Hidden Darkness

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Darn, darn, darn, darn, darn. I was dragged to the middle of the room by Todorkhoi, and every pair of eyes were on me. Subconsciously, I looked at Todorkhoi for reassurance. She gave me a smile that shouted at me 'too-good-to-be-true'. Quickly, I gathered my thoughts and said: "I am very pleased to see you all again, my dear brothers and sisters" and gave a deep bow. It was good that I trained my mind to control my body when I don't know what to do. Gasps and smiles went around in the tent. My oldest brother came forward.

"We are all extremely pleased with your return, ninth sister. Though, I think you ought to have informed us about this. We could have taken you here instead of being all alone." My fifth sister came forward, her arms open for a hug. Her name is Roz, meaning Rose. She is not very beautiful, but a bit like the replica of her mother. She has her mother's tiny eyes, big, flat nose, and her petit lips which doesn't seem to be very rich in colour. However, she has inherited Father's ears, and they looked a bit too big for her head. Roz and Todorkhoi were fully blood related sisters - meaning that they came from the same mother. Most of us came from different mothers. Roz's and Todorkhoi's mother was Bolor - meaning crystal, and to me, crystal clear. Bolor was the Queen of the tribe, the next to my Father in terms of power. She was a woman who made her thoughts and opinions clear, Todorkhoi inherited this personality from her and also her attitude towards people she doesn't like. In the past, Bolor had killed more people than Father himself. No, she did not go into people's room and strangle them to death. Instead, she pressures my Father with things which could potentially threaten his throne to make him do her will. She had wanted my Mother dead before, and did tried to kill her. The amount of attempts made by Bolor was uncountable. She made man methods, ranging from poisoning her by food to framing her for things she didn't do. She didn't dare to tell Father then, as Mother was his favourite concubine, and the only one who could threaten her throne next to Father. Even more attempts to kill my Mother were made during the time she was pregnant with me, but once she had given birth to me, the news went out. Father was instantly disappointed that I turned out to be a girl rather than a boy, he later ignored her for months which then presented perfect opportunities for Bolor. After Mother had a close encounter with Death just over a decade after giving birth, she had enough and asked to be sent out of the country with me in the hopes of protecting me from Bolor. Roz and Todorkhoi grew up together, and this made their bonds closer than all of my siblings combined, and they work together to bully me. Fun. Times.

Todorkhoi nudged me closer and closer until I was suffocated by Roz's hug. She did it deliberately. I knew she did, and I guess that's her way of saying to me that her power in the tribe has gained during the time I wasn't here, and no one will dare to oppose her - and I better not.

After Roz's hug, everyone returned to their normal activities: such as reading, drawing, gossiping, or just simply sat there thinking like Second Brother. I dared not bother him, he seemed to be in a situation where he was thinking over some complicated things. Glad, that all my siblings have ignored me after Roz's 'welcome speech/hug', I slipped out of the tent silently and took another route to my tent. After I returned to my tent, I see what I expected. It wasn't the horse, it was him.  Gan. Gan was my best friend since childhood, but we had not been in contact since I left the tribe. He still looked like the Gan I used to know, but he lost his chubbiness, and looked taller and masculine. If not, handsome even. Gan was the son of the horse broker, and was a year older than me. Noticing my presence, he tied the horse to a post and walked up to and bowed.

"Welcome, Princess Kharankhui." Gan said, a hint of a smile visible on his lowered face.

"Thank you, Big Brother Gan." I replied with a smile of my own. "You may rise."

He rose, but the smile was even bigger than it was before. "You seemed to have remembered me, Sister." He features were more developed, his hair smoother and darker and all of that type of tiny things I can't really describe with words. Could it have been him? I really don't want to believe so. In private, Gan and I were like real brothers and sisters. I called him Big Brother, and he called me Sister. In the days when we were still young, we could go out into the meadows to play and we would pretend that the world was less complicated, that there wouldn't be a different more advanced world outside the one we lived in, and that we just belonged to a normal family with loving parents and didn't have multiple wives, poisonous queens, and hideous siblings. Just the two of us, brother and sister hand in hand, and our parents. But that dream shattered when I was forced to go to Britain with Mother, and now, with Mother's death... I can't bear to think that... that... it was him. "Are you okay?" he asked, tilting his head to look into my face.

"I'm okay, Big Brother." I reassured him quickly, "So, what has been going on during the four years I left?" And after that, we just sat on the grass outside the tent whilst the horse was busy nibbling parts of the grass around him and we talked like old times, as if we had never lived a day without each other.

"Nothing much, how's England? Found a beloved yet? Or should I say, boyfriend?""

"I told you already, Gan. I will not marry! Ever!" I said, smiling.

"You should, anyways, Sister. I should go soon, if not, the higher ups will question where I've been. And, a gift. For your safe return."

Then Gan placed a bracelet in my hand and left quickly. The bracelet was a light green, like the grass in the meadows. The beads itself were made of glass, probably by Gan, and they were very well made. I liked it instantly, and suddenly wondered to myself about Altantsetseg. Second Brother was always one to study, he liked studying even. There is always a chance where Altantsetseg would get ignored by Second Brother when they got married.

I got up and untied the horse and led her round my tent for no apparent reason. I stroked the mane and changed into my other clothes. The mare tried to escape from me as I climbed onto her. But she seemed to have calmed down after I was on her. This wasn't my first time riding a horse, but I haven't rode one for ages. I admit, I was rather scared at the time.

"Right, little horsey, let's go!"  I cried, and gave the body a little squeeze with my legs.

God, riding a horse without seat is t-o-r-t-u-r-e!

I am offically donw with this chapter, I was stuck on this for AGES!Anyways, I had a friend who read this book and when I told her that I wrote it, she didn't believe me. Oh well.

A chapter is still a chapter, Prince Hans. I don't care if it's good or bad, you still owe me a mint/sweet/chocolate.

I haven't checked or edited this, I will do so when I finish the whole story