(31) Shock
Da sat up in her bed, stretching. The light from the morning sun steamed in from her window, looking like ribbons. Her room was messier than usual, she thought, running her fingers through her dark hair. Her desk was covered in papers, the essays and journal entries all askew. A few clothes were on the floor, but mostly it was books and her music sheets. Her cello leaned against the window seat, her camera next to it. Her stack of photos had also fallen in the night.
Frowning, she glanced around again. Her room had been messier than usual, not totally disorganized. She scowled, until, from the corner of her eye, she saw something white dash under her bed. She froze for a moment, before tenderly looking under her bed. Hands flat on the floor, butt in the air, Da tried to maneuver herself to see under her bed. "There's a bunny in my room!" she said, staring at the fluffy white animal that was nibbling on a book. She carefully reached for it, but the bunny saw her and darted out from underneath the bed.
"Holy…" Da froze. That sounded like a man. Da then realized she was only wearing her tank top and undies. Holy crap indeed, she thought, face red.
Ce had followed Xiao into Da's room. She was supposed to be up, Xiao had said, working on an essay. So it was all good, Xiao had said. They could look for AnnaSophia. Da would want them too, instead of leaving the bunny in there to leave messes and destroy things. So, he had agreed to help her find her bunny. He hadn't expected, when the door opened, to see Da's fine, tight cheeks in the air.
He wasn't complaining, though Da would never look him in the eyes again probably, but he wasn't complaining at all. He looked away, mumbling a small curse, when Xiao shrieked, "AnnaSophia!" Xiao ran into the room, trying to catch the bunny. Ce continued to stare at Da, who was sitting now on her legs, back rigid and still facing him. Xiao gave a squeal, holding AnnaSophia to her chest. "Sorry Da," Xiao said, turning to face her, "she got out… in the… night… I thought you were up?"
"I was supposed to be," Da mumbled. "Get out."
"Um… Okay. Are you going to make breakfast?" Xiao asked, scooting to the door.
"Yes, fine, whatever. Get out." Xiao slammed the door shut. She then looked up at Ce, petting AnnaSophia.
"Well," Ce said, glancing back at the door, "does she work out, or is she naturally that fine?" Xiao kicked him in the shin and continued toward AnnaSophia's cage.
(32) Strain
She stood beside her sister, their hands clasped together tightly. It was always terrifying, the internal feuds and the rituals after them. Although the two had grown up around it, arriving upon the pagan land when they were but knee high to their father, their mother had never adapted well to the change. It had worn off on the girls. Unlike their father, a world worthy man. He had grown up in the town of Sequoia. His mother a whore in the hard town full of bandits and mercenaries. He had quickly learned the power of a battle, and was not new to the idea of raids or killing. Upon moving to Keyohtee, a financial expenditure, he had easily made his way up the ranks and gaining power.
The oldest listened intently as the beat of the drums sped up. Qing al Shi made his way through the ranks, the grin on his face matching the sisters own when their father returned home with exotic gifts. He wore fine furs, his hair falling loose down his back. He was a bigger man, and walked like a king. He was gaining a great amount of land, which was the cause of the celebration. He had won it, of course, by defeating the previous owner in a fight. Shi was now gaining all the land, the defeated man's wives, and any other possessions.
They both shrunk away from him. He had killed the other man brutally. He had thrown a war hammer at his head, when Xun al Heng had been stumbling to regain his footing. Heng's head had exploded like a fruits. Shi stood now on the hill, arms outstretched to the sky. He gave a long, deep laugh before stopping for long deep breaths. The drums had not stopped. He turned around, still smiling, and waited like the rest of them. Slowly the crowd parted, and through came the honored guest and her escorts. Leading the way was the two sister's father, Xuan al Qiao. He made his way forward, and gave a bow to Shi who graciously returned it.
Stepping behind him was a young woman, not much older than the two sisters. Her hair, long and black, was tied up in loops. Her dress was one of the finer one's, plundered during a raid no doubt. She looked strong, walking after their father. But then, under the dress, nobody could tell if she was shaking or not. "I present Nuoi na Zi," Qiao said, and the young girl bowed. Shi grinned, and again spread his arms.
"Today," he said, "in front of all our witness's, Nuoi na Zi, former wife to Xun al Heng, will be sacrificed to the land. And here, where cold blood was shed in a home, fields and plants will again prosper." Qiao brought forward the sword, handing it over to the girl. With pale, shaking hands, she took it. The two sisters tried not to look. They're mother never stayed after the official transition ceremony, always scared that the sacrificial rites would take place, as they had here. As they had known would. Their father was specifically asked to lead in the girl. As the sword gently sliced the side of the girls swan like neck, the eldest mildly wondered about her age. It was not often that they were the younger wives of the dead men. The new lord usually wished to have them for himself. The girl collapsed. The red slowly seeped through the white gown, creating a morbid swirl of color.
They both turned away, the eldest starting up another hill for some air, the youngest following. Standing atop, taking deep breaths, they quietly began to talk. "I don't think I'll ever get used to bloodshed," the youngest mumbled, letting her arms fall to her sides.
"I've said it before Xiao," the oldest said, rubbing her arms to try and get rid of the chill.
"Oh I know Da. But it just amazes me how Father deals so coldly with it."
"He grew up in an entirely different world than us, than Mother."
"I know," Xiao said with a long sigh. "Hey, Da…" The eldest turned and looked in the direction Xiao pointed. Over the hills horses raced towards them, the men on their backs yelling. In the wind, the girls caught the roar.
"It seems," Da mumbled, her face going white, "that the strain of the peace treaty has finally snapped." Xiao's breaths came heavy then. Together, in unison, always in unison, the sisters turned and fled down the hill, back to the ceremony where the people had gathered to watch Nuoi na Zi's burial. Their father turned when he saw them, his weathered, though still holding his roguish charm, twisted into something that could have been worry.
"What are they doing, Qiao?" Shi asked, turning away from the body.
"Give me but a moment," he said, turning to him with a grin, "and I'll let you know." He didn't have time to ask the girls. The war cry told them everything. The crowd dispersed in frenzy. Da and Xiao ran into their father's arms and were quickly guided away towards the homes where their mother waited. The two were to go with their mother, away from the warriors. Qiao was going to stay and fight for his home.
"It is a first for me. How could I miss it?" he said with another of his charming smiles.
"Do make it back to me," their mother had whispered into his chest. He kissed her head, hands threading through her hair.
"Now why would I leave you?" Qiao said. He gave another chuckle. "Go, my darlings. Go to safety." Da nodded and grabbed her mothers arm. Together, the trio left their home and made it down the trail. They didn't look back. Couldn't look back. Not as the loved man of the house charged forward to defend their passage to safety.
They sat with the others who had fled in the forest, hems of their dresses dirty from the damp floor, the foliage rusting in the wind. Every one of them jumped at any sound in the forest. Da and Xiao sat on either side of their mother as she cried into her knees. She wasn't the only one shedding tears. Da pushed some of her dark brown hair out of her face, too tired to try and fix the bun. Everything was silent again, save for the quiet sobbing of the women. That would never end. T'is a woman's fate to cry as it is a man's to fight as the old saying went.
The birds above flew away in a flutter; everybody's heads craning back to see into the sky. The birds were flying away from their home. Something got caught in Da's throat. "Come on," Xiao said, already on her feet. "We must move! The birds are a tell tale sign of trouble! Come Mother. Please, stand up." She gently tugged on the older woman's arm. Others were standing as well, a murmur going through the group. They didn't have a chance to move. The men raced through on the backs of the horses, surrounding the woman. Everybody panicked. The women quickly grabbed the children and ran. Enough of them got passed that the warriors gritted their teeth in anger.
Da followed after her mother, who was being pulled by Xiao. They could still hear the sounds of the horse's hooves against the ground. It sounded like the drums. Da started to panic. Their mother was stumbling, and Xiao was running blind. Da just knew this was a horribly road of fate. Da couldn't truly imagine anything worse, until the man on the white horse reared back in their path. He wore the armor of the enemy, his brown hair short and pulled into a ponytail. His goatee matched his brown eyes, his grin matching their fathers. Da held their mother as Xiao glared up at him, all three slowly backing up.
"It seems," a man behind them said, and all three spun around to see another man, on a chestnut war horse, "that we have caught us three beautiful women, Ce."
"So we have," the man on the white horse said with a laugh.
So, yeah, here's 31 and 32. I don't think they're that bad really. Shock isn't my best, and I'll make no excuses for it. I kind of like Strain though. Please, tell me what you think of them! Review!
