The Youngest Ro'meave/Minecraft Diaries Fanfiction/

Chapter Six

Three Years Later...

Annie's POV

I shot the last arrow that was in my quiver straight through the center of the wooden target that I had set up in the middle of the woods. It meeting the wood with a thud. I lowered my bow and smirked slightly before going to pull the arrows from the target and putting them back into the quiver. It was the middle of the night, the usual time that I was out and training. If you can't tell, I'm quite the night owl. It was the only thing that kept me busy, and keeping myself busy was all that mattered to me, just as long as it meant I didn't have to interact with anyone.

If you can't tell, I was definitely not the same as I was those years ago for multiple reasons. I was quiet because I felt like if I talked to anyone they'd ask me how I was handling Vylad's death and I wasn't handling it anymore. I mean, it still hurt, but it happened three years ago, what was left to handle? Then, I was always training because I wanted to be prepared for if I had to protect anyone, so I wouldn't be a burden in any battle situation.

The thing that made me change the most was when Garroth died, or as I knew it, ran away from home, after his arranged marriage date was set. I was the only one who knew he faked it, he told me so 'I wouldn't go through that pain again', but everyone else thought it was real. So I had to act like two out of three of my brothers were dead. If you don't know, that's not great for your mental health.

I sighed as I looked up at the midnight sky and the stars that refused to blend in. I was totally lost in thought and was only brought out of it when I heard some rustling behind me. I instinctively grabbed my bow and loaded an arrow into it before I darted around, ready to fire if this was an ambush attack, by a bandit or, worse case scenario, a Shadow Knight. My shoulder length hair refused to move as it momentarily flew in my face from the force of my movement before returning to my shoulders.

Zane stood there, his black broadsword on his back and arms crossed as he gave me a surprised, yet slightly condescending, look.

"You have quick reactions. That's exactly what I've been looking for," Zane said as he walked toward me, smiling, indicating with his hand for me to put my arrow away, his hands then moving behind his back.

"What do you mean?" I said as I put the arrow back into my quiver, deciding to not test Zane's patience quite yet.

"I mean," he replied, shaking his head and sighing as if the answer was obvious, "I'm offering you a spot in the elite group of warriors I run, The Jury of Nine."

"No way, I'm not joining your group of criminals and murderers," I replied bluntly without hesitation.

I knew what the jury was supposed to be, and it wasn't how Zane was running it.

He chuckled and oh Irene how I despised that chuckle, "Well, that's your choice, wouldn't it be a shame if someone you cared for got into a terrible accident or, Irene forbid, died? Like, I don't know, your best friend, oh what was her name again? Chelsea, wasn't it?"

"Is that a threat?" I replied as I stared at him my fists starting to clench in anger.

He knew how to mess with my head, he's known how to mess with my head since I was a teenager and no matter how much I changed he still seemed to be able to perfectly manipulate me. Some people would say it was because we were siblings. I say it was because Zane was born with that gift, and what a nasty gift it was.

"Yes," he stated bluntly, as he pulled his broadsword from his back and twirled it in his hand. A devilish smirk crossing his face once more.

"You wouldn't dare!" I snapped as I turned to him my face turning red with anger, me loading an arrow in the drawstring of the bow and aiming at his head.

Irene help him if I fired because I never miss a shot. If I fired he would be dead in a second or less.

His reaction was unexpected, with one fair swipe of his sword he sent my bow and arrow flying and in another few motions, I was pinned against a tree, the edge of his blade almost touching my throat. I gasped for air and glared at him before he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him. His face contorting into an angry and serious frown.

"Oh yes I would dear sister and I would suggest that you don't question or attack me if you wish for you or your friend to not join your precious Vylad, wherever that bastard is," Zane replied with a smirk forming on his face as he let go of my chin.

"Don't you dare speak of him that way, Zane," I shouted, furious as anger etched itself into my voice. He had no right to call Vylad that. My mouth twisted into a snarl and I clenched my fists even tighter, feeling the skin begin pierced and the slight trickle of blood in my palms, not much, but enough to notice.

Yeah, I was pissed.

I lifted my foot up as to kick him and get away but he quickly stomped on it with his boot, me recoiling it with a shriek of pain.

He moved his sword closer to my throat, his face contorting once more into a scowl as I flinched and backed more into the tree. His sword was so close to my neck I felt like I couldn't breathe. I tried again to move and attack him again, this time by moving my arm to punch him but he used his knee to hit me in the stomach before pinning my arm beside me with his hand. I gasped for air as the hot sting of tears appeared in the corner of my eyes. He was too prepared and too quick to fight against. I eyed my bow a few feet from me, I just needed to get to it. I didn't get a long look at it as Zane moved my head using my chin to look at him again.

"I warned you. Need me remind you I have the upper hand here, your unarmed with my sword to your throat. One little move and it will all be over for you and your friend. I would have no hesitation to just slit your throat, or maybe I'd torture you for a bit first. Just killing someone isn't fun anymore," he said as he smiled, "And before you try and escape with any more of those stupid tactics, I want you to remember that. So, do we have a deal dear sister?"

Besides my anger and calmness showing, I was slightly terrified on the inside of what he could do. Not to me, but to Chelsea. Sure, Chelsea was armed with a dagger but had no training with it whatsoever. If I agreed, Chelsea would be safe for all that I know, sure I would put myself in grave danger, but I didn't really worry about the negatives of my actions on my wellbeing.

I came to a final decision before closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, Well as deep as a breath I could without meeting his blade, reopening them to look into his pale blue eyes. They seemed to have a glimmer of evil in them, something I had never seen before the Falcon Claw incident those years ago. How I wish I could go back in time and get rid of it.

"D-deal," I agreed after a moment of thought, with a sigh, "but I'm not doing this for you, I'm doing this for my friend, every single moment I'm in the jury, is to protect her."

Zane laughed as he removed his sword from my neck and let go of my wrist before using the but of his sword to hit me in the stomach. I winced and I slid to the bottom of the tree and so I had to look up at him. My face didn't show fear or anger anymore, it showed pure disgust at how proud he looked about being able to overpower me.

"Very nice speech, but remember you are now under my control, be wary of that and how I still haven't forgotten about my threats. I'll see you at the induction ceremony sister, but for now, Ciao."

With that he put his sword back into its sheath and exited the clearing, but not before purposefully stomping on my bow, breaking it into two pieces. I felt the painful sting of tears in the corner of my eyes as I stood up and picked up the two pieces.

Looks like I wouldn't be using that anymore.

As I stood up I felt a small pain on the side of my neck.

One dab of the area with my finger would result in blood to show that Zane's sword had been closer to my neck than I had originally thought.

Which meant he wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't hesitate to kill me.

Or worse...kill Chelsea.