Archer

Chapter Four

Edited on December 30, 2013

Flynn awoke at first light to the sounds of birds and small animals waking with the sun as well. He rolled over on his back, tucking one arm behind his head and looked up at the sky. Taking a deep breath he prepared himself for the rest of their day, knowing they would have to pass through their old home and deal with the haunting memories they both shared. Usually they passed far around their village when coming from the Southern Kingdom of Coven to the Kingdom of Synia, but this time they decided to go through the village to see if anyone had taken residence or if it was still empty with the dead. With the sound of a blue jay high above his head, Flynn stood and stomped out the remaining hot coals in their fire. Arianna was still asleep, unusual for her but this place could give anyone nightmares and he didn't want to wake her before they had to leave; a sleep deprived Arianna was one of the worst.

He grabbed his small leather pack that he used as a pillow and put his flint, sharpening stone, small knife and his fathers amulet in it before scattering the pallet he had made of leave and sticks around the forest so it would seem no one had been here. Satisfied with the way it looked he called Arianna's name softly to wake her. He had learned the hard way to never try and wake her by force. The scar above his left eyebrow was from a knife she had pulled on him when he tried to shake her away, that had been an unwise choice from the start.

"Ari, come on it's time to get a move one," he said swinging his pack over his shoulder and across his body. Arianna rolled over with a soft moan and looked up at Flynn before getting up and doing the same with her pallet. She swung the quiver of arrows and bow across her back and the gold chain with her mothers gold ring on it over her neck. She had found the ring in her house when she got her fathers blackwood bow and quiver set and it never left her sight. They were the only things she carried, and the only things she needed. "You ready for a long days walk?" Flynn asked her, readjusting his pack on his shoulder. Arianna nodded, still to tired for words, and then they headed out towards the place that they once called home.

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The two walked in silence towards their village, each chewing on some deer jerky they had traded for in the last town they had been in two days before. Their village came into view just about  half an hour after they began walking, and when it did both of them faltered in their steady rhythm and timing of their foot steps. It had been years since they had laid eyes on their home, and seeing it now brought them both back to they day their families had been slaughtered.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Flynn asked Arianna as they continued walking.

"It's the quickest way to the capital Flynn, if we go around everything that had any importance or memories to us when we were kids, it will three extra days to get there. In that time we will have run out of food and we both know how scarce the game has become out here. If we go through the village it will only take another day and a half to get to Danly and then from there we can buy or borrow a few horses and make the six day walk to Synia and two and a half day ride."

"Well when you put it that way, why haven't we been doing that in the past?" he asked looking over at her, a sarcastic tone to her voice.

"We were kids Flynn. We couldn't go through the village without breaking down in tears over our loved ones. Now though, we've seen enough, been through enough to know that things get better." Arianna shrugged her shoulder before taking anther bite of her jerky. Flynn watched her out of the corner of his eye ad could see her playing with her mother ring, a nervous habit she developed not long after they started traveling through the kingdoms. The wind blew softly, making a door creak open and closed. Arianna reached for a arrow from her quiver an notched it in the string, her eyes scanning the village around her. Bones lay scattered around the street, blood still stained the stone and wooden houses, and the voices of Flynn and Ariannas past haunted them around every corner.

A crow burst from a house, without thinking Arianna took aim and launched the arrow in it's direction. With a sickening thump, the bird fell to the ground. Arianna had hit the bird directly in the eye, piercing it's brain and killing it on impact. Flynn walked to the bird, pulled the arrow from its brain and handed the arrow back to Arianna, stuffing the bird into his pack. "Nice shot," he mumbled, a knife gripped in each hand.

"Mmmm," Arianna replied her eyes roaming the still vacant village. Her eye wandered to her old home, the broken door, shattered glass, blood stained and forgotten by all people. Her heart tightened in her chest, making it hard for her to breathe. "Flynn, let's hurry and get through this place."

Flynn looked towards Arianna, and though her face was a mask he could see she was hurting by the whites of her knuckles from the grip on her bow. Taking her elbow in one hand he quickly guided her through the streets and into the forest once again. A sigh of relief escaped her lips the second she stepped foot under the canopy of trees once again and Flynn knew she would be alright.

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The smell of meat, roasting corn, and the sounds of laughter and festival filtered through the air around Flynn and Arianna. The first village the came across every year, Granstem, was having their annual Feast of Faries. One of the few things that brought up the travelers spirits, Flynn and Arianna loved this time of year and made the most of the few days they actually enjoyed their life. As they walked through the village many people shoved things in their faces playfully. The two travelers saw many familiar face and many new faces in the town.

"Ari," Flynn said looking around, "is it just me or has the feast gotten bigger!" he laughed as a young girl grabbed his hands and they danced a little in the streets. Ari watched and clapped along with the tune of the music before the girl released him back to Ari.

"Flynn, looks like you've already caught the girls eye," she said glancing over at the girl who had just danced with him. Flynn looked towards the girl, she was indeed beautiful but he could never leave Arianna. Though she would tell him it was fine, she would be heartbroken. If he asked her to stay with him and his new wife she would, but she would never be happy. It broke his heart to know that he would probably always be a bachelor, he would never ask Ari to marry him. He thought of her as a sister, and even if he didn't they would kill each other before they even consecrated the marriage. The thought of he and Ari even trying to marry made him chuckle.

"What are you laughing at?" she turned on him, roasted corn in hand as she tossed him one.

"Nothing Ari, nothing at all." Smirking at him she walked away, fading into the crowd but Flynn knew where she was going. Over the crowd he could see the inn they always stayed at, the one place Ari felt comfortable sleeping in doors and Flynn always welcomed the familiar walls that surrounded them for the few nights they stayed there. He turned, roasted corn in hand and took a bite out of the hot and sweet food. His eyes scanned the crowd taking in the happiness around him when he saw something out of amiss. A soldier. This was the first time he'd ever seen a soldier in Granstem, the people had never let soldiers within their borders before. They were outside the radius of the Kings reach just like Tronoly was long ago.

"What's a soldier doing here," he muttered to himself, still watching the brute clad in black armor and mail.

"They came about three months ago," a voice answered him, "King has put tem in charge, though we are out of his reach. Don't know what's going on but people and food and animals have been going missing since then."

"People?" he questioned, never turning to find the voice that spoke.

"Mostly young girls, and you know what they do with them." At that Flynn turned, startled by this, but there was no one there. When he turned back towards the soldier he saw him moving towards the dancers. The soldier seized a girls arm and turned her towards him, that's when Flynn saw her face. The same girl that had danced with him just moments earlier was in the brutes grasp. Without thinking, Flynn tore through the crowd and before he knew it, his fist connected with the soldiers face.