Chapter 18I sighed in satisfaction as I stepped back to survey my work. It was impressive how much I had learned in the last few weeks to protect my cover.Last week, I learned to make a bed properly, yesterday, I learned how to sweep and cleaned and today, I finally figured out how to old clothes. To say I was proud of myself is an understatement.Working for Prince Scott had surprisingly not been too bad so far. Yes, the man still made me want to scratch my eyeballs out and chuck a pillow at his head every time he opened his mouth but if I’m being honest.He wasn’t so bad once he realized he couldn’t get rid of me by overworking me.I whistled happily to myself as I picked up the clothes I had folded and put them away neatly in his closet. Once I was done, I stood staring at the room.Everything was neat and clean, for the first time in a long time, I had finished my work on time.Scott wasn’t in the room presently. He had gone to yet another meeting with the kind, probably to bad
PEACEFUL, THAT'S HOW BEST TO DESCRIBE the atmosphere. That kind of cold and silent peace that best seems to cling to the dark forest A lady dressed in dark robes was on a mission that night. She could barely see with all the fog, yet she stumbled as though the devil himself was on her heels while clutching her bundle to her chest. She ran until she burst from the entrapping trees of the forest into a clearing, where she slowed down for a bit, exhausted and happy to have reached her destination. The rushing of a river roared over her ears as the lady walked slowly and came to a stop in front of the river, where she freed her bundle of its wrap. The wail of a child pierced through the night air, louder than the chirping of the nocturnal insects. The lady took no care to appease the wailing, naked child as she hastily placed the baby in a bowl. With a heavy heart, the woman waded into the river and laid the child down. She stood for a while, gazing at the infant as she thought of al
TODAY WAS A DAY OF CHANGE, an emotional and mental change. The type of change that affects the atmosphere.It was a few days into the second week of December, the winter was wild and cold gusts of wind rattled and shook windows endlessly, yet snow had made no arrival.I felt it before it happened. It was like a low buzz of energy underneath my skin that seemed to make me lightheaded. Every time something of significance was about to happen, I felt it.I felt it before my dad failed to show up to my seven years old birthday, somehow I knew something was wrong.One day later, he was found gravely wounded close to Revillon borders.I felt it the moment my mother got pregnant: She lost the baby a few months later.I feel it now, I've felt it since this morning.I stomped across the room and back again, Almost out of my mind with anxiety, the strange feeling bothered me endlessly. It's hard to be settled when I have felt the buzz since this morning.The door of the queen's waiting chambers
When I walked out of the queen's waiting room, Kezira stood outside waiting for me. I did not have to tell her what had happened, she could read me as easily as I could read her. Kezira is my ladies maid, I wouldn't go as far as saying she is my best friend. I don't t keep friends but Kezira comes close enough."None of this makes sense. Her majesty just wants me to run away, what of my soldiers, who's going to lead them?" I asked Kezira in annoyance as I walked away from the door and stalked down the hallway.The ladies of the court knew better than to test me, they all walked briskly like scared kittens, eager to get away from the warrior princess before they experienced my wrath. Wouldn't be the first time. "Azura calm down, I think it's mostly for your protection" Kezira said as she walked briskly in an attempt to keep up with me. Kez is the only person person apart from my parents who calls me by that name."It was a rhetorical question, if you're not going back me up, then plea
BEAMS OF SUN RAYS STREAMED ACROSS my bedroom unto my face waking me up. I yawned, sat up and looked at the curtains where kezira stood. She was already fully dressed in a brown simple gown made in Revillonian style which is our disguise. Presto, the palace designer came last night after dinner with boxes full of clothing, underthings, jewellery, and the head scarves worn by the Revillon women .The people of Revillon are very superstitious and it is believed that some piece of magic still dwells there. They tell the story of the gods quite differently, while we in Gaham remember the gods for the wicked, selfish, powerful ancients they are. The Revillionians worship them, they paint pictures of the war as a sacred thing, they believe in the gifts bestowed by the gods. Fools, the lot of them, their gods have abandoned them but they don't know it yet."We leave today, so I would like to sleep in, if I'm going to give a stellar performance then I need all the rest I can get." I mumbled
I FELT THE HARD GRAVEL PRICKING MY SKIN before I heard the noises. The gruff voices of strange men laughing and jeering, the injured horses whining helplessly, A girl screaming with a voice so loud, it pierced my muddled brain. But I couldn't command her to stop, I couldn't even move to look at her, every cell in my body hurt but it was strangely peaceful. I mean If I died, then I would be free of all responsibilities and unspoken pressure. Maybe the queen would even miss me, I know she'll definitely not cry at my funeral --that's a major sign of weakness. Okay, lets see what I can feel. I think I'm laying down on the ground, maybe under the carriage because I can feel a heavy weight on my hips but I can't feel anything in my legs. My Sarfar(Revillionain scarf) had been ripped away, but the wind couldnt move my hair. My long tresses were stuck to my face in the places where there was blood. The screaming stopped abruptly and I opened my eyes. Okay, I was right, I'm on the floor
I COULD FEEL A number of things. I could feel the pain in my bad leg and the ache in my slightly better leg, I could feel the cool midday breeze on my bare chest where my clothes had been ripped off, I could feel the rough hand palming my right breast. I opened my eyes quickly and tried to push the offending hand away, but I could only muster a weak pat. Loud laughter followed my measly attempt at attacking the hand, and I looked around. I was outside the tent now, in something like a mainsquare. Several men surrounded me, and they bickered over whether or not I was worth much. "I reckon she'll do alright. She's got a lil spirit that's for sure" A man whose name I later learnt was Tim said. He was the one who was feeling my breasts. I tried to push him away again but that just ignited more laughter. Another man dressed in Revillionian attire stepped towards me and started caressing my bad leg. "But I doubt she can do much with that leg. I don't buy damaged goods." "Nonsense! We g
THE NEXT MORNING, I wish I could say I was awoken by beams of sunlight or maybe even the chirping of birds. Those would have been pleasant.But no.When I woke up, I couldn't even identify, if it was night or noon. The tent was that thick. With no windows and just a door flap, its a wonder we didn't suffocate.Somehow, during the course of the night, Kezira had moved and now layed curved in on herself. I don't know how she was so comfortable sleeping there. Hell even I, don't know how I slept through the night. Must be some of the magic left in my system.When the flaps were thrown open for the first time that day, I knew we had arrived somewhere critical.I could feel the difference in the air. The men whispering excitedly among themselves. The new spring they had in their steps. Even the horses seemed brighter somehow. Like they knew something good was up.The braavasi are normads, they move, they capture, they trade.But its only natural that throughout the years, some of them had