Astraea felt a deep sense of revulsion as the man stared at her with patent inquisitiveness etched in his eyes. She was rattled not only with his presence and continuous stares, but by the whole band her father brought in with them. She was too antsy to leave, but her mother noticed her behaviour and gave her a meaningful look.
"I am Ragan, Chief of this island. Who are you and how did you get here?" Ragan asked. Astraea was curious too. Everyone a while ago was talking about the strangers that came to them.
The man turned to her father and said, "We came from the further bank of the ocean. We are people of the mighty kingdom of Ashcaria. I am Theodore Ashton of the Royal House of Ascharia, heir apparent to the throne. We were sailing on the high seas when we lost our way. Your island is the only one we've seen in days and we seek only food and shelter."
"How can we know you're not enemies?" her father replied.
The man seated next to Theodore answered, "We swear in the name of the gods. We will bring you no harm."
"Gods?" Genaine asked curiously.
Theodore gave them a puzzled look, "They are the Supreme Beings – deities. And we, well, we worship them. We pray to them. Don't you have deities?"
"We worship no one. We have no gods here in Deria." Ragan paused, and heaved a deep sigh. "We have no more questions. We will give you food, water, clothing and shelter. You may rest here for tonight and only tonight. You must to leave tomorrow at dawn."
"What about our wounded men?" Theodore asked.
"Your friends are being treated. We took them to a separate cabin. I will have one of my warriors escort you to them."
"We can't thank you enough for your hospitality, Chief. Our king will surely welcome you should you decide to leave –"
Ragan cut him off, "We appreciate the invitation, but we cannot leave this island. Danger is waiting for my people across the sea." Then he stared at him and asked, "What is your name, young man?"
"This one's name is Meynard, Chief. Like the others here I am also a warrior in service to the king, although the people from my country call me in a different title."
"Very well. You may go now to your companions. I will have someone bring you everything you need." Then he motioned for them to leave. Before he went out of the door, Theodore took a glance at Astraea who immediately flinched.
Soon, everyone left the cabin except for Astraea and her parents. The room suddenly felt comfortable; as if a great tension had just been lifted. Astraea knew she wasn't the only one feeling anxious about the strangers, but her parents had to keep a straight face. There was something odd and peculiar about them, most especially the guy named Theodore. For a moment after he had entered he looked at Astraea with a mixture of fear and surprise, then his eyes was suddenly filled with something she couldn't describe. She felt discomfited, and the only thing that captivated her was the thought of the outside world.
"Don't you think it was a bad idea to welcome them?" Genaine said as she heaved a deep sigh.
Ragan did not answer, but Astraea knew that he doubted his decision. All throughout the conversation she felt her father's uneasiness. His eyebrows were furrowed and he kept looking at them with sharp eyes.
For a moment she considered staying there for a while because for some reason, the room felt so much safer than outside. However, her father motioned for her to leave and head to their house located just beside the assembly hall. She stood up hesitantly and walked towards the door quietly. She looked through the window and noticed that it was quite dark, with the sky gradually turning black. As soon as she had closed the door behind, she regretted obeying her father and wished she stayed inside for quite longer.
She saw the man, Theodore, looking intently at her. Their cabin was located to the other side of the hall, across their house. He was standing just outside the door, arms folded across his chest.
Astraea threw a sharp look at him and walked away. She was about to ignore him when he spoke, "What an exquisite island Deria is. Such a shame we would have leave immediately."
"It's customary. Your people don't belong here." She said sharply.
"That was never in question." He walked a little closer to Astraea, "I can tell that your people never saw anyone who doesn't belong here. They were so naïve when they saw us, our ship, and even our weapons."
"That's because no one has ever breached the barrier. You and your men are the only ones who have ever reached our island."
He pondered for a while, and then said, "Well, that explains the sparkle in your eyes when we mentioned our kingdom. The others seemed indifferent, but I can tell that you thrilled by the idea of a foreign world."
"That doesn't concern you." She says and turned to walk away.
"It does."
She halted and faced him with visible confusion written all over her face. "How can you know?"
"Your language, way of living, and combat techniques. All are similar to the ones we have. I have travelled most of the known lands, you see, and all of us have a unique language. All, except your people."
"And that's supposed to make us one of you?" She remarked, sarcastically.
"There's only one way to find out. Come with us. I will take you to where you and your people truly belong."
For a moment she only stared at him with disbelief. For years she dreamed of discovering the world outside the barrier. She didn't mind the thought of facing the creatures that her people feared the most. But now that an opportunity presents itself, she didn't know what to do.
"If we accept your invitation, what would you take in return?"
"You'll be my concubine."
Silence. She was lost for words. Astraea knew what that word meant, though they never use that term. Her father once had a strange book containing things she did not understand, knowledge that was unknown to most of them, and through that book that she knew what he meant.
Out of disgust, she unsheathed her dagger and pressed it against his throat. "I always knew you were disagreeable, now I realize you're exceedingly odious. Leave this island as soon as dawn breaks, or I will kill you myself." With that, she left him and hastily walked towards her house, slamming the door shut behind her.
Sleep had evaded her that night. She kept reminiscing all that had happened; the foreigners arrival, Theodore's offer, and the land beyond the horizon. Though she did not regret refusing him, she was disappointed that she might never see the world outside the barrier.
Tired of crawling over and over again in bed, she stood up and wore her boots. Careful not to make sound, she warily walked towards the door and outside. The cold midnight breeze kissed her cheek and enveloped her body in a chilling embrace, but she didn't mind. It comforted her and calmed her nerves. She looked up the sky and observed the stars. Livaeus once told her to just look at the stars whenever she's afraid, and that they will be her light in darkness.
Just then, she felt a movement behind her. Before she could react, everything went black.
Astraea woke up feeling extremely dizzy and uncomfortable. She felt an extreme pressure on her stomach, as if it was the only thing holding her. She opened her eyes, only to realize that she was on the shoulder of the man; the one who identified himself as Meynard. She knew she had to struggle, but the extreme dizziness and headache caused by the hit seemed as if to restrict her movements.
It took for a couple more minutes before she realized where they were heading. The familiar scent of the ocean and the touch of the breeze sent her whole body into panic. She tried to look around her and saw that she was surrounded by the men from the ship. No one was brought from their village except her. Some of the men still wore bandages; some carry enormous amounts of foods, water, and even took some of their animals. Not far from her, she heard faint voices.
"Are you certain that you want to take her, Your Grace?"
"Certainly." It was Theodore.
"But this might provoke the Royal House of Sannaria. There were already rumours circulating all over the continent that you want to break your betrothal with Princess Audrey. It most certainly won't be a good idea if you would bring this girl and present her to the court."
Just then, all men halted. They stopped whispering to one another until all that could be heard was the howling of the wind. They just stood there, studying their surroundings.
Then it came. A strong gust of wind blew and one man's shriek was heard, followed by another, and another, until she could no longer count how many men were shouting in pain. Theodore ordered them to run and his men obliged. They reached a clearing where they halted once more. Astraea lifted up her head to see her father, Livaeus, and every warrior from their village fully armed, waiting for them at the shore.
She felt Meynard gently put her down below a tree before joining the others. From afar, she could see the silhouette of her father looking at Theodore, his eyes burning with anger. She turned her gaze to Livaeus who was already looking at her. He nodded, as if saying that everything's going to be alright, before charging towards his opponents.
Astraea knew that the warriors of Deria were trained to be merciless and ruthless in battle, but never has it been fully demonstrated until now. They fought viciously, not leaving anyone alive in their path. But the foreign invaders were on par with them. Their movements were more precise and their strategies proved to be efficient. However, her father and the others soon gained the upper hand for they were much more in number.
Soon, the men retreated. They ran towards their boats for dear life, not bothering to pick up whatever belonged to them. However, one man was left fighting. Astraea watched as her father and Theodore's sword clashed. She saw that their lips were moving, but could not hear what it was. On the other side, she could see his men gesturing and shouting for Theodore to leave, but their words fell on deaf ears. He continued to fight, until her father managed to wound him by slashing his arm and he dropped his sword. Her father took this opportunity to stab him in the stomach. Meynard and the others, upon seeing their master's defeat, paddled the boat towards the ship.
Her father buried his sword deeper unto Theodore's body before withdrawing it. The sword dripped with so much blood she could no longer see the yellow metal of the sword. Blood started to drip from his mouth as he fell on his knees. He whispered something to her father before attempting to reach for his sword. However, before he could do so, her father beheaded him; a punishment bestowed upon the worst traitors. His rolled down as his body fell onto the ground, lifeless.
Astraea drew a deep breath, and as she saw Livaeus running towards her, everything went black.