Bea had two trusted guards on the trail of Annabelle. It had been a whole day since Annabelle had escaped. Mav and Bea both got barely any sleep, by morning the guards came back reporting another bloody murder scene, they knew it was her.
"Bea we need to find her" Mav said with her head in her hands. Bea was sitting at her desk with Mav leant against it.
"What if he has her already?" Bea sighed looking out the window, a tear in her eye. It's been a long time since Bea has felt as vulnerable as this.
"He can't!" Mav protested, "You know what happens when he gets a new play thing, do you remember what happened to R.."...Bea stood up from the desk hard, the chair flew backwards, shattering onto the wall behind her.
"YES MAV I FUCKING REMEMBER!" Bea lost her mind for a second but quickly collected it. She inhaled deeply "I'm sorry, Its just... I'm just as lost as you Mav. I told her she was safe, I told her to trust me and now she's gone too" Bea's face barely changed but boy did the tears start falling.
Mav got up and took this rare opportunity to hug and comfort her older sister. A few minutes of them both crying passed before Bea stopped and let go of Mav. She looked like she was thinking about something.
"Bea what is it?" Mav said hoping for an idea.
"Gigi!" Exclaimed Bea.
"Gigi?" Asked Mav, like Bea's officially gone mad.
"Yes we need to see Gigi, she's the only person I trust to let in on this. She won't tell anybody because it will benefit her. And she will be happy to stop our father from gaining another pawn. I'm a genius!" Bea finished looking very pleased with herself. Mav on the other hand was forced to face reality.
"I'm supposed to come up with the crazy ideas and your supposed to snap me out of it, what happened to us". Mav said jokingly, unable to take Bea seriously.
"Have you got a better idea?" Bea asked.
Mav thought about what she could possibly say to make Bea change her mind, as she thought about it more she wondered, maybe this isn't the worst plan.
Then the penny dropped.. "Bea.... are you just trying to get her close to Gigi so she can meet Marcus?" Mav spoke in a aggravated tone.
"What? no, I didn't even think of that!" she lied.
"But since you brought it up, maybe it's a good thing. Say we get Annabelle back and then what? We knew she couldn't stay. You've got to go back to the palace soon and I can't hide her here forever... Anna said herself she couldn't put us in danger like that". Bea and Annabelle had clicked from the start. Mav was hyper and happy like a little sister should be. Bea was calm and calculated, not to say she didn't know how to have fun but she was more on Anna's level of seriousness.
They could talk about life and what it means to them. Often sitting together by the waterfall laughing about the pompous royals and their stuck up ways. Both glad they were free of it with Bea only having to attend rare meetings.
Mav on the other hand didn't mind that life, she even enjoyed the lavishness of it. Mav was a princess in and out, though there is not a bad bone in her body. She was petite with fragile features like a China doll. Meanwhile both Anna and Bea had broader shoulders and looked steady on their feet, ready for anything.... almost anything.
----
A few hours later in the middle of the woods.
"How far is it Bea?..." Mav whined.
"I'm sure it's around here somewhere, it's been so long" Bea tried to remember rubbing her hand against her chin.
They had been walking for just over half an hour, having to leave the horses at the edge of the deeper part of the woods.
"Why would you live somewhere that's so difficult to get to?" moaned Mav who was trailing a few feet behind.
"Your such a princess Mav, the point is that it's hard to get too...".
The paths were narrow and hardly trodden. Bea was using her sword to slash their way through. She had also insisted in not bringing any bodyguards.
Mav protested remembering what happened the last time she went out this far, but Bea argued that the guards protection didn't help before either.
Mav also knew that Bea would die before letting anything happen to her baby sister so she agreed.
They came to a cross roads. "Urm, we go left... I think I remember that tree" Bea said pointing at it, almost asking herself a question.
"Do you remember it or not?... ugh! which way Bea?!"
Mav said loosing her patience, she was certainly not made for hiking.
As they regain their walking pace down the left path, Bea hears russling close by. "Stay close!" she whispered to Mav sharply.
"Where else would I go?" Mav replied clinging to her sisters sleeve.
"Let go of me, how can I fight with you hanging off my arm" Mav quickly released her, thinking; that makes sense.
They continued and just as Bea was about to take her third step a small dark blur came shooting out from the brush, she swung her sword and caught it in a flash, pure instinct. She had been so on edge that it hadn't crossed her mind what she was about to kill. And now that she thought about it it was too late.
"Oh Bea, what did you do that for?! it was only a Jumper" A small blackish brown Hare like creature lied half headless on the floor in a pool of its blood. "I.. I didn't mean too, you know I didn't mean too.... it was a good hit thought wasn't it, did you see how fast.." She went to carry on but got caught in Mavs death stare. It was a very skillful swing but Mav wasn't going to admit that.
"You can't smell the difference between a man and a hare? Where has all your training gone to dear sister?" Mav said smugly.
"Out here there are so many smells and sounds it's hard to tell what's what. And I haven't been in the field for awhile.... my senses just need to.. to... adjust" Bea explained falling over her own words.
She felt a little wounded that her training somewhat failed her resulting in a innocent animals death. Maybe she was growing weak, spending too much time inside bossing other people around, she let her senses waste away. "Let's just go" Mav said as she gently lifted the body of the hare and put it to the side under some bushes.
Bea did care that she had just killed for no reason but at the same time she did what big sisters do best, get on their little sisters nerves.
"Hey Mavelo, I think you forgot something" she said pointing to the other half of the hares head.
"Shut up!" Mav said punching Beas arm and walking straight past her.
Mav looked back to say something else but before she could say anything the look on Bea's face stopped her. Bea was frozen with a frantic expression aimed behind Mav. Before Mav could turn back around an arm wrapped around around Mavs neck compressing the scream in her throat.
Mav felt a sharp blade lightly pressed against her neck. A tall muscular man in dark fitted leather clothing had Mav at the end of his dagger, His shiny black hair pushed back. "What business do you have here?" he asked Bea in a demanding tone. His voice was low and smooth.
"We're here to see Gigi! Now let her go!" Bea began to take a step forward but the man tightened his grip on Mav who tried to gasp for air, when Bea stopped he loosened his grip enough for Mav to take a breath. "Hmm, I know your face..." the man said, the cogs began to whirl in his head.
When it took a little too long Bea decided to spread up the process. "I am Princess Beatrix, and that is my sister Princess Mavelo..." Bea used her don't fuck with me voice.
"The Wolf Kings Daughters?!.." he dropped Mav who quickly ran to her sister clinging off her shoulder from behind.
If she didn't look like a sweaty mess before she sure does now. Mav wasn't even bothered about looking like a coward, she knew she was weak but she had a family that would always protect her. She never had to be strong.
"My apologies ladies" The man replied. ; social hierarchy wasn't necessary to these people.
All they respect is strength and wisdom. And nature of course. Even though they didn't respect royalty The King had killed thousands of people with his own hands and claws. They respected him for the blood he had spilled.
"Do you hold everyone you meet hostage?" Mav questioned in a bitter tone rubbing her neck that was still throbbing. The man shifted his gaze to Mav, when their eyes met neither one could talk. Somehow all the words were lost.
Bea could tell that he was oogling her little sister, she just couldn't see Mavs reaction who was growing antsy and increasingly red under his gaze.
Bea coughed loudly which drew his attention.
"Follow me, I'll take you to Gigi" he said before he began walking Infront of them.
Another half hour passed before they reached the camp. No one said much. The man who addressed himself as Sam shared occasional eye contact with Mav, unnoticed by Bea. There were hut houses littered in a clearing in the woods surrounded by a big wooden fence. It's much bigger than Bea remembers.
A strong smell of fire and tanned goods now filled the air. It surprised Bea that she could not smell it before they entered.
Bea had a meeting with Gigi who agreed to help. Her clan was full of warriors.. she is more powerful than the average wolf and she's been around for decades, amounting almost as much respect as the King. Gigi looked mid-40s but she was almost two hundred years old. She had Hazel eyes, white grey hair braided and pulled back, rocking the traditional leather an fur armour, her black hooded Cape followed closely behind her.
Bea sat with Mav around the open firepit. "I don't trust her, how much did you say?" Mav questioned.
"I know..." Bea sighed and dropped her head in her hands. "If you think about it, this was never going to be a happy story. I know your hopeful, I admit, I was too at first" Bea paused for a second, "This is the least 'crappy' option. We don't know how she came here.. or why, and we were never going to find out ourselves" she sighed. "Whatever Gigi does with her at least we know it will be good". Reassuring Mav used to be easy, before Mav had a mind of her own.
"This was your plan all along. I knew it... I'm not mad. Seeing Annabelle like that.. she is dangerous. I just hope your right for Annabelles sake".