Fenyang's Pov
"Get off me!" I lunge my bodyweight forward while brandishing the heavy sword. I don't want to take a life but will do if I have to.
The creature turns its head 360 degrees like and owl and stares at me with empty eyes to then vanish in a puff of smoke. I spit a coppery taste out of my mouth and wipe my chin clean.
What am I doing here anyways? Unlike the first time I visited this old castle with Zaffera, it's far from being left abandoned today but I have a mission to carry out. Something else attacks me from the back. This time is different, the creature has some weight to it. I feel human teeth dig at my skin and then a childlike growl escape. Agitating my back the thing, or person perhaps, falls off me and retreats slowly.
"Don't hurt me like you hurt him." The thing turns out to be a scared little girl trying to protect herself. I don't blame her and I must look quite menacing at the moment. She looks about 8 or 9 ysars old and wears a quite worn out dress made out of dark, rough sackcloth.
"Him?" I ask confused, inching closer in a more comforting manner to avoid scaring her any more that I have already.
"Ye- yes, him. My creature." She finally stops retreating away noticing that I won't attack and I see a wound on her leg and a few scars clustered together on her arm.
"I apologise for hurting the two of you, I wasn't aware and thought myself in danger."
"Sasky wouldn't actually hurt anyone... He's here to protect me."
"Sasky eh." I lower down to her level and take out some bandages from my backpack. "And who else is with you?"
She shakes her head no. "I'm lost. I don't think anyone will even find me at this point."
"Is that so? I can try and help you find the way home." I continue, wrapping the bandage around her leg and left forearm gently to not cause any more unnecessary pain. I've ended up having to bandage Zaffera a few times during our 'trips' and I have definitely improved my bandaging skills since then. She looks at me curioused, possibly wondering what I'm doing in such a desolate place myself.
"Are you lost too?" The little girl asks in teary eyes, her pitch getting higher. Now it's my turn to shake my head no.
"I'm here to look for something... Something really valuable and important."
"What is it?"
"Some old scrolls." She looks back at me with even more confusion than earlier so I explain further, "I am King to a kingdom just near by and I've been told to retieve a map in this area."
Neil and Zaffera come towards us running and the first one draws out a sword. In my periferal I notice the little girl cover her eyes fright as my head instinctively turned the towards upcoming noise.
"I'm okay. No threat just a lost little girl."I say and Neil's left arm lowers the sword and puts it back into its sheath. "Found anything?"
"Almost...but we heard some noise and left everything back in the castle. The arrows are arranged to get here soon and we can load any necessary scolls in the wagons...Is the girl okay?" Speaks Zaffera under heavy breathing.
I turn to look at the girl as I respond, "She will be soon. We must take her to back to Palace with us and then help her find the way home."
°°°
"This dress is so pretty." Spins around the girl, "I've never worn something this pretty. My family is pretty poor and can't really afford anything like this. Thank you so much." I beam creeps on my face looking at her smile again. It's nothing much really, Mother just got something from the clothing store nearby after seeing the state she was in. He motherly instinct must have kicked in and she took good care of her.
"What's you name?" I ask realising I don't know it yet.
"Lily."
"That's a pretty name." She smiles back shyly at Mother's utterance.
"Sir, we have loaded of all the wagons. I have told the other arrows to rest now." Declares Klaus. I nod in satisfaction. Klaus is quite the loyal right hand any ruler would want by his side. He often goes above and beyond and is truly a great friend to me.
"Very good. Now you go rest as well, I can take it from here."
°°°
I'm sat in my office in the my dark office lit by an oil lamp taking a read of the scrolls. The break off point isn't quite documented but there's a date. Around 150 years ago someone broke a promised which lead to separation and resentment between to two heads. Once upon a time Arrow was just the Eastern Nation and Zyron the Western Nation. Nothing else is really documented related to the circumstances in which they did possibly due to sensitive information.
I yawn in tiredness and take a leave deciding to revisit the matter in the morning eith fresher eyes, but in the low light I push past the oil lamp on my desk which spills staining the corner of one of the scrolls I was reading. To my surprise a new set of writing appear before my eyes as though illuminated. Propping the lamp back up I stop any further leakage and read:
'The division was caused by greed. Both Nations wanted their wish of prosperity granted by The Door and received upheaval and hatred from the other side instead.'
"That's what happened!" I exclaim in a loud whisper to avoid waking anyone up. This makes me wonder what catastrophe would occur to Ginn if he was to acctually access the door. Making a mental note to notify the others tomorrow I leave my office in complete silence.
'I must tell my guardians too.' I think laying on my right side of my bed. 'They might be a valuable source.'