Story of a warrior

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 5

Chapter 1

“It’s a girl!” the doctor exclaimed. I was just born, and I was the first child. My mother looked tired and weary, but that didn’t stop her from holding me close. My father put a comforting hand on my mother’s shoulder and smiled.

“She’s perfect.” Fast forward to where I am here now and I ain’t perfect anymore ya’ll. Even ask Adin and he will agree 100%. But how I came to be not so perfect is an interesting story to hear about, so let’s begin from when it starts.

***

The stone building didn’t help at all with quenching the uneasiness and fright inside of me. Not even the pit of loneliness. My parents have both died the accord of the war happening. I wish it would end already, but I was young. 3 years old to be exact. I sometimes didn’t know how to communicate except for a few babbling words. I was maybe the most illiterate child in the whole town. Most likely the whole orphanage now. Life isn’t fair, is it?

A tall woman with a young boy, about 6 years old, following behind her, came to greet the now shaking me. The lady had very goldish brown looking eyes. She didn’t have that look of disgust, but rather a very motherly look. Her long brown hair was tied nicely in a tight bun, with her fringe set looking gorgeous on her. The young boy on the other hand had piercing green eyes and messy brown hair. He was a little taller than me, but I didn’t let that intimidate me.

“Hello there, gorgeous. What’s your name?” the pretty lady asked. I looked at her, clutching my small cloth filled with the little I had.

“Annaliese…” I said with as much confidence as possible even though I was freaking out. The lady smiled at me.

“That’s a very nice name, Annaliese,” she replied, smiling warmly. I felt myself smile back at her.

“I’m Jacinta and this is Adin,” she continued, gesturing towards the boy. Pathetic.

“He’s an orphan, like you.” I stared at him, and he stared back at me. I could see the pain through his eyes, and he did as well in my eyes. He smiled slightly at me, and I gave him a toothy smile. Adin laughed. Jacinta looked surprised.

“That is the first time he laughed in months,” she said still shocked. Even though I was only 3, I understood more than anything.

“W-would you like to be m-my friend…?” Adin questioned quietly. I nodded.

“Yes please.” We both broke out into smiles, and Jacinta as well. She then picked me up and walked back inside, Adin skipping in front of us.

****

After introducing me to everyone and getting washed and changed, Jacinta brought me and Adin to the dining room. It was more a hall than anything. There were 5 big tables. One for the big kids, who were nearly adults. One for the kids in between, for kids younger than 10, one for the people who looked after us and helped us, and one for the younger ones, like babies to six-year-olds.

Jacinta sat me and Adin next to each other and went to get us some food. The big kids got food themselves, but we small kids got served the food. Since the war caused everything to be scarce, there wasn’t much to pick from to eat. My stomach growled from not eating for days, at which Adin turned to look at me.

“Hungry, Annaliese?” Adin asked me. I nodded. A few seconds later Jacinta came with our food. We had mashed potatoes with a little bit of meat. Jacinta sighed and smiled.

“I managed to sneak some extra meat,” she said cheekily with a wink. I and Adin giggled and began to eat. I had some trouble, but Jacinta helped me. That night, I went to bed with a full stomach of food and love. I finally found a place to call home.

Chapter 2

“I just told you it twice already. You want to hear it again?” Adin questioned, having arched an eyebrow in my direction. It has been 4 years since I’ve been here and 2 years after the way ended. I was now 7 and Adin was now 10. We had grown inseparable during the past years, and this summer wasn’t something that changed. We were outside sitting at the hill, Adin polishing his sword.

His grandfather gave it to him as a present. Adin has gotten his powers 3 years ago when he was 7 years old. He had fire powers as well as powers linked to his anger and love emotions. Whenever he experienced those emotions, his eyes would change colour to either red or purple. He was destined to be an assassin. I wanted to be as well. Adin sighed.

“Fine, I’ll tell you again. Long ago, before we were even born, a huge war broke out caused by the Shadow Mist King. He was the most brutal king anyone has ever witnessed. But a group of friends came together and formed one and banished the Shadow Mist King. Legend has it that the Shadow Mist King will once again reign, through his descendant, and a group of mighty warriors will defeat the king again, also falling in love as well.” He looked at me with a smirk as I sat there, enthralled.

“Imagine if that will be us. If we will be part of the next group of warriors and defeat the Shadow Mist descendant!” I exclaimed. Being a warrior sounded cool because then I can be an assassin, just like Adin will be. Adin smirked at me again.

“And fall in love?” he questioned. I pondered the question. Did I want to fall in love? Yes, I did. But with who? I simply shrugged.

“I dunno maybe. Do you want to fall in love?” I asked him, my eyes huge staring back at his green eyes. He blushed slightly and nodded.

“Yeah, I don’t mind. Because then I can do this to them,” Adin grabbed me by the waist and spun me around. I squealed, giggled and protested for him to stop. After he stopped and set back on the ground, I noticed that his eyes changed colour.

“Look, your eyes changed colour to purple!” I pointed out. Adin’s eyes went large, and we both ran down the hill to the small lake. Jacinta told us that it used to be a magic river, where warriors and heroes used to come to get nourished. I still believed that it was magical. We kneeled on the bank and peered over the edge.

“Hey! They are purple! I look good with purple eyes, don’t I?” Adin said pretending to be a model. I couldn’t stop laughing. He looked ridiculous making those faces and poses. He looked like a monkey in a circus. I don’t know what a monkey is, or a circus, but Jacinta read us a book once about monkeys and circuses. An image came into my mind of Adin being a monkey in a circus, which set the bomb for me. Before I knew it, I fell headfirst into the river.

“ANNALIESE!!” Adin screamed. I struggled to stay afloat, and the current was pulling me away,

“ADIN!! HELP!” I shouted back, being pulled underneath the swallowing waves I created. This happened for a few minutes and all my strength was leaving me. Everything went black.

***

“Will she be, okay?”

“Only time can tell. She’s going to have a huge scar on her eye for the rest of her life and she has a lot of water in her lungs. We only must wait for her to get it out herself.” The first voice sighed.

“Can she have visitors?”

“Of course, she can. Now if you don’t mind, I must leave now.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Loud and heavy footsteps left the room and quiet ones replaced the loud ones. I struggled to open my eyes.

“Body, please move. Work please,” I thought to myself. I wanted to let everyone know that I was alive, but my body refused to obey my commands to function. There was a muffled conversation, and someone left the room. Who was still here? I could feel their presence. Wait- I can feel their presence? But… how? Contemplating my questions, I felt someone hold my hand and tears fall on my hand.

“Annaliese, I know you are still alive and can hear me. I’m so sorry that you fell into the river. It was all my fault; you could have died. Please forgive me, I can’t bear the thought of being away from you, knowing that it was all my fault. Please show me a sign, anything.”

It was Adin. My heart sank and instantly my body worked. Finally. I sat up and stared at Adin, His head hung low, and he was holding my hand with both of his. A purple kind of mist formed around the room, like sparkles.

“I won’t leave you, crybaby,” I responded. Adin stopped crying and slowly looked up at me. His eyes were purple again and full of tears.

“Annaliese? You’re alive!” he exclaimed. I gave him the death stare.

“If I wasn’t alive, would I be talking to you?” He smiled at me, and I could tell he was glad that I was alive.

“Yeah, I know.” We both giggled.

My recovery took a good six weeks. Adin came to visit me every day. Unfortunately for me, it was my birthday. My 8th birthday. To my surprise though, there was a huge part for me in the room I was staying at. Extra merit points for that. Despite the huge party, I had private times alone with Adin, Jacinta or even just myself. On the day of my release, it was Adin’s 11th birthday. He had made me promise I’d come a few days ago.

“Promise you’ll be well for my birthday?” he has asked pleadingly. I nodded securing the promise and I made sure to make it happen. I was reading a book called, “Romance, Hate, Jealousy.” Jacinta had given it to me to read. It was about this wolf who experienced so many emotions, mainly love, hate and jealousy, that he had to be outcasted from his tribe. He became a human and one of the most dangerous assassins ever. Most people would believe it wrong for an 8-year-old to read such books, but I didn’t mind. Anyways, as I was reading, Jacinta came in with the doctor.

“Annaliese, the doctor is here for your final check-up,” Jacinta informed me. I sighed and got out of bed. The doctor, a short and rather plump man prodded me and checked everything. After 10 minutes, he stepped back and smiled.

“She is as healthy as ever before and can be released out,” he said. Jacinta beamed and smiled and escorted him out before running back.

“You can now go to Adin’s party. He wanted it to be your favourite theme. Medieval castle theme. The local dressmaker agreed to make outfits for everyone for free, and there is one special one for you,” she winked. Helping me leave, Jacinta took me to my room where a mannequin stood in place. The dress was floor length with long sleeves made from lace and a beautiful shade of baby blue.

“I love it!” I exclaimed. After a difficult battle of getting me inside the dress, it was time to go to the party. The dining hall had been decorated to show a castle theme. Everyone was decked out in pretty dresses or suits. Adin was outside on the hill, so I went there to meet him. He has his back towards me and was looking down at the river. I moved forward slowly and tapped him on the shoulder lightly. He turned around and stared me in the ye before bursting into tears and hugging me tightly.

“Annaliese, you’re well,” he said. I hugged him back and lifted him. When I put him back on the ground, he looked at me with shock.

“How did you get to be so strong?” he questioned. I shrugged and looked at him confused.

“I don’t know. Do you think it could have been from the water?” Adin shrugged back.

“Who knows. I’m only glad you’re here, alive and well.” We both walked back to the dining hall and had so much fun. There was fencing which we all failed at, except for Jacinta. She bet Hans, one of the caretakers who also had a crush on Jacinta, with ease. The food was something from a banquet and the cake topped things off. It was a night never to forget, not only for Adin but everyone.

***

I pulled the cloak around me tighter. Winter had just arrived with a bitter bite to the bone. I was out ploughing the snow when some big girls came. I groaned. It was Sasha and her small group, Hannah and Nicole, who stuck to her like leeches.

“Hey! Baby Annaliese, whatcha doing?” Sasha called. The only reason she ever talked to anyone was to bully them. Pretending to ignore her, I continued, only to move at the last second to avoid her punch. Wait, when was she going to hit me? How did I know? Sasha tumbled down into the snow. Her eyes were large and bulging with anger.

“You little brat!! How dare you do that??” she spat. Her minions rushed to her side and helped her up. I just shrugged.

“No biggie. Why did you try to punch me?” I challenged her. A few people overheard and a crowd began to form. Sasha, enjoying the attention, lunged forward at me, but I managed to pin her down. Not giving up, she stood back up and tried to pin me down, but I punched her in the face and hit her back down again. The crowd began to cheer my name.

“Annaliese! Annaliese!” All except for one voice. Harsh and incredibly recognizable. Jacinta!! She stormed towards me angrily.

“Annaliese, how dare you do this? You know better than this! To your room now and we will have a little talk. Rest of you, back to your chores and Hannah and Nicole, take Sasha to the nurse,” Jacinta commanded everyone. I stood there and as Hannah and Nicole took Sasha, she gave me a dirty look.

“You’ll pay for this…” she snarled. I looked at her and shrugged and went to my room. Just as I closed the door, Adin opened it and stormed in.

“What were you thinking? You could have killed her!! I’m proud of you though,” Adin started. I sat in the corner and said nothing. He sighed and sat down next to me.

“Come on, tell me what happened,” he said, nudging me gently. I sighed deeply and told him everything, from the fall to me feeling different, my sudden strength, increased agility, speed and everything else. Just then, Jacinta entered the room and locked the door.

“You both need to leave now,” she said her eyes wide. Adin and I looked at each other confused. Jacinta came to the corner and knelt in front of us.

“You both are too strong for this orphanage. Adin, you have your fire, love and anger powers and Annaliese, after looking more deeply into it, you have the powers of a leader. I have seen you both grow up to be strong in every way, but now you both must go. Promise to always look after each other, okay? Now go. Now.”

Chapter 3

I shivered as Adin, and I made our way through the snow. After the gruelling revelation, Jacinta told us, we both agreed it was safe for us. Who knows, we might be outcasts now, or who knows what. My only real concern was not to freeze to death. Since I had more sensitive skin than Adin, I reacted differently to the cold. Adin on the other hand wasn’t bothered by it at all and trudged strongly without a break in his pace.

“Hey… wait up!” I called to him. Adin was a good 20 meters ahead of me, but it felt like 200 meters. He stopped and waited patiently for me to catch up with him. I struggled and by the time I reached him, I fell from exhaustion. Adin caught me.
“Are you okay?” he questioned worryingly. I nodded weakly, but he didn’t seem convinced. Adin lifted me and we walked until we found a cave. Little did we know that a small army of warriors was coming in our direction. We went inside the cave and Adin started a small fire. I huddled close to the fire, shaking from the cold. Adin sat next to me and looked at me.

“You, okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking.”

“About?” I looked at Adin and he gestured for me to continue. I sighed.

“About my powers. Could have it happened when I fell into the river? When had I hit my head against the bottom? When I got the cut across my eye? You got your powers naturally and because of your genetics. I know nothing about my past. I don’t even know my parents well, so how do I have the qualities of a leader? Or more specific, the powers of a leader? I don’t even have a sword yet. You got your sword a few days after you got your powers. It’s been weeks, months since I got mine. What if my identity? Who am I meant to be?” I turned to look at Adin and he stared back at me.

“Your eyes are magenta,” he pointed out. “You’re going to be an assassin, a leader and a sword whisperer. I know you will.” I looked back at Adin and smiled. He smiles back at me and nudged me.

“It’s late. We should go to sleep now. Especially you. You don’t look well.” I nodded and laid down on the hard ground. It wasn’t that bad, to be honest. Adin sat still staring into the distance. Slowly my eyes closed and before I knew it, I was knocked out.

****

I woke up to the movement of a cart. I bumped my head against someone. I looked up to see a tall man with torn clothes and a sword strapped against his back. They had a few visible scars on their face and lots of small, tiny ones, crisscrossing his face. I gasped. It was a warrior!! An assassin!! The first I had ever met as well. I looked to my other side for Adin, but he wasn’t there. The warrior giant must have felt me move because he looked down at me and smiled.

“Hey, you’re awake. Are you feeling, okay?” he questioned.

“I’m fine, but where’s my friend?”

“Your boyfriend?”

“My what?”

“Friend, who is a boy. He must be in the other cart behind.” I turned around and looked over. There Adin was. He saw me and waved at me and shouted.

“We’re going to be okay, Annaliese. They are going to look after us,” I waved back.

“Okay Adin,” I shouted back. The soldier beside me chuckled.

“You too seem very close, Annaliese. How did you meet each other?” I looked up at the giant’s soft brown eyes. He reminded me of Adin for some reason, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

“Ready to hear the life story of an 8-year-old?” I asked enthusiastically. The man nodded and I launched into my story.

“I was born to a family of just a couple. I don’t remember much about them, but when I was 3 years old, my parents died due to the war.” The giant gasped.

“Same with my parents. They died because of the war. I remember having a sister. She got married, had a daughter and then after that… I never heard from her. You remind me of her, Annaliese,” he said. I could feel my cheeks burning.

“Anyways, I went to the orphanage. There I met Jacinta and Adin. She looked after us both and ever since, I had always been close to her and Adin. He’s my best friend and like an older brother to me.” The giant smiled.

“That’s nice. I bet you did lots of stuff together.”

“We did.”

“Like what?” I launched into a full analogy, very descriptive about all we did, from snowball fights, and pranking everyone to story times with Jacinta and everything else in between. The soldier, who I later learnt the name was Felix, laughed at all the funny bits and comforted at the painful parts.

“So, how did you get your scar across your eye?” he questioned. I smiled and laughed before giving him the death stare.
“We don’t talk about that,” I replied, darkly. Felix stared at me. I stood up and whispered in his ear what happened. I made him promise not to tell anyone.

“I won’t miss,” he saluted.

“You better… or else.”

****

Home was never a word that stuck with us. The warriors always moved everywhere. We never stayed anywhere for more than 2 weeks. I was getting sicker and sicker and before any of us could predict it, I got struck down with influenza. The other assassins got sick, but they recovered easily. Since I was younger, recovering was harder than the time I fell in the river. Felix constantly had to carry me, and Adin never left my side. One night though, I thought my whole life had come to an end. Before I went to bed, I went to Felix and the other soldiers.

“I don’t feel good,” I complained. Felix pulled me closer and placed a hand on my forehead.

“You don’t look good or feel good either. You have a fever,” he informed me. I was constantly shivering, and my lips had gone blue and purple. My muscles ached every second of the day and it felt like I could achieve no rest, no matter what. Since we were always on the move and never near any villages, getting treatment was deemed impossible and the only way to get better was to suck it up and live it out. But I was only 8 and didn’t have a good immune system. Felix lifted me, carried me to the tent and put me on the blankets and covered me up.

“Where’s A-a-Adin?” I questioned, with the noise of chattering teeth.

“I don’t know where he is.”

“Can you find him please?” Felix looked at me worryingly. He moved my hair from my face and kissed me on my forehead.

“You get some rest. Worry about Adin later. He’s big enough to look after himself.” I nodded, feeling a little reassured and trying my best to sleep, but death was chasing after me and wouldn’t let me feel pain before I could have some peace.

*****

“Annaliese? Hello? Can you hear me?” I groaned and rubbed my eyes. The light was so bright and blinding, that it took a while for me to adjust. I wasn’t in the tent anymore but rather on a cart and in a different area.

“Where am I?” I asked confused. I looked around for a familiar face and spotted Adin and Felix. Adin’s eyes were puffy and wet with tears and Felix had a face of relief.

“You were in a deep sleep for three weeks, Annalise and today you nearly died…” Felix started. I shot right up.

“Three weeks? You have got to be kidding me.” But they weren’t. They all had serious solemn faces. And it truly did sink in.

“But hey, you’re better now. You fought off death and sickness. We’re proud of you because of that,” Felix continued, with tears in his eyes. Everyone else agreed, but Adin left.

It was three days since I had last seen Adin, but I was able to walk around now. We stopped at a small clearing near some woods, and whenever I could, I’d go and stay in the woods, not too far, lean on the trees and listen to the birds and quietness. But today, I had some company. While staying in the peace of the woods, I heard footsteps from behind. I turned around to see who it was and noticed it was Adin. I faced the front. Adin came and sat down next to me.

“I’m sorry for avoiding you.”

“It’s alright.”

“Can you forgive me?” I looked at Adin. His green eyes showed sincerity. I smiled at him.

“I forgive you.”

Chapter 4

It has now been 5 years since the assassins have taken us in. Adin was now 16 years old, and I was 13 years old. I always looked up to Adin as an older brother, and I did the same to Felix. He was 25 and knew much more than we did. He taught Adin how to use his sword and taught me how to use knives since I didn’t get my sword yet. Felix also taught us horse riding. My horse was a strong stallion, all black and had a white streak on his right eye, just like me. I named him Czar. Adin had a white mare and named her Eclipse. We’d always go horse riding together, especially in the woods. Part-time favourite, even until now. But there was one ride that changed it all. Our relationship.

It was summer and we had ridden to a lake close by. It was ankle deep, which was a relief. There was one single lone oak tree that stood a few meters from the riverbank where we leaned against. Or more specifically, where I leaned against. Adin was practising his sword skills. He looked like a praying mantis or a lizard ready to do some weird fighting. It was more like dancing, but it wasn’t. After a good 20 minutes or so, he came to where I was and laid down, resting his head on my legs. I smirked.

“Tired?”

“Very. Gosh, who knew that dancing with the sword while fighting was hard. My shoulders ache,” he complained. I rolled my eyes. Nerd. He smiled at my reaction and opened his mouth before closing it and looking away. I noticed and knew he had something to tell me.

“Come on. What is it?” He looked at me confused.

“What do you mean?”

“You were going to tell me something but didn’t.”

“I um… wanted to tell you how… um… nice the sky er looks,” he stammered. I arched an eyebrow at him. He sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to get out of this and sat up.

“I like you, Annaliese,” he started. I looked at him and laughed.

“I know you do. I’m your best friend ever.”

“No, Annaliese. I like LIKE you…” he said, staring at me. I gave him a quizzical look before gasping.

“Ohhh, I know what you mean.”

“You do?” Adin sat up and had a sense of happiness on his face. I nodded.

“Mhm. You like me as a family now. As your sister, right?” I said joyfully. Adin’s expression dropped a little, but he smiled and nodded.

“Yes, Annalise.” I smiled and clapped my hands. I now have a FAMILY. Adin considered me as his younger sister, therefore he was my brother now. Little did I know that was far beyond what Adin mentioned.

****

There will now be a change in the context of writing. It shall now be both me and Adin’s life in the story as the following events lead to a much more important event later in my life and how my life is right now and how I am not perfect.

*****

I didn’t mention anything else about my liking Annaliese. She’s too innocent to realize anyways. But her elegancy doesn’t help with the billion butterflies that swarm inside of me. Once we reached the camp, we wandered off in different directions. Annaliese went with the women to talk to her about girl stuff and I went on a manhunt for Felix. Fortunately for me, he was in his place alone. He must have heard me because he looked up and gave me a big smile.

“Adin, my man. How’ve you been?” he asked. I shrugged and sat down next to him.

“Next so great…” I started. Felix looked at me concerned.

“What happened?”

“Annaliese happened. That’s what.” Felix looked at me and smirked.

“You like her, don’t you?” I looked up at him and nodded. His face softened and he rubbed my back.

“Why not tell big brother Felix what happened with Annalise, hm?” I knew I could trust Felix, so I took a deep breath and launched straight to it.

“Annaliese, she’s just so perfect. She’s pretty, charismatic, trustworthy and the most amazing girl I have ever met or known in my whole life. Whenever I see her, I have such the urge to just hug her and tell her how I feel but, she just won’t understand. She’s too innocent to know. I told or tried to tell her today on our horse riding, but she thought I meant as family, like a sister. But I don’t. Annaliese is everything to me. I don’t know what I will do without her. She has the keys to my heart and my life, and I love her so much. I’ll do anything for her. I only wish she can just see and understand the feelings I have for her and how much she means to me. To me, Annalise isn’t just another girl, she’s the most important person in the whole world. It’s because of her I can go forward every day to see that beautiful smile and face of hers, hear her laughter and experience and cherish each moment we make together, but I’m scared that if I tell her about my true feelings for her and how much I love her, she wouldn’t want to talk to me. But if she ignores me, if she leaves, I will never forget her and I will go find her and tell her everything.”

I looked at Felix. He sat there in silence and was nodding. I sighed and leaned down. Felix looked at me and placed a hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him, tears forming in my eyes.

“Adin, love makes people do things and experience things you’ve never thought of before. Love is just another emotion that you will experience. You shouldn’t be ashamed or embarrassed that you love Annaliese. I love one of the girls. Lilliana. She’s gorgeous and kind. I told her about my feelings for her and over time, she too came to love me. We got married before we found you and Annaliese. My advice is to not be ashamed or scared to tell Annaliese because, over time, she too will fall in love with you as well.”

I nodded, the tears falling down my face. Felix pulled me closer and gave me a comforting hug, while I cried my lovesick heart out.

*****

While Adin was confessing his feelings for me, I was busy answering a thousand and one questions about me and Adin.

“How long have you met Adin?”

“Do you like Adin more than a friend?”

“Are you planning on marrying him in the future?”

That question had done it for me. And so did it as well for Lilliana. She stood up and gave everyone a stern but scowling look.

“That’s enough girls. This isn’t what we discussed. Annaliese, we need to tell you about something very important,” she said, looking at me gently. I nodded at her so she could continue, and also to let her know that she had my attention.

“You’re growing older now, Annaliese. 13 to be in fact, and well, this is the time that your body is going to change.”

“Like the blood on my undergarment?” I asked her innocently. They all gasped and started squealing and giggling.

“What’s so funny?” I questioned confused. One of the girls, Delancy, spoke up.

“You finally got the most crucial thing ever. It’s called…” she bent down a little to whisper it in my ear. I giggled.

“That’s a silly name to call it.” Everyone giggled as well. Lilliana cleared her throat.

“But that isn’t the only thing that’s going to happen…” Lilliana then launched into a full essay with long adult words, which then turned into a biology lesson. I began wondering whether I should be taking notes, but Lilliana snapped me back into reality.

“... and Adin will start to show more feelings towards you.”

“Excuse me?”

Lilliana sighed and signalled for everyone to leave, leaving me and her there by ourselves. She then turned and looked at me.

“Annaliese, you and Adin have known each other since childhood. You’ve grown up together as well and have been very close together. Both of you are changing, in all areas of life. Adin is 16, soon 17 and, of course, is starting to wonder what he wants to do with his life, and who to marry as well. He may show interest in marrying you since you both have grown up together your whole life. He may think you are the one destined for him.” I looked up at her and then looked down, forming a perfect “o” shape.

“I think he may have tried to tell me that he likes me more than a friend, but I may have friend-zoned him and asked if he meant as a sister. Not,” I told her. Lilliana patted my back and stood up and walked away.

“It’s in your hands, figure out a way to solve the issue.”

That… is bigger than the problem itself.

*****

After listening to what Felix had told me, I decided to find Annaliese later in the night. The minutes felt like hours, and the hours felt like days, but nightfall did eventually cover us all. I waited until I was sure everyone was asleep and ventured out. It was a peaceful night, the sky twinkling bright with stars. I could look at this all night, and nearly did when I heard noises behind me, then a familiar voice.

“Shush, Czar… you’re gonna get us caught.” Annaliese? I knew it was Annaliese, but what was she doing? Riding in the middle of the night? Something was not right. I hid as Annaliese pulled Czar out into the light. She had a saddle bag strapped on Czar’s saddle and her purple cloak covering her. I stepped on a twig and she turned around and looked at me.

Caught.

Chapter 6

After the strange encounter with the minions, I knew my calling was just beginning. I continued riding until we came across a small village. Little children were running around and playing, the area was buzzing with talk, activity and excitement. Some stopped and stared. A group of boys to be particular. They all looked about Adin’s age. The thought of Adin made my heart ache. I missed him dearly but I knew it was the right thing to leave. As I continued, we stopped at an inn and I went inside, tying Czar’s reins to a wooden beam. I went inside and looked around. It was a comfortable place. Many paintings hung on the wall showing about different warriors. I knew mine was going to be up there. My dreams came crashing down when a young lady at the front spoke to me.

“Hello? Maam? Can I help you?” she questioned. I looked around to see if she was talking to someone else when I realised I was the only one there.

“Oh, yes hi. I’d like to have a 2 day night stay room at the inn here and a stall for my horse outside?” I asked her.

“How old are you?”

“14.”

“Where are your parents?” I stared down at the ground, refusing to tell the lady the truth. After 2 minutes of silence, it slowly dawned on her.

“Oh… I’m so sorry. I had no idea.”

“You wouldn’t have any clue because I didn’t tell you,” I responded a bit on the sarcastic tone. She smiled at me.

“That’ll be 2 silver coins.” The way the lady said “2 silver coins” gave me the idea that she thought I was poor and can’t afford anything. I smirked and placed 4 silver coins on the table instead. The lady looked at me shocked.

“Keep the change,” I told her, and went outside to put Czar in a stall, but as I did, there was a loud commotion. I went to look and my heart beated faster.

Adin.

*******

We sat across each other at the table. It was only us in the inn, but it felt like a whole country was watching us. I had been successful in finding Annaliese, but she didn’t seem that happy. She had her arms crossed on her chest and had her body a little bit away from me. I sighed and was about to speak when she injected me with a question.

“Why did you come looking for me?”

“Excuse me?” She looked at me with a look of annoyance.

“You heard me. Why did you come looking for me?” I sighed knowing that I had no chance to dodge her question.

“Because I care for you, Annaliese. I couldn’t let you go alone and even without saying goodbye. We’ve been with each other, ever since the first day that we met. We were destined to be friends and maybe even more in the future, but if you leave, then our friendship bond may be broken forever. I love you, Annaliese.”

“Well I do too, but as a friend.” She turned her whole body away and refused to look at me. I stood up and hugged her from behind, resting my head on her shoulder. She didn’t move, but I felt her put her hands ontop of mine, and lean back and rest her head a little below my shoulder.

“Just when we were little. Remember that time when we were playing models and Jacinta had drawn us both in the exact same pose?” Annaliese asked me, looking at me. I nodded and moved my face closer to her and pressed my cheek on hers.

“Yeah I remember. Why?”

“I still have the drawing.” I looked at her wide eyed.

“You do?” She nodded and produced the small piece of paper. Jacinta was an amazing artist and it looked so real. And exactly the same pose we were staying. I smiled gently and kissed Annaliese’s cheek.

“Just like old times.”

******

I felt a feeling of warmth inside when Adin kissed my cheek. But no, I couldn’t let myself fall for him just when I’m about to make my mark. I got out of his grip and stepped away from him.

“We shouldn’t bring back the old times.” Adin looked at me confused and hurt.

“What do you mean?” I turned around and looked at him.

“I’m going to see the king, and hopefully get a position in the kings army,” I told him straight forward. Adin looked me in the eyes. They were blue and red. He was upset, hurt and angry, but I could tell that he understood but found it hard to let me go. He stood up and walked towards me, but I turned away from him.

“You need to go… now.” I heard him sigh deeply and leave, closing the door gently behind him. I knew that it was going to be hard for us, but it wad for the best. A few minutes later and someone banged hard on my front door. I stomped to the door and opened it, only to be greeted by the same boys that I saw in the morning. All four of them. The first one stepped forward. He had dark brown wavy hair, dark blue eyes and looked like he walked out of a modelling place. I simply stood there in awe and shock, until he spoke to me.

“Are you Annaliese?” he asked with such a masculine British accent. My heart started to beat faster, but I nodded.

“Yes, I am Annaliese.” The boys all smiled upon hearing and the brown haired one smirked.

“Well, Annaliese. I am Alex and these are my friends. Shawn, Lucus and Darius,” he said pointing them all out. Shawn had dirty blonde hair with green eyes and the face a mother would be proud of. Lucus has very light brown hair and green eyes as well and looked similar to Shawn. Darius had very blonde hair and the lightest pair of blue eyes and looked like he was part of an army.

“It’s a pleasure meeting you all boys. Um, how may I help you?” Shawn leaned on the door post and looked at me.

“The king has heard of your feats against killing ten of his minions. He’s impressed, Annaliese,” he said with a bit of an Italian accent injected, and winked at me. I blushed slight.

“But I’m only 14. Why would the king choose me out of all people?” Lucus bent down a little and lifted up my face to his.

“Well, pretty face, the king wants you to join his army. As my brother, Shawn said, the king is mightly impressed and knows that you will suit well for him and the army of course,” Lucuz added, letting go of my face gently. I blushed once more.

“Yes, but I am still young. Can’t the king just wait until I’m 15 or something?” I questioned. Darius stood in front of me and smirked at me.

“Well, princess. Joining the army now at a young age will benefit you. See us? We joined when we were 13, and now we are 16 to 17. And we are now strong and masculine. Plus, the king is 17 and he needs a queen. I’m sure he’ll adore you as you’re cute, beautiful and strong,” he stated. I knew something was going on, but I brushed past it.

“I’ll come and see the king, and nothing else. Understood?” The boys all nodded and agreed.

“We’ll leave tomorrow morning at the first light, Annaliese,” Alex informed, closing the door. Everything was going as planned, but why did I feel so empty?

Chapter 7

Defeated and not wanted by anyone, I trudged along, dragging Eclipse from behind when a group of four boys, racing down the road, when I heard one of them say Annaliese. They went around a corner and me and Eclipse followed close behind. When we rounded the bend, the four boys had already started a campfire and were talking around it. I hid behind the bushes to be lessseen. The first one to talk was a brown haired, dark blue eyed boy who seemed around 17.

“The king will be happy that we found the culprit who killed his minions.” Another brown haired boy, but with green eyes laughed.

“Come on, Alex. A 14-year-old killing 10 minions? That’s insane.” The other started laughing.

“But Gallus told us what happened, and even his cut leg was proof as well, Lucus,” Alex challenged. They all went quiet and stop laughing.

“He’s got a point, you know,” a blonde head with blue eyes said.

“I agree with Darius. He does have a point,” Lucus agreed. They all turned to look at the last boy.

“What about you, Shawn?” Dairius asked him. Shawn had light brown hair and green eyes and a very mysterious behaviour to me.

“I say we let the king decide on the verdict. Annaliese may be young, but she has more potential then we all do. Plus she already knows how to fight and defend herself; we didn’t know that until we were 15,” Shawn told them all. The other boys all nodded.

“Besides,” Shawn continued, “if that blubbering child can find a wife, then Annaliese is the best option for him.” Annaliese being the kings' wife? Did she know about this? I mean she obviously should know. But there was no point in going and telling her. Annaliese wanted to be left alone and to fulfil what she wanted to achieve.

“Come on, Eclipse,” I dragged her away and hid behind some trees to sleep for the night. So much for a good 17th birthday.

******

I was up even before the first rays of light started to show. I knew I was forgetting something but I couldn’t put my finger to it. I went to the stables and got Czar out when I heard the boys trotting down to the stable inn. When we came out, the boys were already there waiting for me.

“Ready, Annaliese?” Shawn asked. He had a look of glee plastered across his face, but I ignored it.

“Yes, we’re ready,” I responded, getting onto Czar’s back. I had my knife and sword strapped against my chest, and the sun bounced off them. They all noticed, because they all started whispering to each other, very loudly.

“She’s got a knife and a sword.”

“She’s going to kill us.”

“Don’t get her upset, or she’ll slit your throat.”

I arched an eyebrow and looked at them.

“I can hear you guys, you know?” They all looked at me worried and a little sheepish as well. They let me go behind them and so started the long journey.

After a few hours of a long and boring journey we reached the castle. It was tall and made with red and brown bricks. But I knew that the inside will be beyond pretty red bricks. We put our horses in the stable and went inside. The boys were still scared I used that to my advantage. We went to a room and the doors opened. The room was white, way too white, but was filled with minions. All of those black and red minions. There was a tall figure standing at the front. The king. He wore dark blue and black. His hair was messy and unkempt and he has black eyes. The four boys hid behind me, shaking in fear.

“You may leave now, boys,” the king said with a menacing voice. The boys all squealed and ran out of the room. It was just me and the king. As well as his hideous minions. The king mentioned his finger, forwarding me forward. I walked up to him undeterred. He then looked at me and smirked, and using his magic hoovered over me.

“So, you’re Annalise? The one who killed 10 of my minions?” he questioned looking over me.

“Yes, I am,” I responded confidently. The king then stood in front of me, looking down at me.

“Do you know who I am?” I shook my head, playing dumb.

“No, sir.”

“Well, I’m William Shadow Mist. The new and youngest king.” So the boys were right, but he didn’t seem the least bit frightening or scary. I just looked right at him, not adhered. He had the most amazing pair of dark blue and black eyes which were just mesmerising. William must have seen my eyes change colour to pink, because his eyes widen.

“You’re eyes are pink… they changed colour. It’s… mesmerising.” I simply stared back and blinked innocently.

“You’re eyes are mesmerising as well,” I responded back. Our “staring” competition was interrupted when a minion tripped across the floor to William.

“Your Highness, the plans have been finalised, and the minions are moving into position,” the minion told him, rather out of breath. William looked at the minion and smiled menacingly.

“Thank you. I’ll give more information after my meeting,” he replied looking back at me warmly. I blushed slightly and he looked back at the minion.

“You may go now.” With a flick of his hand, the minions ran off. I looked at William confused.

“Moving into what position? What plan?” I asked worryingly. He looked at me seriously.

“Promise not to tell anyone?” I nodded.

“Since I’m the new king and the 1000th descendant of the Shadow Mist King, it is my duty to finish what he started. I’ve sent the minions out to go and take those who do not want to help me or serve under my reign of the Shadow Mist family. And this time without those pesky warriors trying to destroy the reign. And since no one knows where they placed the gems, it’s impossible to end my reign.”

******

I had just bought a loaf of bread and started eating when the sound of familiar hoofsteps resounded. Just as I was about to look up, Annaliese jumped of Czar and ran towards me.

“We have to stop him.”

“Stop who?” I looked at her very confused. Her eyes were wide and she looked scared and worried.

“The king! The king is trying to take over the kingdom!!” she shouted scared. I held her face and squeezed her cheeks so she’d stop talking and looked at her. She looked like a puffer fish which was very adorable, but I had to pay attention.

“Tell me what happened from the beginning.”

“Bu kin ants o estry veyody,” she replied back. I looked at her confused before letting go of her cheeks, realising. She gasped for air and rubbed her face.

“The king wants to destroy everybody. He’s a direct descendant of the Shadow Mist who was exiled hundred of years ago. He said that he wants to continue what the old king had done without being stopped by anyone. He’s already sent his minions out and in position to annihilate the towns. The only reason he called me was because he wanted me to help with the planning and positions and since I said no, I’m one of the people on the list to kill,” she recalled before taking a deep breath. So that’s why. But what about those boys? Doesn’t matter anymore. All that matters is that she stood up for what she believes is right instead of following the king. She then asked me a question that made my blood run cold.

“Could he be the one from the legend you always told me? Are we going to die?” she looked at me with big eyes. Annaliese was never known as someone to worry, but today, now, she had a look of extreme worry. I looked at her and shook my head.

“I doubt it and I doubt that we will die. We are both strong assassins and we will be okay. We will manage. And if it is part of the legend, then I'm sure that a strong group of assassins will destroy him..”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’m sure.” Annaliese nodded and gave me a quick hug before getting back on her horse.

“Where you going?” I asked her.

“To find more information about this.” she clicked her tongue and off they went. Annaliese was never someone to give up which was something I loved about her.

Chapter 8

To find more information, I did. But my luck in finding any? None. It was 2 years that I looked and found nothing. I kept on fighting the minions, but I hadn’t seen Adin at all. He was 17 when I left so he might be 19 or 20 now. I was now 16 and pretty strong and tall. Even during my time of finding information, I also looked for Adin. I missed him and I wanted to see him again, which I did eventually. But rather… absurdly.

In the summer the king had invited all assassins, warriors, hunters and the rest of the vibe to a ball. Surprisingly, I was invited to come. I figured the king had forgotten about what happened 2 years ago, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me from being cautious. One thing that didn’t surprise me though was the fact that I had nothing to wear. And just as I feared, I had to go to the nearest village and find a dressmaker.

I disliked going into villages or towns unless I had to, but this time, I HAD to. Fortunately for me, the first town I came upon had a dressmaker right at the front. I got off Czar and tied his reigns to a post and went inside. The minute I opened the door, a young blonde woman called out to me in a cheerful voice.

“Hello there, darling. How may I help you?” she asked. I pulled down my hood and mask to seem less intimidating and smiled.

“I’d like a ball gown dress, please.” The young woman stared at me for a second before gasping.

“Annaliese, is that you?” I looked at her confused.

“How do you know my name?” I questioned.

“It’s me, Sasha.” My eyes widen.

“Sasha from the orphanage?” she nodded and smiled enthusiastically.

“Yes, Sasha from the orphanage. So much has happened very since you and Adin left,” she started.

“Tell me, please.”

Sasha regaled me about everything. After I and Adin left, all of the chores that we both did go around to the other older kids. Jacinta and Hans got married and had 3 little boys and one girl. According to Sasha, they named one of the boys Adin and the girl Annaliese. All of the older kids when they turned 18 left the orphanage and most of them got married. Since Sasha was 7 years older than me, she left the orphanage 3 years after I and Adin left and got into fashion and designing. She taught herself and sent clothes to the orphans at the orphanage.

“So how about you and Adin? What happened to you both?” she asked.

“Well, we got taken in by some warriors. I nearly died from influenza, and Adin confessed his love to me. I ran away again and fought for some minions. Saw the king. Met Adin again and for these 2 years, I’ve been running around trying to find information about the king. I haven’t seen or heard from Adin ever since and now I’m invited to a ball.” Sasha nodded.

“Seems interesting. What kind of dress do you want?”

“I had not thought about that…” I replied sheepishly. Sasha smiled.

“I think I have just the dress for you. Wait here.” She went into the back and came back with a dress. It was a beautiful colour of purple and had a lace covering at the top and lace sleeves. The dress skirt and bodice were made of satin and some thick, not-see-through material. The lace part at the chest had satin underneath and was closed around the back and floor length. It had a matching purple coat with a hood with some wool inside.

“It’s perfect. Thank you!” I exclaimed. I hugged Sasha and she hugged me back and gave me the dress.

“It’s yours to keep. Have fun at the ball,” she called as I ran out the door. I was ready.

*****

I fixed the collar of my shirt and examined it in the mirror. Shawn had been kind enough to give me a suit for Williams’ party. I sprayed some perfume and looked at the picture frame on my table. It was a drawing Jacinta had done of me and Annaliese sitting on a hill together. I hadn’t seen her in 2 years. Was she alive? What is she doing now? Does she think of me? Does she remember me? All of these thoughts and questions raced through my mind until a loud knock on the door brought me plummeting back to Earth.

“Open,” I called. The door opened and Shawn’s head popped inside.

“Can I come inside?” he asked. I shook my head.

“You already are inside, silly.”

“Oh yeah. Right,” Shawn said as he came inside and closed the door behind him. I must have still been a little dazed because he examined me intently.

“You, okay?”

“I- yeah. I’m fine,” I stammered. Shawn didn’t seem convinced.

“Were you thinking about Annaliese?” I didn’t respond. Instead, I looked at him and nodded. Shawn smiled at me gently.

“You do know she will be here tonight, right?” I looked at him confused.

“She is?” Shawn scoffed.

“Uh, yeah dummy. Annalise is one of the youngest renowned warriors. She’s going to come.” I smiled embarrassed and rubbed the back of my neck.

“Yeah. I didn’t think about that. Do you think she’ll remember me?”

“Well, even though you are 19 now and a little tall, you haven’t changed a bit.”

“Obviously,” I said smiling. Shawn smiled back.

“Come on. Everyone is here, nearly.”

Shawn walked out of my room, and I had no choice but to do the same. I ran a hand through my hair and walked out, closing the door behind me. I walked the short distance down the hallway to the ballroom and entered. Shawn was right. There were quite a few people. As I looked to find Shawn, I grabbed a cup of champagne and winked at the young woman.

“Still gorgeous as always, Leah,” I complimented her. Leah smiled.

“Thank you, Mr Adin. You better be glad that I won’t kill you by the number of times you’ve flirted with me.” I shrugged and walked away.

“Try me.” I walked off and found Shawn standing talking to a beautiful woman. She had a purple floor-length dress and a purple cloak on top. She had long brown hair nicely curled and done up in a bun with a few strands hanging loose to give a nice effect. She had an amazing pair of magenta-coloured eyes. Shawn looked up at me and motioned for me to come.

“Adin, this is a wonderful girl named, Annaliese. Come meet her.” I looked at her and our eyes met. She looked so… familiar. Like I saw her before. Just as I was going to talk to her, the trumpets resounded, and the doors opened. William stepped out in his trademark black and dark blue colour. He grabbed a glass of champagne from the servant next to him and looked at us all.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you have all been gathered today at this ball as a means to thank all of the warriors, assassins, soldiers, archers and the rest for joining us all here today for thanking you for protecting this humble kingdom…” I looked over at Shawn and Annaliese and noticed the anger on her face. Did she know something that we all didn’t? Shawn noticed me starting at Annaliese and hit me gently. I looked at him and he leaned closer to my ear and whispered to me.

“Do you think this is the Annaliese that you used to know?” I shrugged. We turned our attention to William just as he finished his speech.

“… a toast to all those who protect us!” he ended as he raised his glass high. Everyone did the same and repeated what William said. As well all took a sip from our champagne, I noticed Annaliese was gone.

*****

As the king was doing the toast, I immediately went and found a corner to hide. What was the king trying to achieve? Was he trying to get the favour of everyone so that when the minions destroy the kingdom, he won’t get blamed? And that was Adin. I knew it was. And boy he grew tall. But now he was staying with Shawn? As I was pondering these thoughts, I decided to go talk with Adin, but as soon as I left my hiding spot, I noticed a small girl standing in the middle of the crowd staring at me. It was like she seemed invisible to everyone else. I blinked and when I did, she was gone. Weird. I went on my way and bumped into someone.

“Oh, I am so sorry. I wasn’t paying attention,” I apologized to the stranger. They slowly turned around and looked me in the eye. I gasped. It was the king, but he didn’t seem to recognize me.

“Are you, Annaliese?” he asked. I nodded.

“Yes sir. I am.” William stared at me and smiled.

“I’m so glad that you could make it. I had thought that you wouldn’t come considering how busy you are protecting the kingdom.” I looked at him and smiled nervously.

“Yeah. I thought that as well, but I guess it can wait for one night.” He nodded and turned his attention to another guest. I sighed and walked off until I noticed Adin dancing with another girl. He looked so happy and smiled and laughed. My heart broke in two. He moved on and forgot about me. With tears in my eyes, I turned and walked away passing Shawn. He noticed my face and grabbed my hand.

“Annaliese are you okay?” he questioned. I looked at him and shook my head and got out of his grip and walked off. I didn’t want to talk to anyone. At least not now.

*****

As I was dancing with Katrina, another beautiful woman who liked me, Shawn came up to me and tapped my shoulder. I turned to look at him.

“Hey, Shawn. What’s up?”

“Annalise, that’s what.” I stopped dancing and told Katrina I had to go solve something. I then looked at Shawn.

“Where’s Annaliese?” Shawn shrugged.

“I think outside. But you should go talk to her,” he stated matter-of-factly.

I ran outside and when I did, I saw Annaliese running into the gardens. I followed her and stopped her.

“Annalise. Wait!” I called after her. Annaliese stopped running and turned to look at me. Her eyes were red and full of tears, and she looked hurt and angry.

“How could you, Adin! How could you forget me?!” she yelled at me. More tears started falling down her face as I stood there feeling dumb.

“I’m sorry, Annaliese…” I started, but she cut me off.

“Sorry doesn’t fix anything, Adin. Sorry, can’t mend a broken heart. Sorry, doesn’t change what happened. Sorry, doesn’t take my pain away. Sorry, doesn’t help. The damage has been done. I thought you cared about me. I thought you loved me!” she shouted. I didn’t know what to do, but to tell her the truth.

“Look, Annalise. I do care for you. I do love you. I know sorry can’t mend a broken heart. I didn’t forget you. I’ve been thinking about you every day for the past two years. I’ve been trying to find you. I’ve been longing every day to look you in the eye and tell you that I never want to let you leave ever again. To tell you that I love you. To tell you that I care for you. To tell you everything. I didn’t forget you, Annaliese. I never can and never will.”

Annaliese looked at me. Her anger turned into hurt and then into sadness. Her skin looked so delicate. I just wanted to touch her face and hold her close and tell her everything I said again. But I can’t. she was hurt by me, and I deserve to be ignored by her for my foolish actions. I hurt the person most close to me. Annaliese turned away from me.

“I want to be left alone.” I nodded, respecting her decision and went back inside. Shawn saw the look of disappointment and sadness and let me be. Now I wanted to be alone and contemplate what I had done wrong.

*****

Once Adin left, I found the nearest bench in the garden and sat down crying. I once again felt like I had no purpose in life. Like no one cared about me. I looked up at the night sky and sighed. Such a peaceful night, yet such a painful one as well. When I looked back down, I saw the same girl inside. She wore a white shirt covered in glad, as well as her hands. She had blonde, brown or red hair and had a maniacal smile. I was staring at her and she was staring back at me. My blood ran cold and in the blink of an eye, she was gone again. After that, I heard a high-pitched scream, and someone called for help. I froze. I didn’t know what do to. Just then a hand clasped over my mouth and pulled me into the bushes. I screamed and yelled until the person scowled at me.

“Be quiet or we will both get caught.” I had a knife in my cloak which I brought and cut the person’s hand. They let go of me and I turned around, with my knife pointing in the direction of the person until I realized who it was.

“Felix?”

Chapter 9

We sat around the campfire as Felix cleaned the blood from his hand and bandaged it.

“Sorry,” I apologized sheepishly. Felix looked at me and smiled gently.

“That’s alright, Annaliese. You protected yourself which is good self-defence skills.” I smiled back.

“I suppose. How is everyone?”

“Everyone is good. We had a feeling you both ran away to find your place which is respected. How are you? And Adin?” I looked down.

“What’s wrong?” Felix must have noticed that I was upset. I looked back up at him.

“I was okay until tonight. Adin… broke my heart.” Felix looked at me confused.

“Have you fallen in love with him?” he questioned. I shook my head vigorously.

“No. You see, I found out a plot the king wants to do, and I’ve been searching for information for 2 years now. Seems like Adin befriended the king and one of the soldiers and forgot all about me,” I explained. Felix nodded in silence.

“I’ve heard about the kings’ plan as well. That’s why I went to find you. I’ve found some information.” I leaned forward and nodded.

“Tell.”

“On the other side of the kingdom is an inn where the bartender has a quest to dethrone and put a stop to the kings’ plan. It’s a one-year journey by horse to reach the inn. The legend about the king trying to take over the kingdom has come to pass. This is the king. The quest isn’t mentioned in the legend but it’s the quest for the Cursed Gems. Whoever isn’t pure of heart and goes looks for the gems will be put under a never-ending cure. But those pure of heart who go will be put through a series of challenges. Those who went have never made it out alive, but I believe that you and Adin and a few friends will be able to do this. You are the ones who will save this kingdom.” I nodded and stood up.

I knew what I had to do.

*****

Shawn had tried everything possible to make me happy again but whatever he did just didn’t work. Just then, Annaliese was weaving in and between people, nearly getting squashed alive and came to me.

“Adin… I need… to talk… to… you…” she panted. Shawn looked at me and motioned that he was going to go. I nodded and grabbed Annaliese by the hand and led her into the hallway. No one was there so we had enough privacy to talk. I then turned to her and looked her in the eye.

“What’s wrong?”

“Felix. He has some information about what the king wants to do.” My eyes widen.

“What did he say?”

“He said that on the other side of the kingdom is an inn where the bartender there knows how to put a stop to the king’s plan to take over the kingdom. Felix said that we can go with other people and destroy the plans,” she said. This was perfect. Now we had a chance of stopping the destruction. Just then the sound of footsteps resounded down the hallway. I turned to Annaliese.

“Annaliese, do something.”

“What though?” she asked confused. Before second thinking, I grabbed her face and kissed her. Right at that moment, William walked past and didn’t notice a thing. Once he went inside the room, Annaliese pulled away and slapped me across the face.

“Hey!! What was that for?” I said rubbing my face. Annaliese smiled and shrugged.

“Sorry, instinct. Let’s go,” she replied as she ran off. I sighed and ran after her. By the time I caught up with her, she had already got out of her dress and back in her ‘casual’ clothes. She got onto Czar and rode off. Again, I’m left behind? This is going to be harder than I thought.

*****

I had already ridden off and remembered I left Adin behind. Again. I turned and rode back to where Adin had just gotten on Eclipse. I smiled sheepishly.

“Sorry, instinct. I’m used to being alone.” Adin looked at me and smirked.

“Of course, it’s instinct. Now come on. Race you,” Adin challenged.

“Oh, you are on,” I said, and we both rode off. Once we got halfway away from the castle, we got stopped by some minions. We knew they were only clones now since Adin had been told by the king, but the satisfaction was perfect. One of the minions stepped forward.

“Annaliese and Adin, you two aren’t going anywhere.”

“Says who?” I challenged.

“The king. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” Adin looked at me and smirked. We both got off our horses and were swinging our swords around.

“We choose the hard away,” we both said.

The minions charged at us, but we were prepared. I took half and Adin took half. The first one charged at me and sliced the scar across my eye. I hated when that happened. I cut its arm and it turned into goo, the others weren’t deterred and so I fought against them. The goo was everywhere and since the minions had no shoes, they had no grip either. Adin fought off the other minions with ease and obtained a few scratches. Just at the end, one of the remaining minions cut the scar across my eye again.

“My eye. I can’t see. It hurts…!” I screamed. Adin killed the reaming minions and ran to me.

“You, okay?” he asked cautiously. I nodded. He didn’t seem convinced.

“I’m going to go find some help. Stay here,” he said as he got on Eclipse and rode off. Finally. I cleaned the blood and stitched the cut myself and got on Czar.

“Let’s go, boy,” I whispered to him, and we rode off leaving Adin. Again.

*****

I didn’t know Annaliese left, and I didn’t think Annaliese would leave. Even though we hadn’t seen each other for two years, we still had that connection. Now that she was older and her birthday was in a few months, I had a hunch that she might accept my proposal to be more than friends. Once I reached the village, I went to the nearest person I saw.

“Excuse me, but do you know where a doctor is?” I asked an elderly man. The man looked up at me and nodded.

“Why yes, my son. I am a doctor. How may I help?” I breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness.

“My friend has had a scar across her eye ever since she was young and you see, I and she are both warriors, and well, when we were fighting off some minions, one of them cut the scar across her eye and blood went everywhere and she can’t see. I told her to wait until I came here to find someone who could help,” I explained to the old man. He nodded slowly.

“I have just the thing she needs. Fortunately, I always carry the stuff for scars and cuts with me. Let us go at once.”

I helped him onto Eclipse, and we rode at a generous pace so that the old man won’t fall off. By the time we got to where the right was, the minion slime had hardened, and Annaliese was… gone. The old man squinted his eyes.

“Is your friend real or imaginary?” he questioned. I got off Eclipse and looked around.

“She was here. Annaliese was here. I don’t know where she went.” At the mention of Annaliese’s name, the old man’s eyes widen.

“Annaliese? You mean the assassin Annaliese who everyone talks about?” I nodded.

“Yes. That’s her.”

“And you are Adin. Who is another well-known assassin?”

“Yep. That’s me.” The old man gasped in excitement.

“I have never thought that I would meet you both. But here I am talking to the Adin. It is such a pleasure to meet you,” he said excitedly. I nodded and smiled at him gently.

“I must go back to the village and help my people.”

“Do you want me to take you back?” The old man shook his head as he waddled off.

“I will be fine, son. You go find your Annaliese,” he said. I smiled gently. At least he understood. I got back on Eclipse.

“Come on, girl. Let’s go catch up to a warrior.” And so started the chasing game again until on her birthday I found her injured and nearly dead. I do not know how she injured herself but the way I found her sent a chill down my spine.

Chapter 5

“Adin… what are you doing?” I whispered as quietly as I could. He looked at me, shocked and hurt. Instead of responding, he dragged my hand and pulled me away from the camp and into the forest.

“The big question is what are you doing?” I sighed and looked down. I could tell his expression softened because he lifted my head gently and looked me in the eye.

“What’s wrong?” I looked back at him. He was truly concerned about me, but I didn’t want that. I pulled my head away from him.

“I’m leaving and not coming back,” I said firmly. Adin looked at me confused and blinked a few times.

“Why are you running away?”

“Because…”

“Because isn’t a reason Annaliese.”

“It is now.” Adin sighed. I could tell he had given up with reasoning against me, so I just told him. Whether he wanted to know or not.

“I’m running away so I can see the world, do things and find out who I truly am meant to be. I want to be part of the king's army, to fight and be the assassin that I am meant to be.” I looked at Adin. He looked at me quietly and nodded.

“I understand, go and pursue that… follow your dreams and be the one you meant to be.” I looked at him confused, but he pulled me closer and hugged me tightly. I hugged him back. I felt… warm… like a feeling of love… No. I couldn’t let myself feel that. I pulled away and got onto Czar.

“Farewell Adin…”

“Farewell Annaliese…” I clicked my tongue and rode off into the distance leaving Adin behind.

******

Annaliese galloped away leaving me behind. Did she care about her fortune more than me? I shook my head. She couldn’t. She’d never. But… would she? Yes, she did. I sighed and walked back slowly to camp when a gang of large, black and red minions or something came towards me. I froze, worried and scared, obviously not knowing what to do. The entourage approached me and stopped. A big, slimy minion pointed a long, disgusting finger at me.

“You, boy, what’s your name?” they asked in a raspy voice. I gulped.

“Adin…”

“You, Adin. Do you know the nearest way to a village?” they asked. One of the other minions fumbled with a scroll and undid it.

“Morf, rouy gink, ent wodahS tsiM…” the larger minion bonked the other across the back of its head.

“Not now you ding dong. You’re reading it upside down too,” he scowled at the minion.

“Oh… sorry about that boss,” the other apologised. The large minion sighed and turned his attention back on me.

“So, do you?” I nodded quickly and pointed straight ahead. The minion laughed evilly and the cart went forward. That’s when I realised. Annalise. I tried to move but looked down at my feet. Minion slime. I was stuck, but I quickly grabbed my sword and broke the goo and went back to camp to get Eclipse.

*****

I and Czar were trudging it slowly when I heard unfamiliar voices and the sound of a cart behind us. Czar got scared and ran into the trees before I could catch his reigns. As I turned around, some black and red blobs or something surrounded me. The biggest and ugliest one sneered.

“What is a little girl like you doing out here all by yourself?” it questioned. I clutched my sword ready to attack.

“It’s none of your business.” It chuckled and so did the others.

“It does now, and I bet the Shadow Mist King will love someone like you.” They all lunged forward at me, but I back flipped behind, holding my sword ready. The leader smirked.

“We can do this the easy way, or the hard way, princess.” I smirked.

“I chose the hard way.”

The minions all produced weapons of all kinds in one go. But I was prepared. One ran towards me, but I kicked its dagger out of its hand and it grabbed my leg and pulled me down. I fell down hard and the minion jumped on me and started to cut my face with its dagger, but I jumped up and stabbed its heart. The blob immediately turned into goo. All the other minions got scared and ran away except for the big one.

“It’s only you and me, princess.” I smirked.

“I’m looking forward to that.”

The minion lunged forward and cut my hand. It started to bleed, but I didn’t let that stop me. I sliced my sword against its arm causing it to fall to the ground. Except of it turning into goo, the minion was still staying in tact. It smirked and cut the scar across my eyes before getting on the car and riding away. I sighed and whistled for Czar to come. Czar came and I jumped onto the saddle and rode off to the village.

*****

After I got Eclipse, I rode off to find Annaliese. As I did, the big minion came riding on the cart down my direction, with one of his hands cut off. Annaliese. I clicked my tongue and Eclipse rode off faster. After a few minutes, we reached a area full of black goo. Annaliese must have been here.

“We’re on the right track, Eclipse,” I whispered to her. We walked a little bit more further and stopped for the night. Eclipse was tired and so was I. It was late in the night. I didn’t even get any sleep. I was physically and emotionally tired, as well as mentally. Finding out about Annaliese leaving as well just made my mind run even faster. Why did she leave? Was it because of me? Because I told her that I had feelings for her? Those thoughts were running through my head, which eventually were the antidote to my sleep.

When I woke up, the birds were chirping really loud and the sun was really bright. I got up and sighed. Day 2 of trying to find Annaliese. Well, not really day 2 since I only did start last night. So day 1 of finding Annaliese. I whistled and Eclipse poked her head out from a bush of blueberries, and walked upto me. I chuckled.

“I should have named you Blueberry, huh?” She neighed in disapproval. Glad she thought bad of the name as well. I got onto her saddle and rode off straight to the village to bring Annaliese back.