It is the beginning of spring as the icy cold frosts melt away, giving way to the beautiful little flower buds to sprout open as the garden will once again be filled with vibrant colors of nature. The birds chirp the loudest amongst trees as the hibernating of the forest animals end as I watch them come out of their shells all throughout the day. I anticipate this weather the most as it is much warmer to watch the setting sun outside– one of the very few things I always make sure not to miss out on.

I wrap the thin fabric over my shoulders as I giddily walk down the flight of stairs, to the long corridors and series of heavily locked doors until finally reaching the garden on the backside of the castle known to man as the Bastions. After all, this place is not exactly the most welcoming kind. I find my spot on the smoothly-cut grass and fall on an Indian seat as I patiently wait for the sun to say its farewell for another day.

I hear the soft, constant thud of boots on grass somewhere behind me that a smile grazes my lips. “You are late,” I mutter just as soon as the person prepares to sit beside me. He gives me the same cheery smile he does that shows the little dimple on his cheek. I watch him as he fixes his long jet-black hair that covers one of his eyes, as the other one is covered with a leather eye-patch. He never tells me why it is so, and I am too meek to even ask. Maybe it is simply better not knowing, he sometimes says.

“Have you encountered fascinating things during your journey?” I ask him while the sun is still shining brightly across the horizon. He was away for three days and I am very glad he came back safely.

He shuffles from his ground, trying to locate something resting deep in his old, ragged backpack. He keeps on emphasizing how he does not want to let go of it as it was a gift from his parents long ago. As much as I want him to stop using it, I have long gotten over it for the fact that it suits his shabby clothing all the same. He likes to travel, and it is easy for him to look like this to blend in the crowd, even when we both know he needs not to.

“Ahah! Found it,” he smugly raises. He positions himself in front of me with the same grin not leaving his face. “Close your eyes,” he says and I do, very excited to see what he brought back. “Okay, now you may open them.”

I can only gasp over the magnificent, shining thing on his palms.

“Can I touch it?” I ask which he only laughs on. “It’s yours, so of course, you can.” He answers as he passes to me the blue, circular pendant. I can feel its smoothness yet rough edges as I hold it in my fingers, with the reflections of it hitting my eyes once in a while. It is very amusing how it reflects light like a mirror, only it is colored in ocean blue. It also divided in many parts like rays in a sun. I love it. “It’s made from sapphire. It reminded me of your blue eyes when I saw it.” I smile timidly as he settles beside me once again. I clutch the pendant in my palms tightly as we finally watch the sun go down, until the lamps outside turn on as the last pieces of it vanish from the sky. It’s all just dark clouds now.

“Soojung!” I jolt up from the sound of the voice. I stand up and turn around to find one of my guardians, the youngest of them all, just a year older than I am. He tilts his head, a bit irritated that I am just standing here. “Won’t you get a move on it? It’s time to close the gates.” I walk pass him and hold my laughter from his act. He is very sassy, even when he tries to hide it.

This is the part where my almost too-good-to-be-true freedom ends.

Walking back along the long corridors with heavily armored guards unmoving at their stations; I feel the swelling feeling over my stomach again. I sense my breathing closing in as it becomes a struggle for me to keep it levered. I am afraid. All of the time, except when I watch sunsets, do I feel scared. I can hear the clanking of metals as the gates are being tightly locked and it does not help. It only makes me feel caged even more. I know my guardian feels it, but he is also best at hiding his care. Or maybe he does not, at all. Their orders are to protect me at all costs, minus the caring and worrying part anyway.

I make it inside my vast room filled with floor-to-ceiling glass windows alive, thankfully. The lady servants take of my comfortable garden dress as I am made to wear a ball gown with a heavy petticoat, most of the time the long-sleeved ones with high neckline that almost chokes me. Tonight, I wear a purple, neck-height lacy one. They brush my hair up in a high bun with little flowers for adornments. It is pretty fancy, but not at all needed. It is all very uncomfortable. Unfortunately, I am used to it.

The servants bend their legs and bow at me as if I am royalty. But why should I not be? I live in a castle. I am treated like a princess. The only difference is that there is no such thing as kings and queens here and I am merely a wild thing they are trying to control, caged in this brutalism of a building wherein the wall finishes are barely around. It makes it all the more scary to try and escape at night.

Really though, the council does think of me as the Bastions princess. Only, I am not sure how true their words are. As much as they try to keep me away from civilization, from curious eyes, and from unwanted news, I know a pair of eyes and ears that tells me all the details. I know how badly the council treats the peasants, on how such are considered lucky to even be a servant in the Bastions, and how terrible they are in general. I am always afraid, but I especially show it on times they need to know I am still incapable of leaving. It makes them feel calm and glorious knowing I still cannot do anything to change things. They are not wrong though. I am far too weak to try, I know that. But I am merely waiting for an opening, an escape route. I doubt there ever would be one ready to present itself any of these days though.

The massive doors leading to the dining room are held open by the very intimidating guards that I keep my eyes casted down as I walk my way towards my seat, which is across where the head of the council is situated. It is always that I feel threatened by those glaring eyes of hers. Around me is where my guardians are seated. There are six of them in total, all the best heirs of their kinds. I sometimes feel sorry for them for being taken away from their families to protect me, but then I remember how I feel sorrier for myself and my thoughts crash down like cold ice.

The food is served and the table is filled with soft clattering noises of utensils and glass. I am halfway finishing my dinner when someone calls my name. I turn my head to see the second highest person in the council. “How was the first day of spring?” he asks.

“It was lovely.”

“Good,” the person who is the third highest remarks. She then turns to look at Sungjong, who accompanied me to entering the cage earlier. Sungjong stops from his tracks and looks at the lady, void of emotions. He is from the House of Souls, after all. They are meant to be unfeeling while they can feel every emotion around them. They know when one is happy or sad or afraid; basically all the emotions felt by a person. That is why I am uncomfortable whenever he is around. To know that someone else knows what you feel is one of the worst feelings there ever is.

They must be talking to each other in their minds which only mean it is something I should not hear. I almost want to break rules and listen over their conversation.

The greetings and scripted conversations end just as soon and the table turns quiet and uneasy. My guardians leave one by one until they are somewhere not far enough to come rushing when I am in pain. I am left with the three most important members of the council – to rot while waiting for any of them to stop speaking among themselves and tell me things.

“Oh, Soojung, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“You’re going back to the institute. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“The institute… wonderful,” I mutter aimlessly. It is quite a shock for them to tell me that after being in this cage for three years now, but they are smiling in a sinister manner that I doubt I am just going to attend classes. What in the world have they decided on doing now that I am going back to that lonelier place?

GUESS WHO DECIDED TO POST IT BEFORE THE WEEKEND COMES?
OH WELL, I COULDN'T STOP MYSELF SO HERE IT IS, THE FIRST CHAPTER.
IT'S SHORT BUT IS ENOUGH TO HAVE AN IDEA OF THINGS, YEAH?
ANYWAY, I HOPE YOU LIKED IT. ^^