It wasn't exactly one of my best departures but...you can't have everything, right?
Khairiya and I ran out, feet skidding on the marble floors, through the back door and into a shed. I slammed the door behind us and we both let out a sigh. "Thank god, I only hope she isn't a fast runner…or she's too lazy to run."
"She will soon send out guards to find us." That assured me that Didiane was too lazy to give chase. Khairiya put her face in her hands. "Oh dear God, forgive me Cosette."
"What are you apologizing for?!" I was caught off guard, but saw in her eyes what she meant. I looked around and spotted a ragged cloak. I tossed it to her. "Wear this; hopefully it will work as a good disguise." The minute I said the words, I realized how trapped we were.
Somewhere deep in my mind, I felt like this plan wasn't going to work so well. Hopefully, I'm wrong about that. Regardless, I knew we didn't have a choice, and I wasn't exactly a magnet for good situations.
The minute we snuck out, guards were shouting in our direction. "Hey you! STOP!" Well, that didn't work. I was expecting it, but my heart still skipped in my chest.
"RUUUUN!" I shrieked. I wasn't sure if Didiane wanted us dead or not, but even the idea of being under her control again made me quicken my pace.
Khairiya and I sprinted out with the angry guards trailing, slowly catching up. Arsène and Bernard were there, foaming at the mouth. Their armor slowed them down, but nowhere near enough. And I'd love to say that I flew like the wind, but my fitness level was lacking. At least it wasn't as bad as when I first arrived.
We turned into an alleyway, gasping as we were met with a solid wall. The guards continued to get closer, shouting, "Stop! In the name of Lady Didiane!" All the more reason not to stop.
But I found it wasn't really our choice anymore. By the time we reached the wall, I saw no exit. How didn't I see that before? The wall was smooth, and I looked desperately for any handholds I could use. Then, I did the only thing I could think of. "FARID! HELP!"
"I hear you!" He called, but his voice sounded far away. Too far. "I'm going to come over, stay there!"
"Why in the world would we go anywhere else?" I replied as I dared to look back. The guards had stopped meters away from us.
They had their swords out. Why did they have their swords out? Did Didiane order for us to be killed? How in the world did she have so much influence? I was freaking out.
Fuck it. Time to climb.
Turning quickly, I grabbed at two small indents I'd spotted earlier and hoisted myself up, moving up and grabbing onto the top of the wall. The guards seemed surprised at first, but then they started to laugh.
"KAY-LIN!" Khairiya screamed, "Don't leave!"
"Don't worry, I won't!" I'd never do that. But then I realized that I couldn't do anything else without putting her in danger, and we were still very much trapped. Oh well. At least I was up high.
"Now, we've got you two." Bernard looked like he had a bruise forming on his cheek. His friend must have given it to him in their tussle.
"Nice face." My lips moved before I could stop them.
He paused and briefly touched his cheek and rubbed on it consciously. Then glared at me like he was going to kill me. Heck, he probably was going to kill me. "Thanks to YOU!" He ran towards us with his sword at the ready,prepared to cut us down. I grabbed a rope I had seen earlier and pulled.
Thunk.
Bernard collapsed, head hit solidly with a platform that had been suspended above us. Nice. The other guards shouted and came charging, and Khairiya screamed.
Out of nowhere. There he was. He had a sword. I didn't even know he had a sword with him before. Maybe he just hid it really well. Whatever his equipment, I realized he was giving many of the guards a run for their money, slashing this way and that in a style I had only seen once.
Well, of course he was an assassin. It only made sense, given where we'd slept the night before.
But it looked like it was going to be too much for him. As skilled as he showed himself to be, I was pretty sure that you'd have to be inhumanly strong to take care of 9 enemies at once. Fortunately for Farid, it seemed he would still have a chance. Another figure, an ally, showed up, Jumping down from the wall like a white bird.
"I thought you didn't want to help." Farid called to the stranger as he blocked another slash to his side. Holy crap, he can multitask.
"Stop talking and start fighting." The man answered. His voice sounded a little familiar to me. And as I looked closer, I realized he looked familiar too. It was Altair.
I nearly shrieked, and probably would've if one of the guards hadn't chosen the moment to turn his gaze on us. Frantically, I grabbed a dagger laying on the ground and threw.
It hit him in the head, the heavy pommel thudding against his skull. He staggered and was soon overtaken by Farid. How the hell did I manage that?!
In minutes the guards were on the ground. Dead. The guys had skills. I couldn't look at the bodies though, no matter how cleanly and quickly they killed them. It reminded me of that beggar. Which reminded me of Antoine. Which got my worrying over Ama. Is he alright?
"Who are you?" I wasn't sure who Khairiya was asking. Both of them were pretty mysterious now and the hoods were a nice touch, covering their faces.
"No time for that, let's go." Farid was quick to get down to business. He just killed 9 men with the help of one other man, and he walked over them like they were nothing. Altair, I found myself staring at. He had a strong build, and looked different up close than he had at Garnier's camp. He seemed to notice me staring at him.
"Let's go." Farid was rushing me and I shook myself out of the trance.
I glanced over my shoulder. "Er…Thanks for helping us." He didn't answer, not that I expected him to. So I went over to the wall, scrambling up the way I'd come before. Khairiya stared up at me, then glanced at Farid. He was staring at me too, an odd expression on his face. He seemed to shake himself before climbing up beside me, and together we hauled Khairiya up and onto the ledge.
"We need-…" I looked back to Farid and saw that Altair was gone. "Wait a minute, where'd he go-…"
Suddenly a sharp cry broke the air, "Assassin! HELP! SOMEONE!" Just what we need, more guards. But I took the chance to jump down, knowing it would distract people, just as Farid tried to admonish me. "No, wait-" I landed just fine, my feet bending at the right moment to steady myself, breaking the impact and my arms and legs spread out. I looked up at Farid as he looked down, surprised.
"I'm fine! Just help her out!"
He looked at Khairiya for a moment and apologized before grabbing hold of her waist, flinging her legs over his and jumping down to the ground, landing gracefully. He made it look effortless, as though he were flying.
I whispered. "So, who are you exactly, Farid?" I don't know whether I meant for him to hear.
He ignored me and scanned the crowd, now in an uproar from the call they'd heard earlier. It was like they were terrified that the assassin was going to kill them. Come on people, don't you know that assassins are assigned the targets they kill? Regardless, I knew it would be difficult to travel through that sea of people. I immediately grabbed tightly onto Khairiya's hand. "We have to stay together."
We needed to move fast, Farid was moving in front of us, pushing other people out of our way while we followed him closely behind. We ran into an alley and held our breath as some guards and passed us in a hurry, having no time to pay attention to us. We waited a few minutes before speaking.
"So…That was fun." I broke the silence as best as I could.
Khairiya looked at me, smiling. "Oh, Cosette." She embraced me tightly, pulling away and painting a stern look on her face. It was different seeing her with such a serious expression. "It was such a dangerous thing you did back there! What if they had killed you?"
"…I didn't want you to get hurt because of me." I don't want anyone getting hurt because of me. My hands were shaking, and I hurriedly clasped them together before anyone could notice. I felt I wasn't too keen about this time period anymore; it was interesting, but I didn't like the idea of being so close to death all the time, or my friends being so close to it.
I couldn't imagine what I would do if we had found Khairiya dead. NO. Don't even think of that.
Her expression melted as she embraced me again. It was comforting. "Thank you, but next time, please don't risk your life to save me. It is much too dangerous." No need to tell me that.
"You forgot 'irresponsible'." I laughed. And then caught her last comment. "HEY. What do you mean 'next time'? Are you insinuating we're going to do this again? I don't judge your idea of fun, of course-"
She laughed. "Oh…I suppose I did say that. Silly me, it was a slip of the tongue." She looked towards the crowded main street. It was at its normal pace- as if that assassin hadn't appeared only minutes before. "No more exciting adventures for either of us, I agree." Now that she was out of the clutches of crazy aristocrats, Khairiya seemed to omit a new aura, one of confidence and kindness.
"Something tells me that trouble will follow me regardless." I let out a sigh. "And it doesn't have to come only in the form of crazy girls and crazy old men…I think crazy comes in all types of people, don't you think?"
Isn't that lovely? Wonder how many more of those I'll encounter.
I hear Farid chuckle a bit. It seems that although he was trying to be a look out and give us privacy, my voice apparently traveled enough for him to hear. He had his back to us, but I knew the sound came from him. I smiled his way, immensely glad I trusted him in the end.
"It wasn't all me, you know. I could have done it without Farid." I gestured towards him and I saw his body stiffen a bit, as though he hadn't expected me to suddenly include him in the conversation. Apparently, he was all too comfortable with the idea of blending with the background and being a silent badass.
However, Khairiya was not the type of person who needed encouragement when it came to thanking people. No amount of silence and awkwardness would have stopped her. "Farid?" Khairiya turned towards him with a smile as she leaned towards him, the hood slipping from her face. "We never truly met, have we? How silly of me to know so little of the one who saved us."
Farid seemed to pause. It drew out to a length that seemed almost rude, and definitely strange. I couldn't quite place the feeling in the air, but Farid seemed to be having a sort of inner quarrel with himself until he finally, slowly, turned in Khairiya's direction. "Are you okay, Farid?" I asked tentatively.
He took on a look that I was not familiar with him having. Uncertainty. He gulped like he was struggling to breathe properly; like such basic necessities suddenly seemed to elude him.
Slowly, Farid removed his hood and then both were staring. Someone gasped. I think it was Khairiya. She looked like she wanted to say something but only a whimper escaped through her lips. She suddenly started breathing heavily and shaking. I think she was crying. What's happening?! Why is she crying?
"Is it...Ohhh…does my sight play tricks on me again? Truly…who are you kind sir? You look so much like…like…" She looked as though she wanted to run to him. I could hear the desperation on her lips, hidden in her words.
Finally, Farid spoke as he shook his head fiercely, returning to reality from somewhere deep in his mind. I was almost relieved. "Khairiya…" He whispered as though frightened to say anything at all. As though he didn't trust his voice. "It is me, Khairiya."
When did I mention her name to him? I could only stare, an unimportant third person watching a story unfold.
"R-Rashid!" Khairiya gasped as she took him in her arms in a tight embrace, finally able to speak. She breathed his neck and nuzzled him. "Oh! Oh! It is you!" The moment was so tender and full of a sweet affection, I felt myself feel a slight blush climb my face.
Why am I watching this? I am not a consenting audience member! "I had thought you were d-dead!" I heard her sobbing, choking on her tears. The tears were streaming down now as he gently stroked her back with a frustrated look on his face. He seemed conflicted with his emotions, afraid that revealing them would betray some sort of weakness. He was in a state of disbelief.
What in the everloving hell is happening?
I came back to reality, and kind of regretted doing so when I saw Rashid return the embrace passionately. "What-…How-…Why are you here, dearest? How…?" Hearing him say any sort of endearment was just…odd. Dear lord, this is getting more and more awkward for me. He seemed confused as he briefly pushed her away to look into her dark, infinite eyes…
I felt my insides churn from the utter and unadulterated sweetness of the scene. It made me feel a little sick, like I'd eaten too much chocolate.
I needed to leave and give them their space, and I wasn't really prepared to be an awkward bystander when they proclaimed their endless love (or whatever the hell couples do). Quietly, I snuck away, keeping one eye on them to make sure I didn't bother them. My precautions proved to be unnecessary in the end though. It was all too obvious that they were in their own world.
A world that excluded little, obnoxious teenage girls.
But I was perfectly fine with it...kind of. I told myself that I owed them this, and if this was what they wanted, I would let them have it. Of course, I hated being excluded, the idea of it almost stopping me in my tracks and turning me back toward the two of them. Am I just Cosette, born to be forgotten? But I forced myself to bear it as I gave them one last look and slipped away into the noise of the streets.
I looked towards the bright sun, blinding and painful. As to why I was looking straight at the sun is even beyond my understanding. The people were calm (if you would call it that) once again and the streets were busy once again. They walked around like nothing had happened. Like an assassin didn't just kill someone.
The scene was so surreal, and I couldn't understand why things were so quickly at ease…but I ignored this little detail since it worked mostly in my favor. The less people were worried, the less paranoid they were…and the less paranoid they were, they less likely they were to notice a particular young girl with odd mannerisms.
Maybe I'm luckier than I think. As I thought more on it, I realized how fortunate I was despite all the bad luck. I did find people to help me. And didn't I just recently escape death?
There I was, standing offset from the streets, listing the good things that happened to me since I'd arrived. Unfortunately, I think the list was quite short. I frowned and found myself missing home. It'd been a long time since I actually thought about it.
"You!" A jolt went through me as I heard the call. I turned towards the voice.
I looked around and pointed to myself. "Me?"
"Yes, you!" He gestured to me to come over to his stall. He was a heavy set man with a determined look on his face. He looked like a salesman, and as I glanced at his stall I realized I was right. I almost groaned with exasperation. I didn't want to be rude, but I never was one to like talking to salespeople. To be fair, I couldn't recall a single person who did.
Oh well. It's not like I had anything to do at the moment. I very well couldn't just say no and then awkwardly stand where I still was and try to act important. "What's up?" How was I going to break it to this guy that I had no money with me? I had a feeling he definitely wasn't going to be nice to me after that.
"Would I interest you in any of these valuable items?" He gestured to the items in his stall as one would to an assortment of jewelry and trinkets. They were shiny, but something in the back of my head told me it wasn't really the best quality. Maybe it was that desperate look behind his shiny smile. For all I knew, these items were stolen.
I looked at the jewelry with a quizzical expression on my face, like someone who was actually debating what to buy. Like someone who actually had money.
I decided I was going to put on a rich bitch persona and scoffed. "Pft, more like invaluable." He was going to have a hard time scamming someone who didn't have money anyway. I was prepared to turn away dramatically and flounce away, never to be seen again.
Then another vendor next to us, who was also selling various items, saw his chance to intervene and took it. "Ah, very wise, miss. That man has been known to cheat people of their money." And you aren't?
Just as he shook his head sympathetically, the other man scoffed angrily. "Cheat! Why, that is a preposterous claim, Anbar!" He shook his first at the skinny stick of a man. How appropriate that opposite proportionally people would be arguing with each other. I was half expecting they'd start slapping at each other and insulting each other's mothers. It would be like watching one of those old TV shows with the laugh tracks in the background.
The skinny, and apparently ambitious, man wasted not a glance at the other as he gestured me over. "See what I have, miss? I pledge not to dissatisfy!" He grinned widely. These people were really desperate for money. Made me a little sad, but also worried. I was trapped between two arduous men who wanted the money I didn't have! I could have just told them I didn't have any but then…where's the fun in that?
"Oh stop, you clucking chickens! Can you not see you are harassing the poor girl?" An elderly woman, who just happened to witness the whole scene, came to interfere. My savior. This woman's timing was perfect. I was about to insult both of their wares just to get them off my back.
Before I knew it, she was ushering me away, despite the complaints of the shopkeepers. "Stop interfering with others' business, old hag!" One of them said rudely and I nearly threw him an ugly look. I knew that the insults were never going to stop between them now that I was leaving. But then, maybe they'd get better business and stop fooling about. Seriously.
"Now, perhaps you would like to tell me what you were doing idling about?" She had turned to me. She looked kind enough and didn't look like she was overly suspicious of me…even though I'm sure she had every right to be. After all, I was a young girl who was loitering about with nothing to do, and it was obvious from my clothing that I wasn't homeless.
I wondered if I should tell her about Khairiya and Rashid, but how would it look for a young couple to be traveling around with a young girl? I wasn't nearly young enough to be their daughter, though I always did get away with looking younger than I actually was.
"Where are you from, my little lark?" She gave me an encouraging smile. She seemed nice enough, but I could almost sense a sort of underlying meaning.
"I don't think you'd know where I come from…but it's waaay north."
"Cyprus?"
"Nope."
"Farther than Cyprus, little lark? Hmm…" She glanced at the sky in pensive thought as we walked some more. I felt less nervous now that the conversation wasn't at an awkward standstill. "Certainly not Greece?...Oh, but perhaps those people's skin color would be closer to yours…"
"I wish." One of my biggest bucket list places to go to was Greece. That and Rome. "But further North."
She looked like she was stuck between intrigue and suspicion. "How is this possible? Surely not that far?"
I realized that I was balancing on a thin line. I really should have known better. I was suspicious enough already. "Um, actually, it really isn't that big of a deal. I was born here actually. My parents are the ones who came from the North." I knew how horrible a lie it was, and I hoped it didn't show.
Within seconds, I feel like I was in an interrogation room. It was still difficult for me to keep a straight face while the woman continued questioning me. "Oh? Is that so? Where are your parents, by the way?" I knew then that anything I would say from this point would probably be turned on me.
I really wasn't skillful about this type of conversation. Most of the time, I was all about avoiding confrontation, through any means possible. My instincts were telling me to run, and screw the consequences. "Oh…well…uhhh…"
Thankfully, our conversation was interrupted by two voices calling out for me.
It was Khairiya and Rashid. I wondered how they had finally discovered that I had completely left their vicinity, and I realized with a little embarrassment that I had wandered off farther than I really should have.
"Do you know them, little lark?" By now, I was used to her little name for me and decided to just let her have her way.
"Yeah. They're my…friends." I wasn't really sure what to call them exactly, to be honest. Now that I realized it, I never really had any friends who were older than me before, and I wasn't entirely sure what to call them.
Meanwhile, the old woman didn't look impressed. I wasn't sure if it was because she was unconvinced of my truthfulness, or if she just didn't like the looks of Rashid and Khairiya. Maybe a mix of both. Either way, I was not sure whether we'd be able to get out of the situation without raising some sort of alarm. "Hmmm…" She muttered.
The two of them caught sight of us and walked quickly towards me. I wondered if they noticed my uncomfortable look. By now, I was beginning to think that I should have taken more care in not being seen.
Khairiya reached me and took me by the shoulders. "Going off by yourself again? I really wish you would make some attempt at trying to keep out of trouble!" She laughed though, obviously teasing me. But Rashid, who stood a couple steps behind her and was giving me a scolding look. He was definitely not going to send any teasing words my way.
When Khairiya looked at him, however, his expression immediately softened. "Be more cautious next time." Was all he said, and I smiled timidly in response. It felt kind of odd seeing a genuinely gentle side of Rashid. Would it be mean of me to say it seemed unnatural?
Rashid's expression changed again though, but the look was not directed at me. I assumed he had finally noticed that I was not alone, and the woman standing close to me was actually with me. He shifted his weight, and seemed to be deliberating on what should be done next.
By now, Khairiya noticed the woman too, but looked more curious than cautious. As was her character. She responded in kind. "Oh forgive our rudeness, I didn't know you had made a new friend, Cosette."
"And so I have finally graced your notice." She said in a wry smile as she examined Rashid and Khairiya more thoroughly. "What a handsome couple, you two are."
Khairiya immediately blushed and Rashid looked genuinely embarrassed, but they said nothing to rebuke her. So she naturally continued on, her attention shifting back to me. Luckily, her desire for knowledge didn't include what I feared she would ask. "Cosette? What kind of name is that?" She gave me a look up and down as though questioning her initial impressions. "You look nothing French-like, little lark."
"Oh no, that was a name that was given to me. By a French person. It's all a very complicated and long story that I'm sure you wouldn't be bothered to hear." I tried to say nonchalantly.
Once things were mentioned to her, it seemed there was no chance of avoiding investigation. I should have known better, but the words tumbled out of my mouth from force of habit. I knew what she was going to say before she said it. "I can make time for such things, little lark." She smiled amiably.
Rashid thankfully chose this time to intervene. "Actually…" She looked at him with a questioning look, but Rashid wasn't one to be phased so easily and continued smoothly. "We must make haste. If we do not leave soon, we will lose time to go home."
"You speak as if you are not from here."
I would have been nervous at her quick response, but Rashid seemed impressively unaffected yet again. "We were only visiting."
"Hmm, this part of the area isn't quite known for visitors."
Rashid managed to let out a natural laugh as he replied. "On the contrary, we were visiting family. We have been here before."
"Ah, I see." She said with a sly smile. "Perhaps I know them?" I had a suspicion that she knew everyone, and that this was a test.
"Oh, I would highly doubt so." Rashid was slowly getting entangled in his lies. "Our family keeps to themselves and they treasure their solitude. The only thing they value more is money." He chuckled a bit, but it was without mirth.
"By the way!" Khairiya suddenly said a bit too loudly. We all looked at her with surprised expressions and she looked flustered in response to the sudden attention. I realized then that she had only intervened to drive the conversation elsewhere. "We… we should look into getting supplies for our trip."
It was a weak diversion that I knew that could easily be ignored. I didn't think the woman was cruel or petty enough to do that, but there definitely needed to be more meat to that bone of a statement.
"That sounds like an excellent idea." I said a little too enthusiastically. I turned to the woman. "It would be nice if you were to help us…I mean, his family would have helped but they are really stingy." I put on a sour look, which got her laughing.
She recovered her expression with ease and gave me a curious look. "I know many things and people. I could supply such a charming little flock with wings to fly..." I waited for what I knew was coming. "Of course, I only ask for one thing."
"And what would you ask for such unusual generosity?" Rashid asked, no longer able to cloak his suspicion.
The moments that followed seemed to go in slow motion…like watching an elderly man cross the street with an old cane.
She smiled. "I favor a good story. Tell me yours and if I am impressed, you shall have what you need."
It was like we stumbled upon a storyteller straight out of a fairy tale. We found ourselves whisked away to her hut of a home, modest and small. It was almost adorable how she fluttered about with excitement, muttering to herself something along the lines of, "It has been so long…so long…"
Before we could question her meaning, she suddenly turned to us, making me jump. "It has been so long, my little birds, since anyone has come into my home with the potential for stories of great interest." She grinned widely and went back to packing supplies for us to carry.
Rashid and I exchanged looks and he rolled his eyes. He probably thought this old woman was mad. He stayed protectively beside Khairiya and made slight movements to stand in front of her every time the old woman made any erratic motion. Which turned out to be quite often.
Upon deeper observation, her little home actually possessed more than it seemed. There were little nooks and crannies that hid things in unsuspecting places. It was an organized mess of secrets and stories.
She packed food, blankets, clothing…anything that would be needed during our journey. I was starting to wonder how she came upon so many things in such a large supply. She must have caught my curious stare as she gave me a smile and explained. "Payment given to me for favors done." I was impressed at the amount of influence this woman could possibly have.
"That's a lot of stuff." I realized how stupid I sounded at my obvious statement. "I mean…that's a lot of favors you did for people."
"Old women are rarely noticed…we only are noticed when we want to be." I had no doubt about that. The insinuation that she gathered information was not lost on me…and neither was it on Rashid.
"You must hear many words passed between careless lips." Rashid remarked.
"I do more than listen, young man." She grinned mischievously as she tied up the last pack. She glanced at me and winked.
Khairiya chose to speak then. "You take in information as currency then, kind woman?"
The old woman looked nearly embarrassed. "Forgive my rudeness, I only just realized we are late for introductions." She gave a little bow which was sort of being graceful. "Call me Hafa."
"I am Farid." Rashid nodded, and I nearly gave him a look at him lying about his name. But I suppose I couldn't blame his character- he wasn't really one to trust easily. I wondered what fake name he'd give Kha- "And this is Kalila."
"Of course it is." Hafa looked unconvinced as she gave her most benign smile. "I suppose you two are married as well."
Khairiya blushed and Rashid opened his mouth to speak, but found the words were stumbling out of his mouth. "N-No..well…t-that…"
"Oh how scandalous. A young couple of clearly marriageable age traveling together…Why, if it weren't for the little lark, I would say you two were eloping."
"That is not the case!" Rashid defended a little too loudly.
"Whatever you say." Hafa looked away, obviously too bored to care as to why Rashid was being so secretive. She turned to me with more interest. "Now, tell me, little lark…"
I assumed she wanted to know my name and I started, but she stopped me short. "No, little lark, I would not have that from you." I looked at her confusedly as she explained. "Any name will not fit you well enough in my mind. Especially when your story is all that I require."
"Am I really so interesting?"
"Only a fool would think you otherwise." Oh…well…thanks? I wondered why I'd been cursed to draw people's attention.
"Well, that's cool. But what do you want to know from me?"
"Everything."
"Really?" I looked at her, at a loss of what else to say. Not to mention, where to begin. "Umm…well…it all started when I was born-"
"Dear God, we will never leave this place." Rashid commented as Hafa gave him a withering glare for his interruption. But she said to me. "Perhaps, you should start somewhere closer in our time."
"How do I decide where to begin?" I asked, look at the ceiling with a sigh. "There's so much to say."
Hafa waited patiently and Khairiya spoke up again, encouragingly. "Perhaps when we first met. That is a good beginning."
I nodded. "You're right. That is a good beginning."
At first, it was difficult talking outright to a complete stranger, especially knowing that Rashid was listening in too. But it got easier as time passed and I was on a roll. I made sure not to leave out anything, even the part when I panicked and thought Rashid was going to kill me. Thinking back did make me a little embarrassed, though.
But everyone seemed to be intent on listening and no one was interrupting me at all. It was almost eerie since I wasn't really used to being allowed to talk for so long.
By the time I finished speaking, a short silence followed and I was left shifting in my seat awkwardly. Finally, Hafa was the first to speak. "I was correct." She seemed awfully pleased at herself. "As I always am." Very pleased with herself. And then she chuckled a bit as though recalling the last bits of the story I had just told her.
"What a horrid brat." There was no mistaking who she was referring to. Actually...I suppose she could have also been talking about Didiane...but I made her name more synonymous with a particularly colorful word.
"I know." I rolled my eyes. "But you know, maybe it's something she'll grow out of." But then, it's easy to speak well of someone when they aren't in your face and making you annoyed beyond reason.
Rashid looked a little irritated as he seemed to hold onto Khairiya's shoulders firmly. "If I ever cross paths with her or her family, I will not allow for such assumptions." I shivered a bit just looking at him and the sort of dark atmosphere he seemed to radiate. Something made me think Rosette better watch out in the future.
I decided to add on. "Oh, and don't forget Didiane, Rashid. Put her on your death list too."
"I would hate to exclude anyone. Of course I'll keep her in mind as well." He replied swiftly as Khairiya looked at him worriedly in response to his dark humor.
Hafa smiled at me, then asked, "So how did you end up in her clutches?"
"Well," I blinked and took a deep breath. It had been a while, but I knew that Garnier's camp would still be difficult to talk about. "Her aunt found me being chased by some guards and convinced them to let me go. I followed her, which was a mistake." I cringed as I remembered how nicely I had thought of her when she first helped me. If only I knew.
"And? Guards don't chase just anyone."
Rashid snorted. "She probably annoyed them with her talking." I flinched. I knew he didn't mean to be cruel, but his dismissal still stung. Khairiya noticed and nudged him with her elbow, giving him a look that seemed out of place on her normally kind face.
"No, that's not…" My voice seemed to abandon me for a second, and I cleared my throat before continuing. "They were trying to recapture me. I was kidnapped by their leader and I'd escaped from his madhouse. His name was Garnier, and he was crazy."
A heard a sharp breath from Rashid's lips, and realized that he must know Garnier from other assassins in the order. He had been staring at me, but the moment I glanced over his eyes became fixed on the floor.
I continued. "He kept a lot of people in his camp. I think he thought he was helping us, but everything he did was horrible. He thought we were his patients, 'his children' he called us." Hafa jerked beside me, and Rashid let out a hiss of dismay. "I had a friend, Ama. He kept trying to escape so they...they…" I shook my head. "They broke his legs. That's the sort of thing they did. Lots of people died, and at the end of every day they would bring out a cartful of corpses and dump them outside the walls. It smelled so bad..." My voice grew quiet at the end, and I struggled to hold my emotions in check.
Khairiya was gaping at me, horrified, and I could tell she wanted to say something, but didn't know how. Rashid was still staring at the ground.
"Ah." Hafa said, looking at my pained expression with something approximating pity. "That man hurt you, didn't he lark?"
I gulped, and whispered, "He hurt everyone."
WHAM.
All of us jumped a mile in the air as Rashid's fist made contact with the table before us. He looked to the side, sitting back and rubbing a hand over his face. I saw guilt in his eyes. He said nothing, but I could tell he was angry. I just didn't know whether it was at Garnier, or at himself.
But before Khairiya could make a comment, Hafa jumped in, speaking in soothing tones. "Come now, child. What is done is done. All you must do now is help your little lark fly again."
He hissed, "But-" and then stopped abruptly, his entire body tense and shaking. Hafa smiled and reached out to him, pulling his chin up to meet her gaze.
"It will be okay. She is strong, maybe even stronger than you. Do you not see that in her?" I didn't really appreciate being talked about like I wasn't there, but I couldn't seem to make any more words come out of my mouth. A lump had formed in my throat.
Rashid only huffed in response, but his expression morphed slowly into a thoughtful one. He glanced at me and nodded.
"Yes. I do see it," His voice was gruff, but determined. Hafa sat back into her seat.
"Good. Now then, you three may discuss this later between you." She turned her gaze back to me. "I'm afraid it is time you leave me, my little lark." She gave us our little packs and I felt a crash of disappointment fall over me. It was surprising, but Hafa was actually really likable. And it was a relief to speak freely about the things I had faced.
"Hafa…" I asked tentatively. "Is there any chance you could do us one more favor?"
"Come now, Cosette, enough of that." Khairiya looked a little flustered and I was, for the first time, almost irritated at her. Almost. It surprised me. "We have already asked much of Hafa already; to ask for more would be too much." But wait! I'm going somewhere with this!
"There is no problem." She assured Khairiya as she looked to me with her toothy grin. "What do you need more, my little lark?"
"Horses would be great." I grinned in return.
"If that is even possible for our old Hafa." Rashid muttered with his arms crossed.
"Hush, boy!" She turned to me. "That is a small trifle for your old Hafa." She tossed a wide smile to Rashid as he grimaced. "But, little lark, you know I cannot do such a thing for free. Three horses..."
"We would only need two." Rashid insisted as I gave him a questioning look. He looked directly at me. "You can ride with Khairiya." I would have whined, but I knew that asking for even one horse could be pretty expensive already.
"Two horses are still not free."
"I figured as much, my illustrious Hafa." I said sweetly and she perked right up, clearly pleased with the name. I continued. "So I would like to offer you another story of mine."
She was immediately curious, as I had anticipated. "My ears are open to the prospect. Do tell your dear Hafa, little lark."
"Stories about my home. Where I come from. Would that work?"
Hafa took on a pensive look but I could already tell she was bought by the idea. After a little while she replied with a smile. "Two horses…Perhaps would make sense, for two stories."
That wasn't so bad. "Okay."
"And make them wonderfully intriguing!" She looked so excited, like a child on Christmas day. I noticed that both Khairiya and Rashid were still staring at me, but pretended not to notice. I didn't want to think of that story any more than I had to. Hafa's expression quickly sobered as she turned to them. "You two can go and take this package to the stables and give it to the man named Gamal and tell him I sent you to pay me back."
"What about- " Khariya was looking expectantly at me.
"She will be fine with me...She'll be paying for the horses with her story. Just come back when everything is settled." She made it sound like Khairiya was merely dropping me off for a simple dentist appointment and was telling her to go to the waiting room to read old magazines.
Khairiya looked at me a little longer and I smiled assuredly. "I'll be fine, don't worry."
Surprisingly, Rashid stepped forward then, a small scowl on his face. "If any harm comes to the girl…"
"You think me a criminal, young man?" Hafa looked more amused than offended.
"I am only saying to watch over her and make sure she doesn't wander off…she's tied to trouble." He said after a small pause and then ushered Khairiya, who gave me one last look and a weak smile. She was still hesitant to leave but after the urging of Rashid, she finally followed him away. I was a little nervous, but relieved to see them off.
I sighed, exhaustion hitting me suddenly. I felt that constantly being left with strangers and thrown into new situations was starting to hack away at my brain. It was a mentally tiring process that made me miss the familiarity of home. I was starting to see the comfort that I had taken for granted.
We were alone then. Just Hafa and I. "Where do I begin now?"
"Just tell me about your home." She stood up and started getting a box full of little trinkets and began organizing them. The small action that disturbed the thick silence comforted me a little and drew me out of my shell. I decided that Hafa was definitely the one to tell the truth about everything. She wasn't a judgmental idiot. She was thoughtful and I trusted her to take my words for the truth.
"I wasn't completely honest earlier when you asked me about where I came from." I admitted it first.
She was still busy, dumping the items on the table and noisily sorting them. "I know."
Of course. "I'm from the 21st Century."
She paused a bit, but didn't look up at me. "Is that so?"
"I'm from the future."
"…" She was still silent. This time, her hands ceased movement and I could feel myself grow tense. There was no turning back now. I couldn't take back the words, laugh a bit and say, "Haha, I was totally joking! Fooled you!" That would be totally stupid. Even for me.
"Where do I start?" I found myself asking again. "Well, where I'm from, the people are still the same, I suppose. You have your idiots, your pompous, the rich and poor…The words people say are different, but the mannerisms will always be the same. Um…" I thought a little more. "Oh, and we have a required education system. All children have to go to school!"
"Sounds like a fantasy."
"If I think about it now, I suppose it is a little unreal and fantastic, isn't it? They could just leave us dumb and ignorant if they wanted but are giving us a chance to be otherwise." I was getting close to one of my rants about certain students who cared more about their social status than their homework. But I ignored the urge and continued. "We also have a large diversity of people- so many cultures that are connected mainly from advancement in technology…"
After that, I found it was easy to say everything. I was so stressed about having to hide everything about my background that being able to tell someone everything in context felt like a relief. I told her everything that I could think up from the top of my head. I even talked about sewage systems and toilets, to which she looked at me incredulously in response. "Such a thing seems so complicated…yet ingenious."
"We take hygiene seriously in the future." I said, quite longingly. One of the main things I missed about home was the sense of cleanliness and sort of obsession we had for it. Here…well…it was a challenge.
"Cleanliness is a privilege that not everyone can have." Hafa replied, and I knew that she was speaking from experience.
I told her about my family, which made me miss them more. Even my little sister. When I told her about the incident with the soap and the bathroom, Hafa only laughed and told me that my sister would grow and learn from her mistakes later. I found it a little unbelievable, but I hoped she would be right.
The conversation went on for a long time like this. Me telling her about one thing and her making her comments. It was a stark contrast to when I told her about Khairiya and I; then, she was holding a respectful silence but now, it seemed she had so many questions for me. I couldn't lie and say I didn't enjoy it.
By the time Khairiya and Rashid returned, I felt almost regretful. It meant that we had to leave, and I looked at Hafa with a sad smile. "I hope that was enough, Hafa."
"More than enough, little lark." She assured me as she patted my hand fondly. Taking my hand in hers for a few more moments, I felt her press something in my palm. I gripped it and felt a sort of fabric pouch, heavy with coins. "This wasn't in the bargain." I attempted to give it back to her but she only pushed it away.
"Keep it to remember me by, my little lark." She smiled. "And be safe."
Impulsively, I felt the need to give her something in return. It felt only natural considering she had done us so much already. I looked around myself and thought a bit. I thought of my sweatshirt and how I wasn't really using it anymore, and how I had kept it all this time, like an adult clinging to their old stuffed animal. But having such noticeable clothing did not suit this time period and did precisely the opposite of what I wanted to achieve, which was to keep a low profile.
I took out the shirt and smoothed it, the logo of my school peeling off and the color paling in the sun. I was a little sad, but… "I want you to have this."
I gently handed the shirt to her and she took it from me gently, cradling it in her arms. She looked at it thoughtfully. "What an interesting design."
"It was the lo-…I mean, the symbol for the school I went to." The fact that it used to be a cartoon Scotsman was barely perceptible now, for which I was thankful for. I didn't want to explain the reason why we had a half naked buff man in a kilt as a symbol for our educational facility. Now, the silhouette of man was the only thing left, everything else had cracked and worn away. "I can't wear it anymore because it attracts too much attention."
I thought about giving her my jeans and tennis shoes too, but felt they'd still be useful and could still be imperceptible if I were careful enough.
"A memory from your homeland." She said tenderly as she embraced my sweatshirt to her. "A lovely gift that I will cherish, my lark." I couldn't help but hug her in response and the two of us went out to join Khairiya and Rashid with the horses.
My sadness was only temporarily distracted by my ever growing love for horses, before we all had to say goodbye. But we kept it brief so not to attract any attention.
("After all, I have a reputation to uphold." Hafa insisted.
To which Rashid replied. "What reputation?"
"Exactly.")
We walked the horses into an area outside the city and I looked back, seeing Hafa had followed us. I waved to her one last time before she smiled and blended back into the chaotic crowd.
We rode for a long time, and I was quiet for a good portion of the ride before our destined rest time. Khairiya kept on asking me if I was alright and if I were feeling unwell, to which I assured her I was fine. Rashid would steal glances at me whenever I answered, as though not believing my answer. "She didn't do anything to me, if that's what you're insinuating, Rashid."
"Surely she must have at least put a spell on you." He said jokingly. "For you have barely spoken a word since we left."
"Haha, very funny. I 'm sure you're quite happy about this development, aren't you?"
I saw him smirk, and then a shadow stole over his features. He looked back at me, and I was startled by the sadness I saw in his eyes. "Kay-lin.." I realized Khairiya must've told him my real name. I felt grateful.
"What is it?"
Rashid paused, uncomfortable, before continuing. "I am sorry for my earlier comment. I did not realize the things that had been done to you." Oh. I couldn't help flinching as those memories surfaced. The face of the beggar lying in the dirt, the cartfuls of corpses, the screams that awoke us each morning. I remembered the people that the woman and I treated, and all the ones we couldn't save.
"Kay-lin?" I jumped and shied away as a hand brushed my shoulder. I looked up and realized that Rashid had nudged his horse closer, a look of soft concern on his normally stoic features.
"Ah." I said, my throat suddenly feeling dry. "It-it's okay. No worries." Rashid nodded, but I noticed he rode a little closer for the remainder of the day.
By the time the sun came down and we sat to rest and sleep, my butt was numb. I sighed in relief and fell onto the blanket Khairiya laid down for me. An endless expanse of stars spread above us, twinkling like millions of jewels hanging in the air. Just staring up at them made me feel relaxed, I let my mind wander.
My last thoughts, before my dreams took my mind, were of my brother. I wondered if he was looking at the same stars that I was.
A/N: And as you may have guessed, the next chapter will be Ryan's. No footnotes or reviews to reply to today, so I'm just gonna call it a night. See you lot later!