The carriage lurched over another bump in the road, eliciting a frustrated sigh from its sole passenger.
Devina Vaelor, junior heiress to the Vaelor estate, adjusted her silk traveling cloak and glared out the window at the passing countryside. The once-lush fields seemed duller this year, with patches of withered crops dotting the landscape.
“Driver!” she called out, her voice sharp. “I thought I made it clear I wanted a smooth journey. Is it truly beyond your capabilities to avoid every rut in this godforsaken road?”
The driver’s response was muffled, but apologetic. Devina rolled her eyes, settling back into her plush seat. She hadn’t wanted to make this trip in the first place, but her father had insisted she personally oversee the negotiations with a renowned alchemist in the southern provinces. “A future leader must take an active role in securing the family’s future,” he had said. As if she needed the reminder.
Her thoughts drifted to the tense conversations she’d overheard at the estate. Whispers of failing crops and mounting debts. But surely it was just a temporary setback. The Vaelor name had always commanded respect and would continue to do so.
Devina pushed the unsettling thoughts aside, focusing instead on the satisfaction she felt when servants scurried to fulfill her every whim, their eyes downcast, voices meek. It was the natural order of things, after all.
The carriage slowed as they approached a small village. Devina wrinkled her nose at the sight of the shabby buildings and dusty streets. Commoners went about their daily routines, some stopping to stare at the ornate carriage as it passed. She couldn’t help but notice how gaunt some of them looked, their clothes more ragged than she remembered from previous journeys.
“Don’t slow down,” Devina instructed the driver. “I have no desire to linger in this… quaint little hamlet.”
As they continued through the village, a young boy darted into the road, chasing after a wayward ball. The carriage jerked to a sudden stop, nearly throwing Devina from her seat.
“What is the meaning of this?” she demanded, leaning out the window. Her eyes fell on the wide-eyed child standing frozen before the carriage. His thin frame and patched clothes spoke of hard times, but Devina barely registered these details.
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“I’m so sorry, miss,” the boy stammered, clutching his ball. “I didn’t see—”
“Clearly,” Devina cut him off, her voice ice-cold. “Do you have any idea of the importance of my journey? Of course you don’t.” She turned her attention to the driver.
“Why are we still here? Continue on, immediately.”
The driver hesitated. “But, my lady, the boy—”
“The boy will move, or he will learn a valuable lesson about paying attention to his surroundings,” Devina said dismissively. “Now, drive on. I won’t ask again.”
With clear reluctance, the driver urged the horses forward. The boy scrambled out of the way, dropping his ball in his haste. Devina watched with detached interest as the wheel crushed the toy, leaving it flattened in the dust.
As they left the village behind, Devina allowed herself a small smile. It was a trivial incident, but it reinforced what she had always known: the world bent to the will of those born to rule it. And she, Devina Vaelor, was destined for greatness.
The smile faded as she noticed dark clouds gathering on the horizon. A storm was brewing, both literally and figuratively. She absently fingered the thin chain of her necklace, the last of her mother’s fine jewelry. The rest had mysteriously disappeared over the past year, but Devina refused to dwell on such trivial matters.
Her mission was clear, if somewhat distasteful: find the alchemist and request his assistance with their failing crops. The blight had severely impacted their lands, which, though she recognized their importance, she preferred to overlook. After all, the land was merely one of many assets that underpinned her family’s position. Nevertheless, she understood that the situation was becoming increasingly urgent.
As the carriage rounded a bend in the road, Devina’s thoughts were violently interrupted by a sudden jolt and the sound of splintering wood. Shouts erupted from outside, followed by the clash of steel.
“Bandits!” the driver yelled, his voice sharp with panic.
Devina’s heart raced as she looked out the window, seeing her guards locked in a desperate fight with a group of vicious-looking men. Her mind screamed for her to move, but she was frozen in place, paralyzed by fear.
One of her guards staggered back against the carriage, blood pouring from a deep wound. “Run, my lady! Now!”
The command jolted her into action. She flung open the door, her mind barely processing the chaos around her. She leapt from the carriage and began to run, her fine clothes tearing as she crashed through the underbrush.
A sharp pain tore through her side as a bandit’s sword sliced across her, and she gasped in agony. Blood flowed freely, but she didn’t stop. She ran, driven by pure, primal survival instinct, her vision narrowing as the forest blurred around her.