Peacebringer

Chapter Thirty Four - And Now We Wait...

Asha and Valda reached the edge of the castle grounds by mid afternoon. The castle was in a slight valley, so they stopped at the edge of the surrounding higher ground. This meant that they could see the castle without being as close to it. They decided to set up a temporary camp and wait for after nightfall to sneak in. Valda's plan was to go in the same way she had gone out when she originally left, through the kitchens. She wanted to wait until after the kitchen staff had left for the night so that they would have fewer people to potentially run into.

Valda had a blanket in her backpack so she spread it on the ground for them both to sit on. They pulled out some snacks and started munching on fruit, cheese, and bread. It tasted wonderful after the long hike. After the first few bites, Valda rummaged around in her bag for a moment. She pulled out a small dagger and handed it to Asha.

Asha stopped mid chew to take it, admiring the ornate silver hilt. It even had the thorny rose carved into it, and the rose was set with small red gemstones.

"I wanted to make sure you had something to defend yourself in case you couldn't fire spin for whatever reason," Valda said. "I know it's small, but it will do in a pinch if you need to fight silently."

Asha nodded gravely. "This has the royal seal on it though, isn't it important?"

"It was actually my mother's, one of a pair." Valda explained as she pulled out the twin one, which was gold. "They're modeled after a Sayreenian fighting style that uses two daggers."

Asha pulled the dagger out of its small scabbard, examining the blade. She then started fitting the scabbard to her belt, right where she would be able to reach it if needed. "Thank you," She said softly. She looked back up at Valda.

Valda looked eerily sad, which wasn't surprising considering she was about to break into her own home. But Asha felt it was something more. It almost seemed like Valda was passing something on to her. But that didn't really make sense.

On second thought, maybe she feels like I'm the sister she never had. Asha started piecing things together in her mind. She never really got a chance to meet her sister, maybe I'm similar enough to seem like her.

There were quite a few similarities after all, the fact that they shared the same heritage for one. They both loved Sayreenian tea. Asha really was the missing piece of Valda's family.

I'll have to make sure to introduce her to mom when we get back. Asha mused. I bet she misses her mom a lot too. Maybe that would help her too.

She and Valda snacked in silence for a few more minutes, still very hungry. The journey had taken a lot out of them.

"You said you and your mom like to read," Valda suddenly said with hesitation. "What books do you like?"

Asha quickly chewed her mouthful of cheese. "All kinds, really," She paused to think. "But magical stories were always my favorite."

"What else do you do with your mom?" Valda took another bite of her green apple.

"Well, she was working on teaching me to cook, but so far that's not going very well. I'm a mess. She was also trying to teach me to weave blankets like she does and-"

"She's a weaver?" Valda looked surprised.

"Oh yeah, she makes these beautiful woven blankets. They're soft and warm, and she uses the brightest colors. She had to experiment with dyes for a long time to find the best ones, but she has finally figured out which ones make the most unique colors. We have blankets all over our house. She makes headbands too." Asha gestured at her own, still tied around her forehead.

"It's beautiful," Valda said with a weak smile.

Asha dug into one of the side pockets on her backpack and pulled out another one. "Would you like one? Apparently the designs are traditional Sayreenian ones."

Valda took it graciously and studied the pattern on it for a few minutes. Unlike Asha's, which was green and burgundy, this one was more vibrant. Asha's mother had stitched together strands of orange, turquoise, and white to make an interesting geometric design. Valda carefully tied it around her head, wearing it just like Asha.

Now we really do look like sisters. Asha smiled. Maybe that will make her feel better.

Valda stared intently at Asha, and realized that her theory must be correct. She and Asha resembled each other too much to be anything other than sisters.

This only made their mission that much more dangerous. What if Darkwater saw Asha and realized who she was? If she had been so eager to get Valda out of the way, how would she respond to another potential heir?

Valda also realized that this meant they might have to keep the truth from Asha for awhile until it was safe. While the conflict was still going on, they needed to keep it a secret from as many people as possible. It could be very dangerous for Asha if people realized she was both the prophecy and a princess.

Hopefully Asha wouldn't figure it out first. I already promised her we could look at the records in the library, she thought. I'll have to find some way to avoid that.

"We still have a few hours before nightfall, right?" Asha asked through a yawn. "I might need to take a nap so that I can stay awake."

"That's probably a good idea," Valda replied. "I'll keep watch."

Asha pulled a woven sweater out of her bag and folded it up to make a pillow. She laid down on the blanket and closed her eyes. She was snoozing within seconds.

Valda laughed softly for a second. Asha could be so funny sometimes, even when she didn't intend it . Her crow landed softly on a nearby rock with a soft caw.

As Asha continued lightly snoring, Valda pulled out her journal for one last entry before their mission.