Unwitting Usherette
Chapter One: Consternation
Anna Babel slid precariously across the mud. Her once white shoes were dashed with damp stains and her hair flailed in the air, as did her arms. She gasped, quickly releasing a squeak as her right knee tumbled down. She threw out her hands and scrunched up her face, as the pain ran up her arms and knees. Cursing, she brushed her hands together to rid herself of some of the dirt and huffed. She remained kneeling for a few moments, looking round the field.
She grinned. No one had seen her. She had not seen a soul since trotting off the path back in town. The rambunctious citizens of Solus were behind and the open fields ahead. She clambered to her feet and took a more careful step forwards, one stride after another through the sludge and grime. Anna continued on until the cries of the market merchants could no longer be deciphered, until the cars along the bypass on the outskirts of Solus could no longer be perceived, and until the very loudest of sounds in Solus – the bells of the church could no longer be heard.
Determined, Anna went on through the aftermath of the rains, numerous wanton weeds and uninhibited crops tugging at her limbs. The wind roared and her hair flailed again, flying away to the skies. The long brown locks twirled and danced, knotting. She tried to rake a hand through it and cried out, as she encountered these irritants. Her dark brown eyes watered. Holding back a hiss, she yanked her hand from her hair and shook her head.
An outbreak of drops assaulted her. Anna picked up her pace and forgot the splattering mire, as she raced towards the closest covering. The trees stood rigidly, the thick trunks lined up and the branches above stabbing their neighbours. The wood was tightly packed. Anna had difficultly seeing, as she made her way further in. She did not remember a wood. However, if the size of the trunks did not confirm its longstanding existence, the cluttered leafy floor and abundance of birds and squirrels certainly did. She awed at the fluffy tails, springing feet and ferocious nibbles of the squirrels, as they hunted, played and ate. Anna stumbled over roots hidden by orange and yellow leaves. She grasped at the trunks and weaved between them, as the wood closed in even more.
The rain did not breach the canopy now. Neither did the sunlight. Darkness fell over her and Anna shivered, as the chirping of birds vanished. The scurrying squirrels could no longer be seen and soon after she could not hear them either. The chatter stopped. Her breath would not mingle with the air anymore and came out cloudy. She shivered again and wrapped her arms around herself. She halted and glanced about. Anna could not see past the tree trunks. She could not remember those that she had twined round or had briefly held for support.
She was lost.
Anna bit her lips viciously. She could not be lost. It was unacceptable. She had grown up in the area. Had lived in Solus since she was a baby, she could not be lost. However, she could not recall a time that she had ever noticed or travelled to or through a wood. To one side of Solus there was the moorland. It was a desolate area of heath and sheep. To the other was a road to the beach about fifth-teen miles away. It was not a popular beach, but then one does not expect warm days and lots of sunshine in England. It had a chip shop, restaurant and a pier with some arcade games. It sufficed the locals. To the other sides of Solus were the fields upon which she had treaded. There were no woods until the next town. Even then those trees were not as bulky or as compact.
Anna hissed, gritting her teeth. There was that chill again, a cool breeze reaching through the dim setting to freeze her blood. She moaned and rubbed her arms. The denim jacket did nothing to quill her numbing skin. She tried to pace, but the ground was so uneven that she threatened to fall more than three times and eventually she gave in. Screaming out, she flung her arms about only to release a startled cry. Her right hand hurt. The cold left her skin dazed, but not unfeeling enough as the bark of a tree set it alight with pain. She grabbed her hand and stared down at the blood bubbling from numerous cuts against the back of it.
"This is unbelievable." She grumbled, looking away from the wound. She was lost, cold and now injured. There was no doubt in her mind that her cheeks, ears and nose were probably a vibrant hue of red now as well.
"Hello!" Anna shouted up towards the canopy. She huffed, spinning round on her feet in hopes of catching sight of someon-
She saw it. She saw something.
Anna took a step forwards, slowly leaning to the side to peer round the trunk of a particularly awkward tree.
There it was.
Some sort of animal.
It groused and pattered along. Being so small, it easily overcame the issues the wood posed to people over the height of four feet. Anna scratched her left cheek, gulping. She hesitated for a minute, watching as it strode over the roots and leaves with great ease. Just as it left her sight she dashed after it.
Its beard trailed over the ground and she discovered fraying strands decorating the fallen leaves. She sighed with some relief and lessoned her pace, pleasantly strolling.
The trees began to open up. She spotted the glitter of sunbeams every so often, as she continued to follow the grey hair. The land rose higher and Anna's breath shortened, pulling her legs up to climb the height. When she finally broke through the woods and clambering through a herd of bushes, she found a hill.
It towered over the wood and she was quick to look left and right, seeking the thing that had led her that far. It was not in sight, but she did spot the greying hair. To her disappointment it led upwards. Anna whined a little, rubbing her neck. She frowned up at the earth, but approached it nonetheless.
She grabbed at some weeds and pulled herself up the steep slopes. She had only gotten a few feet up when an arrow suddenly embedded itself in the grass before her visage. She screamed! It had just missed her nose and another was quick to follow the first. Her eyes rushed upwards and caught sight of that thing. It was laughing with delight. Her mouth fell open. Its teeth were sharp and fanglike. Its eyes were beady and bright, a yellowy tinge to the irises. She gasped and tumbled backwards, falling down.
Anna grabbed at the earth and cried out, as another small needle flew passed her ear. Another one! She hollered, kicking at it. It retorted by stabbing at her feet. She squealed and picked herself up off the ground. It followed. She jumped from foot to foot, dodging its blows. Another sharp needle-like arrow flew at her. Distracted by the sudden appearance of more of the creatures, garbed in metal and armed with weaponry, she forgot to keep jumping. Her eyes slammed shut, as the knife drove through her foot. A screech tore from her throat. The creatures winced, clasping their hands to their tiny ears. Anna grabbed the knife and ripped it out, shrieking again. She drew it back. The creature before her scrambled away, but not quickly enough! She knocked the creature down, stabbing its side. Then she stabbed it again! She continued, thrusting the knife forwards, backwards, tearing away at the shrivelled skin of the puny beast. It bellowed. The others froze at the sight, arrows falling from their grip and tautly drawn bows. It was unsightly. Another howl from their comrade broke through their consciousness and they re-drew their bows.
Anna screamed out, pushing the dying creature away and blindly throwing the knife in the direction of the others. She heard a wail, but discarded the sound. She tried to run down the hill, but the pain in her foot was too much. She fell to her knees, hands desperately clinging to the grass.
"What do I do?" She asked aloud, "I think I just killed someone!"
Her breath hastened and she looked back. Some of them had dropped their weapons, moving towards their fallen fellow. Others released arrows, but she was too far from their range. They were so small… Tears poured over her cheeks and her grip on the grass tightened, ripping it from the ground.
"What do I do?" she whispered hoarsely, watching some of the warriors unsheathe more knifes. She rubbed her eyes dry quickly, looking down the hill. The woods once more became very endearing. She frowned, glancing at her foot. It bled. She looked back up the hill. They were closer now. Anna gnashed her teeth together, "I will not be killed by little limpets!" She threw herself forwards, lying flat. She rolled down, down the hill and into the trunk of a tree.
Anna wheezed, gasping for breath. The creatures fell back, as she vacated the grassland and re-entered the wooded acreage.
"Great," she rasped, "Now what?"
Waiting until she could breathe properly again, Anna rose to her feet. She leaned against the trunk she had bowled into and inspected the damage. It was not actually that bad. The blade had barely scraped her tendons, yet it had hurt so much. She had been sure she would have lost it.
Shrugging her shoe back on and attempting to ignore the pain of each step she took, Anna moved along the edge of the woods, staring up the hill.
"I've got to get up there…" She said.
"Ooh! You don't wanna go up there!" A voice replied.
She staggered, flabbergasted. She spun round and cringed at the pain, but it was unimportant. A figure stood, hidden, in the wood with her. They remained solitary for a few seconds, peering at one another. She could not see him clearly, but he could certainly see her. She was bathed in the glow of the sun. He took a step towards her, a hand reaching out. She moved back. He was short like the others – not as short, but short.
"Who are you?" she quietly queried.
His hand fell to his side and he coughed, clearing his throat. He did not answer, merely stood staring at her tattered jeans and stained shoes.
Anna lowered herself a little to his height, "I said," she began, "Who are you? Or better yet – what are you?" She rose again and circled him a little, "Are you a man, shadow or perhaps you're one of those things that attacked me?" She cried out, pointing back at the hill.
He shuffled his feet, tapping the leaves beneath. Anna sighed, "Please," she turned to him completely and fell to her knees, "Please help me. I'm lost and I can't get home without help."
He sniffed, "Alright, alright! There's no need to play the pity card."
Anna stared at him in amazement, "Really, you'll help me?"
He stepped forward into the light and looked her in the eye, "Yeah."
She laughed, siling widely, "Oh thank you! Thank you so much!"
He grumbled, pushing her away as she tried to hug him.
"Stop that," he commanded irritably, "Settle down or I won't take you anywhere."
Anna quietened and sat down, cross-legged. He looked up at the hill, "To get outta here, you gotta get over the hill."
She frowned, "But I-"
"No interrupting!" He squabbled and she nodded quickly, mimicking the locking of her lips though he did not understand the gesture.
"Unfortunately for you there's no way over that hill without getting shot at by the guards. You could try, but I wouldn't suggest it." He sat down with her and pulled out a small bag, "The goblins here are ordered not to let anyone pass – especially humans! In fact, they're supposed to kill or capture humans." He looked up at her for a moment, "Don't be surprised that they didn't pursue you here though, they're really lazy." His focus returned to the bag and he opened it. Anna was astonished by the gold coins that tumbled out into his hands, "There is another way 'over' the hill. You see there are many paths here in the Underground. Some are around... there is down, but I wouldn't recommend it unless you've got coins like me."
Anna scowled, "Well, why can you not share your coins?"
He chuckled, "They're my coins. I'm not sharing what's mine with you."
She huffed, crossing her arms and briskly looking away from him, "Fine! What's this around path then and what do mean 'Underground'. We're not Underground. Is it the name of this place? It's silly if it is. You should rename it."
He choked, dropping some of the coins he was counting up, "Don't let the King hear you say that – actually! Don't let the King even know you exist. He'll have you executed!"
Anna's eyes widened, "What? Why, because I think he should rename his kingdom?" she exclaimed.
"No! You're human. Humans wandering round here are supposed to be killed. The King himself has ordered it." He explained.
"I don't understand." Anna confessed, wringing her fingers together and chipping away dry dirt off her hands with her nails.
He sighed, shaking his head, "You're annoying."
She blanched, pursing her lips and shoving him. He fell on his side and let out a gasp of panic, as his coins rolled away from him.
"Stop that! Or I won't help you." He clambered to his feet and strutted round for his coins, "Long time ago a prophecy was made." He began and started plodding his coins away into the brown bag, tying it, "It said that the King would fall in love, but that he'd be denied and rejected… or something along those lines." He returned to her side, looking down at her, "Since then he's had all the humans that have settled here slaughtered and anyone that 'appears' is to be killed as well. He doesn't want to risk falling in love. No matter the gender or age… he has them all killed."
Anna's visage twisted up, her brows creasing together, "He doesn't sound like a very good King." She lowly said, "He sounds like a coward as well. Falling in love is the bravest thing you can do and to run and hide from that – to hurt people just to escape the possibility!"
She growled, clenching her fists, "I can't believe someone would do that! How many people has he killed? How many more will have to pay – will I?" Her expression became fearful, "Am I to be executed?" She got to her feet, "Are you going to take me to be executed?" She hysterically asked.
He shook his head firmly, "I've helped people get out before. I can help you, but it'll be difficult. You've gotta listen to me if you wanna make it."
Anna nodded, "Alright! Well we'd better get going." She took a step and then stopped, "Oh! I'm Anna by the way!" She told him, grinning cheekily, "Anna Babel."
He took her outstretched hand, shaking it, "I'm Hoggle… not that you'll ever get it right – no one ever does."
"Well I'll do my best to make sure I do get it right!" She exclaimed unwaveringly.
"Yeah… let's get going." He replied, moving into the treeline.
"Yes!" Anna certified, "You and I, Huggles! Team Tantus!"
"Ugh! You see!"