A long time ago, there was a child who was born from a poor village. The child was a female one, yet she was different from any ordinary child. She never smiles, never shed tears, never been angry, and never been scared. She was devoid of any emotion, and for that, many had called her a monster, a freak. Children near at her age at first, tries to befriend her, however, because of how mechanical she acts, and how silent she was, they felt unnerved and had a hard time trying to communicate with her, thus eventually given up. She was alienated from most of their play, or any of their childish activities. Moreover, those children found it easier to be rude towards her, but they also eventually stopped, because they got bored of it. Because it was clear enough for them,
Because she didn't care whatever bad words or derogative names they spew on her. In truth, she didn't even care about anything at all, even at herself. Even her mother never did care about her, for she had a broken mind. Yet, she fed her mother, and herself, inside their tiny little cottage, filled with rats and broken furniture, for someone told her that this is the right thing to do.
…That someone? It might be her mother when her mind was still present, or maybe the children she conversed when they still tried. Nevertheless, whoever said that to her was irrelevant.
…But why is it the right thing to do? what for? She wondered. But that too was irrelevant.
She continued to live life because that's what was taught to her. 'Live, for you had many things yet to see' is what was she's been told.
"What for?" she asked.
"For you to experience joy."
***
"Fucking Finally! We're finally here!"
"Oh, you're awake!?"
After a long journey escaping from the Deepwoods on a spectral horseback, Ishnaia, Reonne, and Bear with Alister on a tow had their destination finally at their sight: Durakhal.
The skies had finally reached the golden hour with the sun being already prepared to set into the bottom of the lands. Ishnaia just awoke from her nap and was groggy from start, but, as soon as she gains sight of the town, her eyes brighten up as if the early tiredness seen in both of it never existed in the first place. Finally fucking out of the jungle, she thought happily.
But before that, it had been a miracle as of how she could retain balance even when sleeping. Reonne was kind of afraid for her to fall to the ground that he made sure to slow down the trotting of the horse they're riding at as so not to happen what he fears of. Bear didn't mind at all about this and did lose its pace for a bit. After all, "We're not in a hurry anyway." He said nonchalantly.
He added, "These spectral horses will last for a day before their mana ceases to be."
"Mana?" Reonne asks.
"Some kind of magical life force power I think, a mage lingo."
"Sweet! But how d'you know that? You dated a mage before?"
"No."
"Reeally~~?"
Bear ignores the confirmation, refusing to entertain Reonne's antics. However, contrary to what he believes, his attitude amused the wisecrack. It ensues about Reonne kept teasing him about it, telling 'Damn, how does she taste?' or 'I guess you sired some unwanted children, how could you!?' and more along those lines. Amazingly, one could see how Bear may won as the most patient man of this era if there's any award like that exists somewhere, for he never, not even once, took any bait Reonne casted unto him.
Yet, for Bear himself, he was almost about to give in as he was getting more irritated the more Reonne talks. Good thing Ishnaia finally gained conscious before he burst, for he truly was already at his limit.
"Should we go and flex about these magic horses we had inside?" Ishnaia asks.
"No, they'll vanish as soon as we dismount." Bear replied, "And we'll do it by the entrance. Some of them may be alerted if we did it inside, and they'll remember us. You don't want that right?"
Ishnaia clicks her tongue and glares at Alister. And Alister, who was tied by mouth and arms behind Bear, closes his eyes and sighs by nose exhalation.
Durakhal had a three-storey tall white stone castle walls surrounding the whole town, but it looks like it wasn't really maintained thoroughly as some sides were chipped and cracked in various shapes. Countless rubble or debris in different sizes are scattered beside the slightly broken walls, as if it was besieged a long time ago and was ignored completely with the test of time. But all in all, no one was really guarding at the top of the walls these times, and all security of the town was above the streets, and all of them are soldiers of the House Erons.
Reonne and Bear dismounted their spectral rides, and Bear carries Alister down to gain a foothold unto the ground.
"Alright then… let's-"
Bear stopped at his sentence as soon as he turns his eyes towards Ishnaia and just stared at her in silence.
"…"
Reonne, as well as Alister, also did the same when they saw what she was doing.
Ishnaia did not dismount. She never wanted to dismount. She's proning and hugging the spectral horse tightly, wiping her whole face in a repeated motion.
"…"
The more this scene prolongs in his eyes, the more Bear was growingly irritated.
"…Get-"
"Wheeeeip!" Ishnaia muffled loudly.
She didn't expect this spectral horse to have a smooth and soft body, given its translucency. The feeling of its irresistible silky hair tingles her senses as her dopamine rises up to joyous experience. The smell it exudes was akin of a grass dew that was recently wet by the drops of rain, and lastly, Its behavioral forbearance as it neighs, unshakingly standing still in magnificence, is an awesome sight, as the horse's attitude was everything Bear strive to be: A saint of patience in spite of perturbation.
"Shhooo, Schmoooch."
Reonne poignantly muttered, "Dang, I wish I'm the horse."
"Get… down!" Bear growled irefully to Ishnaia.
"NO!" Ishnaia refuses.
"One!"
"MhmmMhmm!" She rubs her face
"TWO! OR ELSE!"
"Uaaaaargh! Okay okay! Fuck! I get it!" and Ishnaia has finally been infected by Bear's irritation as she glared annoyingly at that big chunk of man. But before she finally got off the horse, she hugged it one last time and said,
"See you, Spirit horse."
As soon as her feet landed to the ground, she stares back at the spectral horse. Slowly, it dissipates into small blue bubble lights, floating away at the air to emptiness, until there was no evidence that it had ever been existed. And finally, it was gone.
Ishnaia watched this with a poignant feeling till it was gone.
"Are you satisfied now?" Bear speak in his usual raspy tone towards her, and then, she turned toward the boys and said,
"Yup, off we go now."
***
Even in this golden hour, at the town painted in orange by the setting sun, people were in a hustle and bustle, minding their own business. Some are at errands of buying ingredients for their food for their evening supper, others were packing out their shops, mostly are weapon shops, as it seems business were not as good here compared to the rest of the different shops. The town function itself normally, not knowing that the prince has arrived in shackles here in this very place.
Bear and company passed at the town's arching entrance with its portcullis hanging above the head of two soldier guarding the town. One of them, who was leaning at the wall, apparently to sleep, slightly opened his eyes at their presence of Bear's party, only to just bated an eye to Alister and closed. Ishnaia had her mind boggled by this and said to Reonne,
"Wait, the guard didn't even question us over that?" She pointed at Alister, who was clearly tied like a hostage and being led like a dog in a leash by Bear, "Isn't that too convenient?"
"It's a common occurrence here." Reonne replies, "The Erons always caught their pests and lock them unto some prison people never knew where. Mostly beastkins as most of them lives here, sometimes Humes who are up to no good. At any rate, I guess there's too much criminals out here that people don't bother anymore who was tied by who."
"Reonne's right," Bear speaks, "Just look what's front of us."
Ishnaia does what Bear suggested, and there, in her line of sight, eight people, forming two columns who are bounded in chains by their hands, mostly beastkins, were having a procession behind some kind of a giant turtle, as big as a horse, but instead of a shell, was a platform with one carriage seat, fitted with a small canopy and wooden railing. Inside it was a common Erons soldier, driving the creature with two ropes connected to its head collar rope. From its side to side, were more Erons soldiers, taking tabs each row. People can hear them shouting, "Move through! Move through!" to shoo people away from their path. But nonetheless, it proceeds orderly as people didn't really mind it much at all.
"Huh…sucks to be them."
"So, it is imperative that you behave, young lady."
"How rude!" Ishnaia quickly glared and protested at Bear, "I'm not a fucking criminal!"
"I didn't say that."
"Rudefuck." She clicks her tongue and glances away, crossing her arms and slowing her pace poutingly.
"Reonne," Bear called out and beckoned, "let's talk."
Reonne quickly glance back to Ishnaia then to Bear before he replies, "Now?" and ran by his side. He knew Bear wants a talk man to man, and he knew that this concerns what they had decided a while ago, yet he was surprised that they needed to talk this urgent.
As they walk at a pace, there, beside the street, Ishnaia saw stalls that was selling various fruits, confectionaries, and ready to serve food, in which people cram in such a small area. Some of the stalls were almost at the middle of the road, yet the soldiers pay no heed as some of them were also part of the crowd. Interested, she strolls toward these shops… unnoticed by the boys as they continue to walk straight to their destination.
"Reonne" Bear iterated, "I will ask you one last time, are you sure about this?"
"Yeah," Reonne nodded, "Of course, or she wouldn't be here walking along with us."
Bear snorted, "You're always a pussy chaser. How many times you fell into trouble because of that attitude? One time, you told me that your dick was almost cut off from you If I remember."
"And that's who I am, I pursue consensual rape as much as possible."
"And what does that supposed to mean?"
"I mean what I mean Bear."
Bear sighs defeatedly, "Sometimes, I really had no idea what in the name of Aliya you're thinking. At any rate, I guess you're an adult now. After all, a cub must learn independence to survive."
Reonn look askance at bear, "…Why does it feel like you're not telling me something? This isn't like you. If you're going to tell me something Bear, tell me now."
"No," Bear nodded, "I'd already told all my piece." And he glances back, as if searching for someone, then say, "Hey, where's that girl?"
"Over the-"
And they saw no sign of the girl, Ishnaia.
"Wha-"
Reonne turns back running with no further ado, shouting the name of the girl like a fool who got his child lost in the middle of numerous pedestrians.
"Ishnaia!! Ishnaia!!"
"Reonne! Quiet down!" Bear reprimanded shoutingly, unmoving as he had Alister on a leash, "You're making a scene!"
"Wh-There she is!"
Reonne saw Ishnaia leaving on a crowd from various stalls of food. He quickly hurried towards her with a relief on his face,
"Don't go leaving without letting us know- wait, where'd you get that."
On her hand, he saw three sticks with three deep fried sweet potato balls skewered on it.
"What, are you my dad now?"
"No? I'm your boyfriend remember?"
"Do *munch, munch* boyfriends treat their partner in leash?"
"What!? never mind that, where'd you get that?"
"What? want some? Get it yourself over there, these are mine!"
"How much?"
"I don't know. Does it matter?"
"…Huh?"
"?"
"How much do you have?"
"What you mean?"
"…"
*Munch, munch*
"Did you…"
"Yeargh."
"…"
*Munch, munch*
Reonne, quickly grabs her by her wrist.,
"…Let's go, quick!"
Then Ishnaia shook his hand away from her wrist,
"Hey! I can go by myself!"
But, Reonne grabs it again and run,
"Whatever, let's go, now!"
"Hey, fucking shit, hey!"
And they run away from the place and quicken their steps as they went farther and farther. Ishnaia had given up shooing his arm, and went with the flow of the pacing of Reonne's footsteps. Because of the manner of how they look in the public, people are inevitably casting side glances at them. But Reonne knows they don't have time to care about that. And eventually, they passed by Bear and Reonne quickly stopped while jogging in place just to let him know,
"Sorry Bear, we're gonna go ahead first!"
"Heyo!" Ishnaia waved at Bear.
"What the!?" Bear couldn't do anything but stare at them, who appears to be running away at something. He continues to gaze at their figures as they went farther and farther from him until they turn into some far corner that was almost invisible to his naked eye. He furrowed while thinking as of what made them to be hurry like that,
"It is as if they stole something…huh." He muttered with his speculative conclusion, in which unbeknownst to him, is what Ishnaia actually did.
***
The two, Ishania and Reonne, who were running away from the former's sin against a vendor, had found themselves right on a back alleyway. No one was to be seen here, but garbages, pipe drains, and emptiness. Noises in this area are slightly muffled than out of the open, and the environment evokes of a meeting place for no-good criminals. Seemingly, being a no-good criminal grunt is what Reonne feels right now, and this is the spot for them to catch their breath after running profusely as the price for the shenanigan Ishnaia did. As he pants, Ishnaia breaks silence and vocally rants with gusto,
"What the fuck was that Reo!? Did you know that it is bad to run while eating? Ah shit, my hand's all messy now thanks to you and the sauce!"
"Well, Sorry girl, stealing is cool, but I doubt you if you're that skilled!"
"You doubt me!? I'll let you know that I-"
"You what?"
Ishnaia had her words come to a halt. She was about to say something unthinkable. Memories of war arouse from her mind as she had stolen many of various things just to survive from a terrible wasteland of corpses and decay, like food from trash to feed her empty stomach, Knives from foolish people to use it to slit their throats. Screams of help and cry for desperation resounds to her ears, as if she relives the moment of dread in a spectral form, and-
"Hey Ishnaia! Yo Ishnaia!"
She finally snapped back to reality as she heard her name.
"Ishnaia?"
"Y-yeah?"
"Are you okay!?" Reonne looks at her with a clear worry on his face, "You look like you had seen a ghost!"
"A ghost… Huh…" Ishnaia smiles wryly at the thought, "Yeah..I guess."
"Should I pry on that? Anyway, here." Reonne handed her three sticks of deep-fried sweet potato balls. "You almost drop it below."
"Huh? Oh yeah… thanks…" she accepts as Reonne passes it
Reonne furrowed his eyebrows to her and said, "…you really okay? I expect some banter or Insult from you, but you didn't."
"What!?" She then irefully glared at him and loudly yelled, "Are you trying to fuck with me!?"
He then smiled happily when he saw Ishnaia returned from her usual self and wittily said,
"I guess… if you put it that way, Haha…"
Hearing that, she look at him like some poor dying insect and said in a deadpan tone, "Oh right… You're a fucking pervert…"
And then, someone yelled scoldingly from afar, "Hey!" and both partners in crime turn their head from whence the voice came from. It was one of those knights from House Erons. His greyish armor uniform and his standard sword sheathed on his hip says it all, and the knight in question are quite old, as seen with their stern and wrinkled face. Which makes the situation feeling more dire than ever for Reonne because of the knight's appearance.
"Oh shit," Reonne expressed his predicament and glanced at Ishnaia, "I guess we can't run always from our problem."
"Huh!? Our problem!?" Ishnaia couldn't help but to raise her brow to him, "YOU cause this unneeded problem remember!?"
"What!?" Reonne reacted by moving his head back animatedly "I'm just trying to save your ass, that's all! C'mon now, don't be so rude milady!"
"Hey, You two!" again, they were called out by the knight, and this time, he has picked us his pace, and is imminently coming in closer to the two, who seem to be, troublemakers to his eyes. Reonne gulps, took a step forward, and says his piece,
"Sir! I'm sorry that we-"
"Hush!" interrupted by the knight with a stop gesture, "Before you say anything, you know that this place is off limits! Right!?" then the knight mumbled to himself, "Tch, How many times I had to tell these to youngsters that this is not the den for lovers."
"Well Sir, we got no idea! There is not a signage posted along the path Sir."
"Not a signage?" The knight clicks his tongue, and murmured to himself again, shaking his head "that John, slacking off again. He'll get an earful after this."
"Well Sir, if you excuse us, we'll be going now." Reonne waves his hand and just he's about to turn, the knight speaks in a reprimanding manner,
"Wait, I'm not done with you!"
"Sir?" Reonne faces the knight once again and slightly tilts his head.
The knight then eyes him searchingly and Ishnaia. While Reonne nervously looks at the knight's façade, Ishnaia, who was silently on the side, watch the scene in suspicion. Is this guy a pervert too? She mused, then when her eyes wander from behind the knights back, she saw a hooded petite person, with a wooden rod that was almost at her size. She furrowed her eyebrows at this sight. Since when did she…
Then, after a while, the knight gave a nod to himself and turn his eyes to Ishnaia and said,
"Lass, you know this guy?"
"Huh? Yeah, he might look like a pervert, but he's my guy."
"Your guy? Hah!" Then the knight shifted his eyes to Reonne, "Lucky you lad, or I'll detain you right here and right now if she did not vouch for you."
"Err…Thank I guess?" Reonne dumbfoundingly replied, scratching his cheek with his finger.
"Go now," the knight nudges his head, "before I change my mind."
"Al-Alright then... pardon us!"
Finally, Reonne and Ishnaia turns around and left the alleyway. As they went out, Ishnaia said to Reonne, "You saw that small kid? I think that knight's a pervert."
"Yeah…" he answered nonchalantly, "I don't care what kind of fetish that guy has, everyone has one. We're not heroes of justice here. Let's respect his privacy shall we."
"…you really are a fucking pervert, maybe it's just his child or something!"
And as they went farther and farther from the old knight's eyes, he turned around to the hooded person and speaks in a calm and stern tone,
"My apologies for that, Lady Pinta. This way please."