The Gardener's Daughter

Chapter 1: The Meteor

The leaves above them rustled as the wind blew through the trees.

The girl tilted her head up to ensure the noise was just the leaves and managed to spot the sky through a gap. "It's almost time. We've got to hurry up!"

"Hurry up? You're the one slowing us down," the prince replied in an exasperated manner, "You made us stop five times to double-check every suspicious noise."

"Hey, you'll thank me when we get there safely." She spat back, jogging a little bit to catch up with the prince, who had managed to put a slight distance between them.

The prince let his eyes drop to the scruffy girl beside him as she caught up with him. Her cheeks were growing redder as her tiny frame fought against the wind.

"Plus, I'm not sure that someone smaller than me can protect me." The prince taunted her with a smile that widened as the girl let out a huff of annoyance.

The girl flicked out her arms quickly, whipping her messy brown hair off her shoulder as she moved to hit the prince. "You are only a fingertip taller than me, Theo! That's nothing, especially when my muscles are bigger."

The prince let out a whining sound before gently shoving the girl. "My father says my muscles are well proportioned for my age."

"Your father also thinks that your brother will make a good king." The girl quickly responded with a giggle as she stumbled from being pushed.

"Hey!" The prince exclaimed. "But true. I think Nick would rather be a gardener with you than become king."

The girl smiled to herself at the thought, letting a silence fall over them as they continued to walk. The leaves rustled once again, but she didn't look this time, having already familiarised herself with the sound.

Eventually, the moon started to shine through the trees, showing the trees had become less dense and that they were nearing the edge of the forest.

The girl hoped she was taking them the right way. She only had distant memories of this hill that her father had once taken her to. He took her and her mother to watch the meteor that came around every four years, and she'd never forgotten that night.

Her father loved the stars. He spent most of his time outside and had quickly learnt to appreciate how the stars lit up the sky.

He always told her. The stars were one of his first loves in life, alongside nature, her mother and herself. So, when the girl was born, her father wished to name her after one of those things. Her mother refused every name that matched a flower, reminding her father that the girl would grow strong, not dainty like a flower.

And so, as her father tells the story. They finally agreed to name the girl after one of the brightest constellations in the sky. Cassiopeia.

"Cass, is that the hill you were talking about?" The prince asked, gesturing to the land in front of them.

Cass squinted her eyes, and soon a smile engulfed her whole face. "Yes! Yes, that's it. We've found it." Her hand quickly grabbed the prince's, and she took off running.

The prince bounded alongside her, his teeth baring in a gleeful laugh.

They started to slow when they reached the bottom of the hill as it was beginning to appear a lot bigger than they had thought at first glance.

Cass didn't remember it being this large, but she started to climb it regardless.

"When did you say this star would appear?" The prince questioned as his eyes attempted to find the moon.

"Meteor." Cass huffed. "And my father told me around the middle of the night. When the moon reaches its peak in the sky." Cass then looked up to find the moon was much further up than she'd last seen, but they still had some time. "We've got a little while to go, don't worry, Theo."

The prince nodded. "Does that mean we can slow down a little? My chest is beginning to burn." He said with a small laugh.

"Oh. Yeah, of course." Cass responded as she slowed her steps.

"Thanks."

"If you came to class a little more often, you wouldn't have this problem." Cass teased.

Theo's smile faltered a little at her jab. "I know. I just don't like it there. I'm not good at fighting."

Cass noticed how her friend's spirits had dropped, so she wrapped an arm over his shoulder. "It doesn't matter. I'll go, and then I can protect you when I'm head of the guard."

"Right."

"We'll travel to different kingdoms and meet all sorts of people. You as the prince and me as your royal guard."

"Cass-"

"We can stuff ourselves with all the food we can find and watch the shows they always put on for royals."

"But Cass-"

"And we can see all the stars we want to without having to sneak out."

"Cassiopeia!" Theo suddenly shouted, stopping Cass from speaking again.

Cass' eyes widened slightly in surprise as she turned her face to look at Theo. His eyes dropped to the ground immediately as she tried to meet his gaze.

"What's wrong?" She asked curiously, her finger playfully jabbing into Theo's side.

"Look, I know this isn't the right time to say this. But I can't lie to my best friend."

Cass' brow began to furrow at her friend. "Lie about what, Theo?"

Theo's jaw clenched and unclenched as he thought about his words. "It's just that my father spoke to me about you today."

"And?"

"He knows how you want to join the guard and how Nick snuck you into the classes so you could join," Theo muttered quickly as his ears began to redden. "He told me that he wouldn't allow you into the guard."

Cass scowled, her face creasing in anger. "Well, why not?"

Theo shrugged nervously. "He said the guard is no place for a girl. That he would trust anyone's life in the hands of a girl, especially not one that comes from a lineage like yours.

"That is ridiculous!" Cass dug her heels into the ground, forcing them both to stop halfway up the hill. "I am way better than anyone else in that class! He has no right to say I can't be a royal guard!"

"I told him that." Theo tried to reason, hoping to calm Cass' rising temper, which he knew to be awful. "I promise you that both Nick and I vouched for you, but he wouldn't have it."

Cass felt her cheeks beginning to grow warm as her hands shook.

Theo reached out for his friend's hand, but she quickly snatched it away. "But, you can join the guard once Nick becomes king."

"And when will that be, Theo? Your father is young." Cass viciously spat as she darted her eyes up to meet Theo's. "What do you propose I do until then?"

"You could become a gardener, like your father."

Cass narrowed her eyes. "I don't want to be a gardener, Theo."

"A cook then."

"I'm terrible at cooking!"

Theo scoffed, growing impatient with Cass. "You are being silly, rejecting all these proposals. Being a guard isn't the only thing out there."

"It is for me. I want to fight. I want to defend the kingdom and the people in it." Cass spat back with a deadly look. "I'm good at fighting."

"Well, my father says you are too emotional to be a good fighter. It's why Nick is better than you."

Cass' nostrils flared at Theo's words. They had struck a chord deep within her. "And what do you think, Theo?"

Theo could hear the challenge in her voice but promptly met it. He wasn't afraid of the small girl that stood before him. He was royalty. "I think you are pretty emotional."

With that, Cass shoved Theo as hard as she could. Theo stumbled back, and annoyance flashed across his face.

"There's that emotion, Cassiopeia." Theo seethed back, taking his turn to shove her. Although as his hands pushed against her shoulders, he immediately knew he'd pushed her too hard. Cass had a much smaller frame than him, and so when he shoved her, she lost her footing and started to tumble down the hill.

Theo rushed after her, managing to reach her after a few steps. He stuck out his hand to help but instead of Cass using his hand to stop herself from falling further, she yanked him down with her.

And now both children were tumbling down the hill.

Theo hit the bottom of the hill first, landing flat against his back on the green grass. His head was spinning, but he was grateful to no longer be rolling.

The relief was short-lived, as soon, Cass came tumbling after him and landed flat on her stomach on top of him. "Ouch," Theo said quietly as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

Cass took a second before lifting up her head. She blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the world as it spun around in front of her. Her face stung, and her arm felt bruised, but she was otherwise okay.

Theo stared down at the girl who was crushing him. Her blue eyes seemed dazed for a moment, but they quickly cleared as Cass scrambled off of him as though he were diseased.

Cass glared at him but didn't open her mouth to speak.

Theo panicked. He looked at her hardened stare and realised that his best friend was truly angry with him. And so he opened his mouth. "Wow, I didn't think your face could get uglier."

Cass' mouth dropped open.

"I mean-" Theo attempted to fix the situation when, all of a sudden, Cass burst out laughing. Theo could only nervously swallow, not knowing what the laughter meant.

"Maybe you can use your prince's money to buy better insults." Cass finally managed to spit out between laughs.

Theo felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders, and once he could breathe again, he too started to laugh. "I am sorry about your face."

Cass shrugged her shoulders as her fingers reached up to where she felt the bruise forming below her eyes. "I've had worse."

Theo reached his hand out and touched the graze on the side of her forehead. "And this? Does this hurt?"

"I'll live. Just watch your back." Cass joked as she poked Theo in the chest.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll just get my brother to protect me."

Cass laughed as she stood up. "I can take your brother."

Theo began to stand up with Cass, but as he put his weight back on his feet, he realised that he must have hit his foot on the way down, as now it was painfully throbbing.

"You okay?" Cass asked as her eyes fell on Theo's foot, which he struggled to place on the ground.

"I'm fine. Nothing I can't handle." Theo said as he puffed out his chest.

Cass rolled her eyes and immediately went to his side, placing his arm over her shoulders. "You still want to climb this hill."

"We didn't travel all this way not to climb," Theo muttered as his eyes followed the length of the hill.

"Alright, but if you push me again, I'll kick your injured foot."

"Ha ha. I don't plan on doing that again. I think I came off worse." Theo said humourlessly. Cass helped him as they started to trek back up the hill. But with every step he took, pain shot up through his leg. "But please explain how you think you could take my brother?" He rambled, desperate for a distraction.

"I know Nick's weaknesses. I am his sparing partner every day. I could definitely take him."

"And what weaknesses are those?"

"That face of his. He loves it so much."

Theo smiled in amusement. "I don't think it's just him that loves it. The whole palace seems to be in love with him."

"Is that jealousy I hear?" Cass jested as Theo's tone turned bitter.

"No," Theo exclaimed in an unconvincing manner. "Unless you've fallen for his charms too."

"What can I say? Annoying boys with big egos and terrible hair are just my type." Cass continued to tease until she noticed the sky starting to brighten.

"What is that?"

"It's the meteor! Quick, we're going to miss it!" Cass cried as she tried to move Theo faster.

They'd taken five more steps when something else caught Cass' attention.

Theo's foot slipped as Cass stopped suddenly. "What is it?"

Cass turned her head to stare at the treeline behind them. Her eyes zeroed in on one area as she listened carefully.

"Cass?"

"Shhhh. I think I hear something?"

Theo sighed and tried to move again. "It was probably the wind again, Cass. But we've got to keep moving if we are going to see this star."

Cass waited another moment but decided to agree with Theo once the sound didn't come again.

They took another three steps when Cass heard the same rustling. She once again brought them to a stop and scanned the edge of the forest.

"Seriously, Cass, you are the one that said we were going to miss it."

Cass didn't respond. She knew something wasn't right, and she wasn't going to let go of it.

Theo shook his head. "You are too paranoid." He muttered under his breath as he attempted to take another step on his own.

Cass pulled his back immediately. "No, I'm being serious. I think someone is out there."

"Your head is just filled with the fairy tales your dad tells you. There is no one out there."

"Theo, come on," Cass argued.

"No, Cass, you are going to make us miss the star. It's the whole reason you dragged me out here."

"What if-"

Cass' fearful words were cut off when five people sprinted out of the trees. They wore all black and adorned mud upon their hardened faces.

"It's the order," Cass yelled as she pulled Theo.

Theo was frozen to the spot. His eyes were glued upon the terrifying people that were racing towards them.

"Theo, we have to move. They'll catch us." Cass begged as she tugged Theo again.

This time Theo responded, and the two of them quickly moved around the hill.

"Where do we go?" Theo asked, his words barely coming out of his mouth as his body shook.

Cass glanced down at the people advancing fast towards them. "Down." She muttered as she pulled Theo to the floor and forced them both to slide down.

As the children reached the bottom, they wasted no time as they took off sprinting towards the forest.

"We have to get back to the castle," Cass said as they sprinted through the trees, the order close behind them. Her hand grabbed Theo's, and he squeezed it tightly.

Theo tried to ignore the pain in his foot, but he could feel his leg beginning to stop working with him. He glanced over his shoulder at the people as their footsteps thundered against the forest floor. They were gaining on them fast, and Theo knew they weren't going to make it.

Theo let go of her hand and started to slow down.

"Theo, we don't have time for this. Please." Cass begged, her eyes darting from Theo to the men behind them. "Please, Theo."

"Cass, go. I'm slowing you down."

"You've got to be kidding me," Cass yelled as she picked up a thick branch from the ground and stomped over to Theo.

Theo scowled at her. "No, Cass. Go."

"You're an idiot." She seethed through her teeth as the order caught up to them.

Cass and Theo stood back to back as the five people began to circle them. There were three men and two women.

"Put down the stick. If you fight back, you'll just make it harder for yourself." The taller woman stated as she stared directly at Cass.

"Don't let them know who you are," Cass whispered as quietly as she could to Theo.

Theo grabbed Cass' free hand from behind and squeezed it as hard as he could manage. "We get out of this together."

Cass didn't respond. She ripped her hand free from Theo and stepped towards one of the people. "I think you are just saying that because you think you'll lose."

The tall woman laughed loudly and stepped towards her. "You are too cocky for your own good."

"Prove me wrong then." Cass spat back.

The woman smirked and stepped forward again, which allowed Cass to sweep the branch under the woman's feet.

The woman fell, and Cass thwacked the stick against the woman's head, watching as her eyes closed. "Guess I was right then."

The man next to the woman laughed. "Now, this is a good story to tell," he said, looking at the man next to him, who only rolled his eyes.

Theo then launched forward, attacking the shorter woman in front of him. He threw a punch to her jaw, and Cass took it as a cue to attack the man.

She hit him in the leg with the stick, but he wasn't fazed. "That hurt, you pest." The man shouted as he grabbed the stick out of Cass' hand and snapped it in half.

Cass knew she had to be quick, being that it was her only advantage, and so she closed the gap between them, catching him in the chest with a kick and then spinning to kick him again with her other foot.

The man took a few steps back and rubbed his chest. "These aren't just normal kids, with that kind of technique." He growled, an evil look in his eye. "They've had some form of combat training."

Cass waited as the man angrily rushed towards her, and upon seeing her opportunity, she slid through his legs, catching him in the crotch with her fist.

The man doubled over and let out a yelp of pain. While Cass jumped back to her feet. She turned, ready to fight again. Her eyes then caught sight of one of the other men. He seemed older than the rest. There were scars across every inch of his exposed skin, and half his face was covered in a black beard.

The man's shark-like eyes met Cass'. His face gave nothing away whilst his hand held a dagger to Theo's throat.

"Run, Cass!" Theo cried.

The man that held Theo shook his head. "Stop fighting, or your friend dies."

"Cass, run, leave me. Save yourself." Theo yelled again.

Cass felt tears pooling in her eyes as she carefully knelt down on the ground, placing her hand behind her head. "Don't hurt him."

"No! Cass! No!" Theo screamed as Cass looked down.

The final man walked over to Cass, his eyes drifting to the two people the girl before him had managed to fight off. He knew he wasn't taking any chances, and as the man approached her, he threw his foot up and slammed it into the side of the girl's head.

Cass' eyes closed, and her head hit the floor.