I FINALLY UPDATED!!!
Oh my goodness. I am so sorry. I know this is a short chapter as well but I have been so busy! I guess you can all berate me in a review (or two) but please, go on and read now-
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After that little escapade with the giant, I had a much better week: I met Misha.
When I woke up from my sleep, I was still nestled in the roots of the tree, and the pony from the elves was picking at the moss nearby. Because it was dark, I thought it was still night, though it turned out that it hardly any light was shining through the dense foliage. I noticed that my cloak was strangely torn around the neck, but I didn't care much.
Swiping any saliva from my mouth, I got up to find a sore back from the awkward tree roots that jutted out like ogre teeth. Well, it did seem comfortable at the time.
Stretching my sore back, I yawned heavily and sniffed. Smoke. I panicked and ran to the pony. I was not going to die in the middle of the burning forest! I was too short to hop onto the horse, though I was 5'7. Inconveniently, I realized that I would have to bring the pony to a rock, climb up the rock and then get on the horse. (How sad).
"Ow, ow ow oh owwwww" I whined, as the pony started to trot. I jerked the reins to whichever way I thought the fire would NOT be. Obediently, the pony followed my directions. It was all fine, until I saw the smoke!
"NO! NO! PONY! TURN! FIRE! FIRE IS DANGEROUS!" I screamed. The horse just…kept…going…and going… and going…
I started hyperventilating. I wasn't one to ever like wild fires. In case you haven't noticed. Heh…
Well I don't know for how long, but as I was hyperventilating, I smelled food. Oh, glorious food! I could practically hear the music and the light parting through! Ooh, I was hungry, and I only had half of a loaf of bread left.
The pony, also smelling food, trotted closer and closer to the smoke. The essence of roasting meat was already floating through the air and onto my tongue. The pony turned right again, and we were greeted by a dark clearing, with only a medium sized fire in the middle.
A thin figure with a dark cloak hunched over the fire, with a slab of meat, roasting over the fire, strung upon a branch over the ghastly flames. I was too far away to feel any of the heat, making the darkness seem colder.
My stomach growled, but not loudly, luckily as I wished to not make any noises. I was going to leave, honestly. But there was a strange and wonderful smell! It wasn't meat; it smelled like pear, but also like potato. Oh, whatever it was, it smelled absolutely wonderful!
The figure clad in black suddenly turned around to face me. "You! Who are you? Who sent you?"
"AHHH!" I screamed, my eyes widening. "AHHHH!" As you can see, I was too scared to come up with a witty answer.
The Thing stood up from It's crouching position. And slowly, walked towards me. It was a graceful thing, light steps. I kept screaming, "AHHHHH". But in all that confusion, I realized that It was a woman! No creature of that petit built could walk that way. I mean, she was tall, but I recognized the walking pattern. Tap, tap, tap, patter, tap, tap, tap, patter. Not was this also a woman, a noble of some sort!
I finally stopped screaming. By that time, the woman came up to me and unveiled herself. She had dark eyes and dark hair, but it may have been the darkness of the forest around us, or the fire.
"Who are you?" She repeated. I didn't answer right away. I was still observing her. She was extremely pretty. She wasn't moonlight pale, but ivory- colored. And her mouth was a delicate small, though it seemed that she would have your throat in a second if you said the wrong thing.
"I- I…uh, I'm Snow." I finally answered, remembering my alias. She quickly cut in though, before I got anywhere else in my thoughts.
"Snow isn't a name, princess." She whispered as she yanked me off the pony (who I had forgotten was there) and held something sharp and cold to my neck.
"Annabelle Snow!" I screeched. Boy, this lady was creepy. Suddenly, she let go of me.
"Snow!" She gasped. "Of Tantua!"
How. Did. She. Know.
"Who are you?" I said in a fast whisper. The girl looked younger than me, but much wiser. She bit her lip and shifted her brown eyes, contemplating whether to tell me who she really was.
"My name is… Asterline Misha" She said, slowly. I knew she wasn't going to tell me anything else, so I let the subject drop. Just then my stomach growled like a sea in tempest storm. I blushed a little, but I hoped she didn't notice.
She did.
"Are you hungry perhaps? I have some food here" Asterline Misha waited for me not to answer, though led me to the food near the fire. As she waited for the meat to prepare, she skewered a lump of pale golden paraphernalia roasting at the fire. "Apples," She grinned. It was the potato-pear looking object, I realized. And it smelled so, so good.
"What did you put in these apples?" I breathed, letting it cool before I took a bite.
"Cinnamon. I always roast apples. That's the best way to eat them, for more reasons than one…" She trailed.
At that moment, Pony (As I've decided to call him) trotted over and snatched the apple out of my hand with his mouth before I got a chance to eat it. I cursed, but laughed when Pony dropped the apple because it was still too hot to eat. Grunting, Pony turned away, his black tail swishing away to a nearby rock. Embarrassed, I didn't ask for another apple.
"Annabelle, would you like another apple?" Asterline Misha asked me. Politely refusing, I sat down near the warm fire, but sitting too tightly on my skirt so that my cloak ripped even more down to my shoulder.
Asterline Misha scuttled over to me. "Cover that up." She said.
I squinted at her in confusion. "What?"
She pointed at the cloak, showing my alabaster skin and collarbone. "Fix it"
I shrugged. "I don't have anything to fix it with. It's not that bad, don't worry about it."
Asterline Misha stared at me, breathing heavily. "I'll fix it then. I can make thread out of bark strands. I've been out here since I was ten years old. Here, give me your cloak."
"In sooth?" I asked, incredulous as I unfastened my cloak and gave it to her. Asterline Misha nodded. "I faked my death and ran away. Best thing I could ever have done. But I miss my brother and sister."
"Well how long have you been gone from home?"
"Five and a half years. I guess I'm sixteen now. How old are you?"
"Seventeen now. Almost past marrying age, but my beloved is betrothed already." I answered gloomily.
"Oh." She breathed. "Are you sure you don't want another apple? They're delicious. I'll take a bite of one to prove it to you!" And so she did. And handed me the rest.
"Actually, you know it's okay. You should eat it." I handed it back.
"Are you sure?" She raised a perfect eyebrow. I nodded in response. "So, where are you going, anyways?" She changed the subject.
I looked up at the darkness above. "I'm stopping first in Havyne and then I think I'm going to Cavereta." I sighed. Asterline Misha shifted and cut the roast. She handed some to me. It was juicy and tender and all of the wonderful things I missed from home, before mother died. Unfortunately, the roast was smaller than I thought and was devoured in a matter of minutes.
Asterline Misha nodded to me. "Can I go with you to Havyne and Cavereta?" She ventured.
I thought about it. I didn't really want her to come with me, but if she could survive here for a long time, she would be an incredible asset to me.
"Okay."
"Good."
***
Asterline Misha packed up quickly and I did the same. It was a silent journey, for the most part. Havyne actually turned out to be a shorter distance than I thought it was and we were already a quarter of the way there by the time three hours had passed. Asterline Misha and I took shifts riding on Pony.
"So… Asterline Misha, is it okay if I call you just Aster?" I asked, looking down at the tall figure gliding beside me.
Asterline Misha clenched her teeth. "Okay."
***
It was well past dusk by the time we arrived in Havyne, and it was Aster who spotted the cottage first.
"Pssst. Annabelle. There's a cottage there. It looks empty. Let's stay there for the night"
I looked to the far left, where she pointed. The little shack looked as if nobody had lived in it for years. Two of the three windows were broken, one of them, which was clumsily boarded up.
The bricks of the house looked steady and strong, but were a dull gray. I probably would have missed it were it not for Aster to point it out for me.
"Can we set up camp there?" I asked.
"I think so. It seems friendly enough." Aster shrugged. And it was true. Even though the house was dull and unkempt, it took on a friendly, almost cute appearance.
Aster, Pony and I trudged up the rocky path to the cottage. When I turned the tarnished brass handle, the door swung open easily. "We're going to fix that lock tomorrow morning." Aster said from behind me. I turned back to face her. "Do you know how? Because I don't."
"Yes. Just go in already!"
Obliging, I took a step in and stopped immediately. On a small table directly a few feet from the table, was a grubby, but lighted candle. And next to that was a girl, who looked extremely scared of the intruders. Us.
"Who…are you?" She shook, trying to keep a dignified appearance.
"My name is Snow, and this is Aster." I replied calmly. "We were just need a place to stay."
Without warning, the little girl dashed off to the small kitchen at the right. (At least I think it was a kitchen, there was a few pots on the corner of a counter that I could barely see, past the doorway of that room) From the kitchen, emerged a pretty young woman, who looked to be fifteen years old. It seemed everyone I met was handsome or beautiful! Except for Desdemona of course. She held the hand of the little girl from the table.
"Okay," The older girl said slowly. "You can stay here. But don't harm any of my brothers and sisters."
Both Aster and I nodded in agreement. The younger girl quickly let go of her sister's hand.
"Jessica! What are you doing? If mommy were here she'd never!"
Jessica looked down. "Trinity. You know mommy is gone!" Trinity sniffed unpleasantly. Without another word, she trudged off, presumably, to bed.
Jessica looked at the both of us apologetically and quietly showed us to our beds. After Aster and I became settled, Jessica let Pony into the backyard.
I could hear Aster and Jessica in the next room, talking. They looked close in age, so I wasn't worried about them. As I fell asleep, I had a crazy half-dream that unsettled me. Little flashbacks rushed at me, falling into place.
***
"Snow isn't a name, princess." She whispered."I faked my death and ran away. Best thing I could ever have done. But I miss my brother and sister."
"So… Asterline Misha, is it okay if I call you just Aster?" I asked, looking down at the tall figure gliding beside me.
Asterline Misha clenched her teeth. "Okay."
"Well how old is Aster then?" I asked, confused. Isn't Aster older than Ciella? And I thought Aster was only fourteen.
The prince bit his lip and lowered his head. "She has gone to rest in the heavens now…" The prince mumbled.
"Of Tantua!"
How. Did. She. Know.
Name.
Princess.
Faked Death.
Ran Away.
Aster.
Prince.
Ciella.
Aster was the princess of Tantua!