Chapter 2

Molly's POV

I was awaken by the sounds of a crow outside my wooden window inviting the cold breeze that is coming from the huge trees outside my cottage. The morning hasn't show itself yet but the skies are starting to emit the colour of the usual morning sky. I didn't got up early on my bed that is covered with wool fabric that kept me warm every cold evenings that passed me by. 

This day, I planned to gather some materials for my witchcraft that I have been practicing for many years. My bedchamber is almost filled with different crystals and dried herbs hanging on the stone walls creating a musty smell surrounding the air that I breathe inside this room.

Before I decided to go out, I looked for my book of shadows and hid it under my bed to avoid Yve from finding it. I know that she usually come inside here because her smell and aura doesn't disperse even after how many hours have already passed. 

When I opened by bedroom's door, a dark hallway greeted me symbolising that the family are still in deep slumber. As I walk slowly, I heard some people talking downstairs and it seemed to belong to Levi and his daughter Yve. I wonder what might be the reason they are already awake at this hour? 

After a short walk on the hallways, I reached the wooden stairs that always make creak sounds whenever someone set their foot in it. Every step that I take, the stairs never fails to make its announcement that someone is already awake and is planning unto coming downstairs.

Levi and Yve were looking straight at me as if they are scared to see me right at the moment. ''Lady Molly, Why are you up at this hour? Did we wake you up with our voice?" Levi asked me with an obvious nervousness on the way he delivered his words. "Of course not Levi. It was my own will to be awake early this morning because I am planning to go to the Capital to gather some things," I plainly told him.

I don't really get it sometimes why would this young lad before me act scared whenever I'm around. It's not like I'm going to murder him and feed his body to wild animals on the woods. Maybe I just really look intimidating most of the time. After that short chitchat, I noticed that this father and daughter pair were preparing hunting tools on the stone counter near the kitchen.

Before I could even ask them, Yve decided to clarify things to me even though I already know what they are planning to do on this day. I just nodded my head and then decided to finally go on the river that is locating not so far from this cottage. I plan on taking a bath first before I depart so that I wouldn't stink along the way. It will be a shame for a lady like me. 

When I opened the door that is leading outside the cottage, a thick fog greeted my existence not wanting me to have a clearer view to where should I go correctly. Luckily, there's a torch outside the cottage walls so I decided to take it along with the wooden pail I am carrying for my bath water. As I walk slowly while carrying the torch on my hand, the dried leaves that I kept on stepping over makes a crunchy sound around the lonely and eerie forest.

After walking for a long while, a sound of gently flowing stream was heard giving me a sign that I have arrived on my destination. I quickly filled my wooden pail as I knelt on the stone before me. After acquiring what I wanted, I returned to the cottage to boil it to the perfect temperature for bathing.

When I returned, Lucia was already awake along with Luna greeting me and Levi and Yve was already gone and surely is already out for hunting wild animals somewhere in the forest. After I finished cleaning up my self on the cottage old garderobe, I headed off the place and took my journey towards the Capital of Argania where the Kingdom is.

Once I arrived on the capital, lots of people are already crowding the streets. The stone bricks that is placed on the grounds are wet giving me a hint that it was raining in here earlier. There are various noises around this place that make both of my ears hurt. Merchants and vendors shouting to get the people's attention and some are chasing around their target customer convincing that their product is of quality when it's really not.

I've also encountered being chased while I walk towards the shop I am planning to go but I easily let him back off when I looked at him sternly. Taking a few steps more, I reached this normal looking establishments near a bakery which is emitting a delicious scent of a freshly baked bread off the oven. But the reason why I am here is not to smell this delicacy, but to enter this shop in front of me.

As I open the wooden door of the place, I was greeted by an old woman dusting off the furniture with her weak hands. "you don't have to pretend that you're a weak old woman Bridgette," I told her after I leaned on the stone walls and looking at her with a smirk forming on my lips.

She stomped her feet on the floor as she transformed unto her true self. "Why do you always recognize me even if I turned myself to an old lady?" she said in defeat before continuing her duty. "You know me, I am not lady Molly for nothing" I proudly said as I put the basket that I bought with me along the way.

I am going to put the things I'm going to get on Bridgette's shop. Her shop was actually a drinking house or should I say a tavern. Travellers, Commoners or even soldiers fill up this place to get their cup of drink every night. But in this time of the day, it looks like a shop that is out of business because the light that the torches she lit up weren't enough to give a proper lighting to see stuff much clearer. 

"Where are the herbs that I ordered you to gather a few days ago? Do you have it?" I asked her as I look over the cabinets behind her hoping that I could find some valuable things to take with me. "Yes, it's on the kitchen near the ingredients I am going to use for tonight's menu," She responded without even looking at me.

Without delaying my movement any further, I immediately took myself on her kitchen and look for the herbs that I asked her. It didn't took much of my time because I saw it quickly without confusing myself. I decided to arrange them properly on my basket taking some cheese and mushrooms on Bridgettes stock of ingredients before finally covering it with a cotton handkerchief. 

"I am returning to the woods now Bridgette. Take care of yourself alright?" I finally said before going out of her tavern. I didn't wait for her respond because I'm in a rush on returning home.  I still have to wander the northern parts of the woods to get some Virginia Bluebells and Wild Anemones.

Closing the door behind me, I decided to look upon the products that the vendors and merchants are selling. Maybe I could find something valuable if I look further. I didn't let the vendors their selves show me their products because I want to look for it personally. It would lower the chance for me getting tricked by these old lads. Even though they live here in the capital of Argania, their lives in here are much worse than we have that lives deep inside the woods. 

As I carefully check the quality and rarity of the items, I heard some men and women gossiping about something beside me. 

"Have you heard? The baker's older brother had gone missing after the King told him to go into the woods?"

"Yes, yes! At first I thought they were merely making rumors about it, but up to this day no one has found his body!" 

"I wonder what happened? Do you think that the King executed him after failing his orders?" 

"I think so, but why would they hide the body? Shouldn't they be informing his family?" 

They really thought that he was executed by the King but in fact he died because of me. News really spread that fast if the capital have a lots of people who loves to hear this kind of gossip. It's like music to their ears when they heard one.

But what makes me think is that, why would be the King order that old man to go to the woods? and the fact that he targeted one of the twin sister when they were outside makes me confused even more. Did the king ordered him to kill Luna? and if it's that the case, how did the king know the existence of Luna?

I still remember that the old man said that someone just ordered him to go in there saying that there are witches on that place and their bodies are useful for anything. Does it mean someone else knows the existence of the twin sisters having the case of being an Albino?  

After eavesdropping on their loud conversation, I decided to bought some silk from the merchant in front of me. But before I finally depart the capital, something caught my attention right away. There are bunch of soldiers and horsemen are gathering in the middle of the plaza calling the attention of the commoners and merchants.

A man came up to the front holding a scroll with an elegant ribbon on it symbolising that this scroll is from the royal family inside the Palace. Even though I don't want to hear about their announcement for the people, my curiosity pushed me to listen to it before I go. 

I thought that they were going to speak right away but they decided to wait more in order to gather more people in front of them. This announcement that they are going to make seems to be so important.