The Inheritor of Light

"For the slaying of Izaleous and his acts in stemming the tide of the synthetic forces, Shmay was given all the land within the Gedariv Valley as his own. It was in this land, that he established a new kingdom: Milzoc. He allowed the current nobility within the land to retain their stations as long as they swore fealty to him."

- Andre Heinbeck, "The Rise and Fall of Izaleous" (533 SA)

"Milady, Sãra, the coach is ready for you." The handmaiden curtsied as she spoke.

Sãra opened her eyes. "Finally." She was tired of sitting on the old, unpadded wooden chair she had been provided. Sãra stood and adjusted her dress. It took a moment for her to get feeling back into her legs. She pushed back her strawberry blond hair and stepped out of the building. The bright sun forced her to shield her eyes for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the outdoor light.

Before her, in the center of the town, lay her entourage. Thirty cavalrymen acted as her guards on her outing. It was a fair number, not that she would need any more. The handmaiden walked around her and over to the carriage, opening the door for Sãra.

Sãra walked passed the woman, giving her a small nod of gratitude before stepping into the carriage. The door was shut behind her as she sat down on the nicely padded seats. "Thank the Exalted," she said, stretching out. "I was certain my backside was going to turn to stone any moment." She sighed and looked out the window. Soon, she would be far from this town and on her way to the next city.

It wasn't that she enjoyed visiting all manner of towns and villages, but that was what nobility did when they went "on progress." As an envoy for her father, it was her duty to ensure that all local affairs were in order, and that the nobility remained in line. Such was the life of a princess, or at least that's what she thought. In a way, she was happy to be on this journey. Nothing good awaited her back in Cerenzi, to be away from the capital was a blessing of sorts.

With a crack of the reins, the carriage began to move. Sãra settled in for what would be a six-hour long ride. One could only hope that Cascorida would have better accommodations then they did here in Millross. As the home of Earl Embridge, she would be expecting treatment befitting royalty. Sãra closed her eyes and leaned her head on the padded siding. A nap would do her well.

Sãra awoke to the inside of her carriage. The dull sleep she been in made her waking slow and left her drowsy. For some reason, the carriage was at a standstill, a thing, that she couldn't understand. She pulled her hair back past an ear and looked out the window. She saw that the carriage had stopped on the side of the road overlooking a small hill that led to a forest.

Sãra was puzzled because they were not meant to stop until they had reached Cascorida. It was obvious that they had not reached there as the town sat on a plain with no forest in sight. Something was definitely amiss, and that didn't sit well with Sãra. She decided that she needed to find out what was going on. She gingerly opened the door facing the hillside. Gathering up her dress, she stepped out onto the dirt road. She was about to call out for one of her attendants or guards when she heard voices coming from around the other side of the carriage.

"Excuse me, why have we stopped? I thought that we were going all the way to—" she began to inquire as she walked to the front of the carriage, but she stopped short as soon as she saw who it was that she had heard.

Three men stood across from her on the other side of the carriage by the horses; no one else was in sight. They all turned around with a look of surprise on their faces. It was obvious they were not guards nor her servants. They had ripped and muddy clothing with short swords and daggers on their hips. Their hair was unkempt, and their faces were scarred and unshaven. Sãra knew, at that moment, that she had encountered three bandits.