A rose by any other name.

PROLOGUE: The discovery

Rose blinked, staring upwards at the hard white blankness of her
bedroom ceiling. Silly really, she thought, to get so upset about it.
She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and turned onto her side.
It's not like she hadn't already known she was adopted, her parents had
never hidden that from her, but being told that they had found her
abandoned&;#8230; that made it so much worse. They had only told her
that day, after they had been her parents for fifteen years, that they
had found her lying in their back garden as a baby. Alone. That they
had taken her straight to the hospital, and when no-one had come
forward as her mother, been able to adopt her. That meant that her real
mother hadn't wanted her&;#8230; had just dumped her in someone
else's garden.
Whoever they were, they had left Rose with only one thing. A ruby
necklace. That was all she had as a connection with her real parents.
But it wasn't just that. It was that she now had no idea who she was.
She had no idea who her parents were; she didn't know her real
birthday, or even the name her real mother gave her. She had no idea
who she really was. No birth certificate, no photos from before she was
adopted. Nothing.
Her eyes were burning beneath their lids. Stupid thing to bother about,
really.

Rose awoke to the steady beep, beep, beep of her alarm clock. Sweeping
her long, wavy dark hair out of her eyes, she sat up and turned it off.
Seven o' clock already!
Pulling on a pair of faded jeans and a green T-shirt that matched
perfectly the colour of her emerald eyes, and tugging her dark mass of
hair into a ponytail, she ran down the stairs. They'd all be looking at
her. Looking to see if she was alright, if they could detect any hint
of hurt or sadness in her eyes. And sympathetic; too sympathetic. That
was all she needed.
She was right. As she walked into the kitchen, three pairs of deep blue
eyes fixed themselves on hers. They looked like a family, the three of
them with their blonde hair and blue eyes. She wasn't one of them, she
didn't fit in.
'Good morning!' She said breezily, trying to sound as though nothing
was wrong. At least if it stopped them staring at her&;#8230;
She took a seat next to Ryan, her little brother. But not her real
brother. Why did that matter now? It never mattered before. Perhaps
because she knew more, or was it less, about her past. Or maybe because
she had something to remind her of it. She felt the heavy ruby against
her neck, somehow warm and feeling almost&;#8230; alive.
Her family smiled back, uneasily.
Rose grabbed a piece of toast from the table and fled the room,
shouting something about being late for school as she ran.
She paused to pick up her school bag on the way out, then walked
through the door.
Stepping outside, she blinked in the bright sunlight, then started
walking slowly towards her school.
Once again she became aware of the ruby at her throat. It seemed to be
getting warmer.
She pulled it off and looked at it closely. Why would a parent willing
to abandon their baby so freely leave her with something that was
obviously so valuable? There was something odd about it that she
couldn't quite place. She felt a strange surge of energy when she
touched it, and it almost made her dizzy. She looked closer
still.
It seemed almost as though there was a faint glow inside the jewel.
Something locked right into the centre that wanted to get out.
Rose held it up to the sun, and looked at it again. It looked beautiful
with the light shining through it. In fact, it looked almost like the
sunlight was flowing into it, collecting inside. She frowned and
lowered the necklace. That's what you get for staring into the sun too
long, she thought.
She raised the ruby again. The centre looked almost on fire now.
Rose gasped and jumped back as a narrow beam of light shot out of it,
splitting the light into all the colours of the rainbow.
Of course! A prism. She'd only just got it at the right angle to split
the light. She smiled and held her arm out to it, slowly reaching
through the other side. She wiggled her fingers, but couldn't see the
rest of her arm at all through the swirling mass of colour. Strangely,
the air on the other side felt warm and thick, as though in some hot
country. Rose closed her eyes and stepped all the way through.

She cried out when she opened her eyes to find herself standing on a
tropical beach. White sand stretched as far as she could see into the
distance, both ahead of and behind her. Palm trees were dotted about,
and underneath them coconuts littered the sand. The calm, blue sea
lapped the shore, and the dark wet sand around it was sparsely
scattered with beautiful shells. However, Rose didn't take in much of
the beauty of the beach, as she was already scrambling back towards the
swirling rainbow portal she had just stepped through. She leapt towards
it, and the scene changed again. She fell heavily on the pavement, and
looked up to check that she was back where she started. She struggled
to her feet, shaking all over. What was going on? This time yesterday
she had a perfectly normal life, then all at once she found out about
her past, and was given this weird necklace.
She hesitated for a second, then set off for school at a run.
By the time she arrived at school she had convinced herself that she'd
imagined the whole thing. Better really, she thought, to admit to
seeing things rather than really believe that she'd travelled to
another place through a necklace. It did worry her, though, in her PE
lesson, when she found a small pile of sand in one of her shoes.

CHAPTER 1: Syra's threat.

On her way home from school, Rose started thinking about what she had
imagined earlier that day. It troubled her that it still seemed so
real. She'd better try it again, just to make sure.
She raised the necklace towards the sun. See! She told herself.
Nothing's happening. You're just being stupid.
Then something did happen. Rose felt a sharp stab of fear and
apprehension as the familiar colourful circle appeared.
Familiar? But it did seem familiar, as though Rose had seen it a long
time ago, or in a dream. Her fear ebbed away as she realised this. And
what was the problem anyway? She thought, trying to convince herself
that she was braver than she felt. It was just a beach! It couldn't
hurt her. Gathering her courage and taking a deep breath, she stepped
forwards. This time she had her eyes open, so she could see, just for a
second, the world swirling around her, and tiny snatches of far off
places. Then it was all over. The universe stopped spinning around her,
and everything was still. Everything except an old man hobbling towards
her, leaning heavily on a stick that looked almost as old and gnarled
as he did. Rose stopped staring at him long enough to look around. This
wasn't the beach. The man was coming from a little hut in a clump of
trees.
Looking behind her Rose realised that it was not just a clump of trees,
but a vast forest.
They were pines, and so tall she couldn't make out the tops of
them.
She turned her attention back to the old man, who had now almost
reached the spot where she was standing. His long white hair and beard
were matted, and his clothes were shabby; a long brown peasant tunic,
belted at the waist. The kind of thing you'd see someone wear in a film
about dragons and magic, Rose thought, fighting simultaneous urges to
laugh and to run. She jumped a little when the man's clear, loud voice
filled the forest.
'She arrives! The one Syra has been moving towards for countless
generations!'
Rose smiled carefully. If the guy was crazy she didn't want to upset
him. She looked right at him. 'Who is Syra? And who are you, If you
don't mind me asking?'
The man laughed. 'Syra is not a person. She is the land you occupy this
second, the ground beneath our feet and the air above our heads. And
you, Sirena, are to be its salvation.'
'What did you call me?'
'Only your name. Sirena.'
Rose knew she sounded irritable, but she didn't really care. Who was
this guy? He must be crazy if he was trying to tell her they were in
another world. But then, enough strange things had happened that day to
make her almost ready to believe anything 'My name,' She said, calmly
but coolly, 'is Rose. Besides, you still haven't told me who you
are.'
The man laughed harder. 'You will discover who you really are, I
promise you that, child. As for me, my name is Galdoran. I live here,
in these woods. That is all you need to know now. If you would, may I
see the Stone?'
'The Stone?' Rose was getting more and more confused by the second.
'You mean my ruby?'
'If you choose to call it that.' Galdoran said mysteriously as she
handed it to him. 'But many more choose to call it The Rising Stone.'
He ran a finger over its smooth, polished surface. 'There are many
powers hidden in this jewel.'
'I know.' said Rose. 'I've already seen&;#8230;'
'Not moving between worlds.' Galdoran interrupted. That is but the
beginning of the Stone's power. The rest has been locked away by a
great evil. Even so, I believe I can help you release it's full
potential.'
'But what does it do?' asked Rose.
'That, my child, you must discover for yourself.' Galdoran dropped the
necklace into Rose's hand, turned, and started to limp back towards his
hut.
Rose shouted after him, 'Wait!'
Galdoran turned.
'Where are you going?' She asked in desperation. 'You can't just leave
me!'
Galdoran smiled. 'The question is where are you going, and the answer
is that way.' He indicated a path off through the woods. 'And you must
remember, I will never leave you in spirit.'
Rose didn't know whether she liked that idea. It would be safer just to
use the necklace and go home, ignoring everything the creepy old man
had said, but curiosity had already got the better of her, and she
really did want to know what was going on. It was as though she had
seen this place before, and she was desperate to know what was at the
other end of that forest path. It was like a wonderful film that she
had watched half of, and only now was suddenly getting the chance to
watch the long-anticipated ending.
Cursing her own stupidity, she began to follow the path.

During the hour long walk to the edge of the forest, Rose discovered at
least six kinds of biting insect that she never knew existed, and got
bitten by all of them. She walked into large branches that seemed to
lower themselves into her path as they saw her approach. Tree roots
that she could have sworn were not there a second earlier, suddenly
were there, and always in the most convenient place to trip her up. The
whole forest appeared to be trying to stop her from getting wherever
she was supposed to go. Once she fell badly and twisted her ankle, but
still she felt the compulsion to carry on. What was this all about? Was
she dreaming? Could she really not be?
After what seemed an impossibly long time, the trees began to grow
less, and drew further away from the path. At last they stopped
altogether, and Rose had a clear view of what lay ahead of her.
The path continued down a steep hill, and she could see open fields and
grassland stretching for miles below her. Right out, almost at the edge
of her vision, she could see a huge castle. It gleamed in the sunlight,
its towers of marble and white Stone so high and thin it seemed
impossible that they could stay up. As she watched, the dark wooden
drawbridge slowly began to lower over the moat. She heard the faintest
noise as it hit the other side, then saw a small group of figures march
out. She couldn't see them very clearly, but by the way they were
walking she could see that they had to be soldiers.
She realised with a small jolt of fear that they were marching in her
direction. They marched on until they came to the foot of the hill. The
speed they were going, they must be doing something important. Rose
didn't really want to be in their way when they passed, as they looked
like they might not appreciate an interruption. She headed off a little
way into the trees until she found a small clearing and returned to
looking at the serene beauty of the distant castle. After just a few
seconds she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She quickly turned
around, alarmed. She saw a tall, pretty woman smiling at her. The woman
had sleek black hair that stopped just above her shoulders, and almond
shaped eyes, steely grey like a winter sky. She wore a short black
dress.
'So, Rose, you've arrived at last.' She said.
'Who are you?' Rose demanded. She was starting to feel worried about
all these strange people who seemed to know her.
'My name is not important.' The woman replied. 'It is my message that
matters. But since you want to know, I am known as Desir?e.'
Rose looked at her suspiciously.
The kind smile vanished from Desir?e's face. 'The Rising Stone that you
possess is very dangerous.'
Rose took it off quickly, but held it tightly in her hand. 'But
Galdoran said&;#8230;'
Desir?e's face twisted into a contemptuous sneer. 'That fool knows
nothing. Did he not get even a simple thing such as your name wrong?
How can he then be expected to know about something like that Stone? I
suggest that you give it to me now. I will call up the gateway and you
can return home. Then I will destroy the Stone.' Her smile returned,
but this time there was no warmth in it.
What was she talking about? Something just didn't add up. Rose just
didn't feel like she could trust this Desir?e. Something about that
smile just made her want to turn around and run.
A sudden crash in the trees made them both turn round. A dozen soldiers
burst into the clearing, swords in hands.
'The witch!' One burly man shouted, pointing his sword at Desir?e's
throat.
Her leg swung round so fast that it seemed to be a blur, and with a
fierce kick, sent the soldier's sword clattering to the ground. Three
more soldiers ran forward and grabbed her so that she couldn't move.
She gave them one last look of pure venom, then with a faint rushing
sound, disappeared.
Rose almost fell over. She struggled to collect her thoughts as the
soldiers surrounded her, apparently concerned.
'Are you alright miss?' Asked one of them. 'The witch didn't hurt
you?'
'No.' Said Rose weakly. 'No she didn't. And who are you?'
The soldier drew himself up to his full height. 'Captain Tordan of the
Syran Palace Guard. The rest of our men have gone ahead with the
Commander to rescue the prince of Syra. Might I ask what the witch
wanted from you?'
'She wanted my necklace.' Rose told him, opening her hand and showing
it to him.
Every one of the men in front of her gasped and fell onto his
knees.
Tordan inclined his head respectfully. 'Princess Sirena!' He
whispered.
'Rose frowned. 'You're the second person to call me that!' She said,
confused.
'You are the lost daughter of King Darmiel.' Tordan told her. 'You must
be. You have the Rising Stone. You disappeared fifteen years ago, but
you have returned to save the land of Syra from the evil people of
Gora. We must take you to the Palace.'
A lot of things had just fallen into place for Rose. There might be
something in this Sirena thing after all. Disappeared fifteen years
ago&;#8230; Wasn't that when Rose was found? And her ruby, that
seemed so important to these people. But saving them? How could she do
that? No matter what all these weirdoes wanted to call her, she was
still just&;#8230; Rose.
The guards walked closely behind her as they walked down the hill. It
seemed that they thought Desir?e might come back at any moment.
Rose kept looking nervously around as they came closer to the castle,
and she realised with some surprise that she too was expecting Desir?e
to jump out and grab her at any moment. They crossed the huge
drawbridge without a word, and Rose took the chance to look inside the
room at the other side. It had a high ceiling, painted with angels on
clouds, and statues and paintings of men, women and chubby children
adorned the walls. They walked quickly across this room to a massive
oak door. Tordan banged on the door three times with the hilt of his
sword.
Rose turned to him. 'You said that the rest of the Palace Guard were
rescuing the prince.'
Tordan nodded. 'Yes Your Highness. Prince Tolven is your brother, the
son of the King and heir to the Syran throne. He has been captured by
Desir?e's two allies. He is an experienced fighter who is dedicated to
our cause.'
'My brother? I'm finally getting to know my real family!' Rose was
thrilled. Then she looked down. 'He will be alright won't he?' She
asked quietly.
'Our fighters are doing everything they can. They are more than a match
for those two pathetic little girls. Even the Prince himself would have
been able to defeat them alone had they not taken him by
surprise.'
Rose felt a little happier. 'What is that "cause" you were talking
about?
Tordan looked at her seriously. 'The people of Gora, or the Gorans, are
a warlike people. They love to fight, and would start a war just for
the joy and honour of battle. They seek to claim the land of Syra. It
is all we can do to hold them off. The witch, Desir?e, has been giving
us the most trouble. She is the sister of their King, Sytherus. Each of
the Gorans has a different power, usually shape-shifting. Desir?e can
possess people by taking control of their shadows. You never really
know that the person you are talking to isn't really her spying, or
trying to attack you when you least suspect it.'
'Then how do you that I'm not really her?' Asked Rose.
'Because you have a protection put upon you by the wizard Galdoran.
That is why Desir?e just sent you to the other world instead of killing
you. Also no-one can be possessed inside of the Palace.'
'The wizard Galdoran?' That was startling. 'How do you know that
Desir?e sent me to the other world?'
'The prophecy told us. It also told us that you would return and lead
us in the great battle.'
Rose was just about to ask what prophecy that was when she heard a
serious voice from the other side of the door.
'Who wishes to enter?'
Tordan stepped forward. 'Captain Tordan and my men. Also one
guest.'
The door creaked open. Standing on the other side was a boy about
Rose's age. He had short black hair that stuck up all over the place
and wore a belted tunic. He smiled cheerfully when he saw them.
'Tordan!'
Tordan laughed. 'This young man is Kallin, Your Highness.' He told
Rose. 'He will be one of your servants.'
Rose shook her head. 'I don't want any servants!' she said. 'And please
don't call me Your Highness, I'm just&;#8230; Rose!'
Tordan looked confused. 'But you're not Rose.' He said. 'You're
Sirena.'
Rose sighed. 'I might be Sirena or whatever in your world, but in my
world I'm called Rose. So please call me that.'
Kallin looked incredibly shocked and excited. 'The princess has
returned?' He asked incredulously. 'And she's here?'' He stared at
Rose, and looked so dazed that she couldn't help smiling at him in
spite of her confusion.
'Hi!' She said.
He smiled back, and was just about to say something when his mouth
dropped open. 'The great wizard!'
Rose turned, and saw Galdoran striding across the drawbridge, looking
nothing like he had done in the forest, leaning on a stick and limping
painfully. His brown tunic had been exchanged for a swirling white
cloak that trailed on the ground behind him. He almost seemed to glow
in a shimmering aura that danced and played about his tall, thin
frame.
He walked straight to Rose and bowed deeply. When he straightened he
smiled warmly. 'Let's go and meet your Father.' He said to her.
They turned and began to walk through the long, dimly lit corridor,
built with grey stone and with statues of previous kings and queens
down the sides, each one holding a burning torch. As they walked,
Galdoran explained to Rose what he had done when they'd met
earlier.
'Remember when I took your Stone?' He asked her.
Rose nodded and he continued.
'Well, as I told you, I discovered that the greatest part of the
Stone's power was shut away, unusable. I took that opportunity to
release that power. You should start noticing a difference before long.
Ah, here we are.'
The double doors that they now faced slowly started to open.
Rose and Galdoran walked through, followed by Kallin and Tordan. The
rest of the soldiers stayed outside to guard the door.
Rose felt her eyes fill with tears. There was a man sitting in the
throne at the other end of the room. He was tall, with brown hair and a
short beard. He was wearing a golden crown and a deep purple robe. The
thing that caught Rose's attention was the fact that he had exactly the
same piercing green eyes as Rose.
For the first time in fifteen years, Rose was looking at her
father.
Kallin and Tordan automatically dropped to one knee. Galdoran remained
standing.
'King Darmiel,' He announced. 'may I present your daughter. Sirena has
returned to us at last.'
The man stood up, his eyes full of wonder. A single tear ran down his
cheek as he rushed to embrace Rose.
Out of the corner of her eye, Rose could see Galdoran smiling warmly as
she hugged her father.
The king stepped over to Kallin. 'Please would you go down to the
kitchens and tell the cooks that we need a feast as soon as
possible.'
Rose suddenly realised. 'No don't!' She said. 'I'm sorry, but I can't
stay here much longer. The people who look after me in the other world
will be wondering where I am. I don't want them to worry.'
Darmiel nodded. 'You are right. You must return. But allow me to show
you your appointed guardians. These are the people who will be training
you and helping you to use your power, and also teaching you about the
ways of our world.'
'Okay.' Rose said a little uncertainly. She still had no idea what
power they were talking about. She didn't feel any different. What if
they'd got the wrong person? If they'd built up their hopes that Rose
was going to save them all and she turned out to be absolutely
useless?
Her thoughts were interrupted by three people walking into the
room.
Darmiel gestured to the first, a young man of about seventeen, with
floppy blonde hair that kept falling into his pale blue eyes, a shy
smile and a huge sword strapped to his back. 'This is Valen. He is the
best fighter we have and an expert swordsman. He is going to teach you
to fight.'
Rose's eyes widened. To fight? Who said anything about her having to
fight?
Next, Darmiel turned to the other two. One was a short girl with mousy
brown hair and wearing a long, pale pink dress. She was looking at her
feet and blushing furiously. The other was slightly taller, with deep
red hair and startlingly blue eyes. She was grinning at Rose in a
friendly sort of way. 'Talitha, Nerina, and Kallin will be teaching you
our ways.
Galdoran stepped forward. 'And I will be helping you to develop your
magic.' He said. 'But that comes later. Now you must return to your
home.'
Rose nodded and smiled nervously.
'Please thank those people who look after you in your world.' Said the
king. It means a lot that they were so kind to you.'
Rose smiled more confidently. 'Alright. I'll try and come back
tomorrow. I don't have school then. It's Saturday.'
The other people in the room looked slightly confused about this, but
didn't say anything.
Rose saw the sun shining through one of the large windows in the room.
'I'll see you then.'
She raised the necklace, the jewel dangling freely on the thin silver
chain, and watched as the light filled the ruby and created the
portal.

CHAPTER 2: The training
'Rose, what's wrong? You seem so&;#8230; distracted.' Her mum asked
her. 'You've hardly eaten any of your lunch.'
Rose shook her head. What could she tell her, really? Not a lot. Her
mum would never believe it. Even her little brother wouldn't believe
her, although he was six and would believe anything. 'I'm fine Mum,
really.' She thought for a moment. 'Do you mind if I go to a friend's
house for tea tonight?'
'That's fine dear.' Her mum smiled. Come on and eat your lunch.
While she ate, Rose thought about everything that had happened the day
before. Why had she believed it so easily? She'd just accepted all the
weird things that had been happening to her without a second thought.
Perhaps that was part of her nature. But so many things had happened in
such a short time. She finished eating and stood up. 'Bye Mum.' She
walked out of the kitchen and out into the garden. She stopped to check
that no-one was watching her, then took out the necklace and raised it.
The now familiar portal opened up and she stepped through, hoping
desperately that it would take her to somewhere near the castle. Sure
enough, when she opened her eyes, she was standing at the other side of
the moat. Maybe she could control where the portal took her by
concentrating on it. It had taken her to her home the last two times
she'd used it to get to her world. She walked across the already
lowered drawbridge. A guard stood each side of the huge oak door that
Rose had walked through last time. 'Good afternoon Princess.' One of
them said, and banged on the door three times with his sword, the way
Tordan had. The door opened and Rose walked through, thanking the
guard. Not entirely sure where she was supposed to go, she walked
through to the throne room.
The throne was empty, but Rose saw Valen sat on the floor, cleaning his
sword.
When he looked up and saw her, he gave her a shy smile and brushed his
hair out of his eyes. 'Hey.' He said.
Rose smiled back at him, and walked over.
'We thought you'd be back here, so I came to wait for you. I'm supposed
to start your training now.'
Rose looked at him nervously. 'What kind of training?'
'Don't worry about it' He laughed. 'It won't be too hard! Your jeans
are cool, by the way.'
Rose frowned 'No offence, but you don't really talk
like&;#8230;'
'Like someone from this world?' Valen finished. 'That's because I spent
a lot of time in your world. This sword has some magical power. It's
nowhere near as powerful as your Stone, but it means that I can go
through the portal too. I had to keep an eye on you and make sure you
were okay, and I guess I just picked up a little of the
language.'
'You've been watching me? For how long?' Rose didn't really know how to
take this.
'About since I was old enough to protect you. Since I was ten. So that
would be seven years.'
'Why did you never say anything?' Rose demanded.
'I wanted to.' Valen said with another little smile. 'I always wanted
to say hi, but I was warned by Galdoran not to make myself known to
you. He can get pretty crabby sometimes!' He put his sword down and
stood up. 'Well let's begin your training.'
Rose nodded.
Valen put his hand on Rose's arm. Your worried about something aren't
you.'
Rose realised she must look as nervous as she felt. 'Yeah, I guess I am
a little scared about everything. I have no idea what I'm supposed to
do.'
'You're well protected.' He reassured her. 'All you have to do is
whatever you're destined to do. I don't think you can do it wrong. I
don't know what it is you're supposed to do either. They won't let me
see the prophecy.'
'They?' Rose asked.
'Galdoran and your father.' Valen picked up his sword and held it out
to Rose.
She took it carefully and nearly dropped it. It was incredibly
heavy.
'Use the Stone. Ask it to help you.' Valen explained
'Ask it? Won't I look a little stupid?'
Valen laughed. 'Not out loud. It listens to you. You're the one it was
created for, you see.'
'Right.' Rose tried it. Please, she thought, let me lift this sword.
Suddenly it became as light as her little brother's plastic toy. She
swung it experimentally, almost hitting Valen.
'Whoa, careful!' He said, quickly taking it back. You've learned how
you can use the Stone now, so we'll practice. Come with me.' He led the
way out into a corridor at the side of the throne room and through
several rooms which contained nothing of any interest to Rose. They
stopped outside a small, unremarkable looking door.
'This is the training room.' Said Valen as he pushed it open. They
walked straight past the many brutal looking weapons leaning against
the walls, until they reached the outline of a person, painted on the
stone wall.
'Right, we'll start with the easy stuff.' Valen said. He leaned his
sword against the wall. 'Try this.' He pulled his hand back and it
started to glow faintly. He directed a hard punch at the wall. There
was a small bang, the glow around his hand burst into flame for a
second, then died away. Pieces of stone and dust fell to the floor.
'That was a weak one' He explained. 'I didn't want to wreck the
wall.'
'How did you do that?' Rose asked, completely confused.
'Use the Stone, remember?' He looked at the necklace.
'Okay, I'll try, but&;#8230;' She drew her hand back the way Valen
had done, and willed the ruby to make her fist glow like Valen's. She
looked back, and was surprised to see that it had worked. She slammed
her fist into the wall. The room shook with the impact. The wall
crumbled as though a small explosion had taken place. Rose hoped it
would stop falling apart soon or the castle might follow it. It
eventually stopped collapsing.
'Yes! You did it!' Valen shouted. 'That was your first try, I've never
seen anything like it!' He noticed that Rose was holding her fist in
her other hand, with an expression of pain on her face. 'Oh, you hurt
yourself.' He took her hand and looked at her anxiously. He stared at
her for a few seconds, then dropped her hand quickly and looked down.
They were both blushing furiously.
'Are you alright?' He asked, still blushing.
'I'll be fine.' Rose assured him.
Rose frowned, mystified as she saw the air behind Valen start to
shimmer. He turned around to see what she was looking at. As they
watched, the patch of air darkened and became more solid. It settled
into a person, hovering a few inches above the ground.
'You!' Rose hissed.
'Aww, a tender moment. Been training, princess?' Desir?e spat the last
word.
'Get out of here witch,' Valen shouted, 'or I'll call the
guards!'
'I'm so scared.' Said Desir?e mockingly. She looked straight at him and
her eyes narrowed.
Valen crumpled like he'd been punched in the stomach. He slammed
against the wall behind him and slid, unmoving, to the floor.
Rose screamed as Desir?e calmly walked up to her. She could do that
with a look?
'Oh shut up.' Desir?e said. 'So, Your Highness, want to mess with
me?'
'No! I didn't&;#8230;' Rose had no idea what to do.
'Tough.' Desir?e swung her arm around to hit Rose in the face. Without
thinking, Rose brought her own arm up and blocked it.
Desir?e smiled maliciously and kneed Rose in the stomach. This time the
blow hit, and Rose staggered backwards and fell to the ground. 'Help
me!' She cried, half to the ruby and half to whoever might be in
hearing range. She felt a swift surge of energy and struggled to her
feet. She decided to try the punch that Valen had showed her. She
willed her hand to get that aura around it as it had done before, and
almost laughed with relief when it worked. She threw a punch at
Desir?e's face, and watched her flinch in pain. She ducked Desir?e's
next attack, but failed to realise that the next kick was coming until
it hit her hard. Desir?e smiled, satisfied, and moved in for another
punch before Rose had time to recover. Rose drew back in fear, knowing
that there was no way she could avoid this one.
Desir?e swung her fist down, but stopped halfway to Rose's face as her
own face contorted with pain. 'Stop that that you
little&;#8230;'
Rose looked up, and with a leap of joy saw Valen holding onto Desir?e's
hair and pulling hard. He reached down and picked up his sword, then
swung it hard at her. Her furious face was the last thing Rose saw
before she disappeared with the same rushing sound as last time.
Rose grinned painfully and walked over to Valen. 'You got rid of
her!'
Valen smiled back. 'Yeah. Are you okay?'
'I'll be fine in a bit. How about you? She hit you pretty hard.' Rose
felt a little guilty that Valen had been hurt when Desir?e had come for
her.
'Oh don't worry about me.' Said Valen. 'I'm the one who's supposed to
be looking after you.' He looked at her guiltily. 'Although I'm not
doing a very good job of that, am I?'
Rose impulsively hugged him. 'I'm alright aren't I? And I wouldn't be
if you hadn't been here!' She stepped back, suddenly feeling shy. For
the second time since they'd met she noticed that his face was flaming
as much as hers. 'Let's go.' She suggested. 'Desir?e could be back at
any moment.'
They walked back to the throne room in silence. When they reached the
large chamber, they discovered Galdoran and Rose's father talking to a
man that Rose didn't know. 'Good afternoon.' Said Darmiel. 'How did the
training go?'
Rose looked quickly at Valen. 'It was, um, interesting.' She said
delicately.
'Desir?e showed up.' Valen told them. 'She hit me pretty hard, so Rose
had to fight her. For a first fight she was incredible!'
Rose smiled. 'She almost got me though. I hate to think what would have
happened if Valen hadn't been there.'
Valen looked embarrassed and changed the subject. 'I'm glad you're safe
Your Highness.' He was looking at the stranger talking to her
father.
The man was about twenty, with brown hair and dark eyes. 'Yes.' He
replied. 'It gives me the chance to finally meet my sister. Sirena, you
look just like our mother.'
So this was her brother, Tolven. 'Where is she anyway?' It occurred to
Rose that no-one had mentioned her mother the whole time she'd been in
the palace.
Her brother looked uncomfortable. 'Sirena, I'm afraid our mother is
dead. She was murdered by Desir?e in an attempt to kill you.
Rose felt mixed feelings of anger and sadness wash over her. She looked
straight at Tolven. 'Well that's another reason to crush Desir?e isn't
it.' She said, her voice carrying all the emotion she felt.
'I hoped you'd see it that way!' Said Tolven with a steely glint in his
eye.
Darmiel turned to Rose. 'This afternoon you will be going down into the
village with Kallin, Talitha and Nerina, if that is alright with
you.'
'That's fine.' Said Rose.
'Valen, would you go and bring them? They should be in their rooms.'
Asked Darmiel.
Valen nodded and left.
'Did the witch try to take your Stone?' Asked Galdoran.
'No, she just attacked me!' exclaimed Rose.
'Then the protection I placed on you is still effective. However, you
must still be vigilant, as Desir?e could try to take you to the one
person who could break my enchantment.'
'Who is that?' Asked Rose. She had forgotten about that protection. But
Desir?e had hurt her, it seemed that she, Rose, could be harmed, but
not killed.
'Her brother, King Sytherus, is the only one with power to match mine.'
Galdoran answered her.
Rose looked at the door that was now opening, and saw Valen returning
with Kallin, Talitha and Nerina.
'Come with us.' Said Nerina.
Rose followed her through the door that they had come through a moment
ago, up two flights of stairs and down a long corridor. They reached a
row of doors.
'In here.' Said Nerina.
They entered the room, which was long and narrow. It had cupboards and
drawers down each side and a changing screen in one corner. There was a
dressing table covered with bottles and pots of all kinds, and a huge,
roaring fire keeping the room warm.
'This is all yours.' Said Talitha, quietly. 'It was saved for when you
returned.'
'Get out Kallin.' Nerina told him. 'This is girls only.'
Kallin looked disappointed, but left without a word.
'Right,' said Nerina, turning to Rose. 'Our first task is to make you
look like a princess. Talitha, Go and get the dress we chose
before.'
Talitha smiled shyly and walked over to a wardrobe behind Rose. She
took out a long, pale lilac dress. 'Try this on. You can go behind that
screen.' She pointed to the changing screen.
Rose took the dress from her and smiled her thanks. She walked behind
the large, white screen. When she was wearing the dress, she walked out
again into the room.
'You look just like a princess!' Said Talitha, then she blushed.
'Well we did well then didn't we.' Enthused Nerina. 'You'll have to
excuse Talitha.' She said to Rose. 'She's always wanted to meet a real
princess, and she's awfully shy as it is.'
Rose smiled. 'That's okay. I'm not a proper princess anyway. Well, not
really.'
She definitely felt more like a princess now she was wearing this long
dress, anyway.
Nerina guided her to the dressing table, and she sat down.
Talitha pulled the bobble out of Rose's hair, and began to brush it
while Nerina crossed the room again, pulled open a drawer and retrieved
something that Rose couldn't see, but which filled her arms. She walked
back and placed her load on the dressing table. It was an array of
tiaras. There were gold ones, silver ones, ones with jewels and
carvings sculpted into the metal.
Nerina smiled. 'Take whichever you like. They're all yours.'
Rose thought for a moment, then chose a silver one with a single
amethyst set in the centre that glowed as the firelight glanced off its
facets. Talitha took it and placed it on Rose's head. 'Perfect.' She
said. 'Everyone's going to love you!'
Rose smiled at her. It was the first time she had heard the girl speak
above a whisper. 'Thank you.'
Nerina opened the door. 'This way princess. Your Father has asked that
we take you with us when we go down into the village to pick up some
supplies. You can see some more of the Kingdom.'
Rose followed her out of the room.
Kallin was waiting outside. When he saw Rose, his eyes widened and he
bowed deeply. 'Your Highness.' He murmured.
Rose giggled. 'Just call me Rose. I'm not really a princess, I mean I
only found out yesterday!'
'If that's what you want&;#8230;' Said Kallin uncertainly.
'It is.' Said Rose. 'I just want everyone to call me by my name.'
'Well now that's settled, we need to go get Valen.' Said Nerina
brightly.
Rose's attention was instantly caught. 'Why?'
'Well if you're coming with us we need someone to protect us. The witch
has attacked you twice in two days, we can't risk it.' She stopped
suddenly and knocked on the door that she now faced.
Rose heard Valen's voice coming from inside the room.
'Come in.'
Nerina pushed open the door and walked in. Valen was sitting on a bed.
He put a book that he was holding on a small table. Rose looked at it.
It was the newest Harry Potter book.
'Harry Potter?' She asked. 'But you live in a world with enough magic
anyway!'
He smiled shyly. 'Yeah, well, I got into them a few years ago.'
Rose nodded. 'Me too. Which was your favourite? I liked the fourth one,
it&;#8230;'
'Sorry to interrupt, but we really should be setting off.' Said Nerina,
almost scolding them.
Valen stood up and joined the small group.
Nerina led the way through a series of rooms and passages, until they
walked through a large door and stood outside in the castle grounds.
She carried on through the gardens and Rose saw a wooden building in
front of them.
'The stables.' Nerina told her.
They went inside to be greeted by the sight of a dozen horses in
separate stalls look up from their food troughs and watch them.
Nerina, Talitha and Kallin immediately went over to three brown horses
at the end of the room. Valen found his way to a huge black
charger.
Kallin looked at Rose. 'That one's yours.' He pointed to a white pony.
'She hasn't got a name yet, she's been waiting for you to name
her.'
Rose grinned. 'I've always wanted my own horse!'
Valen looked worried. 'There's one problem, though. She's never ridden
a horse before.'
'She'll be fine.' Said Kallin confidently. 'It's not difficult once you
get the hang of it.'
Rose smiled, trying to look confident. She placed one foot in the
stirrup and tried to swing herself into the saddle. She almost made it,
but misjudged it slightly, slipped, and slid ungracefully to the
ground.
'Your Highness, are you okay?' Valen ran over to her.
'Call me Rose.' She said. She looked up at him, embarrassed. 'Yeah, I'm
fine, but someone please tell me how to get on that thing!' She looked
reproachfully at the little white horse, which looked disapprovingly
back at her.
Nerina laughed. 'Try it again.' She said. 'But be a little more careful
this time.'
Rose nervously swung herself into the saddle. She hadn't fallen off!
She was really getting the hang of this now.
'Yeah!' She cheered. 'Let's go!'
The others nudged their horses slightly and set off at a walk. Rose did
the same and her horse began to move at a slow pace.
Valen rode beside her. 'See, you're doing alright now, aren't you?' He
smiled. 'What are you calling her?'
Rose thought for a moment. 'Destiny.' That seemed to fit, anyway.
'Cool.'
'What is this village that we're going to anyway?'
'It's called Kasako.' He answered. 'I used to live right by it. It's
just a small market village.'
They rode at a steady walk for a while. Kallin pulled his horse up next
to hers as they picked their way down a steep hill.
He looked at her with a confident pride in his eyes. 'Is it true that
you're going to save us from the Gorans?'
Rose smiled reflectively. 'So I've been told. Are they really a problem
here?'
Kallin's confidence turned to shock. 'You mean you don't know?'
What do these people expect of me? Rose thought. I've only been here
two days and they expect me to be a walking miracle! She looked
straight ahead. 'Well I haven't really been here long.'
Kallin nodded slowly. 'Yes, I forget how little you must know about our
world. About five thousand years before the Rising stone was found,
which is as far back as our history goes, our countries lived in peace.
We traded goods, made friends with people in Gora, and
everything&;#8230; well, everything worked. But then King Uran
SerpentTongue came to the throne of Gora. He was a cruel and power
hungry king, and was envious of the fields and rivers that make our
land good for farming, and of the rich towns and villages in Syra. He
convinced his people that our king, Karana the shrewd, was planning an
attack. He spread confusion and hatred throughout Gora, until not a
single Goran trusted Syra. They are a lot stronger than we are. The
only way we have been able to hold them off all these years is because
of the Order of Kandar.'
'The order of Kandar?' Rose was amazed at how deep the mistrust and
hatred went.
'They are a team of four or five warriors. They change from time to
time, but they always have the same mission; to keep Syra safe from the
Gorans no matter what. Kandar was the first, the warrior-king, the
greatest fighter the Order has ever had.'
Rose thought that this sounded incredibly brave. Four or five people
standing up to a whole country! 'Who are the Order now?'
Kallin smiled gently. 'Galdoran the Wizard, your brother Tolven, and
Valen. I think they might be expecting you to join once you're
ready.'
'Me?' Rose sat up straight. 'Why me?'
'Because you can.' The pride showed again in Kallin's face. 'We have
been waiting for you for three millennia.'
'And Valen is in it?' This didn't surprise her as much. He had already
been asked to train Rose.
'He's always wanted to be. His father was one of the best fighters for
centuries, almost as good as the legendary Kandar. Gora didn't have a
soldier to match him in combat, so King Sytherus himself came into the
battle, and killed him violently. Valen saw it all. Valen's father
passed on that sword to his son when he died at the hands of the Dragon
King. Valen was only five, but from that day he vowed to avenge his
father and make Sytherus pay.'
Rose sat open mouthed as they travelled down the hillside. Valen was
riding ahead, so he couldn't have heard what they were saying. Rose
found herself looking at him in a different light. He wasn't just some
silly boy trying to show off by acting tough, he knew the danger. His
father, one of the best fighters in history, had been killed, and Valen
was trying to avenge his death by fighting the same dangerous
people.
The sight of a number of small buildings in the distance diverted
Rose's attention. She turned back to Kallin. 'Is that it?' She asked
him.
'Yes, that's Kasaka Village.' He replied.
They travelled the rest of the journey in silence, riding faster now
that the village was in sight.
When they passed through the gates, Rose followed the rest of the group
through the small village, looking with interest at the market stalls,
some filled with fruit, others with cloth, or meat, or spices. She saw
little houses that looked like they'd fallen out of the pages of a
fairytale, she watched people walk by, the women wearing long, simple
dresses and carrying baskets of food, and many of the men with swords
strapped to their belts or backs.
They dismounted, and led their horses through the narrow streets. As
they passed, many people turned and bowed, watching Rose
delightedly.
'What are they doing?' Rose whispered to Nerina.
Nerina looked surprised. 'They know who you are! News obviously travels
fast in Kasaka.'
All Rose could do was smile gracefully. She stood, frozen, until Nerina
and Talitha led her away. They steered her to a stall selling
fruit.
'Would you like to look around with Kallin and Valen while Nerina and I
go and buy the food?' Talitha asked Rose, then looked quickly at
Nerina, as though to check that this was alright.
Nerina nodded, and Rose thought that she should really see some more of
the village.
'Yeah, sure.' She smiled. 'I'll see you later then.'
Nerina looked over to Kallin. 'Meet us here in half an hour. If you're
late then we'll skin you alive.' She smiled sweetly. 'Is that
alright?'
Kallin sighed and looked sulkily at Nerina's retreating back.
'Is she like that often?' Rose asked, feeling sorry for him.
'Only with me.' He replied. 'She's always like that with me.' He looked
miserable.
Valen laughed. 'And it means you look bad in front of Talitha, doesn't
it?' He looked mischievously at Kallin.
Rose's mouth fell open. She grinned and raised her eyebrows
questioningly. Valen's answering wink told her everything she needed to
know.
I'll have to see if I can sort that one out, she thought. Kallin and
Talitha&;#8230; They'd make a cute couple!
She thought about it for a minute, then smiled wistfully. She'd only
been here five minutes and already she was trying to interfere with
things! That always got her into trouble at school.
'I'll put in a good word for you, Kallin .' Rose assured him. 'So,
where should we go?'

After half an hour of looking around the village, Kallin, Rose, and
Valen headed back to the horses.
Rose was smiling and happy. In the time they'd spent together, she felt
she'd got to know the two young men much better. Kallin was cheerful
and easily excited, while Valen was trusting and easy to get on with,
but of course he already knew Rose much better than she knew him. Even
so, she found herself looking at him whenever she could avoid being
spotted, and a smile seemed to involuntarily touch her lips when she
thought of him.
She bit her lip thoughtfully. This strange double life should be much
harder to accept than Rose was making it, but perhaps that was part of
her nature. She'd always been imaginative, her mind sending her
spiralling off into fantastical dream-worlds with a moment's
opportunity. This was just like a dream become reality. Her ordinary,
mundane life was dragging along, taking her from day to day barely
noticing a difference, so perhaps this was just what she needed.
What she needed right now though, was to get back home before her mum
started to worry and ring her friends to see where she was.

CHAPTER 3: Rest?

Rose woke up, her heart racing and her hair streaming in rivulets down
her face and neck. She'd been dreaming. Dreaming about being chased by
a shadow that darted through trees and squeezed under doors. Well she
could tell where that had come from. This was all getting too intense,
she needed a day off from this dream world that was invading her
nightmares.
6:50, blinked the clock. Well, she'd have to be getting up in ten
minutes anyway. She slowly climbed out of bed, feeling the cold air
brush her toes and curl about her legs.
She crossed the room to the window, pulling back the pale purple
curtain to look outside. A light snow dusted the ground like icing
sugar, and still fell from the angry looking grey sky. Not such a long
time ago she would have been excited by it, but, she reminded herself,
there were more exciting things than snow out there.
Like another world where magic really existed, and she was the daughter
of a king?
Or like a certain person with blonde hair and trusting blue eyes?
She sighed, but not altogether sadly. She pulled a pair of faded jeans
from her wardrobe, and hesitated for a second before grabbing a blue
T-shirt. When dressed, she brushed her hair before tugging it into her
usual ponytail.
It was though nothing had happened. Something incredible, impossible
had occurred, and the world carried on, didn't know, didn't care.
A frantic knock at the door sent her spinning back to reality. 'Come
in.' She called.
The door swung inwards as though battered by a stampeding elephant, and
it might as well have been, as Rose's little brother charged into the
room with all the force of one.
'Have you seen it Rose? It's snowing!' The six-year-old enthused.
Rose smiled. 'Good morning to you too!' She said softly, ruffling his
hair.
Ryan didn't notice. 'I'm going to find Mum. Bye!' He careered out of
the room, making sure that his feet pounded the floor just a little
harder than was necessary.
Little kids! They seemed to have a natural compulsion to make
noise.
Rose followed him downstairs and into the kitchen. she smiled at her
mum. 'Good morning!'
Her mum smiled back and said 'Good morning dear.'
She picked up a box of cereal and pulled a face. She hated cereal, but
her mum and dad always insisted that she ate breakfast.
She finished the cereal quickly and dumped the bowl in the sink.
Grabbing her bag from the chair, she said goodbye to her mum and little
brother and set off for school. She wasn't in too much of a hurry, so
she took her time walking, looking at the prints of her trainers in the
untouched snow of the path. She heard a sound behind her and whipped
round, searching for any sign of movement. Paranoid! She rebuked
herself while walking slightly faster.
A hand rested on her shoulder. Rose cried out, hardly daring to look
around. She forced herself to and saw&;#8230;
'Valen!' Her breathing began to return to normal. 'You scared me to
death! I thought you were Desir?e or someone.'
'I'm sorry.' He looked sorry. He was wearing
'That's okay, just warn me next time. What are you doing here?'
He grinned. 'Well you still need to be protected, and since you know
who I am now, I thought it would be alright to walk with you until you
get to school.'
Rose nodded, glad that he was there.
He looked down. 'Your shoelace is untied.'
Rose bent down to tie it, and Valen immediately dropped a handful of
snow down her back. He laughed and backed out of Rose's reach.
Rose responded by scooping up a double handful of snow and throwing it
as hard as she could towards Valen. Now it was her turn to laugh as it
hit him in the side of the head, and grinning, she ran away as he
playfully chased her.
She arrived at school rosy-cheeked from running and soaking wet from
the snowball fight that had broken out between them.
Valen came up to the gates. 'I'll see you after school.'
'What will you do all day?' Rose asked.
Valen smiled deviously. 'I'll be making a huge pile of
snowballs.'
Rose looked at him in mock terror, then waved and disappeared through
the tall, iron gates.
Valen stared after her for a while, and then walked away.
Rose walked through the familiar hallway with its brightly coloured
displays and models. Late for registration. She quickened her pace,
turning corners and going through doors.
She eventually reached the room in which her form met each
morning.
Branton High School, you have a new princess.
She wondered what would happen if people knew. Her headmistress would
probably be fawning all over her; Your Highness this, Your Highness
that. She'd definitely be more popular! People she didn't know the
names of would hang round, but her real friends would almost certainly
think it was strange. They wouldn't see a difference in her. She smiled
as she thought of her best friends, Sunny and Tara.
Sunny completely lived up to her name. She was always bright and happy,
and very few people had ever seen her without a smile. Tara on the
other hand, had perfected her pout. She was into boys in a big way and
was always conscious of looking her best.
She sauntered into the room, trying to look as though she had no idea
she was late.
'Rose Cox!' Screeched her form councillor, thin-faced Miss Trindle.
'Late again! One more time and I'll be forced to give you a detention.'
She said this as if she would like nothing better than to give Rose a
detention.
Rose glared at her, although inside she was laughing hysterically at
Miss Trindle's strange red jacket and skirt, which she wore over a blue
blouse. Her glasses were perched on the very tip of her nose. This was
probably her worst look yet.
She walked across the room and sat down next to Sunny. 'Hate Trindle.'
She muttered.
Sunny looked questioningly at her. 'Why are you so late today? You're
always on time, usually.'
Rose thought about Valen and their snowball fight. She smiled, ever so
slightly. 'I&;#8230;just got held up on the way.' Was her feeble
excuse.
Sunny accepted it. 'What've we got first?'
'Maths I think.'
A bell rang somewhere in the building, and the class raced for the
door.
Looks like all of them would rather face maths than another minute with
Trindle, thought Rose.
She herself was almost running, with Sunny walking leisurely behind
her.
Sunny would rather cut off her own arm than dislike someone, even a
teacher. Rose shook her head and carried on.
The maths room was quite close to their form room, so it didn't take
long for them to arrive. Tara was already in her seat. Sunny and Rose
pulled out their usual chairs next to her and sat down.
'Have a good weekend?' Asked Rose.
'Oh, yeah.' Tara answered. 'I met this guy called Rob, he's so sweet!
I'll have to introduce you to him sometime.'
Rose smiled weakly. She knew the type of guys that Tara usually hung
around with.
Their teacher, Mr. Marsden, came striding into the room. A stocky,
balding man in his late fifties, he automatically assumed that everyone
was as enthusiastic about maths as he was.
He marched over to the whiteboard, uncapped a green marker pen (he
liked to use his different coloured pens the same amount, so that they
all ran out at the same time), and wrote the word 'statistics' in large
letters.
Rose dropped her head on to the desk with a thud. 'Someone please shoot
me now.' She groaned.
She spent a very productive lesson decorating her ruler with tip-ex.
When the bell finally rang, Tara appeared to wake up from a deep
stupor, but on the other side of her, Sunny sat attentively listening
to Mr. Marsden's lesson.
Model student, Rose thought. Why can't I be like that?
Neither Sunny or Tara were in Rose's English class, and Rose sat next
to a girl called Becca Kitts.
'Mind if I copy your homework?' Hissed Becca.
Rose shook her head and pushed the book across the desk.