Short Stories Collection

Outsider

A very long short story ahead

He wasn't of this world, he wasn't of my world, yet my father brought him into this world because he is different.

The moment my father brought him in, I stayed away and watched him from afar. The only interactions I have with him, is greetings.

Our warrior clan has never brought an outsider, never brought another from a different clan. I get caught staring at him which makes him blush and there are times where I have caught him staring at me.

In all the 26 years of my life, he makes me feel things. I watch the way he fights, his strength, the way he talks to people, how he brushes away the advances of other women, how the men praise him for a kill and his skill. I always notice the different types of moods he is in, how his body reacts to certain people or in particular how he reacts to knowing I am staring at him.

I watch him in the shadows of trees as he follows my father around, at times he would be with my father and others he would be with my brothers.

I am wary of him yet intrigued by the interest my family have in him.

"Sacha my dear" I hear the voice of my mother call. Turning my head I put down my bow and arrow "Come my love" I nod my head taking her outstretched hand in mine "I don't like seeing you out here all the time, what has you so stressed?"

I shake my head at her "Nothing mother, I just wish to be as skillful as you were before you met father"

"You want to be a worthy warrior for any male?" I shake my head "What then my girl?"

"I know my worth but what I don't understand is how every male runs at the sight of me, or how the females don't wish to speak with me" She sighs and makes me turn to her "Sometimes I just wish to have someone to talk to, who doesn't see me as the daughter of a leader or the daughter of a priestess or someone forbidden to be spoken to"

"You are one of my most precious gifts and fuck what other people think or do, as long as you have family looking after you that is all that should matter... what about Elle?"

Oh how I miss my best friend. Elle married another warrior and is off doing her own thing for me to interrupt her. My mother consoles me as much as she can before leading me back to the main house to have dinner.

Talks of our banquet with the outsiders clan are in the works, his family are to arrive tomorrow and I want nothing more than to be away from it all. It's not that I'm not sociable, it's that people can be annoying so I choose not to be around it.

"Sacha my sweet daughter" I look up to see my father talking "Your brother mentioned that you need a bit more work with your swordplay" I nod my head looking over at them as they smile. The smiles on their faces have me worried "Connor has volunteered to help you starting after dinner"

I snap my head so fast in my father's direction that I hear a click in my neck "Connor is very skilled and has bested your brothers I think he is worthy of teaching you" I quirk my brow at my father. He knows I don't need help, what are these men playing at?

I nod my head and turn to my mother who was frowning at my father. I must remember to talk to her later.

••••••

I did try to get out of it but my father wouldn't hear any of it. His words were 'You are one of the best in our clan next to your brothers, you have not matched with him yet I would like to see how he fares against the daughter of the most talked about priestess'

My mother is strong, my father is just as strong yet my mother before meeting my father was the most talked about priestess of her reign. She was the bodyguard to a king, an oracle to a nation and a warrior so my father married her and made her his Queen.