The Seven Heroes of Erde

Verity

Chapter Two

Verity

Splash!  Verity dove into the cold, shimmering water. The crisp moonlight reflected on the waves. The ocean had always calmed her. Verity had gone fishing in search of food for her tribe. It was the least she could do to contribute.

Verity was not an ordinary girl. Most people, young and old, were jealous of her. Her uncle was the king of the Water Tribe. That could give Verity a lot of power and wealth in the future. But Verity didn't want power or wealth. Where's the honor in that? She wanted to join the militia, the warriors of her tribe, to defend her home. But because she was of royal blood, she didn't have to have a job in the tribe. In fact, she wasn't allowed to have a job at all.

As she let herself be carried a little deeper by the waves, she watched the schools of fish swim gracefully near her pale skin. It seemed almost cruel to kill such a beautiful creature, but Verity dove deeper and loaded her crossbow (a powerful weapon that could shoot underwater) and shot a few swiftly. She gathered them in the fishing net she used to hunt. After a couple of hours of this, she returned to land to at least attempt to get some rest. She took the fish to the community fishing racks, where food is kept in her town.

She had been having a hard time sleeping lately. Because she was getting older, she had gotten to occasionally sit in on council meetings with the king and his other relatives. She wasn't helping her community in any way doing that, and that just didn't satisfy her. Her older sister, Wylentyna, was perfectly okay with it. Wylentyna was hardworking and caring, the ideal big sister. Her older brother, Pacifico, was too, but there was just something about him that made his personality seem flawless. Verity appeared to be the only person in her family that lacked to be significant in her community.

Verity strolled through her neighborhood slowly. The houses and buildings were made of mostly wood and adobe bricks. She helped build some of them when she was a child.

Children in the water tribe went to school when they were five until they were thirteen, and by then they were ready to choose a permanent job to earn food for a living. Children Verity's age were supposed to choose a job five years ago.

She headed back to her house, a large and luxurious building. She crept in quietly, so as not to wake anyone. She slept in the same room as Wylentyna, and there her sister slept soundlessly. Verity looked up at the moon from her window. It was a couple of hours past midnight. I hope nothing important happens tomorrow, she thought, because I'm going to be exhausted.

She was wrong.

~ + ~

In the morning, Verity and Wylentyna left the house early to train. Training for battle was essential to the water tribe. Children were taught how to fight in school, and the majority of citizens there started training at seven. Even though Verity wasn't in school anymore, she couldn't let herself get rusty.

"Wylentyna, aim Melius Novi quam tu potes!" I know how you can better aim. Verity spoke in Latin, the native language of the Water Tribe.

"Give me a little credit; it's early!" Wylentyna grinned as she went to collect her knives, which she had carelessly thrown at the target.

Throughout the morning, Verity and Wylentyna trained continuously. Pacifico eventually joined them. While Wylentyna went to get them some lunch, Pacifico and Verity sat at a bench and watched as the school children learned how to shoot a crossbow.

"They are pretty good for beginners, are they not?" Pacifico said as he pointed to one girl who hit the target multiple times in a row.

"They are sloppy. They do not even hold the crossbow right. They would not last five minutes in an actual battle. They are not even shooting underwater; it is not very hard," Verity murmured as she watched one kid accidentally shoot a dart into the air.