NOVEMBERLAND: the little shieldmaiden

15

As I walked out of the castle I was met by the sight of a face I had never imagined to see again. He looked worse than ever, skinny bones, big eyes, clothes that did not fit and pale skin. 

"Gryffin," I said and stopped. It looked as if he could barely stand.

"Saga," he said, and he sounded as if he had only a few seconds left.

"Why are you here?" I asked and crossed my hands over my chest.

"I needed to see you," he said and walked a few steps towards me.

"You needed to see me after you were with that girl?" I asked as I walked further away from him as he walked towards me.

"What girl?"

"Oh, don't act like you don't know."

"Saga, I've never been with another girl than you," he said whilst looking at me with saddened and confused eyes.

"Then who was that girl in the training arena?"

"That was Ellery, my sister." And when the last words of that sentence were said I felt a weird feeling spread out in my body. How stupid could I have been? It was his sister, not a girl that he had been with. I had not even bothered to ask him, I had just left, I had left without no context.

"I have to go," I said and left him standing there in the courtyard. I went into one of the arenas, and I found some pants and a sweater so that I could work out properly. I threw my shoes at the wall, and I could feel my body heating up again with rage. How could someone be so stupid? Finally, when things were going great, I managed to ruin it, as I did with everything. I started throwing axes at the wooden wall, they banged against it as they hit the wood, and wooden splints flew in the air as a result of my rage. When there were no axes left I looked around the circular room I was in, and I felt how alone I was. The same loneliness I had felt in Calibur. A tear ran down my cheek, and I wiped it away and moved my hand towards my mouth. I could not cry, I could not cry of stupid things. Oh, gods how I wished Father was here. How I wanted to feel his embrace and to hear his voice. 

I walked back to Tyr's cottage whilst trying to hold back my tears, and every time I saw someone I tried to give them a smile. I needed to be nice to my people, but I could not show that I was sad. When I reached the door to the cottage it was opened before I had even grabbed the door handle, a girl came out. She had black hair that reached far down her back, and her dress was not properly put on. Tyr stood in the door opening, and as his eyes met mine his seductive smirk turned into an embarrassed and red face. "Hello," I said to the girl, and she looked at me and seemed surprised. 

"Oh, pardon me your highness, I was just-"

"It's alright, now get home before it's too late," I said and nodded towards the road and she did as I said.

"Saga-"

"No need for that Tyr, I don't care nor do I need an explanation," I said as I cut him off and walked into the warm cottage. 

"I thought you were staying at the castle," he said and closed the door. He scratched the back of his head, he did not really know what to do at this moment.

"I am not," I said and laid his mother's dress over one of the chairs.

"Did anything happen?" 

"Well, I know for a fact now that my mother is plotting something against me. And Gryffin is here," I said and I felt the tears luring back in my eyes.

"What!?" Tyr said and walked towards me. "What is he doing here?"

"Well, he said he came for me. And I just found out that the girl he was hugging, that was his little sister Ellery," I said and lifted my hands out for so to slam them down my sides in frustration.