Chapter One: A Hidden Alias
The early morning sun streamed down into the city Gila, the morning mist began to clear, the streets were beginning to come alive and road side shops were opening. Vasco stumbled out of the small alleyway which he called his home, pushed his rusty brown hair out of his eyes had some near stale bread which he begged for at the small roadside bakery, he then started to walk along the beaten down path to the farm where he worked.

As he walked along the beaten track he saw a townsperson’s house being raided by the Gilayin soldiers, “must be stealing slaves, mongrels” he spat. He was only fifteen last month and had immediately decided he needed to work, he needed the money. He only got one bronze a day which was just enough to buy him food for around one day if he was lucky; he usually had to beg though. Vasco had been brought up in an old house by two old civilians; his parents had been taken away as prisoners to the Evakins, like a lot of Gilayins who had been stolen. The Evakins had been against the Gilayins for some time, though Vasco did not wonder why, nor did he care. One nation had been divided to three who couldn’t stand the sight of each other; except for the Arasions, the mountain people who had not sided against the Gilayins yet hated the Evakins. He had moved out of the old house and was now living down a side alley which had enough cover; he slept in the corner which did not leak. He was working on a villager’s farm, as a stable hand.

Well Vasco was following his usual route to the farm he noticed several glints in the leaves which covered ground he crouched to investigate and to his astonishment picked up four gold which was worth eighty bronze or forty silver, in his eyes he was rich. On his current budget this would give him eighty days worth of food. After long thoughts he decided not to go to work and go to visit the herbsman who made medicines and ointments for when people got sick, he knew Rhend quite well. He moved off the main beaten track and onto the narrower one that lead to the herbsmans house. "So you found some money did you son" said Rhend the herbsmaster "four gold rupees good for you" Rhend walked over to the pot on his fire and said "I don't think it was a good idea you coming here.” "Why" asked Vasco
"Because I am very ill"
“Since when” Vasco said
“There is no need to worry young one I have no children Vasco, I am leaving you my home” said Rhend
“Is it that bad are you going to die?”
“I’m sorry Vasco but yes”
”I think you should go”
“Farewell good friend” said Vasco

Days passed by then weeks until Rhend passed away, when at last he did Vasco decided he would not move into the old cottage and find refuge, but he would do some exploring up in the Aras mountains, but first he needed supplies. He made his way toward town when he heard a sweet noise; it was coming from a side road. He followed the noise and came to a corner on it stood a boy of about sixteen, with his hat on the ground. He was playing the flute, the sound was amazing, and it made him relax at first then go tense. Slowly as the boy played, several people including Vasco surrounded the boy and one by one they fell silently to the ground. Gray guards crept from the dark trees behind the boy, patted him on the back tossed him a bag of coins, then picked up the unconscious bodies off the hard rocky ground.

“Get up you stupid boy” yelled the soldier he was dressed in typical Evakin amour which was so dull and gray that it hurt Vasco’s eyes. He was instructed to get up and hold out his hands, while the soldier put the chains on his wrists and he was told to shut up or else he would be killed. A soldier then threw Vasco into a cage along with six other Gilayin citizens, easily recognizable from there rusty brown hair, blue eyes and slender shapes. Except one girl that looked non Gilayin and non Evakins she had flowing blonde hair that shone, and green eyes that made it hard to look away. Vasco’s instant reaction was that she was from Arascone the wealthy city in the Aras Mountains. Some of the captured were crying, one woman yelled “but I have children” in a sobbing voice “SHUT UP” yelled the guard” “but” she stammered.
“If you don’t shut up now, I’m warning you I will kill you” said the guard,
“I will not be silenced, I cannot leave my children”
“Let this be a lesson to all of you” and the guard slowly and roughly slit her throat. He smiled a sly smile and tossed her limp body to his wolf looking dogs, they ripped apart he carcass in less than one minute.

There were seven of them now all quivering, one man, two small boys, Vasco, two women and the blonde girl who looked about a year younger than Vasco. The cage was on a cart and was harnessed to two horses. “Smack” went the whip and the horses began to move, the captives were whispering to each other telling them there names. The two women were widowed sisters called Tina and Eva, the girl was Tori, the two boys Bruno and Codsin and the man Gildar. By the fifth day of traveling they were all in bad condition and only allowed one meal a day of dried wheat. For all the days traveling little had been said, they all had mild heatstroke and lay breathless on the bottom of the hot iron cage.
As the day dragged on they arrived at the large steel gates of Evakin, the heavy gates creaked open and the caged prisoners were carted in. The captives looked out and saw people everywhere they all had black hair, brown eyes and sunken unhealthy looking faces, that looked as though they had never smiled. “This makes it more depressing” whispered Tori in a very unhappy tone, she gave a half hearted grin and returned to looking through the large steel bars. The horses halted suddenly at the pull of the reins. “Get the two boys” yelled one guard to another, Bruno and Codsin were suddenly dragged out of the cage, they were in tears. The guards then took them by the scruff of there necks up to a house pulled open the door and exchanged them for two rather large pouches full of gold coins.

The guards were heavily distracted so Tori pulled a small knife out of her cloth robes, put her finger to her mouth and motioned them to all be quiet. She thrust the small knife into the locks on her chain and the chain clanged to the ground. “What the” Yelled the guard but it was too late she pulled back the bolt on the door took a swipe at the guards and ran. No more than five minutes later she was pulled back by her beautiful blonde hair and thrust into the cage.
“My knife” she sobbed as the cart continued on,
“Are you from Arascone?” asked Eva Politely
“Yes” replied Tori sulkily
“You do look a lot like Princess Aliana”
“Thanks” she said in a more cheerful voice.
“We will find a way to escape don’t worry”
“I can tell when people are lying you know”
“You will be able to tell that I am not then”.

They heard from the guards that they were going to be slaves for the King Slavron and were going to be beaten if they did the slightest thing wrong. The cart pulled up to the large dark castle, other guards were waiting they pulled the five slaves out of the cart and onto the gravel. They were chained together and ordered to stand up straight and march toward the castle. The cart then took off toward the mountains, no doubt going to collect some Arasion slaves. When they arrived at the castle they were taken into the cellar for inspection and were assigned to tasks, also they had to be branded. “You” said the inspector to Vasco, “are 11178, the Arasion girl 11179, those two” he said pointing to Tina and Eva” are 11180 and 11181 and get rid of that one” he said motioning toward Gildar. Two soldiers ran over grabbed him and took him to the beheading chamber, while the others watched him be dragged off the inspector pushed there heads forward in turn starting with Vasco, he brought forward the hot brand and thrust it into each of there necks, the screams and cries were soon drowned out by the laughter of the guards down the corridor.

They now each had there number branded into the backs of there necks. “You no longer had names” said the inspector, “if you are to be spoken to you will say your name is you number have I got that clear”. “Yes inspector” they replied, “11178 you and 11179 are to be floor scrubbers and you two are now cooks follow every order given to you, and you will soon find there are very few ways you can get out of here”. As he turned his shirt collar slipped and beneath it was the number 12 only Vasco and Tori gasped the others somehow had not seen. “Well what can I say something’s are easier than escape.”
”but…you just let them behead Gildar” said Tina “and you branded us” said Eva
“I would never let my friend Gildar get hurt he is part of my escape plan.” He said
“Are you a Gilayin?” said Vasco
“Not quite my mothers Arasion and my fathers Gilayin” said the inspector.
“Why the black hair then?” said Vasco
“A spell of course I had to look the part”
“How long have you been here?”
“About thirteen years”
“Why haven’t you escaped?”
“With this brand I cannot, it bounds you here to inside the Evakin walls Gildar’s the only magician I know that’s strong enough to reverse it, except that he couldn’t”
Vasco touched his aching neck
“Of course I would not bound anyone else here”
He touched the back of Vasco’s neck suddenly the pain stopped.
“It’s a mere illusion” he flicked his hands and the doors around them began to close then lock.
“How many people are bound here?” asked Tori
“Around ten thousand”
How did you two see the brand anyway, unless” said the inspector
“Unless what” asked Tori
“You must be them” he said
“Who”
“The ones that are to find the crown”
“Why would you say that?” said Tori
“What crown?” said Vasco
“There is something I must tell you two” he said pointing to Tori and Vasco.

As you may well know the story of the Kings and Queen, as one King dies his first born becomes King or Queen. Around 500 years ago the cities Gila, Evakin and Arascone did not exist, there were just normal cities and towns and the main city Imperial City which was where the Salyut Castle stood and everyone was in harmony. Well King Alastral’s Royal wife Klara gave birth to triplets Princess Aras, Prince Evak and Prince Gila. The King and Queen insisted that they would not choose a heir as they thought they all had equal rights to rule. So as there three children grew up, they all shared the willingness to rule and when the king died all hell broke loose. They could not share the crown for the ones who originally forged it made it so it could break into three parts yet there could only be one rightful heir. They also cast some strange magic onto it which at the split would change the features of the separator/s and his or her followers according to there personality, so they tore it into three pieces and all took there piece. Princess Aras took the Golden top, Prince Evak the Silver middle and Prince Gila the ruby bottom.

They then moved there separate ways, Princess Aras founded the Aras mountains and settled there with her followers and founded the City Arascone, the spell on the crown caused all of her followers to have blonde hair and green eyes yet she did not put a end to her royal title each of her descendants were either Princes or Princesses. Next Prince Gila and his lawful followers settled and founded Gila, and the spells made all his followers and himself have rusty brown hair and blue eyes. He went into hiding and people just thought he had disappeared but he was just disguised as a normal peasant in case his brother was to decide he needed to be killed, for he and Aras had nothing against each other. Finally Evak and his dark followers settled here in Evakin and were changed into black haired, brown eyed, sunken faced people. Evak did not change his descendant’s title they were either Princes or Princesses. But all three knew that there part of the crown had to be hidden, in a place that would be found by following numerous clues, so that there heir would find each of the parts and become King or Queen of the whole Country.
“Where’s imperial city gone then” said Tori
“It is there as it was left only few people live there; we call them the lost souls”
“The lost?”
“Yes they are the ones that stayed the same they did not take side to one prince or the princess”
“Why are you telling this to us?” said Tori
“Because it concerns you two especially”
“Umm you never told us your name” said Tori suspiciously
“Alias is the name”.
“Why does it concern us” said Vasco
“I was once told by the Evakin seer that the two that see the hidden numbers will be the one to find the pieces to the crown”.
“You two need to leave, go to Basalt harbor its about two days walk from here, you will also need these” two faded papers appeared as Vasco and Tori reached out to grab them feelings of nausea began to surface. Tori’s long blonde hair darkened and Vasco’s rusty brown hair turned jet black, there faces sunk in and eyes turned to brown.
“Don’t worry, as soon as you burn those papers you will return to normal”
“And if any guard asks you for identification just give them those pieces of paper, just remember go as south as you can and you will come to the harbor”.
“Okay” said Vasco, “thank you for all your help”.

This post has been edited by slevin12 on Sep 18 2007, 07:39 PM