Anniya 4

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~



If Anniya had not gotten along well with Robert, she had definitely not gotten along well with West and John. It wasn't because of their personalities; no, if anything, it was their occupation. Thievery was so secretive, and everything had to go according to plan. But, to get across the Fens( home of the Ogres) they needed West and John. And even so, trouble did not really strike until the fifth day with them.

" I don't see why I have dress up like this! It's ridiculous! I have gone from tagging along to being an accomplice!" Anniya exclaimed.

Dying her mossy white blonde hair black had been the last straw. With her fair skin and green eyes, black hair only made her look like a mutant goblin. Not exactly the look she was going for. Not that she had wanted to dye her hair in the first place. John had suggested it. West studied her. " Black's not your color."

" Oh, that makes me feel loads better. What's so valuable that were transporting anyway?" she snapped back, glancing at the wagon.

" As much as I'd love to tell you, Anniya, I can't." She glanced at him.

" Why not? It's not as if I'm going to go steal your bloody jewels, or whatever else you've stolen." West sighed.

" Because, Anniya, you would have a fainting spell." Anniya's patience was gone, if there had ever been any. " I am not going to have a bloody fainting spell! I helped you steal an at least hundred thousand gold KJ jewel yesterday, also in that same time watching you murderer someone! I am not going to have a bloody freaking fainting spell!" she exclaimed, satisfied that she could tell someone off, if not the Prince. West grinned.

" Gods, no. I don't think you'd be capable of fainting if an Ogre attacked you." True, very true you are West, Anniya thought to herself silently. If only he knew.

" Besides, Anniya, you have to know something. I have seen grown men faint when I've told them what I'm transporting. I'm not saying that you will, but I don't want to risk it. We need you for our act." he continued.

Anniya rolled her eyes. For " expenses", as John had put it so nicely, they occasionally had to rob a town. Anniya had pointed out to Robert, (very nicely she had thought), that he was a Prince, and wasn't he supposed to be stooping this kind of thing. He had just shrugged. So that left Anniya alone, with thieves to reason with. They approached the town. It wasn't the biggest one, Jenn it looked like. Almost at the Fens, Anniya worried to herself. John nudged her. She knew that this was her cue. They had only done this a few days before, but already Anniya felt guilty for leading these people on. Pushing the thought in her head away, she ran out screaming in Elfin.



" Help! Help! Ogres! Ogres are coming!" People turned to stare at her. Anniya sucked in her cheeks and widened her eyes.

" Run, and save yourself! There is no hope now! There are too many of them! Save your children while you can!" She rubbed a little dirt in her eyes, causing tears to come. Perfect. People were beginning to listen to her now.

" Ogres! Ogres! We're all doomed to die! We will all die! We are all going to die!" Anniya continued screaming hysterically. The villagers that didn't know Elfin( Most did--Jenn was on the border of the Elve's Forest,) had it translated from the villagers who did know it.

" Save yourselves! If only you knew what was coming! Oh, please, please heed my warnings! If you will not come with me, then I will leave on my own!"

Frantic worrying rang up in the crowd. Within moments, the town was hysterical, begging Anniya to tell them what she had seen. Before she could say another word, John called out.

" Ogres! I see them!" he shouted. The villagers looked beyond with horror. A twig snapped, and a honey covered voice was heard.

" Do not be afraid." Anniya knew it was Robert, and it took all of her self control not to laugh. John's voice changing potions came in handy, she had to admit. The villagers were struck with horror.

" Follow me!" John shouted, running toward the other end of the village. The villagers, beginning to realize that he might be able to save them, ran off with him. The square was deserted.

" Anniya, you are an actress. A pure actress. You should join us." West swung down, his Cross bow in his hand.

" Well, come on! We need to move!" she told him , and they ran toward the inn.

" Doesn't look like------," West stopped. Apparently the inn keeper and a few men in here hadn't heard all the havoc outside. This had happened last time, and Anniya had dreaded that it might happen again.

" Hello, my good man and Lady. Do you seek accommodations in my humble inn?" the innkeeper asked. West's muscles tensed, ready for a fight.

" Actually, those KJ's would suit us better. Hand them over, old man." West aimed his crossbow at the old innkeeper. The man's wrinkles deepened.

" Please, sir, we have just had the Prince of Frell stop by; our KJ's, I have worked so hard for them, and if you would"

" The Prince, hmm? Hand them over, and tell us where the Prince went." Anniya grabbed his crossbow.

" Leave him alone! He's just an old man, can't we go rob someone who's not defenseless, and"



" ARGGHHH!" the old innkeeper held a chair over our heads. West slammed into Anniya, knocking her down onto the floor as the chair split in two.

" Thieves! Trying to steal my money! First chance they get! Help me, thieves!" West raised an eyebrow.

" You were saying? Watch out!" she ducked a vase. The man was throwing random objects at them now. The other men got up and pulled out ragged kitchen knives, and whatever crude weapons they had on them.

" You trying to steal Master Krecher's money?"

" Thought you could rob our Master, didn't you." They surrounded Anniya and West.

The old man was still mad.

" What should we do with them, Master?" asked one of the harrier ones.

" Kill them! Kill them! Kill them!" he screamed. Anniya stared at him, wondering if he was truly as insane as he appeared to be. Either that, or he had to have a good sum of money. West sighed.

" How many of you? One, two, three, four, five, six! Now how on earth will I manage to protect the Lady and myself?" His face twisted.

" Anniya, behind you!" he yelled. All of the men's heads snapped behind her, probably realizing their mistake as they made it. West pulled a knife out of what seemed nowhere, and threw at remarkable speed into the first man's chest. Before Anniya could blink twice, he had his crossbow and two more men were dead. The fourth one grabbed Anniya and held a knife to her throat.



"You stop shooting, or I'm gonna" he stopped abruptly and began screaming as Anniya bit him hard.

Kicking him in his solar plexus, he fell down. The other two men lunged for her again, as if she was weak and defenseless. Well, they have a lot to learn, Anniya thought, and grabbed his arm, pulling it back. She punched right, then slammed him hard on the floor. The second one had a knife. Something Anniya hadn't anticipated. Zing. An arrow went right through him as he fell to the ground. But he wasn't dead. Blood dribbled out of his mouth. " Dash it all!" she whispered as the man clung at her feet.

" Help..........me........." he whispered. Enemy or not, Anniya would never forgive herself for this. West came over, and shot him one more time. His breath stopped. She whirled on West.

" Why did you do that? He was already dying!" West kicked the body to make sure that it was dead.

" He was already dying. And he would of killed you. Believe me, he would of not showed the same mercy. These type never do." Anniya, staring at the corpse clinging to her ankles, could not bring herself to move. West grabbed her and shoved her away. She turned and vomited. He waited patiently. But even as her stomach heaved, she could still not get that taste of blood out of her mouth. Before West had been nicer it seemed---- oh, she didn't know. There was no nice way to kill someone. And it was true that the man would of killed her. But she and West had started it......Anniya's head began spinning. A voice finally cleared her thoughts.

" Leave me be! You kill my servants, leave me be!" the old man' voice trembled. West helped her gently up.

" Come on, Lady. Wait outside here for a moment, I'll be out in a second." For a moment, Anniya did something that she rarely ever did. Without a word, She walked outside, and turned her head away from the door. West must of thought that she had been heading back to the wagon, because he continued talking to the man.

" Listen, I don't know how far she's gone yet, but you better die quietly. I don't need the girl hearing you gasp for air."

" I do no such thing! Take my money, take my jewels! Spare my life!" the old man begged. West snorted.

" Didn't the Lady give you that chance already? And how do you repay her? You try to kill her yourself. Very charming indeed. Any last words, requests?" The old man's voice trembled.

" My wife.......she's upstairs, taking her nap, on the top floor. Please, do not harm her, if you may." West's voice hesitated.

" You have a wife? She dependent on you?"

The man didn't answer and for a moment Anniya feared that West had killed him. But then, a very soft voice said,

" Krecher, what are you doing-- oh, Sir." the woman had seen West. Anniya didn't know what happened next, but she heard the coin box open. With that, he walked out, and saw her standing there.

"You've been out here the entire time? Damn, I thought you had gone back...." he said.

" You didn't kill them, did you?" she asked.

"No. I didn't kill them." He held up a small bag.

" Half of the money they had in their drawer. John's going to kill me."

They made their way back to the forest.

~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~**~*~*~*~**~*~



" Is that all the bloody money you got!!?" John demanded.

" After all of our work, you bring home half of the dough!" Robert snapped as well. Anniya, disgusted, threw back a comment. "

Really, Robert! You're the Prince of Kellia! Why does money matter to you?" Within moments, everyone was angrily speaking at once. Anniya threw her hands up.

" I am sick of arguing! Settle this among yourselves! All that I know is that I am tired of seeing you murderer innocent people!"

" The bloody men were trying to kill you! I saved you!" West snapped back.

" Listen to West!"

" Well, it still wasn't right to kill those men! It was completely unnecessary!" John tried again. " Look, Anniya, this is what we do for a living. We understand on how blood shed might affect you, and we understand how you might not like it, but we are not going to stop unless you can come up with an alternative way for us to make a living." she was silent.

Robert smirked. Anniya glared violently at him. West said something in Kellian and they all laughed. Anniya hated when they did that. She was beginning to pick up their language the more she heard the words said. But it still made her feel left out, knowing that they could be discussing anything ranging from vegetables to Giants, and she wouldn't have a clue. Anniya got up angrily and walked away from the fire over to her hammock. Snapping her fingers and whispering some charms, a swarm of fire flies came over to light her area. She angrily sighed, and jumped in her hammock . Her hands stung from the black dye; she had been glad to return it to it's original color. Watching the stars, she swung back and forth. After awhile, she fell asleep.

~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

" Gahxzlyhahzz." Anniya's eyes darted open. She bolted upright from her hammock. Cautiously, she lowered herself down and scanned the area. Nothing was in sight. Bad dream, maybe, She told herself, and curled back up in her hammock. " Lzyxhohh." she didn't move, but her heart was pounding. Something was in their camp. Ogres? No, Ogres slurred their words. These weren't words, these were noises. Cautiously, she got out of her hammock and peered in the wagon, where the noise was coming from. Brushing through the packages of arrows, swords, and other useful supplies, she finally spotted something whimpering in the corner. Something that even in the dark night, had glowing ruby eyes. Something that had, even in the dark night, bright, forest green scales. Something like a Baby Dragon.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*



*Awwww, a little baby dragon. Dragon! Gah, West and John are definitely have some illegal stolen goods! La, la, la. Please review.