Everything becomes a little different as soon as it is spoken out - Hermann Hesse

Keeva

I cast up my eyes, light morning sun is greeting  me, gentle like a stream. The sunbeams have been colored green through the chlorophyll of the leaves. The forrest that had been described as deadly seemed halcyon. The warm green shade enwrapped me like a coat. I blinked a few times to escape the liaison with the light.

I felt staggered, when I noticed the men who had dragged me through the woods on the back of a horse on the floor. He was kneeling, the hands on the with moss covered ground, his eyelids were closed, he was fully motionless. I could see his profile in the way he was sitting, I saw his lips moving, reciting soundless prayers in a language I didn't understand. He had said that he didn't belong to a northern wildling tribe, but his behavior was portending that he had lied, just like the pirate on the boat did, when he had tried to guess my backstory.

Fion looked incredibly young in his peaceful state. The night before I had observed him, when I woke up, because of a dream. When he slept, I would have guessed him younger than me, but in my nightmare he looked like a man ready to burn down city. In my nightmare he was covered in blood with a chiseled face and fragile eyes, he was an androgynous vengeance, I saw him standing on Melar tower holding a burning flag in his hand, the maroon emblem with the golden butterfly was blazing and turning into ember.

But the man I was looking at now was a different one, he didn't gave me a fear-evoking impression. He smoothly returned to upright position, with his pale fingers he moved over a scar, that I hadn't noticed while I spent my time being thrown over the back off a horse like a sack of potatoes. The cuts on his arm were symmetrical and purposely done, they forged a shape. He had a star as cicatrice. He opened up his eyes, he was done with his prayer.

I didn't bother anymore with staying silent, he had noticed me being awake the first time, I'm sure he was going to notice again. My hands were still tied back and attempts to get the rope off my skin had failed.

"What does your scar mean?" I asked.

He might not reply but it was worth a try. His head turned around and he looked me directly in the eyes, his expression was blank.

"It was given to me when I was born. It is part of a religion in the North, they pray to the morning star. The tribe of the morning star doesn't exist anymore, it has been annexed by another tribe.", he explained to me.

"A tribe cannot be annexed it is part of the kingdom.", I corrected him.

"The North is not part of the kingdom, maybe it is on paper, maybe they provide Melar with iron, but the North will never be ruled by people who don't even bother to learn the names of the most important places or their language.", he said.

"You mean your language. Don't deny your heritage. Whose tribe was it who murdered and subjugated yours?", I questioned.

"Their leader is Selen Tellur. An implicit violent man, with a full beard and bright eyes. His army is ruthless. There were always rumors surrounding Selen, that it had been his father who had planned the attack on Melar and that he, the spawn, was even more touched by the dark. Every one in Melar castle is sipping their tea, while up there in the North a storm is coming. But when Selen Teller came to my tribe he didn't murder us, no. He used our forces to grow an even bigger even stronger army. I know he isn't stopping, only time can tell the fate of Melar.", he paused for a moment and continued. "But do you know who murdered us? It was your family, riders with the emblem of a golden butterfly, claiming our land as theirs."

"What we have done is unforgivable. But things that lie in the past are not my doings. I do not hold you accountable for the slaughter in Melar, where my parents died. I would lie, if I told you that I'm not somewhat biased towards people born in the North. ", I admitted.

"But out history is the thing that has shaped our world. Has the sea washed away your sins?" He had raised himself back up on his feet, like a ghost from the dead.

"It hasn't, but I don't want forgiveness from some benevolent gods. I'm not going to pay the debts of others, I only pay my own." My wicked eyes were challenging him.

"What a foolish woman you are. Letting yourself be ruled by ignorance."

"What a foolish man you are. Mistaking a wolf for a butterfly."

Fion nonchalantly repaired to the place his mare was grazing, taking the bridle rein into his hand. I knew that departure was near.

"I'm not mistaking you for a butterfly, Keeva Regani. If you would have been one you wouldn't be here. I'm mistaking you for a lioness." He faced me again. "Don't let me be mistaken."

He moved towards me again, guiding the horse into my direction and let go of the bridle to detach me from the tree. He held the rope tight in his hands when I finally was standing on my feet again. My body was hurting, sitting on the ground had made my back stiff. His eyes met mine. "Don't throw me over the back of your horse again. Let me sit too, my hands are unable to move.", I demanded.

Fion Fearchar didn't seem like a person who was easy to convince. He almost looked bored when I was talking.

"The mare you are talking about isn't mine. This beautiful creature is Kallisto, the faithful companion of my sister.", he explained to me and lifted me on the horse, in the exact same way as he had the day before. As opposed to the touch of the pirate, I didn't feel a rush of adrenaline filling my veins, his hands felt practical, almost familiar.

"Why would your sister give you her mare?" I asked incredulously. "Doesn't she need her herself?"

"My sister and I, we are very much alike. Everything that is hers is mine, everything that is mine is hers. Kallisto happens to be more fond of her than me. I reckon that it is their common stubborn streak and sober heart. Both my sister and the mare are aware of the importance of you, so neither of them have acted up yet. You have a sister yourself, don't you?" Fion patted Kallisto's back, his eyes resting on the bay horse.

"I do", I replied.

I hadn't dared to think about Avala. My little sister, sitting in her room, brooding about life. When I thought of home, I saw Edan in front of my inner eye, how he was searching me. The consequences of my absence never had reached Avala. My pain was solely linked with Edan. He had been my home for such a long time, I had considered him my counterpart, but all the crown had done for him was enough reason to not come with me. I didn't have the audacity to let Edan choose to either suffer from ingratitude or hollowheartedness. He was part of them, he always would be.

"I suppose she will take your place", he suggested.

I shook my head in surprise. Avala, being crown princess or queen? That was something that nature gravitated against. I always had imagined that my uncle would stay in position. That Avala would be too wayward, that people would prefer my mothers's bastard brother over her. It's not like anyone ever had tried to shield Avala from royal balls or public events, it just happened that Avala had a dislike in leaving her room.

"That depends. I don't care.", I gave him as a reply, I didn't want to talk or think of her.

"So you two aren't close then?" He was standing with the back to me. I sensed the disbelief on his face. That wasn't surprising, he and his sister seemed like two of a kind. Family must mean everything to him.

"Av, has chosen silence as her weapon. She has put herself beyond good and evil, when you abolish all meaning of life, you can do without someone searching for it." My stomach had started to hurt, either from the extremely uncomfortable position or the fact that I hadn't eaten since a long time. I had gotten used to the foul taste in my mouth, but the absence of nutrition had physically started to weaken me.

In my interest Fion didn't reply to what I said and got on the spare part of the back of the horse. He gave the horse a forward-impulse through his weight and brought pressure on with both of his shanks, holding the bridle in his hand. Once ceased the pressure Kallisto started moving. The horse trodded in a four-cycle.

We made our way through the forrest, once again I only could see his under arm, now I did know that there was a scar, with which he carried the cosmos himself with him.

.

At dusk, Fion started to speed up the pace. The way that was laying before us, had started to look the same after hours. The birds had stopped singing, only occasionally owls were greeting us. There were no signs of any other animals. I started to wonder whether deers were common teliassian animals, apparently not, or they all had been hunted down or had been consumed by a predator, that might will cross our way soon. I had a bad feeling something was going to go wrong.

In the blink of an eye Fion brought the horse to a full stop. Bewildered I tried to look around. There was just the sound of the breath of Kallisto. Why were we no continuing. With an uncanny elegance Fion swung himself off the horse. He walked over to me, his dark eyes resting on my face. He was near my ear and whispered "Say nothing".

He pulled me on the back of the horse, like I had demanded earlier. I was unsure why he was acting like that, there was no one far and wide to be seen. Fion didn't return to the back of the horse and continued to walk steedless guiding Kallisto. I saw that his body had tensed and one of his hands were on the hilt of his long sword.

Then I noticed them. Three men were standing in welcoming hideaway of the green of the leaves. They were dressed in black, had cicatrized faces and yellow teeth. The tallest of them was standing in front of them, his hair was rufous and his thin lips were grinning.

"Good evening, gentlemen", Fion greeted them.

The smile of the tall one comprised now his whole face. The men had no intentions in greeting us back formally. One of the shorter ones had already pulled out a shabby sword.

"If you hand her over nonviolent, we might let you live", the tall one grumbled.

I had expected Fion to say something solemn about how important I was, but he shut his mouth and pulled out his sword. He raised it into the direction of the tall one , who I suspected to be the leader of the group. "Come and get her", Fion mumbled. And then they attacked.

The leader rearing up to strike, his companion accompanied him one of the left one on the right side. They were in hemispheric position. Fion stroke out, the blade of his sword collided with the one of the leader. The silver of the metal was glimmering in the tender auroral light. The leader had a filthy worn out blade, while Fion's was clearly upmarket. Cannily Fion fended off the attack. The hits of the leader were hard and Fion had to use up all the power of his muscles to hold against it. Fion screamed out when one of the shorter ones got involved and brushed his arm. Blood was dripping down his arm.

Fion was now fighting against all three of them. He was an incredibly skilled swordsman, he was fast and neat. He dodged the strike of the leader, while pushing his blade into the pit of the stomach of another, who tumbled down to the ground. The third one advanced and Fion flipped around. He parried and knocked the blade free of his hand. It flew into a shrub and he went to search it.

Now it was just the leader and Fion. The sound of clashing swords, the whimpering of the man on the ground resonating with the tranquillity of the forrest. The other man had found his sword again, but let the leader deal with the fair knight alone, instead he paved the way into my direction. Without efforts of mine Kallisto began to career, she passed the group of men quickly, none of them had time to process what happened.

I was sitting on the lower back of Kallisto, with my hands I supported myself and prevented falling over. The back of Kallisto was soft when I clawed my nails into it, I didn't have the intentions of hurting her, but falling off a horse, which was accelerating to full speed was my priority. I was aware of the fact that I needed to get into the possession of the bridles. Kallisto made her way crisscross over hedge and ditch. She was zigzaging and I soon would have started to loose orientation. I pressed my torso to her back, to not get entrained by the branches and briarwood. With pressed my tights together to gain support, then I slowly crawled forwards. The wind was in my eyes, reducing my ability to see. Constant jerky movements hurt my spine. My wrists were what had been chained together, lucky I could move my fingers. With a jolt I reached out and felt the leader of the bridles on my hands. I moved back up and steadily got Kallisto to slow down.

We had departed far enough for nobody to find us. I was now in control of the mare, but her loyalty pertain to somebody else. I couldn't let Fion die for me. He was my only chance for survival. I was deep in deadly woods, he had a plan for me and if I saved his life he would owe me. Knights always pay their debts. I turned Kallisto around, the horse understood what I intended, if it's bond to the Fearchair family was as deep as Fion had said Kallisto would find them.

Kallisto broke into a trot, together we moved back. I didn't want to be to fast that I still had the element of surprise with me. I heard the fight sounds from far away and stopped Kallisto. I swung myself ungraceful of her back, I almost wanted to sigh when my feet touched the ground, but that might would have given me away. I hid behind a tree and squinted into their direction.

Two men were laying on the ground, just the russet haired leader was still battling with Fion, whose shirt was covered in blood. Both of their faces were earnest and full of pain. They moved like two dancers, their swords connecting like a beautiful ballad. The scene looked so disturbingly beautiful that I almost didn't move, but I noticed the frightful fact that Fion was losing.

I started running into their direction ran as soundless as I could. I remained undetected by the leader and as he wanted to make a move aiming towards Fion's heart, I jumped up into the sky and threw my hands around his neck from behind. He stumbled back the blade not even remotely touching Fion. It wasn't my plan to strangle him, but I with the rope that held my arms from moving I pressed against his throat. Fion pulled himself and I didn't stab him, but left a big slash on his upper body. He wouldn't die from it, but would gain us enough time to escape. I let go of his throat and he collapsed to the ground, joining his fellow companions.

Fion mumbled some thanking sounds and we paced back to Kallisto. Before lifting me up, he looked me into the eyes. Like in my dreams he was covered in blood, but he didn't frighten me, for a split second I was able to see the broken boy behind the facade, I saw a boy who could have lived in a normal house hold, who would sold fish on the market in Melar, who could have fallen in love, but all those things had been disallowed from him. He still was holding his sword and brought it to my hands. He was so close that I could see how dark his eyes were, so unusually obsidian. He cut the rope between my wrists, he set me free.

.

Fion was taciturn as we continued our journey. He hadn't spoken except for that one time were he had thanked me for saving his life. When I asked him why he cut my ropes, he answered that he now knew that I wouldn't rebel against him, at least till we were at that mysterious place he was bringing me.

I sat behind him and had put my hands on his waist. With time the trot of Kallisto had slowed down. Paths had started to appear, we were getting closer to a village or a city, which I a assumed was the place, where those people Fion was working for lived.

My hands poked Fion to get his attention. "Look over there", I mumbled as I saw a piece of clothing laying on the ground. Was somebody sleeping in the forrest? How odd.

Cautiously we approached it. It wasn't like I suspected a sleeping man, it were two young boys wrapped into a waulked cloak. Their eyes were closed, their cheeks had shrunken, some crows had joined them. They were undoubtably dead.

"They starved", Fion stated out the obvious.

Breathlessly I clamped his shoulder to not fall of the horse. I wanted to let go of what I was seeing, but I couldn't. Fion put his hand on his shoulder touching mine, a comforting gesture.

"Look up", I heard his voice say. From here I was able to see a tower in the clouds. We had reached our destination.

"Welcome to Bellhaven", he said and I intertwined my fingers with his.