The Anaki Prophecy

The Anaki Prophecy ~ Ch. 9

                “Come on,” I heard a voice calling as an arm shook my body, “I let you sleep in since it was a long day, but it’s almost noon!” 

                My eyes fluttered open and my arm pushed the arm off of me.  I looked to see Preston standing over me, wearing an apron over his buck skin pants and what looked like a light cotton shirt.  “This is the first real sleep I’ve gotten in months, can’t you just let me be?” I whined, scrunching my eyes shut and sinking back into the softest bed I’d ever slept in, pulling the covers up over my head.

                “Didn’t think you were a whiner,” he laughed as he grabbed the covers and yanked them off, exposing my face to the light and my bare skin to the cool air.  I jumped up, wearing only the long white cotton shirt he had given me last night, and grabbed at the covers.  “I also thought you’d be a bit faster.”

                “I’m not use to men waking me up from a bed.  The ground or barracks yes, but not a warm comfortable bed,” I snatched my socks and began pulling them onto my cold feet.  “If you will excuse me, I need to get dressed.” 

                “Alright,” he nodded, “A very late breakfast is in the kitchen.”  He turned, leaving the room, dragging my blankets behind him.

                “Really?” I yelled.

                “Can’t have you going back to bed, can I?” he smiled back at me, closing the door as my boot hit where his head had been moments earlier.  I stood up, looking for my clothes, but only found some buckskin pants and a cotton shirt, blue in color with a white thread design woven into the hems.  I dressed in them quickly and pulled on my boots before walking out to the kitchen. 

                “Where are my clothes?” I asked when I saw him standing over a cast iron stove. 

                “In the basket to be washed,” he said, “They looked like they hadn’t been properly washed in months.  My sister found those for you.  She said they use to be mine, she was saving them for her son.” 

                “Oh, tell her thank you,” I offered.  A sudden waft of something hit my nose that set my stomach growling.  “What are you cooking?”

                “Bacon and eggs,” he shrugged, “Got them yesterday and they won’t last very long, even in the ice box.”  He nodded toward the box buried in the ground.  Uncle John had one at home, he used cold water, ice, and salt to keep the temperature low so food wouldn’t go bad so quickly.  I guess he learned it from the Anaki because I’d never seen anyone else do it. 

                “Well, they smell delicious,” I told him.  I had decided maybe he wasn’t crazy and if he was going to help me through this, the least I could do is try to be friendly. 

                “That’s because,” he grabbed two plates and slid the wonderful smelling delectables from the skillet, “They will be.”  He turned to look at me with two plates in his hands.  “Go grab a seat.”

                I walked into the next room with Preston following with the food and sat in the same large chair I’d perched in the night before.  He pushed a plate in front of me then sat down, devouring the food on his plate.  Biting into a piece of bacon, I looked up as he finished his meal.  “Wow,” was all I could muster as I blinked in disbelief.  “I spent years with knights in training and I’ve never seen anyone eat that fast.” 

                “I guess I don’t have royal breeding m’lady,” he joked. 

                My eyes rolled, “Right, well, your manners are better than theirs for the most part so don’t start changing.”   

                “Oh I know,” he smiled to himself, “But thank you for the compliment.”  I stared at him confused.  “So,” he changed the subject, “I’m showing you around town today then you will be going to my sister’s to get ready for the gathering tonight.” 

                “What do you mean ‘get ready’?” I questioned.

                “We dress a certain way for the gatherings.  Angel has some clothes for you,” he shrugged as he watched me work on my meal.

                “But Angel is so small,” I commented, trying to figure out how I would possibly fit into these garments she’d found. 

                “Oh, we know,” Preston nodded, not concerned.

                “How am I going to fit into her clothes?” I asked.

                “You’re not,” he flatly said, “She made your dress.”

                I ignored the word dress and went to the rest of it.  “She made me a dress?!” I practically yelled. 

                “Yeah,” Preston stood up, acting like it was no big deal. 

                “She just met me last night!” I exclaimed.

                “Ah, but we knew you were coming, remember?” Preston took our empty plates and started into the kitchen.  “She made the dress while she was pregnant and couldn’t do much else.”  I stood and followed him. 

                “So while your sister was pregnant, she made a dress for me, knowing what size I would be well before meeting me?” I asked.

                “Alex, stop questioning everything,” Preston sighed, “I promise this will all eventually make sense but if you question every little thing now it is going to be very difficult introducing you to this world.”

                I let out a deep breath, “I can try,” I offered, “But no promises.” 

                “That’s all I ask,” Preston nodded.  “Well, let’s get going.  I want to show you around before I take you to Angel’s.”  We walked outside and he took me up and down the streets, introducing me to people as we went. 

                There was Magellan, the older man who ran the bakery.  Then there was Danel, the butcher.  We also met Karak, the field overseer, Gerard the blacksmith, Margerie the teacher, and Arabella the seamstress.  He showed me the shops, the fields, the square, the practice yards, and where various people lived and studied.  Everyone was hurrying about, Preston said doing different duties to prepare for the Gathering that evening.  “And now,” he led me up a familiar walk, “I leave you in the capable hands of my sister.” 

                I nodded, “Thank you for showing me around,” I told him.  “Your village is really nice.” 

                “It was my pleasure,” he assured me, “We’ve all been waiting for the day you would appear.  Now that it’s here, it almost seems silly that I spent the day escorting you around, we probably should have started training.” 

                “I’ve spent my whole life training or fighting,” I told him, “It was nice to just be a normal person for once instead of Alex of Gloriana.”

                Preston shook his head, “Even on a day where all we did was walk around town, you are not normal.  You weren’t born to be normal, you were born to be extraordinary and you are in everything.” 

                I opened my mouth, unsure of what to say to that, when the wooden door swung open.  “Alex,” Angel smiled, taking my hand and pulling me inside, “Come, we have a lot to do.  Preston, we will see you there.” 

                “I’ll see you two there,” Preston laughed, “Oh and Alex,” I looked up, slightly concerned, to see the twinkle in his eye and the smile on his face, “Good luck.”