The World of Rhune

The slight figure wove her way through the small underground tunnels of the palace. It was nearly unbearably cold beneath the hard packed snow, but was a mere chill to the girl who had grown up in a world of ice. The princess was of small stature and was composed of a lithe figure, more suited to climbing over drifts that would fall in on the lightest of weights. Her face was angular, with high cheekbones and a proud chin. Her skin was tanned from the days in the sun and her cheeks were rosy with the cold. Her hair was a sleek black that hung down to her waist and was woven back in a braid As she neared the end of the tunnel it narrowed, and she was forced to crawl on hands and knees to reach the wooden door. She pushed it open with considerable force to move the snow that had compiled there. Her soft furs and breeches would make her indistinguishable between a princess and the commoners.

Not that there were many commoners there, most of the people that lived in her country, Icladia, were nomadic herders or followed the trails of prey It wasn't until you reached the mountains that bordered the country where you would find permanent towns, mostly consisting of miners. The palace was beautiful with ice spires that climbed high into the sky and the intricate designs that decorated so many of its walls and arches. A small city surrounded it, merchants and traders who had come in the warmer summer months to sell there wares.

Mazai Kariai, or Kariai (Pronounced Ka-ri-a) for short, blinked several times to adjust to the light. The people of Icladia had adapted over the years for a small film to form over there eyes to prevent snow blindness. The princess, only the age of fifteen, was well adjusted to her homeland. The tunnels had let her out on the rim of the capital city where the livestock were kept. This was where she exactly wanted to be. She kept the hood of her fur coat up as she hurried to the stables about 300 yards away.

She was nearing it, when, from behind, a hand reached out in covered her mouth while the other restrained her hand She attempted to scream, but unable to make a sound, she bit the callused hand. "Hey!," The boy from behind exclaimed. "Sioji (Pronounced C-short a-he), you shouldn't scare me like that!" "I was only fooling around," He said has he rubbed his hand from her bite. "Well now I'm just going to have to win by even more," Kariai said with an aloft tone "Yeah right, like you could be me," He teased. "I have before," she said. "We'll see, let's go already!"

The two ran the way to the stable and they entered into its warmth The smell of the elniu reached there nose and comforted them, they both felt like they belonged among the animals and nature. The elniu were large four legged creatures, but were light in weight and had splayed hooves to kep them atop the snow. The fur was coarse ranging from whites, silvers, and blacks. The large antlers prtuded for the heads in large racks that in the wild would be used for sparring.Kariai went straight to the back were the smallest of the elniu stood in its stable. "Vasii, how I missed you," Kariai laid he head against its snout and it let out a huff in greeting. The coarse white fur of the elniu shook as Vasii knelt down on his front knees for the princess to mount. Kariai swung her foot over and was quickly atop the beast, which stood about eight feet at the shoulder.

Kariai turned towards Sioji who was atop his own favorite, Lein, a large black elniu who had the largest rack in the herd of twelve. "One day I will ride the the turetis and I will be the best warrior there was," he told her. "Well let's just see how who do on an elniu," and with the Kariai drove her knees softly into the side of Vasii and he rose, with another nudge of the knees he was out of the stable door at a trot with Lein and Sioji close behind.