“Minah! Where are you?” Lucinda yelled. She was walking barefoot on the stonefloor. The birds were chirping outside and the sun beaming in through the large windows. He powder pink dress swaying in the wind.

“I’m over here!”

Lucinda looked into the different rooms as she walked down that hall. To her right, big windows covered the wall all the way down the corridor. The warm breeze from the ocean outside made its way inside through the open windows.

Lucinda finally found Minah in the piano room. To no surprise; she’s slowly pushing down the keys. Lucinda sits down beside her friend. She has always envied Minah’s looks. Her blonde long, thick hair that is braided is something she would want to exchange with her own hair, her reddish brown hair.

Minah’s eyes are blue and are complimented by her turquois dress. Her toned tanned legs are sown as the slit in her dress drapes down her legs.

“Why did you just leave like that?”

Minah glare at Lucinda for a while.

“I know you don’t like Minho but to leave him like that is rather cruel”

“Isn’t it cruel that I have to marry someone I don’t love?” Minah turned her head to face her friend. Tears are threatening to roll down her cheeks.

“I didn’t love Peter” Lucinda grabbed Minah’s hands “But I learnt. And now I can’t imagine my life without him”

“You and peter are different. You clicked immediately. Me and Minho are…not meant to be”

“You can’t know that now though” the older tried to comfort. Minah raised her brow.

“I’ve been engaged to him for more than four years. I know that we’re not made for each other”

Lucinda rubbed her thumb over Minah’s hands.

“Let’s just face it, you got the better brother” Minah sighed.

“Come on” Lucinda stood up “Let’s go back”

“There you are!” Peter smiled as the two girls entered the Great Hall” The walls were high and painted golden. There was no furniture since it usually was used for dancing balls.

“We missed you” Minho smiled a little bit too big for Minah’s liking. It wasn’t that he was ugly in any sort of way. He was actually really handsome. He was tall, well built with broad shoulders and soft brown hair. Any girl would found herself lucky to be marrying him. But not Minah. She couldn’t stand how he treated her.

She wanted to be out in the woods, hunting with her bow. Getting her clothes and hair dirty. Not being in a castle with a long dress and braided hair. But that’s where Minho wanted her to be.

“What happened to you? You just stormed off” Minho wrapped his arm around Minah’s waist.

“I felt sick, I’m sorry” Minah tried to sound as polite as she could.

“Well, you missed out plans for today” Minho gave her hip an unwanted squeeze.

“What are we doing?” Lucinda smiled up at her husband. You could tell that he was exhausted from the ongoing war. He had dark bags under his eyes and his hair was slowly turning grey, even though he just turned 25.

“We’re leaving the castle today” he smiled down at his wife.

Leaving the castle didn’t happen very often. And to Lucinda and Minah it never happened, at least not during the war years. Even though they wouldn’t leave the outer wall of bricks it still wasn’t safe for the two ladies. Who knew who could be out there?

“Why?” Minah raised her brow.

“I need to check some things and since Minho will come with me I thought that you two could come too”

“That sound like fun!” Lucinda chimed “But what about Kris and Lay? I don’t want to leave them”

“You don’t have to worry” Peter played with her hair “They’ll be in the courtyard with the nanny and guards to protect them. They’ll be safe”

You could hardly tell that they were fighting a war during four years when inside the inner wall. But as soon as you stepped out of the safety zone it was like entering a new world. The people of the ciry were starving and their clothes were dirty and worn out. Minah felt discussed with herself to be wearing a new dress that probably would be thrown away after that day. That was one of the reasons why she didn’t want to