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Help me with my intro please!!?

I'm writing a book for the fun of it and was wondering if i could get some input. also, i had the character's thought in italics, but it didn't show up when i copied and pasted--there are only a few though. (this is a re-post, i just wanted a little bit more feedback)

Chapter One

She was alone. Alone, but not lonesome; an important distinction Aya thought to herself. She, for the most part, enjoyed the solitary days picking through the forest. It wasn't that she disliked people, but rather the people that had constantly encircled her back at ________ Castle. Her parent's advisers had endlessly pestered her to assure themselves that she responded satisfactorily to questions and behaved properly. All that fussing had set her over the edge. Aya decided right then and there that she needed to escape. And so the beginnings of a plan formed. The goal was to escape prior to her 16th birthday since it was customary to participate more actively in court affairs once the heir was close to maturity. But Aya didn’t want anything to do with the secretive and crafty world her parents lived in. Instead, she covertly pilfered maps from her father's spymaster, ________, and amassed books that would aid her survival in the wilderness. She studied books on navigation, outdoor survival, and indigenous food of the __________ Forest. After committing it all to memory Aya planned the day of her departure: shortly after her 15th birthday.

The days passed and September 27 finally arrived. There was a huge celebration at the castle: her parents planned a banquet and invited all the royal families and under lords nearby. Loads of guests dressed in lush velvet and grandiose fur coats effusively wished her a happy 15th birthday. Her mother and father were, for once, conversing with her along with hundreds of other bothersome guests. It seemed that everyone she talked with either wanted to better their social standing or they wanted something from her or from her parents. After the vexing banquet ended and all the guests had gone Aya was in high spirits. She could finally hear herself think and she realized that in the next few days she would have an opportunity to execute her plan.

After the excitement of the banquet had worn off and the normal lull of royal life had returned Aya prepared to leave. She took hikes every day scouting escape routes, disposing of any evidence that would lead people to her whereabouts, and gathering the items she would be taking with her. Once everything was finalized, she tucked her satchel, filled with the items she would be taking, in her favorite hiding spot: an unknown closet on the first floor.

On the day of departure, October 4, she woke up knowing she had little time until dawn. The servants would be working soon, if they weren't already doing so. She dressed quickly and quietly in dull peasant clothes. She made her bed and checked to make sure her room was neat and orderly. It was. Everything was going according to plan, but she couldn't figure out why she felt like she shouldn't leave. Then, she heard something rustle. It’s probably just a squirrel outside my window Aya thought. She checked, and sure enough there was a squirrel on the window sill. But she still didn't feel at ease. She heard it again! This time it was more of a swish. Definitely not the squirrel, she rationalized. The noise was getting closer and now she could clearly distinguish the patter of feet.

Okay so what do you think? Does it grab your attention?

Public Comments

1. yes it does! what happens?!!!! what do you think of mine?

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091123170223AAFstIg

2. Yes, your story is really interesting. For the blanks for names that you haven't thought of yet, I would suggest you to search a word (for example, for the forest, you want it to be dark) so you could search the word, "dark" in a Latin dictionary, which is "acerbus", and change it a bit, so maybe it could be the Acerbian Forest or something. Good luck on your story!