded their realm was deadly during the day. Hence, when her forefathers had found the crater and the endless supply of water under it, it was only by building and working during the night that they were able to carve out their unique kingdom. For hundreds of years, the people of Andula made the night theirs; due to this and several other reasons, Andula stood out amongst their world. Sienna smiled to herself as she watched the first stars of the night light up the sky. She could hear the slaves preparing her bath with sumptuous oils and herbs. While she could, and had, accepted the dream as simply a part of life, she could not abide by the reactions her body had to it. While most heat didn't bother Andulasians, sweat and nasty hair were not the ways of a Princess of Andula. Tianen, her sora, came bustling in, her body in constant movement. Sienna rolled her eyes and nestled further into her linen sheets. Tianen chuckled as she pulled back the transparent silk that enveloped her charge's bed. "I can't believe that today of all days you'll give me trouble, Stele," she said, using her pet name for Sienna. At this, Sienna sat straight up. Ofcourse! Today, her brother was being named co-ruler by their father, finally taking his rightful place to help their aging father rule their realm. She glanced at the couch nearest to her bed and saw that her dress was finally complete. It was delicate and intricate, yet the overall design was simple. She got up and touched the silver and deep teal silk as she imagined standing beside Micah, proudly supporting him as his Mētztli until he married. At 18, she was the only one qualified until her brother finally found time for love. Or until he realized he needed an heir. Sienna was not the sentimental type. Her brother and her were heirs to a kingdom- love would either be a part of their lives or not.