Dark One's Daughter *Book Two*

The Crocodile

Later that night, we found an actual place to set up camp seeing as we hadn't slept since we had arrived here. I lit a fire for us and we all found a spot to rest. Little did I know my sleep would be filled with memories I had buried away so long ago.

I was back in my old home, before my Father had become the Dark One, before my brother disappeared and before my Mother had died.

Bae and I must have only been about ten at this time. We were sat at the table in silence, waiting for our Mother to come and help us make dinner. She hadn't shown, we sat there in a house, all alone, forgotten by our Mama.

After sitting there for a while, the door opened to reveal not our Mother, but our Father.

"Milah? Amie? Bae? I'm home," Father called through.

I ran over to him and gave him a tight hug, being careful not to knock the basket of groceries out of his hand.

"Hello, Amie," He smiled when he felt me hugging him.

I pulled back and went over to sit back at the table with Bae.

"Bae," He said, as he saw us sitting at the table without Mum.

"Papa?" Bae muttered.

"Where's Mum?" Papa asked.

Bae just sniffed so I answered for him.

"She hasn't come home yet," I told him.

"Well, she probably just... lost track of time. Grab your cloaks. We'll find her," Papa assured us, leading us out of the door.

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Papa took us to a tavern and told us to wait outside while he went in and got Mum.

"Do you think Mama is in there?" Bae asked me.

"Let's go and find out," I suggested.

Bae and I took each other's hands and walked into the tavern. Old men, young men, waitresses, everyone. They all watched the two of us as we tried to find our Mama. I heard Mama's laugh just ahead of us, so I pushed several of the people in our way to move them out of the way.

"Mama?" I asked when we got closer.

"Amie. Bae. You were supposed to wait outside," Papa told us.

I looked over at my Mama and saw her drinking with other men. A lot of men actually. Mama's eyes widened when she saw us and she immediately got up and walked over to us. I held my hand out for her to take. She gave me a small smile, before taking my hand and leading Bae and me out.

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It was later that night and Bae had already fallen asleep. I couldn't. Quietly, I crept out of my bed and went to see Mama and Papa. I could hear them talking so I stayed round the corner and listened.

"You don't really wish I'd died... during the ogre wars, do you?" Papa asked.

"I wish you'd fought. Don't you?" Mama countered.

"Well, I'm alive, and I'm here with you, with Bae and Amie," Papa said.

"This isn't a life, not for me. Why can't we just leave?" Mum asked.

"W-we've talked about that," Father stammered.

"You don't have to be the village coward. We could start again, go somewhere no one knows us, see...the whole world beyond this village," Mum explained.