She thought there was nothing left in this world for her. Her life was to be doomed the moment she was abandoned. But fortunately for Marleigh, she was a survivor and so she lived. Living as an outsider was never a simple task, but luckily for her...
The cows that were roaming around the forest began settling in their sheds and the village moms chased their young kids home. It was sunset by the time Marleigh and Kai arrived at the village. They had missed the afternoon training session with Alina and were panicking about what excuse they could give her. But what awaited them was something more appalling than Alina's scary curses and drills.
Marleigh, after parting ways with Kai, entered the chief's hut wanting to discuss teaching her practical maegic. A loud scream came from the hut. She ran towards the scream, which seemed to echo from the backside of the hut. A woman, about the same age as her, came running from the forest towards the hut, chased by a dark shadow.
She ran past Marleigh screaming, "I-It's here! They're here. Shut the doors and sprinkle the waters around. They're here."
Marleigh turned around and before her stood a beast. No, not just any ordinary beast, but the rumoured Gorgon. Black fur covered all its nine-foot figure with a pair of curvy horns erupting from its head, which seemed to reach the sky. The eyes of the beast were green, and its snout was similar to that of a ferocious panther. Besides its long nails and its ability to stand on two legs, it also possessed the tail of a lizard which, with one swing, could wipe out half the village.
Marleigh stumbled back and looked at her surroundings. She had somehow ventured deep into the woodlands and there seemed to be no sign of life anywhere near. The beast stopped growling and looked down at Marleigh. It titled its head to the left and let out a low growl as if to alert it's companions.
"This is not good," Marleigh murmured, "I should get out of here."
But she couldn't move an inch. Her legs were frozen and her thumped against her ribcage. Even if she were to run, it would only be a matter of time before the gorgon gets to her. Marleigh did not want to imagine what would happen if she were to get caught.
Bracing herself for the worst, she tightly closed her eyes and whispered a small chant. She didn't know if she was strong enough to do maegic but this was her only hope. She needed to get out of the forest, fast. With her energy concentrated on her frozen legs she repeated the chant three times.
A bright light emitted from her legs and when Marleigh opened her eyes again, she found herself in a room similar to her hut. She noticed that Martha's bed was missing and she quickly surveyed the place.
"Oh, what are you doing here?" asked a very familiar voice. Marleigh turned around and noticed Kai standing a few inches away from the bed with a yellow envelope in his hands. He quickly hid it behind and rubbed his hands together.
Marleigh was light headed from the events that took place and did not pay attention to the suspicious behaviour of Kai. She steadied herself a little and the reality dawned on her face, "I-I must warn the chief! The village is in danger. The gorgons, they are-"
Kai rushed forward and shook Marleigh by the shoulders, "Calm down. The chief is actually taking care of it as we speak. It's better to remain here for the time being."
Marleigh gawked at Kai with a blank expression on her face. Noticing her stare, Kai gently sat her on his worn out bed and fetched a glass of water, "I don't know how you came here and it seems like...you don't either."
Marleigh shook her head and looked up at him. Moonlight shone from the small window and caressed Kai's scarred face and his green eyes reflected had a shimmer unlike any Marleigh had seen. It seemed as if he was relishing this moment and engraving it in his mind.
Her eyes then travelled to Kai's chest where a thin linen covered his freshly wrapped bandage. She reached out for it but quickly retreated her hands as she was not sure if it was her place to do so. Kai smiled, took her hands in his and placed them on his bandage.
"It's okay. Joan dressed my wound earlier so it doesn't hurt as much." He whispered softly.
Marleigh had been hearing his voice for the past three weeks yet that night, under the glow of the moon, his voice carried a strangely comforting melody. It was as if she was being wrapped in a silk sheet and lavender. She seemed to like it.
A loud knock interrupted her thoughts and she quickly moved away, leaving a generous gap between herself and Kai. She slapped her forehead in disbelief as to what was happening and shook her head to clear her mind. When she came to, a huge mop of brown hair covered with jasmine flowers peered from the corner.
"The chief wanted you to know that the threat has been captured. She wants to meet you and Kai." Martha said and left.
Kai awkwardly stood near the door and glanced at Marleigh who seemed as flustered as he was. He pointed to the door and murmured something which Marleigh was in no state to comprehend and left the hut.
Marleigh stood still for a while and gained her compusre. She slapped her cheeks which were turning crimson and headed for the door. But before she could reach the doorknob, she slipped on a puddle of water and hit her head on a wooden table.
"Ouch!" Marleigh cried as a box of yellow covers hit her head. It's contents spilled on the floor and some even on the little puddle. Scolding herself for being a clumsy bufoon, she stood up and began collecting them when a particularly wet envelope caught her eye.
Curious, she took a closer look and it was addressed to a person named Kailan Sezvaski. It did not seem to be native of Athaliah and she wondered what this was doing here. She placed the envelope on the pocket of her dress and shrugged it off.
A while later, when she was on her way to meet the chief, a sudden realization hit her. Kai was the short form of Kailan and that his unusual forest green eyes were native to Fidlekin, Athaliah's neighbouring kingdom. The two kingdoms were always on feud with each other and she wondered why Kai had never mentioned this to her.
"Wait, this isn't right," Marleigh mumbled to herself, "I know absolutely nothing about him or his intentions. Why did I agree to let him tag along and help me?"
No matter how many times she tried asking Kai about him, he always evaded the topic with ease. Marleigh was not a person to go down without a fight and she wondered how he was able weasel his way out of her questions. With her mind made up and her resolve strengthened, Marleigh marched towards the chief's hut and decided to confront Kai.
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Yes, I finally updated this and yes, if there's a delay in an update it probably means I may go on another hiatus or back to my cycle of irregular updates. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Also a huge shout-out to MeowMeow422 for this very cute art of Kai and Marleigh! Thankeeeee ♡♡
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