Chapter 14: Reconcilement

Alena sat on the edge of Tempe's useless well. Peasants milled around her in their usual, somber attitude, completely ignoring the princess. Apparently, they were still mad at her for causing the rabidhounds to attack the village. They had no idea she would try to save them tomorrow.

The princess knew there would be no point in telling them, though. Depression was too deep within their hearts and they could never believe her.

Even she was having difficulty in believing the fact she was about to become an offering for a creature that obviously had vile and perverted intentions on its thoughts. In her mind, Brey had tricked her into accepting this responsibility.

Why was she still even going through with this? She held no loyalty to these peasants. As far as she was concerned, she and her companions should just leave Tempe and be done with it. They had already managed to defend themselves against one group of rabidhounds effectively. If more decided to try and stop them from leaving the village, she would just show the beasts they were not to be messed with.

Sighing, Alena stood up and started walking in no particular direction. She noticed her shoulders were intensely stiff from remaining inactive for so long in the cool, damp air of the valley. The princess rotated them to loosen the sockets, followed by a mild massage to work out any leftover kinks.

As she kneaded her muscles, Alena noticed they had gained some bulk since she left the castle. It made sense for her to be making muscle, though. Carrying that heavy club at the beginning of her hunting lessons had not been easy at first. The princess flexed her arm back and forth, seeing if some of her other muscles had perhaps grown in the last two weeks as well.

She stopped herself, a sudden thought coming to mind. Has it really been only two weeks? In that short time span, her world had been turned upside-down, her dreams had come true only to turn into nightmares, and now the fate of an entire village would rest on her actions the next day. She had done more traveling, seen more battles, and enhanced her maturity more than in perhaps the last year. Things she had wished for, she now took for granted; and what she had always taken for granted, she now wished for. Everything had changed for her, all thanks to Brey giving her the chance to let any hidden abilities come forth.

Maybe that was the reason she was hesitant about abandoning the task he placed on her. It would be a simple enough matter to say she did not want to do it, that she was not ready for such a huge responsibility. However, something inside her seemed to urge her to actually go through with it. Deep in her heart, Alena was curious if she could actually save an entire village.

Brey had seldom praised her for the astounding growth she had gone through since they left the castle. Unfortunately, of what seldom praise there was to be had, it all went straight to her head. Lately, the princess felt she could take on opponents as powerful as even Esturk or Master Dragon and come away from the battle victorious. She would not have rushed steadfastly into fighting the rabidhounds otherwise.

Maybe she should find out just how strong she had become. If she went just a little outside the village's outskirts, perhaps some of the rabidhounds would attempt to engage her. If anything, it would be good practice for the next day.

Satisfied with her logic, Alena started walking down a thin trail leading outside the village.

The encroaching forest was fairly thick, hanging branches and thorny bushes making it a difficult to navigate on the path. However, so long as she kept in a straight line, Alena figured she would be able to find her way back.

Aside from the usual ambience of birds chirping and the wind rushing through the canopy, the forest was relatively quiet. Thus, when the sound of rustling bushes was heard, Alena's nerves instantly went on edge.

The princess stood still, slowly turning her head to the left. Her hand was already on her whip, ready to unleash the weapon with the slightest movement from the forest. She did not know if her whip would be too effective given the lack of room from all the trees and bushes surrounding her but it felt reassuring to have it within her grip.

For several seconds Alena remained unmoving, waiting for whatever was in the bush to present itself. Her first thoughts had been a rabidhound. However, if it were such a beast, surely it would have attacked by now. Either it was already gone or nothing had even been there. Her patience wearing thin, she decided to investigate the source of movement herself.

Alena's eyes widened slightly upon spreading the bushes apart. Quivering just at her feet was a little ball of red jelly with big, white eyes seemingly pasted on its face: a red slime.

The princess knew of slimes. Although most people considered them nuisances, others found them to be quite marketable as dolls or even pets. Alena herself grew up with several slime dolls and humming children tunes like, "Hickory, dickory, dock/The slime oozed up the clock." This was the first time she had ever seen one out in the wild, however, and she was more than intrigued by it. "Aaww, how cute," she absently said.

Her fascination would cost her, though, as she did not have enough time to block an impending attack from behind.

Alena sensed the movement and started to turn around. A thick branch caught her squarely in the stomach. Instinctively, she doubled over and groaned as a sickening pain took over her body. It was quickly eclipsed, though, as her back was struck next. The princess collapsed, her body landing heavily on a wet layer of leaves and branches underneath.

Although the blows had stunned her, she still had enough sense about her to think up a quick counter-attack. She lay still, hoping it would fool her assailant into thinking she had been knocked unconscious.

Sure enough, after a slight nudge, the assailant relaxed and called out, "Nina! Y' c'n come out! 'Tis safe now."

Nina! Why did that name sound familiar?

Another person emerged from the forest and Alena managed to tilt her eyes upward enough to see who was standing before her. One was a man with messy, overgrown hair, a slack jaw, and ragged clothes. The other was a girl, probably just a little younger than the princess. Her overall appearance was not much better, sporting ratty hair, bucked teeth and a mud-stained dress. Both had dust caked to their skin and depressed eyes.

"'Tis a woman," the one called Nina gasped. The red slime emerged then as well, hoping over Alena's prone body and into the arms of Nina. "Good, Jelly," she said to the slime, patting it on its head.

"It's th' one from earlier," the man said. "Th' one who fought th' dogs."

Alena's head was slightly nudged by Nina with her foot. "Is she… dead?" The princess smiled devilishly. Now was as good as any time to strike back.

Like a snapping bowstring, her arm shot out and clutched the peasant girl's ankle. Alena yanked back and Nina fell down.

Within seconds, the princess was crouching on her feet, the peasant girl within her grasp. Alena had acted so swiftly, Nina did not even realize she had fallen when she found herself within the princess' grasp. When she did realize it, though, the peasant girl let out a horrendous shriek of fright, nearly causing Alena's ears to go deaf.

The man almost dropped his weapon out of shock as well but managed to bring it up in a ready position. "Let 'er go!" he shouted, his voice wavering. The thick branch in his hands was noticeably shaking as well.

Alena smiled. Both of them were obviously frightened and she figured she could easily control the outcome of this pointless skirmish. "Drop your weapon first," the princess said, "or I won't spare this girl's life." It was an empty threat but Alena guessed the man would not yield short of anything else.

He hesitated, looking into Nina's frightened eyes for an answer. "I promise not to harm either of you if you do as I say," the princess added. To reaffirm she had control of the situation, Alena tightened the chokehold on Nina. The girl released another frightened yelp.

Suddenly, a mild but sharp pain in her calf caused Alena to flinch. "Ouch!" she mumbled and instinctively looked down. To her surprise, the red slime had somehow bitten her!

"Why you…" the princess started to say but quickly realized she had just let her guard down.

Acting on pure reflex, she threw down Nina just in time to free her arms and block the descending weapon. The impact jarred her but did not cause her to falter.

As she absorbed the attack, Alena kicked her right leg out and wrapped it around the man's own leg. She yanked back and he ungracefully fell backwards, the thick branch flying from his surprised hands. The princess was upon him in a flash, pulling him up and placing him in a similar hold.

"Frankie!" Nina screamed. She frantically looked around for a weapon of some sort.

"Hold it right there, Nina!" Alena said. "Make another move and I swear I'll choke the life out of your Frankie." With those words, the peasant girl instantly froze.

"Good, Nina," the princess smiled. "Now, take your little pet slime and sit quietly there for just a few seconds." Nodding, Nina sat down and motioned for the red slime. It hopped gleefully into her arms, seemingly ignorant of the situation.

Satisfied she would have no further interruptions, Alena turned her attention back to her captive and whispered into his ear. "Now listen to me, Frankie. I'm going to let you go in a few seconds. When I do, you will sit quietly with Nina. Do you understand?"

"M' name's Frank," he grumbled. "Y'ave no right t' call me Frankie. Only Nina c'n call me that."

Alena blinked for a moment, surprised by the courage he still displayed. "Very well, Frank," she said at length. "Will you behave now?" The man nodded and she relinquished her hold. The princess was probably just as relieved to be out of that position as he was. His unwashed body held such a repugnant odor, she thought she might have passed out from it.

Frank made his way over to Nina and sat down beside her, asking if she was all right. Alena watched them with a slight bit of curiosity. They hugged each other, showed concern for one another, even kissed each other's dirty skin. No revulsion was made about the way they looked or smelled. It seemed as though their senses of sight and smell were completely turned off.

Then again, Alena would not be too surprised if these simple folk were missing a few of their marbles.

Growing impatient with their constant cooing over each other, Alena kneeled down in front of the two peasants. Nina cringed back and Frank moved protectively forward. The princess held her hands up, reassuring them she meant no harm.

"I just want to ask you a question," she said at length, looking at Nina. "Is your father Lord Patro?"

A stunned expression came to the peasant girl's face. "Y… yeh," she replied. "He is. How'd y' know?"

"I met him earlier but that doesn't matter," Alena quickly said. Something was troubling her mind and she had no desire to get off topic. "If he's your father, then I take it you are both from Tempe, right?"

"That's right," Frank replied coldly. He still seemed very untrusting and Alena figured he had a right to be. After all, she had made threats at them. The princess would not act any different in the reversed situation.

"What are you doing out here then?" Alena continued.

"We're runnin' away," Nina said, her voice sounding a little more trusting. Frank shot her a surprised glance but the peasant girl ignored it. "I was chosin' t' be th' next sacrifice."

"Running away won't help you," Alena stated. "Don't you know there are rabidhounds out here? They'll kill you if they find out you tried to leave the village."

"It don't matter," Frank replied. "We'd be dead if we stay there too."

The princess stared at them for a second, stunned by his words. "Huh? I don't understand? Sure, Nina might be in danger because of the sacrifice but that doesn't…"

Suddenly, Frank's face burst out in a fury of emotion. "Are y' dumb or jus' stupid?" he shot angrily.

Alena frowned. She did not like being insulted, especially by a peasant. The princess stood up and leaned threateningly over the two peasants. "Now wait a minute here," she started but was immediately cut off.

"Nina'll die if she stays here!" he shouted, his face flushing red. "If Nina dies, I got nothin' left t' live for! I'll follow 'er to Zenithia if I must but it'd be easier t' jus' leave th' village an' live somewhere else."

Nina lightly touched his shoulder. "Frankie," she gently said, "y' don't 'ave t' be so harsh."

"No, Nina!" he said. His voice was calmer but he kept his eyes on Alena. "Jus' cause she talk with a nice, southern tongue, c'n kill a dog or two, an' even beat me, she think she know more than th' Master himself!"

Frank stood up, coming face to face with Alena. His eyes were like daggers piercing her own delicate orbs. "I love Nina more than me own life," he firmly stated, "an' I'll protect 'er any way I c'n. If I have t' fight a few dogs to do it, fine. If I have t' fight some smart-assed southerner too, I'd be jus' fine with it too."

Alena stared at the peasant, her body remaining tense. She could easily do some serious harm to him if she really wanted to. The princess knew she had to ability to cripple him, perhaps even kill him if she really desired it. Judging by the nervous twitch in his eyes, she figured he sensed it as well.

Then why was he being such an idiot and challenging her? Was his pride at stake? Did these peasants detest the richer people of the southern fields of Santeem so much?

Or was this love he held for Nina so strong he truly was willing to put his life on the line to protect her? If love like this was so blinding, Alena could care less for it. All it would be was a useless distraction in any situation.

The princess so much wanted to punch the peasant for insulting her but she had better control of her rage these days. Brey had made it clear early in her training she was going to have to be careful and not let her savage emotions get the better of her. If she gave into her anger, who knew who could be her next victim like the innkeeper in Weser. Certainly the peasant standing in front of her was not worth such an emotional outburst.

Besides, he did have a point. If Nina went back to the village, she would be next to be sacrificed. If she tried to run away, the rabidhounds would surely find and slaughter her and Frank. Either way, they would both end up dead, unless…

"Frankie!" Nina nearly screamed in fright, cutting Alena's thoughts off for the moment.

"Don't worry, Nina," Alena calmly said, drawing a surprised stare from both peasants. "I wouldn't fight him even if I had to. It just isn't worth it." The princess backed away, keeping her rage in check.

Frank backed up as well, helping Nina to her feet. He clearly was relieved he did not have to engage the princess in a fistfight. "What're y' gonna do?" he asked Alena.

"I guess I should take you two back to the village with me," she replied. Seeing their worried expression, the princess was quick to add, "But don't worry, Nina. You won't be a sacrifice once you get home."

"What?" she said, her eyes widening. "But…why?"

Alena chewed her lip for a moment. Frank's verbal outburst had hit her hard. At first she was only willing to do this to see if she had the ability within her but, in retrospect, such a motive was purely selfish. There was more at stake here than she realized.

Even if Nina somehow lived if Alena did nothing, which girl would be next? Would she have an equally tragic story to tell?

And what of those girls before her? How many in the past had shared this perverse fate, their loved ones killing themselves out of pure depression as well?

No, this terrible cycle had to end. An entire village of people was praying to the Master she would be successful in her task, praying their years of suffering would finally come to an end should she be successful. All their hopes were riding on her tiny shoulders and Alena knew she could not let them down. In the end, they were human beings just like her, feeling the same pains and having the same emotional turmoil as she did.

"I'm going to be taking your place," she replied at length.

Nina and Frank stared at her, absolutely stunned. Tears began to fill the peasant girl's eyes before she suddenly rushed forward, embracing an off-guard Alena. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she cried.

After an awkward moment, the princess hesitantly put her arm around Nina, lightly patting her on the back. "Your… welcome," she said, unsure whether Nina had meant, "Thank you for saving me," or "Thank you for dying for me."

Dawn broke over the valley's walls early, though its rays of light had difficulty penetrating a low, thick fog. There was enough sunlight to peak through a dense forest on the steep, sloping hills to the sacrificial altar that rested on a low knoll, though.

A crumbling pillar cast a long shadow that seemed to reach out like death's hands. The object the shadow reached for was a litter, made of sturdy, interwoven straw. The still morning remained motionless, the fog slowly oozing over the low, rolling hills of the valley.

The tranquility was abruptly interrupted by a loud rustling from the underbrush surrounding the altar. From there, two rabidhounds entered, low growls emitting from their large chests as they sniffed the air. The one in the lead cautiously approached the litter.

He and his companion were to patrol near the altar, just as their master had instructed. Whenever the offering was made, they would take it and deliver. However, the litter had arrived earlier than normal.

Again, he sniffed the air, this time to ascertain whether there was a young female inside or not. Sure enough, the rabidhound's powerful sense picked up the scent. The offering was here, just earlier than normal.

The large beast sniffed the air again, this time to determine if there was anyone nearby, if any of the villagers dared to make one last attempt to save the victim. Again, the rabidhound could detect none of the familiar scents the villagers provided. This was just like any other offering, only early. It could be possible his master had moved the time of the sacrifice ahead, eager to receive the young female in advance.

Satisfied with his reasoning, the rabidhound barked a command at his companion, and the two beasts rushed for the litter, clamping their massive jaws around the carrying poles before lopping off into the woods.

The large beast was eager to deliver the victim to his master. A meaty shell would be the reward for the rabidhound's work.