Sapphire - A Huntress No More/Completed (Not Edited)

Chapter 18

I never thought I will ever do something like this.

Tomorrow was the word choice whenever something of importance had to be discussed. Yet, tomorrow came and there was no sign of any movement toward a serious face to face talk about our plans, about the hunters or about the enemy in our house. When she arrived here the first thing I wanted to do was imprison her. But our king had other plans. He saw something in her, something other than the huntress she was. I for one did not trust her. How can I trust a hunter? A hunter will always be a hunter no matter what. But just as the seasons change so do people. By the order of my king I watched over her every minute of every day. He had accepted her but this, made me think he too did not trust her fully. As I watched over her, I saw she was in conflict with herself about what we turned up to be, about what she had become and maybe about what she had been. Conversation between us was not necessary for me to see she had second thoughts about anything and everything in regard to our existence, and hers as well. Erin's struggle to understand us and herself was evident in her demeanour. Seeing her like that made me trust that she will not harm us. Or will she? As days flew by, I was amazed by her combat knowledge. Her life as a hunter had its benefits. She taught us a lot about how hunters think and how they work, about their preferred strategy in combat and many other things. Which turned out to be very helpful tips.

To this very day I thought I will never consider a hunter to be my friend. Maybe Erin truly was different, maybe she was another kind of hunter, one that had a mind of its own.

The hunters attacked and my task changed from watching Erin to protecting her. To my surprise I did not oppose the order and as I fought alongside Erin, I remembered what Charles's mother once told me.

'An enemy has many forms.' The former Queen used to say.

'How come? An enemy is an enemy and that is that.' I said.

'Indeed, an enemy is an enemy.'

'Then what forms are you speaking off?'

'Stephen, the enemy can be a hunter, a rogue wolf or even our inner self. This is what I mean when I say that an enemy has many forms. Things change, people change. For example, some of us think that witches are one of our enemies.'

'Yes, I know. They are one foe that we have.' I said curious about where this talk was going.

'For you they may be a foe but I consider them friends.'

'Does our king know?'

'Haha yes, he knows. He does not like it, but he knows. Anyway, what I want you to remember is that you must remember not to judge a book by its cover. Not all witches are bad so, in theory, not all hunters are evil, nor are werewolves nothing but humane.'

'That is hard to believe.'

'It might be as you say but keep in mind that change is everywhere. Like the seasons change so do we, no matter our race. It will come a time when you will be faced with the power of change, like I was in regards to witches. Embrace it when you have the chance. Otherwise, for one you might lose something important just because the person or thing in front of you has a bad reputation. And secondly, if you remain stubborn, the enemy will turn up to be you all along.'

I wonder if she knew I would face this problem. But if I learned something in all my life, it would be the fact that change touches everyone.

Ever since the hunters bombed the fortress, I had a feeling of uncertainty. I fought my way through hunter troops alongside Cassidy in order to reach Erin, who went against Saul's wishes and joined us on the battlefield. Fighting side by side with an Elder gave me strength. Cassidy and I did not speak much. We know each other by name and rank, but all in all we are total strangers. What we had in common now was Erin. The latter being Cassidy's cousin.