PROLOGUE:
Ani sat by the fire in her familiar spot with a worn and tattered blanket covering just enough of her arms to keep her content. Normally she would dream she was an adventurer looking for new excitement, or a princess leading a band of theives, but she could not find anything that could keep her aching heart from distress...all she could do was sit and stare at the wall in front of her blankly, and wonder what she had done wrong. there she was, about to be carried away by strangers into a new family, home, life and she had no power to defy. It was only a few moments untill there was a knock to her door and her mother stepped into the room "It's time for you to go now ani". Ani opened her mouth in protest with tears welling up in her eyes to replace the dried ones. Her mothers blue eyes and blonde hair scaresly showed in the dim light, but you could still make out the serious and stern expression on her face. Ani thought for a moment, but closed her mouth and wiped the tears from her eyes. There was no use fighting with her mother now. She got up and walked towards the door when her mother stopped her halfway. "i want you to have this..." she reached into her pocket and handed ani a small gold necklace containing three clear stones embeded into it's edge. Ani gazed up at her mother with a sharp suprised expression, and pierced her mother's distant unemotional face to where, for a moment, Ani thought she could see a hint of compassion for her that she had never seen before. Now the light had changed on an idea that was once distant and dark in Ani's mind. Mabye the path her mother had chosen for her would be the start of something greater than herself. Once Ani stepped out the door and into the hands of a life unknown, she thought to herself, this would be the beginning of an adventure of her very own.