Pain was the first thing she felt when she finally came to; her entire body ached. Klark rolled and coughed up a small amount of water. She was soaked to the bone. When she opened her eyes, she winced at the brightness of the sun and quickly used her hand to shield her eyes. She groaned and reached up where her head was hurting. It was warm and sticky which meant she had hit her head at some point as was now bleeding. She slowly got to her feet and looked around. Blue eyes scanned the area trying to figure out just how far the river had taken her. By the height of the sun she knew it had been at least half a day since she left the camp which meant that they could be close to where she was, and she needed to get moving. She decided that following the river would be her best option.
She walked along the river bank making sure that she didn't leave huge prints in the mud. It meant her feet would stay wet but at least should wouldn't end up leaving tracks for them to follow. With the current her steps should be washed away. She wrapped her arms around herself it wasn't quite winter, but the autumn air was getting cooler. Thankfully the sun warmed her well enough that by mid-day she was no longer shivering.
Klark was beginning to think she had been taken too far when she heard the sounds of a busy village. Her heart hammered in her chest excitedly and she started running a small smile forming on her face. She had made it. It was only a little further and she would be safe. In her excitement she forgot to check the forest for any signs of invaders. She was tackled to the ground, rocks biting into her hands and knees. She cried out and felt a rough hand cover her mouth to keep her from screaming. "Almost made it," a low voice sneered against her ear. His breath was acrid and stale. Klark flinched and tried to get away but he held her tight. She moved to bite his hand but immediately stopped when he said, "I would advise against that little girl." She felt the knife against her throat. He yanked her up and took her back into the forest.
They passed her village a day and a half ago and had been in the Sylvania territory for the last few hours. Klark's wrists were tied tightly in front of her once more and this time the rope was with the general. He would tug on his end every so often trying to make her fall. Each time she did, the rough ground scraped her skin. Her knees and wrists were raw and bleeding. Her head was fuzzy, and she was hungry. They had travelled half a day north since she'd been awoken at first light and the general refused to allow her to eat or even sit down when they stopped. It was her punishment for trying to escape. Her steps faltered, and she fell. The blonde tried to get to her feet but was unable to and was dragged along. Her legs got caught and she felt a sharp pull on her ankle. Her screams echoed through the forest. "Pick her up," the general commanded.
The warrior beside her lifted her by her arm and situated her on her feet. Her ankle crumpled under her weight causing her to fall again. "She cannot walk, general."
He turned his horse and held out his arm, "I will take her."
The warrior lifted her up to the general and the larger man situated her in front of him on his horse. He readjusted the reins and urged the horse forward. She tried not to lean against him and keep herself upright, but she was tired and sore. Tears silently tracked down her face through dirt and blood. She was overcome with exhaustion and slumped against his chest falling asleep.
She woke up a few hours later jostled by the horse. She groaned, and her head lulled to the side. "There she is," the general commented and nudged her head with his shoulder. Klark winced but looked up. A large fortress sat on top a cliff in the distance. It was a monstrous structure and looked heavily fortified. "The fortress surrounds the entire village. There is a complex that houses the royal family, the Queen, Prince Roan, and Princess Ontari."
She didn't have much of a choice other than to listen but remembered he had said that he was also a prince. "What about you?"
"I am the commander of the Queen's army, as such, I stay with the warriors in the barracks. We occupy the fortress. You are a fighter and the Queen will certainly want you to be trained further. It is likely that I will train you or possibly Roan."
"Why Roan?"
"We all learn to fight even the royal family. Roan and Ontari are both still young. They will not see battle unless the Queen orders it or something happens to me, but we must always be prepared," he explained.
Klark was unsure why he was discussing any of this with her since she was his prisoner. Maybe he pitied her or maybe he was trying to get her to see that not everything or everyone in Ice Nation was cruel and unforgiving. Either way, Klark let the information sink in but said nothing else. It took another hour to reach the gates of the village and the guards immediately opened the doors recognizing their general. "Monin hou, general," (welcome home) one of the guards greeted.
"Mochof, Jelin," (thank you) Hugo replied and entered the village. Klark looked around noting that the villagers were watching her with interest. She could not figure out if that was because she was with Hugo or if it was because they knew she would be going to see the Queen. At the stables, Hugo handed her to one of the warriors who intentionally dropped her. She cried out feeling the sharp pain shoot through her ankle. "Dov!" Hugo growled and was off his horse in an instant. "That was unnecessary, do it again and I will cut you myself," he said gripping the warrior's coat.
"Moba (sorry), general," Dov forced out an apology.
"Enough," he knew the warrior wasn't sorry. "Be useful and take care of my horse," Hugo shoved the reins into his hands and carefully helped Klark up. "We will see the Queen first, then get a healer to look at your ankle," he said and guided her toward the throne room.
They passed the market which drew her attention. It was a busy day; the streets were literally full of people. "Why is it so busy?" She asked.
"Today is a celebration, it is the prince's birthday. They will be holding a feast later and each of the villagers will present a gift."
They passed the housing district and Klark was amazed how well the structures held up in the harsh winters. In front of them was a tall building with pillars. It was made of dark red stone that the blonde didn't recognize. The doors were larger than Hugo which made her laugh. The hulking man looked at her with amusement and had the guards open the doors. They walked to the end of a long hallway to an oversized room. Four guards were posted on either side of the throne and a woman sat upon the plush chair. Her hair was a mousy brown, eyes cold as steel, face scared and wrinkled. Even if the woman wasn't sitting in the throne, Klark would have known she was the Queen.
"What is the meaning of this? I ordered you to kill everyone," the woman snarled and looked at the blonde with disgust.
Hugo guided Klark into a bow. "Stay quiet," he said in a whisper and made to bow quickly. When he faced the Queen again he began to tell her how the conquering of the village. "This one covered the Chief of the village from the trees moving in the shadows and killing my warriors one by one. I have hardly seen a warrior twice her age shoot that well. She single handedly killed half as many as she shot. She would be a great asset if we train her."
The Queen sat back in her throne and studied the blonde. She crossed one leg over the other and tapped her fingers against the arm of her throne. "How many?"
"We lost twenty-eight warriors, the little one here killed thirteen on her own."
The Queen's lips slowly turned into a smile. "Impressive."
"I thought it would be a waste to kill her."
"You did well Hugo. I see she is injured. Call the healer," the Queen demanded. "She looks like she has not been fed."
"We had an incident with her trying to escape on our way here."
The Queen laughed. "And how far did she get?"
"Nearly to Tondisi, my Queen."
The Queen leaned forward and motioned for Hugo to bring Klark closer. "How did you escape?" Steel eyes pierced through her and she barely resisted the shiver. A firm hand gripped her chin harshly forcing the blonde to meet the Ice Queen's eyes. "Tell me."
"Hugo untied me when we stopped for the night. I waited for them to fall asleep and crawled out of camp. When I was far enough away, I climbed a tree to figure out which way to go. I followed the river for a while but they were behind me, so I got in the river."
"We caught her about an hour outside of Tondisi."
The Queen laughed her eyes lighting up and let go of her chin. "Navigational, fighting, and stealth skills," the Queen was amused. "Hugo was correct. You will be trained. She is a rare find, general," she said quite pleased.
"She informed me that her father was training her as a scout and tracker. She definitely has the ability to go unseen. With the right kind of training she could be very useful."
"I will consider it," the Queen acknowledged and waved the healer in when she saw her. "For now, the healer will see to her once she has bathed and she will be fed and shown a room."
Klark sat with her legs folded up against her chest with her head resting on her knees. The handmaidens had come and gone but she refused to get out of the tub. The last few days she hadn't had the luxury of feeling her emotions but now she was. The village was gone. Her home, her family was gone. The door opened revealing a woman who looked around the same age as her mother. She assumed she was the healer. She had long dark hair and dark eyes with tanned skin. Her eyes were slightly slanted. Klark watched her carefully as she came towards her. "I am Kalli," she smiled softly. "May I help you out of the tub?"
Klark considered her and hesitantly nodded. The woman held out a fur and allowed her to step into it. The pelt immediately warmed her and soaked up the water. Kalli guided her toward the room and helped her get dressed into a nightgown before lifting her onto the bed. She took a look at her ankle first rubbing an oil on it that took the pain away. "It will help with the swelling as well. What is your name?" the woman asked.
The blonde decided she could trust the healer. For whatever reason she reminded Klark of her mother, maybe it was that she was a healer. "Klark," she replied hoarsely.
"What a beautiful strong name," the healer smiled. The blonde was quiet as she looked over the rest of her injuries. "I want you to rest this foot. Send for me if you need anything."
She moved to get up and Klark reached out for her. Her small hand wrapped around the woman's wrist. "Kalli?" she turned around and saw the tears begin to stream down the girl's face. "My mother was a healer," she said softly.
Kalli sat next to her and ran her fingers through her wet hair. "Do you want to tell me about her?" she asked getting comfortable and leaning her back against the wall.
Klark climbed into her lap and leaned her head on to her shoulder. The healer's arm wrapped around the girl and held her. "My first memory of her is of when I was only three summers. I hurt myself climbing a tree. She was angry with me, said I could have died."
"She was not mad," Kalli said rubbing her hand up and down the girl's arm. "She was scared." Klark hummed. "Moba (sorry), continue," Kalli said softly.
"I remember crying and she started singing to me."
"Do you know the song?"
Klark nodded feeling her throat close up but managed to get the words out. She could not sing them; her voice was not strong enough. "Golden slumbers kiss your eyes, smiles await you when you rise. Sleep pretty baby, do not cry and I will sing a lullaby. Cares you know not, therefore sleep, while over you a watch I'll keep. Sleep pretty darling, do not cry and I will sing a lullaby." The blonde cried as the last of the words fell from her cracked lips.
Kalli nodded against the girl's head and pulled her closer. She hushed her gently. Her voice was soft and warm like honey as she began singing. The blonde sobbed against her shoulder and the healer brought up her other arm to hug her tightly. Both hands rubbed Klark's back soothingly. The woman rocked her gently and continued to sing to her until she fell asleep.