The Forest of Lithran

Ok so to start us off here is my fondest, most ignored idea xD

It's a medieval-fantasy.

The vast and wild forest of Lithran, endless in the old language, is where suitable, hand-picked citizens of Belegarda are taken to train and to protect their country from the creatures of the other-land, who Belegarda has been warring against for centuries. How long they must serve is not defined, it's more of a how long until they find, or win, a way out.
The chosen citizens will find upon their arrival (i.e waking up unconscious on the forest floor) that they may have few memories of their personal lives before they were chosen, it varies from person to person, some remember everything yet some remember nothing; they are the first to die. The Officials proclaim it's the affect of being outside the city's protected walls, but some say otherwise...
Upon awakening the new trainees also find that they have been placed close to the home of a Guardian, a trainee who has fought, survived and entertained the public enough to be promoted by the Officials into this "Moderator" position. It is their responsibility to provide initial training for the new trainee that is placed outside their door every 3 years, provide experienced "guarding" of Lithran and keeping the trainees and Forest-Born "in-line", even killing them if necessary, but also to keep it entertaining. For the occurrences of Lithran's trainees have long been observed by the citizens of Belegarda as entertainment, the trainee with the largest following after 5 years wins a return to Belegarda, while the others remain in Lithran. Bets are a common thing, the less privileged of the citizens have even been known to blow their entire life's savings in the hope of gaining fortune from a favoured trainee outlasting the others. The Guardians -or Entertainers as they're sometimes called- each have their own special motif or characteristic, some having large followings and popularity amongst the population, and for doing all this and obeying the Officials they're paid with the ability to return to Belegarda once per year. If they don't, they die.
 Escape from Lithran is deemed almost impossible, only a handful of trainees have actually returned to Belegarda over the 100 years the tradition's been held, and not all returned sane.
 The environment of Lithran is mostly wild and endless forest, the trees seem to reach up for miles and to find a clearing is rare. There are many forts, camps and settlements in the trees of course. The forts being either abandoned or accompanied by a Guardian, and the settlements can be the size of a village. For they are made and inhabited by trainees, old and new, their families and the "Forest Born", people descended from the early trainees and have never seen the inside of the City Walls. However many many miles to the west the forest eventually subsides and there are the desolate plains and eventually deserts of the other-land. To the east are the 80 ft high walls of Belegarda. If you went North you'd eventually come to the shores of Belegarda, but the Officials would never allow that.
 There are 27 Guardians, and each one can have 1-7 mentored trainees, depending on their status and endurance of their trainees. Each having ranks among themselves, as to them the whole thing has become a race to get the most points, amass the largest following and get the most time to go home. For example Orodar the Barbarian is a very popular Guardian with a large following and power, few of the Guardians would dare to cross him but even he wouldn't dare to cross Angelo, the top Guardian.
 Not all trainees do as they are intended however. Some, particularly the older ones or those who remember the least, do all they can to gather the memories and knowledge of the other trainees and try to piece together why they were sent here, and what they're really supposed to be doing in the wilds of Lithran. They are known as the Banished. It was them who discerned that they were brain-washed, and it is now, after 100 years of gathering memories, that they've realised Lithran isn't just a training ground, a game or a war against the other-world; it's a prison.
 Of course the other trainees, Guardians and Forest-Born refuse to listen to or accept it, because everyone knows that anyone who go against the Officials are abandoned and scorned, no chance of gaining a following, favour of a Guardian, no chance of going home.


The story follows a new trainee, Vivianna, and her rise to the top. Her Guardian is Kookaburra, a popular Guardian whose quirks, antics and wit are renowned in Belegarda, but he has not mentored a trainee for a while. Or he has, but never one so weak and oblivious as Vivianna. She's shockingly skinny and remembers nothing of her past life, which hasn't happened since the time of the first trainees, and Kookaburra is unwillingly responsible for educating her in the ways of Lithran. She's quick to learn the combat and survival skills required, more so than any trainee he's ever had, and his curiosity is instantly piqued.
 At first Vivianna is scorned for her cluelessness as to Belegarda and Lithran, by the Guardians and the public, as is Kookaburra for having such a hopeless trainee, but then she begins to show her prowess in combat and sassy personality and people begin to pay attention. Then when Kookaburra throws her out into the world when his new trainee arrives (as the Guardians are supposed to) she goes under the radar as she gains her footing in the forest world of Lithran and people lose interest, thinking she was nothing once her Guardian let go of her hand, and turned their eyes to the more popular and new trainees.
 She discovers the settlement-in-the-trees of Silverbark, one of the largest ones, and tries to find a place of shelter amongst the residents there. They're reluctant but when she proves her ability to ward off the Snatchers, Rassgor and other wild creatures of Lithran they welcome her with wide arms, which is an impressive feat for a new trainee. In Silverbark she meets one of the Banished, an old man called Jhonil who has miraculously gained a place in Silverbark as an apothecary. He's confused when he recognises her -but can't remember why- and hints towards the true nature of Lithran to her. The residents of Silverbark warn her away from him but imbued with curiosities and confusion as to who she is, she ignores them. Also while she's there Orodar (handsome as he is) expresses his attraction to her and she puts him down harshly, and in doing so gains a powerful enemy. People begin to pay attention to her again for the wrong reasons and, afraid she's going to get herself Banished, Kookaburra returns and persuades her to pursue the competition and top ranks of the trainees, to get a chance to return to the home she can't remember.
 Vivianna agrees and the race is on, to gain the favour of the public and all she can to win that ticket to her past. Events and the odds are conspiring against her, she's been out of the game for 3 precious months and the public have already set their hearts on other trainees, she has one of the top 5 Guardians set on making everything hard for her and she has no past experiences to rely on. However she also has the favour of the wiliest and wittiest Guardian there is (though he cannot be so obvious about it as Guardians aren't strictly allowed to target trainees, no matter what the intent.) and the advantage of being a rising underdog, which everyone loves.
 The halfway point of the trainee competition is reached and celebrated with a ball in a castle overlooking the North shore of Belegarda, attended by the top 20 trainees and Guardians, and the Officials and upper classes of Belegarda. In it Vivianna formally meets her top competitors, and most importantly she can talk to Kookaburra without worry of being watched. He's reluctant to be seen with her and pointedly tries to ignore her, but in a hushed conversation in a hallway he finally talks to her and voices his concerns over the Official's strange lack of attention on Orodar's obvious plagiarism of her. However after discussing all they needed to over tactics etc he leaves her abruptly, leaving her disheartened and feeling pushed away as she was sure there was something between them.
 Then later in the ball a commoner who was lucky enough to win tickets corners her and gushes over how she's his hero etc, refuses to let her get past him and his tone slides into sarcasm and mockery of  "how people in Belegarda secretly adore her, the unsung hero of the other-land.". Vivianna is thrown by his last words and he goes even closer to her, sneering and saying how long he's waited for this moment, then he attacks her. With her arms trapped beneath her and legs encumbered by her dress she has no way to defend herself, and it's Angelo who rescues her. Never having seen him before, she thanks him not knowing who he is and is taken off to the medicals, confused and fuming at how she saw Kookaburra just watching with a pale face when he could easily have intervened.
 The competition is resumed two days later and they're all sent back to Lithran, Vivianna is fully intending to ignore Kookaburra but doesn't need to as she doesn't see him for two weeks. She's beginning to struggle under the harassment of Orodar and the other trainees teaming up against her when he suddenly appears outside of her tree-house. He apologises for his actions (and lack of them) at the ball, saying that it's vital the Officials don't see any favouritism between them as they're definitely targeting her now, because he's realised who she is, and why so many trainees keep thinking they recognise her. He's been away because he was using his one-use ticket to Belegarda to research his suspicions. Vivianna is touched he used it up for her and her anger dissipates as he tells her that she needs to make some allies, a firm base to return to because she can't always rely on him, and because he loves her.
 So after Kookaburra leaves to keep up his appearance as a Guardian, and to try and look into what he discovered some more (he can't tell her until the end-of-competition ball as the Officials are always watching over Lithran) Vivianna takes up his advice and mingles among the trainees, gaining some friendship out of a few higher ones, gains a following amongst many of the lower ones and even the interest of some of the Guardians.
 Her position in the competition rankings has lowered without the discreet help of Kookaburra but she's still clinging on to the top 10, but then the Officials announce that the last trial (an extreme obstacle course used to determine the winners out of the top 5 trainees at the end of the competition) has been brought on early "due to a sudden influx of new trainees" and Vivianna is certain that she'll never to be able to make it. She hasn't seen Kookaburra (not counting his usual Guardian appearances) for weeks due to increased scrutiny from the Officials and has no way of knowing what he needed to tell her that he'd realised.
 However the sudden change to the competition's timetable suddenly sparks Johnil's memory to the last time this happened, the last time the Officials wanted to kill and ruin a rising trainee. He urges Vivianna over and tells her the story of how the leader of the other-land was captured and publicly humiliated and questioned in Belegarda. Then, to humiliate him even further, they wiped his memory and put him into the Lithran Forest where he was obliterated. He shows Vivianna a painting of him, painted by a Forest-Born he fell for, and the resemblance is unmistakable.
 It's the night of the Last Trial and the course is set up with the Guardians alongside it to make it even harder (by whatever means) and a big audience at the end of the course. As the trainees are preparing Kookaburra meets Vivianna in her dressing room and reveals the truth of who she is to her, not sure of his own safety as a favoured Guardian anymore.
 He tells her she is indeed the daughter of the last ruler of the other-land, but she was adopted into Belegarda as a child as the other-land was being ransacked by the Belegardian army. As she became a young adult and realised the truth of her father and her country, she rebelled against the Belegardian leaders and amassed a huge rebellion amongst the commoners of Belegarda against the treatment of the other-land, the unnecessity of the Lithran trainees and the citizens' restriction of staying within Belegarda. They were stopped by the Belegardian army and speaking of her was forbidden, and she was condemned to the Forest of Lithran, and they wiped her memory so she wouldn't even think of rebelling again.
 Time is running out and Kookaburra has to get back into position, he begs her not to do anything radical because if she wins the Officials will surely kill her themselves, but Vivianna is far too angry to pay attention.
 The Trial begins and Vivianna is up against her fellow competitors, the Guardians *and* the course. It features gigantic spiked wooden logs which they must leap over and not get crushed inbetween, hordes of Snatchers and Hrassgor that they must defeat, giant trees to climb up and navigate and so on, all before the other competitors. One competitor had the idea to kill the others so there was no one left but him, which resulted in a mass-battle but Vivianna avoided it and, spurred on by anger against the Officials, even made her way up from tenth to second place. Kookaburra is watching her with concern and as she looks up at him she sees 3 Officials watching him carefully that he hasn't noticed, and she realises that it isn't just her own life in the balance. The roars of the crowd are deafening as they watch her race neck-and-neck with the leading competitor, she can't just drop back as that would be obvious, in fact if she makes any mistakes at the so simple point of just running to the finish line it would be plainly obvious, and the Officials would think she was planning something by not winning. The taunts of the Guardians are echoing around her and as they turn the corner the finish line is in sight. It isn't the finish line to a one-way return to Belegarda and her freedom, it's to Kookaburra's death, and there's nothing she can do. Then she looks back up at the Guardians running along the ridges next to them and sees that Kookaburra has now foolishly given up his Guardian front and is just frowning in despair. Then she catches the eye of the man who saved her at the ball, it's Angelo, the top Guardian, loved and respected by everyone, no ties to her or Kookaburra and the only one who could possibly have the ability to hit her at this speed. She thinks quickly and opts to act cocky, and gives him a gesture which means victory while also flicking her eyes meaningly towards Kookaburra. Having been watching his Guardian friend with some concern himself, and knowing just who Vivianna is and the disastrous results that would come of her victory, he catches on to what she means immediately and throws one of his knives directly at her. It is after all, a Guardian's responsibility to keep things interesting.
 However even Angelo and all his skill couldn't aim at this speed accurately, and though he may have just intended it to hit her leg the blade catches her square in the back. Vivianna is sent sprawling onto the floor, only just tumbling to a stop before the last pit. Kookaburra almost stops in shock but Angelo throws him to the ground before anyone can notice, that and his cries of grief are thankfully lost in the screams of the crowd, their attention fixed on the fallen ex-rebel and star underdog, and the victorious trainee.

So Vivianna is condemned to remain in Lithran until such a time that she can win her way out of it. The Officials have breathed a sigh of relief, they have no reason to believe that Vivianna has recovered her memory and is planning another uprising, and also see no evidence that Kookaburra is conspiring with her, all thanks to Angelo.
 The Victory Ball goes on without her however as she's admitted into the healers ward in Silverbark, nobody's sure if she'll walk again or even survive it. It takes several weeks but she is released from hospital, though not with as much fluidity and speed as she once had. Jhonil advises her to take it slowly to rebuild her strength, and perhaps not to take on the Officials so brashly next time. Instead he invites her to stay with him until she can fully fend for herself again, and to help him on the new potion he's been working on, one that should makes their memories return. He also teaches her the things he knew of Belegarda and the other-land, as well as introducing her to the other Banished. One that catches her attention in particular is Johnil's assistant, a Forest-Born who's the only child of the other-land's leader, in other words, her half-brother. It's him who tells her that she's pregnant, joking that no one in Lithran can put on weight, and after getting over the initial shock she begins to worry about concealing Kookaburra's the father as it becomes more obvious...