Nice To Meet You Winter- Anna

HERE I AM EATING IN GRANDMAMA’S over-decorated dining table, in which is long enough for ten people to sit in. Long candles in intricate candle holders sat on the red table cloth, in which was covered in mistletoes.
I looked up to find the second hand on the round, black rimmed analog clock that hung on the wall ticking away. A quarter before seven at night, it said. I wished Christmas Eve would just end…
I set that thought aside and focused on what’s on my plate. The mashed potatoes were the only thing in this entire meal that I actually liked. I’d get more but it’d be obvious to my parents that I’m trying my best to avoid everything else that I’m suppose to be eating. I’m not like those bratty children who don’t eat their vegetables at all, but since baked carrots, peas, and broccolis were in my presence, I’m just tempted to sneak a few under the table and let Grandmama’s wiener dog Peanut eat them but Mom is sitting right next to me. So I just rolled my peas back and forth around my plate…
“Honey, put your napkin on your lap. We don’t want your dress to get messy,” my mommy told me, interrupting my train of thought.
I lazily grabbed the neatly folded napkin, opened it, and without a care, I sloppily laid it on my green velvet dress. I love how velvet feels and how beautiful it looks, but once I wear it I instantly feel itchy. I’ve been trying so hard to not scratch myself, especially around my shoulders, sides, and back, since our family considers it to be rude to scratch yourself. It’s driving me insane, though.
“What’s wrong, Sweetheart?”Mom asked, noticing how I've been playing with my food. “You haven’t eaten anything.”
“I ate my mashed potatoes…” I said with my head leaning against my hand.
“Yeah, but you didn’t eat your pork or veges. And take your elbows off the table.”
I rolled my eyes and dropped my arm under the table. “You know I don’t like pork.”
“Well pretend you do and eat it,” she said. She always says that whenever I say I dislike food. It’s really annoying…
“Oh, Kim, leave her alone,” Grandmama told my mom. “Afterall, it’s her birthday.”
Yeah… a birthday that’s never truly celebrated since it’s always mixed in with Christmas...
“Sweety if you think you’re done, you are excused,” Grandmama told me.
I hesitated since it’s not normal for me to hear that. I looked at my mother but she wasn’t looking at me. She seemed so defeated. Afterall, we’re under Grandmama’s roof for tonight so it’s what she says that goes. I tried to glance over to Daddy but he was too busy talking to Uncle Steve.
I took the napkin that was on my lap, wiped my mouth with it, and slid off my seat.
I walked out the dining room and headed toward the front door but just when I touched doorknob, I realized I should’ve said thank you to Grandmama but I guess it would make me look somewhat stupid to go back just to say that. I grabbed my coat, turned the knob, and cracked the door open. I felt the cold break into the house and I felt shivers crawl from the top of my head down to my toes so I changed my mind and closed the door. It’s not cold to the point where snow falls down the night sky but it’s cold enough for me to not want to go outside. I hate the cold…
“What’s wrong?” my cousin’s voice snuck behind me. “Scared of a little bit of winter?”
“No,” I said, trying to seem big and brave. I scratched my back and chuckled, “Maybe.”
“Ooh! You scratched,” she said.
“Oh shush, Caitlin. I don’t care anymore. I hate this dress…”
“’Want to borrow one of my dresses?”
Caitlin and her big sister Jenny stayed over at Grandmama’s house for a week just for fun so she has clothes that’d fit perfectly on me.
I scratched my stomach and thought about it. “Umm… okay.”
Caitlin took me upstairs and into the room that she and Jenny were staying in. Caitlin looked into her luggage bag and fished out a red dress.
“Since you’re the birthday girl,” she said, tossing me the dress, “I’ll let you wear my prettiest one.”
I held the dress for me to see it and found it to have an off the shoulder neckline, and a waist band of roses made out of ribbons. The dress looked like a ball gown in a way with a black veil layering over, starting under the roses. Without hesitation, I went into the nearby closet and hid in there. I might be a little kid, but I still don’t feel comfortable to change in front of people. I took the velvet dress off and slipped on Caitlin’s. As soon as I came out, I had my cousin help me zip it on. I felt instant relief.
“Can you keep a secret?” she asked.
My eyebrows knitted together in confusion and I said, “Yeah. Why…?”
“’Wana see a magic trick?” she said. I nodded but she didn’t see since she just went straight to the rug that’s in the middle of the room. She rolled it out of the way and revealed a star in a circle that was drawn out with white chalk on the floor...
I didn’t know what that was but for some reason it creeped me out. “What’s that?”
“That…” she said as she went into Jenny’s dresser drawers and grabbed five different colored candles. “That is a pentacle.”
“Okay? How’s this a magic trick?” I asked.
“Just wait. Sit there,” she told me, pointing at a spot outside of the circle. I sat down and watched her place the candles at the tips of the star. That’s when I realized they were red, blue, white, yellow, and green. I began feeling a little bit shaky…
When she finished she patted her palms together and sat across from me.
“Caitlin, I’m not sure about this…” I said.
“Why? It’s awesome! Trust me,” she told me. “Jenny did it with me.”
I swallowed and gave a little nod. She held out her hands and I had to scoot forward to take them. She told me to close my eyes and to relax. My eyelids draped my eyes but my heart wouldn’t calm down, no matter how much I tried. I was seriously feeling nauseous…
She started saying words in some language I didn’t know and before I knew it, I felt cold air blowing through a hot atmosphere. I smelled freshly cut grass and I heard the ocean waves like I was right there in the beach. I opened my eyes a bit and found the circle beneath me lighting up and swirling with colors. My knees went weak and I could feel myself losing my balance.
“Caitlin!” I screamed before I fell in. My fall broke when Caitlin caught my hand. My body dangled and I forced my eyes not to look down.
“What are you doing?!” Caitlin shouted. “You weren’t supposed to fall!”
“It’s not like I wanted to!” I screamed back.
“Oh, just hold--” she said before my hand began to slip.
“Caitlin! Don’t let go!”
“I’m trying!” she tried giving some muscle and pull me back up but when she did she lost her grip a little. By now she’s only holding my fingers.
“Caitlin!” I begged.
Suddenly, the door slammed open and we heard “What’s going on?!”
Jenny just came in and immediately understood what was going on. She dove next to Caitlin and just when she went to reach for me, my hand slipped and I was falling deeper into the unknown.
“Anna!” I heard their voices scream into echoes. And then, my world turned black…

I thought it was a dream when I found myself lying in snow when I woke up but then I suppose it was real since my hands were numb from the freezing weather. The night sky was beautiful with its thousand twinkling stars but the dark woods were haunting. There was no sign of light but I heard the voices of people. I was always told that if I was lost, to be as far away as possible from people so I won’t have strangers talking to me and get kidnapped but in this occasion, how will I get home? Where will I stay in this weather? I won’t survive if I’m just wearing a dress in the snow. So I started walking towards the voices.

Walking through snow was terrible. I was trembling beyond imagination and the cold was burning my insides. My feet were six inches deep into the smushy snow, making my nice, white party shoes and pantyhose soaked. Nice to meet you, winter, I thought sarcastically. But I forced myself to keep walking…

About a mile later, I was beginning to feel extremely thirsty and dizzy. I didn’t understand it all that well of why I’d feel the need to drink something whenever I’m in the cold but, at this time, my throat was dry.
I could still hear voices from a distance, a bit louder than before but they still sounded vague.
All of a sudden I tripped on something and fell. I looked back at my feet and found it to be a tree root that hid beneath the snow. The snow was still cold and it felt wet against my face, but it felt kinda good to lie there.
I think I’m just going to rest for a minute, I told myself. I didn’t care if I died anymore. No one’s going to come looking for me and I imagine I’m never going home. Even if Jenny did come for me, I figured I’d be long gone before she’d find my body. I closed my eyes and let the wind take me to wherever it’d take me…

I still heard voices even after a minute or two of being in deep sleep. But within minutes, it sounded as if a couple of them were only a few feet away from me. I heard blood curdling screams and the sound of swords clashing against one another but those were much more unclear than the ones that were near me.
They were two men, speaking in nonchalant tones. But… in a language I didn’t know.
They sounded like they saw me and were watching me, probably thinking I was already dead. And then their feet started moving away… 
“Help…”
They halted and one said something briefly.
“Help me…” I repeated. My voice was really scratchy and quiet but, besides the screams in the far distance, against this silent atmosphere, my voice was loud enough to be heard. They rushed back and one knelt beside me.
“…cold…” was all I could say. I meant to say “It’s so cold” but my throat was so parched my voice was practically dead.
One quickly asked another something and the other answered with a single word. And then…
“Are you okay?”
He spoke English?
“Speak to me,” he said. I noticed he had a strange, unfamiliar accent.
“I’m… cold…” I said.
The one who spoke English turned me over and checked my pulse in my neck.
He craned his neck to look at his partner and told him something.
“Can you sit up?” he asked me.
I felt so cold… I couldn’t feel my body. I was so numb…
I shook my head.
“Help me,” he told his friend.
He paused and I was able to slightly open my eyes to be able to make out the face of the man closest to me. Even though his face was blurry to me, I could tell he had long blond hair, half of it pulled up in a small ponytail, and he had broad shoulders that were covered with leather that reached up his neck.
His friend rolled his eyes but didn’t ignore him. He pulled me up to have me sit up and supported me while the blond man flipped his hair over to get it off his shoulders and unbuckled his red cape from his shoulders and draped it over me. It wasn’t warm but compared to the stinging sensation that Winter’s giving me, it’s the best thing I’ve felt since coming to this freezing world.
“Thank you,” he told his partner and took me in his arms. He held me like a child and, against his leather armor, he felt hot. At least in this freezing moment. I placed my hands against his chest and that was when I began to feel again. I knew that was probably weird for both of us but for now, I didn’t care. And plus, I don’t think he did either since he and his friend were fighting about something. I just let my eyes close and try to calm down.
After walking Lord knows how much, I found out they were arguing about me when his partner screamed “But she’s human!”

What's Your Name?- Zelimir

THE GAVRILS HAVE SPREAD AGROSS the land and finally reached the Kingdom of Arzialla. Fire balls were catapulted over our walls, and has burned half of our markets, homes and schools. They managed to knock one of our walls down and are now on their way through the main gates.
“General! General Callaghan!” Sergeant Byrne called.
“What is it?” I asked.
“The Gavrils are falling but they’re still fighting hard. We need backup,” he told me.
“Not to worry. I’m meeting up with a friend in the middle of the woods. I’ll ask him to send a message to Thomoire.”
“But General, we need you. Don’t you think you should send someone else to make the errand?”
“Naturally, I would but he trusts and listens to only me. Poor thing has gone through so much, he’s shut himself from society. And plus, it won’t take long,” I said as I grabbed my sword and slid it into its sheath.
“But what if you’re surrounded? The Gavrils are enormous,” he said, begging to change my mind.
“His cottage is at the other side of the kingdom, away from the Gavrils. And if they decide to attack there, he has a secret passage underground.”
“Then why don’t you go that way?”
I turned around to look at him. “It’s always locked at his end of the passage.”
“But you can’t possibly go alone!”
“Oh, of course not,” I agreed with him. “I’m taking Lieutenant MacMahon with me. Lieutenant General O’Shea is in charge while we are away.”

Troian and I began to head west from the kingdom towards Acton’s cottage. The cold wind strongly whistled in my ear and bit my cheeks.
“So how is he getting to Thomoire to deliver the message?” Troian asked. His black hair was tied back, revealing his ear cuff of honor with pride.
“Acton never leaves his home. I’ll ask him to send his owl to deliver it. A brilliant animal it is and it’ll make it much faster than if anybody would by horse,” I replied.
“How did you meet him?”
I didn’t answer right away. “His town was attacked by Gavrils. They were completely defenseless so they’re houses were burned to the ground. He and his family separated from the disaster, so he and his older sister never knew if the rest of his brothers and sisters and his parents survived. I found them at the middle of the woods in the summer heat. She collapsed and passed away from exhaustion and starvation after walking for miles after miles to find salvation. After that, Acton wouldn’t speak to anybody. Not even to me at first. So I gave him a home, away from the fellow villagers, obviously in the middle of the woods. He thought it’d be easier to live on his own and it wouldn’t be so simple to be found by Gavrils.”
Gavrils are hideous, disgusting creatures that stood like hunchbacks. They basically ate anything that moved, including people. They were about eight feet tall and were much dumber than the king’s fool.
The only reason Acton speaks to me and only me is because, one, I was the one who spent time with him. And two, I’ve been in his shoes before. I was as antisocial as he is now, but nobody understood me as much as I understand him. He’s a bit better now though but still. It’s a psychological thing that only time can heal, and I’m hoping he’ll come out and have a life someday like how I have.
“Look over there, Zel,” he said, pointing south.
My eyes followed the direction that his finger was pointing and found something red on the snow. I figured it was just blood that had been spilled by the Gavrils but when we took a few steps closer, we found a child wearing a red dress. Her long, strawberry blond hair spilled across her shoulders and back and she was as white as the snow itself.
“Do you think she’s alive?” I asked.
“I doubt it. ‘Seems as lifeless as the trees around us,” Troian replied bluntly.
“Well, maybe we should…” I said taking steps toward her but he placed a hand on my shoulder.
He shook his head. “There’s no hope for her. Even if she’s still alive, it’s most likely too late. Lord knows how long she’s been out here. Plus, we need to be on our way. Our people need us more than her.”
I stared at her and thought that maybe if I was here sooner, maybe I could’ve saved one more life. But I do have to admit, he’s probably right.
We started moving back on our trail and then I heard a little voice. I quickly glanced back at the girl and then at Troian. “Did you hear something?”
“Help me…” her voice said in English.
I rushed back at her, kneeling beside her and Troian followed, standing behind me.
“… cold…” she said.
“She’s human?” Troian asked under his breath with wide eyes.
“It can’t be…” I whispered. And then in English I said, “Are you okay?”
No answer.
“Speak to me,” I pleaded.
“I’m… cold…” she repeated.
I took her arms and turned her body over so she’d lie on her back and, with gentleness, I held her head while I took her pulse. Her neck was like ice and her full lips were dry and blue. Her ears were of a human and she did not have a marking on her forehead like how a regular elf would have. Her pulse was faint, but it’s a pulse. “Can you sit up?”
After a moment, she shook her head.
“Help me,” I ordered Troian. Her eyes fluttered open as Troian hesitated to act, but then he knew an order is an order and he cannot refuse his general. He helped get her to sit up while I unbuckled the cape that’s part of my military uniform. I stretched it out and wrapped it around her.
“Thank you,” I told him as I slid my arm underneath her legs and behind her back before lifting her up. She was so light, so small and just carrying her can cause my life. I started walking.
“Zel. Zelimir. What do you think you are doing?” Troian said, trying to catch up to me.
“Going to Acton’s. What do you think I’m doing?” I played stupid.
“Um, well let’s see, you are carrying a human. Aren’t you going to report her to our captain?”
“Why should I?”
“You know why! Please tell me you will.”
I paused. “I don’t know…”
“Zelimir!”
“Human or not, I can’t let an innocent child die.”
“She’s not innocent! She’s no normal human. How do you think she got here?”
I sighed. I continued speed walking. “I don’t know.”
“You have to report her.”
“I won’t.”
“But she’s human!” he screamed in English. His voice echoed and probably traveled to the kingdom for the majority of the townspeople to hear.
“Shush! Do you want to attract Gavrils here?”
“Don’t change the subject. Tell me you will report her!” he repeated.
A small light began to glow through the blizzard wind. We are close to Acton’s.
“Zelimir!”
“Traion…” I halted, looking at him dead in the eye. “Just let me take care of business first. And then I’ll see what I can do. Just trust me…”
He gave me an ugly sneer but said nothing.
When we came up to Acton’s cottage, I knocked on his door twice. “Acton. It’s Zelimir. I need to ask you for a favor.”
There was a moment before the door slowly opened a crack and an eye was peeking through.
“Is it really you Zel?” he said shyly.
“Yes. May we come in?” I chuckled.
He hesitated. “Who are they?”
“He’s a friend and this is just a mere child that I found alone in the woods. She’s sound asleep. They won’t hurt you,” I said. Can't say I lied when it's true that she's only a child. I just didn't mention that she's human I thought 
He glanced at each of us a few times before letting us enter. His cottage was made out of stone and wood, with wooden floor boards, and it was small enough for only a bed, a fireplace, a couple dresser drawers, a set of chairs with a table to eat on, an arm chair and a cage for his owl to sleep in.
“Please, sit,” he offered me the arm chair.
“Thank you,” I said while I set the girl down in front of the fireplace. That’s when I realized she had her hands against my chest. She sat up on her own and scooted closer to the blazing flames as she wrapped my cape tighter around her. “May I borrow your bed quilt, please? Just for a moment.”
“Yes. Yes, of course,” Acton said, quickly rushing over to his bed before pulling his quilt off his bed. He handed it to me and I enfolded it around her. She sank into it and all you can see is her little head on top of a big ball of cloth. I appreciated how her ears were easily hidden behind her hair and the blanket since it's a dead give away. Acton’s a good kid but I can’t take any chances in letting a soul know there’s a human in Arzialla.
I patted her head. “Just stay put, ‘kay?”
“Mhm,” she silently hummed, nodding her head.
I took my seat at the armchair while Troian took one of the dining table chairs and sat on it backwards. Acton quickly came with a plate of cookies and offered it to me.
“No, thank you. I’m just here for a quick visit,” I told him. He then offered to Troian and he took a couple. When it comes to cookies, Troian just can’t resist taking one or two.
“Well how can I help you, gentlemen?” he asked timidly. I fished out a small piece of paper from my pocket.
“Can you please send Trygg to Thomoire to deliver this message?” I said, holding it out for him to take. He took it and started to read it. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed but Gavrils have found Arzialla and we need more soldiers.”
He looked up at me in fear. “Really?”
“Yes. They’re nowhere near you, however. We just need a little bit of help,” I told him.
He looked at the paper. “Yes, of course.”
He whistled at his owl and, from his cage, he flew onto his arm. Trygg automatically lifted his leg up and allowed his master to tie the message onto his ankle. Acton swung the window open and whispered “to the king of Thomoire” before he set it free.
“Thank you again, Acton,” I said standing up. “We must head back. You want to join us? We can’t guarantee you safety if the Gavrils find you here.”
“Thank you but I rather stay. If by any chance they do find me here, I’ll just hide in my underground passage,” he said.
“Ah, true,” I said. “That reminds me, may we be escorted back to the kingdom using your secret passageway? We need a shortcut and we can’t risk being seen anymore than what we already have.”
“Ah, yes. For you, I’d be happy to,” he said.
“Thank you, Acton,” I said, giving him a smile. I remembered the girl and I crouched down next to her. The warmth of the fireplace gave her color back, giving her a healthy, peachy glow. She peacefully fell asleep and that’s when I noticed she had long, full lashes.
While Acton went into some dresser drawers to look for the keys, I gently removed Acton’s quilt from her and returned it to him with another thank you. When I turned back to her, she was awake. She looked at me with sleepy eyes and her head tilted to the side.
“Sorry,” I said as I easily picked her up. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.”
“Umm… it’s okay…” she said with the gentlest voice. She’s shyer than Acton. Then again there’s a difference between shy and antisocial.
Acton moved one of his dresser drawers out of the way and revealed doors on the floor from where the drawers were with chain wrapped around the handles, and a lock keeping it together. He unlocked the lock, threw the chain aside, and pulled the doors open, exposing a set of stairs disappearing into darkness.
“Where are we going?” the girl asked sacredly as Acton fetched the candle lamp that’s been keeping the entire room lit.
“It’s just a way back to my home. I promise, nothing is going to hurt you down there,” I told her. She probably doesn’t believe me though. I don't blame her...
“Zel, we have to go,” Troian told me.
“I’ll be there in a second,” I told him. He rolled his eyes but went along with Acton into the tunnel. I turned to the girl. “What is your name?”
She looked away and hesitated. “Anna.”
“That’s a pretty name,” I told her. She gave out a small, bashful smile. “But Anna, I don’t know how I’m going to do this, but I will get you home. I promise.”
She nodded even though her smile turned into a doubtful frown.
We started heading down the tunnel…

It took us less time to get back into Arzialla than it did in the snow. I made sure to tell Acton to turn off all the lights, to put the fire out despite the cold weather outside, and to not cook anything when he returns home since Gavrils can smell blood, raw flesh, or cooked meat miles away. I told him that I’ll come back for him to let him know when it’s safe to go back with his lifestyle.
“You’re a lucky man, Zelimir,” Acton told me.
I chuckled in confusion. “Why, Acton?”
“Anna is going to be a beautiful young lady,” he said, eyeing the girl that I held in my arms.
How did he know her name? Did he hear our brief conversation? Does he know she’s human?
I remained physically calm, despite that I’m in fear that I’ve screwed things up. “What are you saying?”
He blinked and glanced to the side, pursing his lips in thought. “How can I say this without ruining surprises? Hmm… Let’s just say that she’ll be saved and you’ll live.”
What?
“But you’ll be punished with something much worse than death…” He eyed Troian and stared at him for a moment before he came up to my ear and whispered, “You must not trust anybody with her.”
He moved away and I stared at him with my eyebrows pulled together. What are you talking about Acton?

“Nice to meet you, Anna,” he spoke to her. “I’m very sure we will meet again.”

“Why?” I asked him.
“No reason,” he replied. “It’s getting late. I fear for my life that the Gavrils will have my throat again. I must get going.”
And so he crawled back into the tunnel and shut the doors behind him.

I wrapped my cape around Anna’s head so her ears and face won’t be so noticeable to the townspeople and to my fellow soldiers. She pressed herself against me as I drove my horse across the village to get her to my headquarters. I guess I either have a way with children or she really despises the cold.
My mind kept thinking about Acton’s words. I’m very sure we will meet again… you’re a lucky man… she’ll be saved and you’ll live but you’ll be punished with something much worse than death… she’s going to be a beautiful young lady…

Just while my mind wandered, I continued leaving the war to Lieutenant O’Shea since it seems to be taken care of. I went straight to my destination, telling the townspeople to get into the palace for safety on my way there.
Troian still wouldn’t leave me be, however. He’s still expecting me to inform the king about Anna. He hasn’t asked me where I’m going yet but I can feel his glare staring at me the entire time. I ignored it however.
We finally arrived outside the Northern Military Dormitory when suddenly, Sergeant Byrne appeared. Damn…
“General Callaghan!” he said as he saluted me.
“Sergeant,” I said, after getting down my horse and taking Anna into my arms. I began to walk passed him.
“Where have you been?” he asked. “You were gone for ages. And who is this girl?”
“I’m sorry, something slowed me down,” I told him; ignoring the fact that he asked me about Anna.
“Well were you able to deliver the message?” he asked, following me like an annoying fly.
“Yes. It should’ve reached Thomoire by now. The soldiers should be here soon,” I told him.
“Good. So who’s this child?” he asked again.
“Byrne, I don’t have time. I need to get to my office,” I said, trying to change the subject.
“With a child, sir?” he asked.
“She needs medical treatment,” I told him. I just realized that I shouldn’t have said that. I may have saved a few lives doing basic treatment but I’m no doctor.
“Would you like for me to call a doctor for you, General?”
God, how this guy annoys me. Always up my butt. I tried to be patient though. “No, I can take care of her. Plus, the doctors should worry more about the citizens that need immediate care.”
“Are you sure? I can—”
“Don’t you have something better to do, Sergeant?” I interrupted him.
“Well, yes b-but—”
“Then you are dismissed.”
He blinked. “What?”
“Do I stutter, soldier? I said you are dismissed,” I told him.
“But, sir.”
“That’s an order, soldier,” I said with a harsh tone.
He paused before raising his hand up to his forehead.
“Sir, yes, sir,” he muttered with a suspicious look.
“Zel, you need to be with your men. They need you,” Troian started telling me.
“They’re perfectly fine with O’Shea.”
“Yes, but they don’t look up to him as they do to you,” he said. “Here. Let me take the girl. I’ll take care of her while you’re gone.”
“No.”
“But, sir.”
“I said ‘no’, Lieutenant,” I snapped at him. What was wrong with me? I know I want to save this human, even if it means dying by the king but… why am I like this? All this just for her?
“General,” he begins to get serious. In his eyes, I’m not his friend at the moment. “I won’t tell anybody. Just let me take care of her for you.”
By now we are a few feet away from the door to my headquarters. I turned around and looked at him. He had a cool expression on his face but his eyes were turning red with anger. For all I know, mine are probably bloody red too from all the frustration in keeping this child hidden and alive.
You can keep a poker face, but we elves have that great advantage of knowing if someone is telling the truth or lying just by looking at their mood in their eyes.
And right now, he’s lying.
I turned around and unlocked the door. “Troian, just… Just leave everything to me.”
We entered my office and I set Anna down on the luscious, black leather sofa. With big, surprised eyes, she spotted the vast book case that takes up the entire wall from one corner to the next. Her jaw dropped in awe and her eyes traveled from one corner of the shelves to another.
“General, I insist in ta—”Troian was interrupted by a sudden blow in the face.

I Wish...- Anna

THE MORE I’M IN THIS WORLD, the more I'm afraid. The blond man had me seated in front of him on a horse while we galloped across a burning village. The sight of people running and screaming while their houses were on fire was terrifying. Some faces were mostly black from the smoke and others were wet from tears as they held their lifeless beloved ones. It’s scary to think that those people they’re holding may be dead.
“What happened here?” I asked the blond man. No answer. I guess he didn’t hear me. Especially since he’s too busy telling people to get into the palace. Wherever that was…
He stopped in front of a giant building and someone shouted, “General Callaghan!”
I’m guessing he was calling the blond man since he responded and didn’t seem all that excited to hear from him.
“Sergeant,” he said, nodding at him. His voice was deep and powerful.
“Where have you been? You’ve been gone for ages! And who’s this girl?” he asked. The sergeant sounded so annoying. He seemed to be the type that just wouldn’t leave you alone and wouldn’t shut up.

“I’m sorry, something slowed me down,” Callaghan told him.
“Well, were you able to deliver the message?”
“Yes. It should’ve reached Thomoire by now. The soldiers should be here soon,” he replied. What’s Thomoire? I wondered.
“Good. So who’s this child?” he asked again.
“Byrne, I don’t have time. I need to get to my office,” he said. Is he avoiding his questions about me? Why?
“With a child, sir?” he asked.
“She needs medical treatment,” he told him. I do? I started looking around myself but I found myself perfectly fine. At least to me I was.
“Would you like for me to call a doctor for you, General?”
Callaghan rolled his eyes in irritation. “No, I can take care of her.”
“Are you sure? I can—”
“Don’t you have something better to do, Sergeant?”
Whoa. He’s gotten serious…
“Well, yes b-but—” Byrne stuttered.
“Then you are dismissed.”
He blinked. “What?”
“Do I stutter, soldier? I said you are dismissed.”
When he said that, it reminded me of my father. He’d ask me “Do I stutter?” if I don’t do what he says right away. It ticks me off…
“But, sir.” He really doesn’t know when to give up…
“That’s an order, soldier,” he said with a harsh tone. His eyes flashed a demonic bright red when he said that. Suddenly, I’m scared of this man…
Byrne paused before saying his goodbyes and leaving.
“Zel, you need to be with your men. They need you,” the man with black hair started telling Callaghan.
“They’re perfectly fine with O’Shea.”
“Yes, but they don’t look up to him as they do to you,” he said. “Here. Let me take the girl. I’ll take care of her while you’re gone.”
“No.”
“But, sir.”
“I said ‘no’, Lieutenant,” he snapped at him. His eyes blazed like fire and began to turn into a darker shade of crimson.
“General,” he ignored Callaghan’s warning. “I won’t tell anybody. Just let me take care of her for you.”
Callaghan turned around and looked at him. They stood there, staring at each other, I guess waiting for the other to say something. At least I thought so until Callaghan turned around and unlocked a door.
“Troian, just… Just leave everything to me,” he said as we entered what looked like an office. Callaghan set me down on a gorgeous leather couch and my jaw dropped when my eyes examined the immense number of books that were put neatly away in one complete shelf that fit perfectly in one wall.
I love to read and this… this was incredible. The only problem was none of the books were in English.
“General, I insist in ta—” the black haired guy was saying until he was interrupted by a fist. Callaghan punched him firm in the jaw.
I screamed and hid behind the sofa. Strangers can be nice to you, until they have you trapped alone with them my father always used to tell me. I looked around and found a knife sitting on a desk. I quickly went to it, grabbed it and hid under the desk.
I listened to Callaghan and heard him shut the door and locking it. There was silence for a second and then, “Anna?”

I stayed quiet as I listened to his steps wander around the room.

“Anna, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to see that,” he started saying. “Come on out, please.”
After a minute, his feet started moving in front of me and he stopped.
“Hm…” he said in thought. And then he got down on his knees and found me. I pointed the knife at him.
“Stay away from me!” I said.
His face turned apologetic but he chuckled. “I knew I was missing a knife around here.”
“Go away,” I told him.
His head tipped to the side and stared at me. That’s when I realized that his eyes were no longer red. They were a light gray that seemed tense. How do his eyes change color?
He sighed. “Well, I can’t make you come out if you don’t want to.”
He stood up and walked away. I still didn’t trust him so I remained under the desk. The room was completely silent for a moment and I wondered what he was doing. And then… there was a song being played on the piano. It was soft and slow, like a lullaby. He played the song for a few minutes and I couldn’t help but take a peak.
He played gracefully on a grand piano, his back to me. Still holding the knife, I started quietly moving closer to him. I stood about ten feet behind him, watching his hands from afar as his fingers charmingly pressed the keys.
“Do you like the piano?” he suddenly spoke. I jumped from the unexpected sound of his voice. He laughed, “I’m sorry, did I startle you?”
Embarrassed to speak, I didn’t answer. He turned back around in thought and then craned his neck back at me again to look at me. “You like it?”
“Hm?” my eyebrows rose in question.
“The song. Do you like it?” he gave me a warm smile.
I hesitated but nodded.
“You shy?”
My eyes looked away and shrugged.
“Why? I won’t bite,” he chuckled. “Take a seat, child. You look so uncomfortable.”
I was unsure what to do but I found a stray stool. I took the stool and moved it at a reasonable distance from him.
“Are you that frightened of me?” he asked me. That’s when I remembered that I was still clutching the knife. And stupid of me, at some point while not paying attention, I held it tight on the blade. I loosened my hand and opened it to find a clean, bloody cut all across my palm.
He stopped playing the piano and spun himself to completely face me. “May I see?”
I hesitated before raising my hand to show him. “Do you have hydrogen peroxide, Neosporin and some bandages?”
His eyebrows were brought together. “What’s Neosporin?”
I guess this world is not the same as home…
“Nevermind…”
He sat there, staring at my wound, thinking.
“Can I try something?”
“What?” I questioned.
He wouldn’t take his eyes off of mine. “Do you trust me?”
“I don’t know… I shouldn’t.”
“Why?” he asked me.
“My daddy always told me to not trust strangers.”
His eyebrows rose. “He’s a smart man.”
He stood up, continuing to speak. “But what kind of stranger would I be if I told you that I’m protecting you?”
I was confused. “From what?”
“Everyone.”
I was scared to ask. “Why?”
“It’s forbidden for a human to be in this dimension. Why?” he shrugged and shook his head. “I don’t know the answer to that. It’s been a law for centuries.”
“It’s not your fault that I’m here though,” I said as I watched him walk over to his desk and rummage into some drawers.
“True,” he said, moving into the next set of drawers. “But the fact that I’m hiding you from the king can cause my head.”
My hands traveled up my neck and my mind imagined what it’d be like to be beheaded.
“Then why am I here? I can just run away and you wouldn’t have to do that.”
“Well, for one, where would you go? Two, you almost died in the snow. And three…” he paused to think. “I don’t know.”
True…
“Hah!” He said. “Here it is.”
He walked over to me and I couldn’t help but clutch on the knife, ready for anything. He saw me still holding the blade and he came to a halt. “Okay, how about this. You can keep the knife while I heal your wound.”
I suppose it was fair…
I supinated my hand, revealing the gash in my palm. He took the comfy chair that he used to play the piano, set it in front of me and used it to place his materials aside. He had a roll of bandages and a small brown bag. He sat on it and grabbed the bag. He opened it and pinched out a small amount of sand. He sprinkled it on my wound and it started to burn. I felt the burn travel through my veins, up my wrist, and halfway up my forearm.
“What is this?” I said through cries.
“Don’t worry. If it stings then it’s natural,” he said as he picked up the roll of bandages. Just before he started wrapping my hand with it, the sand sparkled green and purple. He rolled my fingers into a fist and held it like that while I endured the intense burn. After a minute however, it started to ease up. “Feeling better?”
Not sure how to answer, I just shrugged.
“Well then,” he began, taking the bag and bandages back to its place. “If you don’t mind me asking… How did you manage to travel here in Arzialla?”
“Arzialla?” I repeated.
“Yes, Arzialla. The kingdom of power and pride,” he said with a majestic voice. I couldn’t stop myself from giggling. “Ah! There’s a beautiful smile.”
I felt myself blush, but then I remembered Caitlin making the magic circle. My grin began to awkwardly fade away. “My cousin wanted to show me a trick and started saying stuff in front of a pentacle and before you know it, I fell into the circle.”
“And you ended up in the middle of the cruel blizzard?”
“Yeah,” I replied.
“Hm…” he said in thought. “How old are you?”
“Eig- uh… Nine,” I am so used to calling myself an eight year old. “I just turned nine.”
“Oh, really? When?” he asked, interested.
“Today,” I said.
His eyebrows rose as he took his seat back in front of me. “Oh wow! Happy birthday.”
I forced myself a smile. And that’s when I noticed… this birthday is not like the rest.
“Well, mind if I give you a last-minute gift?” he asked.
“No… you shouldn’t,” I said.
He smiled and his eyes started to glow. His forehead lit up with an elegant design and his fingers motioned to it like he was grabbing it out of his skin. When he slowly pulled his hands away, the design disappeared and his hand glowed. He pointed at me and I leaned back.
“What are you doing?” I said.
“Trust me. It won’t hurt,” he said as the tip of his index finger tapped my forehead. I began to see a bunch of jumbled up things before the room around me started spinning.
“Whoa, watch it,” he said, catching me as I fell forward. He placed me on his lap and held me. After a moment, I started feeling better. “You okay?”
His eyes were so warm, so kind. They were a beautiful turquoise color with a splash of gold in the middle. We stared at each other for what seemed like a long time, and I couldn’t lie to admit that he was gorgeous. But I suppose that would be sociably wrong since I’m only nine and he’s much older than me.
His elf ears were pointy and long but not long enough to the point where it completely stretches beyond the back of his head. His long blond hair was so shiny and white, it’s hard to believe that it’s real hair.
My hands reached for the hair that hung in front of him and started brushing it with my fingers. They were so clean, so soft that it had absolutely no knots.
“What?” he chuckled.
“Oh, I-I’m sorry,” I quickly pulled away and sat up.
“About what?” he asked.
I shrugged in embarrassment.
All of a sudden, his ears perked up and he was alert. I was going to ask what’s wrong but then the door was being pounded by something at the other side. Someone was trying to come in.
“Uh-oh, they’re here for me,” he said as he carried me to the window. He opened it, letting in freezing air and placed me outside. I shivered out of my mind and clutched my arms together. “Here,” he said as he took his ear cuff and gave it to me. “Wear it, it’ll keep you warm.”
“No! It’s yours. I can’t…” I said.
“Please. It’s another birthday present. I’ve already lost my place in the military anyways,” he told me.
“But Callaghan…”
“Oh please. Remember me by Zelimir,” he said. “Now stay perfectly silent. They can hear practically anything.”
He quickly shut it and closed the curtains, but unknowingly left a crack. A big gust of cold wind blew through me so I took the cuff and placed it on my ear. It slid right on and I instantly felt a gentle fire travel from my ear to all across my body. All of a sudden, I wasn’t so cold anymore.
I peaked through the curtain and watched the men at the other side of the door take it down while Zelimir nonchalantly act like he’s reading a book on his leather couch. He and some other man spoke while the rest tore the place apart, looking for me.
I heard wings flapping in my ear so I thought it was a fly until I swatted it and it gave out a small yelp! I looked and found it to be a little fairy.
“Oh, do you have any manners?” the fairy asked with its squeaky voice. The fairy was two inches tall, and it glowed green.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to,” I whispered.
“Well anyways, are you Anna?” she asked.
My eyes widened. “Yes.”
“A girl named Jenny has been looking for you.”
“What?” I said in shock. No way! Jenny’s here! I can’t believe it! But… I looked back at Zelimir and watched him have his hands tied behind his back and, with two men, get escorted out of the room. “Zelimir!”
“No!” the fairy said as she pulled on a piece of my hair. “You can’t. ‘You have any idea what they’ll do to you if they find you?”
I was terrified to know. “What?”
“They’d burn you at the stake,” she said.
I gasped. I know I love heat but… Not fire. “Is that what happened to the last human that came here?”
“Yep. Millions of years ago. That was the last time we had a human. Dumb thing was found by a soldier when he carelessly walked around the village of Fakliare,” the fairy explained. What? A million? But so long? Was the man a caveman? “But anyways, we have no time to lose. Jenny’s waiting for you.”
I looked back in Zelimir’s room and stared at it to remember before following the fairy.

She took me through dark places where it’d be hard to be spotted by villagers and soldiers before sneaking me into an ally. When we got there, we stopped.
“Why we stop? Is she here?” I said looking around.
“Yeow!” someone jumped behind me. I screamed at the top of my lungs but was interrupted when they put their hand on my mouth. “Shush, you dumb-butt! Chill out, it’s me.”
“Gosh, Jenny,” I said, taking a breath. “You know I hate that!”
“Where was it?”
“Sounded like it came from over here,” voices of men said. We hid behind a tree that was close to the ally walls and Jenny concealed me behind her with her black clothes and hair while we watched some soldiers come and check the ally. “Nothing here.”
“Maybe she ran somewhere else. Let’s go men!” another man said before they ran off.
The fairy checked the streets to see if it’s safe for us to come out and she gave us the thumbs up.
“Dumby,” I said hitting my cousin in the arm. “What took you so long?”
“What are you talking about? It only took ten minutes to track you down and then another twenty minutes to find this little thing,” she said pointing at the fairy.
“Hey!” she squeaked in offense.
“What you mean? I’ve been here for probably two hours!” I told her.
Jenny looked at me like I was crazy. “You sure you didn’t fall hard on your head?”
“Oh, shut up…”
“Have you seen her?” we heard a man in the distance say.
“We need to go,” Jenny said as she took out a piece of chalk and drew a pentacle on the ally walls.
“But… Zelimir…” I whispered.
“Hmm, somebody likes the big and powerful general, huh?” the fairy said.
“No…” I said in denial. I felt my face grow hot.
“Oh, shush. I’m teasing. I’d be worried about the man who saved my life too if I were you,” she said.
“Is it possible for someone like you to find him?”
“Well, yeah sure. Why?” she said. “What’s in it for me?”
“Ugh… I don’t know,” I told her.
“I’m kidding, kid! Geese, you take everything seriously,” she said. “But really, what you want?”
“Can you tell him ‘thank you’ for me, please?” I asked her.
“Yeah, sure. I don’t see why not,” she said.
“There,” Jenny said when she got the pentacle to shine like how Caitlin did. “Anna, you ready?”
“Yeah.”
“You coming back, right, kid?” the fairy asked.
“Uh… I don’t know about that,” I told her.
“Well, the name’s Kehlia. If you accidentally fall back in here, just hauler,” she said.
“Okay, thank you,” I told Kehlia.
“Hurry up or I’ll go without you!” Jenny started saying.
“Alright!” I told her.
Before I jumped into the circle, I turned around and gave Kehlia another thank you and my good-byes.

Going through the portal was easier than the first time going through it, probably because I have Jenny. We arrived back into Grandmama’s guest room within seconds. As soon as my feet touched earth, Caitlin tackled me with a hug saying how glad she was to see me finally arrive home and that she’ll never do that to me ever again.
“To me? You shouldn’t do it at all!” I told her. “I could’ve died!”
“I’m sorry! You’re right!” Caitlin cried.
“It’s ok, Caitlin!” I said, holding her shoulders.
She noticed my bandaged hand and asked, “Hey what happened there?”
“Hm? Oh yeah,” I said looking at it. “I forgot all about this.”
I started curling my fingers and losing it up to feel it hurt but… it didn’t. My head tilted to the side and I gave out a bewildered face as I unraveled the bandages. The bandage didn’t stick to the wound like it normally would with a dried out gash. In fact… there was no wound. My hand had a mild scar that stretched from above my thumb all the way across my palm to beneath my pinky finger. I was still bemused that it healed so quickly…
“Girls! Come down, now!” Grandmama started shouting, interrupting my train of thought.
“Grandmama has been telling us to get down there for ten minutes now and I’ve been trying everything to get her to wait,” Caitling told me.

So we went downstairs and into the dining room to find a giant “Happy Birthday” sign posted across the wall with a beautiful cake sitting on the table. There was a number nine candle that was lit brightly. The wax dripped down the nine and to the white frosting.The cake said “Happy Birthday Anna” in purple gel cursive writing.
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Anna! Happy birthday to you!” everyone sang before they began to applaud and give out cheers.
“Make a wish, dear,” Grandmama told me.
I started thinking about Zelimir’s warm eyes and long blond hair and his piano skills. He was one mysterious man…
I wish to go back to Arzialla and see Zelimir again, I thought before I blew out the candle.

Love at First Sight is Not Possible for Me- Zelimir

“WELL, MIND IF I GIVE you a last-minute gift?” I asked her after she gave out a forced smile. Is it normal for young humans like her to unexcitedly have their birthday? I thought they'd get thrilled enough to not be able to sleep the night before.
“No… you shouldn’t,” she said with a shy smile.
I love kids who are polite and generous. I couldn’t help but smile at her courteousness as I gathered up all my memory and mind. Her expression turned from uneager to awe. I suppose it’s not every day for a human to see an elf give a lifetime of knowledge. My thumb motioned to one side of my forehead and my ring finger to the other before taking a copy of my past into my palm. I raised my hand toward her to give her my gift but she leaned back in defense.
“What are you doing?” she said with caution.
“Trust me. It won’t hurt,” I told her as I reached over to her forehead and lightly touch it with my index finger. Her eyes began to glow brightly and, starting from where I touched her, her entire face started glowing designs of vines, leaves and flowers as it gracefully spread down her neck and wrapped around her arms, back, and chest like it’s growing all across her entire body. Under her white tights, the design glowed through the fine stitching and stretched down to her ankles and hid within her shoes. I didn’t find this natural to happen for neither an elf nor a human…
All of a sudden, she started to fall forward.
“Whoa, watch it,” I told her as I caught her. I placed her on my lap and help her up. After a minute, the beams on her eyes and body just disappeared. “Are you okay?”
She didn’t answer as she just stared at me with big, blue eyes. She didn’t stare as if something was wrong or as if she was hurt, but as if she was studying me. Was there something about me that made her in such admiration?
Her eyes traveled around my face before her hands reached for the hair that hung over my chest and started brushing it with her fingers. She seemed easily amused.
“What?” I chuckled.
“Oh, I-I’m sorry,” she said apologetically as she quickly pulled away and sat up.
“About what?” I asked. Oddly, I really wanted to know what she was thinking.
She shrugged in shame.
Abruptly, I heard faint footsteps. They started to get louder and louder by the second. It didn’t sound like it was just one or two nonchalantly strolling by. It was the footsteps of about ten military soldiers. The footsteps stopped at the door and they started trying to break it open by pounding it with a battering ram. I imagine this is when Anna and I separate.
“Uh-oh, they’re here for me,” I said as I carried her to the window. I opened it, letting in a cool breeze and put her outside. She shivered tremendously as she tightly wrapped her arms together. “Here,” I slipped my military ear cuff of honor off my ear and held it to her for her to take. It had a charm attacjed to it in which it’ll either whisper reasoning to the wearer whenever they feel uneasy or uncomfortable in their environment or it’ll magically, physically lift your spirits up in some way. “Wear it, it’ll keep you warm.”

“No! It’s yours. I can’t…” she told me.

“Please. It’s another birthday present,” I told her, trying to make an excuse to give it to her. “I’ve lost my place in the military anyways.”
“But Callaghan…”
“Oh please. Remember me by Zelimir,” I said. “Now stay perfectly silent. They can hear practically anything.”
I briskly closed the windows and pulled the curtains so they won’t see her outside, if she decides to stick around. Hopefully, she’s smart enough to not do so.
I picked a random book from the shelves and quickly sat down on the leather couch, trying to look as comfortable as possible in such a short period of time. Within seconds, the door shattered into small pieces and they broke in.
“Was that necessary, Colonel?” I started saying, calmly in my normal voice. “You could’ve just simply knocked.”
“Where is she?” he said looking around as his men spread across my office. They began to throw books off the shelves, look into the piano, flipped the sofas, and such. All that time I spent to set those books up in alphabetical order was wasted… I thought.

“She is with Doctor McNamara,” I told him, acting like I think he meant the nurse since maybe Byrne called for one anyways. “You should know that.”
“Oh come now, Callaghan. Don’t act stupid with me,” he said, taking a couple steps towards me. “Where is the human?”
I gave him a look like he’s crazy. I laughed. “Colonel, a human? There’s a human in Arzialla?”
“Callaghan, I’m trying to act nice with you,” he said. He got close and almost whispered, “Where is she?”
I chuckled and started walking around in a circle. That’s when I found the bloody blade that Anna held. Crud… Well… Actually, no. This might actually help buy time to let her escape.
“Alright, you got me,” I said, turning back to him. “I didn’t want to cause a scene like how it is now―”I pointed at the mess that the men were making “―so I just took care of her.”
“Okay, then…” he said, looking around. He paused and stared at me like he was waiting for a response from me. When I didn’t say anything for several seconds he asked, “So where is she then?”
I went over to the knife and picked it up, showing it to him. “Is this enough proof that she’s not here?”
“Hmm…” he said in thought as he took it and inspected it. I don’t really care if I made a stupid mistake at this point, as long as it buys time for her to escape. “We will have to test it for DNA but you’ve never answered my question, General. Where is she?”
“Oh, Colonel,” I told him as I started escorting him out of the room. “Shall we go out to drink and talk about it?”
“Callaghan, you are wearing my patience low. If you do not tell me where she is, I will assume you are covering for her,” his iris began to turn white. Frustration… “I don’t care if you’re the one who is hiding her or not. I don’t care if whether or not you finished her yourself. But someone that’s not you came up to King Zysman and told him a human is in Arzialla and that she’s particularly in your office. And since I have the honors to kindly be asked to investigate in a ‘mannerly’ fashion, I must report back with her, whether she’s dead or alive, or else my family won’t be as well fed as they usually are.”
Colonel Kazmir is a lucky man, with a lovely wife and three children, one eleven year old and twins of seven years. I don’t have such a fortunate life like he always had but I know if I did have a family, I wouldn’t want to come back home with a smaller paycheck.
I’d lie and say that I already buried her or sunk her into the ocean, but knowing him, he’d ask for the definite location of where she’s buried and what part of the ocean I dropped her in. And plus, it’d take an hour to get to the beach, go up the cliffs, and have her drown and then another hour back to do that. Anna has been in my office for only over half an hour…
Damn… What should I do?
“Tell me now, Callaghan. Speak now or forever hold your peace,” Kazmir told me. When I didn’t answer, he waved at a couple of men to come. “General Zelimir Callaghan, you are under arrest for hiding a human from the king of Arzialla and for refusing to reveal her whereabouts in the kingdom.”
The two soldiers tied my wrists together behind my back with steel handcuffs and each took one of my arms as they pulled me out of the room. The rest of the soldiers stayed in my office, continuing their search for clues. Before they hopped me into a wagon, I was able to see the village for the first time since the ride I took to get Anna into hiding. The Gavrils seemed to have ceased fire and have retreated a while ago but the village was mostly in ruins. Soldiers from Thomoire secured the streets and aided anybody who seemed badly injured and took whoever was dead.

As the horse pulled the wagon to wherever the soldiers were taking me, Kazmir sat at the front with the chauffer while the two men sat across from each other, next to the exit, making a barrier, and making it hard for me to escape. My intentions weren’t to escape, nevertheless. I mean, if I run it’ll just be more obvious than it already is that I’m guilty. And where would I run to? If I run for some other county or village, they will most definitely recognize me and kill me right in the spot. I might as well face my punishment like a man than run like a coward.
Suddenly, there was a loud shriek from afar that made me look out the slim windows. A cry of a little girl… Anna? My heart began to pace faster and I hoped to the Goddess Syveria for her sake and mine that she is safe. I still wonder why I worry for her life, however…
We came to a halt after ten minutes and the moonlight shown into the wagon when Kazmir opened the doors and let me out. Right before me were the doors to the underground dungeons. I remember working here for my first couple years in joining the military. I started out as a guard in the dungeons, basically staring at sleeping prisoners and cobwebs. I hated it. Of course, at the time, I never thought I’d end up at the other side of the bars, though.

The guards had me turn in my military uniform and my sword, along with anything that had to do with the military  and to wear worn-out, white clothes that all prisoners would wear. One of the guards realized that I wasn’t wearing my ear cuff of honor and asked me what happened to it. I touched my ear and pretended I didn’t know it was gone. “Oh shoot, I must’ve lost it in the snow while delivering my message to Thomoire or something.” They didn’t seem to believe me but they didn’t ask questions.
The guards then held me down and forced me to stand perfectly still while one slipped a red ring around my neck that dissolved into my skin. It sent electrical waves all throughout my veins, and left me paralyzed for a few minutes. So this is what it’s like when prisoners were getting individuated, I thought. I remember watching prisoners go through this; I’d stare at their marks appear and turn bloody red. Usually an elf’s mark would only appear when we are performing magic or calling spirits. Then afterwards, they’d disappear when we are done. But when one is given this red ring, their mark never disappears and they turn a maroon color, identifying themselves as a criminal. And the best part about it is that it paralyzes your powers. 

Most elves would realize their powers by the time they're the age of a teenager or a pre-teen if they’re lucky. Some wouldn't appear until they're of early adulthood. But for the unfortunate few like me, our powers wouldn't bloom at all. They'd be fortunate enough to have a gift that wouldn't be so obvious and they just wouldn’t know it. But for me, other than to identify myself as a criminal, there's no actual point in having myself individuated.
All throughout the night, the hay that the guards would leave in the cells for prisoners to sleep in wasn’t thick enough to be considered comfortable so I was practically lying on the concrete ground instead, which made my back ache and of course made it hard for me to sleep.
I spent most of the time staring at the night sky through the small barred window that was about fifteen feet above the ground. The three moons were full and the stars glistened radiantly. It’s rare to have three full moons in one night. The sky had more of a purple hue than of a navy blue and just thinking of the color blue made me think of Anna’s eyes. It’s hard to not admit, even to myself, that she had charming big eyes and lovely, curly, long hair despite the mess it was after going through the snowstorm.
She’ll be saved and you’ll live…

What did you mean, Acton? How will I survive and how will she be rescued?
But you’ll be punished with something much worse than death…

I pressed my hands against my eyes and forehead, realizing what I have done. What will happen to me?
You’re a lucky man… She’s going to be a beautiful young lady…

What is that supposed to mean? She is only nine and I am twenty-two. Well… in human years I’d probably be fifty years old for all I know.
I’m very sure we will meet again…

That was when he spoke to Anna, right? I couldn’t remember. I need to talk to Acton… If I’ll ever be able to see him again…
Suddenly, there was a little green glow that just passed by outside the window but then it quickly returned and entered. It flew in like a fly and started hovering down to me.
“Ah, Kehlia. What brings a beautiful pixie like you to a miserable place like this?” I asked Kehlia enthusiastically.
“Oh, nothing. Haven’t seen you in a while and I’ve heard the news so I decided to drop by before you die,” she said as she gently floated onto my knee.
I chuckled, admitting my fate. “Eh shush…”
“So… is it true?” she asked, sitting down with her legs crossed.
“I don’t know…” I said leaning back on the wall. “What did you hear?”
“I heard that you ran off and pranced around with unicorns that poop rainbows and butterflies,” she said sarcastically.
“Oh, shut up,” I told her, taking that she heard about Anna.
“You know I’m kidding,” she said with a side smile. “And plus, she said ‘thank you’.”
“What?”
She combed her short, messy hair back with her fingers. “I helped her get back home.”
“What? How?” I said loudly.
“Shush, stupid! The guards will―”
We started hearing footsteps get closer so Kehlia flapped her little butterfly wings and rushed behind me. A guard came up to the bars of my cell and looked around, finding the moonlight the only thing lighting up the cell with only me sitting in a corner.
“Everything alright, General?” the guard asked me.
“Yep. Peachy,” I yawned. “Just had a dream…”
“Well, quiet down,” he told me, walking off. When he disappeared from sight, Kehlia flew over to the bars and watched him vanish down the hall.
“Are you stupid?” she whispered, fluttering to my shoulder. “You got to keep it down or you’ll for sure lose your head.”
I sighed. “Anyways, how?”
“I met her cousin. I’m not much of a snitch, plus I liked her style, so I talked to her and she told me she lost her beloved cousin probably in Arzialla. I looked for her high and low and found her outside your window,” she explained.
“Huh…” I thought. And then I remembered her telling me that her cousin was playing with a pentacle before she fell into it. “Did she make a portal to get back home?”
“Yeah. How’d you know?” she asked me.
“Lucky guess,” I joked. “Nah, Anna told me how she accidentally got here.”
“Aaah…” she said, understanding.
“So how is it out there?”
“Hm?” she asked.
“The village. How is it?”
“Oh, it’s getting better. People are getting treated by nurses and doctors. They’re burying the dead bodies tomorrow, I think ,” she informed me. “And they’re starting to rebuild houses and everything.”

“And the Thomoire soldiers?”
“They’re heading home tomorrow,” she said, leaning her chin onto her palms.
“Hm…” I nodded.
“She liked you,” Kehlia blurted out.
I looked at her confused. “What?”
“When Jenny, her cousin, made the portal, Anna was worried about you.”
“Why?”
She shrugged. “I think your charming powers were too strong for her.”
I silently laughed, “What do you mean?”
“What do you mean what I mean? You’re Mr. Pretty Boy General Zelimir Callaghan. A natural flirt!” she joked. “You even make the other men either get jealous of you or turn gay for you.”
“What?” I jumped.
“I’m trying to prove a point here. I’m wasn’t serious about that,” she rolled her eyes.
“Then what are you saying?” I raised one eyebrow at her.
She shrugged her shoulders. “All I got to say is that you have a talent for making everybody look up to you and admire you.”
“Hmm…” I pursed my lips to the side in thought.
She stared up and down at me before saying, “So… I’ve been wondering…”
“Hm?” I looked at her in question.
“Why did you try to save her, knowing that it’s forbidden to let a human see Arzialla and live to tell about it?”
I sighed. “That question has been echoing in my mind the entire time too…”
“Ever thought of love at first sight?” she asked.
I scoffed. “You know I don’t believe in that.”
Love at first sight is not possible for me…
“Why? It’s possible.”
I shook my head. “I just think it’s ridiculous how a person could just meet another and think ‘that’s the girl I’m going to spend the rest of my life with’.”
“Why?”
I paused to think about how to explain it but I couldn’t find the words for it. “Because…”
“Because why?”
“Are you asking because you’re really curious or are you just trying to be annoying?”
“Hmm, a little bit of both,” she giggled.
I rolled my eyes and leaned my head against the wall. "Besides, I'm more than ten years older than her."
"So? It doesn't mean anything. Within, like, fifteen years you both will be of the same age."
"I’m not even sure if that’s true. In human years, it’d probably be longer," I said. "And even if that’s true, while I stay in my mid-twenties for a while, she will continue to grow."
"So? Still doesn't mean anything," she teased.
I gave out a yawn.
“Tired?” she asked me.
“Yeah, but I’ve got enough energy to waste,” I chuckled. I started thinking about the conversation that Anna and I had about the law. “Kehlia, you’ve lived a longer life than me. Tell me, why can't elves get along with humans?”
She looked at me like I offended her. “Are you calling me old?”
“No. I was just…”
“I’m kidding! Geez, do you have any sense of humor?” she asked laughing. “But, no. I’m not that old.”
Pixies have lived across this world for as long as the oldest elf in Arzialla can remember, helping nature survive and doing mischievous deeds to villagers once in a while. They barely age, so if you see a wrinkled, shriveled up, old pixie, you’d know she’s very wise. Even young pixies like Kehlia are extremely intelligent. Kehlia is one that knows fluent sarcasm however and loves to play pranks on friends. She loves styles where it involves dark clothes and having her hair black and short with a messy, layered style to it.
Just like elves, pixies have unique markings around their face. The difference between us and them is that if they’re old enough, they’d have markings around their body that are visible all the time, which can also leave behind a trail of pixie dust wherever they fly. Kehlia is old enough to have markings only down to the nape of her neck however, so she has a long ways to go before she grows beautiful markings all throughout her tiny body.
“But seriously,” she said interrupting my trail of thoughts. “Do you think there’s a possibility that it’s because you like her? Even just an itty bitty tinsy bitsy bit?”
I rolled my eyes and yawned. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
"Well, think about it. Within like fifteen years you two will be the same age," she pointed out.
"I’m not even sure about that. And even so, like I said, she'll continue to grow old while I remain in my mid-twenties for a while." Elves age but we have this strange gene that humans don't have that allows us to stop time, allowing us to stay as young as twenty to twenty-five for, perhaps, about a century and then afterwards we continue to age as a regular being.
"Since when does age matter in love, though?" Kehlia questioned. She's so stubborn... But I can't ever stay annoyed at her.
I decided to ignore the question like I didn't hear it.
Silence took over for a while before Kehlia broke it. "So you gave her your knowledge?"
"Yeah..." I sighed. "Why you ask?"
"You do know that gave her abilities and characteristics of an elf, right?"
"Before, no. I thought it was going to be like giving your memories to a child or to any other elf."
"It's kind of obvious since she's a human and humans have different genes from us."
"So what will happen now little Miss I-know-everything," I chuckled.
She rolled her eyes with a smile. "Her sense of hearing and sight will be enhanced and much more sensitive. I suppose you can say that her eyes are now her typical mood rings too. Her ears will gradually become pointed. She'll have an amazing talent. Her face and body will be extraordinarily beautiful, even though she looks adorable as of now. And she'll live a longer life."
Acton’s words echoed in my head again. She’s going to be a beautiful young lady…

“Is that so…” I muttered.

Kehlia’s eyebrows came together, wondering what I was thinking. “You okay?”
I blinked. “Yeah, just in thought.”
“If I may ask, about what?”
I glanced at her. I was about to share Acton’s nonsense but I was unsure about what she’d think. “Was there ever an elf that was able to foretell the future?”
Kehlia gave thought about it. “W-well, yes. A long time ago, though. That gift is only genetic. Not anybody could be born to have a psychic mind and see the future. How come?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. I’ve been wondering about this for a while.”
“Hm…” she didn’t seem to believe me but she let it go.
I gave out a sigh and she giggled. “Tired?”
“Maybe a little.”
“Well, go to sleep then,” she suggested, flying up into the air.
“It’s hard… It’s so uncomfortable sleeping here,” I told her.
“Hm…” she said in thought. “Hold on. Wait here, I’ll be back.”
“Not like I’ll be somewhere else,” I said, but she already flew out the window before I even finished my sentence.

She came back in about fifteen minutes with a bottle the size of my fingers, full of liquid. She had trouble carrying it since it seemed to be a bit too heavy for her but she managed to fly into the cell with it.
“Here, drink up,” she told me, relieved to get it out of her hands when I took it from her.
"May I ask what it is? Lord knows, it could be something that'll make me throw up," she has given me potions before that’d make me constipated and possibly throw up before.
She was still out of breath. "Oh, quit whining. We were in a party and I was hyper. You know that. Besides, you’re going to die any day soon so why make you suffer?"
I shrugged as I took my first sips of it. It tasted bitter-sweet with the smell of chamomile. I began to feel a bit drowsy. "All I know is you're one evil pixie, whether you're hyper or not."
"Oh, shut up," she muttered as she fluttered onto my shoulder. "I'm not that terrible in times like this. Just drink the potion and, if it helps, I'll sing you to sleep."
Like elves, pixies have their own personal gift. The only difference is that elves have more of a super-natural power and pixies have talents. Kehlia is one of the most talented singers, but the only thing that makes her incredibly different from all the other pixies is that she can control your mood and feelings with her voice.
I still doubted her however. "You sure you won't prank me? You don't have a pen and ink out the window waiting to be scribbled all over my face? A small pile of crap to smear around my hair? A bug to sleep in my clothes?"
"If I nearly spilled that potion that you’re holding now, imagine if I tried to carry a bottle of ink. I'd leave a trail for the guards to catch me and behead me. Poop is disgusting and you know I can't stand the smell of it. And where the heck am I going to find a beetle or a spider in the snow?"
She does have a point there. Even with doubt still in me, I drank the rest of the potion in one gulp and hoped for the best that she's not acting and will keep her word.
"Come on, lie down," she told me, patting the pile of hay. I lied down and my eyes began to feel exhausted, heavy. Kehlia's singing voice whispered in my ear, tenderly and softly, so no one but I could hear. I feel her voice calming every part of me, physically and mentally. Soon, everything started to get fuzzy and unclear, until I could no longer stay awake.
I woke up to a couple of guards harshly yelling at me and whipping my back with leather whips. They’re voices were muffled, like water was trapped in my ears, enabling me to hear clearly. They grabbed me by the hair and lifted me up until I was groggily up on my knees. They took my arms and cuffed my hands behind my back before bringing me up to my feet and escorting me out the dungeon.
While the guards took me through corridors of the dungeon, I kept feeling something crawling around my upper back. What a liar Kehlia was! I knew she was going to do something.
“Zel,” Kehlia whispered softly. Oh, it was her that was crawling up my back! I feel guilty now for doubting her. “Don’t say anything, just listen. I guess I made the potion a little bit too strong because I tried to get you up before the guards came and started getting nasty. You wouldn’t get up at all. I overheard them before they came, though. They said that you’re going to be on your way to a trial at the courthouse with the big guy.”
Kehlia always calls the king “the big guy” for whatever the reason may be. But anyways, normally if a crime was made there’d either be a trial made by whomever’s highest in rank in the military or they’d just receive a temporary punishment without a trial, depending on how big of a crime they committed. I’ve gone up as the judge a few times because none of the generals of the army were available to take the job and the punishments are usually not too bad. Sometimes it’d physically scar the criminal for life but it normally wouldn’t go as far as making the person mentally ill or dead. However, if the king is the judge, you know this is serious and your punishment won’t be temporary and easy to get out of. I figured I’d meet the king again. Just not in a friendly visit…
I gave a little nod, letting Kehlia know that I understood. She remained hidden in the back of my shirt and underneath my long hair. I have no clue how she’s going to get away from me without getting caught by the guards so I’m guessing she’s sticking with me until she finds the right opportunity. Only problem is that king Zysman can sense a person’s power, so he may be able to feel Kehlia’s presence. I want to ask her why she didn’t leave when she had the chance but I can’t for obvious reasons.
The guards threw me into the wagon when we exited the dungeon and within about ten minutes, I was standing in front of the main entrance of the court. The guards took me through the lobby and into some passageways before we entered the courtroom. I was seated onto a chair that sat in the middle of the room. Instead of having my hands handcuffed behind my back, the guards had my left hand handcuffed to the arm of the chair. It was relief for my right hand to be released but my left hand still had to suffer since the cuffs were tight on my wrists, unfortunately. I kept my chin up though since this is not yet the worst for me.

The room was empty while the guards stood next to the three exits of the court; the main doors that I went through to come inside, and the two that are next to the judge's desk. I sat with my legs crossed and with my chin leaning against my right hand as I waited for the room to fill up and to start the trial.
Within nearly ten minutes, people started taking their seats, representing themselves as the jury. Men from the military started arriving, getting ready for the trial to begin and to play their part. Some snuck peaks of me and whispered things about me between one another, but after that they never looked at me again.
"Zel, you need to calm down. You're shaking like mad," Kehlia whispered. That's when I noticed that my heart was beating hard and fast, while my body shook tremendously. I swallowed, telling myself to relax while I took deep breaths.
"Do you need to drink that potion again? Your aura shows that you’re nervous as can be," Kehlia whispered after a moment.
Pixies also have the ability to see people's moods and interpret their thoughts by looking at their auras. So by what she's telling me, my aura is black, which could mean my eyes are most likely as black as the devil’s eye. Perhaps that's why everyone kept looking at me. I decided to close my eyes and think of happy thoughts such as my progress in the military, fishing with my father—may he rest in peace—, and such.
The military was always my dream in life. I've always wanted to be the leader in an army and I loved being in action and helping the innocent. I fell in love with Arzialla when I arrived here after watching my only sister and father get eaten alive by Gavrils. My mother died from a miserable illness soon after having me. When I was about fifteen, when I lost my small family, I was found by an old woman named Mila and she offered me to stay under her roof as long as I worked in her shop. After a terrible accident, resulting in Mila's death, I was taken in by King Zysman when his soldiers found me outside the main gates of the Arziallan walls. My life was never the same after moving into this humongous kingdom. I was blessed to have a second and a third chance to live, as well as to be educated by a hearty man such as him. But no matter how much I think of the king as my second father, I'm scared to know how harsh he'll be with me after disobeying the law. His law.
"All stand for King Zysman!" one guard announced, interrupting my trail of thought. It took me to open my eyes to realize that I was getting close to falling asleep on the chair. I jumped and was about to stand but then I remembered that I'm handcuffed to the chair so there is no point to it. Instead I just sat up straight while leaning to one side of the chair.
I watched Zysman as he entered the room and walked over to his seat as the judge. The entire time he stared at me with disappointing eyes. It shook me…
"Don't let him bother you," Kehlia said softly. "You did nothing wrong. Chin up."
Sure, sure. Breaking the law is nothing wrong, alright...
"You may be seated," the guard said and everyone sat back down.
"Do you, General Zelimir Callaghan, swear on your own spirit that you will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you Goddess Syvria?" a guard asked from behind me.
When I lost my family, I prayed for a way to survive and then I met Goddess Syvria. She was the one who saved me and guided me to Arzialla. Without her guidance, I probably wouldn’t be alive at this moment. I wondered if she'll save me again if I have faith in her again...
I raised my right hand and recited, "I, General Zelimir Callaghan, swear on my own spirit to say the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me Goddess."
The king stared at me for quite a while before beginning to speak. "How are you, Zelimir?"
"Eh, my back is killing me and I'm exhausted, but I’m okay," I casually replied.
"Hm..." the king said. "Two days ago, while the Gavrils have attacked, where were you?"
"I was on my way to Acton Oberski's cottage to deliver a message to Thomoire," I replied simply.
"Did you stumble across anybody?"
I would lie and say no but I told Colonel Kazmir that I did have a human in my possession and I killed her. I shouldn't have said that, but how would I be able to hide the knife from him?
"Yes."
"Who was she?"
I looked away and quickly debated myself on whether I should make up a story or tell the truth. I need more time. "Her name was Anna."
"Really?" the king questioned, nodding his head. "What did you do after that?"
"I took her with me and Lieutenant MacMahon to Acton's cottage and had him deliver the message to Thomoire."
"Zelimir, are you going to make this difficult?" the king asked. I stayed silent as I stared at him. "I suppose so. Well, since we are speaking of Mister Oberski, let's bring him in and hear what he has to say.”
"What?" I whispered under my breath in surprise. They broke into Acton's house and abducted him to be a witness in the trial?
"He's not going to talk; they do know that, right?" Kehlia whispered.
The guards came in with Acton in a stretcher, and had him sit on the seat next to the judge. Zysman asked him if he will tell the truth but he stayed silent. He was jittery and nervous and he wouldn't take his eyes off the floor.
"Mister Oberski, are you okay?" Zysman asked. He shrugged. "Well, will you speak?"
"I don't know..." he replied, unsure.
"Well, will you answer my questions?" the king asked him.
He hesitated before replying. "Why should I? I have nothing to do with this."
His voice kept breaking, cracking from nervousness and he was so quiet that only the king could hear him.
"But you're a witness," Zysman told him. "Once you're a witness, you're part of this case."
"But I know nothing. He just came into my cottage, asked me to send my owl to deliver a message to Thomoire and then he left."
"Did he come in with someone?"
"W-well, yes," he started. I closed my eyes in thought that I'm screwed.
"Who were they?"
Acton shrugged and stuttered, "A-a man and a girl."
"Who was the girl?" Zysman asked.
He shrugged again.
"You have no clue who she was?"
Acton slightly shook his head. The king asked him what she looked like and he said that all he saw was her blond hair. Thankfully, Acton was shy enough to not give enough evidence that she was human. The king sighed and dismissed Acton from the courtroom.
"Well, that was useless," the king commented as he scratched his beard. "Is Sergeant Byrne in the courthouse?"
My eyes widened when his name was spoken. That man would say anything to anybody. Within seconds, Byrne walked into the room and sat down on the same seat that Acton was sitting on.
"How are you, Sergeant?" the king asked him.
"I'm pretty good," Byrne said with a pleasing smile.
"Good. Okay, so you saw Callaghan come into the Northern Military Dormitory after he just arrived back from delivering the message to Thomoire, correct?"
"Yep," Byrne replied, nodding.
"Mind if you show us what happened afterwards."
"Certainly," Byrne said as he touched his forehead, letting his mark glow brightly and flicked his fingers at the air. Stars and swirls of sparkling colors traveled with the wind and then came together in the middle of the room, revealing his memory of meeting me after I arrived from visiting Acton's house. It showed him following me, asking me where I've been, and saying that I should take command in the army, along with a couple questions about Anna. It was all showed like it was a video—I think that's what humans call it. If we were there to see it, without having to speak about it, this is how we elves explain what happened in history to prove anything if necessary. And we can see what happened in a more clear view. The only problem is that sometimes, like humans, we can remember things differently or we wouldn't remember things as clear as we want to. I used to wonder why they wouldn't force criminals like me in trial to just show our memory to make it simple and quick. Well, after a couple years ago, I realized it's not because everyone was stupid and they didn't think of that. It's because, like I said, when one is marked as a criminal it suspends them from all magic, including revealing their memory. That's really the only benefit the criminal would have the entire time.
After watching Byrne's memory, I realized how shady I was and how my eyes were bright red. It revealed Anna's face for a second but it was all a blur. The only thing you could see was her wearing my cape over her head. After a moment, the memory ended with me dismissing Byrne and walking away.
The king turned to me. "Why was she wearing your cape?"
I shrugged, acting like I don't find that suspicious. "She was freezing. I found her almost dead in the snow."
"Why was she in the snow outside the kingdom?"
I would continue acting stupid and say that she could've come from another country after having her town torn down by Gavrils since so many Gavrils were attacking fellow villages but, like I said, I mentioned to the Colonel that I killed a human. I just remained quiet.
He understood my intentions and changed the subject. "Well, let's ask what Colonel Kazmir and his men found in your office, shall we?"
Kazmir entered the room and two of his men followed behind them, each of them holding something. Including the knife that Anna held.
"Good morning, your majesty," Kazmir said to the king.
"’Morning. Found anything that would bring this case closer to an end?" Zysman asked the colonel.
"Well, yes. We have," he said, taking the knife from one man. "A knife covered in blood. Callaghan showed me it and told me that there was indeed a human in his headquarters but that he killed her. May we say that we have proof that this is statement is false?"
"And how can you prove that?" I asked him calmly.
"Well, General, I'm not sure if you are aware of this but we have this potion in which would tell us which part of the body the spilled blood originated," he said as he started taking steps toward me. "If it was from a major organ, the potion would begin to bubble. And every body part has its own unique colors. But in this case, it didn't indicate anything of you slitting her throat, or stabbing her in the stomach, heart, head, etc., or do anything as such. Can you guess what we found, Zelimir?"
I didn't respond but he raised his hand and wiggled his fingers. "Her hand. It was her hand that was cut. Nothing that could’ve necessarily killed her."
The room began to fill with whispers but Kazmir continued speaking. "On top of that, we went through more research and tested her DNA."
He revealed his memory to the audience of him looking at three pictures. I recognized one of them as the DNA of an elf while the other two were unfamiliarily similar to each other.
"The first image is, as we all know, an elf's DNA. The second image is the DNA of the last human that visited us ages ago. And the third DNA was of the little girl that we are trying to find. I'm sure we can all see for ourselves what this means."
Damn...
As the crowd broke back into whispers, the colonel went up to another one of his men who was carrying a small, clear bag of sand with a dull green hue to it. It was what I used to heal Anna's hand....
"This... Well, we all know what this is. We found this scattered around the general's office floor, mostly around where the knife was found. It appears that it has been used to heal a wound and was carelessly left on the floor. So..." he turned to me," explain to us why you had Syveria's sand all over your floor."
It was told that wherever Syveria's feet stepped on, the sand turned magical, making any wound heal almost instantly when touched, even by a single grain. Of course, the almighty goddess was never alive to begin with, but she was never considered dead since myths say that she has physically walked this world and helped the weak before disappearing without a trace.
I kept my mouth shut. After all, I have nothing to say to defend myself anymore.
Kazmir saw that I wasn't going to reply and continued on. "So Callaghan, please explain how you disappeared the human? We looked every inch of the village for her and we could not find her, dead or alive."
"Let's just say..." I said before pausing to think of what to say. "We should think she is dead to us."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
I just shrugged.
"Is the girl dead or alive, General?" Zysman asked.
There was no point anymore in trying to defend myself. All the evidence that's needed to lose my head has been revealed. "She's alive."
The crowd went nuts. I could hear people shout "what is wrong with you?", "why did you let her go?", and "where is she then?".
"But!" I said loudly, loud enough for my voice to echo and silence the audience. "But... You'll never see her again. I'm sure she doesn't even want to come back."
"Even though you do not see the point in this case, I'm going to ask you this anyways: Why would you say that?" the king questioned.
"Because... She was terrified. Being in a strange world full of people who want her dead for an unknown reason must’ve been too much for her. She didn't even trust me, the one who lied for her, protected her, and saved her."
"Hmm..." the king thought. "I'd end this case, but we have one more guest that I'm sure can say more to it. Right, Kehlia?"
I knew he’d sense her…
Kehlia flew out of my shirt and, in mid-air, she bowed to the king. "Good morning, King Zysman."
"Good morning," he replied with suspicious eyes. "Would you explain to us why you were hiding behind General Callaghan."
"Why do you think I was hiding? I just wanted the best seat in the house," she said with a smart-aleck smile.
Zysman gave her a look that said "don't lie to me."
"What?" she continued to play dumb.
The king stared at her with narrow eyes for a few seconds before muttering, “Seize her.” The guards got into action and started trying to capture her, which looked ridiculous, really. A pixie with a fast agility and small size as her is pretty much impossible to catch. There were no windows and all the doors were shut, but she managed to fly through a key hole of a door and flee away.
“Find her. She knows something about this case!” the king ordered. He sighed, and looked back at me. “I’m not sure if you’re innocent or guilty, but at the moment, it’s looking bad for you. If it is true that you freed a human, you will meet death’s face. But for now, if you do not confess within the next forty-eight hours, you will be imprisoned in eternal sleep.”

I Have Nothing Left To Lose- Anna

I WAS IN THE MIDDLE of the woods, running aimlessly. I wasn’t sure why, but I was exhausted with a few burns in my arms and left leg. Sweat dripped down my face, drenching my blonde hair and making it stick to my forehead. Wait… Blonde? Last time I checked, my hair is reddish blonde and unraveled in curly waves. But for some unknown reason, I couldn’t control my body and make myself stop to actually take a piece of hair and check to see that I wasn’t seeing myself wearing straight, pale golden locks. It’s like someone else was moving my body. I just continued running. Running anywhere. My mind was focused in getting away. Away from whatever I’m trying to get away from…
All of a sudden, I heard a screeching roar echo through the trees. It wasn’t as if whatever made the growl was far away and wandering around. It was very close to the point where I could hear trees behind me crunch and where I could feel the ground shake with every step it takes. I looked behind me and saw large shadows in between the trees and I could hear their snarls.
Abruptly, when I took a step, the ground was lower than expected and I started tumbling down a big hill into a muddy ground. Unfortunately, I fell on my wounds so my arm began to hurt. I got up on my knees and found a river not even twenty feet away from me. I glanced back up the hill and then back to the river, making the decision to either keep running or to risk my life in escaping and jump into the fast pacing river. I have nothing left to lose, I thought for some odd reason. I quickly got up and ran toward the watercourse and leapt into it without any hesitation. The icy water spun me and turned me in circles, enabling me to not know where the surface was and making me disoriented. After a moment, I found the surface and took a big gasp of air. I watched giant creatures submerge from the top of the hill and looking around in search for me.

I didn’t mind the beasts anymore and was now focused in trying to survive. I splashed around, trying to swim but the current was too strong for me to fight. Waves sneaked through my mouth and into my throat, drowning me. Slowly but surely, I could not support myself up at the surface anymore and passed out in exhaustion in the middle of the river…

I woke up coughing water and lying on the ground as a woman sat over me. I couldn’t see her face all that well but I could tell her skin was extremely pale with a blue hue and her vibrant, red hair draped her shoulders, back, and chest.
“That was a close one,” she said with a giggle. “Found you flowing lifeless down the stream and I got worried.”
I wanted to ask who she was but I couldn’t find the strength and voice to do so. She carried me into her arms like I was as light as a feather and began walking. I drifted in and out of sleep before she took me into a cave with a blazing fire and small cauldron over it. She set me down, wrapped me in a blanket and left me to rest.

Follow my trail in which will heal your body and soul. You will find mercy and peace at the end…

I woke up feeling like the woman who said those words said them about two minutes ago. However, when I opened my eyes, I found her gone. All she left behind was the cauldron still steaming hot with stew along with a cup of water and folded blankets. My stomach grumbled loudly and without hesitation I started slurping down the boiling stew. I was so hungry it took me till I was about three-fourths done for me to realize how hot it has. The roof of my mouth and tongue were numb after being burned. I noticed how the burns in my arms disappeared when I reached for the cup of water. I checked my leg and found them gone too. Weird…

When I finished eating, I stepped out of the cave and stretched under the warm sun’s rays. It was silent and calm, nothing was happening. The leaves rustled as the wind danced around me. It blew my short hair back, comforting me and whispering that the worst has faded.
My eye caught the sight of a small shadow hiding behind a tree and I heard a couple twigs snap when it tried to run away.
“Hey! Wait!” I shouted. My voice wasn’t mine. It sounded more… like a boy.
I began to run toward the tree that it was hiding behind and I discovered footprints moving into the woods. The odd part about it is that the ground underneath the grass was green and purple sand wherever the person stepped on. I crouched down to get a closer look and passed my fingers over it. It shimmered and it looked so much like the sand that Zelimir used to heal my hand. I looked at my hand and found it perfectly fine, without the scar that I made.
I looked up at the trees and searched for a body. “Who are you? Where are you?”
Follow my trail in which will heal your body and soul. You will find mercy and peace at the end…the woman’s voice echoed in the woods. I swallowed and looked down at the trail of footprints again. My eyes followed it until it faded into the distance.

Well… I have nothing left to lose, I told myself again.

I began to follow it deep into the woods and… That’s when I came back to my life and opened my eyes. I was sitting at the very front row of a school bus. I looked up at the small digital clock that was fixed over the bus driver, finding it to be about a quarter before five. I had a long day in school and I’m sure I failed a science test. I stayed up till around midnight studying for the test, which was really a waste of time since I still read all those questions and thought “we learned this in class?”. So once I took my seat in the bus after school, I passed out. I’ve been sleeping for almost an hour… And I still have about thirty minutes before the driver drops me off at my stop. Ugh, crap…
I looked out the window and stared at the houses and trees. As we drove over a bridge, I began to remember my dream. I remembered touching the sand and looking at my hand. I quickly glanced down my hand and discovered that it was indeed a dream since my scar remained in my palm. I sighed and remembered how it’s been over two years since my ninth birthday. My fingers touched Zelimir’s ear cuff as I remembered how I begged Jenny to take me back to Arzialla. She kept saying over and over again how I’m asking for a suicidal wish and how crazy I am. She asked if I was sure that I didn’t fall on my head hard when I got there, which I couldn’t entirely answer since I fainted in the middle of the trip to Arzialla. I’ve had dreams like this ever since I came home from my adventurous birthday. Mom has told me before that she’d hear me talk in my sleep, sometimes even scream, ever since around that time too. Apparently, I’ve said Zelimir’s and Kehlia’s name a few times and mom asked me who they were. I just acted like I didn’t know what she was talking about and that I couldn’t remember what the dream was.
I decided to take out The Count of Monte Cristo--the book that I'm currently reading--out of my custom made messenger bag and flip to where I left off.
Unexpectedly, the bus swiveled to the side and then before I knew it, I, along with everyone else, flew forward into the seat in front of us. I blacked out before I could even figure out what happened next…

I opened my eyes and it took my vision a moment to clear up and to let me see that I was lying down in a hospital bed while I was hooked up into an IV and some other stuff. I felt lightheaded with a bit of a headache, but I tried my best to ignore it as I ripped the needles out and sat up. Within seconds, nurses started rushing in asking what I was doing, why I’m getting up and all. They placed everything back to where they were, had me lie back down and told me to calm down while I wait for the doctor to come. One was nice enough to turn on the television and play some show that has to do with a square, yellow cartoon character that lives in a pineapple. I thought that was a strange thing but I went with it. Minutes later, a female doctor entered and asked how I felt.
“I don’t know… Not all that great, I guess,” I told her. “What happened?”
She looked at me with a questioning face. “You mean you don’t remember anything that happened?”
I thought hard on it. The last thing that I remember was taking some test and being on the phone with someone one night. I couldn’t remember who. “No…”
“Huh… What’s your name?”
I hesitated. “Anastasia something…”
“What’s today’s date?” she asked.
“Uh…” I paused. “I don’t know.”
“When and where were you born?”
How could I forget my birthday? “December twenty-fourth of... 1995. And in Mercy Hospital.”
“What was the last thing you remember before having the accident?”
Didn’t I just say that I don’t remember what happened? Whatever. “Taking a test.”
“What kind was it?”
This is starting to tick me off. “I don’t know.”
“Huh…” she said as she wrote something down on her clipboard. “Do you remember anything after the accident?”
“No.”
I was unconscious the entire time, woman.
“Hm…” she said as she scribbled away in her clipboard. “Seems to me you have retrograde amnesia.”
I gave a look like this was ridiculous. “What? W-what does that mean?”
“It basically means that you can’t remember what happened before the scene of the accident and that you may not remember bits and pieces of your memories, surroundings, about yourself, and your life.”
I looked down in thought and noticed a scar across my palm. How did I get this? I can’t remember…

“I asked if you could remember anything after the scene because maybe you woke up and then blacked out again. It can also be possible that you have antergrade amnesia,” the doctor continued. “But since no one has claimed that you have woken up, you probably don’t have that.”
“So… what is it that I have?” I asked her.
“Retrograde amnesia,” she said slowly as if I was stupid. I already don’t like this doctor… “Oh, I had to take your jewelry since I wanted to take x-rays of your head to make sure you were okay. It’s ok to have them now if you’d like to wear them.”

“Um… Y-yeah,” I nodded my head. The doctor left the room and came back within a few minutes with her hand supinated. I held my hands out and she dropped the small pile of jewelry into my scarred palm. She dropped a necklace that was a seven pointed star in a circle with letters in every point that spelled out either DESORD or DROSED, whichever way to read it. I wasn’t sure how to read it since a couple of the letters were turned upside down but I didn’t care much for it. The other one was an ear cuff that looked like silver vines that wrapped around and curved in swirls as three glistening rubies hung from it. Warmth spread through the tips of my fingers and a jolt of something strange bolted all throughout my body. I felt kind of… relaxed.

Apparently, something happened to cause the driver to swerve to the side and hit one of the pillars of a bridge. The girl that sat in the seat across from me died due to a shard of glass from the windshield or window piercing her in the chest. Of course, the driver passed away from… well, from the obvious reason that he just got pancaked by a wall. Most of the other kids in the bus are now badly injured while the minority are suffering only from sprains, aches, bruises and/or migraines. I’m guessing the few that are practically fine are the loud, obnoxious ones that sit in the very back of the bus.
My parents came in one or two hours after my talk with the doctor. The doctor informed them that I have amnesia and that I was lucky to have lived in such a tragic accident, especially since I sat right behind the driver. I didn’t suffer from internal bleeding, but I did receive a crack in my left parietal bone. I’ll be staying in the hospital for one more night and then I’ll be heading home.
I asked my parents everything including how I got the scar in my hand and about the jewelry. They told me I got the necklace from my grandmother when I was a little toddler. I apparently found the ear cuff at a park and I cut my hand open when I tried to jump over a wired fence the same day.
“Really? When was that?” I asked.
“That was like… a day or two after your birthday a couple years ago,” my father said.
I wondered who could’ve just easily lost such a gorgeous jewel at a place like a park but things happen, I suppose. Something told me that what he told me wasn’t true but I found no reason to not believe him.

Why Would You Want To Take Me In? -Zelimir

THE ETERNAL SLEEP THAT THE KING has put me in is… quite strange. I couldn’t remember how he put me into the spell but it feels like thorns have pierced all throughout my body. The only real strange thing about it is that it oddly doesn’t hurt all that much. It feels more bittersweet… It’s very hard to describe. It feels like I’ve been here for years already. Has it been years? I couldn’t tell. My eyes haven’t opened since I’ve been put into this spell.
Wake up, my child. Don’t let the cold hands of the evil eye put you down. Arise from your slumber...

Hm? A woman’s voice? Why do I recognize it?
Awaken. I will always watch over you…

My eyes shot open when I felt something wet lightly brush against my face like sandpaper. I blinked a few times before realizing it was a little calico kitten. It gave out a meow but only a little squeak came out. I rose my hand to pet it but it began to step away.
“No, don’t go,” I told it. My voice was somewhat different. It had the old accent I used to own when I used to live at my hometown. “I won’t hurt you.”
That was when I realized how my hands seem a bit smaller than they were supposed to be and how I was lying down under the blanket that the woman left for me to take in the caves. The kitten seemed to have found me sleeping at the end of an alley of Arzialla, where the mysterious green and purple sanded foot-prints led me to. I sat up and remembered the journey I took to get here. I remembered being chased by the Gavrils and throwing myself into a river and being found by a woman. And then going through woods and… but it feels like it was all a dream but at the same time it doesn't. It just wasn't believable but it felt way too real to be a dream. I know this is my childhood but I couldn’t remember what happens afterwards or what happened before I fell asleep.

The kitten sat down in front of me and gave out another squeak. My hand went to pet it but its ears lowered and it became very defensive.
You should always let the animal smell you first before touching it, my sister’s voice reminded me.

My hand froze in front of the kitten and it leaned forward before sniffing me. It gave a whiff all around my hand before rubbing its head against my fingers. I lightly combed its fur with my fingers and began thinking about my sister. She was so beautiful with her short blonde hair. She loved animals and would always beg dad to keep a stray if she found it. My mind started to wander around and then I started thinking of something that happened not too long ago.
I felt so terrible at myself that I started bursting into tears…

After about three hours, I was beginning to get hungry and the kitten won’t stop meowing so I figured it was hungry as well. I put the kitten in a bag that I found in the alley and I went off to the markets with it. It kept squirming at first but then became still. I could still hear it purring so I figured it just fell asleep.
The markets were much different compared to the ones back home. They were much more noisy, a bit more crowded. I had no money so I’ll have to be slick and steal a couple things.
The first cart I went to was full of fruits. I wore baggy pants so I could stuff dozens of fruits in them if I really wanted to but I wanted to see how good the security was here. I glanced around to make sure no one was watching me and I began picking apples. Once I found a good apple, I glanced side by side once more and sneaked it into my pocket. I did that for a few more minutes while I moved around the same cart. Just while I pretended to check on them, a little old lady came out of a door and saw me. “Is there anything I can help you with, young man?”
“Uh, no. Not really. I’m just looking,” I said just before my stomach growled loudly. I gave out a nervous chuckle.
“Your accent shows you’re not from around here,” she said, ignoring the sound.
“I just arrived here just yesterday.”
“Oh, really? From where?” she sounded interested.
I hesitated, thinking of the tragedy for a second. “I’m from Bulkorae.”
She gasped. “Really? I hear it got attacked by Gavrils!”
“Well, yes…” I said grimly as I placed my hands in my pockets. My fingers felt the smooth skin of the apples and couldn’t help but remember how I’m committing a crime. We just stood there in awkward silence as I imagine she figured this was a bad topic for me to talk about.
All of a sudden, my stomach growled again. The woman noticed and grinned. “Would you like to know something that I barely show anybody?”
“Um… Well, I have to be somewhere though,” I lied.
“It will only take a minute,” she told me.
“Well… um…” I mumbled. Well, worst that could happen is she finds out I’m stealing from her and I go to prison, right? How could she figure out anyways? It’s not like they’re obvious…

“I suppose.”
She nodded her head for me to follow. She took me into the same door she came from and through the house. She came up to another door but paused and looked back at me. “Have you ever fallen in love?”
“Uh, no. I don’t think so,” I told her. Why’s she asking such a random question?

“Well then, turn the door knob and tell me what you see,” she told me.
I hesitated but I took the knob and turned it before opening it. The door lead us back outside, into an alley. “It’s all just another alley. What am I supposed to see?”
“Well, that was very expected. Because someone--” she began saying before she took the door and shut it. “--who has seen the eyes of a loved one would see something much more wonderful. And someone like me who has gone through such grief and pain--” she opened it back up and revealed a rainy world in which was so dark and so… depressing. “--would see this.”
“What is this?” I asked with astonishment.
“I’m not so sure myself,” she said gently closing the door. “My husband and I found it when we moved into this house more than thirty years ago.”
I looked around and found the house very silent and empty. “Where is he?”
“He’s up in the heavens,” she smiled sadly.
“Oh… I'm sorry...” it was all awkward all of a sudden. Suddenly, my stomach interrupted us and growled very loudly. “I’m sorry. I haven’t eaten since I arrived here.”
“Oh, poor thing. Are your parents here? I’d like to meet them and ask them if it’s alright with them to make you something.”
“Um… Well, about that…” I hesitated. “I came here on my own. My family is… gone…”
“Aw, sweety. I’m so sorry. Then where are you staying?” she asked with pity.
“Um… Nowhere, really.”
“Well…” she started hesitating to say her next words. “Would you like to stay here?”
“Why…” I was surprised. “Why would you want to take me in?”
“I’m not positive. But you’re a nice boy and I can’t let someone like you go without a home,” she gave me a smile. “Plus, there’s something about you that reminds me of my husband.”
“Oh, no don’t say that…” I told her. “You’re making me feel bad now.”
“Why? I’m offering you a home,” she asked.
“Well… Would you still want me to stay if I told you I attempted to take these without paying you?” I asked guiltily as I pulled out three apples from my pockets. She was surprised at first but then she looked understanding.
“Young man, you just told me a while ago that you came into Arzialla yesterday alone without a family. At your age you can't find a job to pay for your own meals so I think I’d do the same if I was a young child like you," she told me with a warm smile.
"Oh, but still. I'd only cause you trouble," I told her.
"Boy, nothing would bring me any more trouble than my husband ever did when he lived," she winked.
"Well, um..." I was speechless. I already have someone offering me a roof over my head. This is way too good to be true. "I feel like this is too easy. What's the catch? I have to owe you something especially after attempting to steal your apples."
She sighed but she sounded more like she's about to laugh than as though she's about to give up. Actually she doesn't sound annoyed at all. "If it makes you feel better I'll have you work at my shop and in return, you can live here."
"Deal," I told her. All of a sudden, the kitten moved and gave out another squeak. I pulled the kitten out of the bad and gave a nervous smile,"Oh, and you don't mind having another mouth to feed, do you?"
"No, not at all," she told me. "I love animals."
"Thank you so much," I said as I put it down on the floor. The kitten glanced around everywhere and started venturing around the house.
"Oh! I'm afraid we haven't properly introduced ourselves. My name is Mila. What is yours?" she asked.
"Zelimir."

Please? One More Try- Anna

SOME OF MY MEMORIES HAVE SLOWLY but surely returned, however, some were still kind of unclear. Like once I’d see people, it’d take me a moment to remember who’s who. Especially those that I don’t know very well like some friends at school. I remember family members like Grandmama and my parents and my two cousins a bit faster, though. About a year after the accident, I’ve regained memory of almost everybody that I knew.
But weird things happen and I sometimes wonder if it’s always been this way even before the accident. Like a few weeks ago, I was trying to remove a stain that someone made by spilling something under the couch. While I scrubbed it away behind the couch, I could’ve sworn I saw a little boy peek his little head shyly around the arm of the couch to see what I was doing and then as soon as I glanced over, he hid. I quickly looked over the couch and found nothing there. I think I’m seeing spirits or ghosts. I’m not sure. At first, they freaked me out, like I wouldn’t be able to sleep at night. But now, whenever I’d see one I’d just shrug it off and move on. Those situations don’t faze me anymore. It’s moments when I see this mysterious woman. I’d even hear whispers from a woman and I believe its from her. Her face is always a blur but I always recognize her long, flowing red hair. I’d tell my parents about it and my dad would always say that spirits only come to you if they want to tell you something. I tell him the same thing every time, “Dad, if I’m scared of them when they’re silent, imagine if they speak to me or wrote something. I’ll probably go cry in a corner, rocking back and forth if they are able to communicate with me.” It doesn’t seem like she’s trying to tell me something anyways. Afterall, she just appears for a second or two and then disappears for God knows how long.

I received a hunting bow and six arrows as a Christmas/birthday gift. I’ve always wanted one ever since I watched Lord of the Rings last school year. And best part about it is that I just found out my middle school has an archery club. I never listen to the school news so I never knew. Grandmama has taken me to shooting ranges before and I was a decent shooter so I decided to tryout.
School began from winter break and I found out it’s Mr. Peters who’s in charge of the archery club. So I looked for him one afternoon in practice and found him in the gym with all the other archers. They were all shooting a target and he was just watching them.
I went up to him and couldn’t help but notice that for someone who seems skinny from afar it’s impressive to find that he’s actually pretty fit. “Mr. Peters?”
“Olivia! Raise your arm. You look sloppy,” he yelled at a girl.
“Um, Sir?” I tried again.
“Like this, Coach?” she asked, raising her elbow.
“Sir?”
“No,” he said, going over to her. I followed behind him. He raised her wrist up and said, “Like this. Now shoot.”
She let go of her arrow and it almost flew into a bulls eye. “Oh! Okay then. Thank you, Coach.”
“Uh, C--” I tried to catch his attention again but then a loud voice from across the gym interrupted me. “Coach!”
A guy came in while he waved a piece of paper in the air.
“You got the form?” the coach asked him as he went to him. I have this feeling that all the other girls are watching me and laughing at me from within as I just kept getting ignored by the coach…
“Yes, sir,” he said, handing it to him.
“Thank you so much,” he said as he took it, turned around, and started reading it as he started walking off. I went up to him and he just walked right by me. What is wrong with this man?

I continued following him like an idiot. After a while, I thought of the idea of maybe tapping his shoulder or back. I did so and he turned around and met my eyes. “Can I help you?”
“I’d like to tryout,” I told him.
He looked at the other girls and then back at me. “You’re a little late now.”
“Well…”
“Have you been here all year long?”
“W-well, yes.”
“You are too late then,” he said, walking away.
“Oh please? Now’s when I just got my bow and arrow and when I finally practiced.”
“Practice more and tryout next year.”
I glanced at the other archers and found them staring at me and whispering at one another.
I just went home furious. I was so angry and embarrassed…

Two days later, I attempted to take one of the bow and arrows from the gym storage room and found it to be locked up, enabling me to not use any of them. Since I barely ever use my locker in school hours, I’ve managed to hide my bow and arrow in it without anybody catching me and I’d use it in the gym to practice almost everyday after school. I’d always make sure no one was around to watch me take it out before heading to the gym. I’d use my iPod to play music while I practice and to let me know when an hour’s up.
After a month has passed, I’ve gotten used to my bow and I’ve felt comfortable using the targets. Until my music stopped playing one day. I turned around to find Mr. Peters holding my iPod…
“Uh, sir!” I was surprised.
“What is your name?” he asked with anger.
“Anastasia Yetzer,” I straightened up.
“What are you doing here, Miss Anastasia? And that is not even one of the school’s archery bows is it?” he asked.
“I… This is…” I couldn’t find any words. He rose one eyebrow at me like waiting to hear what I've got to say. “I just thought this would be a good place to practice…”
“You’re not supposed to be in campus without a teacher watching you after or before school hours.”
“But…”
“How long have you been doing this?”
“For maybe three or four weeks?” I shrugged. My poor heart is racing and aching…
“So you’ve been basically breaking into the gym and using a weapon in school grounds for about a month?”
I didn’t say anything. I was so scared and shocked… I guess I should’ve known this’ll happen.
He continued. “You know you can get arrested just for using that here, right?”
I swallowed. “Sir, please. I didn’t mean any harm. I just wanted to practice…”
He stood there with his arms crossed for a minute. “How much do you want to be in the team?”
“Huh?”
He rolled his eyes as if he didn’t have the patience for me. “How much do you want to be in the archery club?”
“A-a lot, sir.”
“Why?”
I just stood there silently. It was one of those questions where the answer is obvious but you don’t know how to word it. The more time I spent silently, the more serious he seemed.
“B-because I like it… I-I think it’s very… I think it’s something cool to be a part of,” I stuttered.
He stood there staring at me for a moment. I felt my face heat up. “How about this. Make a bulls eye and I’ll pretend this never happened and I’ll enroll you as a member of the archery club.”
“W-what if I miss?”
He rose his eyebrows like it was a stupid question.
“Oh…” I muttered.
“Just give it a shot.”
I hesitated before turning around. A bulls eye? How the hell am I suppose to make that?

I took my bow, slid the arrow into place and rose it up. My hands wouldn’t stop quivering and I was so nervous my world around me kept swaying side to side. I aimed as best as I could and released it. It flew and it landed too far to the left…
“Have a good day,” the coach turned around and started walking away.
“No, please Coach. One more chance. Please…”
He turned around and glanced at me with one annoyed eyebrow up.
“Please? One more try,” I pleaded.
He sighed with a groan. “Fine.”
I quickly turned around, took another arrow, and aimed. Come on. You can’t mess up, Anna, I told myself.

Suddenly, a hand gently went over my left hand. I thought the hand was the coach’s but it was smaller and more feminine. And the skin had a blue tint to it…
“Lift it up and aim more to the right,” a woman whispered as she moved my bow higher. It’s her! I shut my eyes tightly and from fright I let go of the arrow. I let out a squeal and stumbled to the side to get away. All of a sudden, I hear a pair of hands clapping from behind me. I looked up and found the arrow stuck dead center in the target.

“Congratulations, Miss Anastasia. Welcome to the team,” the coach said.
I looked around the gym and found myself only with the coach.
How is that possible? She felt so solid. How did she just disappear? And she can talk?! And how did I make that bulls eye? I was so clumsy! I kept thinking. I just stood there staring at the arrow with confusion, fright, and shock.

 

Do You Know How To Sword Fight?- Zelimir

WITHIN THREE MONTHS OF MOVING in with Mila, I got comfortable living in her cozy home and settled in quickly. She went out shopping a couple days after she took me in and bought me some clothes. It wasn’t much but it’s a lot better than how I was when I arrived in Arzialla, which was nothing. We are planning on going to the markets again to pick out some more clothes after I fix one of her old wooden chairs. It kept wobbling back and forth and every time one of us would lean back, the back would shift backwards as if it’s going to break any minute and make you fall back. So I decided to gather Mila’s husband’s tools and start fixing it.
Just when I was going to nail a leg into place, Mila comes in from her shop and pauses.
“How’s it?” she asked.
“It’s coming along,” I said hammering the nail in. “How’s the shop?”
“As usual,” she sighed. “You know you didn’t have to.”
“Oh, you know I will. It’s been—Ouch!” I screamed when I accidentally hammered my finger.
She gasped and took the hammer from me before crouching down to take a closer look.
“You dumby,” she laughed. She touched the nail of my finger and asked, “Does this hurt?”
“Yes,” I said, flinching. My nail was beginning to turn purple. I sighed, “We are going to need a candle and needle, huh?”
“You’re a smart boy,” she said as she got up and started walking to a drawer. “How did you know that?”
“My father was the doctor of my old village,” I told her.
“Oh, really?” she said with interest as she took out a few sewing needles.
“It has to be thick. It can’t be a small, thin one,” I told her.
“I know, I know,” she said and then found the biggest needle she has. She took the candle that sat on the dinner table as a center piece and lit it before telling me to sit down at the table. I did so and she placed my hand on some napkins. “It’s going to be messy.”
I nodded with a smile. I could feel pressure and great pain under my nail already…
She took the needle and started heating it over the fire of the candle. “Are you ready?”
I nodded to her.
She took the needle and started gently pushing it down on my nail where it’s most black. It didn’t melt the nail completely through.
“It has to be red hot. And don’t be scared to give force to it,” I told her.
“Alright,” she said as she took the needle and placed it over the fire. She left it there for about twenty seconds before taking it and trying again. The needle was fiery red and it released smoke, in which danced with the air. After applying much more pressure onto the nail, the needle went completely through and it squirted out what seemed like a cup of blood. “There we go!”
I let out a breath of relief. “Oh, how that feels so much better.”
Blood poured down to the napkin and I watched the stain grow bigger on it. Mila took a napkin and started squeezing the blood out until it’s no longer at the least bit purple. She went to the bathroom and quickly came back with some bandages and a bag of something.
“What is that?” I asked as she opened the bag.
She looked at me with surprise. “You really don’t know what this is?”
I shook my head.
“My child, it’s Syveria’s sand,” she told me.
I just stood there staring at her with a confused face.
“You don’t know the myth of Syveria?”
“Who’s Syveria?”
She gasped. “You must be bluffing, my child!”
I was so confused I wasn’t sure how to react.
“She’s our savior! Our Goddess!” she said.
I shrugged. “I’m sorry… My family was never very religious so...”
“Oh, my boy, it’s not a religion. It’s the truth!” she said. She started taking the sand and started sprinkling it on my nail. I couldn’t help but notice how it was shimmery with green and purple grains. Like the footprints I followed to find Arzialla… “It is said that Syveria is a spirit but walks in this world like an actual person. Myth has it that every step she takes in this world, the dirt underneath grass and rocks turn into mystical sand in which can heal practically any wound. Of course, no one has confirmed that it’s her that makes this sand, but many say that they’ve seen a woman with red hair hiding and running away.”
That’s when I remembered the woman that saved me from the river.
“What did she look like?” I asked.
Mila pointed up at a painting of a woman leaning against a tree. Her ruby red hair went down to her butt and flowed with the wind. She was pale with a blue hue to her skin and her eyes were golden. Her dress was sexy and the ends faded off like fog.
“Not many people have seen her but the few that have met her has described her as such,” she said as she bandaged my finger.
“I think I’ve met her…”

Mila suggested I take a break from fixing the chair until my nail healed. We went off to the market and the clothes store wasn’t too far from Mila’s house so we basically walked there. We passed by the academy that I attend now and I stared at the building where future soldiers study to be part of the army. I was inspired by them so I tried to transfer into it. The only way anyone can transfer into it was through a test that'd take place in the pracice session that they have. You must prove that you're fit, capable of handling tight situations, and able to show your fighting skills and common sense. I wasn’t fit but I wasn’t scrawny either. I was reasonably good with a wooden sword, even though I was hit by it a few too many. And I had great common sense but, according to them, I had slow reflexes even though the robots were insanely quick. The robots were supposed to be Gavrils, so it was hard for me to believe that I am supposed to pretend that they’re the ugly, dumb beasts they are supposed to be. I mean, I personally watched how Gavrils hunt not too long ago and I learned the only thing they know best is, as long as they travel in a group, they can easily corner you. Other than that, you can throw a boulder at ones head while he chases a squirrel to eat and he’ll think it was a bird dropping poop on him. They barely ever stray far from each other. I felt like telling the Sergeant that that wasn’t right of how he tests people like me but I left the building without a complaint.
Mila found a few pants and shirts for a pretty good price and a pair of nice looking shoes. She paid for it all and just on our way back home, I noticed a shop that I didn’t realize before.
“Mila, is it okay if we take a look in here?” I asked her.
She glanced at the shop and then glanced at me with an unsure smile. “You like this kind of stuff?”
“Well…”
“I don’t see why not. Let’s go,” she said.
We entered the shop and we found various swords, daggers, axes, bows and arrows, crossbows, clubs, etc. displayed nicely in every wall. A man comes into the room as he wipes his sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief. “Hello, how may I help you?”
“Oh, nothing. We are just looking,” I told him.
“Okay then,” he replied. He found a stool at the corner of the room and sat there.
At the corner of my eye, I saw a sword that shone like no other. It glistened against the sun’s rays that entered through the windows.
“Ah! You like that? That was once going to be for the son of the king,” the man told me.
“What happened? He didn’t like it?” I asked.
The man had a hint of sadness in his eyes. “No. He died with his mother in her womb.”
I felt a sudden sense of grief for them. Especially the king.
“The king asked me to make this especially for the prince of Arzialla but the unfortunate miscarriage and deaths were too unbearable for him that he asked me to keep it here as a display and memory of the long lost prince,” he continued.
“So I’m guessing it’s not for sale, huh?” I asked with a side smile.
“I’m sorry, lad,” he chuckled.
I began to glance around and noticed that he has a sword, a military armor, an ear cuff of honor, and some badges displayed in a glass case.
“Who’s is this?” I asked.
“That’s mine,” he smiled.
“You’re a soldier?”
“I used to be,” he sighed.
“Did you quit?”
“No. I got into an accident that made me have to resign,” he told me. I glanced up and down at him and found him perfectly fine. He noticed how I was trying to figure out what the mess up was and said, “I lost sight in my right eye. I got a blind spot.”
“How did that happen?” I questioned with interest.
“War,” was all he said.
I glanced at the case and stared at the sword. “You know how to sword fight?”
He chuckled. “You bet. Why?”

I'll Think About It- Anna

I’VE GIVEN MY FAREWELLS TO Coach Peters since I’ve now moved on to high school. I’ve been a freshman for about two months now. Archery tryouts are coming up soon and I’m ready. I don’t feel as nervous or as unconfident of myself as I used to be. I’m pumped and always ready for a challenge. People have acted odd around me for a while now, however. Like they’d whisper and stare at me all the time. I’d tell this to Dad and he’d always say the same thing.
“It’s because you’re beautiful and they can’t handle it.”
He doesn’t get that they don’t stare at me with awe or anything of the such though. They gawk at me more of in a disgusted or disturbed manner. Whatever. I don’t let it bother me. Well… not every time…
Luckily, I have my goofy cousin Caitlin to keep me company and to keep my chin up. And to keep their attention away from me with her unpredictably weird character. Jenny is right now a junior so she has different classes from us and never has the time to catch up to us and make sure we are alright in school like Uncle Steve and my parents expect her to do.
“Hey!” Caitlin shouted as she jumped on me and giggled.
“Jesus, Caitlin! How many times have I told you to not do that?” I asked her the millionth time. She finds it amusing to scare me like that.
“Not enough,” she smiles.
“You’re impossible,” I let out a grin and shook my head at her silliness.
We headed to the cafeteria and dropped our bags at the round table that we sit outside. Caitlin wouldn’t stop babbling about how cute this one guy is and how she thinks he likes her and all. She has to pay lunch so she doesn’t eat but since I'd like to have my lunch she comes with me in line to keep me company. We go up to the chalk board that announces what’s for lunch. In lovely handwriting, “Teriyaki Chicken with Rice and a choice of Tossed Salad or Hashbrown or Milk” was written on it.

“Ew… Teriyaki chicken again?” I complained as I took a tray.
“What? You don’t like teriyaki chicken?” Caitlin asked in surprise.
“It’s disgusting! At least here at school it is.”
She nods in understanding. “Well, can I have it then?”
“Only if I keep the rice and milk,” I said as I grabbed a small carton of low fat chocolate milk.
“Ugh,” she groaned. “Fine.”
I giggled at her as I grabbed the two small styrofoam containers full of rice and teriyaki chicken. I faced the lunch lady behind the register and punched in my school ID number.
“Name?” she asked.
“Anastasia Yetzer,” I told her.
She nodded in confirmation and I walked away. We walked through the entire cafeteria and out the main doors that’ll lead us to the tables outside. We find our childhood friends sitting in our table and we sit down with them.
“Anna!” Megen was the first to see me and she gets up and rushes to me to give me a hug. She embraces me, almost knocking down my tray. Caitlin takes the tray from me and sits down.
“Hey!” I shout at her. She just giggles at me and starts chowing down on the gross Asian food.
Megen lets go of me and looks at me. “Please tell me you’ve done the math homework?”
I rolled my eyes and, with a smiling sigh, I grabbed my old custom-made book bag--yes, I still use it. I’m not like these kids that waste their money on a new bag every year--and fished out a notebook. I flipped it open to a page full of solved math equations and handed it to her.
“Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” she says with glee. It’s not new that she’s forgotten to do her math homework. I honestly don’t care if anybody copies my work as long as the teacher doesn’t care either and as long as I get it back in time. She sits down, takes out a random, crumpled up sheet of paper out of her messy bag and starts scribbling down the homework.
“Calm down, Caitlin! You’re going to die from eating like that,” Chris suddenly tells her. I glance at my cousin and finds her wolfing down my rice.
“Hey! That’s mine!” I tell her and I start trying to take it away from her.
She takes it away from my reach. “But I’m hungry!”
“You already ate half of my lunch. Give me whatever’s left of the rice, at least,” I told her as I took it from her hands. I look into the container and find that there’s still about two-thirds of rice left. I take a random unopened spork from the table, rip the plastic wrapping off of it and start eating the rice. It was plain and bland…
I motion the container that I held to Caitlin. “I’m not that hungry.”
“Yes!” she says under her breath, emphasizing the S like a snake. She snatches it from my hand and continues gobbling it all down.
“So how’s you’re day, Chris?”
“Meh… Alright, I guess,” he said with a bored expression. “I’m going to head to the music room in a minute. You want to tag along?”
“Depends. What are you going to do there?” Caitlin asks with her mouth completely full.
“Has my uncle ever taught you manners?” I cringed my nose at her.
“Yes. I just like to see you disgusted,” she chuckles.
“You just love to do that, don’t you?” I ask her, not really expecting an answer. I turn to Chris as I take the milk carton off of Caitlin’s tray and start sipping on it. “I don’t care what you do. I’ll go. I’ve got nothing better to do for the next twenty minutes anyways.”
“Alrighty then,” he said. He glanced to the side like he noticed something and then back to me as if he remembered something he’s been wanting to tell me. “You know, I’ve heard rumors that someone’s after you.”
I almost choke on my milk.
It’s rare for someone to have a crush on me. At least as far as I know. “Who?”
He motions his chin toward the same direction that he glanced at and I followed his gaze. I found a guy seemingly stare at me and then cooly look away when I looked at him. He had dark brown, spiked hair and he wore a green jacket. I believe his name’s Jason. I do have to admit he’s handsome. And he sits next to be in Biology…
“Him?” I asked Chris, making sure I’m not looking at the wrong guy.
“Mhm,” he nodded. “You’re lucky. He’s cute.”
Yes, Chris is gay.
“How are you sure he likes me?”
“People are talking about it.”
I give him a look like saying “And that’s good enough proof?”
“What?” he asks.
“Nothing,” I shook my head.

We headed to the music room and when we got there, we found it full of instruments. Besides Chris, it was all of our first time going into the music room since none of us have Band or Orchestra or Chorus. The first thing that caught my eye was the grand piano that sat almost in the middle of the room. I suddenly have this urge to go to it. Like it’s calling me.
“Check this out!” Megen says as she rushes over to the piano. Looks like I’m not the only one that’s fascinated with the piano. She sits down and starts banging the keys. It hurts my ears and my hands fly to my ears. Since I was still holding my almost empty milk carton with my right hand, my poor right ear’s not so lucky as my left.
“Megen!” I try to shout over the noise.
“Oops. Sorry,” she apologizes, remembering how sensitive my hearing can be.
“Just don’t cause trouble. I’m not sure if we are supposed to be here and I just want to check something really quick,” he says. Chris is a good pianist who seems to only know how to play songs by Evanescense.
“No promises!” Caitlin says with an evil smile as she examines all the other instruments.
I roll my eyes and glance at the piano again. Suddenly, an image of shelves full of books and a man playing a piano appears in my head. Like a memory…
“Do you like the piano?” a man’s voice echoed in my mind. He had an accent that wasn’t from anywhere in this world and I could hear a soft, soothing lullaby being played in the piano. "Do you like it? The song. Do you like it?”

Suddenly, my hands are just itching to touch the piano that sat in front of me.
“C-can I try something?” I asked Megen.
She stood up and I took my seat in front of the piano. I placed my milk carton on the floor before adjusting the seat to a comfortable place and placed my fingers on the keys.
What am I doing? I asked myself. Then I could see a pair of hands get placed where my hands were. Not on them but, like, through them. Like a ghost’s. A ghost of a man, actually. My heart races from the thought of a ghost being inside of me but then the fingers started silently playing the piano. Something was telling me to just mimick them. I moved my fingers with his and I started playing the lullaby that I remembered. I watched the hands gracefully touch the keys and, with great concentration, I followed them.

“Wow! I never knew you can play the piano, Anna,” Megen interrupted me.
She startled me so much out of my concentration that I banged onto the keys and I realized how I was actually playing the piano. Me. Someone who never touched one before. I looked at my hands and found the boy’s hands gone.
“Never did I,” I murmured.
“What was that?” she asked.
“Nothing,” I faked a smile at her. I began to feel a sickening feeling at the pit of my stomach. “I need to use the restroom.”
I stood up and rushed through the room.
“You okay?” Chris asked just as I opened the door.
“Yeah. I forgot I’m lactose intolerant,” I lied as I shut the door behind me.
I went to the closest restroom that I could find and entered to find a group of about ten girls blocking the small hall that leads to the bathroom stalls and sinks. The entire bathroom stunk of cigarettes and the girls giggled and chatted. They seemed to not notice me and I just stood there, waiting for them to. After seemingly five minutes, one finally glanced at me, looked up and down at me, and then continued ignoring me.
Umm… What?

I narrowed my eyes at them and continued to wait. A minute passed and they’re still acting stupid. I gave up.
“Uh, excuse me?” I said.
They broke in silence and the first few that stood in front of me looked at me with attitudes. They all had they’re hairs seemingly professionally done and their faces caked in makeup. They all wore high-heels, skin tight blouses and either short skirts or ripped up skinny jeans.
One, blond with a doll face, inhaled her cigarette long and slow, faced me, and blew smoke at my face. My nose burned from the smell and intensity of it and I coughed for air. “Can we help you?”
I let out my last couple coughs before speaking. “Isn’t it kind of obvious? I mean, it is a restroom, afterall.”
“Oh! You want to take a potty?” she spoke like I was a baby.
I pursed my lips. “No, I came to join the party and become a slut like all of you.”
They looked at each other like they could not believe I actually called them sluts. The blond one didn’t seem to have been disturbed as much as the others.
“Well, we all wouldn’t want to be freaks here, either,” she said.
I gave out a fake, confused half-smile. “Pardon me?”
“Have you looked at yourself in the mirror, lately? I mean, did you get yourself that fugly elf ear surgery and think it’d make you look pretty or cool?”
I swear, if everything in this world were all cartoons, my nostrils and ears would be steaming. I try not to show my embarrassment and anger, though.
“Well, I’m sure you make a lot of money,” I told her with a smile.
She flipped her blond hair and smiled. “How do you know?”
“I don’t. Let’s just say you look the type to give any guy a good night for some cash, if you know what I mean,” I winked at her.
Her smile dropped and her nostrils flared, but then her smile came back quicker than it did going away. But more evil.
“Oh, really? Well, come in and join the fun,” she said as she grabbed my arm and shoved me against the wall.
“Let go of me!” I shouted. Of course, she didn’t. As the bell rang, she took one last puff from her cigarette before striking it onto my collar bone. I screamed from the burn and I kicked my converse shoe into her bare leg. The pain was enough to distract her and to break myself free. I bolted to the door and I rushed out to run into a wall. I wanted to run farther, scared they’d go after me, but the burn hurt so much that I didn’t want to move. Instead, I slid down to the floor and started sobbing.
“Anna?” Caitlin’s voice screamed and I heard footsteps stomp rapidly closer to me.
“Anna! What happened to you?” Megen asked worriedly as she dropped next to me.
Just then, that’s when the girls came out.
“Well, nice meeting you, Anna,” the blond girl said as she started walking away with a sassy smirk.
“Taylor!” a guy’s voice screamed. The girl spun around to find Jason rushing to her. He grabbed her arms and shook her. “What have you done?”
“Freakin’ freshy here thought she was all that,” she snorted.
“I’ll get help,” Chris told Caitlin and Megen.
Just as he was rushing away, the sound of a hard slap against somebody’s face echoed all throughout the halls. I looked up to see Taylor’s head to the side and Jason’s hand in the air. Jason slapped Taylor? It wasn’t long before a huge crowd started gathering to see what’s happening.
“What’s going on here!” an administrator comes in.

I was taken to the nurse’s and then sent home afterwards. When I arrived home, I went to the bathroom to wash my face and to check the burn. It was raw and red. After taking a shower and making sure to put burn cream on my stinging wound, I looked up into the mirror and saw how pitiful and sad I looked with the burn. Great, another scar... Like dad always says, "Every scar has a history." I hope nobody asks me how I got it. I'm sure there will. And I won't be proud or willing to tell the story. And then I started to remembered what Taylor said.
“…did you get yourself that fugly elf ear surgery…?”

I looked at my ears and found them to be indeed pointy. Were they always like this? I asked myself.
The next day, I went to school with my burn bandaged and my hair down, covering my ears. After noticing them, I felt ashamed and embarrassed from never realizing how abnormal they looked and from showing the world for Lord knows how long without knowing it. Maybe that’s why people looked at me like I was a freak? Well, obviously I am if one person called me one, whether they’re someone like Taylor or not…
I was sent to the administrator’s office almost as soon as class started. I nervously entered the room to find Jason and Taylor sitting in front of Mr. Rashford’s desk.
“Take a seat,” he told me. The only seat was next to Jason. I sat down, not really caring anymore of whether or not the rumor of him liking me is true. “So describe to me what happened.”
I opened my mouth to start speaking but then I looked at Taylor. She sat there with her bare, shaved legs crossed and she was nonchalantly checking her perfectly manicured nails. She had a faint bruise on her left cheek but she acted like it was nothing. It looked as though this wasn’t her first time visiting this room in an occassion like this. I brought my attention back to Mr. Rashford. “Basically, I wanted to use the restroom, Taylor and her group wouldn’t let me, pushed me against the wall and burned me with a cigarette.”
“You were supposed to be at lunch, correct?”
I hesitated. “Yes.”
“Why did you go to a restroom that’s far from the cafeteria?” he asked.
Crap…
“Because I wanted to use the time that I’d be at the cafeteria to practice playing the piano. And since I needed to use the restroom, the one that Taylor and her group was in was the closest one to the music room ,” I half lied.
He wrote down something before facing Taylor. “And why were you at the restroom with nine other girls, missy? Especially with a cigarette.”
She rolled her eyes and without even thinking of an excuse she just said it straight out. “I was bored and I didn’t want to smoke alone.”
“I’m just going to ignore the fact that you were smoking, and ask you why you wouldn’t let her use the restroom,” he said.
“It’s my bathroom. I didn’t see why she had to disturb us and use it,” she said.
What? Is this chick serious?

He shook his head and made it obvious that he knows she’s guilty. He faces me. “Now, Miss Yetzer. Taylor has told me that you’ve called her a slut and then kicked her in the shin.”
“Well, yes. But it wasn’t like that. She asked me if I wanted to ‘go potty’,” I made the quotation marks with my index and middle fingers, quoting Taylor, “and I decided to be sarcastic and told her ‘no, I’m just here to join you guys and be a slut’. And then when she burned me with the cigarette, that’s when I kicked her.”
“Well, you still cursed and hit someone so I’m going to have to keep you in the ISS room for a day,” he told me.
“But, I--” I started saying in defense but then he gave me a look that said “would you like to add into your punishment?” I began feeling anger but kept it all in and slumped back into my seat with my arms crossed. I could see Taylor giving me a look that showed that I haven’t completely won this battle but then her face shifted to something frightened when I glanced at her.

So I received one day of indoor suspension while Taylor got two weeks of outdoor suspension from starting a fight, burning a student, smoking in the restrooms, wearing clothes that’s against dress-code and for technically skipping class. Since Jason harshly slapped Taylor, he’ll be suffering three days of outdoor suspension.

My first day in the ISS room was boring. I wasn’t allowed to at the least bit slouch down, put my head down, sit on the chair sideways, or anything of the sort. You weren’t allowed to read, talk, doodle, write notes, etc. Basically, all they had you do was quietly sit straight on your seat and wait for the day to pass. I couldn’t see how anybody like Taylor could continue being a troublemaker and spend time here…

The next day comes and I’m back in class. My first class was Biology and, like always, the teacher isn’t there to start the day right away. The seat next to mine was empty since Jason is in OSS but something made my heart dance but my brain confused. A single red rose sat on my desk. Honestly, my favorite flower is the pink Tiger Lily but I couldn’t complain since I barely ever get any flowers from anybody. I pick it up and I found a note being tied onto one of the leaves. I flipped it open to find “Here’s Something Beautiful For An Angel That’s Hurt. Hope Your Burn Feels Better” written in decent handwriting. I flip the note over and over again to find a name but didn’t find any.
I showed it to Caitlin, Megen and Chris later that day and they all went crazy with awe.
“How cute! I’m so jealous,” Caitlin said.
“Do you think it’s from Jason?” Megen asked.
“Yup,” Chris replied, examining the note. “No doubt about it. That’s his handwriting.”
“Chris, you’re so creepy! You even pay attention to his handwriting?” I asked him.
He just shrugged and smiled like he doesn’t know how to respond.
“Can’t he get in trouble?” Megen asked.
“Why?”
“Well… He technically trespassed school property. You can’t do that while you’re suspended,” she explained.
I thought about it. He risked his chances of getting more in trouble just to send me a rose?

Three school days passed and I sat in Biology with my head down, tired from waiting for the teacher to arrive.
“You okay?” a familiar voice asked me. I looked up to find Jason there. I shot up and sat up straight.
“Yeah!” I said. Why am I such a dope…?

He chuckled and settled down onto his seat. “How’s you’re burn?”

I touched the scab with my fingers. “It’s getting better.”
“Can I see?”
I looked at him and hesitated before pulling the collar of my shirt down and peeling the bandage off. All you can see is a single reddish-brown dot on my collar bone.
He sighed. “I’m sorry that happened. She can be a bit of a bitch once in a while.”
“How do you know Taylor?” I asked him.
“She’s my ex,” he grinned.
“Oh…”
“Alright, class!” Ms. Burkey finally arrives. “Please, be seated.”

Ms. Burkey has been explaining plant photosynthesis for ten minutes now when a note flies onto my desk. I looked at Jason to find his chin leaning against his hand, acting like he didn’t just pass a note. I opened it to read “Will you go out with me to the Homecoming Dance?”
Homecoming Dance is about three weeks away and I wasn’t originally planning on going. I looked at him and thought about it until I took my mechanical pencil and wrote “I’ll think about it”.

“Are you excited?” Caitlin asks as she curls my hair with a hot curling iron.
“I’m more nervous than excited, honestly,” I replied.
“Oh, don’t be. You’ll be fine. You’re going to be with one of the most hottest guys in school! What’s there to--”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. I’m scared you’ll embarrass me in front of him,” I interrupted her.
“Pffft, thanks,” she said like she was hurt from what I said.
“Well, it’s true!”
“When have I ever embarrassed you?” she asked.
I spun my head around to look at her with an are-you-kidding-me glare.
“Hey, I’ve scared you, acted silly around you, and maybe broken a couple things,” she said.
“Yeah, in which I’m sometimes ashamed to call you my cousin,” I kidded. Her sentence echoed in my head and then I realized what she said. “And a couple?”
“Okay, maybe a couple too many,” she giggled.
All of a sudden, the doorbell rings.
I gasp. “He’s early.”
“I’ll get it! Try to finish you’re hair as much as possible until I get back,” she told me before shutting the door behind her and leaving me alone. I know nothing of styling hair other than taking mousse and just scrunching it onto my hair so I left my hair alone and waited for her to return. I just stared at myself in the mirror and studied my hair. It has turned a bit more orange than strawberry blond in the past years and I’ve let my bangs grow a bit. I need to cut them sometime soon…
Five minutes passed and Caitlin finally came back.
“Why didn’t you do anything?” she asked, rushing to my side and continuing with where she left off.
“I don’t know how to use that thing!” I told her.
“All you got to do is take a chunk of hair, wrap it around the barrel, hold it there for ten seconds and then release,” she explained. “Simple as that.”
“Oh, shush and finish with my hair.”
She was done with it within about five minutes since all she had to do left was the top layer of my head. She already did both our makeup. I looked at her and realized she hasn’t styled her hair at all.
“You’re not going to do you’re hair?” I asked her.
She just grabbed a comb, pulled her hair up in a ponytail and started teasing her ponytail until it looked like one birds nest. It literally didn’t even take her two minutes to do that. She just shook her choppy bangs and clipped a plastic black rose onto her edgy, messy ponytail. Her black, lacy dress was all frilly and dark, like her personality. She wore purple tights and sexy black boots.
Mine was a strapless dress that reached my knees with tons of waves and sparkle. I wore a necklace that had tons of silver beads and it covered almost my entire collar bone. I wanted to hide the burn and Caitlin found it just lying around in her room.
I rush out of my room and tried to go down the stairs in silver high-heels. I honestly don’t know how Taylor and her group can wear these hooker-heels. They’re so hard to manage, especially going down the stairs.
Jason was sitting on the sofa, reading a book that I left on the coffee table. The sounds of my heels immediately caught his attention when I came into the room.
“You read?” I asked him, surprised.
“Nah. I was just bored and that was there,” he said. He wasn’t being sarcastic or anything.
My face dropped a bit…
“Well, let’s go,” I told him.
“Not so fast,” my father came in from the kitchen. He was holding a camera…
“Oh, Dad. No, come on,” I said.
“Oh, just a few,” he said, taking a random picture without even focusing. The flash startled me and blinded my vision.
I rubbed my eyes. “Dad! That hurts my eyes.”
“Oh, really?” he took another.
I gave him a dirty look. I wasn't even sure if I was looking at him though.
“Does it really hurt your eyes?” he asked, checking the lens like the flash is going to be in them. Derp much?

“I feel fine,” Jason said with his hands in his pocket.

“Anna is just a sensitive little baby,” Caitlin said as she swung an arm over my shoulder.
“I’m not,” I protested.
Dad took another sudden picture. My eyes seriously burn now.
“Dad!”
“Okay, okay. I’ll take off the flash,” he said, disappointed.
I rolled my eyes. Jason looked at me and his eyebrows moved closer together for a slight moment with an expression of confusion and fright. Am I really that scary when I’m annoyed?
“Okay, group picture,” he told us. Jason slid his arm around my waist and Caitlin kept her arm around my shoulders. A sudden shiver traveled up my spine as soon as his fingers brushed my back. Dad looked at the screen of the digital camera and waited for it to focus. “Ready? Say cheese!”
We didn’t really say “cheese” but we did smile. The camera gave out a shuttering sound and didn’t flash. Thankfully.
“Alright, now one with the girls,” he said.
Jason stepped away and, with merriment, Caitlin instantly wrapped her arms around my arms. I went with it and gave her a gentle hug.
“Okay, say cheese,” he said. We smiled and he took another picture. “Alright, now the couple.”
Caitlin pouted and walked away as I scolded Dad for calling me and Jason a couple. Jason came in close and placed his arm back around my waist. I felt awkward just standing there with my arms just hanging there so I put my arm behind his back.
Dad didn’t look entirely happy with how Jason purposefully posed with me but he stayed quiet and took the picture after we smiled.
“Alright, have fun,” Dad told us.
“We’ll try,” Caitlin said just as we were going out the door.

Jason drove us to the Homecoming Dance. Yes, he’s sixteen as a sophomore and he can drive. Isn’t that so cool?! Anyways, I sat at the passenger’s seat and Caitlin sat at the back. Like always, she would not sit still.
“These seats are so comfy!” she said as she bounced up and down on her seat.
“Are you even wearing your seatbelt?” I asked her.
“Maybe,” she replied.
“Do you want to die?”
She seemed to give thought before answering. “Not really.”
“Then put on your seatbelt,” I told her.
Jason chuckles.
“What?” I asked him.
“You’re amusing,” he said.
“How?”
“You’re cute when you’re mad,” he said.
I rose my eyebrows. I may look annoyed at the outside but to be realistic, my heart’s fluttered just because of the fact that he called me cute. I hid it though. “Well, I’m going to be adorable as long as this child is under my care.”
He gives out another laugh.
“Sorry, mother,” Caitlin teased.
I just gave up and faced forward with my arms crossed. As soon as I looked through the windshield, I saw what seemed like a woman standing in the middle of the road. All I could make out from the darkness was her bright red hair. Jason was going sixty in a forty-five road and he wasn’t slowing. Is it her?

“Jason,” I said, low and scared.

“Hm?” he asked casually, glancing at me.
Before I could even tell him what’s in front of him, we were already getting dangerously close to her and all I could do was scream his name and brace myself. I watched her turn around and look at us before the bumper hit her. The car came to an almost complete stop. Not from the crash but from Jason suddenly hitting the breaks from the reaction of my shrieks. There was no crash. There was no woman in front of us, lying on the ground and bleeding. A few cars swerved around us and honked their horns at us.
Jason continued driving.
“What was that all about?” he shouted.
I gulped and realized how I’m panting. What was that? She was there, but then she disappeared. What?

I looked back to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, but I saw nothing on the roads except for other cars. I faced forward and took a deep breath.
“I thought there was a kitten. It was actually a plastic bag,” I lied. “I’m sorry…”

Mila, Wake Up- Zelimir

MY SWORD CLASHES AGAINST SERGEANT Major Orde’s sword, making a sharp shing!

His blade slid across mine and he attempted to swing it at me. I dodged it and I tried to attack his shoulder but he blocked my sword with his. The sun beamed against me and I could feel sweat dripping down my forehead and neck. Orde backed up as I kept moving in closer every time our swords touched.
I started thinking about the first day he started teaching me how to sword fight.
“Alright, before we start, give me a reason why I should risk my chances of getting caught and having my butt thrown in prison for teaching a child without a license,” he told me as we stood in the woods. We couldn’t practice in the fields that were close to the Arziallan walls and we certainly couldn’t practice within them. As I knew, it is forbidden for anyone to learn sword fighting from anyone who does not have license to do so but the military wouldn’t accept me and I was desperate to learn.
“Because I’d like to have a second chance to be part of the military,” I told him.
He rose one eyebrow. “Why do you want to join the military?”
“Because it inspired me,” I told him. I felt like that wasn’t sincerely what I meant to say so I quickly gave thought to it and stared at the horizon, at the direction of where Arzialla should be behind Orde. And then, being careful of what to say, I said slowly, “It inspired me… to… not only protect my family but to protect other families.”
“Why do you feel like you need to save families?”
I hesitated, again being careful with my choice of words. “Because I know how it feels to lose a family and I wouldn’t want to let anyone else go through that.”
“But who would you want to save them from?”
I shrugged. “Anyone… Anything… But exclusively from Gavrils.”
“So you just want to be a hero,” he said, not questioning.
I thought about it for a second and then nodded.
“Are you sure you want to learn how to sword fight? It takes an average boy about five years to master,” he told me.
“Yes, sir.”
I remember asking him later that day why he couldn’t just give me knowledge in order to make things easier.
“Knowledge and experience are two completely different things,” he answered. “You can always gain knowledge but if you haven’t practiced, then there’s no use for it. It’s good to be school smart but once you’re out in the real world, what’s the use of it?”
My thought was interrupted when Orde’s sword almost slashed my face. He swung his sword at my head again and I dodged it by crouching down. I felt the tips of my hair being the only thing that his blade sliced. I found a spot where Orde was most vulnerable at the moment and I stretched my leg out., spun in the spot, and let my leg hit his ankles, knock him down. With much grace, I stood up and just as he was lifting himself from the ground, the tip of my sword touched his Adam’s apple.
He laughed out loud. “Nice fight, Zelimir. You got me once again.”
I pulled my sword away from him and offered him a hand. He took it and I pulled him up to his feet.
“I must say, I’m more than impressed. You’ve become a powerful swordsman within only eleven months,” he told me.
“Has it really been that long? It feels like it was only yesterday when I begged you to teach me the basics of using a sword,” I chuckled.
He laughed too and nodded as in agreement. “If this was a training session in the military, I’d say they’d notice you’re fast improvement and immediately accept you as a true knight. You’d be awarded a position and a sword of your own.”
“I know,” I said with a sad smile. “You still can’t award me with one though, huh?”
“Nope. Order and pay like a normal customer,” he said.
“That’s no fair,” I pouted.
“Child, legally, yes it is. Especially since I’m not supposed to be ‘awarding’ you for anything like this,” he told me.
“I know but the swords are so expensive,” I complain.
I honestly was hoping for him to at least lower the price for me. He noticed how disappointed I was and swung his arm around my shoulders. “Well, I’m not going to leave you without some kind of celebration at least.”
“What do you mean?”
“The king is having an annual military ball soon. Since I used to be a soldier, I’m invited. Friends and family of every soldier is welcomed to come too but only so much can come for each soldier,” he said.
“And… you’re inviting me?”
“No, I’m inviting this young maiden and I want you to know that. Yes. This has something to do with the military so I thought you’d be interested,” he laughed at me.
“Alright!” I said with glee.
“You can invite Mila if you really want to too,” he added.
“I’m sure she’ll love to join,” I said. And then I remembered something. “What should we wear?”
“Well, for male soldiers such as I, we’re supposed to wear our uniform. For female soldiers, they have the option to wear a ball gown. But for guests like you and Mila, just wear your very best. It’s an extremely formal party.”
I gave a slow nodded and thought of what I have in my wardrobe. I have nothing formal…

“I’m going to have to go shopping then…”
“I can help you with that. I’ll pay for all you need,” he offered.
“Oh no. Don’t,” I insisted.
“You worked hard for his moment and besides you earned this. You need to be awarded,” he said.
“Well… alright then,” I said. “When’s the party?”
“This Saturday,” he said.
Today’s Thursday so we have two days to prepare for the night.

Tomorrow comes quickly. Too quickly. There was a knock at our front door early in the morning and Mila screamed for me to answer it. She was busy frying eggs and she couldn’t leave them alone. I crawled out of bed and lazily walked over to the door. I opened the door and the fall wind entered, cooling the house. I shivered a bit. I wasn’t entirely awake when I answered it and it took me a minute to realize who I’m facing.
“Why are you here? Especially at crack of dawn?” I asked Orde.
“What do you mean? It’s only six in the morning,” he joked.
Class starts about two hours after dawn so I was wondering why he’s interrupting my valuable sleep before having to prepare to go to school.
He saw how I didn’t laugh and frowned, clearing his throat. “At a time like this, especially when a ball is tomorrow, formal clothing shops will have nothing left at the end of the day. And since most of the citizens are going to be at work or about to go to school, we should take advantage of this time and purchase clothes for you. Because by the time you step into shops to look for formal wear after school, the place will be packed.”
I groaned in complaint and figured he’s right. Especially if he’s probably gone to these parties every year. I looked around, thinking of what to do and I noticed he has his sword with him in a sheath. I was about to tell him to just wait outside but then Mila would smack me upright in the head with a wooden spoon and ask where my manners were.
“Come on in,” I told him. “Hey Mila! Could you make something for our guest while I change, please?”
“Who is it?” Mila asked, not yelling like I did. She’s a morning bird who wakes unnecessarily early and falls asleep before it gets dark.
“It’s Sergeant Major Orde. Please do me the favor and keep him company while I dress up,” I asked her. I turned to Orde. “She’s in the kitchen. Just sit down. Make yourself right at home.”
I left him alone and just when I turned to go to my room I heard Mila ask him if he’d like warm coco or something. I went into my room and I looked at the bed. I could feel a pull from it. I could hear it whisper, “Come, lie down. Poor thing, you’re so tired, aren’t you?” I could feel myself falling asleep just standing.
I need a bath. I need something to wake me up I thought. I gathered clothes and took them with me to the bathroom. I pulled my shirt off and I went to the tub. I turned the knob to turn on the faucet and I cupped my hands under the rushing water. I splashed water on my face and slapped my cheeks a bit to wake myself up. I looked up at the mirror that was hung on the wall over the tub and stared at myself. My blonde hair reached past my shoulders and a few pieces in the front hung wet from the water that I splashed on my face.

Maybe I should cut my hair for tomorrow… I thought.

My shoulders have grown a bit more bulky thanks to all the training Orde made me take. My naturally gray-blue eyes had a bit of black in them, representing that I feel a bit over worked, tense, and inactive. Black can also mean to be excited or energetic but it’s obvious that I’m not feeling at the least bit restless. I sighed and then realized how I have dark circles under my eyes and how I have a five-o’-clock shadow. To be realistic, this was the first night that I was actually able to fully sleep for a long time. Orde would make me meet up with him after school at the fields and have me carry fifty-pound supplies and objects or teach me tricks, moves, and gestures with a sword. Or he’d ask me to go to his shop and help him do the makings of various weapons whenever a customer requests for one to be custom made or whenever Orde feels like making one. Even with that, it’s a lot of work.
Sometimes we’d both lose track of time in training that I’d come home like an hour or two late. Thankfully, there’d be some exceptions where I wouldn’t have to go to training at all, like when a teacher assigns too much homework one day or we take a trip to the cathedral on Sunday with Mila to pray. I look forward to going to the cathedral, not because I get a break (I asked for the training, I can’t really complain about it, no matter how stressful it is) but because I feel safe in the house of sanctuary. Gavrils are evil beings, obviously, so they can’t reach anybody that’s within a holy church.
I could feel the water touch the tips of my fingers and I decided the tub is full enough to start taking a bath. I unbuckled my pants and jumped in.

I felt more relaxed and awake after the bath. I slipped on my new leather boots that Mila got for my birthday and stuffed my pant legs underneath them. I glanced at myself in the mirror once more and decided to pull my hair up in a small ponytail before going to the dining room where I left Orde. He wasn’t there. I heard their voices in the living room, so I go there and I find them sitting on the sofas and chit chatting. Orde glanced at me and asked if I’m ready.
“Yup,” I replied.

We offered Mila to tag along but she insisted in staying to do chores and to plan out on what wear for the ball or whatnot.
Orde and I stopped at a shop and were immediately welcomed by a young girl. She seemed to be about my age and her long brown hair was braided. A flower was pinned on the side of her head and it matched with her hazel eyes. There was a hint of golden orange around the outer ring of her eyes. Sincere. Confused. Busy. Her freckles covered her rosy cheeks while her lips were pale from being chapped. I honestly thought she was cute.
“This way, Zel,” Orde told me. I followed him, but I really didn’t take my eyes off of her. And neither did she look away from me.
When she was away from sight, I ripped myself to reality and glanced at the clothes. I would keep my eyes out for her but she never reappeared from my sight again so after about ten minutes of being in the shop, I gave up and paid attention to what I should wear for tomorrow.
“That’s cotton. It’s much better if you’d look at silk, Zelimir,” Orde told me.
I went over to where the silk fabricated clothes were and realized how expensive they were.
“Orde,” I faced him. “Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” he replied. “I insist.”
I felt bad about having him buy me pricy clothes but then again he makes better money than what Mila and I make put together. Especially after joining the force.
“Here, try this on,” Orde told me as he handed me a black jerkin.

It came to a conclusion that I looked best in a plain white shirt and vest. Orde said since the Arziallan military is red, to go with a red vest to show my pride for the kingdom so I went with it. I already have satin black pants back at Mila’s and Orde thought my boots were good enough for the event so we actually didn’t spend as much as we thought we would. When we went to pay, the girl with chapped lips stood behind the counter. While she gave us our price and Orde paid, she kept glancing at me. I tried not to look like a creep so I avoided making eye contact with her but it was hard since I kept feeling her stares. I didn’t feel nervous but I couldn’t help but think how pretty she is.
“Have a good day,” she practically murmured.

Orde dropped me off and of course the kitten I found and managed to keep welcomed me home like always. I decided to name her Cally since I couldn’t think of any other name and all I could describe her was her calico orange, brown, gray and white blotches all over her body. She’s grown so much within the year; it’s hard to imagine that she used to fit in the palm of my hand.
Orde asked Mila if she’s found anything to wear before going home. She said she has the perfect dress for the evening and insisted on not worrying about it. When Mila and I were alone, I remembered how I wanted that haircut.
“Mila?” I said. “Have you ever cut hair?”

It turned out that she used to cut her husband’s hair all the time. She said that she’ll give me the same haircut that her husband loved. I’m not sure how it’ll look and I’m honestly nervous to see the results but I didn’t complain.
She took a chair and a table cloth and told me to sit down. I sat and she wrapped the table cloth around my neck before pulling the hair-tie out of my hair to get ready to cut. She took some scissors and started snipping.
My thoughts went deep into the girl’s face. I didn’t entirely feel excited about thinking of her but I couldn’t take my mind off of that face.
“What is love?” I all of a sudden asked without thinking.
I feel her pause for a second but said, “It’s something indescribable. It’s something only one can feel and only one can see.”
“How do you know when you’re in love, how about that?” I rephrased my question.
“When you look at one like no other,” she said. She seems to be enjoying this because she knows this is not the type of answers I was expecting. “Why?”
“Nothing,” I lied.
I could feel Cally rubbing up against my legs and her chest vibrating as she purrs. I would pat my lap to give her permission to sit on it but the table cloth would probably make it impossible for her to get on without pulling the sheet off of me.
Mila’s last line echoed in my head. Do I see that woman like no other? I wasn’t sure. Especially since I don’t really talk to a lot of girls…

I decided to just shut my mind and close my eyes and concentrated on the feel of her scissors slicing my hair. It felt relaxing. I love it when people touch my hair. I remember how my father would cut my hair every month or so because my hair would grow incredibly fast. He would cut it short but long enough for me to have bangs. My dad… I miss him…
“Don’t fall asleep now. Raise your head,” Mila said.
I noticed how I was slouching and immediately jolted my back straight and raised my chin up. Was I really drifting to slumber?

“Sorry,” I told her.
“Do you like having haircuts?” she asked.
“Yes,” I replied.
“I can tell,” she said.
“What do you mean?”
“Your hair is thick without any split ends at all. It looks and feels very healthy.”
I gave out a small half smile.
“Has anybody ever told you that you have beautiful hair?” she said. And then she quickly added, “I know that’s not manly but I’m just saying.”
I chuckled. I did feel a bit embarrassed to be called “beautiful”…

“My hair has always given me easy compliments,” I told her.

“I bet. It’s rare to see platinum, golden blond hair like this,” she said.
“My sister had the same hair color,” I told her. “We supposedly came out to look much like our mother.”
“Supposedly?”
I realized that I haven’t really talked about my family all that much to her. I’ve only told her that my entire family died and that was it. “Yeah, my mother died from a terrible illness apparently a couple months after having me so I don’t remember her.”
“Oh, no. I’m so sorry,” she told me. “What illness was it? Do you know?”
“She apparently coughed up blood while her lungs would slowly fill up with phlegm. She couldn’t eat because then she’d throw up the food and more blood with that. Whenever she’d cry, blood would mix in her tears, along with in the phlegm that’d stuff her nose. At the end, she hallucinated and went mentally insane. Of course, the blood loss that she had was what killed her first than what her madness would’ve done,” I explained. My father has explained this to me numerous times. My sister has actually told me that she’s had a couple memories of watching my mother suffer…
“Oh my! What misery,” Mila gasped. “But wait, didn’t you say your father was a doctor? Couldn’t he cure her?”
“At first he thought it was simply pneumonia but the medicine he gave her didn’t work. She grew very weak and her body would just reject whatever she’d consume, including remedies and antidotes. My father just assumed whatever bacteria she caught has spread throughout her body, making it too late to cure.”
“How strange,” she muttered. She snipped a couple more locks of hair before taking a comb and combing my hair as she desired. “All done! Let me get a mirror.”
I grew anxious while she went out of the room and disappeared. She came back with a handheld mirror and my stomach twisted a little. I’m always willing to try new things but when it comes to my hair, I’m honestly picky…
She held out the mirror in front of my face, not entirely focusing it correctly at me. I took it from her hand and adjusted it. My hair was a bit shorter than how my father used to cut it but, I do have to admit, I liked it a lot.
I thanked Mila for the haircut and I went to wash up since, even though Mila used a table cloth to prevent hair particles from getting all over my clothes, they still managed to go into my shirt.
After taking a bath, I decided to walk over to the kitchen and grab a snack. I walked through the living room and when I entered the room with the magical door, I paused in front of the door. This door would reveal the answer to whether or not that was love at first sight, right?

I asked myself.
I stared at the door, hesitantly, before slowly grabbing the knob and turning it. I opened the door and cool air entered. All that was at the other side of this door was the alley that was behind Mila’s house. I was expecting this but I couldn’t help but feel a bit upset…
“Disappointed?”
I jumped from surprise and automatically slammed the door shut without meaning to. Mila was standing behind me, staring at me. She was wearing her nightgown with her gray hair braided into two low buns. She was holding a lit candle that sat in a handheld holder and I wondered how I didn’t notice the candle light.
She’s stealthy.
I acted like I opened the door for some other purpose. “Nah, I thought I heard something outside and I went to check what happened.”
“That’s not what you’re eyes tell me,” she said smiling with an eyebrow arched. “They tell me that you feel let down, embarrassed. Why on earth would you feel that way if you’re only checking outside?”
She’s not stupid, that’s for sure.
“Who did you meet?” she asked, not really waiting for an answer to her previous question.
“Nobody special, obviously,” I said, gesturing at the door.
“I asked who. Not what is she to you,” she said.
I sighed. “Just some pretty girl at the shop that Orde and I went to.”
“Did you feel a pull from her? Like you wish to know her?” she asked.
I shrugged. “Not really.”
“You’d have to have a strong connection with her the moment you lay eyes on her. But in this case, you were just attracted to her by her beauty,” she said.
“Well… yes, I guess you can say that,” I said scratching my head. It feels odd having short hair like this. It feels good but I’m so unused to it that it feels like I’m naked without my long hair.
“What’s you’re ideal woman?”
“Huh?” I wanted to be sure that I heard her right.
“Do you have an ideal woman?” she said.
I hesitated. “Well, I guess.”
“What do you like in a woman?”
“I don’t know. A girl that’s completely different from all the rest?”
“How different?”
I wasn’t sure how to answer this. I never gave much thought into what kind of girl I’d want.
She saw how I haven’t answered and somewhat changed the subject. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“Do you?”
“To be honest, no,” she smiled. “I actually hated my husband when I met him.”
“How did you both end up happily married then?” I asked.
“Frankly, even I don’t know. Love works in mysterious ways,” she told me. “But I find relationships more of a romantic love story if it’s ironic like that. Because it proves that even enemies can fall in love and that tells you that they have to really know each other and slowly but surely get along to fall in love.”
I still wasn’t sure how enemies can fall in love but I didn’t question about it.
“Well,” Mila sighed. “Let’s go to bed. It’s late and we need to have our rest for tomorrow evening.”
She escorted me to my room and told me goodnight. Just when I was going to shut the door, she said, “You’ll find her eventually. Don’t lose faith.”
I hesitated before closing the door.

The night of the annual military ball arrived and I was ready for it. I think…
Mila made sure to fold my clothes in lavender and other herbs to make it smell good. I spent most of the day trying to polish my boots and make them look stunning. When I thought it was enough polishing, I checked the day outside the window and found it to be afternoon. I took a bath and made sure five times that I’m not forgetting anything. I felt like I was but something told me to see if I’m missing anything so I checked for the sixth and last time. If I forget anything then oh well. That’ll be my problem.
Shirt and vest. Check.
Pants with belt. Check.
Boots. Check.
Hair is combed stylishly. Check.
Money. Check.
Key to the house. Check.
That’s all I could think of that would be necessary or useful but I just couldn’t think of anything else that I might need. I looked around but didn’t find anything worth taking. Except for a small knife that I got myself a few months ago. I walked over to the counter that it was lying on and picked it up. I stared at the beautiful designs and the shine the blade made. I took my finger and brushed my skin against the edge. It’s extremely sharp. I gave thought to whether or not I should take it.
“Zelimir?” Mila called for me from another room.
“Coming,” I said, quickly throwing my boot off and sliding the knife into its sheath before tying it onto my ankle. I slipped my boot back on and hid the knife into it. It felt a bit uncomfortable but I managed.
I ran out my room, still wondering what I’m forgetting. I met Mila in the living room. She wore a green dress with long sleeves along with a shawl over her shoulders and her hair down. The braids she wore overnight left some waves, giving lots of texture in her hair.
“Ready?” I asked her.
“Yes,” she replied.
Cally came around the corner and gave out a meow.
“Did you feed her?” Mila asked.
That’s what I forgot!
I go into the kitchen with Cally following me and pull out some leftover chicken. I took a chunk of it and placed it in her bowl. She eagerly watched me lower the bowl down to the floor and immediately started eating it. She gets hungry easily so we serve her something twice or three times a day.
There was a knock on our front door and I knew who it was. Mila opened the door and thanked Orde for inviting us to this wonderful evening.
“It’s a pleasure. Besides Zelimir deserves this and I believe you should enjoy this event with him,” he said.
I rush over to the door and I smelled body powder on Mila. I glanced at Orde and found him to be wearing the admirable gray leather armor. He wasn’t in such a high rank so he never earned a cape to proudly wear. Capes represents someone important in the city, even though the military in general is something that’s always been looked up at. If you were in rankings such as Private to Sergeant Major of the Army the uniform would be a gray armor. Warrant Officer to the fifth rank of Chief Warrant Officer, the uniform is a red armor and gray cape. Uniforms for ranks that range from Second Lieutenants to General of the Army would proudly wear a jet black armor and red cape. My eyes looked past Orde and found a man dressed in a military red armor and silver cape. A royal guard. You’d have to be the best to be a soldier in the palace and better than the best to be the king’s personal guard. Royal personal guards wear the same thing as a regular royal guard but with an addition of a silver sash.
I look past Orde and found a carriage and horse.
“Well, we need to go,” Orde told us. “Here’s your invitations. Don’t lose them on the way over there.”

We rode in the carriage and went through almost the entire town to get to the palace. From afar, I can see the sky lit up from all the lanterns. The roads were filled with other carriages waiting in line to drop off their invitees and guests. Soldiers came in a bit easier however since they could come riding on their own horse. But for soldiers like Orde where they would rather be gentlemen, they’d come in with their guests if they wish.
After a few minutes, we’ve come close enough to see the front gates of the kingdom. The gates were twice the height of an average man with steel bars. Royal guards and soldiers patrolled the entrance. From a distance, I can see the royal guards ask guests for their invitations before letting them through. But as we come closer, I noticed how the guards would ask the male guests to empty his pockets, lift his jackets, etc.
“Are they checking to see that you’re not holding any weapons?” I turned to Orde.
“Yes. Any sort of weapon is an instant threat to the king unless if you’re a soldier and you know the consequences of holding one against him,” he replied.
I look away and widened my eyes at the window remembering the knife that’s strapped to my leg under my boot. I watch the guards check every guest as we get closer and closer. I tried to seem calm without making it obvious that my mind is actually panicking. I’d throw it out if it’s not such a nice knife. I’d tell Orde about it but what will he do? Wait… Didn’t he just say that a soldier can hold a weapon as long as he doesn’t use it against the king?
“Hey, Orde,” I said. “Do you have extra space for a knife?”
His eyebrow arched closer to each other. “What you mean?”
I reached my hand into my boot and unbuckled the sheath off of my ankle. I held it out for Orde to see and he took it.
“Why do you have this?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I didn’t mean to seem like a threat to the king. I just brought it for self- defense.”
“Don’t do this again,” he said. “I’m serious. I’ll let you slip this one but don’t bring a weapon. There’s plenty of soldiers in the palace anyways.”
He took the sheath and strapped it around his ankle under his pants. I sighed with relief.
Just then, we stopped and a royal guard opened the carriage door. He stepped aside and we allowed Mila to get out first. I eyed Orde and told him to go first but he insisted for me to exit before him since I’m the guest. They asked Mila to raise her shawl to show she’s not hiding anything. They didn’t touch her but when it was my turn, they checked my arms, sides, and legs to make sure I’m not holding anything. I’m glad I gave my knife to Orde since they asked me to remove my boots as well.
They saluted Orde but the fact that he used to be part of the military didn’t stop them from checking. But instead of checking, they asked him to just reveal all the weapons he’s carrying. He slightly lifted his sword from his sheath and took my knife out of his boot. They stared at his eyes, looking for any sign that he’s lying. Of course, he was being sincere so they let him pass with them.
We climbed 37 stairs before meeting the front doors of the palace. The palace doors were made of stained glass arranged around to look like a variety of people, animals, objects, and such. Many were of fairies performing their magic or playing pranks on villagers. Some were of just random designs and shapes.
We entered and were fulfilled with awe when we stepped inside. Glass pillars were leaning against the red walls as they held the ceiling up and stood on marble floors. Two sets of grand staircases that sat in front of us presented an elegant, welcoming display. In between the staircases was a room and at the top of the stairs was another room. They’re both full of people chit-chatting and having a good time.
Orde leaned next to our shoulders and whispered, “The room in front of us is the throne room. The room upstairs is the ballroom.”
“How familiar are you with the palace?” Mila asked him.
“Very,” Orde replied. “Why? You asking for a tour?”
“Oh, it’s always been my dream to see the inside of the kingdom. It’d be a pleasure if someone like you can show me around,” she smiled at him.
He raised an arm at him. “It would be a pleasure to do such for a lovely lady.”
Her smile glowed with happiness and took his arm.
“Let’s start with the throne room,” he told her, escorting her into the magnificent room. I followed behind but then decided to see what’s upstairs. I climbed up the stairs and found the ballroom full of people dancing and military soldiers playing instruments in one side of the room. A chandelier hung from the high ceiling and glowing crystals floated in the air over the crowd. I stared at the crowd and gave thought to what to do while I’m alone here and Mila and Orde aren’t around.
What can

I do? I don’t have a partner to dance with. I don’t even know how to dance.
All of a sudden, I felt a small tug against the bottom of my shirt. I looked down to find nothing standing behind me. I looked around and no one was around. I mentally shrugged, thinking that it was probably just my imagination.
Just when I took a step into the ball room, a voice stopped me.
“Sir?” a little boy’s voice echoed. It came from the hall to my right. I glanced where I heard him and found the little child hiding behind a wall where the hall turns. The halls had gates so that guests wouldn’t be wandering around, but the lock that’d keep these gates in front of me securely shut were unlocked and the gates were slightly ajar. All I could see from him was one eye, some of his shoulder, and his golden, red hat.
I walked over to the metal bars.
“Can I help you with something?” I asked him as I stood in front of the gates.
He waved a hand for me to go to where he hid. I glanced around and saw no one watching or noticing me. As silent as possible, I opened the gate just enough for me to slip through and started walking down the hall to where he was. Just when I was about two-thirds down the hall, he ran away.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked.
All I can hear was his footsteps echoing in the corridors, getting softer as they got farther and farther.
“Are you lost?” I said as I got to the turn just in time to watch him turn into another hall. His red pony tail was the last thing I saw of him before disappearing into the other hall. Is the kid a girl? It sounded like a boy. But then again, his voice was high pitch so I couldn’t really tell…
I realized how the hall he turned to was about thirty feet away and how fast he really was. The wallpaper was a maroon color with some golden flowers. The marbled floor was nicely dressed with black rug that ran along with the corridors. The halls were lit with candles that’d sit in wall chandeliers, giving the corridors an elegant feel.
“Hey, wait,” I said, speed walking to him. “I don’t think I can be here. I can help you, just come back.”
He didn’t listen. The voices of the crowd lessened as the child led me away from them.
“I need to go back. Please, just tell me what you need,” I said as I finally got to the next turn and found him go into a room.
“Where are you going? I don’t think we are allowed in there,” I said, practically whispering now since I’m scared of getting caught. When I stepped in front of the door that the kid entered, I looked around and found the halls cleared. “Hello?”
No answer.
The door was seemingly closed but it was actually pushed to. I pushed the door open a bit to peak inside.
“Hello?” I asked again.
I glanced inside and found a woman standing in the middle of the room. It was dark and the only thing I could see was her bright red hair before her voice echoed, “he could’ve been my fifth cousin thrice removed…”

and disappeared in thin air. Syveria?
I looked closer and found her standing a foot away from where a crib with a mobile sat. There was a rocking chair in one corner of the room and drawers and other furniture in the room.
“Excuse me,” a voice from behind me said. I spun around to find a man standing before the door. He wore his black long sleeve shirt tucked in his black slacks with a golden sash and red cape. Medals and badges were pinned onto his shirt and a belt securely fastening his pants. His copper hair, beard and mustache already have a few silver strands.
I feel the weight on my chest. Only problem with that is that it’s more overwhelming since it’s just the fact that this man in front of me wore a royal circlet. I’ve never seen a single royal heir but it doesn’t take a genius to figure that this man was the king.
“May I ask why you’re in the Prince’s room?” his voice was husky.
I was speechless. Everything that I should and want to say are just jumbled up in my head, making me unable to speak without sounding like a complete fool.
Say something!

I told myself. It’s the king, for crying out loud! Clear your head and say something!

I blinked hard, thinking what I’d like to say before opening my mouth. “I-I’m sorry. I j-just…”
His eyebrow arched at me.
I sighed, debating myself if whether or not I should tell him what I saw without him thinking I’m crazy.
“I didn’t mean to be in here, sire,” I said, bowing down to him.
“What did you mean to do then?” he asked.
I opened my mouth and then shut it before saying that I meant to help a boy who led me to this extraordinary woman that disappeared before my eyes.
So I took a deep breath and asked, “D-Does a little child live in the kingdom? Not a baby, but a child around five or six?”
I remembered the kid’s hair and quickly added, “With long red hair?”
His expression became a mix of confusion and surprise.
“No. The only child that’d lived here would be my son but he didn’t make it. And the last child that ever came out with red hair was--”
He was cut off when the floor and halls started shaking, making some of the candles go out. We then started hearing screams from downstairs.
“What is going on?” the king questioned. I started running down the halls, not to get away from him, but to see what all the commotion is all about. “Hey! Where do you think you’re going? Come back here! Guards!”
I ignored him and kept running. I heard familiar roars mixed in with the shrieks of visitors. No…
I finally got to where the ball room would be and leaned against the balcony to see downstairs. Gavrils surrounded the first floor of the palace. The ceiling was so high, they actually fit in the first floor of the palace. They were huge as I remembered them to be, around ten feet tall or so.
I ran downstairs, remembering that Mila and Orde were downstairs before the king and his guards finally walked into the area still calling for me to stop. They didn’t realize the situation as quickly as I did but it quickly got their attention away from me.
I heard one of the guards order another to get the king to safety before their voices became faint by the time I was on the first floor.
It was gory. There weren’t much people left since the majority got to get away but a lot of people were still trapped. The people that were already caught by Gavrils spilled gallons of blood by the second as the monsters ate their flesh. Other Gavrils are fighting against soldiers. Even some soldiers were lying on the floor dead, which were mostly the lower ranked. I quickly slipped right passed everyone, trying not to attract a lot of attention to myself as I searched for Mila and Orde. I entered the throne room, finding paintings of past kings torn from claws. I scoped throughout the room and found Mila hiding behind Orde as they were surrounded by two Gavrils.
Orde noticed me before reaching into his boot and pulling out my knife. “Zel! Catch!”
He tossed the knife to me and I caught it without the blade piercing my palm. I positioned myself to charge before running after one and jumping onto its back. I gave out a single whistle for the beast to glance over to me and I stabbed it in the eye. It roared in pain before grabbing my back and throwing me across the room. I fell onto some other Gavril, knocking him to the floor with me. I lied there dizzy before a hand grabbed my leg and hung me upside down in the air. The world spun before my eyes but my vision cleared up enough for me to see a boy of about eight leaning against a beaten, passed out soldier with terror in his eyes. He must be his father. I remembered that soldiers carry swords so I looked for his and found it not too far from his hand.
Someone screamed nearby us so the Gavril took his attention away from me, giving me time. I pointed at the sword and shouted at the boy “The sword! Give me the sword!”
The boy quickly followed my finger and swiftly grabbed the sword before throwing it at me. Thankfully, Orde taught me how to catch a flipping sword since the kid didn’t really know how to properly toss one and I caught it. It was tricky since I’m upside down but I did it.
The Gavril heard me shout and he brought his attention back to me. Just as he was getting ready to chomp on me, I took the sword and cleanly ran it through its throat. Blood squirted everywhere onto my face as it gargled a scream before dropping me and tumbled down. I placed my foot onto its face and stabbed the sword right into the middle of its forehead, leaving him assuredly dead.
I glanced at the boy and his dad. I placed my fingers into his neck and felt a pulse.
“He’s alive,” I muttered.
I tried to carry him and found him light, seeing as how hauling all those supplies really did pay off. I hid him behind a large statue that stood against a corner and faced the boy.
“Stay here. Hide. They shouldn’t find you here,” I told him before rushing off.
I ran to where I found Orde and Mila before noticing that there’s only one Gavril after them now. The one I stabbed in the eye still had my knife stuck in the middle of its skull.
“Zel!” Orde shouted before the Gavril slapped his face hard, also slashing his cheek open. He fell against the wall behind him and blacked out.
“Zelimir!” Mila cried before the Gavril grabbed her by the waist and picked her up.
“No!” I shouted, grabbing my knife from the dead Gavril’s head as I ran at the one threatening Mila. “Stay away from her!”
I slid purposefully on my knees to the Gavrils legs to stab it in the calf with my knife. He and Mila both screamed with pain, squeezing her in his grip. Orde woke up and noticed how I got up on my feet and in one beat, I ran the sword completely through the monster’s stomach and sliced half of its guts out when I pushed the sword to one side of his body. He collapsed, dropping Mila like a rag-doll. Orde was able to see her fall before the Gavril lost grip of her and he got up and caught her. She was gasping for air and spitting blood.
“Seems like she has some fractured ribs and a broken spine,” Orde said.
“We got to take her to medical attention,” I told Orde.
We ran across everyone, passed the throne room and out toward the front doors before I remembered the little boy. I glanced back at the statue that I hid him and his father and quickly rushed back to it. I found his little body tucked tightly behind the statue. I tapped his back and he jumped.
“Come on. I’m taking you and your dad out of here,” I told him. He nodded eagerly and got out of the way for me to carry the man. I lifted him over my shoulder and hauled him to the doors with the boy following. The Gavrils were too busy praying on people that they’ve already caught rather than looking for seconds.
That’s when I realized that there were only a few Gavrils.
Huh… That’s weird. They usually travel in large groups…

The beautiful stained glass doors were completely shattered and we exited before almost running into Orde.
“Come on! What were you doing?”
“I made friends,” I said as I ran past him.
We quickly rushed down the stairs and passed dead royal guards before going through the front gates. We ran through roads, noticing how there were strayed horses hiding behind houses. Orde placed Mila down and managed to convince one of them to act nice and help us.
“Zelimir, he doesn’t seem to be that much in bad shape,” he said, referring to the boy’s father. “But Mila is seriously injured. Take the horse and take her to a doctor. I’ll see if I can get another horse to take him to one.”
“But I don’t know any,” I told him.
He sighed, thinking. “The only one I know is at the other side of the city. Head South and you should find a post that says ‘Dr. Xavier’.”
I nodded, hopped onto the horse with Mila and dashed throughout the city. I was lost and didn’t know where to go anymore. I paused to check on Mila and found her limp. I placed my fingers onto her neck in hopes that there’s a sign that she’s still alive. Nope. No pulse…
“No,” I whispered. “Mila, wake up. You’ll be okay.”
The more I denied the fact that she’s gone, the more I was unable to speak.
“Mila. Come on. It’s only broken bones. You can’t leave,” I said as I shook her. “Mila…”
I looked at her face and found her ghostly white with blood staining her skin.
“Oh God… What am I going to do now?” I asked her through sobs, hoping for her to reply. Nothing…
Tears ran down my face and I didn’t see any point in going to any doctor’s office anymore. I wanted to get out of here. I needed to leave Arzialla. At least for now. But first, I needed to finish something that I promised to do for her if anything like this happened. I rushed to her house and tide the horse on a post. I ran inside carrying Mila’s body and entered her room before laying her down on her bed. I went into my room and gathered the little wardrobe that Mila was able to afford for me and threw them in a bag. I remembered that I left my knife at the palace but I decided to just not care. I grabbed a second bag and searched for Cally, finding her in her usual sleeping spot under my bed. I snatched her and dropped her into the bag as she meowed and hissed from surprise.
“Shhh, it’s only me,” I tried to comfort her. I cradled her in my arms while she was still in the bag until she calmed down. I grabbed food for her and dropped it in the bag with her, making her completely silent. I made sure that the bag was securely closed before leaving Cally outside and going back inside. I took some of her special occasional wine and other alcoholic beverages and poured them all throughout the house, including Mila’s room and her furniture. Just when I came up to the door, I decided to open it since this’d be my last time looking through it. I turned the knob and opened it to find it to be the same old thing every time I open it. I continued on pouring the alcohol all over the floors and came a bit short on it. Oh well, that’s good enough. I took the candle that sat on the dining table and lit it before dropping it on Mila’s sofa that was soaked with alcohol. The sofa bursts into flames within no time letting everything else catch on fire. I leave the house in flames and ride away on the horse with Cally and my belongings.

I knew Orde has a shed behind his shop so I dropped off Cally and my stuff in there, shutting it closed before heading aimlessly until I came up to the great walls that were supposed to keep the city from danger. I went out through the closest gates that I could find and stopped at the first tree that I saw. I wanted to be alone. I didn’t want to see anybody. I laid against the tree, weeping myself to sleep.
In the middle of the night, I felt a warm hand pass onto my cheek. A lullaby was playing and a soft voice said, “She’s happy with her husband and me.”

Syveria…
When I woke up the next morning, I found myself lying in a king sized bed in a luxurious bedroom. Marble floors. Maroon wallpaper with golden flowers. Chandeliers. Red cotton bed set. I even wore black silk pajamas. Am I in the kingdom?
“Hello?” I said before remembering the tragedy from the night before and Mila and the burning of Mila’s home. I felt a lump form in my throat when a royal guard entered. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry. You’re alright,” he tried to assure me.
I looked around before asking why I’m here.
“Despite the fact that you invaded his son’s headquarters, King Zysman noticed how amazingly you fought and was impressed with you so he wanted to get to know you and have breakfast with you.”
I was so lost but I didn’t question him. Afterall, he’s only a guard. It’s something that I should ask the king himself.
“He’s waiting in the dining room if you’d like to see him now,” he added.
I’d prefer not to but I can’t say no to the king. I hopped out of the bed and found the floors to be ice cold.
“We left you slippers for you to use,” he informed me. I look around on the floor and found red fluffy slippers. I sipped them on before I followed the guard. While we went through corridors, I noticed how the walls seemed fine and everything was as if nothing happened. Like we never had a Gavril attack. Strange…
We went through a couple closed doors before entering a room with a very high ceiling that had a chandelier hanging from it, just like how every other room did. There were two other doors in the room and they were guarded by royal soldiers. There was a single long, black table, draped with a red table cloth made out of silk. I looked down the table and found a variety of dishes arranged around a plate at the end of the table, where the king was reading silently. He seemed to be extremely sucked into the book since he didn’t give any sign that he’s acknowledged me. The book was completely black with ruby and golden vines wrapped around it.
I saw the soldiers close the doors silently behind them, leaving me and the king alone.
I straightened my back and felt my heart thump faster and harder as it seemed to crawl its way up my throat. I tried to swallow it back down, not entirely feeling any less nervous.
The king wore reading glasses and held a book mark in between two fingers as he continued to read.
I waited for a response from him but the more I wait, the more awkward the silence became.
I watched him turn a page and take his book mark and slowly place it in the book. Just when he was about to shut the book, I blurted out, “I’m sorry.”
He seemed surprised for some reason, probably not expecting an apology so early. He slammed his book shut and gently placed it on the table.
“Take a seat. You look so tense,” he said, referring to a seat next to him.
I hesitated, not feeling like it’s my place to sit since I’m the one that has invaded his property. I shook my head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do what I did.”
“Zelimir,” he said. “Please, take a seat.”
“How did you know my name?” I said with shock.
He decided to ignore my question. “Please, sit down.”
“No, thank you,” I said.
“Please. I know you must feel guilty but lots has happened. You fought remarkably,” the king told me.
I didn’t know how to respond.
The king gestured a hand toward a chair next to him, asking me to sit once more. I hesitated before taking my seat.
“Eat, you look pale,” he said. That’s when I looked at the dishes and found a wide range of expensive breakfast dishes. He took a water pitcher and glanced at me. “Thirsty?”
That’s when I noticed how my throat was drier than ever. I nodded.
“So…You’re the one who’s burned down the house across the village,” he said as he poured water into my cup.
That wasn’t a question.
“How did you…”
“There’s just some things that are left unsaid,” he smiled. “Besides, I’m the king. I’m supposed to know everything.”
“Then what about the small attack of Gavrils?” I asked grimly as I took my first sip, remembering Mila.
He sighed and gave a look as though he was looking for an excuse. “Let’s just say I’ve been too busy to pay attention to the kingdom.”
That didn’t answer my question but he quickly added, “I’m sorry about Mila.”
“You knew her?”
“No.”
I gave a confused look and he said, “I have my ways in knowing.”
“What else do you know?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Anything and almost everything. What I can’t figure out was what you meant when you asked about a young child with red hair.”
“Oh, uh…” I said, remembering the little boy. “Never mind. I was--”
“I believe you’ve come face to face with Syveria as a child,” he interrupted me.
“But…” I said, too confused to speak.
“I’m guessing you did,” he said.
“I mean, yes I saw her but the child is not her. I mean, it was a boy.”
“She was always a little tomboy before blooming as a young princess just before she was going to be the next reign of the kingdom,” he said. “Besides, she was the last child in this world to ever live with such locks.”
I was silent, not sure what to say. All I could think of was the memory of me trying to find the hospital and expecting to meet up with Orde there after having Mila treated. Wait. Orde.
“Is Orde okay?” I asked before remembering the man and his little boy that I helped escape the tragedy. “And the soldier and his son?”
“Sergeant Major Orde? The one who taught you to sword fight?” the king questioned. My heart skipped a beat. I stuttered, thinking of billions of things to say and realizing none of them will do me any good. He didn’t wait for me to finish thinking of an excuse however. “Mister Callaghan, tell me. Why were you so needy to become a soldier? To give up your life for not only your family and friends, but a couple of complete strangers?”
This question again. I knew what to say but I felt like I should seriously choose my words wisely. After almost every word I hesitating, asking myself “Would it sound alright to say this? Would I create some sort of miscommunication? Would this offend him?”
“I know how it feels to… lose a family. Twice,” I quickly added. “Mila wouldn’t be the definition of a family, but she took me in and she cared for me as if I were her own son. She was like the mother I sadly was unable to live with for as long as I could to even remember her face. And it hurts to see other people suffering and crying because they don’t have a family anymore. I want to be a hero. Someone that people will recognize and say ‘He saved my daddy’, like the little boy will probably say to his friends.”
The king nodded but had a face as if he was waiting for something else for me to say. So I kept talking, waiting for a sign that I said the right thing.
“I don’t want to do all this for popularity or fame. But I want to be a good role model and show to the world that while there’s evil creatures in this world, there’s also something that you can count on and give thanks to later on. I don’t want a place such as my home village to feel like they didn’t have a hero or a divine power to pray to like we do here in Arzialla.”
“And you believe in Syveria?”
“She’s saved me countless times. But honestly, right now, I feel like she works in mysterious ways,” I said.
“She was always a strange child,” Zysman chuckled.
I let out a small side smile and Orde came back to my mind. “You didn’t answer my question though.”
He rose his eyebrows at me in question.
“Orde.”
“Oh! Well, he’s going to go through trial. Regardless that he helped save a soldier and a child, he illegally taught a minor sword fighting.”
“Your Majesty, is there some alternative for all this mess?”
“I’m afraid not, my boy,” he apologized.
“What will happen to him?”
“He’ll spend two years in the dungeon,” he said flatly. “Don’t worry, it’s not a big enough crime to execute him or have him rotting in prison.”
I nodded, almost relieved to hear that he at least won’t die. I stood up and gave a bow.
“Well, it was nice talking to you. Now if I can find my clothes, I’ll change, give you back these lovely pajamas back to you and be on my way.”
I started walking away and placed both my hands on the double door handles and pulled them open. On the other side of the door were two soldiers guarding the room from the outside. They pulled their swords out of their sheaths and crossed them in front of me, not allowing me through.
“On your way to where?” the king asked. “School is cancelled for the day and you have no home to go to anymore. Besides those pajamas are now yours.”
“Wait, what?”
“That room you woke up in would normally be the guest room but it’s yours to sleep in now. Your study room is right next door to your bedroom and--”
“Whoa, wait. What? No, I can’t. I’m sorry, but I’ve done too much damage in your village to believe that you’re taking me in,” I told him.
“Well, you’re a minor and we can’t put children in the dungeon so we’d put them under house arrest for three months. However, you obviously have no home. The fairies have taken care of the fire and damage of Mila’s house anyways so I can’t punish you that badly. And--”
“What you mean ‘they’ve taken care of Mila’s house’?” I asked him.
“Fairies may be small and individually useless and vulnerable but there’s thousands in the woods that can use their water skills to put out a fire. The ones that aren’t gifted with water would help clean up the mess together. They’re amazing little folks. They’ve even fixed up my palace in no time,” he added.
So that’s why the kingdom wasn’t as much of a disaster as I remembered it to be…
“Now, are you going to continue interrupting the middle of my sentences?”
“No, I’m sorry,” I said quickly.
He cleared his throat while he glared at me. “You don’t have a home therefore I can’t just simply put you under house arrest willy-nilly. You are enrolled in military school so--”
I opened my mouth to say that I’m not but he stopped me quickly and added “You are now.”
I gulped in surprise. How am I just simply enrolled?
“You obviously have a passion to do good and that’s what I like to know when I look at a soldier,” he answered my question. “And, honestly, I think you’re too good of a soldier to be under anybody’s roof.”
I felt a jolt in my stomach. “I am?”
“Even though I wish everybody got out of the disaster alive, every single soldier must risk their own lives to save not only their family and friends but a stranger in need as much as possible. You are not a soldier yet, but you’ve got guts of one.”
I was unsure what to say. I was baffled…
“I think,” the king continued, “you’ll be a fantastic soldier. Which is why I want you to live in my kingdom. I want to make sure you can become something beyond that.”
I felt this was too easy. I know Mila took me in right away and I wasn’t too shook up about it as I am now but only because she was an old lady and she was soft-hearted. The king, however, is supposed to be bold, wise, just. How does he trust me so easily?
“With all due respect, I feel like there has to be a catch,” I spoke.
He smiled. “I need an heir to the throne to take after me. A strong, smart one. After the death of my only son and wife, I have no way in being positive that this kingdom will survive flawlessly.”
“What are you saying?”
His eyes watched me with amusement. “I’ve had a line of students who are studying to be soldiers who wanted to be the next king. None of them interested me. None of them were born or taught or raised right enough to be capable of being the next king. None of them has the experience of such loss to understand what shouldn't happen to others.”
“And I’m guessing you like me.”
He nodded as he took a sip of his glass.
I took a deep breath, somewhat confused but still willing to hear what he wants. There has to be something he wants from me. A home, a place in military school and a crown just can’t be given away that simply. “So now what then?”

He just stared at me with a grin. “How often do you read?”
“Not very since I barely ever get the chance to go to the local book store. It kills me to not read though.”
“Well, lucky for you, there’s about five libraries in this palace,” he told me.
“Really?” I gasped.
“Yup,” he replied. “Do you want me to take you to the biggest one?”
“Yes, please,” I said excitedly.
He wiped his mouth with a nakin and stood up.
“He’s very polite too,” he muttered.
He took me down hallways and corridors before stopping at another set of double doors. He opened them and let me step inside. The room was gorgeous and breathtaking. The walls were all entirely of shelves of books. It didn’t stop there. There were more shelves lined up next to each other in rows. They were as high as three times my height with a long, wheeled ladder and the shelves seemed to go on for miles. There was a portion of the room that had luxurious leather couches arranged nicely with lamps next to each one. A piano sat in a corner of the room with a lamp next to it.
“Normally in family reunions, we’d stay in here, talk about what has happened recently before going to the dining room and have dinner. While we discuss various things, there’d normally be someone softly playing the piano to sooth the atmosphere.”
While staring at the bookshelves, I walked to the piano and glanced at it when I was about five feet from it. I lightly touched the keys, feeling its smooth surface.
“My father used to tell me how amazing my mother was with the piano…” I murmured.
“Oh?”
“Yeah. My sister too. She used to say how she’d play a song for her to sleep to. The sound of the keys would echo in our little house…”
“What happened to her?” he asked.
“She died. So did my father and sister,” I replied. I decided to somewhat change the subject. “My sister knew how to read music sheet so she taught me.”
“Would you play a song for me?” he asked.
“Oh, uh, I don’t know any songs. At least by heart.”
“Then… pick a song out of the song book,” he said pointing at the book that sat on the music stand. I took it and flipped through pages, looking at titles and trying to see if I knew any. None were familiar so I picked one at random. I flipped to a random page and found a song called Kiss of the Arrow. I sat down, placed my fingers on the keys and started playing, pausing to check what note to play next in each measure. It sounded very bittersweet and sad. Thankfully, it was only a page long so I didn't have to play much.

“Not bad,” he said.
“Wish I was better though,” I said, scratching my head.
“Well, now you have all the time to practice while you’re at house arrest,” he said as he patted my shoulder and started walking out the room.
I just sat there staring at the keys and then I realized something. I quickly spun in my seat and said “You’re majesty?”
He turned around and glanced at me with curious, raised eyebrows.
“Do you allow pets in the kingdom?” I said.
“Why, yes. Of course, I’ll allow Cally to live here,” he said.
I stuttered, still wondering how he can know so much. He chuckled and walked out of the room.
“And sire?”
He peaked his head back into the room.
“Can I see Orde?” I asked.
“When you've served your time in house arrest.”

I'm Done Talking To You- Anna

“SO WHEN ARE YOU OFF again?”
“On Sunday,” Jason answered as he sipped on his Coke.
I sighed. “Are you ever off on a Saturday?”
He shrugged as he took a big bite off of his Bacon Cheese Grillburger. I looked down at my Chocolate Xtreme Blizzard and used my spoon to slowly stir it. I watched as the different shades of brown swirled in a marble effect and brownie pieces and chocolate chunks floated and swam in the sickeningly sweet ice cream.
“Jason, school’s almost around the corner. We have to take our senior pictures at some point. And I’d rather it be before next month so that we can still have at least 25% off in our photo shoot.”
“We’ll do it. I’m not sure when yet but we’ll do it.”
Jason’s phone vibrated against the table. He picked it up and read the text message before typing his reply.
“Bryan?” I asked.
He nodded. “He says that the car is fixed but he’s still trying to find out what’s up with the left blinker.”
Jason’s old Riviera that his grandfather gave him has been having some problems, including transmission failure and the left blinker not being able to blink. The light to the blinker works perfectly but for whatever reason it wouldn’t automatically blink, in which requires Jason to make it blink manually. Bryan is a friend of his. He works as a mechanic in Toyota and he’s helping fix Jason’s car for a cheap price.
“That’s great! At least the worst is out of the way,” I said.
“Yeah. I’m going to meet with him on Sunday to see what he’s done and how much I owe him.”
I blinked at him. We were planning on going to the mall on Sunday…
“Oh, okay…” I said. Then I added, “Can I come too?”
“What for?”
“To be with you,” I replied, wondering what’s so wrong with me coming along.
“No, you don’t want to come.”
“Why not?”
“We are going to be talking about cars and things that you probably won’t comprehend.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.
“I’m just saying it’s going to be boring for you. And plus, it’ll be quick,” he said.
“How quick?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know. An hour or so? I’ll visit you right afterwards.”
I stared at him for a moment before saying “fine.”
He took a big sip of his soda and shoved the last bit of his burger into his mouth before standing up and saying he needs to go to the restroom. I watched him take the tray and throw it away before going into the restroom. Just when I was going to take a bite of my ice cream, I saw that he’s forgotten his phone on the table. I picked it up and went into his memos and open up a blank memo. I was going to write something sweet like I love you, Babe but a text message interrupted me. A message from a girl named Miranda. My eyebrows came together as I opened it and found Nope, I’m free tomorrow. I’m always free for you <3 written in it.
What is this?

I checked the message that he sent her before the one she just sent him and saw That sucks. I wish I can make you feel better. You know what, I’m free tomorrow. Do you work tomorrow?
I even noticed how there is not a single message from Bryan.
I decided to play along. I replied Why? Lol
I put the phone down and took a bite out of my ice cream as I waited for a new text message. I glanced at the bathroom that Jason went into, checking that he’s not coming. Just then, the phone vibrated again. What do you mean why? You’re sexy. Your lips make my knees weak. ;)
Just when I was going to type a reply, Jason was practically shouting at me.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you mean what am I doing? I was going to leave a cute note for you but then I see this!” I said as I flashed him the text message. He took the phone from me and read the message.
“You went through my phone?”
“So? Is this why you’d repeatedly break up with me and act shady? You don’t even have a job, do you?”
He looked around at the people around us as he realizes how much my voice would raise after almost every word. He lowers his voice. “I do have a job. You can visit me at work whenever you want at Publix. I just lied about working full time.”
“So those rumors about you are true. You run off with other girls and you didn’t want me to know so that I can easily take you back in when you get tired of them. Right?”
“I can explain.”
“Don’t give me that shit. What is there to explain? ‘Look guys. I’m Jason. I’m so popular and hot and I have at least two girlfriends to choose from and make out with’.”
“That’s not true.”
“You’re right. You only have one now as far as I know.”
He glanced back at the people. I could feel their glance but I didn’t really care at the moment.
“Look, let’s talk outside,” he said as he grabbed my elbow. I pulled away.
“No!”
“Anna, this isn’t the place. Can’t we talk in a place more private?” he almost whispered.
“No. I’m done talking to you. You never seem to want to pay attention to me. You always have excuses to not see me. And now I know why.”
I turned around and started walking away.
“Where are you going?”
“Home,” I said as I opened the door and exited the restaurant.
“What about me? You drove us here,” he reminded me.
I opened the door to the driver’s side of my Sonata before glancing at him. “I don’t give a flying fuck about you at the moment. Ask that Miranda chick for a ride if you must.”

I lied about going home. As soon as I left Dairy Queen’s parking lot, I started crying. I started shaking and hyperventilating and the tears weren’t helping me see so I pulled over after driving for a mile. I kept my grip on the steering wheel and tried to calm down. I took deep breathes and tried to stop myself from having a panic attack. I was able to calm myself after a few minutes but I couldn’t stop the tears. I’ve been heartbroken so many times by this jerk for the past four years and I finally know the truth. I feel so naïve and stupid. I’ve been warned by so many people including Caitlin that he cheats on girls but I didn’t believe them. I didn’t want to believe them.
I took my sleeve and wiped my eyes before looking at myself in the mirror of my visor. My eyes were completely red and watery. It’s obvious that I’ve been crying hard. I can’t go home like this…
I took my phone out and dialed Caitlin’s number and pressed the send button. I listened to three rings before she answers the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey, it’s me,” I said, trying hard to not seem troubled.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Nothing, um…” I said. I had to pause to catch my voice and take a breath. “Are your parents home?”
I didn’t bother asking if Jenny was there since she went off to college.
“Dad’s working and Mom’s grocery shopping. Why? You okay?” she asked worriedly.
I swallowed, trying to catch my voice again. “I’d be lying if I said I’m fine.”
“What happened? Where are you?”
“I’ll tell you later. Can I come over?” I asked.
“Yeah, yeah. Of course.”

I was able to drive to Caitlin’s house without much of a problem. I rung her doorbell and she answered the door almost instantly. At first glance of me, she was worried.
“You okay? Come in,” she said as she stepped aside. “You shouldn’t even have driven if you were like this.”
I shrugged and forced a laugh as I entered. “Oh well. I survived.”
“So what happened?”
“Jason.”
She paused and gave me a look of understanding. “Oh, Anna.”
“I should’ve listened to you.”
“Well, I can’t stop myself from saying that I told you so.”
“I know. I’m so stupid.”
She sighed. “Well, I just figured since you kept describing how he’d come to school a bit later than he used to. It wasn’t like I knew for a fact.”
He used to come to school about half an hour before class would start so he can spend a bit of time with me before having to worry about school when he first got his car. He would strangely break up with me and then ask to be back with me a couple times a year but when he started driving, he’d break up with me more often and he’d come to school later and later. I’d wait for him in the student parking lot, hoping that he’d come early like the good old days. I just figured that maybe he’s catching senioritis early and that he’s growing lazy to wake up extra early. I should’ve seen it coming…
I sighed and shrugged. “Oh well. Can we change the subject?”
“Yeah, sure. Umm… Gummy bears?”
She held out a bag of gummy bears that sat on her bed next to her laptop. I forced a smile and took them. I picked out a green one and ate it.
“So… what were you doing before I came in?” I asked.
“Meh. Nothing really. Typing up a story. Listening to music.”
“Oh…”
We just stood there in awkward silence before Caitlin quickly asked, “You want to play a mad lib?”
We’d play mad libs all the time, especially at troubled times to keep our minds occupied. We buy small booklets that would be full of funny mad libs all the time.
I chuckled. “Sure. Do you have one here? Where’s it?”
“I have one in my shelf there,” she said pointing.
I walked over to the wall where she kept her books in a shelf and looked for the booklet. Just then I spotted a great big, old book. I took it out to look at it better. It had a pentacle on the cover and there wasn’t a title. The covers were made of leather and the pages were yellow and crinkly. A red ribbon was used as a bookmark and for pretty.
“What’s this?”
“That’s, uh… That’s the book that Jenny and I used to be stupid.”
“What would you guys do, exactly?”
She was hesitant to answer. “Cast spells and crap.”
“And crap?” I joked. “Sounds interesting.”
She laughed at my smart-alleck remark. “It was until a certain point…”
“What point?”
“Um… Nothing. Nevermind.”
I looked at the book and started flipping pages. The words were hand written and all the spells weren’t written front and back of a page since the ink bled through. I noticed that a page somewhere in the middle of the book was torn out. “What happened there?”
She shrugged. “I’m not sure. It was like that when we got it.”
“Hm…” I said.
“Caitlin! Help me with the grocery, please,” her mom said, as she came in.
“Alright!” she said back. “You don’t have to help. Just relax.”
She left and I was alone. I flipped to the front of the book, looking for a table of context and found the book to have one afterall. I tried to look for the spot where the page was missing and I easily found it. I checked the page next to it to see what’s its page number. Number 35. So the missing page is page 36. I flipped back to the table of context and checked for number 36. In nice handwriting, it said “Dimension Bridge Spell”.

Is It a Sin to Keep to Yourself?- Zelimir

“PRINCE. PRINCE ZELIMIR, DID YOU fall asleep up there again?”

Seems unfair that a royal soldier must awaken me even when I don't have to. You would assume that after two years of being a “prince” that they’d know by now how I’m not a morning person whatsoever.

While letting out a groan, I shifted somewhat to my side on the branch, careful not to fall off the tree. I all of a sudden felt something fall off my lap however and remembered how I fell asleep reading.

“Prince, don’t be like that. Come on please come down,” the soldier said. I hate the soldiers in the kingdom. I feel like they’re too courteous, too respectful only because the king took me in.

“Prince, you must get down here,” he said.

My hand reached up for anything—anything at all that might have hung from a branch above me. I found something hard and round, probably a nut, and threw it at him without glancing at him.

"Please, it's—", he was interrupted by the nut and by the sound of it, my blind aim was accurate. "Your Highness!"

Annoyed, I sighed and dropped myself from the tree branch. I gracefully landed on my feet and walked past the soldier after picking up my book.

“I’m not a prince,” I muttered.

 

After leaving the garden, I almost crawled all the way through the entire palace, into my room, and into the master bathroom. I turned the faucet and let the bath tub fill up with warm water. As the tub was filling up, I walked back to my room and plopped onto my luxurious bed. I sighed out of exhaustion and hated the fact that I must go to school only because I promised the king. Since I wanted to be the best educated soldier, I promised that I'll do what I must. Whether I'm his adopted son or not, one cannot disobey the king.

It’s almost over, Zel. Only one week. Just got to go through one more week: the knighting ceremony, a graduation party, and Syveria’s birthday. All within a single week I told myself.

At the moment, I’m a soldier in training, assigned to work in the dungeons, but as soon as I graduate, I'll be ranked up. King Zysman wanted to put me into a higher place but I wanted to be equal with my classmates. Like I told him two years ago, I don’t seek fame, fortune, or glory. I just want the best education to achieve my goal, which is to just protect the people. I refuse to look down on anybody and to let anybody look up to me just because I’m most likely heir to the throne. Frankly, I don’t want the throne.

Plus, I get to see Orde once in a while whenever I can.

A raspy meow alerted me and I lifted my head up from my bed to glance at Cally. She’s already grown big compared to when I first found her. She’s even learning to roar. She likes to meow a lot lately, only this time, it sounded more like she needed something.

“What’s up, girl?” I asked her.

She gave out another meow. For a second, she sat there staring at me as if expecting to know what her necessity was. Then she walked over to her golden fish-shaped food bowl—yes, the king even went out of his way to make my cat’s food bowl made out of pure gold. She sat next to it, glanced at it, looked up at me, and meowed again.

“Aw, are you hungry?” I said as I got up and walked over to her bowl. Her food bowl was empty.

I groaned again, wondering if it’s really that hard for any of the king’s servants to at least remember to feed my pet. For one who annoyingly gets treated like they’re royalty, I don’t always get what I rarely ask the staff to do. I don't ask because I expect them to as a prince, but as a favor since I usually don't have time to get ready in the morning.

I walked out the room with it, Cally followed me eagerly. I went back downstairs and into the kitchen. Chefs and waiters busily moved around in preparation for breakfast. The smell of eggs sizzling on pans over lit charcoal and bread in the oven filled the air. Potatoes sat in bowls to cool after being left in boiling hot water and fresh strawberries, apples, pears, kiwis, and other various fruits were placed in a small basket, waiting to be chopped into a fruit salad.

Without caring if anybody noticed me, I took a small saucepan and an open skillet and placed them on an empty spot on the counter. I opened a drawer and found the box of matches that I needed to light up the charcoal. I found newspaper lying around in the corner of the kitchen and lit a couple of pages on fire after rolling them and folding them like pretzels. I threw the lit newspaper into the charcoal and that’s when someone finally approached me.

“Prince, is there something you wish? You mustn’t be here,” a chef said. He was rather large and wore a thin, curly mustache.

“It’s okay. How about you make yourself helpful and start this fire,” I told him without glancing at him as I placed the saucepan and skillet over the fire. I stepped aside, found liquor in one of the cabinets and poured some in the warm saucepan.

The chef placed more newspaper in the fire and slipped some twigs under the pan and skillet. “But sire, is there something you’d like right away? We’ll take care of it.”

I ignored him as I grinded two sausages and a piece of pork together. After that, I kneaded them together as I sprinkled spices into it. My kitty sat next to my feet, patiently waiting and watching silently.

“Please sire. I’m asking you to tell me what you wish. It’s not safe for a prince to be in here,” he begged as I placed the ground meat in a bowl.

I pretended that I didn’t hear him and said “Excuse me” as I walked around him with the bowl. The skillet was nicely hot so I tilted the bowl over it, making the meat plop into it. The meat hissed pleasantly and I could see Cally getting excited.

“Sire please, I—” his words were cut off when I took the pan of boiling liquor and poured it over the meat, making it blaze. The fire grew in strength and gave out a tremendous roar. I tossed the meat up into the air, mixing it and tearing it into small pieces as it cooked within the pan.

“How about someone bring me two small bowls and a glass of milk?” I asked the general staff without taking my eyes off of the flames. I sprinkled in some herbs and spices into the meat and within no time, it was done. Just as I was about to pour water over the coal, the chef insisted I don’t do that since they’ll make that of use for them. I shrugged and a woman rushed in front of me with what I asked for. I poured the hot ground meat into one bowl and the milk into the other.

I finally looked up at the chef and gave my thanks for letting me use the kitchen. Just as he was about to say a few more words, I walked away and out of the kitchen with the two bowls in my hand.

I walked back up to my room, with Cally following me. When I stepped into my room, I was planning on transferring the meat into her expensive food bowl but then I heard the water running.

“Oh, shit!” I swore to myself as I placed the bowls down right at where I stood and bolted for the bathroom. When I opened the door, I found the tub to be fill beyond over the rim. Water was spilling onto the tile floor and I didn’t hesitate to rush to the tub. I turned off the faucet, reached into the water—in which made more water pour out of the tub—and pulled the plug. I stood up and stared at the wet floor with a sigh. I took two rather large towels and spread it out on the floor, covering whatever was wet. I decided that that was good enough for now and I undressed myself before hopping into the tub.

When I finished my bath and dressed up, I walked into my room and found both bowls to be empty. I glanced around and found my cat comfortably curled up and sleeping peacefully on my bed.

I grinned at her before I left my room and walked down the stairs. I headed towards the dining room, finding two soldiers guarding the double doors as expected. As one, they opened the doors, allowing me to enter. As always, I found the long dining table to be full of food. The king sat in his usual spot, reading a book as he ate. I’ve always wondered if that’s all he does with his life. Read, read, and read. Come to think of it, the books he chooses don’t really change in appearance or cover…

King Zysman glanced up at me before saying good morning. I pulled a chair from underneath the table and took my seat. I grabbed a pitcher of fresh orange juice and poured it into a glass.

“I spoke to the chef just a moment ago,” Zysman said.

I glanced up at him and held my glare for a few seconds before speaking, “I’m sorry.”

“You could’ve just simply asked, you know,” he said before taking a sip of his tea.

“If you want something done right, do it yourself,” I quoted. He arched an eyebrow at me and then sighed. Before he could say a word, I continued. “I don’t want to be looked up to.”

“You can’t help it. When people see that you’re considered to be even at least a friend to the king, they become much more friendly and respectable to you.”

“Well, they can respect me as an equal, not as royalty,” I said while cutting three layers of pancakes into pieces. I took my first bite as Zysman watched me in thought.

“Do you really find the high class to be irate?” he asked.

“It’s not that. It’s…” I trailed off, trying to find the words. When I did, I said, “It’s that I feel like they only admire me for my status, not for who I am. I feel like behind those awe-stricken masks, they’re scared that if they offend me or do me wrong for the smallest, stupidest things, I’ll report it to you and make sure I’ll have them banished from Arzialla or something.”

It was an exhaggeration, I know.

“Sometimes you can’t help it,” he repeated.

We sat there in silence as we ate and after a few minutes, a woman with a teapot entered the room. She offered some tea to the king, delighted when he accepted the suggestion. Looking at her, it reminded me of something.

“Well, if you really want me to make a legitimate order…” I whistled at the lady and nodded her to come at my side. As she approached me, eager to serve me, I straightened myself in my chair with shoulders poised to give the image of royalty. With a regal tone, I said, “I’m afraid there’s been a silly accident. I left the water running in my bathroom when I wanted to take a bath and forgot about it. I tried to clean up the mess as best I could but I was in a bit of a hurry to get ready. Would you be a sweetheart and find someone to mop it up for me?”

She nodded excitedly and replied, “Yes, your Majesty,” before rushing out. I was in no doubt that she’ll do the job herself.

I glanced at the king expectantly. He huffed a chuckle and shook his head at me, “It’s a wonder how you’re not born royalty, weren’t raised as a royal, have never grown out of your shell, and yet you could still make yourself into an illusion as if you’re naturally of imperial decent.”

“I learned it from the best,” I grinned at him.

“And that’s why I chose to adopt you. All the other boys try too hard to make themselves seem of noble heir and they don’t realize that less is actually more,” he said before winking at me.

I shyly glanced down at my food and then gave a small, forced side-grin before looking back up at him. “You make it seem like you knew me all along.”

He only gave me that knowing nod, the one he makes that says I know everything, remember?

“Well,” I dropped my fork and stood up as I gulped down the rest of my juice. “I’m off.”

Without waiting for a response from him, like the usual “Have a nice day” or “Good luck”, I walked out of the room and headed toward the front gates.

 

I went on my way to school, walking the streets and cutting through paths, until I heard voices in an alley that led behind the markets. They didn’t sound pleasant so I decided to check out what’s going on. Without a care or trying to keep myself unseen, I turned the corner and found two guys giving a girl—a sophomore that I recognized from school—a hard time. She was sitting on the ground with her back against the wall as if she was trying her best to get away from one of them, in which was hovering over her with his face inches away from hers. The other one seemed to just act as the sidekick, the one that’d cheer him on and team up with him.

“—go away,” the sophomore said. “Just leave me alone.”

He took hold of her chin and leveled it so she’d look right at him. “But you looked so lonely. I thought you’d like some company.”

From there, I didn’t wait for the conversation to continue so I started to approach them.

“Okay, well, how about you just go to hell?” the sophomore told him and without hesitation, the guy back-handedly slapped her. I apparently was stealthy, because for one who wasn’t trying to give the element of surprise, I caught the guy off guard. Or maybe he was just that into flirting. Not sure if flirting even begins to cover it since he has a vulnerable maiden cornered against her will. A millisecond later, I caught hold of the collar of his shirt and quickly gained all my strength into one arm, launching my fist at the left side of his nose. He flew backward with a scream, ruining his bad-ass image. He clutched his nose as he tried to sit up.

“Who the fuck—” he started to say until he looked up at me, realizing who stood in his presence. At that moment, now that I saw full on his bleeding face, I too realized who he was. He goes to class with me in military school. I believed his name was Kane. Just then, I didn’t bother hiding how disgusted I was of him. A kid that’s being trained to be a soldier should know that they’re meant to protect the people, not harass them. He gasped and said, “Prince Zelimir!”

"Shut up," again with the formalities, even with kids of my age. "Come on, up on your feet.”

“Excuse me?” he said.

“Your initial reaction was to beat the shit out of whoever came between you and her, right?” I said. “So come on. Hit me with your best shot.”

He managed to stand up but he still stared at me with disbelief and confusion. I glanced at the defenseless sophomore and nodded at her towards where the alley leads to the streets, a gesture in telling her to just get away. Her face gave way that she understood me but she just stayed there staring at me astonishingly. I winked at her and that seemed to have woken her up. Within less than a second later, she scrambled to her feet and couldn’t have run away any faster.

“Don’t think this is over, you little bitch!” shouted Kane to the sophomore, his voice echoing in the alley. His buddy didn’t know what to do, unsure if whether he should attack me or to stay out of trouble, knowing that I’m somewhat of authority.

I decided to not mind him yet and focused on Kane. Without giving much warning, I rushed toward him, crouched down when I got close enough to him, and with a straightened leg out, I spun in place and let my leg knock him back down, all in one swift motion. It created a déjà vu, reminding me of how I did that to Orde in our last practice before he got arrested. It reminded me of how he should be set free sometime soon.

Kane grunted in pain from the fall and glanced up at me with annoyance. “What’s your deal, man?” He didn’t let me answer, having a thought come up to mind. “You wanted her for yourself, huh?”

"Totally,” I said, sarcastically. "Because it definitely takes a man to save a girl only if he has a crush on her."

He stood back up.

“Well, whether I’m pronounced prince or not, have a crush on her or not, I’m an eye witness so I got to do something,” I said before attempting to punch him in the face again. He dodged me and I found his fist make contact just barely on my chin.

Finally, he didn’t see me as someone above him.

I threw a few punches at his stomach and my foot snaked behind his knee, throwing off his balance. He caught himself before he even came close to falling again and tackled me. He threw all his weight on me, making me fall and slide on the ground as he pinned me down. He threw two punches at my face and I managed to kick him off of me. I hopped onto my feet and we circled each other. We both sized each other up for a moment before he gave the first move. He attempted to tackle me again, in which was what I half expected him to do, and I got out of the way. Just as he was stumbling past me, I pushed his head down and made him somewhat fall. I took advantage of it and just when he struggled to stand back up, I put him in a head-lock and started squeezing his neck with my arm. I heard footsteps behind me, remembering that his friend was still around.

I shot him a menacing sidelong glance and with a low voice I said, “I dare you to come anywhere near me.”

He took the threat and backed off, probably knowing how I could find a way knock to him out while still holding Kane in a headlock. I noticed how I was choking Kane so I eased up my grip. Only slightly, though.

“So, what was it you’re going to do with her?” I said.

As much as he’s stubborn and full of himself, he wasn’t stupid. I was hoping he’d reply with a wrong answer but knowing that I’m allegedly prince, he said what I should want to hear.

“Nothing,” he gasped.

“Nothing?” I said, with a fake surprised tone.

It took him a few seconds to speak again. “Yeah, I’ll… I’ll leave her alone.”

“Only her?”

He didn’t answer right away. “I’ll leave every girl alone.”

“Do I have your word?” I asked with amusement.

“Yeah, whatever,” he struggled to speak.

I released him and stood over him. "Do you think you deserve graduating?"

"What does it matter to you?" he said, before spitting on the cobblestone ground.

I grabbed at his collar again and shoved him against the wall. I leaned close to him and in a low growl I said, "Because I need every single soldier to understand that the meaning of being a soldier is to protect the people from both Gavrils and each other."

"But I promise that I won't touch another girl," he said.

"It's a bit sad that you need your ass beat so you can hold a promise like that though. Did nothing in this kingdom teach you anything of dignity, respect, morality, and sacrifice?"

"So what you saying, man?"

I dropped him, not realizing how I had him up a foot off the ground. "I'm saying that I think you should go back to school."

I walked away and started going back to where I came from. I then noticed a face peeking around a corner, recognizing it to be the sophomore. She ran away when she realized that I spotted her.

“No, no, come here,” I told her, not trying to be noticeably loud as how Kane was earlier. I turned the corner and found her to be close to the streets as if in case of anything she can just safely be in sight of the towns people and gain easy help. "Come back. You think I'm like him?"

She thought about it before slowly starting to walk back towards me, still hesitant to approach me after watching me basically beat someone up. She stopped ten feet away from me and she backed up when I attempted to get closer.

I laughed at her, “It’s alright. I won’t hurt you. And I’ll be sure that neither will he.”

She just stood there with her arms crossed as a protective stance and she never once looked at me. It bothers me when people don’t make eye contact while speaking but I suppose I can't blame her at the moment. She didn’t seem to want to say anything so I decided to find a way to make her.

“How about we start out by introducing myself, start out a bit more friendly. Hi, my name’s Zelimir Callaghan. What’s yours?” I said, making myself sound overly cheery on purpose. I held my hand out and waited for her to take it. When she did, she said, “I’m Chana.”

“Okay. So Chana, now come to think of it, why were you going through a place like that?” I asked her.

“I live there. My house is in one of those buildings and I normally go through our back door and go through the alleys as a shortcut to places,” she said.

I nodded in understanding. So… he was technically trespassing. And stalking…

I walked back to where Kane was and found him still there. His friend was lending him a hand and they both were walking through the alleyway, on their way to wherever they were heading—obviously not to school since the school was at the opposite direction. That was the least of my worries, however. I could care less if he skipped. He’s not graduating this year, whether the school hears it from me or not. I picked up my pace and when I reached them, I grabbed Kane’s shirt by the shoulder and pulled him away from his friend. I got hold of his collar again and pushed him against a wall.

“Now what?” he exclaimed.

“If I ever find you going through here again, I’ll personally throw you into the dungeons,” I said. “And I don’t care if this is your way to school—to anywhere. Find a different way.”

“What kind of prince does the dirty work? There’s soldiers for a reason,” he spat.

“I’m no prince,” I said. That was my last straw for the day and whether or not it shown in my face, it did when I gave him one last punch in his lower stomach. I let him go, letting him drop to the ground and I stared down at him as he whined in pain. “I am a soldier.”

I’m not officially a soldier but I minus well be since I will be soon. It’s like a child about to have their birthday around the corner—some consider themselves to be older already even though their birthday hasn’t passed yet.

 

I arrived school a few minutes later than I meant to but I managed to slip in without being noticed. The school year officially ends in two weeks, but seniors have the advantage of finishing early. Graduation is within a week and we have until the Wednesday before then to finish our knighting ceremony in order to graduate. Everyone at this moment was going through their trials in the woods—a final exam that seniors with a military major are mandatory to take. In order to start their knighting ceremony, you must pass it. The school and King Zysman gave me permission to be exempt from the test, probably since I’ve evidently had plenty of experience with Gavrils. I came to school just to see a teacher, Mr. Nusz.

I entered his classroom, aware that I have a possibility of interrupting his class—in which I was. I gave him a silent shush and held out a hand, telling him to just continue with his lesson until he has a chance to get to me, reassuring that I’m in no rush. I sat down in one of the desks in the very far back of the room, ignoring the other student’s stares. I looked at their faces and found them all to be freshmen by their innocent, baby faces.

I listened to the lesson and realized that they were studying the anatomy of a Gavril. I kind of wondered if they capture Gavrils to dissect them as a lesson every year. The room was big enough to fit one inside the classroom afterall.

Eventually, Mr. Nusz passed out papers to the class and had them work on the classwork. Nusz nodded toward a door—his office—and I followed him into it, leaving the class alone. He sat down in his desk and I took my seat opposite of it.

“I can only assume that you’re here to apply for the knighting ceremony, your Highness?” he said casually.

“Zelimir,” I corrected him. “And yes.”

“Alright, just give me a second,” he said as he opened a drawer and searched through some files. He found the file and pulled out a piece of paper. “Fill this out—you can do it at this second, if you wish—and with my stamp of approval you can head toward the temple to start the ceremony whenever you wish. I suggest you start as soon as possible as it is a very long process.”

“I know, thank you,” I said.

He stood up and said, “I should check up on the kids.”

Just as he opened the door, the sound of scrambling footsteps went wild and Nusz said, “How about we get a little bit more productive, huh?”

I chuckled at the students' admiration and curiosity to know what I was up to. I turned to the papers, took the pen and ink that sat on the desk and started filling them out. When I finished, I walked out of the room and walked up to Nusz. I handed him the papers and he took out a stamper from his podium before stamping the paper. I gave him my thanks and started heading for the temple.

When I arrived the steps of the temple, like any other time I’d see it, I got lost in its beauty. As I climbed its many stairs, I admired its huge, magnificent walls and statues. The stained glass windows were similar to the ones in the palace and I noticed one to be of Syveria. The temple gave a very ancient feel to it with brick walls and stone tiles. I entered the temple and the smell of incense burned my nose as soon as I stuck my head inside. The priest welcomed me and knew right away what I was there for. He took me across the altar and through a door that was behind the podium that he’d normally stand behind for services. It lead into a hall in which had a few other doors. We entered the first one to the left and found myself to be standing in front of a confession booth. The king and various other people have told me the steps and progression of the knighting ceremony but I completely forgot the first one: confessing.

The priest pulled the curtain to one of the booths and stepped aside, allowing me to enter. I stepped into the dark, small space, sat down on the stool that was in the middle of the booth, and found one of the walls to have a window with a curtain. A piece of nicely polished wood was placed beneath the window, presumably to allow the penitent to rest their arm on it if they wanted to. Lit candles were placed on the floor and on the piece of wood, being the only thing that illuminated the room.

I heard the priest enter his booth and gave out a sigh. I can make out his face through the sheer curtain of the window but I couldn’t see it clearly. I was told that he can’t see me, though.

“Alright, how about you formally say your name and say what you’re here for,” the priest said in a hushed tone.

“My name is Zelimir Callaghan and I’m here to confess my sins in order to serve as a soldier in Her name,” I said in a whisper. It was the truth but at the same time, it initially wasn’t. My purpose of becoming a soldier was still to protect families and the people in general but after living in Arzialla for so long, the thought of fighting for the wondrous goddess grew in me.

“Have you ever confessed before, Zelimir?”

I hesitated, not knowing if it’s normal for a young man like me to have never confessed before or not. “No.”

“How many sins do you wish to confess?” he asked.

I didn’t answer right away since I was in thought, trying to figure out if certain acts are sins or not. “I’m not sure. I don’t know what would be considered a sin.”

“Well, just say what you thought was possibly wrong. I’ll confirm it for you if it is indeed a sin,” he said gently. "And if you feel like you missed others later on, you're free to come back."

I took a deep breath, thinking of what I should start with. First thing that came into mind was what I did this morning. “I fought this morning. I know fighting is a sin, especially since I spilled first blood. I didn’t do it to defend myself, but to defend a girl from sexual assault.”

“Drawing the sword first is not the way of an Arziallan soldier, but if it is to defend oneself or another, then a confession is not needed.”

I nodded my head as I absorbed his words, soon realizing that he’s unable to see me. I decided to continue. “I drank… heavily. I drank a lot when I lost someone I cared for the second time.”

“Drinking alcohol is indeed a sin as is against the law,” he stated.

“I know. I… I told the king about it, afraid that I’ll become a total mess if I didn’t,” I said. I hastily added, “I thought he’d be able to give me a sense of sanity.”

“That’s good that you did. The king is the highest authority walking this kingdom that you can approach to but there is also of someone higher than he.”

I noticed how he dismissed the part of when I didn’t say anything about confessing sooner—at least for now—and I appreciated how even if I did tell him how I committed something illegally, it’s not his place to arrest me. If the king let it go when I admitted a crime, then no one has a higher say in what happens to me.

The last part that he said finally clicked and I understood. “Syveria.”

“Yes,” he breathed. “She is the one who will truly save you from anything and everything.”

I huffed out a chuckle. “Wouldn’t surprise me. She’s saved me…” I ticked them out in my fingers, “She’s saved me twice.”

I decided to not mention the incident of when I saw her as a child in the palace.

“Are you afraid of her?” he asked. “Is that why you didn’t come to ask for forgiveness?”

My eyebrows came close together in confusion. “Why would I be?”

“Well, she has the ability to save a soul, however, she has the power to destroy one,” he told me. I didn’t know that.

Suddenly, all those times that has happened to me—the loss of my biological family and Mila—made me wonder if it was the works of Syveria.

“I thought that once the deed is done, it’s done, so I didn’t think I should ask Syveria for forgiveness. I thought I should take my punishment deservingly. I do have to ask though, would the loss of loved ones be my punishment?”

He stayed quiet for a moment, probably thinking of what I meant. He slowly said, “No, it wouldn’t. She wouldn’t end a life just to ruin another's. She wouldn’t end a life, at all.”

I thought about that. Mila believed in Syveria but my family didn’t have faith in anything beyond them.

“How about someone who didn't believe her? Would she attempt to end their life?”

He hesitated again. “No. She’s not like that. She’s not a religion and she’s not a true goddess. She sees everybody as an equal, no matter where they’re from or what their beliefs are. It’s hard to explain. She has the power of a goddess, but she always seems to watch in the eyes of the norm, not really always intruding. She works in very mysterious ways.”

That’s basically what Mila told me before. The thought of her reminded me of how she taught me the ways of Syveria and vague details of how love is. After losing her, I lost interest in being friends with anyone, much less being in a serious relationship. Everytime I let someone know me, the ones I personally got close to, they all died so I isolated myself from the world. Not necessarily antisocial but I wouldn’t open up again. Come to think of it, I think this is the closest to opening up that I’ve done in so long.

“Is it a sin to keep to yourself?” I blurted out.

“Pardon me, Prince?”

I silently growled at the formality and bit my tongue in order to keep my mouth shut.

I sighed. “Is it a sin to not be close to anybody?”

“Well, in a way, yes. Yes, it can. Do you feel distant from people?” he asked me.

I suppose after asking questions about something that didn’t necessarily have anything to do with me, he thought this was another. Plus, a prince is normally very outgoing. “No. I’m the one that has been putting people in a distance.”

He nodded in understanding and sighed. “Well, that’s nothing truly bad but it’s something that Syveria wouldn’t be happy with. She was one who would engage in conversation and attention when she lived and whenever she’d find someone in a corner all alone, she’d pull them out of the shadows and make them dance in the sunlight. She just had that charming personality that was able to make a frown upside down within a few seconds.”

That was nice to know but he didn’t entirely answered my question. “So… is being antisocial or unhappy a sin?”

“Both, more of unhappiness. There are cases where you can’t help yourself from feeling unhappy but to detach yourself from the world… it’s just self-torturing. She wouldn’t want you to do that.”

I looked away, taking in that information. I thought about it and decided that if it’s not Syveria out there to make me suffer, then it’s just fate. Will fate make friends for me? Maybe even new love? I want to wait for fate to make the miracles for me but then again, I’ve been waiting unknowingly to become content with my life. Maybe it’s time for me to make my own miracles.

“Well, I’m sorry for the sins that I’ve committed. I’ve long been sorry for drinking and I proved how much I regretted it by stopping. But up until now, I’m apologetic for straying so far from the people.”

In a whispered tone, he then said some things, probably a prayer. I couldn’t really tell, he was that quiet. After a moment, he fell silent, as if he was waiting for something. I suppose an answer or a sign. A minute or two passed before he finally said, “Syveria has forgiven you, my child.”

I sat there silently, unsure if I should just leave or wait for him to say anything else. And then I remembered that only I can end the confession.

“Thank you, Syveria” I whispered, loud enough for the priest to hear.

I heard the priest step out of his booth and I followed suit. My eyes got used to the darkness so stepping out into the light of the temple was uncomfortable at first.

“Ready to head for the springs?” the priest asked me.

The priest lead me back to the halls and we opened another door, in which was at the end of the corridor. We entered a ginormous room that didn’t have a ceiling and most of the walls were hidden behind trees, bushes, vines, and other plant life. Flowers of all colors, shapes, and sizes spread across the place, including into the pool. The pool was covered with flower pedals and I noticed the water to be cloudy—not in a bad way, though.

“I’m guessing it’s not safe to swim in it?” I joked.

The priest walked ahead of me—being sure that he rolled his eyes at my question as he did—and went up to a closet. He opened it and found it to be full of robes and towels. He handed me a towel, a key, and a robe—silk. It had small golden patterns that somehow camouflaged to look white from afar.

“This spring is used to cleanse the soul. The water is mixed with Syveria’s sand and various spiritual herbs. Normally, I’d ask the person to jump out within an hour but since you’re the only one here and you’re of royal heir, you may stay for however long as you wish. You, however, must not leave the pool within one hour. When you’re done, you must dress in this robe. You may not redress yourself in the clothes that you came in with.”

I dismissed the fact that he called me “of royal heir” and nodded in understanding. Knowing how anybody without background knowledge would react, they probably would’ve thought that he saw of them as a filthy being. Well, no, not really. It’s just a sense of keeping that purity with you after the bath without redressing yourself with the sins that you burdened yourself with before.

He was about to leave when he paused before he opened the door to exit. “And also, this is a bath not a swim.”

I was confused at first until I remembered what others told me about this part of the ceremony—I’m basically supposed to skinny dip. Yay…

I nodded again to let him know that I recognized the meaning behind his words. He left me alone after telling me to just lock the door behind him if I feel more comfortable that way. I found the lock and used the key to lock it. I kept the key in the keyhole and started taking off my clothes. It felt odd being in a place like this with my body bare but I had to keep reminding myself that this was mandatory for graduation.

I sat next to the ledge of the pool and dipped my foot in it. It was cool but not warm. Nothing that I can’t manage, though. I looked at the water closer and found it to sparkle with purple and green glitter as grains of Syveria’s sand swirled within it. I stood back up and dove in. Bad idea. The water was colder than it seemed. Even worse, I dove deeper than I should have so it took longer to swim back to the surface. When I did, I gasped for air and breathed deeply, looking for warmth within myself. After a few minutes of just floating in the spring, I got used to the chilly temperature and decided to just enjoy myself for the hour. I glanced up at the sky and found the sun to be the only thing to keep the room warm. The sky was so blue and clear, no clouds in sight. I appreciated the heavens just the way they were. The heavens… I wondered, if there was such a thing as an afterlife at all, how my family and Mila were. Sometimes I wished I just died with them. I didn’t feel like I should’ve survived in either Gavril invasions.

I sighed and sank into the water. I let myself descend deeper and deeper into the water, staring at the light of the surface as I did. Soon, I started feeling a… a rather desirable feeling. I just feel a mix of hot and cold all throughout my body and a sense of freshness. A sense of… renew. It was hard to explain.

Never feel desperate to blame yourself… said a woman’s voice. Because even when you feel like you’re in deep waters, I’ll always be there to keep you under the safety of my wings.

I didn’t realize that I had my eyes closed until my lids fluttered open to find my surroundings to be darker than it was when I was closer to the surface. I didn't have to look around very much in order to find a statue of Syveria to be standing in front of me. The statue had to be 50 feet tall, I wasn’t sure since I was at eye level with her chest. Her arms were extended out welcomingly, ready to give a warm embrace. Only thing I’ve never seen her with were angel wings. Her wings stretched out wide and strong, as if they were capable of blowing away the evil or lift up all your worries with her. Her posture was sturdy and confident with her shoulders back, spine straight, and her hair blown remarkably like the wind was with her. She wore a small smile in which the more you stared at it, the happier they seemed. The statue seemed to be made out of nothing but gold and ivory, except for her eyes. Since her eyes were green, the sculptor made her eyes out of emerald or garnet. They shone brightly and genuinely, looking at me with a sense of ethos. Strangely, they didn’t just plainly look at me. They stared deeper into me, probably my soul, as if she can understand me with just one glance.

Even as a sculpture, I couldn’t help but think how beautiful she was. Or maybe that’s just how talented the sculptor was.

I glanced away, feeling a bit shy and remembered how my breath is escaping in bubbles underwater. I swam up to the surface and gasped for air. Suddenly, I felt silly at myself for feeling bashful at a plain old statue.

From there, the bath was a blur. I ended up falling asleep on the ledge with my arms crossed under my head and the rest of my body underwater. I had no clue how long I’ve been asleep but when I awoke, it was almost dark. Very sure it’s been more than an hour, I hopped out of the pool and dried myself up with the towel that the priest gave me. I draped myself with the robe, finding it to be as light as a feather. Walking to the door felt like I was still awkwardly walking naked.

When I approached the door, I turned the key and opened it. I walked down the hall and was about to open the door that lead to the altar when the priest’s voice put me to a halt.

“Zelimir? I’m in the library,” he said. I looked back down the hall and found one of the doors to be open just a crack. I opened the door to find a room full of books and desks. It wasn’t as big as the king’s libraries but it was filled with books. There were even books stacked on top of each other in corners and on desks. The priest was sitting in one of the desks, writing on paper with his feather pen. He wrote a sentence or two more before putting his pen back into its ink jar and looking up at me. “Seems like you enjoyed the springs.”

I didn’t reply, not wanting to admit how I probably did indeed like the springs. He escorted me out of the library and up a flight of stairs. When we got to the second floor, he unlocked a door in which turned out to be a bedroom. The walls were made of stone, the floor were of wood, and the bed was covered in white silk sheets.

“This will be the room that we will lend you for the night. The clothes that you must wear while you sleep are nicely folded on the bed. We expect you to be ready for service tomorrow morning and then you shall continue on with the rest of the day.”

He left me alone and I decided to change into the sleepwear that he gave me. It was camouflaged with the white sheets since it was also white. I slipped them on and found there to be a wardrobe at a corner of the room that I didn’t notice before. I opened it to find the outfit that I must wear tomorrow in prayer—red tunics, black hose, white belt, and red cloaks—hung in a hanger.

In the door of the wardrobe, there was a full sized mirror. I looked at my reflection and found my blond hair to be curled in damp waves. I admired my muscles as I remembered there to be none a few years ago, showing how much I've progressed since living in Arzialla. My eyes were white with a ring of royal blue—full of purity and cleanliness, along with spirituality and peace. I did have to admit, I did feel at peace in the springs.

I shut the wardrobe closed and looked out the window. The sky was already dark and the kingdom was full of last minute errands. I put my head down, closed my eyes, and listened to the voices of the people and all the other background sounds that they made. I was very close to falling asleep with my head down on the windowsill, but something in the back of my mind screamed at me to lie down in the bed. In the knighting ceremony, you're supposed to sleep in white sheets—a way to put your soul at peace while you slumber. I lied down, surprised to find beds even in a monastery to be comfortable. I fell asleep just as fast as I rested my head down.

 

A bath never failed to make me feel exhausted, even after taking a nap in it. On the bright side, it makes me wide awake and chipper in the morning. I quickly dressed up and headed downstairs to the altar where the service will take place. I found it to be full already, regardless that it’s too early to start. Most of the people were old and middle aged but I would catch a few children here and there. I’ve gone to mass with Mila before and she always seemed most at peace whenever she’d step foot into here. And I do have to admit, I do have a sense of serenity and safety in here—probably because Gavrils can’t harm those inside.

Almost as soon as I made myself seen in the altar, several citizens approached me with questions such as “You’re getting knighted already?” and “Ready to graduate, Prince?” I’ve had two people come up to me and jokingly ask me “You’re just dying to grow up, aren’t you?” and a few kids ask me questions such as what I’m required to do in the knighting ceremony, what I’m going to do after graduation, and why I want to be a soldier. A little boy of probably 7 years or so actually asked me how a man can be both a prince and a soldier.

“I decided to become a soldier way before I was pronounced prince,” I chuckled at his question. “I don’t even want to be prince. If it was at all possible, I’d give you the crown.”

Glad to have made him smile from my hypothetical offer, I took my seat before service started. It was pretty much the same as any other service that I’ve gone through with Mila. I approached the priest at the end and gave him my thanks before leaving to finish my errands. 

Impressum

Lektorat: Caitlin Keeton(Gaara5 of BookRix)
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 13.03.2012

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