The Princess and The Captain

Part 10-Azzah

Lyra huffed as she trekked home. She passed the empty merchant stands and rowdy taverns. Passed the still of sleeping homes and stray animals skulking around the deserted streets. She eventually made it to the outskirts of the city and passed sparse-looking farms of cattle, fruit, and wheat, and even then, she continued walking, clutching two gems in her pocket with all her might. After hours of letting her body walk on autopilot, the terrain changed under her feet. The city behind her was now just a distant collection of candlelights. The wide plain of farm fields gave way to a network of tree roots. Lyra peered into the forest ahead of her warily. No matter how many times she did this, the eerie silence of the looming trees made her blood freeze. There was no telling what beasts were waiting for her in the brush, but Lyra knew what waited for her just past the army of trees, and she wouldn't let anything stop her from getting there. She had already been away from them long enough.

Besides, the gods wouldn't lead me into another life-threatening predicament tonight. She thought as she secured the gems in a hidden compartment before clutching onto her trusty daggers. The Xemite felt the inscriptions that surrounded the handles and hilts, and their presence brought her comfort as she stepped into the menacing darkness. The trees made it difficult for moonlight to get through, but she forged ahead, reminding herself that she had never been ambushed before and that, logically, she had nothing to worry about. She walked lightly, not wanting to disturb the peace amongst the trees, and eventually, she saw the lights of her tiny village.

Just a twenty-minute horse ride away from Lilith was her home. The quaint town was fast asleep, Lyra observed with a twinge of jealousy. She had exerted more energy than she had hoped, and her limbs were beginning to feel heavy. Flashes of determined golden eyes made their way to the forefront of her mind as she quietly opened the door to the cottage she shared with her siblings. She normally would check on everyone as they slept, but her mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of the tanned swordsman she had encountered.

The woman was an absolute beauty. In the tailor shop, her gaze was warm. Words melted off of her lips in a way that made Lyra enamored with the sound of the woman's voice. Emory Pierce. The woman introduced herself with pride and confidence. Lyra wasn't sure why she remembered this fact. Perhaps because she was a bloody captain. Gods a captain. The captain. Lyra relived the woman's attack. The captain was deserving of the title and the magnificent sword she wielded. Her skill with a blade was both attractive and worrisome for the Xemite that would probably be in prison at this very moment had it not been for her quick thinking.

Lyra shook her head of thoughts of Emory Pierce. It would be of little consequence tomorrow. She would see how much the gems in her possession could get her, and if it were as much as she was estimating, she would finally be able to get her and her family out of this godsforsaken kingdom. The Xemite slipped out of her hood and boots. The sun would be coming up soon, but Lyra didn't want to risk laying in the bed she shared with her siblings and waking them. With a sigh, she plunked down in the wooden seat her brother had fashioned years ago and kicked her feet up on the matching table. She closed her eyes, feeling at peace with the warmth of the cottage and the sounds of her siblings breathing not too far away. Softly, she drifted to sleep with thoughts of glittering gems and golden eyes.

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"Lyra!!"

The woman was startled awake by the sound of her own name before being toppled over by three bodies of varying weight and height. They all fell to the ground with a thud.

Lyra recognized their voices as they each made an exclamation from the midst of the heap of arms and legs.

"You're back!" Vivek. The youngest of her siblings shouted, excited from what sounded like the top of the pile. The boy was only seven years old, and his dark features matched that of all of the siblings, though his hair was the curliest of the lot.