Falling Shadows (The Ellocea chronicles) [#Wattys2016]

Seven

 It was the day before the procession and Akillah had woken up with an almost crippling feeling of disappointment, her mind would constantly be filled with daydreams about the procession but after every scene her mind would fill the darkness behind her eyelids. The realisation that she'd never be able to go would come crushing down on her like an invisible weight from the Sky. All the loving hugs and uplifting smiles in the whole of the Eight Lands couldn't make up for how badly she'd feel in those moments.

Then Papa had come back from chopping wood with the best news she'd heard in a long time.

It just so happened that it was the time in the cycle of the moons for Papa to take his trip to the Lan settlement in the north of the valley, to visit his mother, whom Akillah called Nana. Akillah had only ever met her twice but when she had she'd decided that she was one of the worst humans she had ever met. She lived in one of the crumbling clay huts on the outskirts of the village near the burial ground. Her dingy hut, with leaking thatching and a horrible draft that wafts in the stench of the elderly swine, makes her ill about every other moon cycle but of course she does nothing to fix it because then she'd have nothing to nag Papa about.

The other huts around her's had been abandoned long ago, Akillah and Papa often joked about what scared off the neighbours more: her general disregard for hygiene, or the way she consistently wails throughout the nights. Akillah could never understand how such a loving man could have come from such a despicable woman. She'd often dreamt that the Nana she'd met wasn't actually her Nana at all and that she'd stolen Papa from a generous, kind lady with gentle hands and a warm smile, who loved children and would cherish her. She would have taught her how to stitch with a needle and thread and shown her the different ways to braid her hair; how the River people use vines and how the Mountain people like to make three braids to symbolise the three great mountains. Of course she knew not if any of these were true but she imagined that her real Nana would be a travelled woman with enough knowledge about the Eight Lands that would quench Akillah's constant thirst for experience and knowledge.

However her Nana wasn't kind and she wasn't generous, she rarely moved her face from its fixed scowl, portraying an expert combination of disgust and pain, and Akillah doubted she'd ever been out of a twenty yard radius of her hut. They'd decided after the second visit that it would be best if Papa visited her alone for fear of one of the women severely harming the other.

In good weather the journey should take him about a day and, depending on how long he wanted to stay, probably one night, because he wouldn't want to leave Akillah for too long. That left Akillah alone for one night and most of the next day. The next day which just conveniently happened to be the very day of the Prince's procession. A glorious feeling spread over her body when this realisation came to her. An exotic, new sensation of rebellious daring and courage, making her want to laugh and cry and shout all at once. She knew she shouldn't abuse Papa's trust but she had thought about it too much to have been given the opportunity and do nothing about it.

By the time she was clearing away the dishes from breakfast she felt she could burst from all the bottled up emotions that were swimming around in her body. She was trying her very best to act normal but she kept second guessing what was normal, did she normally wash the dishes that quickly? Was that answer to brisk? As her father came in with a quizzical look on his face she was sure she had been found out. She was fumbling around in her brain trying to find the right way to explain herself when her father interrupted her frenzied brain.

"Alright, I better be leaving now if I'm to make it in good light. Make sure you remember to shut up Nandi in the stable or she'll spend the whole night yowling." He lent in and gave her a big bear hug, she knew she'd never feel as secure as she did in those big, warm arms of his. She looked deep into his grey swirling eyes and saw all the love and trust lying there for all to see and a lump started to rise in her throat.

"I love you, Pa" her words were muffled in the tough leather of his coat. He let her go and as he turned she saw a glimpse of a tear flash down his cheek.

"I love you too, Akillah," He strode out to the stable carrying his bags and the pack of food she had made for him earlier. He straddled the horse with the ease of a man whose ridden for many days of his life, and set off towards the track. Turning only to cast a glance in her direction.

"Be safe, Papa" she called out after him.

She stayed there for a long time after he'd disappeared into the horizon sitting on their front step absently stroking Nandi's ear. Not quite acknowledging what she was going to do the next day. She knew that if she were caught Papa may never trust her again, the lump rose again in her throat and a small gasp of pain escaped from her chest. She had to stop thinking about it after that for fear of backing out and not going. She decided to spend the rest of the day cleaning and then as early as possible go to sleep so that she'd have as much energy as possible for tomorrow but her mind felt as loud and restless as the fierce winter wind in a typical snow storm. Ripping through the countryside, yowling like a demented beast. Eventually sleep claimed her mind and as if to spare her mind from exhaustion she had a dreamless night.