Anniya
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Esperanza, the only one isolated from the events that had destroyed Anniya, West, and Robert's friendship, gazed suspiciously at the two men. Somehow, in the time that she and Anniya had been sleeping, they had both managed to 'trip and fall.'
" Must of been quite a stumble, to make your nose bleed and leave such a gigantic bruise on your face," Esperanza marked innocently as she gathered the blankets with Robert. Robert met her eyes for a moment, and Esperanza knew that she had guessed right. While she and Anniya were sleeping, West and Robert had gotten into a fist fight.
Luckily, Anniya had no idea of the conversation. She was too busy gathering all of the belongings together. Esperanza looked at West, who had developed a limp as well as a grimace whenever he bent over. In addition, neither man would so much as look at the other one. Yes, there had definitely been a fight.
They didn't really have a choice of where to go; they simply walked forward. It was tiring for work, even for the men. The cave was small and narrow, and at first Esperanza had thought it her imagination that it was getting smaller. But when Anniya finally remarked about how tall she felt, Esperanza concluded that, indeed, the ceiling and the walls were closing in.
For the first time, she suddenly wondered if there was a way out of this place. They were no longer in the ancient tree they had started out in. It, they had come to conclude, was merely an entrance for a deep tunnel that would lead them to god knows where. Occasionally, Esperanza thought she heard footsteps in the distance, but she dismissed it as her over reactive imagination. God knows I have one, she thought as they plodded on.
Esperanza was also wondering how Anniya knew how to read the runes on the tree. She herself didn't have a bloody idea what language it was. If Anniya hadn't been there, she would of taken them for scratch marks.
They traveled like that for the next day and a half. No one really spoke, so weary they were from exhaustion. On the first half of the second day, Esperanza dropped back to walk with Anniya. Her much smaller friend's face was paled, but Esperanza could sense that it wasn't from exhaustion.
" What's the matter? Indeed, We're all suffering from the smell of rat dung, but you like that's not the only problem on your mind," she said cheerfully , in attempt to raise Anniya's spirits. It worked. Anniya smiled, showing her white, even teeth.
" The stench is probably coming from me. I haven't taken a bath since.....since.......," her voice faltered as she failed to remember.
Esperanza laughed, and slowed her pace even more. Robert and West were now a good twenty feet ahead of them.
" Seriously. What's the matter?"
Anniya glanced around the steadily getting smaller tunnel, and then shook her head.
" You know, this sounds really strange........But I feel like I've been here before."
" Have you?"
Anniya shook her head violently. " No! Of course not! We must be nearing the middle of the Fens! What would I be doing in the middle of the Fens?"
Esperanza shrugged her shoulders. " Sniffing rat dung, for starters. Don't worry. If you've been in the woods by yourself at night, then the feeling is probably pretty natural."
Anniya nodded slightly, and Esperanza knew she wasn't convinced.
Three days before the ball , they reached an entry way.
It had happened just as Esperanza was at her final straw. She was tired, she was hungry, and she was sleepy. Which was why she was more then upset when they came to a dead end.
Robert stared at it for a moment. The rest of the group stood in silence. Then he turned around.
" Let's start walking back."
Esperanza stared at him for one full second before letting free a temper that rivaled Anniya's.
" Are you telling me that we have been walking for god knows how many days to find a dead end!," she shrieked, her voice bouncing off the cavern walls.
Anniya was silent, as was everyone else. That only managed to annoy Esperanza further.
" I hope you all know that we don't have enough food to get back! I hope you k now were all going to die and become.....become......stuff on the ground! You can turn around and go back, but I am not moving a foot from this place! I don't care if I have to kick my way through," she screamed again, and kicked the wall to prove her point.
To everyone's surprise, the wall disappeared.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Esperanza, more bloody surprised then the rest of them, lost her balance, and fell through, landing in a forest that looked as ordinary as any other one would. In all technicality, it was Anniya who first stepped out into the forest.
It looked as if any other forest would. The trees were tall and swift, not eerily ancient like they had been in the other forest, with mist hanging over. There was a brook bubbling in the distance, and somewhere in the distance, a bird sang a song. They had passed the second part of the Fens completely underground.
And yet the moment Anniya stepped into it, a wave of horror washed over her, because she knew where she was.
Without hesitating, she suddenly broke into the fastest sprint she could. No one tried to stop her, luckily. Anniya didn't think at this point anyone could hold her back. After countless years, she had finally arrived at the place that Anniya had thought would only come back to her in her darkest nightmares.
She was at the place her parents had been slaughtered.
The clearing seemed like any other. The same, cheerful brook bubbled along happily. There was no lack of noise. Sunshine streamed down. And yet this place wasn't like any other.
Anniya was walking along the edges of the clearing when she spotted something. The tree she had hidden in. A dirty, ancient piece of material was snagged on it. Anniya picked it up, and despite all of the years, recognized that it had been the exact thing her mother had been wearing that day.
Why did I have to survive? Why did the ogres find me? It's not like a tree was a complex hiding place only the genius can find, Anniya thought silently. The answer came to her immediately.
She knew why now. She would of not known a year ago, but Anniya was dead certain what had saved her from certain death.
Her mother's necklace had somehow shielded her from the ogres view. If Anniya hadn't been wearing it at that moment, if her mother hadn't given it to her, Anniya would of been killed along with her Father. And it would of been her mother who lived to this day, not her.
Everything was mixed up now. Anniya had thought that she had been in the elves forest, but she knew that it was now impossible. What had her parents been doing in the Fens?
" This place has memories for you, doesn't it," Robert said quietly, making her jump. She hadn't even realized that he was behind her. Anniya nodded shortly, and turned her head.
" This is the place where my parents died," she said, the words feeling strange on her tongue.
It was unknown where West and Esperanza were at that moment. But Anniya and Robert merely remained standing there, not talking nor moving. Anniya finally said something to Robert.
" How far is it to Frell?"
" Day's ride."
" Then let us make haste."
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**** Author's note*** Your probably wondering why I spent so much time describing the Fens if I wasn't going to go more in depth with it. I'm just preparing ya'll for my next fic..............
Oh, and by the way, Anniya is over 110 pages for anyone who cares!! And by the way, If any of you people feel an urge to read something while I'm not posting more on Anniya, please go look at Mermaid in the fairy tale section. I personally think it has a better story line then Anniya, but you'll have to see that for yourself, won't you!
Anniya
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" West, I don't care what you say! There must be some other way to get what we need without stealing," Anniya told the golden haired thief, exasperated.
They had arrived at Frell in the dead of night, with buckets of rain pouring from the sky . There was only one remaining day before the ball began, and they still didn't plan. Unless standing on a dark street corner huddled together counted for something.
" Anniya, I agree with West. Now we could go about this in an honest way, but that would mean begging. And it'll take awhile to beg enough money," Esperanza put in, siding with West. All of their voices were strained in order to be heard over the rain. Anniya glared at her as Robert voiced his opinion. Esperanza pretended not to notice, and toyed with her earring.
" I agree with Anniya. There must be some other way to go about this besides stealing and begging," Robert spoke, but his voice was oddly calm. Anniya frowned. She knew that Robert and West had fought back in the cave, but she had thought they solved the problem. Robert's voice was hostile, and Anniya got the feeling the only reason he was agreeing with her was because West disagreed. West never was afraid to speak his mind, she thought silently.
" Consider your options, Robert. Unless anything else presents itself in the near future, stealing would be the fastest and the most reliable," West snapped, not bothering to disguise his anger.
Anniya saw what was happening, and laid a hand on both of the men.
" Fine. We will steal," she said shortly.
West's fists visibly relaxed, as did Robert's. Anniya exchanged a glance between Esperanza. West spoke.
" Alright, here's the plan. Two of us will go get a room at an inn, to stay the night and prepare for the ball tomorrow. Myself and another one of you will come with me to the nearest manor we can find. Anniya, you should probably come. You're the smallest."
Anniya nodded, although she wished West had chosen someone else. But she was the only one who had worked with him before, in the way of thievery. A wry smile came to her lips as she remembered screaming about the coming of ogres.
" Where will we meet," Esperanza asked, glancing around at their surroundings before answering her own question. " The River Breeze. We'll go over the plans to stop the count while your gone."
West nodded, giving her his approval. " We should be back within a few hours. Under no circumstances come looking for us."
Robert glanced at Anniya one last time, and then nodded his head as well. He took Esperanza by the arm and led her off into the inn, leaving Anniya with West.
" Follow me," he told her simply, and started off. Anniya followed him hesitantly. As she had noticed before, West could walk a great deal faster then her. She had never realized that he had slowed purposely so she could keep up.
Hardly anyone was on the streets, it was so late. The occasional scurry of a mouse, the wind here and there, but for the most part, no one. West's silence made it even more annoying.
Perhaps I should say something, Anniya thought. But what could she say? Once again West, I'm sorry about Robert and me? But Anniya had a suspicious feeling that would only anger West again, so she kept quiet.
Right outside the town was when Anniya spotted the manor. It was tall and magnificent looking, and very familiar. Anniya frowned as they crept around the gate. Where had she seen it before?
" West! Does this look-,"
" Shhhh!"
" No one's out here, I will not Shhhh! There is something familiar about this place-," Anniya began angrily, and stopped short when West turned around to glare at her.
" Thank you," he said shortly after her silence, and began to fiddle with the lock on the gate.
Anniya's heart gave a slight pang at the rebuke, but she brushed it off as she recognized the place where she was.
" West! This is Hattie's manor!"
The confusion on his face reminded Anniya that West hadn't the bloodiest idea of who Hattie was. But Anniya hadn't forgotten the painful incident of being left behind in the market place.
But perhaps that was a good thing. And despite all of the harmful things that had been going on in Anniya's life, and despite the fact that there was a possibility that she might die the following night, Anniya smiled.
She knew exactly what she was going to do to get even with Hattie.
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Esperanza, the only one isolated from the events that had managed to twist up Anniya, Robert, and West's friendship, was not as dumb as she appeared to be.
She had watched from the outrageously small window in their room, the night when the three friends' "fight" had occured. She had seen West storm off, Anniya run after him, and Robert head back toward the inn entrance. From the little Esperanza had seen, she had come to the conclusion that it was a love triangle, one that Anniya should of had the sense to stay out of. She had also realized that the only way to switch this love story back to an action plan was to get them on the road to Frell, which had managed to happen. But finally, they were here, and West and Anniya were stealing them the supplies which would get them victory at the ball. But until then, she was stuck at the inn.
Which was exactly why Esperanza was in the front tavern, ordering a drink. She spotted Robert across the room, sitting at a table by himself. His attempts to be incognito were fairly good. He was so unshaven and unclean, Esperanza would of laughed if someone had told her he was a prince. She made her way through the crowd and sat down at his table.
" Will he be back soon," she asked Robert curiously, studying his face to look at his reaction.
Robert gave a grim smile.
" Anniya will be back. West will probably go back to hell."
He left it at that. Esperanza paused for several moments, hoping he'd go on. He didn't.
" I, uh, don't mean to pry, but what exactly is going on," she asked innocently, already knowing the answer to the question. Or at least she thought she did.
Robert sighed, but spoke. " I have had the idiocy to fall in love with the same girl my cousin has. It's about the only thing we've ever agreed on. He's a thief, I'm a prince, she's a.... I don't know what Anniya is...."
It was in his last sentence Robert said something that sparked Esperanza's interest.
" Wait. How are you a Prince if West's a thief?"
Robert studied Esperanza for a moment.
" You do not want to know. I wish I did not know. You must understand that if I tell you this, you will have a secret that could slaughter a thousand lives. It will have to be a secret you will take to your grave. And you must never under any circumstances tell Anniya. Give me your word," he said, slurring the words slightly.
Esperanza frowned. The atmosphere had changed drastically. She leaned in closer and nodded, for the first time smelling the whiskey on his breath. He was drunk. It made sense. Esperanza doubted Robert would be sharing a secret like this other wise.
" I give you my word."
Robert nodded, and started his tale.
" I haven't been to Kellia for half a year. This was to be my last year of freedom before I took the throne. That's why I haven't been in Kellia," he began.
" I had a fiancé. She died a while a back, and that's when Anniya and I.....," he trailed off, seeming to forget what he was to say. Robert shook his head.
" No.....that's not where it starts. It starts with the king, my father. Before I was born. It was before the Kellian revolution, before the revolts were under control. My father was a good king, and on good terms with Kyrria, even then. He married old, to a beautiful girl young enough to be his daughter. The girl had been from the highest class of nobility. The King loved her very much; too much. Money that should of been spent building roads was spent building palace gardens for her, and much more. The King called her the soul of Kellia, although she was a soul that sucked the kingdom dry of it's coins. She had many miscarriages, but at last had a son. The King wanted to keep it a secret, and wait to till the tenth of March, the independence day when Kellia freed itself of one of the worst Ogre clans ever seen."
Robert talked as if he were far away, as if he were telling a good tale.
" For some, the kingdom was happy. But there are always those who are unsatisfied with a king's rule, and there was no exception to this one. A group of angry barons and their hundreds of vassals attacked the castle one night, when the child was just one year old. The Baron's cornered the three in the banquet hall. They didn't want to usurp the throne though; all that the baron's wanted was to rid the kingdom of the 'sorcerer' queen. Much of the kingdom believed she had bewitched the king, and the only way to break the spell was to dispose of her."
" The Queen was slaughtered at that very spot, with a quick whip of the sword. They never found out who organized the killing....perhaps it is just as well that the incident lies buried. The boy was taken away, so that none would ever find him and he might live. The king remarried and the queen was put in the past."
Robert paused. Esperanza studied him carefully, hesitating for a moment before speaking.
" It was your mother, wasn't it," she said quietly.
Robert's eyes locked with Esperanza's.
" No. It was West's mother."
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**** Author's note*** Your probably wondering why I spent so much time describing the Fens if I wasn't going to go more in depth with it. I'm just preparing ya'll for my next fic..............
Oh, and by the way, Anniya is over 110 pages for anyone who cares!! And by the way, If any of you people feel an urge to read something while I'm not posting more on Anniya, please go look at Mermaid in the fairy tale section. I personally think it has a better story line then Anniya, but you'll have to see that for yourself, won't you!
P.s- that West is the crown prince is the thing Robert and he were fighting over, to those of you who are a bit slow. The rest of the chapter except that part was kind of in shambles, since I was eager to get to it and write it( but hey, you can't blame me, I've been planning this for six months now). Don't worry, the ball chapter will be MUCH better.