Prologue
A young woman looked down into the striking blue eyes of her infant daughter. They looked back up at her with interest before closing once again. The woman smiled.
“What will we name her?” The man’s voice boomed and echoed around the mother and child, but it was kind and caring. The women turned her gray eyes up to meet her husband’s chocolate brown ones.
“Artemis, after my great-great grandmother,” she said softly, as if trying not to wake the baby. The man smiled and nodded.
“Artemis,” he repeated, feeling the name roll smoothly off his tongue and reverberate through his ears. “It’s perfect,”
Chapter 1
“I dare you!” Conner smirked at his younger brother, Lukas. They were only 2 years apart, but Conner still acted as if he were 10 years older. Luke glared.
“Alright, I will! I bet I can touch the bottom! That’s easy!” He shivered as a breeze blew past his wet skin, and he hesitated, not wanting to do it.
“Well, what are you waiting for? You scared?” Conner taunted.
“No!” And without waiting any longer Luke dived under the water. The water was cooler out here than it was by the beach, but it almost felt good after the wind on the surface. He could feel the salt water sting his eyes, but he kept pushing downwards. The bottom never seemed to get closer, though at the same time didn’t really look that far away. Finally he touched the sand. Relieved he had done it he pushed off a rock and started swimming up. His lungs felt as if they were to burst, but he knew that the surface wasn’t far away. Just then something tangled around his foot. He looked down to see what it was, but nothing was there. He struggled against the unknown force, but it wouldn’t let go. It was dragging him down back towards the sea floor. Luke could feel his energy draining away, and his body screaming for oxygen. His mind went fuzzy, and little ants scattered across his brain. Then everything went black.
~
Luke sat up drowsily. His head throbbed and pounded uncomfortably. He shook his head, trying to remember what happened. Then it came to him like a tidal wave. Conner daring him, the force pulling him down… The information just made his head ache more. He stood up and found, to his surprise, that he was no longer wearing his swim shorts, but soft cotton clothing. He also found that he was no longer on any place that looked remotely like California. In fact, he had a feeling it wasn’t even Earth. But it must be. Somehow he had gone to some foreign country, and all he had to do was find a police man who could get him back home. But none of it made sense!! Why would he be in a foreign country? Did Conner pull him out of the ocean? Wouldn’t he remember flying on a plane to another country? The thoughts swirled around his head, unanswered questions begging to be answered. Then one impossible thought came to his head. Maybe the force in the water had pulled him through a portal to another world. But that was only in science fiction and fantasy books, right? Well, it almost looked like he was in a fairy tale, so maybe it was true. Just then he saw figures in the distance. They could explain at least something to him! He rushed towards them, stumbling over the big boots on his feet that were not his. He heard shouts from the men and figured they were calling to him.
“Hey, you! Who are you?” One of them shouted to him. He stopped in front of them, gasping for breath. Their uniforms looked official, and he hoped they could help him.
“I am Lukas Smith. My family and I were visiting California, but now I don’t know where I am. My address is 793 W. Maple Drive Idaho. And my phone number is 606-99—“ One of the men held up his hand to stop the steady stream of words coming from Luke’s mouth.
“What is this California, phone number, Maple Drive?” He asked.
“Phone. Uh, you know, that you call people on?” He held his thumb and pinky up to his ear to demonstrate. The men simply looked confused. Then there came an order from the back of the pack, and a larger man came up to the front. He was obliviously the leader.
“Take him to the princess. He is an intruder and must be dealt with,” Two men grabbed his arms tightly and started to drag him off. Luke protested. He kicked and screamed. He even attempted to bite his captor’s arms. But they were strong. Finally he just gave up, hoping this princess would have some mercy on him.
It was a long walk to wherever they were going, and this gave Luke time to imagine what this princess would look like. He envisioned her tall and slender, with long blonde hair, pulled up into an elegant up-do. Her dress was long and silken, and vibrant and beautiful. Her eyes were a soft gray color, and she was absolutely gorgeous. She moved with grace, and everyone who came near her bowed down. She was highly honored, and only those of great importance were allowed near her. She was the perfect fairy tale princess. He wondered how close to the truth he was. Probably pretty close, he reasoned. He broke away from his fantasy as they neared a small town. Little huts were in a small clearing. To one side a heavily wooded area. To the other a small blue lake and lots of wild flowers. Luke was beginning to think now more than ever that he had simply passed out and he was now dreaming all the things around him. The guards marched him to the center of the camp. The people didn’t even look up from what they were doing. Either this happened often, or Luke really was dreaming. One man stepped out from the group and addressed his leader.
“I will go find the princess,” The leader nodded, and the man hurried off. The leader then ordered all but 2 of his men to continue patrolling. Luke looked around, hoping to find a castle. Maybe it was deep in the woods, or just out of his line of vision, by the lake.
