The Water Princess: Ëthia

Ëthia: Chapter 40 ~Bear Village~

 We'd been traveling for a few days, resting here and there, but we were certainly covering a lot of ground considering we had already entered the borders of the Water Colony.

"Home isn't much further!" I shouted back to them once we crossed the border.

It would be another day until we reached the castle, but I never missed home so much until I started getting closer to it.

I rode on my white bear while Dax and Felicity rode and the black one.

It was an odd feeling, I started this adventure out with just one person, had six people at the most, and now it was down to three.

I knew such much was going to change when I got home, it wouldn't be the same, how could it be? I had to find someone to unite with, Kiara wasn't going to be there, and my best friend wouldn't be around anymore.

Home wouldn't be the same.

Gray skies were above us, not the warm welcoming I wanted, but I would take what ever I could get at this point.

We rode well into the afternoon and I promised Dax and Seviah that we would take a break soon.

As we rode on the trail there was a sign that read, 'Bears Village'.

I turned around and smiled at Seviah and Dax, "See! A village is up ahead, we can rest there!"

Seviah and Dax beamed back at me.

You could see the village start to form from a distance and my excitement picked up, it was exciting to see my people again, even if they had never met me, I was thrilled to meet them.

I had my bear pick up it's pace until I started seeing what was going on.

Instantly I had my bear slow down until Dax and Seviah were right beside me.

"That smell." Dax said with realization.

"What happened?" Seviah said with horror on her face.

In front of us were the remains of a village.

I had my bear walk slowly through the town and I saw things no one should ever have to see.

Bodies lay in the street, burned and bruised. Homes and shops had collapsed and were burned to the ground, animals lay dead by who I assumed was their owners.

It was unreal, seeing women, children, men, elderly, their pets, hopes, dreams, their lives, gone.

I got off my bear and took in the scene even more, this is what Ember was capable of.

"Who did this?" Dax asked with anger in his voice.

"Ember and her assassins." I said as my voice cracked, "What monsters."

"The assassins that you killed back in the Empire?" Seviah asked.

I nodded my head.

"They did this!" Dax yelled in anger, "I don't think your father gave orders to do this." Dax directed at Seviah, "This was them being heartless."

In the distance I noticed a circled fenced in area with a man lying in front of it, "No." I said as I started running past all the bodies and towards the man by the fence.