Chapter 8: The Power of Choices part 1
King Elieon's reign upon the moon 576
Andvarinaut Valley, Saturn
Draupnir Castle
The monotone voice droned throughout the large chamber. The tutor was studious and strict to the royal children in his care. He preached about subjects they had heard of, but never studied and in interests they did not find interesting. But their teacher was relentless.
"Now class, what is the most highly valued currency in the Venian market system?" The tutor was dressed in flawlessly flowing black robes tapping a baton on his arm absentmindedly.
Not one of the royal children was encouraged to raise their hand, not even Orion, the intellectual prince of mercury. All of the students had an air of lethargy about them, not wishing to answer or even move for that matter. Classes on Saturn were often held indoors because the Andvarinaut valley of Saturn was the most notorious producer of vice and debauchery on the planet. No place for foreign travelers, let alone for mere children.
Entarais was gazing out the window dully. Lucretia seemed to be paying attention to the teacher's words, although she did not look the least bit interested in the content of the words themselves. It was a simple courtesy to listen to the teacher's lessons even if you did not like what he had to say. Alexandria was paying no mind to this courtesy, leaning against one hand on the verge of sleep. Orion was respectably paying attention to the instructor, but he too seemed bored with the lesson. Sinis did not even bother to hide his discontent, twirling a stylus around in his hand, staring about the room without concentration.
Anna of Jupiter was watching Entarais out of the corner of her eye, giving her unsuspecting companion her undivided attention. The Neptunian's cerulean eyes were gazing at the horizon almost regretfully, as if longing for the freedom beyond these walls. Entarais was a free spirit and watching as her closest friend sighed sadly, Anna was almost convinced that confining her to this room was far beyond cruel.
Anna did not know when exactly she had begun to notice Entarais as being different from her other companions, but it had just sort of happened one day. The Neptunian princess had become a closer friend over the last few months than she could ever remember having before, yet all of the royal children had become close over days following Anshar's death, depending on each other for emotional support and friendship.
But Anna's relationship with Entarais was a close friendship enhanced with a strange feeling of adoration. Such feeling were foreign to her young mind, but she could do nothing to whether it. The feeling came on without her full knowledge or conscious consent, but it was not at all unwelcome. Anna found she liked being near Entarais, just the Neptunian's presence gave her a comfort that being taken away from home had robbed her of and yet a simultaneous feeling of adulation that was entirely separate from the one of comfort. Even at this young age, something told Anna that Entarais meant more to her than anyone else she knew and she would never risk losing such a bond. She would keep Entarais as a close friend and stay by her side. Suddenly, Entarais's head shot up at the sound of her name being called, breaking Anna from her thoughts.
"Young Entarais is there something so important that it draws your attention away from my lesson and out the window?" Zwevezele, their Saturnarian instructor asked as he stood beside the Neptunian princess's desk, tapping the wooden baton on his arm persistently.
"No sir, I was only taking note of how beautiful it is outside in the valley." Entarais replied calmly.
The stern instructor was infuriated, "Insolent girl! I will teach you not to speak to me with such disregard. You will stay four hours after class and scrub the courtyard clean."
"But I-"
"No argument!" Zwevezele snapped and then turned sternly to the rest of the group. "Class is dismissed."
Entarais stood up gathering her stylus, rolls of parchment, and ink bottle all up in her arms. She was ready to follow Professor Zwevezele out in to the courtyard, but as she turned towards the door her cerulean gaze met two intently focused emerald eyes. Entarais smiled charmingly and Anna blushed before gathering her things and rushing of the chamber, well in front of her companions. The Neptunian princess smiled to herself smugly, but her teacher snapped his fingers impatiently silencing her mirth.
Zwevezele curled one long finger held out on a hand before his stern form as a gesture for movement, "Are you finished? You certainly took your time, come. We do not want to keep the courtyard waiting now do we?"
Entarais sighed loudly as her instructor led her out of the chamber and down to the courtyard. The large expanse of marble was well over 200 meters long and 100 meters wide, no short distance of space for one child to clean. Entarais stared wide eyed at the overpowering task before her. A wooden bucket was thrown into her face, connecting painfully with her nose as she was caused to take a few steps backwards from the impact. She held the bucket in one hand while rubbing her sore, red nose with the other.
"There is a fountain at the far wall to fill your bucket with and rags in the storage shed with which to scrub the court." The instructor said simply as though he really could care less. "I will return in one hour. If that courtyard is not spotlessly clean upon my return, then the consequences will be dire. Get to work!"
Entarais sighed as she wandered over to the wall fountain. This was not how she had envisioned spending her afternoon.
----
"I hate this game!" The frustrated voice of the prince of mercury floated up from the grassy meadow where the royal children had decided to take refuge after their last class was dismissed.
"That is only because you are bad at it. It is in fact, a very fun game." Sinis of Saturn spoke up. "Now, on to the next round."
The two princes stuck their fists out in front of one another and shook them up and down three times, the last shake producing the hand sign of either a piece of paper, a two daggers, or a rock.
The Saturnarian prince's hand remained in a fist while Orion's hand took the shape of the mouth of two daggers.
"Yes!! Rocks always break the brittle metal of daggers, I win!" Sinis yelled triumphantly with much arrogance. "You lost and I won!"
"Balderdash!" Orion protested embarrassed by the loss, his face reddening with blatant humiliation as he did. "The game is not worth playing."
"You are simply too proud, genius." Sinis retorted as prideful as ever. "To take a loss, and a very well deserved loss, at that. Why not lower your distinguished self to our level?"
Orion huffed and fell back against the ground ungracefully, watching the skeletal clouds in the atmosphere move slowly across the purple sky. This was not his ideal of a worthwhile afternoon.
The birds chirped melodically in the trees and the bubbling of clearly flowing brooks and streams flooded their ears from the surrounding forest. Saturn was a beautiful planet. Its wilderness was a brilliant mixture of lush grasslands and tropical jungles to green forests and fields of wild flowers. Ironic that a planet so idealic in natural beauty could also be labeled the planet of death and destruction, with a history as gruesome as its title. But therein lay a parallel. In death there was also rebirth.
Anna was laying atop a large boulder on her stomach, leaning over the edge watching the slight wind ruffle the green of the grass in one direction, the sun reflecting off from the small green blades as they moved. She reached down to feel the grass, allowing the soft pressure of the wind blow the blades between her finger tips. Though her body was here, her thoughts were on something different entirely. Or rather, on someone. Entarais…Her closest friend. The wind chasing after them as they raced through the tall grass. Or climbed trees together. The wilderness could be their playground, their refuge from the world. Many days Anna dreamed of such carefree times, allowing her imagination to transport her from her troubles to where she wished she could be.
Alexandria was lying beside Lucretia who was skipping small rocks across the shifting waves of green. The Venian princess was watching Lucretia with a great deal of interest, her cobalt eyes never leaving the form of her companion. She seemed to be searching for something, admiring the dark eyes and ebony hair as she did so. Then as if in defeat, she sighed and rolled onto her back. Her eyes were sad and her posture stiff and inflexible as she regarded the sky above their heads with cold eyes. Lucretia had sensed the sudden change in emotion and chanced a short glance at her companion, who was steadily ignoring her. Alexandria's eyes suddenly darted towards her and she looked away hurriedly, focusing on the grass of the ground instead.
Anna rolled onto her back, gazing at the sky. The valley was beautiful this time of year. It was quite the dynamic, just as many different symbols were. Anna loved it here. It reminded her the most of the hilly, never ending green wilderness of her homeland They had only resided here for under a year, but already Anna knew that she loved these lands. But in contrast, this place was as dangerous as it was beautiful. Perhaps, that was what so attracted her to it. If I had my choice of any place to remain in the afterlife, I would reside here for all eternity. Anna thought, then she laughed at the absurdity of the thought. What a silly thought. I will die one day and the gods will place me where they judge. Who am I to make such a decision?
Sinis pulled a loaf of knot shaped bread from his cloth knapsack and leaned back. Kneading bread and other pastries into shapes and configurations was a time honored tradition on Saturn. Bread shaped like knots of rope represented the family, each single knot representing a family member. Sinis ripped a piece off of the loaf and began chewing it carefully. Orion appeared near sleep laying at peace, sheltered by the tall grasses. Here was a place they could all relax and be at peace.
Here they did not have to pay any mind to royal obligations, stuffy tutors, worldly troubles, or over critical adults. No more stressful and boring moments lost. Here, in this meadow, they were free to be just who they were: children, without the watchful eyes of the world waiting for them to make a mistake. Here they were simply what they had always wished to be: carefree children without masks or blunders, but only here could they dare become what they dreamed, for the expectant world of royalty would never allow them to remain so and that was the tragedy of their youth.
Prisoners already and yet, still only children. What cruel fates could they not hope to defeat? It was a part of growing into a strong prince or princess: being able to give up your personal wants and desires to serve the state. Life would seem so dull, so lifeless after these years of peace and friendship. But would they be able to give it up once their planets demanded it of them? Once they were ordered to sacrifice their free will to become what their cultures demand that they become? Of course they would. They always did.
-----
The courtyard gleamed as the freshly washed stones glistened with a moist sheen. The sun beat down heavily upon the small dot in the middle of the courtyard, stretching back and forth as she washed the stones bare with a wet rag and a bucket full of murky water. She reached back and felt the sweat on her neck, where the intense rays were burning her skin. It was a searing heat. Even on her own home planet the sun did not burn this intensely. She looked down at her hands. They were red and swelling with sore blisters. Entarais let out a tired sigh. She had been doing this for hours, she was sure of it. Where was her instructor?
Had he not promised that he would return to her in one hour? Never before had her previous tutor broken his word to…wait, this was not Anshar who was teaching them anymore. This was Professor Zwevezele Decimus of Saturn, a middle aged man who hated small children and only taught them because he had been commissioned by their own royal families to do so. Of course this task was the perfect punishment. One in which the teacher could leave his pupil to their assigned tasks and leave, without having to return… He would have had me huddling out here all night, suffering like some sort of wretched animal!
Entarais closed her eyes in anger. The bloody liar! The Neptunian princess's cheeks reddened in embarrassment as her aching knees and bleeding calloused hands cried out in indignation. Never had she been more angry or humiliated in her entire young life. That rotten liar!
Entarais sat back on her haunches and tossed the wash rag into the bucket forcefully, causing the dirty contents to fly up towards her with a loud splash. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself and stood, brushing off the moist dirt clinging to the knees of her trousers from her crawl across the courtyard, allowing it to fall passively back on to the stones it had come from in the first place. She was not going to endure this disgrace any longer, Professor Zwevezele be damned!
Entarais sighed. Her aunt and uncle back home would not appreciate her decision, but as far as she was concerned, you are only ever in trouble if you get caught and so she jumped off of the courtyard's slight height and began to wander off across the castle grounds.
The little Neptunian sprite was determined to make the remaining afternoon hours hers yet.
----
Entarais was skipping rocks along the bright green waters of the Via Caia, the Andvarinaut Valley's dividing river. The swerving, trickling waters carried the cadence of a beautiful symphony drumming in her ears. Water had always been a comfort to her and, to some extent, her guiding grace. The current always seemed to direct her towards the correct path. It was in peaceful moments like this that Entarais recalled the story her uncle had told her of their first great ancestor, Emperor Poseidon.
Long ago, in Neptune's infancy, when the empire was but a small group of unorganized cities and port towns, Poseidon was the prince of the fledging nation. He was young, an inspiring painter who dreamed almost constantly, instead of focusing on the here and now of his own time. Not many thought that his rule would not amount to greatness of any type. Indeed the melancholy council of elders had seen young men of his make before, the steady dreamer who charismatically promises great things to the downtrodden of his planet, promises often never realized. The people had lost faith in the strength of their republic. The form of government was not weak in itself, simply new and difficult to maintain properly. The vast majority of Neptune's inhabitants were fishermen or mariners, not owning land, but living on their ships or on larger boarding vessels. Furthermore, there was very little equality of opportunity. Men and woman often took up their parents' occupations, not striving for anything better because in truth, there was nothing better. All opportunities were locked within the constraints of preexisting classes with fortune favoring only those in society who could afford to pay for its whims. Freedom, now there was a whimsical idea.
Then there came the young prince with an eye for change and the will and means to procure it. Since Entarais was a very small child, she could remember hearing stories of his valor and bravery, not so much on the battlefield; but audacity takes many different forms. Change does not come easy and least ways in a society which had no precedents for it. Neptune was much like its twin Uranus in those days, but thanks to Poseidon, its society was able to evolve past its own base instincts and into a place where people from every possible planet could come and with their own ideas contribute to its culture. Those, exiles most prominently, who had artistic ideals that other races heralded as radical could come to Neptune and give their dreams a starting point in reality.
As a result, Neptunian architecture, art, and culture became the most advanced and sought after in the galaxy next to that of the immortal Plutonians. In worship of the great prince who spawned all of this, there were statues of the legendary Poseidon in cities new and old all over the planet. He was not someone who could be forgotten lightly. Entarais never had been allowed to forget.
When she was four years old her uncle had taken both her and his son Mariner to the fountain which spiraled up from the center of their palace courtyard. There standing atop it was a stone figure of an older man, with a beard regally trimmed and dressed with the emblems and garments which symbolized their nation: the sailor's cloak, a looking glass tucked beneath one arm along with an astrolabe in the other hand which was outstretched in the direction of the sea which now bears his name. There, Emperor Triton had begun reciting to them the story. Though this had happened a few years ago now, Entarais could still remember the awe in her uncle's voice as he spoke and the light which flooded into his eyes when he spoke of the great deeds which had been done long before his time. It had amazed the young Neptunian princess for she had very seldom been granted the opportunity to see that look grace his face which only amplified the greatness of the old Emperor's legend in her eyes.
It was a story which, no doubt, was being told over and over that day in almost every household for it was the day of Poseidon's honor, but since that day, Entarais had taken the time to think. For all of those who's names live on in history, how much of their legends are true? Is it even possible to tell in the present how much someone's story could be embellished from what it was in the past? How could, they the spectators, maintain the truth of it or did anyone really want to know the truth when they were so entertained by the added lies? How they separate Poseidon the man from Poseidon the myth? She also wondered what people would think of her uncle long after he was gone. Would they know how hard he had struggled to keep the family together? Know how kind and generous his heart was and how fiercely he loved and protected those close to him? How could they? It was quite a different thing to know the man himself instead of just the name and facts.
The young princess was certain their names would live on in history forever in some way, shape or form, but only their names would remain; not their memories. How much of themselves would they be giving up for the lives they were expected to live? What was their purpose? To rule and to serve, this mantra had been drilled in the heads of every young prince and princess since the fall of the nine and it was not about to change. Whichever direction society was bound to go in, she was certain it would not change so much. Sometimes she wondered what life would be like for them when their education ended and they were forced to return to their parents. After having this type of freedom, would they be able to go back to the type of life which was expected of them? To give up their right to chose and have what they wanted or thought best? She already knew the answer to those questions, but couldn't bring herself to think about them at the moment.
Entarais picked up another rock and threw it with a graceful side motion across the water. The small gray stone bounced off of the rippling surface twice and then sank in one fell swoop into the dark recesses below.
Just like us, she thought to herself, just like us.
Entarais was suddenly stirred from her musings by a rustling in the bushes behind her. She turned, her body tense and ready, cerulean blue eyes alert. Emerging from the undergrowth were two men. One, was large in every aspect of the word, his broad meaty shoulders and the arms they powered looked strong enough to rip her in half in a second's time. The other was shorter and gaunt as a soldier's glove, but his face was scrunched up into a more compromising space though his jaw seemed to extend beyond the reach of his mouth giving a fierce look. They were both dressed in tunics which were fraying at the edges and drenched in mud. Slung over his shoulder, the big man carried a sack which even his powerful arms strained to hold steady against his back. Though they had emerged from the wood right behind her, neither one gave any indication that they had seen her.
The shorter one turned to the larger, appraising whether he could really carry the load her had been given, "Well, do you have it or do I have to come over their and smack you until you can hold it straight?"
The giant steadied himself on his feet and pulled the straining leather pack farther up on his shoulder, "No, no I got it."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah, yeah boss, I got it."
The small man planted himself squarely before his larger companion, pulling his shoulders back and puffing out his chest to seem more intimidating, "Now, you listen here. When Lord Anslem leaves for Mercury we'll have the run of all this place. This here is our head start. We have to establish our status with the other opportunists so we'll be feared enough to be left alone when the soldiers quartered here leave. You got that? This is just the beginning stipend courtesy of Draupnir Castle. Don't you see, we'll be rich as fleas in the cookhouse by the time Anslem actually leaves?!"
Entarais had snuck back to the bank, using the slight slope as cover as she squatted behind it. So they're the ones, Entarais thought to herself. The royal children had heard gossip from some of the servants that there had been a number of robberies in the area and that the castle guard had not been able to apprehend the bandits because they were always able to get away. Still, perhaps it was a little far fetched to think that this Goliath and David team could run that fast or be that light on their feet. Even if she did doubt it, Entarais was in no hurry to test that theory anytime soon. She decided it best that she slink away down towards the river and then follow it against the slope until she would be able to take cover in the surrounding forests. But still a small part of her mind nagged at her, that she had to do something about this. The other side of her told her that she was just a little girl and that there was nothing in earnest that she could do that wouldn't cause harm to herself, but the stubborn part lingered that it was not her place to run away from this. She was a royal and why was it that out of a line up of men, the royal ones would be those who led from the back while the farmer would be the fist to charge forward and defend his lands. Why the difference?
"Hey, boss?" the giant nudged the other who staggered from the force of the gesture, "What's that?"
The little man brushed his dirty hands against his muddy clothes, "What's what?"
The larger criminal took his free hand and grabbed the other's chin between his monstrous fingers and lifted up his head so his gaze met that of the astonished and frightened Neptunian princess.
"Well, well, now what do we have here?" the man took a step forward and Entarais instinctively crawled backwards. "What do you think you're doing listening in on our conversation? Didn't your parents teach you any manners?" When Entarais didn't say anything, the man's face scrunched up more, but then he took in her clothes and the fact that she was dressed better than most other children in this valley would have the means to be. His lips curved upward in a feral grin, "your're one of those royal brats being schooled at the castle, aren't you? Come here, we won't bite."
Contrary to his words, Entarais backed up again and in response the larger thief took a step forward until the smaller of the two gestured for him to stop, "Hey now, little girl there's no reason we can't be friends." Then he turned to his partner in crime and said softly, "forget the bag, think of the amount of gold we could grate from Anslem if we take her with us."
They both looked at one another and grinned knowingly, but when they turned back to the bank they found the child missing and the undergrowth nearest the trees rustling.
"Hey!" the little man started running for the bushes, but stopped half way when his partner did not follow, "What do you think you're doing. Forget the sack and get after her!"
The other blinked dumbly and nodded, dropping the heavy sack of gold and other such items to the ground before they broke into a solid run through the trees.
----
"What was that?" Orion asked turning to stare up at the now gray sky above.
"You're just stalling because you don't want to lose." Sinis argued. "One more round and then you can whine."
"No, I thought I felt a raindrop." Orion said, looking back down at Sinis whom he was sitting beside and then up at the sky above them.
Another fat drop of water landed on Alexandra's bare shoulder and then one on Anna's forehead.
Lucretia noticed this and stood, extending her hand to the Venian princess to help her up as well.
"It is about to storm." The Marian, always the one among the royal children who excepted the hard reality of their world the easiest, said cryptically, "we need to find shelter somewhere."
Alexandra covered her head with her arms as the drops began to fall in rapid succession above them. "But where do we go to? The castle is miles from here."
Anna hopped down from the boulder she had been perched on. "The castle is too far we'll have to take our chances in the forest. The trees will give us partial cover in there."
The moved as a cohesive unit in to the trees without argument. The green canopy hampered the falling drops of unforgiving moisture on their way down so that they only came to the children below in dull streams or weakened drips. The wood was still and no noises came from the surrounding area other than the light pitter-patting of the rain. They moved through the trees cautiously for this part of Saturn was not one they had been told it was safe to move around in unescorted, but being children and adventurous souls always in conflict with reason they had decided to wander into the valley on their own anyway.
So further they trudged on, Anna in the lead with Sinis directly behind her followed closely by Lucretia, Alexandria, and Orion. A few times they had to brace their footing against the trunk of a tree because the forest floor was becoming muddy with the rain and the moss on the trees made them difficult to grip. On one such occasion, Alexandria slipped and was unable to catch herself, but Lucretia slung an arm around her waist and stopped her before her own momentum caused her to fall to the ground. The Venian had been embarrassed about it afterwards, but she smiled gratefully with ivory cheeks aflame and they continued as they had begun.
Finally, they reached a glade of hemlocks and Anna stopped them.
"What is it?" Sinis questioned impatiently.
"It's a glade." Anna appraised, her eyes studying the dark emerald canopy of leaves overhead. The branches from a few different trees had grown together here and so created a better shelter for them than could anything else. "Stay here and wait a moment."
Anna stepped into the glade from the small sloping entrance which had a webbing of roots running over the ground as though it were a stairway into another world. From their limited view on the outside it had been hard to tell if there was anyone residing in the small space or not, but now that Anna was in it she could tell there was no one. Her emerald eyes widened as she stepped into the center of it. The place was amazing! The trees and undergrowth created a solidly walled in arena around the grass clearing in the center and as if lining each boundary in warning was a small patch of hemlock completing the ensemble.
"What do you see?" Orion called to her from the outside.
She heard a scuffle and then Sinis's voice replaced that of the intellectual prince.
"Anna, we are coming down." Sinis said, beginning the short descent downwards, Lucretia following in his wake while Alexandra stayed behind and helped Orion up from where Sinis had pushed him down to the ground.
"By the gods…" Sinis trailed off in astonishment as he stepped fully into the grass circle.
Lucretia halted behind him and took in the sight of the rich green canopy above them where the gray of the clouds above dulled the light illuminating the leaves. She was about to take a step forward, when she heard a scratch against wet bark behind her and she turned to help Alexandra down from the pathway with Orion unsteadily in toe behind her.
"Look at this!" Alexandra exclaimed as she took in the sight.
"Wow." Orion commented dryly trying in vain to brush away the grass and mud stains from his blue tunic. "Not worth being brushed aside over I would dare say."
"Oh, don't be so sore!" Sinis shot back without taking his eyes from where they were scanning the enclosing trees.
"This is…amazing." Alexandra went on.
Lucretia turned to her and caught the look of wonder in those eyes before they were turned away from her line of vision. Still, the feeling lingered in the air and inwardly the Marian princess smiled.
"We should rest here until the rain stops." Anna said.
"Are you sure this in not an area inhabited by someone else?" Orion asked apprehensively as he noted that some of the hemlocks were laid close to the ground as if someone or some creature had slept there.
Sinis turned to him and sneered, "Do you see anyone here, Orion, do you?"
"I agree." Alexandria said coming nearer to Anna in the center where all of the branches from different species of trees connected and had come to grow together over time. "We should stay here."
"Then it's settled."
----
Entarais ran as fast as her short legs could carry her. Fear was streaming through her to the very core of her being. Her thoughts were all jumbled within her head, none of them making sense or giving her any possible contemplation of escape. Nothing else mattered in her mind but survival. She could not force herself to turn around. Could not force herself to stop and hide for fear that her limbs would freeze to the ground in horror. The terrain in the valley was rocky, with short green grass covering every inch of the wooded area. The dense trees made deciphering whether or not an unexpected drop in elevation or large rock awaited anyone running on her path and so Entarais was fleeing from her pursuers, almost entirely blind to the dangers ahead.
The sounds of yelling voices and racing foot falls reached the heightened hearing of the Neptunian princess. Her pursuers were close behind her now and coming closer with every moment her tired legs began to feel like jelly, but far enough away that she seemed to be only a fleeing speck before them. The foot falls became more prominent in her ears as adrenaline rushed through her veins, compelling her to push her tiny body to run faster, but to no avail. Their longer legs gave them the advantage of speed as they raced to catch her.
The Neptunian princess entered a thick patch of brush, which scratched her in the face and on her arms and legs. It was dense here, so that she could not tell what lay ahead of her. Entarais had made it about ten leagues into this dense undergrowth when a branch of a thorn bush caught her by the shoulder of her blue tunic, restraining her from fleeing any further.
The hasty foot steps had stopped, replaced with the murmuring of voices of her trackers. Her heart beating in her ears and the rasping movement of her labored breathing were making their words unintelligible, but despite that truth her timid ears still yearned to hear them as she stood still and stopped moving completely. The whisper of low voices abruptly ceased and the young girl held her breath nervously.
Then a sound of crunching twigs and breaking branches evaded her ears. What? What is that? She leaned forward and strained to hear the foreign noise again. Just as Entarais leaned close to the trunk of a nearby tree, sheltered by its leaves, a flash of metal accompanies the strange clatter again in the distance bushes. Entarais rapidly startled in fear. They are cutting their way towards me! They were hacking a path through the undergrowth to find her, following the foot prints her sandaled feet had left behind. She pulled at the thorn's hold on her shoulder desperately as if she were a wounded beast fighting to survive.
The thorn's grip on her clothed shoulder gave with a tear, slicing a chunk of flesh painfully from her skin, but she was undaunted by its sting. Entarais tore her way through the affronting branches, cutting her skin in the process, but she did not care. Better my arms and legs than my neck. Suddenly, as she tore a rather thick branch out from in front of her and continued to run, the ground beneath her sloped downwards and she fell.
She fell through tree branches and tall thorn bushes before finally hitting her last obstacle. The shrubbery below her broke her fall as she fell through the branches, the green leaves bouncing back into their previous place before her untimely descent above her head as Entarais hit the ground with an agonizing thud and a loud groan.
"Down here! I heard something!" One of the criminals shouted as he slid down the rocky slope, holding onto a mossy vine to ensure his safety until his feet hit flat ground.
Entarais shrank back in her hiding place against a large boulder at her back praying to all the gods she had ever heard of that the canopy of dense leaves and branches of the bushes around and above her would hide her from the penetrating gaze. Her uncle had always taught her that it was normal to feel fear, but she was shaking with terror and trying with all or her might to control the intense urge she had to race from the undergrowth and away from the approaching threats. They were close now, the muddy leather boots of the first man showing from under the branches of the bush before her. Entarais was certain that her heart was as loud to the man hovering above her as it was pounding in her ears. The boots at the base of the bush gradually began to step away slowly.
"No. Whatever it was, it did not fall over here." The first immoral man yelled back to his partner in crime.
Entarais leaned her full weight back against the boulder at her back as she breathed a very audible sigh of relief.
"What was that noise?" the second criminal's stupid voice questioned.
Entarais brought her hands up to her mouth quickly and held her breath, praying that it had not been her they had heard.
"What noise?" The first man asked as he ruffled the leaves of the close by undergrowth in search of their quarry. "Drifus, are your ears playing tricks on you again?"
"If they are, then they must be very well thought out tricks." Drifus, the stupid man, commented. "I must've been hear'n things."
Then the smarter man turned, his ears hearing a strange sound now. "Did you hear that, Drifus?"
"Hear what, Segal?" The dumb oaf stared up blankly at the man to his left. "Are your 'ars playing tricksies on you too?"
"No!" Segal snapped as he gazed out into the branches looking for something specific. "I distinctly heard a small sound, a whimper it reminded me of."
A whimper? I did not whimper. Entarais's lungs suddenly filled with air as she remembered how to breath once more. The two men moved forward as the sound resounded again through the brush. Segal pulled a sword from his belt and slashed through a branch, throwing the discarded piece of wood to the side. They continued beating their way through the brush, eventually leaving Entarais's line of vision. She was torn between two choices, she did not want to be caught for her foolishness and yet she desperately wanted to know where that sound was coming from and who was making it. So against her better judgment, she crawled haphazardly to the next bush and then to the next, keeping herself as hidden as possible beneath the under growth and silent. The brush was hacked through and a clearing became visible to the two men and to the girl crawling at boot level three feet across from them, fending her own way through the scrub. Finally and with much difficulty, cerulean eyes managed to edge close to the outcrop of underbrush where it begins to circle the small clearing so that they could see all that transpired within their line of vision.
It was a girl, not that much older than herself, with ebony hair and violet eyes. She was sobbing on her knees in the clearing.
"There." Segal whispered, trying to remain as silent as possible as they snuck up on the innocent child.
Then the big man's clumsy boot stepped on a twig, its cracking sound resonating through the peaceful clearing with the explosive shock of a bomb. The sobbing child winced and spun around wildly in fear.
"Bloody Idiot!" Segal whispered under his breath as he stepped forward trying to appear as friendly as possible, "Who are you child? Are you lost?"
The girl took a frightened step back ward and sniffed, "Yes. Were you sent to find me?"
"Yes." Segal lied outright. "Now come, we will lead you back to your home."
The girl still seemed frightened, but she swallowed back another sob and walked forward towards the two strangers.
No! Entarais's mind screamed Don't trust them! No! What are you doing? Run! She wanted to run to the girl, to tell the truth, to save her from them; but her feet were rooted to the ground in fright. She could do nothing, but wait and watch. Entarais watched as the big man's hand flew forward light lightening and grabbed the cloak of the small girl, cringing helplessly as the girl screamed in terror.
"Little runt!" Segal seethed in her face. "Thought you could out run us down and get away did you?!"
"No, sir! Please leave me be!!" She cried. She had not been the one to evade them and incure their wrath, Entarais had. It was all of her fault.
Entarais scrambled forward and latched on to the big man holding the girl. The great oaf turned and stared at her surprised, he was dumfounded. Wasn't there only supposed to be one girl.
"What's this?!" Segal exclaimed, his eyes wide as he recognized her. "You're the one…"
"Yes, yes it was me, just…please," Entarais closed her eyes as the raging adrenaline and fear were manifesting themselves in tears she was squeezing her eyes shut to ward off. "Do not harm this girl!"
The stupid over sized lout reached out a great paw and smacked Entarais back to land hard against the muddied ground, a red welt already burning smartly against her cheek.
"You stinker!" The towering git shouted down at her causing Entarais to crawl back a step. "I'll show you, I'll show all of your kind."
And with that he reached out and grabbed the girl's neck in a stranglehold and she screamed.
"No!" Entarais yelled and with all of her might she rushed the larger man, but all he need do against someone so young was bring his knee up to strike her chin and as her teeth clanked painfully together, she fell back again, a small stream of blood flowing down her chin from her cut lower lip. Still she fought against it all, the pain, fate, them. "No!!"
Pushing herself up to her knees, Entarais prepared to rush him again, but Segal had lifted his leg and kicked her back down on the ground, extending his mud covered boot onto Entarais lower back, forcing her back down to the ground. She fought against the pressure, but was unable to get up again. Still, she fought, moving any way she could to get him away from her and she from him. "Get off!"
"Stop struggling you little, brat!" Segal lifted his foot and forcefully kicked her down again and then another time and again, smiling with rottenly grit teeth at her futile attempts. He wanted nothing more than to break her spirit and there was nothing more which did it than a sound beating.
The next time he lifted his boot she took the opportunity to roll over and away, but she did not get far. He pulled out his dagger and hit her upside the head with the silver butt of it, causing a modest squirt of blood to spurt from the tiny forced opening at her temple. Entarais gritted her teeth as pain flooded through her small frame and every aggravated nerve warned her of the fire burning in her head. She lay prostrate and all of the fierce sensations seized her and the screams from the other little girl rang in her ears as she wallowed in unconscious darkness.
"Had enough, have you?" The man asked above her.
Entarais opened her eyes as the ache began to subside and the adrenaline renewed itself in her veins. Her right mind told her to stay down, but her indomitable spirit refused to give way. Slowly she raised her self up on her side. No sooner had she crawled an inch to the giant than the felt and sharp pain in her lower back. Segal, fed up with her, had knelt down and stabbed her in the back with his dagger. Entarais gasped in pain as every breath she took began to become an invisible burden weighing itself upon her shoulders. She bent her head to the ground as Segal twisted the blade in her back and then retracted it whilst she bit her lip to keep out all screams.
Segal stepped back with satisfaction and returned his attention to the larger man. "Have done with her then."
Entarais rolled over feeling her life seep out through the hole in her back, but still she would not give in. "No!" With a feeble breath and great physicality she lifted herself up and leapt at the man.
Not expecting the added weight that pushed against his kneecaps, the giant oaf fell to his knees forcing himself to drop the other girl as Entarais too fell. She rolled over and yelled against the searing fire in her back. "Run!"
The other girl reached up and held her own wounded neck, but did not move otherwise. Entarais wished to yell out to her again, but Segal had grabbed hold of her legs and was pulling her back, but she had grabbed onto the giant man's arm and stubbornly refused to let go. The other latched out and hit Entarais causing her body, in its waning strength, to fall to the ground and not to get up again. Entarais rolled onto her back, breathing heavily with every shallowing breath. She shuddered as she felt the rain again begin to fall, drops landing on her face and in her mouth. She heard the other girl scream and the giant regained his feet and grabbed her again, heard the sickening crack and the bones in her neck shifted under the force of his hands and broke, but she could not get up to do anything.
Entarais opened her eyes and saw Segal leaning over her, grinning at her with his rotten teeth. Then he retracted his left leg and kicked her across the face and immediately she knew nothing more of the world around her.
Author's Note: This chapter has taken forever to write and I will tell you why. All of these ideas have kept popping into my mind and flying right out onto the page. At first I told myself that this would be a 10 page chapter, then it became 20 then 26 and it is still growing. As so I do not feel like I have to hack it to shreds, I have decided to post it in two parts so that it can be better enjoyed, give my readers a break between chapters, and me more ample time to work on and edit the other half. Thank you all for your patience, I really do appreciate it and I hope you like this chapter. Whatever you do think, leave a review and let me know. If you think it is good that's fine, but I can't learn anything as a writer just from that general phrase 'good' so I dare all of you readers out there to be completely honest. If it sucks, then tell me in no less watered down language that it does and why you do feel thus so strongly. If you enjoyed it, then let me know why. If you want to see something changed, drop that down too. Anything and everything, my quill lays down a foundation for open ears. Read and review, thanks!