"We have to find the one from the prophecy, if we don't find him soon we are doomed." Noland shook his head as he looked at his colleagues, he felt like they were missing something. "What are you thinking Noland?" Taeore asked from where he leaned heavily on his staff in the center of the room. He pressed his lips together, collecting his thoughts before speaking. "We are missing something. Something about the wording of the prophecy." He thrummed his fingers on the table. The room went quiet, as they waited for him to tell them his reasoning. "The prophecy never said "he"."

 

I think this is going to become my preface. 

 

This is what I'm thinking for my first chapter.

 

Chapter one. (So far)

 

“Hey, where did you go?” The call came. 

But she didn’t really want anyone to find her, especially the boy who had seen her flee. So she sat still, perched in the crook of a branch in a tall tree that overlooked the river, watching the boy approach his too long straight blond hair flopping down to cover his eyes. He looked all around, then continuing to the welcome shade of the tree he sat, laying back on the grass with his eyes closed. 

To say she was startled was an understatement, now she couldn't leave her hiding spot without him noticing her. 

She must have made some slight sound because the boy's eyes popped open, and he stared straight at her.

She froze, not blinking as he got to his feet, but her paralysis broke when he began climbing the tree.

“What do you want?” She asked sharply, hastily wiping away the tears she had let fall. He ignored her question until he was situated near her. “I wanted to make sure you were ok, my cousin shouldn't have said that about you.” 

She looked away. “No, but she wasn't wrong.” 

The boy looked at her with concern in his eyes. “No, I refuse to believe it. My cousin said that a family name means everything in the world, but it doesn't make anyone a better person. Take Violet, she is named after a sweet flower. Though she acts more like a viper. If we didn't share the same last name I would deny being related to her, my Father said the only way a name means anything, is if we live up to a higher standard than the rest of the world. Violet is just trying to make everyone think the reason she is coming to the castle is because she is a member of the Kamieron family, not because her Father wants my sister’s governess to turn her into a lady.”

He was trying to hide a smile, though it failed. Even as a ghost of one flashed across her own lips she looked away, he didn’t know what she did. 

“That’s all very well, but it doesn’t change anything. Not for me.” 

She messed with her dark brown hair, he sat silent for a moment before sighing and moving closer. 

“I am sorry for what she said.” 

“Thanks…” She still wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Oh I never introduced myself, my name is Kaleb.” He held out a hand. She hesitated before taking it with a tentative shake. 

“What’s your name?” Kaleb asked. 

“I… I don’t have one.” 

There was a pause as he considered this, but he shook his head. “I refuse to believe that a girl like you wouldn't have a name.”

“I was found on the ground just inside the orphanage as a baby, there was no note, the only thing I managed to have from then was the blanket I was bundled in. There was nothing else.” 

Kaleb looked surprised. “Surely someone must have seen who left you there.” But she was already shaking her head. “There was a massive storm that night, they only knew I was there when I began to cry at a particularly loud boom of thunder.” 

Kaleb shrugged. “So no one here knows your name. But what about other places? Would someone recognize you if you take after your mother and they know her?” They thought about it for a while, before Kaleb spoke up. “Well I am here now, why don't we think of a name that would suit you? And speaking of which, why didn't the overseer of the orphanage give you a name?” She had no need to think why, she knew. “They said it was because they didn’t want to take away the one way my parents could find me if they ever tried to find me.” She shrugged. “It was either that or maybe they thought naming me meant they would grow attached to me. Either way it only makes conversations harder to understand when they are speaking about any of the other girls, they normally get through half of a conversation before someone gets confused about which girl they're talking about.” A choking sound came from Kaleb, and as she looked over at him he burst out laughing. “Oh that is the funniest thing I have ever heard. They really gave themselves the hardest time for no reason. If anyone ever came to the orphanage they could simply tell anyone they had named you.”

He rubbed his hands together. “Ok, first things first, we are going to find a name that fits you.” She was taken aback by his searching gaze. “What?” She felt like she was dreaming. “You want to help me find out what my name is?” 

He nodded. “Of course, I want to help. Ok, first guess.” His face took on a serious expression, then he clapped his hands. “I've got it. Margret!” She nearly fell out of the tree, as she jerked back in revulsion, her face twisting in a pained look. “Margret? Really, out of all the names you could have guessed, Margret was the one you went with?” He grinned devilishly at her. “It is a sensible name, also then I could call you Peggy!” 

She couldn't stop the giggle that bubbled out. “Sorry, but you are not calling me Margret. It sounds pretentious.” 

“Fine, fine.” He held his hands out in a placating gesture. “Not Margret. But I am going to continue guessing, so I suggest that we get down from this tree before either of us fall out.” 

“O, you won't slip. Though if any of the guesses are as bad as Margret then I might be tempted to push you.” But the smile on her face took the threat out of her words and they climbed down. Now situated on the grass she took off her shoes and dipped her toes in the water. He copied her, then rattled off a list of names, half of which sounded made up, but they spent the rest of the day in each other's company. 

 

One day turned into two, then before they knew it Kaleb was due to leave. As she walked up to the large home the Kamieron family owned, she dreaded saying goodbye to the first friend she had had in a long time, but she knew Kaleb couldn't stay here forever. 

“Margret!?” The shout came from inside the house, and she groaned even as she shouted back. “I said you couldn't call me Margret!” Kaleb opened the door and grinned at her. “What? I must have not heard that. Well maybe you’d prefer… Winifred? Camilla? Ashwagandha? Oooo definitely Ashwagandha, that might be even better than Margret!” 

“Not again, how do you keep finding all of these names?” Kaleb’s grin turned sly. “I have my secrets.” He said breezily. 

“Really? I thought you just asked us for the strangest names we have ever heard.” The voice came from behind them and she turned to see it was Kaleb’s older brother Devin. He winked at her before striding into the house. Kaleb rolled his eyes. “So much for that.” He muttered, then he seemed to brighten as he looked back at her with a twinkle in his eyes. “What should we do today? There is still a good hour before everything will be ready to leave.”

 

 

Hope you all enjoied these two bits, I'm going to continue fine tuning them for the real deal. Let me know what you think of begining like that.