Through The Storm

e i g h t

The cool, crisp morning air seemed to cleanse me. Winter mornings were usually the most difficult to endure but we were getting further away from the north, I suspected. I knew that from my few but very memorable journeys south, hunting game that kept Blake and I going for weeks on end. 

Blake and I were perched on the steps of the caravan, our knees hunched up to our chests and our arms wrapped around them. Kaya was sound asleep inside our caravan after a long, terrible night of night terrors that kept her awake for hours.

I felt Blake lean into me. It had been eight days since our capture. The three of us had seemingly accepted our fate, so the Guard allowed us some precious moments of freedom -if monitored- to roam outside the caravans when they made a stop for their horses' sakes. This was one such moment. 

As a Hunter, I relied primarily on my instincts. And for once, they told me not to fight. As ridiculous as that sounded to my brain, my instincts told me that there was something in it for me. So I had decided to take the leap of faith, and I hadn't screamed, kicked or tried to make a run for it in eight days.

Kaya was furious about that. But Blake trusted me blindly as always. 

Beside me, my brother stretched out his legs. "It's a nice morning, isn't it?"

"It is. It doesn't quite feel like winter, it's not nearly as cold as it gets back home."

We spoke in hushed tones, for the Guard was on the slope of the hill we were on; save for one who stood a short distance away. Ensuring that their game didn't get away.

Apparently, we weren't hushed enough. 

"Bracken gets cold in the winters?" An unfamiliar voice spoke. 

Both of us whipped our heads around to the source of the voice. It was the lone member of the Guard. All I could see through the scarves wrapped around his face were brown eyes framed with the most beautiful, thick lashes. But the beauty of his eyes was a stark contrast to their jet black hearts.

I could say nothing. I felt nothing but pure hatred pulsate out of me for these demonic creatures. 

Blake answered him several beats too late. "You bet it does. My friend even lost a toe to frostbite, you know?"

"Blake, no," I reprimanded, throwing caution to the wind. Quite a hobby of mine, Kaya would say. "You are not to speak with them."

The Guard member chuckled, and I was taken aback at how warm his laugh was. "I'd listen to your sister for the other men, if I were you," he said to Blake, blatantly ignoring me. "But I'm alright. I'm actually rather fun to converse with. I'm sure it gets quite melancholy conversing with females all the time." 

I wanted to throttle him.

As I opened my mouth to retaliate, Blake took one look at my enraged expression and hastily spoke. "M-maybe some other time, good Sir," he said, his lisp resurfacing after years. It was his fear, I was sure. That simply infuriated me further. 

But the man wasn't done, apparently. He slowly approached us, his hand on the hilt of his sword- quite casually, of course. No intention of swinging it at the first given opportunity, of course. 

"Look at me," he said, for the first time addressing me. 

I did. My hands trembled as I did so. His eyes were too beautiful for someone this cruel.

"I'm not like the rest, girl. If you were looking for the chink in our armour, then look no further. They call me the softie."

I glowered at him. "You may well be the softest, but you're still incarnations of the devil. No one required you to strike up conversation with me, you know. So just leave." 

I was bewildered at my choice of words, but then again, I had never been the smartest in dangerous situations with other humans. Put me in a cave with a hungry bear and I would emerge with its skin, but I could never handle other people. Much less the despicable Royal Guard. 

He too looked taken aback. All of a sudden, his thick eyebrows pulled down into a menacing scowl. "You forget your place," he growled. "You are our prisoner. Most likely you will be beheaded when you reach the king, you traitor. I offered you friendship, but I suppose your idiocy just runs in your bloodline, doesn't it?"

I froze. That didn't seem like a passing insult. He spoke with too much familiarity. 

"What did that mean?" I asked with a sharp intake of breath.

I saw the hesitation in his eyes for a split second- but that was all I needed. He knew something about me. I knew it in my bones that this was what my instincts had told me to wait for. He knew something about my past.

But what were the chances that a member of the Royal Guard knew anything about a common villager from Bracken? A village so insignificant that it did not even figure on the Kingdom Maps? Was I reading too far into things? It would certainly not be unlike me. I was an overthinker to the very core. 

I decided to play it off with nonchalance, tinged with feigned fear. I did not truly fear this man anymore. I felt a connection with him, as though we were destined to meet at some point. I felt a strange sort of peace within his chaos. And it did not trouble me to admit it inside my head. Because I trusted my instincts over anything in this world of lies. 

"Never mind," I said, looking down at my feet. "I beg your pardon. I don't know what came over me. Please forgive me."

He just grunted and stormed off back to his original position.

But two things were certain- the man knew something about my past. I saw it and heard it in the way he spoke. And I felt something that tied me to him. I believed in that connection, even if it did not make the slightest sense to my rational side. 

As the remainder of the Guard members stalked back to the caravans, Blake and I huddled back up inside. For the first time, I did not feel doom as the same man slammed our doors shut, locking us in. Instead, as our eyes met for a brief second, despite everything I had been through, I dared to feel a glimmer of hope. 

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See, I'm capable of updating before weeks on end too😂

The quote for this chapter is simple but thought-provoking, and quite fitting:

If a cat does something, we call it instinct. If we do the same thing, for the same reason, we call it intelligence - Will Cuppy

I take your leave here. I think this was one of my favourite chapters to write so far. I really hope you liked it! Please do vote for this chapter if you did, because each increased vote makes me more visible to prospective readers! 

Much love,

Annada❤️