*Ainslee*

A rock hits the side of the carriage, kicked up by a horse as we travel from Shadowmanor castle to the very border of Shadowglade–and my home village of Beoutown. There are three carriages and a host of guards, a truly worthy entourage for my future husband and me.

The window curtain brushes my cheek as the carriage bumps from side-to-side, the roads becoming increasingly less well-maintained. I push it aside to look at the bleak terrain, remembering the washed-out, gray, dilapidated village I come from. Somehow, it always seemed wet. I wore a threadbare cape, holey socks, and worn out boots that did not keep out the wet...