Chapter 2: Two
Ana was the youngest of the three daughters of the city lord. She had a brother younger by two years and three elder brothers. That should have meant that she was a pampered child, especially since her mother was the most beloved wife of the city lord. While Ana was in her mother's womb she received a lot of care, even if not directly. A lot more than any of her siblings. She had an unfortunate birth, however, that took away all of the love and warmth she would have enjoyed. For in her birth, she claimed her mother's life. The city lord couldn't overcome the sorrow of losing his wife. And when he realized that he lost so much for an ordinary girl who wouldn't amount to much, the only feeling that remained for the tiny baby girl was intense dislike. All of the family was only too ready to share the feeling as the lord. And so Ana was as good as absent for everyone, including the servants. Some might have felt some sympathy for her, if not for the rather evident fact that she wasn't the slightest affected. She was content, even by herself. She didn't need company. Didn't need anyone to play with or talk with. It was as if she didn't at all feel ostracized.
She had a small cottage at the far back of the estate, with one room that served as everything and a bathroom. One bed, which she couldn't know was good or bad, soft or hard. One cupboard with the bare necessities. The lake stood between the cottage and the rest of the estate. There were a few shrubs on her side of the lake, making for a splash of green in her otherwise plain world. The lowest servants brought her food three times a day, always a bowl of plain broth and a bun. She never spoke with the servants. In fact, she remained inside as the servants left the tray just outside the door. The most she did was eavesdrop on the servants as they conversed without care or restraint, not even a little worried about being in the presence of a young miss of the lord's family. And so, she was surprised by the guest who came unannounced.
Everything Ana knew about her sister was gathered from the servants' conversations. Discussions that were quite detailed, so she was able to recognize the pretty girl as her sister. She also knew Rin was among the lord's favorites. Rin was famed for her intelligence, wonderful voice and supposedly great fortune. It was her sister's voice that Ana was most curious about.
Ana bowed her head slightly in greeting. Rin let the displeasure break out on her face subconsciously for a moment before reining it back in, telling herself she shouldn't expect proper etiquette from the little girl who learned nothing. Smiling kindly, Rin explained the purpose of her visit.
"A star reader read my fortune. Said there was a great calamity headed my way. The only escape, the only way to protect myself, is an act of great kindness. Hoping that the heavens would be pleased and bestow upon me a favor that would be my protection. In spite of the harm it might bring me. I cannot bring myself to think of anyone better than you, my little sister. Father is entertaining a party of extremely talented and famous hunters. He wants them to come under the employment of our family. For this, father wants me to go along on a quick hunt, no further than the outer reaches of the forest. Try to learn what I can from the hunters while creating upon them a favorable impression. Sister, I want to ask of you, would you like to go on my behalf? You would earn father's favor and I would be saved."
Rin's voice was truly delightful. Ana had only heard some of the servants. She knew that wasn't the best comparison, but she couldn't keep from believing Rin truly deserved her fame. She listened carefully to the end, and nodded slowly as Rin finished. She didn't care much about father or his impression of her. Rin was her sister though. And she could do something for her sister, the very first member of the family who had spoken to her. So she agreed.
Rin promised to make the arrangements. All Ana had to do was be ready to leave at the crack of dawn two days later. Rin would personally send Ana. The two days passed in the same bleakness as every other day. Ana couldn't bring herself to get excited about her first time leaving the little cottage or about the great future Rin promised. The morning of the departure, Ana was up and ready while it was still dark. She sat by the cottage door, waiting. She had never had candles or light in the night. She had long ago gotten accustomed to the darkness. She could see as far and as well in the night as she could in the day. She saw Rin from beyond the lake, even without the flame of the candle in Rin's hand.
Rin's smile was that of a doting sister as she led Ana to the estate's second gate. The guards were informed and the hunters were waiting. Everything was ready. The hunters were aged from late twenties to early forties, strong men with well defined muscles and every one with at least one scar. They wore their scars like trophies. They recognized Rin and bowed respectfully. Then they stared at the other girl.
"She's my little sister," Rin introduced. "She'll be going along with you in my place. She's shy, but I promise she wouldn't be any different from me coming along. Please do take care of her."
The oldest of the hunters was also their leader. He smiled at Ana, while blushing the same as the other men. Rin was a terribly pretty young girl who was already showing the stunningly beautiful woman she would grow into. Ana wasn't as pretty but was still easy on the eyes. And her smile was the kind of pretty that young girls' was meant to be. Promising that they'll look after her was easy to do.
Rin stayed by the gate, waving until the party was out of sight. The men knew it was for Ana, but they fooled themselves quite easily into believing it was for them. Rin was such a wonderful girl. At least for her, they would take proper care of Ana.
They had already decided to become the lord's men. They only wanted to impress the lord's daughter so they could expect better benefits. To them who delved into the depths of the forest the outer reaches of the forest were no different from a children's playground. If they were lucky they would encounter a wild dog, an old wolf or a boar. Nothing any more dangerous. For a shy little girl like Ana that itself might be frightening. Maybe Ana coming along was actually better. They could impress her much easier and far better than they could Rin. And maybe they could get further benefits from the lord. It was a happy thought that brought a cheer to their faces, a jump to their feet and a glow to their eyes.
The first day was exactly as expected. The sun was high up by when they stepped past the thin boundary where the trees were larger and denser. They were in the true outer reaches of the forest. They only encountered a few wild dogs. Ana was startled. So great was her surprise the men couldn't help but wonder if they were seeing the same dogs. They didn't intend to shoot any today. They didn't think Ana was ready for blood. They sighed thinking how the little girl was so well guarded she hadn't even seen a wild dog, or the forest. The delight on the little girl's face couldn't be faked. In the evening, they pitched the tents and prepared dinner. They took care of everything. All Ana had to do, was sit by and watch, eat her fill and rest well in the best tent. She was such a weak little thing, she must be tired already. They couldn't even imagine the idea of giving her a task. And because Rin already said Ana was shy, they weren't bothered a bit by her silence through the day. They were sure they would get to hear her voice tomorrow.
They woke at the crack of dawn. Packed up everything as Ana watched. Though she didn't do anything, she at least wasn't complaining like they thought she would. The hard forest floor, even if softened by vines and soft earth, couldn't compare to the soft beds of the lord's home. Hunting with a girl wasn't as comfortable as without, but it wasn't very hard. By noon, they had hunted a couple of wild dogs and a boar. Ana was clearly impressed. Affected by that, they hoped to hunt a wolf as well by evening, when they would be returning. After so many years hunting together, the men had developed a sense of each other so they could understand each other without the need for words. They were all thinking happy thoughts and smiling, when the trap was sprung.
They had walked headlong into an ambush. The archers were prepared for them. From behind the shadows between the leaves, arrows flew at the party. The first arrows struck very close. There was no time for thought. The hunters instinctively fell into the practiced routines. It wasn't for nothing that they were so desirable to the lord. They managed to escape from the archer's range without getting hit. The only injuries were skin deep from the first arrows that surprised them. They escaped quite some distance before stopping. Only as they inventoried their injuries did they realize what they had done. Ana was forgotten. And from the look of things, she was lost within the archers' encirclement. By the time they ran back, the archers were gone. The arrows were gone. And the little girl was gone as well. All that remained was a trail of blood leading into the forest. The hunters prepared their weapons for an assault and followed the trail into the forest. It wasn't long. Ana wasn't at the end of it. There was so much blood, a little girl couldn't be alive after losing that much. There was no point continuing further with the search. Disheartened and weighed down by the terrible news, the men headed back.
Their returning to the estate lit up in a celebration dampened their mood further. They learned from the guards that Rin had been initiated as a star reader and had been accepted as a student by the renowned star reader Graeme. There was joy everywhere. The guards led the hunters in to receive medical care while they sent word to the lord.
The lord was in his forties but looked much younger. He also looked every bit as strong as he was, even without trying. His face was expressionless, so it was impossible to read his mind. As he stepped into the room the hunters were resting in, the very atmosphere changed. The hunters rose to their feet, to stillness, their gazes frozen at the lord's feet. "Tell me what happened," the lord said in an even voice. The hunters recounted everything, without hiding anything. From Rin introducing Ana to walking into an ambush and finally losing Ana. They shrunk inward as they waited for the lord's decision. They were expecting harsh words, instead the lord called for Rin in a calm and steady voice. In answer to the same question that her father had asked of the hunters, Rin spoke the same words she spoke to Ana, with the additional detail that the star reader who read her fortune was now her teacher. The lord was quiet a moment. Then, nodding at Rin, he turned toward the hunters and said to them words they were the least expecting to hear. "What are your expectations to come under my employment," he asked. He promised much more than they asked for, and invited them to join the celebration. A little later the hunters learned that little Ana was the least liked child of the lord's and they might have actually done good for the lord. And thus, it was easy for the men to forget Ana.
All in all, it was a grand evening at the lord's estate.
Far away, somewhere in the forest, a little girl leaned against an old tree whose trunk was thick enough to hold ten of her within. One half of her face was calm, like little Ana. The other was aglow with a viciousness that was so much brighter under the blood flowing off of it.
"Look at that. We're not bleeding anymore."
Ana looked at her right shoulder where minutes ago an arrow had buried itself. She was at the heart of the mad rush and yet not one of the hunters could see her as they dashed away in a mad scramble. They had gone blind, but she hadn't. She could see that the arrows going their way were only meant to frighten, but those coming toward her came with the intent to kill. She was the target. The arrow struck her as the hunters cleared away. The expressionless Ana could finally let out the other her without restraint. She moved to occupy one half of her face, leaving the rest of her for Honey. The other her loved calling herself Honey, because as far as she was concerned that was exactly what she was like, sweet as honey.
Honey's eye was red, as if the blood rushing through her head took a long rest in the eye. And then, in an instant, everything about her changed. She could see the archers dressed in green hiding among the thick branches clearly like the leaves weren't at all blocking her view, like the leaves weren't there at all. Her lips parted in a grin, showing her pale teeth and her red tongue that slid over the teeth and her lips. There were seven archers. With the hunters gone, all seven bows aimed at her. The moment seven arrows flew out, she leaped off the horse toward the closest archer. He was in a tree not more than ten meters away. She reached him in one leap, the arrow blowing past her without getting anywhere near. The archer's face was frozen in an expression of disbelief even as she stepped onto the branch he was kneeling upon and her hands turned into claws, one of which dug out his throat and the other punctured his eyes. In the same fluid motion, she grabbed the arrows from the quiver over the now dead archer's shoulder and flung them out roughly at the other archers. The arrows impaled five of the remaining archers to the trunks of the trees they were on. The last managed to keep his life, but the arrow drilled a hole through his thigh, a hole that was bleeding like a flooding river. She sat watching as the last archer fell to the ground a great distance down in his condition. She watched him run off at the speediest he could manage, all with an amused smile. She waited until he had gone far enough, before grabbing an arrow from another quiver and throwing it at the running archer, but this time with aim and intent. The arrow stabbed the archer through his heart, and he collapsed where he stood. The trail of blood would be a nice surprise for the hunters. She grabbed the dead archers and discarded them some distance away like garbage, so they wouldn't be found by the hunters. And then, she went away.
Rin was supposed to have come with the hunters. So, the archers were clearly here for Rin. Not her, not Ana. She was supposed to die here, so Rin could live.
"She was reading the stars to trade our life for hers," Honey said drily.
Ana nodded. She couldn't deny that that was cold. Even if they weren't close or loving, they were sisters, they were family. When the hunters returned with news of her death, would Rin have any concern? Any guilt? Ana couldn't be bothered about the lord, her father, for even a moment.
"At least, we are free now," Ana said.
"Yeah," Honey agreed. "Free."
She walked deeper into the forest before resting against a think trunk. Her shoulder was bleeding no more. And she had been walking so long, the sky was purple and the land was dark. She was healed. She always could heal quick. It was one of the many things Honey was capable of.
"So where now," Honey asked.
Thinking was Ana's thing, not that they did a lot of it. She was eight years old, but together they were sixteen. When they thought about it though, they felt much older. They couldn't understand it, let alone explain it even to themselves. So, they just accepted it.
"The archers," Ana said after a while. "They attacked us. Think we should pay them back?"
"Didn't we get them all?"
"No. I don't mean just the ones that were here today. I mean all of them. The whole lot of them who dress up in green and shoot arrows. Even those that weren't here today. Let's get them all. Let's kill them all. It'll be something to do. Maybe even fun."
"Yeah," Honey agreed, licking her lips. "May even be fun."
Honey always agreed with Ana, just as Ana always agreed with her. Now having something to do, and having rested enough, they rose to their feet and headed off into the forest.
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