Love, Betrayal and War (Edited,Completed)

3.Not a kid anymore

Autumn has arrived. Apples, pears and wild grapes. The forest provides them with food. Francesca knows they must find their parents soon. Before winter comes and buries everything in cold snows.

They wouldn't survive in wintertime. Garret kept trying to hunt some games. But he is still too small for hunting. At least he is a good climber. They stock up on apples and other fruits for their long journey to the north.

Their mom got killed in the last assault. He could only save his sister. Lost contact with their father. The bravest warrior of all. At least that's what the boy believed.

Francesca knows she couldn't return to her husband. Sig would never forgive her. For killing their daughter.

And if she went to Baron Rexton,  she would betray her husband. She still loves him despite his tough treatment. And she still doesn't believe Sig could murder her father. Not with all her heart.

Garrett asks, "What is it, Fran? You look worried."

"I don't know where to go after I deliver you two."

"Your parents?"

"Dead."

The boy is silent. Suddenly he says, "You could marry me."

Fran laughs a little until she realises he is serious about it.

So she replies as serious as she could, "It would be an honor."

Garrett smiles widely. He says, "You are pretty, Fran. After you washed all those dirt away."

"Thanks. I guess."

"I will grow up as a tough warrior. Just like my father. Then I will marry you."

Fran only smiles and says nothing.

They stopped by at riverside earlier to clean themselves. She even washed her hair. Now she felt refreshed.

Fran says, "Enough chatting. We need to continue our journey. Before winter comes."

He holds her hand and kisses it once.

And he says, "My tribe always settled in oasis during wintertime. We might find them there."

"Desert? We must cross a desert? With a baby?" asks her sceptically.

"Don't worry. Gilda and I travel across the desert all the times."

The full moon is shining brightly tonight. The forest is behind them. Now they have arrived in vast savannah.

Garrett says, "I know this place. Father used to take me for hunting here."

It's getting late so they decided to rest for tonight.

They are going to light a campfire when suddenly a lion emerges from nearby bush.

Fran is paralyse on spot. The lion is staring them curiously. Gilda touches the lion's mouth and caresses it. The lion licks her little hand. And it just walks away. Leaving them unharmed.

Francesca quickly checks Gilda's hand. She is very relieved to see her unharmed. Garrett puts a hand to his heart, trying to calm it. Thought he would die of a heart attack.

A seer once foretold Gilda is a girl with excellent luck. It seems she was right. Fran showed up when Gilda was starving. And the lion didn't bite her when it could.

They climb up a tree that night. Fearing the lion would come back to eat them.

Morning finally arrives. Fran yawns. She didn't sleep a wink. Garrett fell asleep so she has to watch him too. Fearing he would fall from the tree. She stares to a horizon. That's a desert.

They are going to need supplies. Water jugs. Foods. And umbrellas. No money.

( What should I do?)

Maybe going into the desert is a bad idea. Maybe she could find a job in a city. And raise them.

Fran sighs. She was a princess. Never trained for any hard work. Even her knitting is very bad. Her singing is good in scaring rats. At least Sig always said so. She missed her husband a lot. But she would never return to him.

Garrett yawns too. He rubs his eyes. Staring to the horizon.

And he yells, "There!  I could see some smokes! Must be them! Ragamuth!"

He quickly climbs down the tree. Fran checks the knot, which ties Gilda toward her. The baby is still sleeping. She kisses her cheek. And then she stares around. No sign of the lion or other predators.  She climbs down the tree.

The Ragamuth camp is at the end of savannah. Close to the desert.

They are heading that way.

Dead bodies everywhere. Garrett kept examining the corpses to see if there's any survivor. None. He vomits not too far from a corpse. It's his friend, Tamode. The Althean soldiers killed everyone even children and babies.

A tap to his shoulder.

Fran asks, "Are you okay?"

The little boy nods slightly. He's the only male in this entourage. He is the only one who could protect them.

He searches the corpses. Looting anything they could use for their journey ahead. Money, weapons,water jugs, foods and some extra clothes. Winter is coming soon. They must reach his father's camp before winter arrives.

They couldn't bury the dead. So they gather up the corpses into a pile and burn them all.

Poor boy. He looks pale. Must be hard to see his fellow tribesmen got slaughtered like this.

(Did Sig order this? Slain even women, old folks, and children? )

Fran shivers. Sigfried. She couldn't believe her husband could do such cruelty. Maybe the war changed him like this. A cold blooded man.

Everything is burning. Garrett kept staring to the blaze. He vows he would grow up into a fine warrior. Just like his father. And he would kill the soldiers who did this to his friend, Tamode.

That day, Garrett lost his heart as a kid. Not a kid anymore. He vowed to have his vengeance. Staring to the flames till it died. Leaving only ashes behind.

To the north...

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It's always sad to see a kid lost his/ her young heart and realized the cold reality in this world.