𝙷𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝙾𝚏 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚜 | ✏️

𝕗𝕠𝕦𝕣 // 𝕒𝕗𝕥𝕖𝕣

    It's the Announcement Day at last; the day where the one hundred best hunters in the kingdom are announced for the Race. The day I have been simultaneously waiting for and dreading my whole life. Everyone cleans up nicely for Announcement Day, since everyone from every town gathers in the Kingdom Center, in the main portion of the kingdom. It's one of the only days where you'll see people from other towns, so you want to make a good impression.

    I pull on my cleanest tunic and trousers, and then attempt to wrangle Annie into her nicest dress. After chasing her clear across the house at least five times, she gives up and pouts while I braid her hair. "Do I haaaaave to?" she whines, trying to smack my hands away from her hair.

    "You don't haaaaave to do anything," I whisper back, mimicking her. "But you know Mama wants you to look nice for the Announcement."

    She lets out an annoyed huff, but lets me continue braiding. Suddenly, she stiffens. "Jamie?"

    "Yes, Annie-bean?"

    "Do you...want to get chosen?" Her voice is so small, and she sounds so scared. I feel bad, since I know my answer will break her heart.

    "Yes, Annie-bean. I do want to get chosen. And you wanna know why?" I add, "Because I want to give you a better life. I want you to grow up and take care of Mama and not have to worry about food or money. And I want you to be happy, and not have to worry about anything, okay?"

    She nods sadly, as if she already knew my answer and just wanted to hear me say it out loud. "I want you to be happy too, Jamie."

    I smile mournfully. "If you're happy, I'm happy. If I can get you a better life, I will do anything. I would run to the ends of the earth for you, Annie, you know that?"

    "I know," she says, "and I would do it for you."

    Although she can't see me, I shake my head. "That's my job, Bean. I'm the big brother; it's in the job description." And I need to do this, so you'll never have to, I think to myself.

    I finish up with her hair, and we leave the house and meet Mama on the path. Like Annie, she's wearing a simple but elegant dress and a neat updo. "Ready, kids?" she asks, taking Annie's hand in hers.

    "Ready!" Annie chirps, already starting to skip down the street towards the castle looming in the distance.

    "Ready," I sigh, plastering on a smile and attempting to banish the depressing thoughts from my mind.

    We are lucky enough to live in a village close to the main kingdom, and therefore can walk to the Center on Announcement Days and Hunt Ceremonies. The streets are filled with people of all ages, colors, and sizes, all dressed nicely and ready to hear which people will be chosen this year. I anticipate many of the "fan-favorite" Hunters who have already been on the Hunt several times, as well as some of the older veterans and more inexperienced newbies being chosen. And then people like me, who have never been picked before, but, for whatever reason, get Announced to enter the Race.

    Only twenty people of the hundred will end up in the Hunt, but being in the Race not only gives you a better chance of getting in the Hunt the next year, but also gives you a bit of fame, glory, and money. And I need that money. I'm not earning my keep for the family, and my mother just has another mouth to feed off her meager wages. As we walk, I review my mental strategies for if I get chosen for the Race.

    I hear Annie squeal, and I shake away my thoughts to look up at the incredible castle materializing ahead of us. We can barely see the castle from our village, so getting to see it up close always takes my breath away. Sitting atop a hill, surrounded by trees, backlit by the rising sun, it's like something out of a storybook. As we draw closer to the Center, I can feel the excitement thrumming through the air.

    The Kingdom Center is actually not in the center of the kingdom - the castle is - but it sits right on the outskirts of the forest, a giant coliseum meant to house everyone in the land. The King's Forest encircles the hill (obviously called Castle Hill, since apparently everyone who names things in this kingdom has no creativity whatsoever) and creates a rather dark and depressing mood the closer you get to it.

    Annie points, and tugs on my hand. "Look, look! It's Trader's Road!"

    I'm not sure why she's so excited, but I grin and let her drag me into the cobblestoned square. There's only one road through the forest, which is so dismal and dangerous that no one wants to go in it, and that's the only way to get to the castle. But of course, the gloomy forbidden forest is exactly where Hunters go.

    We're early; the Announcement won't happen until near dark, to allow those who live farther away to get here before it happens. So there's no harm in letting Annie roam around a bit, and when I tell her this she cheers.

    "Stay out of trouble," Mom tells us, before she wanders off to talk to some of the other women wandering around the square.

    I roll my eyes, about to remind her that of course we won't get into trouble, when a crash behind me turns my attention to the fact that Annie is no longer beside me.

    Oh boy...this is going to be a long day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Written October 8, 2023

Word count: 964

{sorry for the small update last week, so here's a longer one}