.:Two:.
Annaria looked at the sword that rested on her wall just above her bed. She found nothing special about this sword, only that it can harm her. She stepped onto her bed and walked toward the sword, stumbling just a bit as her feet sank into her mattress. She placed both of her hands on the swords' sheath. It was almost like a life or death decision for her, if she should take the sword or not. If this blade can only harm her, then she knew why Wolvard would want to take it. Though if it didn't, this sword would be useless, and just another sword to hang on the wall.
She pulled the sword out of its sheath, and unexpectedly it felt like she was holding a feather. She held her finger out and just placed the blade on her finger. In the past, people would slide a knife on her arm, yet no blood spilled, or pain emerged. This happened several times, not just knives but also guns. People thought she was a witch, since they witnessed her moving objects without touching them. Her friends called her Indestructible, and seemed to of use her for things. Living on Earth was hard for her, since the people never saw such thing, so they tormented her for being different.
She progressively pulled the sword across her finger. She rolled her eyes as she felt nothing, not even a sting on her finger. She knew that the sword couldn't harm her, so she slipped the sword back into its sheath. She kept her hand were it was, and then starred at the finger in which she attempted to cut. Thin crimson liquid dripped down her hand, leaving a trail on her pale skin. The blade can harm her, and now she had no choice but to take it. She took the sword off the wall and headed went out of her room. The guards were walking through the hallways at a fast pace, some going up into the towers. Once out of the castle, she saw Elisi pointed to the bridge that lead to the back entrance of the castle to a group of guards.
Elisi saw her walking up to her, and then dismissed the group of guards. She smiled as Annaria came closer, and spread her arms out in an inviting hug. Annaria fell into her embrace, her body felt limp and cold, for a second she thought she was dead. This was happening too quickly for Annaria, it was all spinning inside her already troubled mind. Annaria lifted her eyes and looked out the forest, the one she will have to go into soon.
"Elisi, I'm sorry that this is happening. I'm sorry that the people have to draw a blade upon others. I'm sorry--" Annaria paused, stopping herself from confessing anymore to Elisi. There was an empty hole slowly building up in her soul as she saw more things to blame on herself.
"There is nothing to blame in a world of tragedy, bloodshed, and sorrow. There should be nobody to call names for something so little, you can't even feel it happen." Elisi whispered into Annaria's ear smoothly. Her voice was so smooth and gentle, it was almost hypnotizing Annaria. She closed her eyes, shutting off the light of the world to a temporary darkness.
"The reason why he is attacking is because of my existence on Aldenora. None of this would of happen if I were on Earth right now." Annaria sighed, sliding her arms to her own side, and tilted her head down. She looked down at a wilted flower, its petals hard and crisp, and dull with color. Annaria couldn't imagine this field stained with crimson and insensible pale bodies that sacrificed themselves for the better.
"You must go to Valndra now; she will give you instructions on where to go." Elisi said her voice still shallow and calm. It's almost like she expected this, and knows exactly what to with everybody. She was so calm and gentle, it seemed like there was going to be no battle at all. Yet Annaria saw the fear in her hazel eyes, as she knew the dangers of Annaria going into the forest and fleeing, and the dangers that might occur in this battle.
Annaria backed away, her eyes still locked on Elisi. She did her best of protecting Annaria from all the harms that occurred in Aldenora. She was like her own mother, though Annaria felt guilty for calling her that. Annaria knew she was making the right choice, of making her flee the grounds of Allalina Core. The world was becoming a dangerous place for Annaria to live in, and she accepted the fact that it is.
Annaria turned around, having her back face Elisi. She could hear Elis's footsteps grow fainter as they went their separate ways. As Annaria came closer to the stable, she already saw unicorns lined up against the fence, all dressed in armor. The wolf glared at her as she walked into the barn, not caring about the fact that she's going to flee. She walked up to Distreigh's' stall, observing the armor that he had on. She never saw him wear armor before, and wondered if it would affect his riding since this is the first time Distreigh had wore armor. He didn't seem to mind it though, it was as if he was used to being covered with metal.
Valndra walked up toward Annaria, carrying a white bow and arrows. Annaria looked at the bow and arrow that she had, and wondered if she would use them.
"Why do you have a bow and arrow, Valndra?" Annaria asked, watching as she tied the bow onto the side of the saddle.
"There are creatures roaming around in those forests Annaria. You need weapons to protect yourself." Valndra seemed to stumble on her words, braked up with frequent deep breathes. Her hand was shaking while she readjusted his bridle. Valndra was nervous about everything. The one thing that was going on in her mind was about the safety of Annaria.
"Had you actually saw a creature that can possibly harm me in the forest?" Annaria said, walking into the stall and going beside Valndra. Annaria rested her elbow on Distreigh's withers, looking at Valndra with a blank expression. Valndra said nothing; she just stood still looking straight ahead like a statue would. In her mind, there were flashbacks of what happened to her when she was little. Unknown creatures in the middle of night would attack her without warning. She has been attacked several times, all during the night hours. Her scars that the creatures left started to tingle on her skin. The marks that seemed pale against her skin were a constant reminder of what roamed out there.
"No. Nobody had actually seen a creature, or witnessed their attack." Valndra said, trying to keep the words sensible enough to believe, and not too hasty and short. She lied many time to Annaria, and she wasn't about to tell the truth of those answers, for she wanted the best kind of safety for her. Annaria nodded, though still skeptical about her action to her questions, and how long it took to conjure that answer. "Go outside and wait for me. I'll come out and bring Distreigh, and from there I will tell you were to go."
Annaria nodded once more, and turned around, patting Distreigh once before leaving the stable. She noticed that the wolf was gone, though she didn't think much about it. With everybody running around preparing for the upcoming war, a few may leave their post. She stood not too far away from the row of unicorns, listening to the constant stomping hooves on the ground, and the tearing of the grass from the dirt.
She caught a glimpse of the wolf that protected the barn slip into the capacity of the forest. She thought it was odd for a wolf that's going into battle soon would slip off into the forest alone. Valndra walked up toward Annaria with Distreigh following her. Annaria mounted Distreigh, grabbing hold of the rein and his black silky mane.
"You will take the west path to Eerineth, which is just over there," Valndra pointed to a section of the forest were there was a dirt path carved throughout the forest. "Once when you reach the borders of Eerineth there will be two paths, take the right one." Valndra said, knowing that is enough directions for her. Annaria stared were the wolf went into the forest, seeing if he would come out. She was growing suspicious of where the wolf may have gone, and wanted to find out. She pulled the reign toward her left, maneuvering his body to where she last saw the wolf.
"Annaria, what are you doing? The trail is over there." Valndra's eye grew weary, and didn't know what to make of Annaria's actions. Annaria faced Valndra, and gave off a grin.
"Investigating, hopefully I'll see you again." was all that Annaria said toward her. Valndra raised a brow as she tried to figure what she meant. Annaria gave a slight kick to Distreigh's side, and then he started out a fast, smooth canter. One thing that fascinated Annaria was the speeds that Unicorns can reach. They could run nonstop for days, and reach to about ninety miles per hour. She slowed his pace as she went inside the forest, not wanting to risk running into something.
She saw large tracks embedded into the soft soil, leading deeper into the forest. Light barley peeked through the gaps of the trees, making the forest appear darker. There was no signs of the wolf, only it's trail that could disappear at any time. She continued to follow the trail, and then started to see drops of blood. She stopped Distreigh, and started to look around the forest. It was quite, except for the birds chirping and leaves falling onto the ground. She heard nothing else other than that, though she had a strong feeling that there is somebody there. She continued on, keeping an eye out for any signs of movement. The once few drops of blood started to become pools of blood, scattering off the trail. There could be a harmed animal, and all she could think is that the wolf was hunting.
Off in the distance, she saw an unmoving object on the trail. It was quite large, and then as she came closer it became clear that it was the wolf. She dismounted Distreigh and ran up toward the wolf. There were two long arrows embedded into his abdomen, and one in his head. She didn't know what to do, she just starred at the dead wolf that still bled. There was an audible thump as an arrow hit the tree closest to Annaria. She looked up, to see a hooded boy starring at her.
"You need to get out of here, and go to where ever you were going to." The hooded boy said, lowering his arrow. Annaria tried to get a glance at his face, though he covered it well.
"Why did you kill this wolf, and who are you?" Annaria said calmly, still crouching down by the dead wolf. There was a pause in the conversation, not one word slipping out of their mouths. Annaria still observed this boy, taking in his long black robe and stocky body. He looked tall and sounded like her own age, though eh wasn't so positive on that.
"He was a threat toward you." He said, his voice lowering to where it was almost a soft whisper. Annaria could feel his gaze set upon her, bringing a slight shiver up her spinal cord. She set aside all the other things, and focused on the lifeless wolf. Nobody must have known that he worked for Wolvard, or he would have been killed already.
"How did you know he worked for Wolvard?" Annaria said, her tone more harsh than she suspected. She usually did that, if she wanted something. Her voice will come out harsh and very demanding.
"I've been stalking him for years now. Wanting to know why he would go outside of Allalina Core. Then just now, I found him talking about you, and practicing his verses of how he would greet Wolvard." He said, tilting his head just slightly as he starred at Annaria's eyes. He stepped into a beam of light, exposing his pale skin and part of his jaw. His lips curved into a grin, as he started to think about her.
"Should I go to the trail that I was taking, or go another way?" Annaria asked, finding it strange that he was grinning at her. She didn't know if she could trust this boy, and if that grin could mean something else. He gave a brief nod, telling her that she should carry on and forget about this experience.
She stood up and walked backwards toward Distreigh. Her hand fully planted against his chest, and then faced her back toward the boy. She lifted herself on top of Distreigh and faced him once more. She wanted to say something to him, though she didn't know what. She just looked at him before giving Distreigh a hard kick. He snorted then took off at a fast pace through the forest.
She went as fast as she can through the forest, going the direction of where the west trail is. She constantly looked back; to see where the boy will go, or if he's following her. She found the trail and went onward upon it, slowing down the pace as she became more relaxed. Distreigh suddenly stopped, and looked ahead of the trail, though more to the left. He must have seen something, though Annaria saw nothing. She kicked him once again, continuing their journey to this place. The images of the dead wolf flooded her mind, and that hooded boy who talked to her.
The terrain started to become harsh, fallen tree's blocking her way. She causally made her way around the fallen trees, thinking that they just fallen down due to the elements of nature. Yet as the trees started to pile up more, she became apprehensive. Something must have happened to these trees, and it can't just be lightening or people chopping them down. The roots were pulled out of the dark soil, slowly dyeing from the lack of nutrients. The sky started to darken, as the sun inched its way down from the sky. Streaks of colors soon appeared in the sky, and then faded away quite fast as night approached.
She could barely make out her surroundings and constantly Distreigh tripping over fallen debris from the trees. With the fallen trees now starting to grow, she became suspicious about what might have done this. She just kept going straight, winding her way through the fallen trees and logs. She leaned back and sighed, feeling relaxed on this journey to a different land. Annaria was just glad that she could see different views and objects than the same thing every day. Possibly even a different creature. She laughed just a little, as she thought of the place where she's going to as the most contented place.
"Distreigh, you heard the way, just take me there." Annaria said to him, reaching up and patting him on his neck. Distreigh snorted, as he knew that Annaria was about to sleep on his back. She tried to, the felling of the saddle rubbing against her spine made her uncomfortable. The reigns slipped out of her grasp and dangled against his side. Her mind was lost in her thoughts, taking the events that happened earlier to the side. She watched the clouds pass and reveal the stars above. It almost felt like being in the field alone, watching the stars illuminate against the black sky, to her. Thinking about the possible lies she was told and about the possibility of gaining her magic. Most of all, the unknown riddle she has yet to find.
Distreigh came to an abrupt stop, followed by the crumble of rocks falling. Annaria sat upright, and then peered over his head to see a divide in the land. She slid off from Distreigh's back, landing with an audible thump. Cautiously, she walked toward the very edge of the divide, seeing the two trails just ahead. She started to wonder why Valndra hadn't told her about this, since it cut her off from her path. She looked left and right, to see if there was an end to this divide. It seemed to go on forever, and could go all the way across Aldenora. She didn't know what to do at this point, it was either going back or finding a way across. She kicked a rock over the divide and turned around to face Distreigh. She noticed that there was a quick thump sound after when she kicked it. She turned around the see the rock hovering over the divide. She just starred at the rock, astonished and puzzled of how it just laid there, in mid air.
Somebody must have placed something over it so people can cross over. She was a little skeptical about it though, if she could cross over without falling. She held one foot over it, and then slowly lowered it until she felt something supporting her foot. Then she placed her other foot in. Now something that is invisible to her eye is supporting her weight. She took one-step, nothing happened. She took another step, same thing. Now she was walking slowly over the divide, keeping her gaze downward. Once when she reached the edge, she grabbed a root of a tree and pulled herself up onto the other side.
Distreigh stomped his foot on the ground, as he wasn't so sure about crossing. He paced back and forth, pinning his ears against his skull. Annaria waved her hand, trying to persuade Distreigh to come over. Distreigh eventually did, keeping his gaze on Annaria as he crossed over. Once when he was on the other side, Annaria petted him then mounted him once more. Annaria turned Distreigh to the right trail, taking a glance at the other one.
The trees now fashioned a darker shadow over them, making their appearance seem a bit ominous. She noticed a change in Distreigh's behavior as they went deeper into the forest. He constantly stomped his hoof and swished his tail. Annaria thought it had to with the sudden environment change, or the previous events making him uncomfortable and anxious. She started to look around, trying to see if there is a creature disturbing him. It was too dark to make out her surroundings, even though the moon shined, it shed off little light. Over the three years she has been on Aldenora, she noticed that Distreigh would react to simple things. He was a sensitive unicorn, yet also great for warning somebody that something harmful is near.
She had little fear of the things out in the forest, and didn't pay attention to Distreigh's actions. However, she was still cautious about what lies around her, still looking around for any signs of movement. She shrugged thinking that Distreigh is just oversensitive to things. The sounds of the crunching leaves under his hooves relaxed Annaria, making her eyelids slowly close to the world. She placed her hand on the side of the saddle, to check if the sword was still there, and the bow and arrow. The bow was a little loose, but she didn't think much about it.
A branch cracked under the weight of something, which made Distreigh jump a bit. Annaria stood upright and starred forward for a little while, until she glanced toward the direction of the crack. There was a deer like animal with its coat a variety of colors. It was scratching its two long spiral antlers against the trunk of the tree. Its eyes softly illuminated a bright blue as it starred mutely at Annaria. She seen many of those creatures come out of the forest at night and play in the field, though never this close before. Distreigh snorted then it dashed off into the depths of the forest, its multi colored coat fading. People said that their coat color changed every day. Their spots changing from white to blue, or sometimes their whole body color changed to a color from the rainbow. Annaria had only seen that type of wild creature over the past three years. She wished to see more, but being confined in the castle grounds didn't allow her to see more of what Aldenora offered.
Out in the distance she saw a shadowy figure walking toward her. She came up to the figure, quickly making out that it's a man dressed in a long black robe. It was too hard to make out his other features, since it was too dark and cloudy for any source of light to excel. She stopped Distreigh just a foot away from him, and he stopped too. He kept his head down, not lifting it up to view Annaria.
"Hello, do you know of any toward nearby?" Annaria asked quietly, shaking a little inside. She thought he wasn't trust, since people rarely go into these forest alone. He said nothing, keeping his same posture even after a while since she spoke.
"You must be the Half Blood everybody had been talking about." He said quickly, his voice dark and musky. He still had his vision set on the terrain, almost as if he was studying it.
"Yes, I am a half Blood, though I want to know of any town nearby." Annaria said, looking around the forest to see if anybody else was traveling with him. He lifted his head up, though he kept his hood on. His face was still hard to find, though she saw strands of white straight hair.
"You're demanding to know something immediately before moving on to another, I like it," There was a pause in the conversation, as he lifted his hand up. Annaria backed up, thinking that he would shoot out a spell at her, "There is a town nearby here, but let's say that it's a little burnt." There was a hoarse screech out in the distance, which frightened Distreigh. Annaria began to worry too, as she tried to calm Distreigh.
"What is that?" Annaria asked, breathing deeply as the screech inched closer. The man laughed and tilted his head while he looked at Annaria. He liked the fact that the unknown creature frightened her. Distreigh reared just a foot off the ground, neighing as he did. Distreigh's eyes where wide, and couldn't stop moving.
"It's something that you will soon to find out." The man laughed once, and then disappeared into the air right in front of Annaria. She never saw anybody disappear like that before, so it must be some type of dark magic. There was once more harsh screech, and then it became quiet. Annaria didn't know if she should turn around, or go forward. She stayed put, and pulled out the Blade, holding it firmly in front of her. She jumped off of Distreigh, still holding the blade in front of her.
She had no experience fighting with a sword of any type, and feared to see red liquid come out of somebody's skin that was caused by her. She would feel guilty for causing somebody else pain, and always thought that she shouldn't be here, and somebody else should replace her. It was quiet and even Distreigh fell silent. The leaves rustled as the wind came in. The wind then calmed down, leaving the woods once again, silent. A breeze of cold air bit at her skin, though just only at her side she felt it. She turned around, to see Distreigh sprawled on the ground.
She dropped the blade and ran toward Distreigh, immediately placing two fingers on his neck. She felt a pulse and a warm liquid on her hand that was placed on his head. Something had torn his head armor off and hit him in the head, knocking him out instantly, though without any noise. Something must be close, and could easily kill her if it wanted to. She lifted up her hand to see the crimson drip off her hand and onto the ground.
There was a dark shadow in front of her, just about ten feet away. Her breath became more shallow, backing up as the shadow moved even closer. There was no definite form of this thing, though it appeared human like. It disappeared, leaving a thin trail of a black substance. Annaria turned around to see if it moved behind her. There was nothing, though she knew it was near. A cold breeze went by her side again, making her turn around. The shadow had repapered in front of her. She wanted to run, though this thing seemed to be stealthy and quick.
"What are you, and what did you do to Distreigh?" Annaria said her voice shaky and uneven. She was scared; this creature could to anything with her at any given time. The shadow said nothing, only moved closer toward Annaria. She tried to move backwards, though it felt like her feet were glued to the ground.
"I'm nothing but just a shadow that will appear in your dreams." The shadow said in an audible whisper like tone. Annaria closed her eyes tightly, and waited for what might happen next. Her mouth parted, though nothing came out for a couple seconds.
"Is this a dream then?" Annaria asked the shadow, still having her eyes shut to the world. She could feel the cold air surround her body, as the shadow was just hovering inches over the ground, and inches from Annaria.
"It's far from a dream, and I am no ordinary creature. I am not alive, yet far from being dead. I am not a shadow, but I strive on darkness. I was not a man, nor animal. Nobody can see my true appearance, yet only some people can only on special moments though, Annaria." The shadow said, keeping its eerie dark voice. The shadow's words traveled into her head, repeating the lines as a given riddle. That man must have conjured this creature, since he seemed like he wasn't afraid of its appearance.
Annaria felt something hit her head lightly, followed by a trickle of crimson down the side of her cheek. She became light-headed and dizzy. She fell to her knees and then opened her eyes to see the shadow only inches away from her. The landscape started to fad in and out, as she knew she was about to get knocked out. Sceneries flashed in her mind, of Valndra and Elisi. She never felt so alone before, and to see the visions of Valndra made a tear to her eye. She had no idea of what's happening at the castle, she could be dead right now.
The shadow gave one last screech then disappeared, leaving Annaria alone. Her body fell onto the ground, and then the forest started to fade away, to her eyes. Her world was turning around, as the past events came together to start the mark of only the beginning of her journey. She had hopes that somebody would bring her back to the safe castle grounds, and be treated by Valndra and Elisi. That was only a fantasy though, anything could happen now since she couldn't react to anything. In just a second she was in the same situation as Distreigh. On the ground and motionless, not knowing what's going on around them, and shut to the world in darkness.
I'm going to work more with giving you general tips, rather than specific ones again because there's too much that needs proof-reading here for it to be worth going through and picking at grammar and typos.